The Christian Community in North America

The Ruler of This World

Wherever and whenever you look around you, the ruler of this world is always present—so prominent, so overpowering that the hidden power of the good is mostly really hard to find. It sounds so simple in the last words of Christ, and it is so difficult to recognize in our daily existence: “…the decision has already been made about the ruler of this world.” (Jn. 16:11) It often looks as if the ruler of this world has free play.

Only when you try to imagine what Christ did when He stood face to face with the adversary power can you begin to understand these enigmatic words. How did He look? What did He see? He saw a deformed being, a demon, estranged from his origin and purpose. Christ Himself, through whom “all things came into being” (Jn.1:3), recognized His creature. And the demon recognized his origin and purpose—and surrendered.

We human beings are still far from able to vanquish the ruler of this world on our own power. But together with Christ we can subdue him. One of the psalms says it with the words:

With the Lord on my side I do not fear
What can man do to me?
The Lord is on my side to help me;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. (Ps. 118: 6-7)

Watch the adversary power, together with Christ. Look at the world through the eyes of Christ—and the ruler of this world will recognize his Lord and Master.

-Rev. Bastiaan Baan, May 7, 2023

May 9, 2023/0 Comments/by CCNA

Blog, Homilies

Pay Heed To How You Listen (Lk. 8:18)

In a world where everything tries to make us seeing-blind and hearing-deaf it is necessary to look and listen with open eyes and ears. And these days that is not so simple. Cunning techniques make it possible to twist visible reality into lies. But with the spoken word this is more difficult. The human voice cannot conceal itself. To hear what is really meant you have to learn to listen right through the words.

“Pay heed to how you listen.” (Lk. 8:18) This instruction from Christ is a key to the reality behind the words. Whenever a person speaks something always sounds through it. (The Latin word persona (per-sona) literally means sound through.) What or who is sounding through when we speak? A blind person, who had developed the art of listening to great perfection, called this the moral music of the voice. The art of listening gives us the capacity to distinguish the voice of a stranger from the voice of Christ.

The Consecration of the Human Being is pre-eminently the place where we can develop this ability. Someone who had attended the altar service for many years said once: “Through the Consecration of the Human Being I have learned to lead a listening life.”

“Pay heed to how you listen.”

And if we not only listen to others, but can also inwardly listen, we will begin to recognize His voice also in ourselves. That is the Christ voice of conscience which wants to lead us like a shepherd through all the trials of life.

-Rev. Bastiaan Baan, April 23, 2023

April 27, 2023/0 Comments/by CCNA

Blog, Homilies

“Peace be with you! (John 20:19-20)

“Peace be with you!’

And while He said this, He showed them His hands and His side.” (John 20:19-20)

Christ is the God with the wounds.

If there is anything that distinguishes Him from all beings in heaven and on earth it has to be the wounds in a perfect resurrection body. Wounds are plentiful among people on earth—but no human being on earth is yet risen. Countless deceased rose after Easter—but no deceased has wounds like His.

To demonstrate to his unbelieving followers that this is His identifying mark, Christ shows them His hands and His side. If that does not suffice, they may touch His wounds.

Hundreds of years later St. Francis sees in a vision an overwhelming light figure that tells him he is Christ. St. Francis looks right through the impressive figure and says: “My Lord is lowly in appearance. Show me your wounds.” Thereupon the devil flees, who for the occasion had shown himself like a wolf in sheep’s clothes.”

Christ is the God with the wounds. When He shows His wounds the words always sound: “Peace be with you.” When we hear these words at the altar He wants to let His breath stream into us to recreate us in His image and likeness. His peace is not of this world. He has wrested Himself free of pain, of death, and of demons. This most precious gift of life out of death He wants to share with us, so that we bear His peace in us—even in a world of pain, death, and demons.

Rev. Bastiaan Baan, April 16, 2023

April 17, 2023/0 Comments/by CCNA

Latest News