Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 21: Remember Your Good Things and Others Without

Luke 16:19-31 NRSV

Jesus said, "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, `Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, `Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.' He said, `Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers-- that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.' Abraham replied, `They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.' He said, `No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, `If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

Blog Reflection 

The words that catch my attention in this Gospel reading are: "Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things" (Luke 16:25).

This parable is one of those that is somewhere between making no sense, to one of the scariest Jesus told thus far.  It paints a picture through words of what heaven and hell might be like.  Or are we over interpreting Jesus and not seeing what He is telling us is in front of us in the here and now?

Abraham reminds the wealthy man of the good things he was given during his lifetime.  The wealthy man's situation in Hades is now opposite of Lazarus: and Lazarus is on the other side from the now miserable former rich man.  This story sounds a lot like those amazing words found in the Magnificat.  "[God] has cast the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty" (Book of Common Prayer, p.119).

I think that Jesus is suggesting that we remember the good things all of us are given in the here and now: while not forgetting those who barely have the necessities of life.  In our day and age of economical inequality of those with wealth and power affecting the rest of us; whether we are middle class or at the bottom of the food chain of life.  This does not only apply to the matter of economics and poverty; it also applies to how we view ourselves in light of our relationship with God, vs others who may not share our views or opinions.  

 

Sister Joan Chittister in her book Illumination: Monastic Wisdom for Seekers of Light wrote,

 

Life is not perfect and people are not perfect. Only understanding and compassion--the ability to bear life with the rest of humanity, whatever burdens the bearing brings--perfect us.  When that concept gets lost in the name of religion, gets forgotten in the name of goodness, religion has gone awry and virtue has lost its meaning.  God is compassionate and gives us what we need.  No one can possibly be truly contemplative, truly in touch with the God-Life, truly infused by the spirit of God, who does nothing less for the sake of the other.

 

Contemplation is the mirror through which we come to touch the greatness of God, yes, but contemplation is also the filter through which we discern that scope of our smallness and the potential of our greatness.  The contemplative looks for perfection in nowhere but God.  The contemplative understands brokenness.  And, most of all, the contemplative realizes that it is precisely at the point of personal need that God comes to fill up the emptiness that is us.

 

If we are going to see clearly who God is, we must remember that we live in community with others.  Our relationship with God finds its holiness of life in our relationships with others; including and especially with those who are different from ourselves.  

 

I believe that Jesus is telling us this parable so that we may know that there is just as much heaven and hell for those who are poor as well as those who are rich.  What places us in heaven or hell is what we are doing with the good things we are given in the here and now.   When we remember the good things we are given, we need to remember those who are without such things and share from our abundance.

 

We are called to share the freedom of our lands with the immigrants who come to live here from their oppressive governments.  

 

We are called so seek the safety of every person who everyday face the threat of gun and racial violence.

 

We are called and empowered to give to LGBTQ people that piece of equality shared by those who are heterosexual, cis-gender and know who they are.

 

We are called to share our religious freedom with those who are in the prison of marginalization because they are Muslim, Jewish, Buddhism, Hindu and/or even atheist.  

 

How is God calling you to remember the good things you have, and how you can help others who are not so fortunate?

 

 

Prayers

 

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing
mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we,
running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of
your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for
ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 21, The Book of Common Prayer, p.234).

 

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you
all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us
to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick,
and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those
who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow
into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for
our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Poor and Neglected, The Book of Common Prayer, p.826

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 7: Orlando, Prayer and Action

Today's Scripture Reading

1 Kings 19: 1-4, 8-15a

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.  He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." Then the Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus."

Blog Reflection

The horrifying and sad events of what took place in Orlando, Florida last weekend has left us all quite depressed, frightened and shaken.  The news that one gun user was able to enter a gay nightclub with an AR-15 rifle and gunned down 50+ people, killing 56 (I do not know if this number is completely correct, but I believe I am close) has gripped us all.  If the news of what happened has not left us feeling hopeless enough; the political commentary along with the usual no further action other than "thoughts and prayers for everyone killed or injured" from elected officials and church leaders can only drive us into a deeper despair. 

The inequality for LGBT people, Latinos and other minorities continues to challenge the heart of what being an Episcopalian and Christian is about.  The further work to use the attack that took place to slander Muslims and/or divide people against one another; leads us into more problems than working towards solutions.   

Among these and many other matters is the question of how can we send a strong but gentle message that resorting to violence and hate to solve our problems is the heart of what we are confronted with here?

This morning I listened to a wonderful radio commentary about the events in Orlando, Florida on State of the Belief Radio.  The program is entitled, "In the Wake of Orlando."   As part of the program, Bishop Gene Robinson remarked about how in Christianity, Judaism and Islam we have hate messages towards LGBT people written into our most our most Sacred Texts.  Those texts are the fuel for the ammunition of hate and violence when used to encourage LGBT people to hate themselves.  They are used carelessly and recklessly to rouse up a militant response to those they condemn.  Is it any wonder why LGBTQ people are just so turned off by any form of organized religion?   What can those of us who know the loving mercy of our God who loves every person for who they are, do to "uphold the dignity of every human being"?

I am using only the text from 1 Kings today, because I think it makes an important point.   

