Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Humility is Key to Hospitality and Reconciliation

Today's Scripture Readings

Sirach 10:12-18 (NRSV)

The beginning of human pride is to forsake the Lord;

the heart has withdrawn from its Maker.

For the beginning of pride is sin,

and the one who clings to it pours out abominations.

Therefore the Lord brings upon them unheard-of calamities,

and destroys them completely.

The Lord overthrows the thrones of rulers,

and enthrones the lowly in their place.

The Lord plucks up the roots of the nations,

and plants the humble in their place.

The Lord lays waste the lands of the nations,

and destroys them to the foundations of the earth.

He removes some of them and destroys them,

and erases the memory of them from the earth.

Pride was not created for human beings,

or violent anger for those born of women.

Psalm 112 (BCP., p.755)


Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 (NRSV)

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." So we can say with confidence,

"The Lord is my helper;

I will not be afraid.

What can anyone do to me?"

Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

Luke 14: 1, 7-14 (NRSV)

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely.

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, `Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, `Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Blog Reflection

Whenever I read a set of Lectionary readings about pride, I have a hard time with them.   The word pride in the Scriptures means something very different than how we use it in the LGBTQ communities.  Yet, when I read about pride and humility in this Sunday's readings, my initial reaction is one of thinking that even my pride as a gay man is what the Scriptures are talking about.   That is why taking the Scriptures at face value, is usually not a good way to interpret them.  

The pride written about in Sirach (or Eccelsiasticus, as it is also called) is Wisdom Literature.  Wisdom Literature in the Bible is to help us take the word from the page and translate it into our actions as believers in God's gracious promise for our lives.  This reading from Sirach is taken from a time when it was thought that God visits calamity upon the human community because of sin.  The sin here is pride.   This kind of pride refuses to acknowledge that God is God and we are not.  It is the pride that seeks what is best for oneself, and not necessarily what is best for the other person.  While God does not visit calamity on anyone, a pride that wraps a person all up in themselves is one that is destructive not only to one's faith, but also to the sense of responsibility we should have for the community of humankind.  It is the same kind of pride that contributes to massive wealth, greed and the exploitation of the poor, the oppressed, the sick and those without the basic necessities of life, only to get wealthier and gain more power.   It is this kind of pride that forgets that every one of us is part of the human family, and that our dignity as God's beloved is based on the reality of our being created and redeemed by our loving and gracious God.   It is this pride that brings about it's own calamity to the point where God doesn't need to give us anymore.  It is also such, that God will intervene when we turn in repentance towards God and seek reconciliation for ourselves, and our neighbors.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews reminds us that it is because of Jesus Christ and his self sacrifice on the Cross, that we should extend hospitality to each other.  The judgement of God is brought upon us, by ourselves when we neglect our responsibilities to one another.  This reading from Hebrews is one of those rare moments when the reading from the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian Testament are well connected in context.  The connection is our love of God, our neighbors and ourselves. When we welcome one another, we are welcoming Christ and His Paschal Mystery and  we live it's meaning in our lives.   It is a difficult message for all of us, because we have our secure comfort zones that we do not like disturbed.   We would like to arrange our lives in such a way, that no one who is different from ourselves can cause us displacement.  But, the Christian faith is about just that.  Our Christian faith is best expressed when we allow God to move us by the power of the Holy Spirit so that we are never idle in terms of spiritual maturity.  

Jesus tells the parables in today's Gospel Reading to call those he is with to seek God in the place in which they already are.  To recognize that the place where God has us, is where God wants to converse with us, and through us.  St. Benedict had such in mind when he wrote his longest and most in depth chapter on humility in The Rule.  In Chapter 7: On Humility, Benedict tells us that the first step on the ladder of 12 leading up to humility is to always keep the consciousness of God before us.   In Benedict's Rule, self-exaltation means we decline in humility.  While becoming more humble, means we ascend on the ladder.   The very first step means that we should remember that God is God and we are not.   When we keep this in mind and heart then we have reverence for God in worship and in our relationships with others around us.  Our last wish, would be to show a lack of reverence for God who is present in all things and people.  

This awareness should make us take a good hard look at the importance of securing the freedom to marry for LGBT people nationwide and world wide.   In showing reverence to God, we should be very concerned about the massive chemical weapons that have killed thousands of people in Syria, but not even think of a military strike in their country as a solution.   More military style weapons that become the cause of more massive destruction, violence and civilian casualties is not a solution.  Our reverence for God should make us pause and look at our policies towards women, children, education, health care, the poor and the immigrants.   To view and behave towards such people in a way that denigrates them, is to fail to give the reverence for God in all human persons.

