Fourth Sunday of Easter: Jesus, The Good Shepherd, Guide Us to Justice, Peace and Equality

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 4:5-12 (NRSV)

The day after they had arrested Peter and John for teaching about Jesus and the resurrection, the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is

`the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;

it has become the cornerstone.'

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."

Psalm 23 (BCP., p. 612)

1 John 3:16-24

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us-- and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

John 10:11-18 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away-- and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father." 

Blog Reflection

I actually love the Fourth Sunday of Easter, among other Sundays and Feasts during the Church Year.  I think it is awesome that we get to return to these celebrations year after year to recall what we believe, and to find new opportunities for growth from the point in which we find ourselves.

The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd may seem prehistoric for us in the 21st Century.  We are a society of "do it for you here and now" technology, with opportunities for further advancement.  These and other achievements give us a sense of self-sufficiency and personal freedom.  Why in the world might we need to have a conversation about a shepherd in the age of cell-phones, computers, ATM machines and electronic mail?  

The reality is that no matter how great we become at providing the good life for ourselves, there are always those who fall through the cracks.  Just as everyone has the possibility of gaining the best of the world, everyone still has the possibility of losing it all and finding themselves at the bottom of the priority list.  There is still sickness, death, violence, prejudice and evil of all kinds.  Wars and/or controversies that divide communities all over the world, still begin faster than our willingness to work for justice, peace and equality. 

Over these past weeks we have seen an all out political, social and religious created war against women.  State governments that claim to be "getting government out of people's ways" have passed laws all over the nation that are creating two classes of women.  One class of women are those who can afford reproductive health care services, the other are those who cannot.  Just this past week, the United States Senate passed the third authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, designed to protect them from domestic abuse.  GOP Senator Chuck Grassley wanted the bill watered down, removing domestic violence protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

Additional violence towards women came by way of the Vatican coming down on the Religious Women who do a lot of good work for the poor and the homeless, while also speaking up about church related violence towards women and LGBT people.   Rather than understanding their role as shepherds on behalf of the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ who brings unity, peace and equality, the the Roman Churches' leadership misuses their authority by way of religious and spiritual abuse.  Many proud and powerful women are speaking out, defending their dignity and integrity.  You can read a really good article in the National Catholic Reporter here.

We  need the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd today, because of those who use his Name to exercise violence, spiritual malpractice and doctrinal abuse.  Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord and Good Shepherd came to lay down his life for the sheep so that we all may now that God accepts and loves us, unconditionally and all-inclusively.   If we honor Jesus as a shepherd, then we must know and understand that no amount of discrimination and violence used in the Name of the Son of God is ordained and honored by God.  No use of the Bible or Church Tradition to justify social, political and religious based bigotry has any moral basis or mission that honors Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd.  On the contrary, to use the Christian Faith as an excuse for oppression and abuse is an example of what Jesus meant when he said:  "The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away-- and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep."

As with any sheepfold, the one led and guarded by Jesus, the Good Shepherd has many sheep who are different and/or even unusual.  Each one has a beauty and purpose, even if they are not accepted by others in the flock.  Though other sheep might reject the unusual ones, Jesus loves each of us and cares for all of us as his very own.  Jesus laid down his life on the Cross and rose from the dead to give us all the hope of new and everlasting life.  That  hope is meant to inspire us to do all we can in the here and now to take good care of ourselves.  Our Shepherd also calls us to do what we can for other sheep in God's flock.   We don't all have to be perfect, white, straight, healthy, wealthy, arch-conservative Bible beaters, male or even Christian.  God's sheepfold is inclusive, where each sheep is special and redeemable, with God being the Savior and the ultimate decider of what our real destiny is. 

May the Risen Jesus, our Good Shepherd, guide everyone of us to justice, peace and equality for all of God's people. 


Prayers

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people;
Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who
calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with
you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, p. 225).


Gracious Father, we pray for they 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).


Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p. 823).

Genocide Remembrance Day: How Are We Changing?

Today's Scripture Verses

Isaiah 2: 2-5 (NRSV)

 In days to come
   the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
   and shall be raised above the hills;
all the nations shall stream to it.
   Many peoples shall come and say,
‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
   to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
   and that we may walk in his paths.’
For out of Zion shall go forth instruction,
   and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
   and shall arbitrate for many peoples;
they shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
   and their spears into pruning-hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
   neither shall they learn war any more.


O house of Jacob,
   come, let us walk
   in the light of the Lord!

Psalm 70 (BCP, p. 682)

1	Be pleased, O God, to deliver me; *     O LORD, make haste to help me.
2	Let those who seek my life be ashamed and altogether dismayed; *     let those who take pleasure in my misfortune     draw back and be disgraced.
3	Let those who say to me "Aha!" and gloat over me turn back, *     because they are ashamed.
4	Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; *     let those who love your salvation say for ever,     "Great is the LORD!"
5	But as for me, I am poor and needy; *     come to me speedily, O God.
6	You are my helper and my deliverer; *     O LORD, do not tarry.