God is in the midst of chaos and turmoil.  God is not absent from what is happening in the midst of the grief and sadness of what happened in Orlando; just as God was present to Elijah.  

Elijah had an appointment with God.  Elijah had the worst coming at him with still worse more to eventually arrive.  God wanted to speak with him.  God may have moved in the wind, earthquake and fire; but the fullness of God for Elijah was not in those.  God was in the midst of a silence through which God spoke clearly, drawing Elijah into a gentle, yet convincing way as to what God wanted Elijah to do.   It helped him find the path that God wanted for his life; and he gained the courage and faith to go in the way God planned for him.

If we are to find our way from the violence, hate and disarray in the world, the Church and for a society of peace, justice and equality for all people; we must begin with listening to what God is saying through all of life.  Even the chaos, confusion and screaming that seems to drown all other voices out.  In the midst of what is happening, we must return to that "peace which is beyond all understanding", and know in our hearts the love of God in the Person of Jesus Christ for us and for every person.   We must live into what that love means for each of us, and base our actions moving forward from this tragedy to find the path that God would take us on.  And we must understand that violence of any kind is never the will of God.  Yet, as with the terrible tragedy of what happened on Good Friday came the glorious celebration of the Resurrection on Easter Day; so we must in faith and trust move forward to all the good things God will do in this and every tragedy we encounter.

Peace be unto all who enter here.

Amen.

Prayers

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your
holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom
you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-kindness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 7, The Book of Common Prayer, p.230).

O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Human Family, The Book of Common Prayer, p.815).

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and for ever. Amen. (Prayer for Peace, The Book of Common Prayer, p.815).

Second Sunday of Advent: Who Will Prepare a New Way for God?

Today's Scripture Readings

Malachi 3: 1-4 (NRSV)

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight-- indeed, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the LORD in righteousness. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the LORD as in the days of old and as in former years.

Canticle 16 (BCP., p.92)


Philippians 1:3-11 (NRSV)

I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God's grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.

Luke 3:1-6 (NRSV)

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,

"The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:

'Prepare the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled,

and every mountain and hill shall be made low,

and the crooked shall be made straight,

and the rough ways made smooth;

and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"

Blog Reflection

John the Baptist is an important figure during the Season of Advent.  John the Baptist represents desert spirituality, strong social justice preaching and prophecy.  He is so close to God by what he has given up that he is absorbed in contemplative prayer.  John the Baptist can see so many injustices going on around him, and he can speak to all of them as a prophetic witness to what God is bringing in the Person of Jesus Christ.

These past two weeks have been so full of violent news.  The horrible shooting in San Bernardino is another statistic added to the growing number of horrific incidents of gun violence.  What happened not long ago in Paris, France and here in the States, has brought about a surge of islamophobia accompanied by stereo types designed to denigrate those who practice the Muslim Faith.  We continue to see attitudes of heterosexism, and sexism in many parts of our society.  Racism and the refusal to be a welcoming country for those seeking refuge from oppression.  All of these things and many more that we could mention suggest a deep hunger for a vision of God that is not violent, judgmental; but, full of compassion and grace.

St. John the Baptist arrived on the scene with a call to prepare for the new way that God wanted to bring in Christ's Nativity.  It is an era in which every human person's dignity is upheld and the Reign of God is one that is inclusive; while seeking healing and reconciliation.

As Christians today, we are called in the here and now to make a new way in which God will speak to a different generation of how the Holy Spirit anoints all of us to the tasks that are before us.  We can no longer pretend that the Christian Faith is nothing more than quoting Bible verses to prove a political point.  Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the love that He brought at His Nativity, is about being present in all of the messiness of the world as it is, and being the prophetic witnesses that call for real change in the Church and society.  We do not call for it by words and good speeches only, but by living with a genuine devotion to the work of God that shapes how we live and relate with each other.   If Christians will only share the message of Christ by our actions and interactions with God's people that are beyond the doors of our churches; the Christian Faith would inspire people of all generations to become Christians, as opposed to turning people away by nonsense that does no one any good.  It will highlight the goodness of all human kind by disarming oppression, violence and prejudice.  The world will see the Word made flesh, because God impacts the world through Christ present in us and each other.

What does John the Baptist represent for you?

How do you see your role in preparing a way for God?

In what way are you being called and empowered to be a prophetic witness in your daily life?

St. Benedict offers his thoughts in the Prologue of The Rule, while borrowing from Sacred Scripture.  "Run while you have the light of life, that the darkness of death may not overtake you. (RB 1980, p.16, John 12:35).

Amen.


Prayers

Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to
preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation:
Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins,
that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our
Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 211).

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for Peace, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).

Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 17: What Comes from the Heart?

Today's Scripture Readings

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 (NRSV)
 

Moses said: So now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, is giving you. You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the LORD your God with which I am charging you.

You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!" For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?

But take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children.

Psalm 15 (BCP., p.599)


James 1:17-27 (NRSV)

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God's righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act-they will be blessed in their doing.

If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 (NRSV)

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?" He said to them, "Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written,

'This people honors me with their lips,

but their hearts are far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

teaching human precepts as doctrines.'

You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition."