As we celebrate Labor Day, may we also do our part to support those who work to provide for themselves, their families and society.  May we spend our time, resources and political capital so that every person who is able to work receives a livable fair wage, and those who cannot receive the assistance they need to be functional and productive in whatever capacity they can.  

Humility is an important key to hospitality and reconciliation.   May we take the key and start the engines of compassion, inclusion and hope for our world that is so in need of God's Providence.

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, Book of Common Prayer, p. 233).

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).


Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another
that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide
us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but
for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for
our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of
other workers, and arouse our concern for those who are out
of work; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen. (Prayer for Labor Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 261).

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Who Said Anything About Peace?

Today's Scripture Readings

Jeremiah 23:23-29 (NRSV)

Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed!" How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back-- those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal. Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says the LORD. Is not my word like fire, says the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

Psalm 82 (BCP., p.705)


Hebrews 11:29-12:2 (NRSV)

By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.

And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented-- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

Luke 12:49-56 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided:

father against son

and son against father,

mother against daughter

and daughter against mother,

mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law

and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."

He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, `It is going to rain'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"

Blog Reflection

Well, Jesus' claim to fame for bringing peace to the Church and world just went out the window.   Forget about all that talk of the God of peace or even justice, because, Jesus here is saying that is not why He came.  Whatever hope you had for peace through Jesus, I guess it is not going to happen.

Is the problem with Jesus, or is it our understanding of the word peace as Jesus uses it means?  What kind of peace is Jesus talking about that appears to be suggesting that we will be in conflict with even our own families because of Him?

My husband Jason and I have many interesting conversations.  Just this afternoon on our way home from attending Mass, we got into a conversation about what are some of the most tiny matters of faith that have played their role in the divisions within the Christian Church.  We can go back as far as the Book of Acts and see that even then, the Church had disagreements with regards to whether the new Christians should have to live by the tenants of the Jewish law (See Acts 15).  Peter and Paul had their disagreements over what was to be the response to faith in Jesus Christ, and the requirement of circumcision to be included in the Church (See Galatians 2).   The Church has seen divisions over issues such as whether Peter is the first Pope and left successors.  Another example is the centuries old debate between the Western and Eastern Church concerning how the Filioque clause in the Nicene Creed should be worded.  The matter of whether the elements of Holy Communion become the actual Body and Blood of Christ by transubstantiation, consubstantiation, are the Real Presence, or they are only symbolic remains a strong point of conflict for Christians.   While there has been much heart ache and bloodshed over many of these matters, none has brought nearly as much as the debate over whether the Bible is the "infallible Word of God,"  the "inerrant Word of God," the "inspired Word of God," or none of the above.   The present debates over everything from women's ordination, marriage equality, health care, climate change, the role of the secular government, and even weapons regulation are being argued on the grounds of how each side of those arguments interprets the Sacred Scriptures.  

Yet, there is one argument that is missing from them all.  A point that is so crucial to what it means to live a Christian life, that it has yet to be brought up, let alone listened to.  Let me see if I can make that point while giving some thought to "who said anything about peace?".

There was a man born about the year 480.   He was born of a noble family, and had many prestigious opportunities before him.  Yet, during his college education, he found the life around his friends and culture so falling apart, that he abandoned everything and fled to a cave in Subiaco, Italy.  There he spent 3 years mediating on the Scriptures, and how he should respond to what the Holy Spirit was saying to him, and his life.  He was soon found, and many became so interested in what he was doing, that they wanted to follow his way of life.  His only close companion at that point, was a Priest named Roman who made sure he had food, water and basic needs.  He established a monastery there at Subiaco, and eventually went on to make a new community at Monte Cassino.  There, St. Benedict wrote his Rule that was a combination of the works of St. Basil the Great, St. John Cassian and others, and became a document that would last over 1500 years as Rules and other Monastic and Religious orders came and went.  Through the influence of communities established under the Rule of Benedict long after his death, through out Europe, came not only monasteries, but school, universities of higher learning, houses, infrastructure and among many things, the Anglican Communion.  Yet, for Benedict and those who still live by The Rule in whatever kind of community they observe it in, there remains his one motto: Peace.

