Sermon, Rogation Sunday (5th aft. Easter), 2025
In the Epistle of James, we are commanded to be “doers of the Word.” In the gospel for Rogation Sunday, we are instructed by Christ, “Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” This is a problematic statement for if we ask for something in Christ’s name and then set about to be a doer for that which we asked, then are we actually trusting God to answer prayer or are we working in our own strength to bring about our answer? And are we really to believe that God will give us everything we ask for in Jesus Name? Personal experience does not obviously confirm this position. In this Rogation day homily we try to sort through some of these issues.