I am not sure of what happened and was reported in Kirk today. We were talking about Psalm 133, and how we should be one, we should be peacemakers. There was an illustration: one of the families in our Kirk comes from a Catholic family, and are faithful within the Roman faith, but also attend our kirk.
And they have a child, and sought baptism. So our minister, quite Presbyterian, and their priest, quite Roman, baptized him. Together. Into the catholic faith, for both can agree with what the definition of Catholic is: it was defined by Anathasius.
Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the catholic faith; Which faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; Neither confounding the persons nor dividing the substance.
For there is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is all one, the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit incomprehensible.
So the text of the sermon was not taken from the RCL, but from the ascents.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the LORD has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.(Psalm 133 ESV)
Barry alluded to the history of the Presbyterians and Catholics. I’ll be more explicit: there has been open and armed opposition ever since John Knox started a reformation in the Scots Kirk. The Covenanters were active participants in the English Civil War: and within my lifetime there has been open conflict between the (primarily Presbyterian) Loyalists and the (primarily Catholic) Republicans in Northern Ireland.
There has been a significant amount of conflict. We argue about theology, for there are considerable differences, and to the outside it looks a bit like this boat… beaten, with the divisions showing.
But there is a fundamental unity. It shows itself under persecution: in the mission field, where the Baptist is praying for the Jesuit in the next valley, and both rejoice when people are bought to the faith. For the true faith has an authority that transcends our divisions.
This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them—since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God.
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when we are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Final Greetings
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.
(2 Corinthians 13:1-11 ESV)
The question is not if our theology is Reformed or Roman, our politics Tory or progressive, but if we are of the faith. If we acknowledge the work of God in the death and resurrection of Christ, and the fundamental unity of the Godhead.
For the church has grown in many ways from a foundation which was quite Jewish and based in a city doomed for destruction, in a temple that was destroyed in but one generation and has never been rebuilt. Within every branch of the church there are those who are fallen, those who subvert, and those who are the enemies of the faith, attempting to destroy the children of God by their words, their actions, and at times by encouraging and practising true evil, from pedophilia to witchcraft.
The church has a duty to discipline such.
But there is an equal duty: to pray for each other. To pray for the brothers in Christ who accuse you of fundamental errors in theology, and whom you think are equally in error. To support them: to advocate for them.
Stand with #IraqiChristians today at 12.30pm as we hear more from @vicarofbaghdad in our daily #PrayForIraq update. pic.twitter.com/dm2OtRPh8Q
— Premier Christian (@PremierRadio) August 15, 2014
If this day this means we advocate for the Babylonian Christians, Catholic, Orthodox and Nestorian, so be it. For the enemies of Christ would do to us what is they are doing to them.