What Benedict did, and what Jesus Christ called people to, was a life of searching for union with God through prayer and relationships with one another, to the point, that all people are to be honored as Christ, Himself.  What is missing from the many discussions around politics where religion is playing a key role in the debate, is how do we help, treat and meet Jesus Christ in those around us who are different from ourselves?  One thing that Jesus never said in all of His many sermons and prayers, was that His followers were to proselytize, to the point of destroying every other religion, sexual orientation, culture, gender, gender identity/expression, government, etc, so that it mirrored the Caucasian, Western European, male, straight, Christian dominionist model.  That was not the peace or the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached or practiced.    

Jesus said that we know how to read signs in the earth and sky, but we do not read the signs of the times.  God's Reign, is about having a peace in our lives, that is prepared to give everything up and follow Jesus Christ in His way of extending hospitality, reconciliation and healing among the lost, oppressed, hopeless and those pushed aside by violence and prejudice.  Jesus says that His way will cause conflict, because we will need to be ready to decide if setting aside our own biases to respond to the needs of the poor, sick, needy, friendless to find Jesus Christ there, and serve Him there with complete abandonment to our own will. We are called to serve in loving obedience, by serving God in all people, in all places and in all situations.  At times making such decisions will cause us conflicts within our own family and/or circle of friends.  It will stretch our comfort zones and those of others as we reach out with compassion and understanding, those whom many would prefer to remain anonymous and helpless.  Sometimes that someone will be a member of our own family, other times it will be someone we have never met before.

The decision to come out as someone who is lesbian,gay, bisexual, transgender and/or queer is one that is about following the will of God.  Many of us who have come out, experienced the loss of relationships with parents, relatives and our closest friends, because we found God's peace in being who we really are, while their understanding of the Bible says that we should be changed.   Yet, for many of us, continuing to lie to ourselves and others we love, was no longer an option.  As we developed our relationship with God, others and ourselves we discovered that what people understood the Bible to mean about being LGBT, was not only untrue, but it was down right wrong.   To lie to ourselves and others, was to do violence to ourselves, our families, but also to others who are experiencing prejudice and cruelty because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.

What are some ways in which Jesus might be calling us to live His meaning of peace?

A couple of suggestions that I would give include being very concerned and raising our voices over the horrendous violence to LGBT people in Russia, Uganda and many countries and States.   To pray for and to call for an end to the violence that is killing Christians in Egypt.  To pray for, and call for an ending to religious based violence towards women, Muslims, Jews and people of other religions, or those who chose no religion.  That we do our part to work for justice for the disabled, the sick, the unemployed, those experience economic hardship because of the sequester, and facing the issues around racism and immigration reform.  

As long as these and others live with injustice, oppression and exclusion, who said anything about living in a world of peace?    May those who claim to be Christians never be at peace with such oppression, until we have with the help of the Holy Spirit done our part to change the world to truly be God's Reign of peace for all humankind.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a
sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us
grace to receive thankfully the fruits of this redeeming work,
and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen. (Proper 15, Book of Common Prayer, p. 232).


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).


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).

St. Mary the Virgin: A Woman Graced, Tried, and Rewarded

Today's Scripture Readings

 Isaiah 61:10-11 (NRSV)

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 34 (BCP. p.627)

 

Galatians 4:4-7 (NRSV)

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

 

Luke 1:44-56 (NRSV)

Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

 

Blog Reflection

As I read through the various traditions of what this August 15th, Commemoration of the St. Mary the Virgin means, I am awestruck by the diversity.  A diversity that is a great source of division among Christians.

For Roman Catholics, today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Catholics believe that on this day, Mary did not die, but was assumed body and soul into Heaven.  It was a dogma proclaimed by Pope Pius XII in 1945.  This belief is based on another belief by Catholics in Mary's Immaculate Conception.  Meaning she was conceived without original sin, prefiguring the victory won by the death and resurrection of Christ.  Both dogma's suggest that because Mary was God's perfectly created creature, who did the will of God from conception to the end of her earthly life, she who was "full of grace" never experienced death, and was rewarded with a glorious assumption by Mary's Son.

 In the case of what this day means to the Eastern Orthodox, today is the Feast of the Dormition.  In a stunning explanation of the connection of the Feast of the Transfiguration which we celebrated on August 6 and the Dormition, the following comes from the website to St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Both feasts are connected with death. The Transfiguration comes before the death of Christ and anticipates it. The Dormition marks the death of the Mother of God, and comes after the death and resurrection of Christ. 