Revelation 7: 13-18 (NRSV)

Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, ‘Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?’ I said to him, ‘Sir, you are the one that knows.’ Then he said to me, ‘These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
For this reason they are before the throne of God,
   and worship him day and night within his temple,
   and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them.
They will hunger no more, and thirst no more;
   the sun will not strike them,
   nor any scorching heat;
for the Lamb at the centre of the throne will be their shepherd,
   and he will guide them to springs of the water of life,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’

Matthew 2: 13-18 (NRSV)

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

‘A voice was heard in Ramah,
   wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
   she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’

Blog Reflecton

This day is chosen for the commemoration because the international community recognizes April 24 as a day of remembrance for the Armenian Genocide, the systematic annihilation of the Armenian people during and just after World War I.   On April 24, 1915, more than 250 Armenian notables - - civic and political leaders, teachers, writers, and members of the clergy--were rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, and killed.  Before the cessation of conflict, it is estimated that as many as one-and-a half million Armenians perished, many as a result of forced marches, deliberate starvation, and heinous massacres.  President Theodore Roosevelt, declared the Armenian Genocide to be the greatest crime of World War I.  The close relationships between Anglicans and Episcopalians and our sisters and brothers in the Armenian Church of this day a particular sing of our fellowship as the Body of Christ.

Tragically, human history is littered with such atrocities and the Armenian Genocide was far from the last such mass extermination of people in the twentieth century.  One only need mention Croatia, Nazi Germany, Zanzibar, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, East Timor, Cambodia, Afghanistan, Kurdish Iraq, and Tibet, and this is by no means a comprehensive list.  The unflinching resolve of people of faith, in prayer and in action, is critical if the travesty of human genocide is to be curbed and ultimately stopped. (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, p. 342) 

It is hard to come up with words to write on this day.  When I think of incidents such as this and many others, it seems that anything I might write would be so inaccurate and/or incomplete.  And, in fact, it is.  Human tragedy and suffering is painful and difficult enough with illnesses, natural disasters and the reality of human nature by itself.   Yet, humankind can stoop even lower and perpetrate death by generations with very little effort.

Among the things that forever amazes me is how human beings will reach for violence as a means to try to solve conflicts quicker than striving for peace and justice.  Excuses for removing people we don't like can be made in the thousands, each and every day.   A simple election of a political leader who promises a better tomorrow for everyone, overnight turns into a humanitarian nightmare.

It is easy to think that such attitudes and behaviors are left to Governments and political movements alone.  However, individuals and groups make good use of churches and religious institutions to scapegoat the marginalized through political maneuvering and negative stereotyping just as much.  Fundamentalist Christians as well as the Catholic church have targeted women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender individuals, Native Americans, Muslims, Jews and many other groups for Centuries.  Organizations such as Focus on the Family, the Liberty Council, the Family Research Council, American Family Association, the National Organization for Marriage and many more, are all examples of political and religious organizations seeking to marginalize anyone and everyone who does not accept their views about a woman's right to chose and LGBT people, for some kind of extermination. Socially, politically, spiritually etc.  It doesn't really matter.  What matters is raising the funds and the billion dollars in revenue to bully their agenda into the public square to dominate, control and manipulate.  They falsely label LGBT people by comparing us to the Nazi's and call progressive and liberal people "socialists" so to create fear and violence around us.  Could this not also be considered a form or political genocide?

Ex-gay groups with their determination to use failed science and psychological approaches to suggest that people can change their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and/or expression, is also a form of spiritual malpractice and doctrinal abuse.  All for the purpose of eliminating those who are different.

In the last few years a few states have enacted anti-immigration bills that subject "illegals" to racial profiling and injustice.  It is not enough that families suffering all over the world might like to come here and find the hope of prosperity and peace.  We have to label them as "illegals" and return them to their native countries, even if they face death and poverty because of oppression.  It matters not that one of them might be here to care for the needs of a sick partner/spouse, if they are here illegally, they  have to be sent home.

These past two years we have seen attacks made on women's reproductive health care, including invasive ultra-sounds and keeping them from contraception.  Is this not also a form of violence that could be seen as a form of genocide? 

The God who came to us in Jesus Christ, and offered his life on the Cross and rose again from the dead, is not a God of discrimination.  Nor does God condone violence and oppression as if it were commissioned or ordained by Divine Law.   What is written in the Hebrew Scriptures came from a time when people believed that God was a wrathful being.  In recent years, we have come to understand that the Bible is full of words and events authored by imperfect people, describing events and interpretations from a culture and time far removed from our own.  The truths contained there are limited, but not totally irrelevant from those of our own time.  They are not blue prints for the future.  They are full of lessons we all have yet to learn.

Christians who know that we are redeemed by God in Christ, have a responsibility to proclaim salvation for all humankind.  A salvation bought with the price of the blood of Christ.  A blood that cleanses us from sin and gives us the power of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and the world in which we live.   We have only to continue our work as witnesses to God's transforming grace by which a world filled with darkness and violence, becomes a world with the Light of Jesus Christ and the peace that the world cannot give.