Then he called the crowd again and said to them, "Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."

Blog Reflection

I have had many times during my life in which I found myself in a place of confusion about what was going on inside of me.  No time was more confusing for me than when I was in the process of moving from my Protestant Evangelical way of thinking/believing and practicing to become a Roman Catholic.  The Late Father Ralph D. Tetrault would often listen to me as I struggled with this and that.  At one point I was talking to him about something that was very deep in my heart.  As I tried to explain it, Fr. Tetrault said to me, "No! No!  Only God knows what is truly in your heart.  I cannot tell you what is there.  No one else can tell you what is there.  Only God knows what is in your heart.  You must learn above all else to trust what God is doing within your heart."  These words have proven to be true on many, many occasions.

In our worship of God, there is the tendency for us to pay so much attention to whether our rituals are just right, and movements are what they should be; so that we can justify ignoring what is going on in the heart.  I write this blog post full of guilt of any number of times I have done so.  "Did I bless myself during the the Sanctus at "Blessed is the One who comes in the Name of the Lord.."?  All the while, the One I pronounce blessed with my lips is drawing me closer to God's Self through God's Holy Essence from within.  God does not require that I be someone I am not, nor someone other than who God has made me.  God only asks me to do what Saint Benedict wrote in the beginning of the Prologue to The Rule.  "Listen my child. Incline the ears of your heart."

We also need to give those questioning Jesus about what His Disciples are doing a little slack.  They have been following a particular set of rituals for as long as they could remember.  Whether the ritual is just that, or flows from their hearts, it is a deep part of their worship of God.  Who are we to second guess them?  

Jesus is saying to us, what James is telling us in our Second Reading today.  If we think our rituals are ends in and of themselves, and do not allow the grace of God to transform us, and through us transform the world around us; we are the ones who limit what God can do. 

The Christian Religion is chock full of Christians who pay God lip service.  We certainly do not need to be telling other religious traditions such as Judaism and Islam to turn to Christianity for a more redeeming faith.  If Christians continue to present our Faith as if it is nothing more than a wealthy enterprise of political agendas and the marginalization of others; what makes the Faith so attractive to anyone else?  

While so many Christians are so determined to make abortion, gay marriage the infallibility of the Bible and winning elections as the only reason as to why our Faith means anything; Christians are allowing ourselves to miss many important things that are far more damaging.  Frank Powell wrote a very compelling blog post entitled 9 Sins the Church is Okay With.   Those sins Powell focuses on are fear, worry, gluttony, apathy, flattery, comfort, consumerism, patriotism and lying.  These certainly fall under the category of things that come from within.  They suggest that we are not satisfied with trusting in God to feed our hungry souls.  This alone makes our meditating on Jesus as the Bread of Life over these past five weeks very important. 

Jesus challenges us to worship God from our hearts and allow the love and mercy of God to flow out and in.  As we gather as worshiping Christian communities, we do not do so alone.  We do them with other Christians near and far.  We celebrate the life of Jesus in Word and Sacrament from within our often wounded and weary hearts; longing for God to refresh, bless and re-energize us for the work of hospitality, healing and reconciliation with our neighbors and families.  We receive from God as we engage in worship, prayer and celebration; the confirmation of God's love in our hearts and the mission to speak to the lonely, the prejudiced, the oppressed and the hurting.  We are given direction to listen intentionally to the stories others tell of how they are searching for and finding God in those places where it is so difficult for us to see God and listen to the Spirit.  We discover that we are not walking the course alone, but with the help of others that are going our way.  Trying to follow the Way of Jesus to learn compassion for the suffering, the poor, the sick and those who are thirsting just to be included in the Church and society.

May our worship of God bring us clarity to what God is saying within our hearts, so that we may together serve Christ in others who are different from ourselves.

Amen.


Prayers

Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good
things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in
us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth
in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 17.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 233).

O Almighty God, who pours out on all who desire it the
spirit of grace and of supplication: Deliver us, when we draw
near to you, from coldness of heart and wanderings of mind,
that with steadfast thoughts and kindled affections we may
worship you in spirit and in truth; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.  (Prayer Before Worship.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 833).

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the
earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those
who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people
everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the
nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh;
and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 100).

Second Sunday in Lent: Take Up the Cross by Letting Go

Today's Readings

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 (NRSV)

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous." Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, "As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you."


God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."

Psalm 22:22-30 (BCP., p.611)


Romans 4:13-25 (NRSV)
 

The promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations") -- in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be." He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith "was reckoned to him as righteousness." Now the words, "it was reckoned to him," were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification.

Mark 8:31-38 (NRSV)

Then Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Blog Reflection 

Why do we Christians even need the Season of Lent?  We go to our churches, pray, participate in coffee hour right after a Worship Service, go to Shrove Tuesday, and Ash Wednesday, attend Holy Week services, etc.  We are good Christian people.  Why do this thing called Lent every year? 

I would like you to join me in an exercise.  Immediately after you read this blog post, turn off your computer or phone.  Ignore that "ding" that just let you know you have another email waiting for you.  Try walking away from your IPad, or better yet, forget where you left it and not go into a panic because you can't find it.  Let's say you can't detach yourself from your phone or pad, try paying no attention to how many notifications you have on your Facebook wall.  Ask yourself if it does not bother you that you are ignoring the notifications on Facebook or Twitter.