About the Transfiguration, we say that the revelation of His glory was the Lord's gift to the disciples Peter, James and John in anticipation of His suffering and death. The revelation of glory was meant to give the disciples something - some hope - to see them through their experience of holy week and to strengthen them in the face of death of their Master. Thy disciples beheld Thy glory as far as they could see it; so that when they would behold Thee crucified, they would understand that Thy suffering was voluntary.... (Kontakion) 

The Dormition of the Mother of God is also a gift. It is a gift of hope because it reveals that in Christ, death is no longer the master and great anxiety of our lives, but is itself subject to the power of His love. The reality and power of the resurrection of Christ is applied to our common human life in the person of the Mother of God. What is proclaimed as Gospel - the risen Christ, the Lord of Life, trampling death by death - is experienced here in the reality of the believer's new life in Christ. For being the Mother of Life, she was translated to life by the One who dwelt in her virginal womb. (Kontakion)

The Commemoration of the St. Mary the Virgin presents us with some interesting spiritual and theological problems as well as much to rejoice in.  The problem as Abbot Andrew Karr, OSB of St. Gregory's Abbey in Three Rivers, MI points out in his blog for today, is that Mary is either deified or made out to be a demigod.  

Mary’s real glory is that she was a human being every much as the rest of us. That is, she was and is a Jewish girl. Mary is, of course, inseparable from the Incarnation of the Word in her womb. Although Mary’s son was (and is) divine, Jesus was (and is) fully human, like you and me. In his excellent book Sheer Grace, Drasko Dizdar says that Mary, far from being a deity or demigod, “is the utterly and simply human subversion of this deification of human “archetypes” into the divine feminine.’” This is what the famous words of Mary in the Magnificat are all about when she says God “has cast down the mighty from their seats and has lifted up the lowly.” If such words simply mean other people become just as mighty as the ones who were cast down, then the words change nothing for humanity. The ones who are raised up are lowly and continue to be raised up only by remaining lowly. The proud are scattered in the “imagination of their hearts.” The rich are sent away empty because their hearts are too full of their desires to have room for God. What is so subversive about Mary, then, is her humanity. While other humans try to make themselves more than human by being movers and shakers, Mary is blessedly content to be human. As Dizdar says, Mary is a whole human being “as God has always intended the human creature to be as creature.” 

Then there is the matter of The Real Mary .  A 16 year old girl in a culture under immense oppression, with religious laws that are represented by as much misogyny as you can get.  Women were property to be owned by some man, with their dignity at the mercy of such a culture.  Yet, she has the most incredible experience with the Angel Gabriel who tells her that she was to be the mother of the Incarnate Word.  She accepts God's will, and she struggles like all of us do, with what exactly God is doing when we are blessed by God's random act of grace to do mighty things.   In her Magnificat, she sings of how God turned over the worlds corrupt structure, and gave life to the lowly, the hungry, and keeps God's promise of mercy.  Yet, as Mary experiences the crushing moments of Jesus' agonizing death, she questions God's purpose, and suffers with her son, and experiences what all parents who lose children do.  The experience of having died an inner and excruciating death as a mother feels in the depths of her womb, because the child who was once part of her body, is dead. 

On the subject of today's Commemoration of St. Mary the Virgin, I would like to throw some things out based on my own experience. I was a Roman Catholic for 15 years and believed very strongly in the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, her perpetual virginity and the rest. One of the great gifts of being Episcopalian is that we are open to differences of belief and opinion, and even questioning so that we arrive at an authentic faith. So, here is what I now think. It is just as possible that the Immaculate Conception and Assumption did happen, as much as it is possible that they did not. Whether they happened or not, we do know from the Gospel accounts, that Mary received a fantastic random act of grace to conceive and give birth to Christ, who is God incarnate. The human became infused with the divine, and the divine changed forever the relationship between humankind and God. Therefore, Mary is an awesome example of what it means to be a recipient of God's random act of grace, and to live her life, changed forever, by the fruit of her womb. Whether we believe in the Immaculate Conception and/or Assumption or not, I think the important thing is, are we transformed by our encounter with Jesus, the fruit of Mary's womb? How do we respond when we receive a random act of God's grace? Are we truly transformed, or do we return to business as usual? Mary is the example of how to live out that transformation, and receive the reward of God's saving grace. 