The prevention of violence and religious based oppression and hatred begins with knowing that God loves and embraces us all.  Without exception.  God's love shown in the Incarnate Word calls and commands us to embrace one another without exception.  May it be so.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, our Refuge and our Rock, your loving care knows no bounds and embraces all the peoples of the earth: Defend and protect those hwo fall victim to the forces of evil, and as we remember this day those who endured depredation and death because of who they were, not because of what they had doneor failed to do, give us the courage to stand against hatred and oppression, and seek the dignity and well-being of all for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, in whom you have reconciled the world to yourself; and who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (HWHM, p. 343).

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, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).


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, Book of Common Prayer, p. 826).

Monday of the Third Week of Easter: Working for What Endures As Life-Giving

Today's Scripture Reading

John 6: 22-29 (NRSV)

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ 

Blog Reflection

I recently read a blog post in Good As You.  In the post there is a video of a Christianist minister suggesting that if the folks in North Carolina vote against a constitutional amendment banning marriage equality for LGBT people, that it is considered "treason in God's court."  My own response to such a statement draws me to Canticle number 10 on page 87 in The Book of Common Prayer, using Isaiah 55: 8. "For my thoughts are  not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways, says the Lord."  Then I am immediately drawn to vs. 9 that reads: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

In the Person of Jesus Christ we see an image of God that is not an angry psychopathic judge, but a merciful Savior.  God's ways that are so far above ours, are ways of inclusion and unconditional love instead of oppression and bias.  In the Paschal Mystery which we celebrate during this Easter Season, Jesus longs to give himself to us, so that we may work for what endures unto everlasting life in the here and now.  The eternal life promised to us by Jesus, comes by what we do with what God gives us to do today. 

All of us look for signs that God is authentic and believable.  We live in a world and time where things are proven to be true, by how quickly they transmit information or power.  Whether they are life-giving or not, matters very little.  If Christianists can keep LGBT people from gaining marriage equality, then they can continue to rake in billions of dollars in profits to keep the hate machines promoting the dying message of a mean and angry god, who is not only fake, but also a dishonest representation of the real and actual God.  Another form of idolatry, disguised as religious zeal.

In the Eucharist, God gives us the true and everlasting Bread of Life that is Jesus Christ.  Holy Communion is given to help us work for what endures in this life, for the hope of new and eternal life in the next.  What are examples of things that endure?   Justice for the oppressed and equality for those experiencing violence and discrimination.  Community where every person has the opportunity to become part of the human family, by participating in their chance to live life to the fullest with friends and family who love and cherish them.  The power of people coming together to help people who have been devastated by natural disasters and/or the economic hardships of these past few years.  All of these things and more can be the result of the Holy Eucharist, if we will allow the Real Presence of Christ to live through us.

As we work for that which endures, let us remember that Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection endures, as does the love of God.  Even when we are faced with violence, oppression or bias, the power and hope that comes from God's extravagant love, helps us all to work together for that which endures.  


Prayers

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, p. 224, 225).

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.  (Prayer attributed to St. Francis, Book of Common Prayer, p. 833).

Third Sunday of Easter: The Risen Stranger in the Breaking of Bread

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 3:12-19 (NRSV)

When Peter saw the astonishment of those who had seen the lame man healed, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

"And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out."

Psalm 4 (BCP, p. 587)


1 John 3:1-7 (NRSV)

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Luke 24:36b-48 (NRSV)

While the disciples were telling how they had seen Jesus risen from the dead, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."

Blog Reflection

Yesterday, I witnessed what I would describe as a series of Easter moments.

Jason and I are very active in our local Democratic Farmer Labor Party's activities.  We were delegates to the Congressional District Convention where we endorsed Rep. Keith Ellison to once again represent us in Congress.  Rep. Ellison is under attack from right wing extremists because he is a Muslim.  Individuals from all over our Congressional District know Keith to be an outstanding leader and person, because he puts the needs of the least among us before the eyes of those who write and debate our laws.

In the State of Minnesota, we are facing two major ballot initiatives. One that if passed will deny lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons the right and opportunity to marry the person we love.   The other, if passed would require all individuals to have a photo I.D. in order to vote.  This referendum will seriously hurt minorities, college students, the elderly and many others who might not be able to get a Government issued I.D, and there fore many people would not be able to participate in the election process.

During the Convention, we did walking sub-caucuses to select delegates to go to the Democratic National Convention to renominate Pres. Barack Obama for the 2012 elections.  The walking sub-caucuses gather delegates from among the Congressional District Convention into one group.  Once we have a total of 20 people in that sub-caucus we can get one delegate to send to the National Convention.  Well, the one group I was part of was called Obama: Vote No on the Constitutional Amendments.   When we finished our first walk into our sub-causes, the one I was in had a total of 65 delegates, which would give us 3 delegates to go to the National Convention.  One group called Obama: Minorities Against the Constitutional Amendments had only 18, which means they did not have enough people to be a viable sub-caucus to get one delegate.  So a second walk was done.  The majority of the Minorities Caucus, came over to join Obama: vote NO on the Constitutional Amendments, giving us a total of 82 delegates, which meant we now could select 4 delegates.   Among the reasons for selecting them was to go to the National Convention so that we can push to get marriage equality put on the national platform.

