Dear Disciples of Christ at Holy Spirit, St. Helen’s, and St. Mary’s,

This Sunday we hear St. Paul offer a greeting to the people of Corinth. He addresses them as those, “…who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus…” We might want to pause on that greeting. Do we think of ourselves as being sanctified? Do our sins and failings seem to overshadow the reality of who we are? No matter what we might think, we are sanctified. We have been called to holiness. Jesus has come and St. Paul reminds us that we are sanctified through the grace given to us in Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As I have been using the Hallow app over the last six weeks, I have been made aware more and more the message that we are holy in the eyes of God. God sees the sanctity in each of us. Maybe we don’t see it. Maybe it is a little obscured by the choices we make, but God peers deeper into our souls. God sees the good in us. He envisions our potential. He sends his grace to peel back the layers of sin and shame to reveal the beauty that is truly ours. Our sanctity is revealed by the loving nature of our compassionate God.

Whenever we embrace Jesus, we lay hold of that grace. Whenever we humble ourselves to admit that we need forgiveness, the Holy Spirit washes away the filth and restores our spiritual beauty. Whenever we return to God, he opens his loving arms to embrace us. The story of Matthew the tax collector, or the story of the Prodigal Son, or that of Zacchaeus all speak to the truth that God is undaunted by our poor choices and fully willing to welcome us home. If we would just come to our senses. If we would simply ask for help. If we would trust that our mistakes are minor compared to the immensity of God’s love. Let us not be afraid. Let us have trust. Let us allow God to enter into our hearts and guide us out of the trouble in which we find ourselves.

So, the Gospel of John opens today with John the Baptist pointing out Jesus. Significantly, he says. “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world…” He clearly points us in the right direction of who Jesus ultimately is. First, he is the Lamb of God. He is the lamb of sacrifice that God has sent. It will be a sacrifice that washes away all sin and needs not be repeated. It is a sacrifice once and for all. Secondly, the Lamb of God takes away the sin of the world. Note that he says “sin” of the world. It is not simply a cleansing of sins like throwing dirty socks or shirts into the laundry. No, he takes away the sin that causes all the other sins we have come to know. The Lamb of God truly frees humanity from the throws of its sinfulness. Finally, John reminds us that this Lamb of God is filled with the Spirit of God and shares that Spirit with us. It is the completion of Isaiah, “the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, has anointed me with oil of gladness.”

Let us then behold the Lamb of God in our midst. Let us seek Jesus and embrace his gift of the Spirit. Let us embrace grace and avoid sin. Let us find true joy in the love of God given to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

Fr. Tom