Perhaps on this Commemoration, we can pray for God's random act of grace to help us address the issue of climate change, the horrific violence to LGBT people in Russia, Uganda, New York City, and in other places because of prejudice and oppression.   What would we do if we received God's random act of grace to uphold the dignity of women with regards to adequate reproductive health care, job creation and training, equal job wages, protection from exploitation and gender violence?   

If we were to receive such a random act of God's grace, would we truly be transformed, to become a missionary of God's transforming grace?  Or would we just continue with business as usual?

Amen.

Prayers

Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene
to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness
of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we
may be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the
power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit
lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Mary the Virgin, Book of Common Prayer, p.242).

 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, p.815).

Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost: Looking to the Furture, Paying Attention to Now

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 15:1-6 (NRSV)

The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Psalm 33 (BCP.,  p.626)


Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 (NRSV)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old-- and Sarah herself was barren-- because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore."

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

Luke 12:32-40 (NRSV)

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.

"But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."

Blog Reflection

I am sure all of us at one time or another have had the experience of looking too far ahead, and not seeing what is directly in front of us.  How many of us have bumped into someone because we had our eyes fixed on a different person way off in the distance.  In our excitement to get to that person before they leave where they are, we ignore who might be right in front of us.  Perhaps we've accidentally caused such a person to trip or lose their own shopping bags, because our regard for her/him is far less than the person in the distance.  What is far away is important, but if we are not careful it is we carelessly neglect or damage what is right in front of us.  God has us in the here and now for the time being.  Our responsibility and charity in what we have at the moment is God's gift to us, how we handle it, demonstrates whether we are paying attention to God, or ourselves.

Abram (who becomes Abraham in the future) is symbolic of all of us.  In this first book of the Bible, not only are we told the story of Creation and God's goodness to all people, humankind's immaturity that results in our fall from grace, the flood and Noah's Ark.  Genesis, also gives us a look at the behaviors of all humans.  Abram is a man of wealth.  Here he is depicted in a situation that many of us find ourselves in at one point in our life or another.  Like those who have much, he is concerned what happens to his wealth after he dies.  He is wanting a child so that he will know that he has an inheritor. God answers Abram's prayer by telling him that his descendents shall be as numerous as the stars of heaven. God is telling Abram about the future, and giving him a peace of mind.  Abram could not see what God was going to do in front of him, he had to have faith in God's promise, and trust God in the moment.

God's answers the prayer of Abram by telling him that not only will he have one who inherits the blessings God gave him, but that many, many others will also inherit God's blessings from him.   One important aspect of God's answer to Abram's prayer, is that our prayers are not answered for only us, but also for the wider community of humankind.   When we see our prayers and the answers we want as only being about us, God is then concerned about the wider picture.   The answer often comes in a way that benefits the community, by responding to us individually as part of a greater community of people.  What God gives to us as a result of prayer, is given to be shared with others beyond our own walls.

Sometimes in our prayers we are so worried about so many things, it seems like we can never quite communicate with God in the way we would like.  We do not seem to understand how much what is in our minds weighs us down.   In the Ninth Conference on Prayer by St. John Cassian, chapter 6, he describes the experience of an elder who saw another monk who was suppose to be at prayer.  Instead what the elder saw was the monk hitting a rock with a sledge hammer, while another watched and edged him on.  In the end, the monk was not able to do anything to affect the rock,  His over exerting himself over the rock not only left him empty in terms of taking care of the rock, it also left  his relationship with God experiencing a spiritual famine.  His prayer life suffered greatly.  He was so infatuated with being able to break the rock, that he abandoned his relationship with God.   It is so important to be able to put all things into God's hands and leave them there.  The rock can easily symbolize anything that we place between ourselves and God in prayer and allow it to have the important place in our lives that only God should have.  Only when we trust things into God's hands and work with God's commandments might we be able to successfully break those rocks in our lives.   At end of the chapter, Cassian writes:

And when the soul has been established in such a peaceful condition, and has been freed from the meshes of all carnal desires, and the purpose of the heart has been steadily fixed on that which is the only highest good, he will then fulfill this Apostolic precept: "Pray without ceasing;" and: "in every place lifting up holy hands without wrath and disputing:"[510] for when by this purity (if we can say so) the thoughts of the soul are engrossed, and are re-fashioned out of their earthly condition to bear a spiritual and angelic likeness, whatever it receives, whatever it takes in hand, whatever it does, the prayer will be perfectly pure and sincere.