I felt a real jolt of Spiritual energy, almost like being a witness to the resurrection when I saw minority groups, LGBT and supporters come together to state that we all want equality for all of us as we work to support our leaders.  Jesus was recognized, even in a non-direct fashion, because diverse groups of people came together ito be part of change in our State and Nation. 

Today's Gospel comes after the story of Jesus walking and talking on the road to Emmaus with the Apostles in Luke 24: 13-35.  The disciples found themselves with a 'stranger' who came along to talk with them about what had happened.  Jesus spoke to them all of the things the Hebrew Scriptures had prophesied about what Jesus had experienced, yet they did not recognize him.  It was only when Jesus broke bread at their evening meal, that they recognized who had been with them.   In their excitement to tell the other disciples what happened, Jesus once again comes among them with the words; "Peace be with you."   He tells them one more time, of all the Scriptures referring to his crucifixion and resurrection.  Yet, it was when Jesus sat down and shared a meal with them, that they understood that it was the Risen Christ was in their company.

The title of this blog entry: "The Risen Stranger in the Breaking of Bread" sounds a bit weird doesn't it?   I actually planned it that way. 

All of us expect to see and experience the Risen Christ in someone who fits our understand as to what another person should be.  White, male, heterosexual and wealthy Christians have dominated the discussion about who Jesus Christ was for so long that we cannot possibly think of him coming among us as black/Latino/Asian/immigrant or Native American, female, homosexual/bisexual/transgender, poor, Jew/Muslim/Atheist.  We want the Risen Christ in our company so long as he comes in the image we have made of him.  We don't want to open up our tables to those who dress in those funny clothes that are not like ours.  We don't want to share our pew with someone who's behavior seems so different.  Share marriage with LGBT people, when it has always been only for heterosexual people?  Come on now, that just isn't how Caucasian, male, heterosexual, Christians know the Risen Christ.  We want that Pandoras' Box shut tight, with no way of opening it up.

The Risen Christ comes among us in the stranger, the poor, the immigrant, the LGBTQ person, the Native American, the physically/emotionally/behaviorally challenged and the woman.  Jesus Christ, crucified and now risen from the dead, comes to us in the many Bishops in the Church of England who are supporting marriage equality, while openly defying the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York.  As the Church opens it's doors and hearts to welcome those who are not quite like us, the Risen Christ comes to us in the broken bread that is the Eucharist.  The Body and Blood of Christ, broken, shed and shared with all humankind, finally becomes a living Sacrament when we welcome the Risen Stranger with hospitality and reconciliation.  

Notice that our Gospel narrative does not end with the meal.  Just like our service to Christ does not conclude with the final blessing in our worship.  Jesus tells his followers to be witnesses of all that God has done on our behalf.  We like them, know all that God has accomplished to bring about the hope of salvation.  Now, we have been given the commandment and opportunity by the Risen Christ, to be the people God has called to proclaim the message of redemption and the forgiveness of all our sins.  We are now part of that "new creation" (see 2 Corinthians 5: 17-18) and are given the ministry of reconciliation, in the Name of God who has reconciled and saved us.  We proclaim a message of inclusion and justice for all God's people, not just those who are considered privileged.   We also proclaim the establishment of God's reign here and now as we await the reign of God that is yet to come.

Let us all celebrate the glorious resurrection today, by welcoming the Risen Stranger in the breaking of bread.  "Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia" (1 Corinthians 5: 8, and BCP, p. 83).


Prayers

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his
disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith,
that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives  
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Third Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, p. 224, 225).


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, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).


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, Book of Common Prayer, p. 818).

 

Second Sunday of Easter: Titanic vs. Thomas, Faith and the Resurrection

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 4:32-35 (NRSV)

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Psalm 133 (BCP,. p. 787)


1 John 1:1-2:2 (NRSV)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

John 20:19-31 (NRSV)

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Blog Reflection

100 years ago today at 2:20am on April 15, 1912, the R.M.S. Titanic sank to the bottom of the North Atlantic killing 1494 people.   It was believed to be the largest moving object ever made in all history up to that point in time.  The ship was believed to be "unsinkable."   Just one hour and forty minutes give or take a few before sinking, the Titanic hit an ice berg.  It is said that from the moment it hit and it's lower compartments were punctured, Titanic took on 7 gallons of ice cold ocean water per second.  After the "unsinkable ship" sank, those who were left in the freezing Atlantic brutally died of hypothermia.  Only six people were saved by one of the twenty boats that came back to see if anyone was still alive.

I have been somewhat obsessed with the Titanic ever since I watched the movie made by James Cameron in 1997.  As part of our remembrance of this history tragedy, Jason and I watched Titanic in 3-D last night.  Every time I see the movie, from the moment Titanic hits the ice berg to the moment Jack Dawson dies in the frigid water, while Rose lays on a floating piece of the now sunken ship, I walk away from it reflecting on some powerful spiritual and moral meditations from Titanic.  Among them is the imagery of a very wealthy, selfish and abusive individual who is willing to risk his life to control a woman who does not love him, and the diamond he bought her, who won't even allow a nearly drowning man on board the life boat he is in, because he will swamp the boat and possibly kill him.  On the other hand, we have a poor man,with barely $10 in his pocket.  He doesn't even have a home to call his own.  He and his friend Fabrizio risk every thing to save not only themselves, but others around them.  As I watch this particular part of the block buster, I remember the words of Jesus: "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." (John 15:13).

