"Awake to Glory: Bearing Fruit in God's Presence"
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The 8th Sunday after Trinity – 1928 BCP – August 10th,
2025
Preached at St. Barnabas Anglican Church,
Bellville, TX
Fr. Mike Keppler, Rector
Let the words of my
mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable to thee, O Lord, my
rock and my redeemer, and Lord, give us here today, eyes to see and ears to
hear so we can learn your word together as a family. We offer you all the
praise, honor, and Glory for it in Jesus' name. Amen.
Good morning, my
fellow encouragers! Our Collect today speaks of God's "never-failing
providence" that "ordereth all
things both in heaven and earth." We pray that God would "put
away from us all hurtful things, and give us those
things which are profitable for us." This prayer points us toward
wisdom and the discernment to recognize what is truly profitable for our souls.
On Mount Tabor,
during the Transfiguration we commemorated this past Wednesday, St. Luke tells
us that "Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and
when they were awake, they saw his glory." The glory was always there,
but they could not recognize it until they were awake.
How often are we
spiritually asleep while the glory of God surrounds us? The divine light shines
all around us in creation, in our brothers and sisters, in prayer—yet we
stumble through life as if in darkness.
The question before
us today is this: What does it mean to be spiritually awake, and what fruit
does such wakefulness bear in our lives?
Our Old Testament
reading from Proverbs begins with the very purpose of wisdom scripture: "To
know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding."
This is precisely what it means to be spiritually awake—to perceive, to
understand, to discern.
King Solomon
continues by describing wisdom as receiving "instruction in wise
dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity." Spiritual awakening
is both a mystical experience and practical wisdom for righteous living.
Notice especially
verse 7: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools
despise wisdom and instruction." Here lies the foundation of spiritual
awakening—a reverent awe before the living God. Those who are spiritually
asleep lack this holy fear; they walk through life without awareness of God's
presence.
On that holy
mountain of Transfiguration, the disciples beheld Christ's glory and heard the
Father declaring, "This is my beloved Son." Their response was
one of holy fear—they "fell on their face, and
were sore afraid." This was not terror but reverence, the same holy
fear that Solomon tells us is the beginning of knowledge.
Our Psalm
reinforces this theme: "Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and
I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law;
yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart." The Psalmist longs for
spiritual awakening—for eyes to see and a heart to understand God's ways.
He prays, "Incline
my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes
from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way." He recognizes
the many distractions that can lull us back to spiritual sleep and prays to be
awakened to God's way.
Our Lord Jesus
gives us clear instructions about the fruit of spiritual awakening: "Ye
shall know them by their fruits." True spiritual awakening manifests
in outward fruit. "A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither
can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit."
Our Savior
continues, "Not every one
that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he
that doeth the will of my Father." Spiritual awakening leads to
obedience, not mere lip service. We must translate spiritual insights into
faithful action.
St. Paul reinforces
this in Romans, reminding us that "we are debtors, not to the flesh, to
live after the flesh." Those spiritually asleep live according to
fleshly desires, but those spiritually awake are led by the Spirit of God,
living as children of God, joint heirs with Christ.
On Mount Tabor, the
disciples witnessed Christ in his glory, but notice
what preceded this revelation. Our Lord was praying. "As he prayed, the
fashion of his countenance was altered." Prayer is the gateway to
spiritual awakening, where our eyes are opened to behold God's glory.
On that mountain,
Moses and Elias "appeared in glory, and spake
of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." Even in this
moment of transcendent glory, the conversation turned to Christ's coming
sacrifice—His "exodus" that would open the way for all believers.
Here we find a reflective
truth: Spiritual awakening always leads us to the cross. To be truly awake is
to behold both Christ's glory and His sacrifice. The path to resurrection
passes through Calvary.
The Psalmist
understood this connection between glory and sacrifice: "It is good for
me that I have been in trouble: that I may learn thy statutes."
Spiritual awakening often comes through suffering. It is in the valley of
shadows that we see most clearly the light of God's presence.
So, what does a
spiritually awake life look like? How do we know if we are bearing good fruit?
First, a
spiritually awake person heeds the instruction of wisdom. Proverbs tells us that wisdom is like "an ornament of
grace" and "chains about thy neck." There is a beauty
to a life lived in wisdom.
Second, a
spiritually awake person loves God's law, which Jesus narrows down to two in
the Summary of the Law … to Love God and to Love our neighbor.
Our Psalmist
declares, "O how I love thy law! It is my meditation all
the day." This is not legalism but delight in God's
instruction. The awakened soul knows God's commandments are loving guardrails
that keep us on the path of life.
Third, the
spiritually awake person heeds our Lord's warning about false prophets and
exercises discernment. When truly awake to God's presence, we can distinguish
between authentic and counterfeit spirituality, grounded in the truth of God's
Word.
Fourth, spiritual
awakening manifests in a life led by the Spirit. As St. Paul writes, "As
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." We
receive "the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father,"
no longer relating to God as a distant deity but as a beloved Father.
Finally, spiritual
awakening leads to mission. After the Transfiguration, Jesus and the disciples
came down from the mountain to serve a suffering world.
Glory always leads
to service. The awakened Christian becomes the hands and feet of Christ, an
encourager, as our parish name reminds us, following in the footsteps of St.
Barnabas, the "Son of Encouragement."
In Proverbs, we
read that wisdom's instruction is to "hear thy father's instruction, and forsake not thy mother's teaching."
Spiritual awakening doesn't mean abandoning tradition but receiving wisdom
passed through generations.
As Anglicans, we
stand in a rich tradition that connects us to the apostolic faith. The sacred
still speaks through our ancient liturgy, our theological heritage, our Book of
Common Prayer, and the Scriptures.
This is what we
mean when we say, "The Sacred Still Speaks. Ancient Faith. Real
Love." The God who transfigured before Saints Peter, James, and John is
the same yesterday, today, and forever.
The wisdom that
Solomon extolled continues to guide us. The law that the Psalmist loved
continues to direct our paths. The fruit that Christ commanded us to bear
continues to be the evidence of genuine faith.
My fellow
encouragers, Christ calls us to awaken, to behold his glory, to be transformed
by his presence, and to bear fruit that will last. Like Saints Peter, James,
and John, we are often heavy with sleep, burdened by anxieties, distracted by
worldly concerns, and numbed by routine. But on the holy mountain of worship,
our eyes are opened to see Christ transfigured before us.
As we prepare to
receive the blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Savior, let us pray
that our spiritual eyes may be opened and that we might be fully awake to
Christ's presence among us. For here at this altar, heaven and earth meet.
Here, the glory that shone on Tabor's height is present, though veiled under
forms of bread and wine.
And then, nourished
by these holy mysteries, may we go forth to bear good fruit … the fruit of the
Spirit, which is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness, temperance." May our lives be living
testimonies that we have been awake to glory.
In the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.