In the Common English Bible, Hebrews 11:1 reads this way. "Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don't see".

Following the first verse, the writer to the Hebrews writes of the faith of Abraham.  The faith written about in Hebrews is not as much about what we believe in, or proclaim in the Creeds.  The faith that Hebrews' author writes refers to trust.  The same trust I wrote about in conveying St. John Cassian's Ninth Conference on Prayer.  It is the trust that lets go of all our securities and things as we think they should be, and walks with faith in God.  This is one way by which we move into the future, while taking care of the here and now.

This version of faith is not about looking for a comfortable set of words or thoughts that give us the warm fuzzies.  This faith is about following submitting ourselves to God's guidance, even when the path we are led to, seems like it is all wrong.  Though the dots are not all connected, nor do all things look like they belong together.  God is still in the chaos, guiding us now into where God wants us later on.

In many ways there is a faith that occurs in a woman or man who comes out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer   When Christianists continue their crusade of misinformation about same gender love, and the effects it has on children, families and individuals, someone coming out faces all of them and says: "No, I am someone loved by God as I have been created", that takes a great act of faith.  Whether the individual puts the Name of God on the experience or not.  Faith gives us the strength to face all of the obstacles before us, and do what we know is true and good for ourselves and others.  At the same time it is that great love of God that fills us with hope that we can trust in God and be whom God made us to be.

As more States are passing marriage equality laws, the couples who have faced the many obstacles in their way have demonstrated an incredible faith.  The faith that tells them that what they and others like them are experiencing is an injustice, and must be challenged.  They face their lives being opened by the media, and many groups both supportive and opposed, yet, they keep their sight on achieving equality for LGBT people near and far.

Jesus challenges those hearing him in the Gospel today to keep their attention on the poor and those experiencing oppression right in their midst.  While they want to be sure to keep their lamps lit and their doors open for the return of the master, it is important to remember that the master comes in those who are already knocking and looking for relief.

As immigrants seek justice and inclusion so that they can have the opportunity at a decent life for themselves and their children, are Christians keeping our lamps lit for them, and their doors open?    Are we ready to receive them in hospitality, and to be a source of healing and reconciliation where racism, and class discrimination continues to suppress and discriminate?

Are we concerned enough about the anti-LGBT violence in Russia to work with the leaders of our own government to take the stand that no violence because of sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression is worth being sure we get all the gold medals in the Winter Olympics? 

Are we too busy thinking about Jesus Christ coming back at the end of time, that we fail to be concerned about Christ growing hungry because of jobs being lost because of the sequester, or becoming sick because of our still corrupt health care system? 

Jesus Christ is not only the hope of our salvation into eternal life at the end of our lives or the end of time, He is also the Holy One who works with and through us today, at this moment.  Using the same faith that Abraham had, to know that God would do the right thing when Abraham almost sacrificed his son, Isaac, God will also help us with whatever we are facing at this point in time.  Even if it means we must sacrifice our very selves for the sake of others, as Jesus did on the Cross, God will still be with us and reward us, because of God's faithfulness to us. 

May God help us to trust God, and to follow Jesus as He leads us from this point in time, to whatever and wherever God's will wants us to go.

Amen.


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).


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).

Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost: The Gospel Way to Things and People

Today's Scripture Readings

Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23 (NRSV)

Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.

I, the Teacher, when king over Israel in Jerusalem, applied my mind to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven; it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me -- and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.

Psalm 49 (BCP., p.652)


Colossians 3:1-11 (NRSV)

If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. But now you must get rid of all such things-- anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

Luke 12:13-21 (NRSV)

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

Blog Reflection

The readings for today are about living the Gospel practically. They are guiding us to do more than read and pray.  We are being told to do what the Gospel is about in terms of things and people.   It is a message we need in this age of wealth having the power to control the future of everyone and everything at its beckoning.   In the era of the post Citizens United decision of the Supreme Court in 2010 by which individuals and corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money to influence national and local elections, this message of responsibility of what we have and what we do with it with regards to others, is timely.  

The reading from Ecclesiastes and the Psalmist tell us that what we do and work for in terms of possessions and wealth is a fleeing reality.  We are all born and nourished in environments of the necessities of life, as well as those things that while not necessities do bring a tremendous amount of joy.  Yet, whether what we work for provides necessities or that which delights us, they are all passing away, as do our lives.  Nothing of what we have now will go with us at the end of our lives.  We often find during the course of our lives, the more we hang on to things and even people, the more they tend to slip away.  What really is worth hanging on to then?