Another story that also moves me to some amazing reflections is today's Gospel of the Risen Jesus and the encounter with the Apostles, in particular Thomas.  Jesus breathed on them the gift of God's Spirit and gave them the ministry of reconciliation.  Thomas was not there to be part of it.  When the other disciples told Thomas, he would not believe what they told him, until he put his hands into the nail prints and into the side of the Risen Christ.  Thomas was simply wanting proof of the story he was told.   When Jesus appears to all of them with Thomas present one week later, he simply invites Thomas to come forward and confirm what he was told.  Jesus doesn't scold or shame Thomas.  Jesus gives Thomas what he asked for.  The opportunity to grow in his faith and witness for himself the power and mercy of the Risen Christ.  In Thomas' amazement he says; "My Lord, and my God."  When Jesus says "blessed are they who have not seen me, but still believe" Jesus is okay with what he did for Thomas.  He is also okay for those who will believe in him through the testimony and personal witness of others who come to know Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead.

In this present time, we don't get to see the Risen Jesus appearing before our eyes.  We do not have a direct connection to the Apostles of the first and second centuries to tell us how recent those events would have been.  We know there was an early Christian Church that was unified, and helped many people according to the reading from Acts.  But, we do not have proof in our hands and/or before us, by ourselves.  It is only through communities of Faith, where there is true charity and where people worship, live and struggle together that the Risen Christ becomes visible to us.   In the Holy Eucharist, Jesus Christ who rose on that first Easter Day, comes to us under the appearance of Bread and Wine, consecrated with the Holy Spirit called down to sanctify them that they may be the Body and Blood of Christ.  In the celebration of Holy Communion the words that Jesus spoke in John 15:13 become true as he lives the meaning of what he said in us and one another. 

The evidence of the Risen Christ is also made known when we look beyond gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, challenge, language, immigration status, culture, etc and see a face and a name in others who are different from ourselves.  The truth of the Real Presence of Christ in Holy Communion bears fruit when Christians work for justice, freedom from oppression, discrimination and violence for the marginalized by the Church and society.  When we speak up about the injustice of corporations taking over the government, our courts and our political process and demand that people and the issues that affect our daily lives becomes our first priority, the Risen Christ becomes visible.  When we denounce the anti-Semitism towards the Jewish people and recognize them as our elders in the Faith, we become witnesses to the hope of Christ in our time.  When we refuse to engage in the violence that targets Muslims, a woman's reproductive health care, and voter suppression out of concern for equality and justice for all people, the Risen Christ with our wounded humanity comes in our midst and calls us to touch him and love him.

To me, the individuals that knew that their end was near on Titanic, but saw to do good for others in spite of it all, demonstrated the power and hope of the Resurrected Jesus.  Those who knew that they did not quite measure up to the first class standards, as the ship was sinking and held down, took care of what was in front of them before they died.  Such as the mother in bed with her children, telling them the story of the land of eternal youth and beauty.  She recognized that this was the end of the road for them all, but she still put her children before herself.

How do we reveal the presence of the Risen Christ in our lives, communities and homes?

Whether we are people who believe, or if we are skeptical and doubt, the Risen Christ comes to us.   We are never left alone. 

As Easter People, we are called to take care of what we have before us, here and now.  This moment is the one in which the grace of the Risen Christ is present, speaking and acting on our behalf.  We can trust that he will be there in the next, but only if we tend to the Risen Christ at this point in time.


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith;
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 Second Sunday in Easter, Book of Common Prayer, p. 224).

O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of
the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this
day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week
to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.  (Collect for Sundays, Book of Common Prayer, p. 96).

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p. 823).  

Friday in Easter Week: Pray and Work: A Benedictine Perspective of Easter

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 4: 1-12 (NRSV)

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand.

The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is

`the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;

it has become the cornerstone.'

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."

Psalm 116: 1-8 (BCP, p. 759)


John 21:1-14 (NRSV)

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Blog Reflection

We have two images of Peter today.  In Acts he is the one who speaks on behalf of the other Apostles before the very council that had Pontius Pilate crucify Jesus.  In John we have Peter catching fish with the others, and Jesus telling them to put their nets over the side where they would catch fish.  Peter gets up, gets dressed, jumps in the sea towards the Risen Jesus.   Jesus sits down and has breakfast with them.

I think all of us can identify with both sides of Peter in our Lectionary today.  There are moments when we are prepared to boldly and confidently proclaim the Risen Christ before an unbelieving Church and society.   We also experience those times when we need to run to Jesus so that we can eat with him, and listen to what God's Word has to teach us.

The Paschal Mystery which we celebrated a week ago, and consequently every time we gather for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, reveals the power of the Crucified and Risen Christ whenever we take time to proclaim our Faith, or retreat to renew it.  