In the last week, I know of a man who works in tech support.  His company ran into a problem in which no one in the entire corporation could get into their computer or account.  Not even the help desk staff.  Before the first hour was up, there were over 100 calls in the queue of angry company employees who could not get into their email, do their projects or sales information, etc.  As of this week, the help desk staff are still clearing all the repair tickets from the fall out.

The reason we need the Season of Lent, is because of how easy it is for all of us, myself including to put things like our computers, cars, television sets, food, drink, moods, addictions and behaviors of all kinds between us and our relationships with God and others around us.  We yelled at our spouse because our computer crashed.  We cry over a work project lost because of the Windows Update.  Think you have "detached" yourselves from most possessions, but not your computer?  What happens to you the next time you get a flat tire, or someone scratches the door of your car?   How do you talk with others around you after a representative at a customer service call center does her/his job and you just can't stand them telling you that they cannot help you?   Someone sat in your favorite pew in church, which means you have to find a new place to sit.  How do you respond or do you react?

The point is, all of us have something to work on.  We are all human.  No one of us is perfect, no matter how diligently we try.  What is right in our behavior is all wrong in our attitude.  What seems to be going well on the surface, has an undercurrent that is in a lot of turmoil.  We say yes, when in our hearts we are shouting no.  We are all get wrapped up in ourselves at one time or another.

Lent is God's gift to us to tell us that the Christian life is not about being perfect as in a perfectionist.  Lent is about accepting the reality of who and what we are, and to continue letting it go.  When we talk about obedience in the Monastic tradition, we are not talking about doing what is asked for the sake of itself.  St. Benedict says, "Listen, incline the ears of your heart." (Prologue. The Rule of St. Benedict, vs. 1).  Obedience is about listening from the whole of ourselves so that we can discern how we will respond to what God asks of us through our Superior.  We cannot listen and know what we are to be obedient to without taking some time in solitude and silence.  Obedience in the Benedictine Monastic Tradition is about responding out of love.  The love we respond with is what is referred to in 1 John 4:18 which reads, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love."    

Jesus invites all of us this Lent to take up our cross by letting go.   To "deny ourselves" is to let go our false-sense of self, and live from our essence in union with God's Essence in which we find our true self.  In our false self is our prejudices, fears, self-absorption that hangs on to all those wounds, our anger, possessiveness and more.  In seeking union with God's Essence within our own essence, we accept all that is contained within our false self and we learn to practice the spiritual art of letting it go.  We accept that we fail, that we have issues with those around us who are different from ourselves, that we are affected by our arrogance and perfectionism.  We simply let go of all of that, and walk on carrying the cross out of love and obedience of what God asks of us in the here and now.  We accept that we cannot do any of this on our own.   St. Benedict wrote in The Rule, "What is not possible for us by nature, let us ask the Lord to supply by the help of his grace." (Prologue, vs. 41).

One of those things God asks of us, is to respond in love to the needs of the marginalized in the Church and society.  Our Baptismal Vows are a promise to live more deeply into our mission as Christians in a world in which the love of God, neighbor and self has become a matter of convenience.  If upholding the dignity of every human person does not work for us because we will acquire enemies inside and outside of the Church; then we can simply not do it.  If it takes us too close to the cross and we just can't let it go; then we simply ignore it and pretend it doesn't hurt anyone else but us.  This kind of thing is so contrary to what it means to deny ourselves and take up our cross to follow Jesus.

Why do we need Lent?

That is what God wants to talk with us about this Lent.

Are we really ready to listen and respond out of love?  

Amen.


Prayers

O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious
to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them
again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and
hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ
your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Second Sunday in Lent.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 218).

Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on
the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within
the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit
that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those
who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for
the honor of your Name. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p.101).

Last Sunday After the Epiphany: Transfiguration, Contemplation, Action

Today's Scripture Readings

2 Kings 2:1-2 (NRSV)

Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent."

Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent."

Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Psalm 50 (BCP., p.654)


2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (NRSV)

Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus' sake. For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Mark 9:2-9 (NRSV)

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Blog Reflection

Well, here we are.  The Last Sunday after the Epiphany.  Lent begins in three days.  Since the First Sunday after the Epiphany at Jesus' Baptism, we have followed Him through the calling of those first disciples, casting out demons and healing the sick.  Every year just before Ash Wednesday, the Church takes us to the mountain top with Peter, James and John as they experience Jesus' Transfiguration.  Just as with Christ the King Sunday before Advent begins, the Sunday prior to beginning Lent takes us to one of those glorious moments in Jesus' life and ministry.  The Transfiguration is also understood traditionally as an event within the Season of Epiphany.  God is manifested in Jesus in a luminous image of His glorified body after the Resurrection.  When Pope John Paul II added the Luminous Mysteries to the Dominican Rosary, the Transfiguration is one of the mysteries to meditate upon.