The Gospel calls us to a state of accountability when it comes to being able to let go for the sake of our salvation.  The words of the parable are harsh. The Gospel will unsettle us when we are open to what the Holy Spirit says to us.  If we are so busy gathering what we need and more that we forget that God is most imperative to us, then what we are hording is worthless.  

One of the differences between Benedictines and Franciscans, is our view of material things.   As Benedictines we don't take a vow of poverty so as to live in abject poverty.   However, we do live with a sense that anything we have and/or use, is not ours to own.  Everything, life itself, even our own bodies are on loan from God.  We honor God by how well we use what God has given us.   St. Benedict instructed us in Chapter 33 of The Rule that everything we have and use is for the use of the Community.  In Chapter 31 Benedict instructs the Cellarer when he says: "He will regard all utensils and goods of the Monastery as sacred vessels of the altar."   In other words, everything is of importance, but nothing is to be possessed to the point that it distracts us from growing closer to God.  

What might be the reason for what Jesus is saying in the Gospel and Benedict in The Rule?

In Jesus Christ, God's perfect revelation of Self, God showed that God knows human beings better than we know ourselves.  Though we are not suppose to allow things, money, control to become the spiritually and psychologically damaging thing that it is, those things happen.  While we cannot do everything perfectly, it can still be used to help us discern God's will.  If we are hording things, wealth and power all to ourselves, what does that say about how we handle people?   How does such a spiritual disorder affect our willingness to let go of our control of people?  Especially, but not limited to those who are different from ourselves?

As a nation, we are so hooked on our current sources of energy and fuel that we are not being good stewards of what those resources are doing to our earth.  We are also blind to how wealthy coal executives, oil company CEO's, and more are, to the point that they use it to control our politics. We are polluting our water, air, destroying the rain forests, polar ice caps and more at an unprecedented rate. We live lives of waste and over use of things that we know are not good for us.  What does this misuse of creation say about our taking seriously our responsibility for taking care of one another?

We live in a nation of incredible wealth and resources that can help every human person.   Yet our immigration system is broken.  We have politicians voting for the fortieth time to repeal health care reform that is working to help people who have little or no access to quality medical care.   We have laws being passed that are punishing women who are raped or sexually assaulted by closing clinics that help the most economically challenged.  We have individuals speaking violent rhetoric towards African Americans, Native Americans, Muslims, Jews, LGBT people. There are many individuals doing such things in the Name of Jesus Christ, and celebrating their misapplied zeal.  

We know from history that when peoples are empowered to get the health care they need, find good paying jobs, live in peaceful communities, work to erase violence and prejudice, there is healing and reconciliation.   We also know that when people invoke the Name of Jesus Christ to extend radical hospitality to bring about healing and reconciliation, the results are mind blowing.  Friendships are created.  Communities grow in their relationship with each other.  And, everyone is held accountable for using what they have for the good of others around them.  

This past Thursday an amazing thing happened in Minnesota   Marriage Equality became legal.  Same-sex couples can now legally marry the person they love.  On Thursday, August 1st, Jason and I got married.  We are now husbands.  We share the same life and love we always have.  The only difference is, we are now united to one another, vowed to each other and are one.   We now get to say that we are husbands and is as true as it can possibly be.  

I would say that marriage is one of those things that opposite sex couples cannot hold for just themselves.  It is a great opportunity and even a "wealth" that is meant to be shared with Same gender couples.  Marriage is one of those things that is not given to us to keep unto ourselves.  It is something God gives, and calls on us to use for the purpose given.  Marriage is about love, commitment and responsibility.  I do not believe that all marriages are for the purpose of giving birth to children.  If it happens that a marriage brings about the birth and raising of children, then that is their particular vocation.  Not every marriage brings about children.  Marriage does bring a sense of stability to those who live together, and it helps build a sense of security in the home and society.  It is not for any sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression to keep from others.  It is to be shared with and for people who are ready and willing to live in love, commitment and responsibility with each other.  To regard each other as vessels containing Christ.  And that, is  how the Church and society is meant to live in relationship with each other.

Amen.


Prayers

Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend your
Church; and, because it cannot continue in safety without
your help, protect and govern it always by your goodness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 13, Book of Common Prayer, p.232).

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).

Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth,
you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom
and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one
may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet
to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Conservation of Natural Resources, Book of Common Prayer, p. 827).