The Rule of St. Benedict stresses the idea of preferring nothing to the Opus Dei (Work of God).   Whether it is praying the Daily Office, participating in the Eucharist, in our daily work and lives spent in relationship to others, or personal prayer, we are to be consciously aware of God's presence at all times, and in all places.   This idea is how what we pray and read, becomes the way we live.  Our readings on this Friday in Easter Week speak to just that concept.  If we are going to be effective in living and sharing the Good News of the resurrection, we must spend some kind of time in prayer and personal reflection.  To the extent we spend time with the Risen Christ in prayer and contemplation, we will be able to be witnesses to the power of God in our daily lives.

As Christians who care about the marginalized in the Church and society, including LGBT people and many more that we could name, we need what can be gained through prayer spent with the Risen Christ so that our work can be rewarding and effective.   This Easter Week is such a powerful time.  It is one we should not miss, just because we are worn out by Holy Week.  Christ experienced the Cross and rose again from the dead so that all people, including those rejected by the Church and society could know the power of God for the hope of their salvation.  Salvation that takes place in this time, as we prepare for the eternal life yet to come.


Prayers

Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins
and to rise for our justification: Give us grace so to put away
the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always
serve you in pureness of living and truth; through Jesus
Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Friday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, p. 224).

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, Book of Common Prayer, p. 818).   

Thursday in Easter Week: Peace Be With You

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 3: 11-26 (NRSV)
 

While the lame man whom Peter and John had healed clung to them, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's Portico, utterly astonished. When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

"And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, `The Lord your God will raise up for you from your own people a prophet like me. You must listen to whatever he tells you. And it will be that everyone who does not listen to that prophet will be utterly rooted out of the people.' And all the prophets, as many as have spoken, from Samuel and those after him, also predicted these days. You are the descendants of the prophets and of the covenant that God gave to your ancestors, saying to Abraham, `And in your descendants all the families of the earth shall be blessed.' When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you, to bless you by turning each of you from your wicked ways."

Psalm 8 (BCP, P. 592)


Luke 24: 36b-48 (NRSV)

While the disciples were talking about how they had seen Jesus risen from the dead, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."

Blog Reflection

What ever the different opinions of who Jesus was that are out there, it is pretty hard to not see that he must have been an extraordinary person to rise from the dead, and go to his disciples who abandoned him while he hung dying on the Cross, and his first words spoken to them were: "Peace be with you."  It is one thing to talk about loving a friend who has betrayed or left you in your hour of need.  It is quite another to do it and be authentic about it. 

This kind of thing puts a very different perspective on the kinds of things we face when we are rejected by someone close to us.  Jesus had been crucified.  He suffered for six long hours, bleeding and dying of suffocation.  The only disciple believed to come to him at the foot of the Cross was John as he beheld Mary.   Peter, the guy speaking to the crowds in reading from Acts today, denied Jesus three times.  When Jesus rises from the dead, he does not go to the disciples in anger to tirade them about not being at the Cross with him.  He does not scold them for their lack of faith when Mary Magdalene and the others brought them news of his resurrection.  Jesus wishes them peace.  He opens for them the Scriptures that referred to Jesus and all that he had accomplished.  There was no shame, just God's mercy and tender love.

As a gay man who has known a great deal of grief and hardship at the hands and words of Christians, I find this a difficult Gospel to digest.  On one hand I would love to go to those Christianists who are working to pass the MN Marriage Amendment this upcoming November and wish them God's peace.  On the other, I am angry as hell that I may not have the power to stop them.  I am also a Christian who claims belief in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by which my sins and those of the one's who are determined to keep me and my partner, and other LGBT couples in Minnesota, second class citizens, are forgiven.  I still have to regard them as sisters and brothers in the Lord, however much I might despise or disagree with their actions towards the LGBT communities.  I need the peace that comes from the Risen Christ, to help me to have that peace within myself, so that I can be the best example I can be, even to those who disregard my citizenship as among God's adopted children.  This in no way means that I excuse what they are doing, nor that I necessarily have to be their new best friend, or be converted to their way of thinking, believing or acting in order to be a good Christian.  It also does not mean that I give up my work for equality, inclusion and justice, that I might allow them to validate the falsehood of their messages of hate and violence regarding LGBT people.  It does mean, that I must wish and pray for God's peace in them as I do myself, and anyone else for that matter.

Do we wish for peace for everyone in our lives?   Even for those who hurt us? 

Are we peace makers in our work places, churches, communities and homes?  

Are we at work to bring peace to those who are poor, hurting, oppressed and without the means of obtaining peace in their lives without some kind of help?

Is there the peace of the Risen Christ in your heart and life, as you face the challenges that are before you?

Whether we are experiencing joy because of the good things going on in our life, or we are hurting and discouraged, the Risen Christ comes to us and says: "Peace be with you."   Jesus Christ, risen from the dead is our peace.  He is the peace that is not necessarily the absence of conflict, but that peace even while enduring the most war like moments in our lives.  Whether we live the Gospel faithfully, or if we struggle just to get along with that co-worker that drives us crazy.  Jesus Christ is our peace that the world around us cannot give.  Can we trust in that peace today, so that we may bring that same peace to the world around us?


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Collect for Thursday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, p. 223).


Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, "Peace I give to
you; my peace I leave with you:" Regard not our sins,
but the faith of your Church, and give to us the peace and
unity of that heavenly city, where with the Father and the
Holy Spirit you live and reign, now and for ever. Amen. (Prayer for Peace, Book of Common Prayer, p. 107).


Most holy God, the source of all good desires, all right
judgements, and all just works: Give to us, your servants, that
peace which the world cannot give, so that our minds may be
fixed on the doing of your will, and that we, being delivered
from the fear of all enemies, may live in peace and quietness;
through the mercies of Christ Jesus our Savior. Amen.  (A Collect for Peace, Book of Common Prayer, p. 123).

Wednesday in Easter Week: Know the Risen Christ in the Breaking of Bread

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 3:1-10 (NRSV)

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o'clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk." And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Psalm 118: 19-24 (BCP, p. 762)


Luke 24:13-35 (NRSV)

Now on that same day, the first day of the week, two of the disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Blog Reflection

The loneliness and despair seem so unbearable.  The pain is even more excruciating.  The grief from loss appears inescapable.  That is, until someone, a dear friend comes along and shares in our sorrow.

The scene painted for us in the words of our Gospel for today appears as if the Risen Christ did just that for the disciples.  They were so disappointed and grieving.  The Messiah they had hoped would be the mighty warrior to redeem Israel from the tyranny of the Roman Empire had been Crucified.  Just like the stranger who just came to town, Jesus comes, to ask them about what they are talking about.  Yet, the disciples do not recognize Jesus.  In fact, they see him as the one fool in town who doesn't seem to know what had happened.  Jesus tells them word for word the Scriptures that refer to what had happened, and still they did not recognize him.  It was not until Jesus sat down with them and broke bread that they realized who he was.  Just when the light came on for these weak and faithless men, Jesus vanishes.

The Risen Christ is so often right within our grasp, that we could literally touch and sense him.  Jesus often comes to us in the brokenness of an LGBT youth who is being bullied in her/his school.   The Risen Christ is in that person in front of us at the grocery counter, who is counting pennies and calling the cashier on any item that was not processed properly by the scanner.  Jesus Christ, crucified and alive again is walking around in our neighborhoods in the lonely, the depressed, the poor and the forgotten.   Yet, do we recognize Jesus there?

When the Bread that is the Eucharist, the Presence of the Risen Jesus in His Body and Blood, is broken and shared, we receive him.  More importantly, His Presence is to be come real in the lives of all who consider ourselves to be part of the Body of Christ.   Even though we do not see him, physically, Christ is present there nourishing us and calling us to love one another as we have been loved.

Jesus comes to be with us in our moments of sorrow, loneliness and pain, if we will allow God to be present with us in those moments.  Sometimes God comes to us through another person.  A friend, a spouse, a minister, a counselor, or just a kind person.  Other times, the Risen Christ comes to us by the grace of the Holy Spirit, to console us in our moments of disbelief and anger. To call upon us to trust in God and believe that somehow there is peace and hope, even when all seems hopeless.   God may be calling us to die to ourselves in some way, shape or form. But, God is also telling us that there is resurrection on the other side.  If God raised up the only, Begotten Son who's acts of redemption benefit all God's people, God will certainly help us to experience Easter Day, whenever we give ourselves up to God's will with trust in the mercy and love of God.


Prayers

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his
disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith,
that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Wednesday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, p. 223).


Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of
everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the
day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death
of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Easter Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 222).

 

Tuesday in Easter Week: The Resurrection Should Live In Us

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 2:36-41 (NRSV)

Peter said to the multitude, "Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?" Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

Psalm 118: 19-24 (BCP, p. 762)


John 20:11-18  (NRSV)

Mary Magdalene stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Blog Reflection

Alleluia. Christ is risen,
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

The Gospel reading on this Tuesday in Easter Week is the same one from Easter Day.  Why do you suppose it is here after we already heard it two days earlier?

It is here so that we can continue to celebrate the event of the Lord's resurrection from the dead.  We are to celebrate the resurrection as Christ's Easter People, who are experiencing and giving witness to the Risen Christ in our daily life and work.  In our relationships and in our struggles.  We are to "Give thanks to the Lord who is good, God's mercy endures forever." (Psalm 118: 1).

We Christians especially in the West tend to celebrate Easter at this particular time of the year.  Many of us have just about had it with all the alleluia's in the Daily Office by the time we get to the Second Sunday of Easter.  It is as if we would rather wallow in our misery than celebrate God's victory over death in Christ's resurrection.  That is partly because in our human weakness which includes our limited vision of God, we can only imagine the resurrection, we cannot prove it by human standards.  It is only through faith that we can believe in it.  It is by our actions towards God, others and ourselves that we can give witness to it's reality.

Mary Magdalene was the first to see the Risen Jesus.  Christ came to her as she was weeping, as she was dismayed about where his dead body might be.  When Jesus said her name "Mary" she looked up and recognized him.  Jesus then tells her not to touch him, because he had not yet ascended to his God and our God.