The Transfiguration is symbolic of what contemplative prayer is about.  Jesus is so in touch with who God is to Him, that He experiences the fullness of God's perspective of Him.  At this moment, Jesus makes preparation to walk down the mountain and make His way to Jerusalem where He will face His death and resurrection.  I believe that in the Transfiguration, Jesus receives from Moses and Elijah the connection of who He is and what He is about to do with the history of God's People.  Peter, James and John are so mystified by what takes place on the mountain, that they are terrified.   While these three disciples are following Jesus and learning from Him, they have not yet given themselves completely to the sacrificial work that God is doing in Jesus.  In this experience they witness for themselves the full revelation of Jesus so marvelously, that it fills them with a joy that makes them want to stay there with Him.  In that moment, their fear gave way to faith and they were able to hear God tell them to listen intentionally to Jesus from their hearts.  Jesus was transfigured, while the lives of Peter, James and John experienced transformation.

The last thing that Jesus said to the disciples seems rash if taken at face value.  Jesus is challenging them and us, to do more that just talk.  We are encouraged to live what we experience as we know God more deeply in our prayer and meditation and translate it into how we live.  As with any of the Biblical mysteries of Jesus' life cannot be explained or comprehended in our limited human minds.  But, they can be lived into reality as we listen to Jesus within our own hearts and respond in faith.  To respond in faith is our consent that we do not know how God wants to be transparent through us; but, we are willing to put one foot in front of the other in trust that God will take us the rest of the way.   It means allowing the Holy Spirit to widen those closed up spaces within our whole selves, so that we can face the prejudices that are there as they are, and seek healing and reconciliation with God and our neighbor.

This past week, we saw an outrageous example of how the Name of Jesus Christ is profaned in the State of Alabama.  As the freedom to marry became legal with the blessing of the Supreme Court, we saw several judges misuse their power to determine that their understanding of the Christian faith will be what everyone else observes.  By the way they used their judicial power the judges inflicted spiritual malpractice and doctrinal abuse on LGBTQ people and those who support their right to marry the person they love.  Jesus came not to decide who is saved and who will be damned.  Jesus came and made God's unconditional and all-inclusive love transparent through how He lived His life.  In the life, death, resurrection and transfiguration, Jesus gave a human face to God, as God became visible in transforming our human nature through a relationship of experiencing union with God in all aspects of our life.  Jesus upholds and preserves the dignity of every human person in His own divine reality and impacts humankind for all ages, races, sexual orientations, genders, religions, etc.  We owe Jesus and our neighbor our purest love, devotion and humility to do no less than what He did.

As we prepare to begin Lent this week, may we recommit ourselves to listening more intentionally to God within our hearts and respond by serving those in need around us.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son
revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that
we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be
strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his
likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Last Sunday After The Epiphany,The Book of Common Prayer, p.217)

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Oppressed, The Book of Common Prayer, p.826).

Second Sunday After the Epiphany: Listen and Follow

Today's Scripture Readings

1 Samuel 3:1-10 (NRSV)

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called, "Samuel! Samuel!" and he said, "Here I am!" and ran to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down. The LORD called again, "Samuel!" Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, `Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Psalm 139: 1-5, 12-17 (BCP., p.794).


1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (NRSV)

 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food," and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two shall be one flesh." But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

John 1:43-51 (NRSV)

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Blog Reflection

A good contemplative loves the story of Samuel and his experience of hearing God's voice.  He is awoken by a voice calling his name.  He thinks Eli called him, but, it was not Eli.  Eli told him what to do the next time Samuel heard a voice calling him.  When God calls on Samuel, he answers with, "Speak for your servant is listening."

These words of Samuel, are among a good set of words to say as we begin the prayerful reading of Scripture (also known as Lectio Divina).   When we say such words as we enter into a prayerful conversation with the Word, we are able to redirect ourselves away from our inner noise and listen more intentionally to God.

Just in the first three weeks of 2015 we have heard about violence in various corners of the world.  The horrific episode in France along with the equally awful responses with rhetoric that stirs up more violence towards Muslims and/or Atheists.   Is there anyone who is willing to listen to God?

This past Friday, the Supreme Court announced that they will hear and decide freedom to marry cases for the States of Michigan, Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee.  On a building in another state was written the words: "No gay marriage, kill them all."  Oh, so charitable.  Is there anyone who is willing to listen to God?

In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus calls His first Apostles.  Nathanael is skeptical of Jesus because of where He comes from.  It is only when Jesus tells Nathanael that He has known him on a deeper level, that Nathanael acknowledges who Jesus is.  This exchange of conversation suggests to me that knowing who Jesus is, is intimately personal and communal.  God is seeking a closer union with the Christian through a relationship with Jesus Christ that is known in the depth of one's heart; while being expressed in the love of our neighbor as ourselves.

Why is it so much easier to live into a personal relationship with Jesus within ourselves, than to also live it in community?   Because each of us (myself including) thinks either too highly of ourselves; or, has such a low self-esteem that we try to cover up our inferiority complex by putting others unlike ourselves down.   We identify ourselves and our relationship with God because of how much we pray, what we know, our age, education level, Church vocation, psychologically nice vibes in prayer, etc. 

