First Sunday after Epiphany
Our homily today is by Dr. Stan Lombardo, professor at Arkansas Tech University in English. Stan also hosts Sunday School’s class on Faith and Scripture.
Sermon on the Sacraments
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O, LORD, my Strength and my Redeemer.”
In today’s Gospel, we hear Luke’s narrative of Jesus’ baptism by John, and we are reminded that part of Christ’s ministry on earth was to create the sacraments – in this case, one in which the element of water was transmuted to the sacrament of baptism by the Holy Spirit and fire. This incident reminds us that the Miracle of the Sacraments is Christ’s creating something miraculous from the most commonplace materials: water, bread, wine, and oil – which are equally familiar to us.
It is easy for modern Christians to take the sacraments for granted: we celebrate the Mass on Sundays and other Holy Days, in which the elements of Bread and Wine are blessed and – in strictest liturgical terms – become the Body and Blood of Christ. We may attend the baptism of a newborn infant, or the confirmation of a young adult. The sacraments
are integral to our religious life. However, it may not occur to us to recognize their truly miraculous nature and their origin. We can begin by defining the term “sacrament.”
According to St. Augustine, the formal definition of “sacrament” is “an outward sign of an inward grace, instituted by Jesus Christ.” A slightly extended definition accepted by many Christian denominations is “an outward sign instituted by Christ to convey grace.” In both forms of the definition, the key phrase is “instituted by Christ”; secondary to that phrase is the addendum “to give grace.” Divine grace is a theological term present in many religions. It has been defined as the divine influence which operates in humans to regenerate and sanctify, to inspire virtuous impulses, and to impart strength to endure trial and resist temptation; and as an individual virtue or excellence of divine origin.
“Grace” is created by God who gives it as help to us because God desires us to have it, not necessarily because of anything we have done to earn it. [1] It is understood by Western Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to humans – “generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved”; [2] The vital significance of grace in Christian life is
emphasized by Christ’s instituting the sacraments via visible, tangible, commonplace items during His ministry.
Baptism is typically the first sacrament that most Christians receive, as infants, although Baptism can be administered at any time. As Christ’s baptism by John reminds us, the physical, tangible symbol for Baptism is water, which is ubiquitous and essential to all life. Although we are most familiar with Baptism by water, theologically, Baptism by Will and Baptism by Blood are also recognized by many Christian denominations. Of course, we’re all familiar with the joyous ceremony of infant Baptism, by which a newborn child is brought into the Church by the Sacrament, typically performed with holy water, over the Baptismal font. As an adult, under circumstances where there is no minister or
even a layperson to administer Baptism by water, one can receive Baptism by Will or, under extreme circumstances, such as on a battlefield or at the scene of a serious accident one can receive Baptism by Blood.
Chronologically, depending upon which church one belongs to, the next sacrament one is likely to receive is Penance. In the Catholic church, this sacrament is administered by the Priest who hears the member’s confession; however, confession is not the sacrament: the
sacrament is the Penance that the Priest assigns based on the sins that the member has confessed. Typically, the penance may involve saying a number of specific prayers, but it might also include performing an action such as contributing to a specific charity. In the Episcopal church, members perform a corporate confession, which is to say, we confess our sins in the congregation and receive corporate absolution from the priest. That absolution does not prevent us from performing other penance; it is simply not required, except in exceptional circumstances.
For many of us, the most familiar sacrament is Holy Eucharist, or Holy Communion, also known as “the Lord’s Supper.” As we prepare to receive the Eucharist, the priest reenacts Christ’s words and actions at the Last Supper, when He transformed the familiar substances of bread and wine to become His Body and Blood. The term for this miraculous
change is “transubstantiation”; however, different denominations explain the phenomenon differently. Catholic doctrine states that the elements miraculously *become* the Body and Blood of Christ, whereas other Christian churches employ slightly different language. However, in the Episcopal Church, this phenomenon is referred to in the familiar
language of the invocation before Communion, which we will say shortly: “And we most humbly beseech thee, O merciful Father, to hear us, and of thy almighty goodness, vouchsafe to bless and sanctify, with thy Word and Holy Spirit, these thy gifts and creatures of bread and wine; that we, receiving them according to thy Son our Savior Jesus Christ’s holy institution, in remembrance of his death and passion, may be partakers of his most blessed body and blood.”
Although water, bread, and wine may be the most familiar elements of the sacraments, another commonplace substance that is used sacramentally is oil, or chrism. Chrism is used in the ceremony of Confirmation, as well as in the ordination of priests, and may be used in Baptism. Once again, oil – olive oil or palm oil – would have been a commonplace substance, both in food and for medicinal purposes, at the time of Christ. Confirmation is considered a sealing of the covenant created in Baptism: at Baptism, the godparents testify to the covenant for the child, whereas in Confirmation, the confirmand makes their own affirmation of faith and thereby enters into full membership in the church.
Although we generally associate Wine with the Holy Eucharist, according to John, Jesus’s earliest – somewhat unplanned – miracle took place when he turned Water into Wine at the Wedding at Canan of Galilee. Now, lest some of you draw back in chagrin at the mention of Jesus’ transmuting water into an alcoholic substance, remember the
Middle East, which includes Israel, was a wine culture: at the Wedding at Canan, there was no ginger ale, no Diet Coke, or sarsaparilla. There definitely was no Coors Light. No one drank milk except infants and extremely young children because pasteurization had not yet been invented. In any event, at a wedding celebration, attended by adults, wine would have been served as a matter of course. Consequently, by attending the marriage celebration and transmuting water into wine, Jesus blessed the sacrament of Matrimony.
Of course, another commonplace item that is associated with both the sacrament of Matrimony and that of Holy Orders is a ring. In Western culture, the wedding ring is worn on the third finger of the left hand, which is known as the “heart” finger. In the sacrament of
Ordination, a priest is “married” to the Church, which is the Bride of Christ. In the Catholic church, an ordained priest cannot marry, nor can a married man be ordained – the sole exception being a widower: a man who has been married, but whose wife has passed away. However, in the Anglican (hence, the Episcopal) church, a married man can be
ordained, and – as we have good reason to know – a woman can be married and ordained.
Chronologically, the last sacrament a person might receive is “Anointing,” which was traditionally called Unction – that is, anointing with holy oil, or chrism. Traditionally, it was regarded as a means of health and comfort, as a token of honor, and as a symbol of consecration. The use of oil to introduce a divine influence or presence is recorded
from the earliest times; anointing was thus used as a form of medicine, thought to rid persons of dangerous spirits and demons which were believed to cause disease. In the case of an individual at the point of death, the sacrament is called “Extreme Unction.” As we saw in today’s gospel reading, Jesus is considered to have been anointed by the Holy
Spirit during his baptism. [n 9] Furthermore, a literal anointing of Jesus also occurred when he was lavishly oiled by Mary of Bethany. [50][51] Performed out of devotion, the anointment is said by Jesus to be preparation for his burial.
In every instance, we have seen how Christ chose a familiar substance to consecrate as a sacrament, from water to wine, bread, or oil, or a commonplace object such as a ring. In consecrating the sacraments, The Lord reminds us that God’s grace is among us in our everyday lives, in which we are never far from those objects that symbolize His presence
and unfailing love.
Amen.