This image of Jesus risen from the dead, coming to one who was weeping with disappointment, fear and discouragement is something we should spend some time meditating on.  We celebrate this week the Easter event in our prayer, Liturgies and in our church activities.  But, our lives are still very broken by sickness, discrimination, violence, much pain and brokenness.  If we will seek out the Risen Lord in our fragile hearts, He will come to us and affirm God's love and claim us as adopted children by way of Christ's redemption of humankind.  Christ who was crucified and now alive in the resurrection, meets us at the point of our sadness and moments of personal growth.  He meets us to tell us that God has forgiven our sins and wants to transform us, to help change the world around us for the better.  We don't have to accept injustice, oppression, prejudice and inequality any longer.  We are God's Easter People reborn in the waters of Baptism, and renewed by God's grace as we celebrate the Paschal Mystery.

The narrative of Christ's resurrection cries out for people who have been marginalized and excluded, to come and be made part of God's family.  To know that all people are loved unconditionally by our God who has triumphed over sin and death.  Sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, race, religion, cultural background, language, employment status, physical/mental/psychological challenges, immigration status, are not barriers for God to continue the work of redemption in our Church and society.  It is through diverse individuals and peoples, that God will tear open the Pandoras Boxes that keep us from loving one another as Christ has loved us.  The resurrection means new and unending life for all people, if only by God's grace expressed through the hearts and work of those who believe in Jesus.  We can grow to respect the dignity of every human being, with God's help, because that is what we have said in our Baptismal Covenant.  God has the power to transform us and the world around us, if we will, with God's help make the effort to do so.

The work of hospitality and reconciliation that is at the heart of the ministry of Jesus Christ, by which we grow in relationships with each other, is the Paschal Mystery active and speaking through our daily lives. As Christ comes to us in our misery and distress, so we in God's Name go to others, to wash their feet and give to them the sign of peace.

Alleluia. Christ is risen,
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Prayers

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus
Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to
light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may
abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the
Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen. (Tuesday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, p. 223).

O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten
Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection
delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die
daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of
his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen. (Collect from Easter Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 222).

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice, Book of Common Prayer, p. 823).     

Monday in Easter Week: What Happened to the Resurrection Event?

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 2:14,22-32 (NRSV)

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the multitude, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know-- this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him,

`I saw the Lord always before me,

for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;

therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;

moreover my flesh will live in hope.

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,

or let your Holy One experience corruption.

You have made known to me the ways of life;

you will make me full of gladness with your presence.'

"Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying ,

`He was not abandoned to Hades,

nor did his flesh experience corruption.'

This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.

Psalm 118: 19-24 (BCP, p. 762).


Matthew 28: 9-15 (NRSV)

Suddenly Jesus met Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, "You must say, `His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.

Blog Reflection

What started out as really good news to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, turns out to be an event kept under wraps as the soldiers are paid to tell a different story than what actually happened.  It is amazing what happens when an event that is true, becomes captive to bribery.  

What happens to the resurrection event in our own lives? 

Is the highest celebration of the Church year allowed to bring us and others the joyous news by our having been changed from the inside out?  

Do we respond to the resurrection event by loving our neighbor better than we did before Lent began? 

Did the resurrection do more for us than just going to church with the Easter people who go once a year, because we experienced a spark in our faith, through our behaviors and attitudes towards others? 

Did the Easter event become something we don't act on or talk about, because we are just too busy, or afraid of what others might think?

Sometimes when I read posts of the awful things that happened during Holy Week and Easter on the part of Christians, I wonder if the resurrection has changed us at all.  It is said that this past weekend that Cardinal Dolan used his media power this past weekend to blast President Obama on his policy about contraception concerning religious institutions and the health insurance for their employees.  If the resurrection is a real event, then why was it suddenly put away to make a mockery out of the Crucified Christ in women and President Obama?

This past week and weekend, and now this Easter Week is full of joy and celebration as we greet the Risen Christ who comes to us to say "Peace be with you."   Are we offering peace to each other by more than just the sign of peace at the Liturgy, but seeking to bring peace to our neighbors?

Many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people have experienced Lent, Holy Week and Easter as the time of serious bashing.  In the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, I am sure many Parishes read that horrible prayer that the Archbishop asked to be prayed to support the amendment that bans marriage equality for LGBT people.  What might Easter Day have been like to be at Mass celebrating the resurrection, then suddenly rejected as an LGBTQ person when that prayer was said?

The Easter event of the resurrection is about God's justice and mercy.  It means that all of us have been so richly loved by God, that God's Son endured the shame of the Cross and triumphantly rose from the dead to redeem all of us for salvation.   God embraced all of us in this Easter celebration, by helping us know that death is not the last word.  There is resurrection, there is hope.  As LGBTQ people, the resurrection event is our Easter story, as it is for all who consider Christianity as our religion, spirituality and meaning for living.   The love we share for our partners, friends, families, communities, churches etc, is because God first loved us, and showed us the Way through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

How are we telling the resurrection story today?  

Are we telling the story as God's Easter people?

Or, have we allowed the story of the Paschal Mystery to be kept silent, because we let someone pay us off to keep quiet?


Prayers

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who celebrate with
awe the Paschal feast may be found worthy to attain to
everlasting joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Monday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, p. 222-223).


Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of
everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the
day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death
of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Easter Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 222).


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, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).