I have begun to read Thomas Keating's book, Open Minds, Open Hearts.  I am reading the book as part of my formation.  The book is about centering prayer.  Keating suggests that among the reasons that we drift away from God within ourselves and in our relationships with others, is because of how we identify ourselves.  Our thoughts, feelings, labels, images, ideas, etc which are good by themselves; but, when we begin to identify ourselves and our relationships with God through them, we lose touch with God as our personal center.  When we lose our touch with God in our own center, we can so easily begin to become tone deaf to God's presence in others around us.  We place obstacles in our relationships, and we become too self-centered.

Jesus is calling each of us into a deeper relationship with Himself, through our relationship with that spouse who is struggling with addiction issues.  God calls us to follow Jesus in that job that frustrates us to no end.  We are being called by the Holy Spirit to respond to the call of Jesus through the house project that seems to never get done.   If we respond to God calling us in that individual who is poor, sick, labeled beyond second class citizenship, disabled, lonely and without the bare necessities that we take for granted; we need to respond to God with reverence, respect and humility.  A humility that knows we make mistakes, but are willing to learn how to trust God through them to make things right.   What we are unable to do ourselves, we can always ask God for help, and/or for the assistance of others who can better help than we can.

Jesus calls us to listen and follow Him.

What will your response be?


Prayers

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light
of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word
and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's
glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the
ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with
you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Second Sunday After The Epiphany.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.215).

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior,
the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the
great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away
all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body
and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all
of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth
and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and
one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.  (Prayer for the Unity of the Church.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.818).

Third Sunday of Advent: Listen, Rejoice, Speak Up

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11 (NRSV)

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and release to the prisoners;

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

to provide for those who mourn in Zion—

to give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.

They shall build up the ancient ruins,

they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

For I the LORD love justice,

I hate robbery and wrongdoing;

I will faithfully give them their recompense,

and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their descendants shall be known among the nations,

and their offspring among the peoples;

all who see them shall acknowledge

that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

my whole being shall exult in my God;

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots,

and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

to spring up before all the nations.

Psalm 126 (BCP., p.782)


1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (NRSV)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

John 1:6-8, 19-28 (NRSV)

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, `Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

Blog Reflection

Advent is a wonderful Season for listening.   In their book: Benedict's Way: An Ancient Monk's Insight for a Balanced Life; Lonnie Collins Pratt and Fr. Daniel Homan, OSB suggest that God speaks to us through the events of daily life (see p. 31).  God is not limited to our churches, monasteries, homes or prayer chapels.  God is interacting with us through those many moments when our hearts shake because someone else makes us uncomfortable.  God is inspiring and empowering us with the Holy Spirit to bring the good news to the oppressed and the captives.  The prophet Isaiah heard this word from God and knew that he had news to share.  Those who may have gone without a voice in the past, could look forward to God showing a vested interest in their lives.  It took a prophet to open the ears of their hearts to listen to what God was doing among them. 

St. Paul tells the Thessalonians to rejoice always and to not quench the work of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit wants the message of the Gospel of Christ to be alive in the Church there.  In 1 Thessalonians, Paul is correcting some messages they received about the return of Christ.  In one of the messages they received, they were told that Christ already returned, but they missed it.  Paul is telling them in the Epistles that they did not miss the return of Christ, and that they need to continue to live holy lives as evidence of the impact of Christ on them.  

When we hear bad news, our spirits are easily dropped because of what we heard.  St. Paul tells us in our day and age to not allow the joy that we have as Christians to be snuffed out because of bad news.  On the contrary, hearing news such as the horrible Senate report about torture should incite in us the power of the Holy Spirit to object to any human being, any where for any reason being tortured.   The Matthew Shepard Act was an attempt to address the torture and violence experienced by LGBT people as hate crimes.  Since then, we have seen many outrageous forms of torture and violence of LGBT people.  One burned outside a bar.  A number of others in New York City and in various places have experienced horrific acts of violence; many of them transgender individuals.  We are right to be outraged about the torture report from the U.S. Senate this week.  We should respond to it with a call for accountability and an end to any kind of torture.  But, that should include the torture of individuals through economic poverty, poor quality health care, unemployment and the racism that has become inescapable.  Holiness of life includes responding to these things out of devotion to our Baptismal Vows.

The voice of St. John the Baptist calls us to prepare for the coming of Christ.   All of us have the opportunity to prepare a way for God to come to the center of our lives and communities.  We prepare a way for Christ by listening ever so carefully to one another.   In Chapter 53 verse 1 of The Rule of St. Benedict we read, "All guests who come should be received as Christ...".  The message of St. John the Baptist is to make a way for God to come by letting go of our preconceived notions and expectations.  Christ often comes to us in the midst of everything about our lives that is not what others think it should be; let alone what we think things should be.  It is in the moments of our deepest questions and fragile emotions that God is seeking us out to hold us closer to God's Self in Christ.

In these last two weeks of Advent, may we take time to listen, rejoice and speak up in preparation for the coming of Christ.  May we be open to allowing Christ to come as He chooses to arrive, ready to greet Him in the marginalized, sick, poor and those who are without their equal place in society and the Church.

Amen.


Prayers

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come
among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver
us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and
the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 212).

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Oppressed. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 826).

   

Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost: The Time for Waiting and Watching is Now

Today's Scripture Readings

Wisdom 6:12-16 (NRSV)

Wisdom is radiant and unfading,

and  she is easily discerned by those who love her,

and is found by those who seek her.

She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.

One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,

for she will be found sitting at the gate.

To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,

And one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,

because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,

and she graciously appears to them in their paths,

and meets them in every thought.

Psalm 70 (BCP., p.682)


1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NRSV)

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Matthew 25:1-13 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, `Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, `No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, `Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Blog Reflection

It is hard to believe where we are in our Liturgical calendar.  In just three weeks we will embark on a new Liturgical Cycle.  This Year A in which we have been reading from the Gospel of Matthew is winding down.   As is the Tradition of the Church we come to that time of the Year when we focus on the return of Christ at the end of the age.  All of the Lectionary Readings beginning mid September and up to this point have been slowly moving us to where we are now.   Now we pick up the pace as we prepare to celebrate Christ the King, Thanksgiving Day and the First Sunday of Advent.

It is prophetic that this Sundays Lectionary begins with Wisdom.  I find it humbling that we are introduced to what the Lord wants us to hear begins with the feminine nature of the Divine.  It has yet to be completely clarified if God even has a gender.  The Tradition of the Church has unquestionably been leaning toward the worst kind of male chauvinism.  Is it any wonder that one of the products of the Protestant Reformation was to promote the King James Version of the Bible that omitted the Apocrypha with its references to the Wisdom of God understood as a feminine quality?   Now as the Church begins a movement towards a greater acceptance of transgender individuals, our greatest hurdle is learning to let go of how we perceive a particular gender and what stereotypes we ascribe to them.

The writer of Wisdom tells us to be prepared for Wisdom to give us a firmer grounding in life than trying to do with out Her.  She moves in the hearts of those who have answered the desire of God for us to draw closer to God.  Once our hearts and souls are awoken to the stir of the Wisdom of God within us, and we give ourselves over to all She wants to do; we will discover a new quality in our relationship with God and others.  Wisdom seeks out those who seek a deeper union with God.  A union with God that is transparent because of a growing heart of compassion for those among us who remain second class citizens.   That heart should expand with the Law of our God of mercy being written by the grace of the Holy Spirit.  This kind of Wisdom is a breeding ground for the contemplative vision of God, by seeing all things and people from God's perspective.

I recently asked a Priest. "Where does the whole idea of watching and waiting in the Season of Advent come from?"   His answer concerned me not so much with what he did say; but what he did not.  In terms of the Liturgy of the Church; the watching and waiting that we are invited to through this reading from Matthew that will lead us into Advent; comes from the Benedictine Daily Office of Vigils.  Or, as we like to say in the Episcopal/Anglican Tradition, Matins.  Matins derives its meaning from the Latin word, "Matutinum" or "Matutinae" meaning "belonging to the morning."   It retains parts of the Night Office of Vigils.  In addition, Matins includes parts of Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Prime (meaning "First Hour").   The "watch" is referred to for example in Psalm 3:5 "I lie down and go to sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me."  In Psalm 16:8 we read, "I will bless the LORD who gives me counsel; my heart teaches me, night after night."  Another example is Psalm 22:2, "O my God, I cry in the daytime, but you do not answer; by night as well, but I find no rest."  Lastly, Psalm 63:6, "When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the night watches."   St. Benedict retained the Office of Vigils from the writings of St. John Cassian and the Desert Mothers and Fathers.  

The readings from the New Testament and the Gospel are about watching and waiting for the return of Christ.   A wise Christian will keep watch with their lamps lit because we do not know at what hour Christ will return. 

There are a fair number of touching stories that point us to what this Gospel means.  I cannot recall the name of it (or them), but in one of them a man was expecting Jesus for Christmas dinner.   As he was preparing the feast, there were several knocks at the door.  He turned each of them away (I think), saying that he was waiting for Jesus to come to dinner.   When Jesus finally arrived, the meal was not quite finished.  As the guy was finishing, he was apologizing to Jesus; who told him that He already showed up in those who previously knocked and were turned away.  Therefore what made Jesus think the man would be ready to receive Him now if he wasn't then?

As Christians we always tend to have our lamps lit with plenty of oil to fuel them; so long as we gather in our churches to draft rules or canons about who we keep out of the Church.  We keep our lights on for Bible studies that only go so far as to move us beyond our self-absorption that won't let us welcome people of other faiths, sexual orientations, political parties or doctrinal diversity.   We meet together to discuss being "pastoral" while gossiping about who is not fit for the pastoral ministry of the Church.  There is something about her/his behavior that makes us uncomfortable and nervous as to how we will be perceived.   This is often the case for individuals with mental illness issues and/or autistic conditions.  Others who might experience this would be "illegal" immigrants or those who are homeless. The lights of opportunity are lit for those who give us large cash donations, but they are set very dim when Christ comes in the poor, lonely and disenfranchised to offer only themselves.  

Today, Jesus Christ challenges all of us to remember our Baptismal Vows in our watching and waiting.  All of us are invited to the wedding banquet that is the Holy Eucharist and in service to Christ and the Church.  Each of us have gifts to offer, to be received with respect and reverence for the Presence of Christ in each other.  Christians are encouraged in this Gospel to make room in our churches; as well as in society for the inclusive Reign of God.  Our prejudices along with our silent voices in the face of injustice, violence, poverty, sickness and oppression suggest our foolishness in thinking that there is time enough to buy more oil; because Jesus certainly won't come while we are away.  

The time for watching, waiting, praying and responding to Christ is now.   May we search for union with God in a bonded relationship; that is self evident in our devotion to strive for peace and justice among all people, and to uphold the dignity of every human being.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, whose blessed Son came into the world that he might
destroy the works of the devil and make us children of God
and heirs of eternal life: Grant that, having this hope, we may
purify ourselves as he is pure; that, when he comes again
with power and great glory, we may be made like him in his
eternal and glorious kingdom; where he lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 27. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 236).

Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.  (Prayer for the Church. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior,
the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the
great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away
all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body
and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all
of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth
and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and
one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.  (Prayer for the Unity of The Church.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.818).

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost: Silence, Listening and Faith

Today's Scripture Readings

1 Kings 19: 9-18 (NRSV)

At Horeb, the mount of God, Elijah came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."

Psalm 85: 8-13 (BCP., p.708)


Romans 10:5-15 (NRSV)

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that "the person who does these things will live by them." But the righteousness that comes from faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'" (that is, to bring Christ down) "or 'Who will descend into the abyss?'" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?

"The word is near you,

on your lips and in your heart"

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, "No one who believes in him will be put to shame." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

Matthew 14:22-33 (NRSV)

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."

Blog Reflection

The experience of Elijah in today's narrative from 1 Kings is a favorite among contemplatives.   The experience of Elijah finding himself at a point of being unable to do anything more is the basis for an attitude of prayer.   Michael Casey writes about this in his book Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer.

Once I have confronted and accepted -- as far as possible--that I am a needy person, the act of turning toward God is relatively easy.  It is not faith in God that is hard, but the renunciation of illusory faith in myself.  To turn toward God means, first, turning away from whatever is untrue or delusory -- no matter how much comfort it brings. (Page 5).

Elijah accepted that he was at the end of his rope.  He needed an experience that would set him free from the fear and lack of faith he had.   He also had a heart that was open to what God wanted from him.   When he was finally on the mountain with the wind, the earthquake and the fire, he did not find God there.  God was in the silence, speaking to him with the truth about what was happening around him and giving him a sense of direction.

Our world is full of all kinds of noises.  The brutal massacre in Iraq by ISIS and the further threat of violence in that part of the world terrifies us right our heart strings.   Our hearts are already broken and frightened by the images of the killings in Gaza because of Israel's attacks there.   This coupled with the news of rising violence in Ukraine and Russia can be compared to earthquakes, fires and violent winds.   The national news media over excites our sensations and rings the compassion out of us like one squeezes water from a wet sponge.

What is most important during times like these, is to withdraw from the news media on the television, radio and computer and listen to God in the silence of our hearts.   The more we talk and debate and try to analyze what is going on, the more our hearts are drawn from what is most important.  What is most important is that we listen for God in silence and continue to be drawn into a deepening relationship with God within.   We must also surrender any prejudices we may experience, such as assuming that because ISIS is a group of terrorists based on fundamentalist Muslims, all Muslims must be the same.  That is simply not true, anymore than thinking that all Christians are fundamentalists.   The more we are able to listen to the truth about who God is within ourselves, the more we can improve how we respond to God's presence in others. 

Peter experienced that same kind of fear that I think all of us are at this point in time.  The storms are shaking the boat of our faith all around us.  We feel as if Jesus is distant or non-existent.   When we read blog articles about the experience of a Baptist church in Florida, canceling the funeral for a man because they learned that was gay; our hearts are tossed by the stormy winds of anger, frustration and wondering where Jesus is.  We may feel as if we are sinking when Jesus tells us to walk on the water.  Our faith is shaken.

In response, Jesus says: "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."   When we cry out in faith, Jesus reaches for us and calls us to put our faith in Him to bring us healing and reconciliation.  We need to do more than just pray for Jesus to get us out of the danger.   We need to listen more closely to the Holy Spirit draw our hearts back to Jesus to grow closer to God in a bonded relationship that includes the reparation of our community. 

When we are feeling the rising tempest around us, how do we call out to Jesus?

When we are confronted by what we must do to overcome an addiction, communicate in a relationship where we have been quiet too long, or get help, do we lose faith and just sink?

How are we responding to Jesus calling out to us?

If we are going to make an impact on the Church and society to address the needs of the marginalized and the needy, we need to give ourselves the time to withdraw and let Jesus heal us to continue on.   We have to see the storms inside us and around us as they really are, and listen intentionally to what Jesus may be saying to us in through them.  If we are going to call out to Jesus, we need to let go of our fear and trust that what God does in our lives will be for our good.   We may have to confront our false sense of self, and allow Jesus to teach us humility through His Death and Resurrection.  But, Jesus calls out to us saying: "Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid."

May we all take some time to be silent and listen to God the Holy Spirit and in faith trust God to help us with all our fears and concerns.


Prayers

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always
those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without
you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 14, Book of Common Prayer, p.232).

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer for Peace, Book of Common Prayer, p.815).

Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.  (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).