Third Sunday after Pentecost: Welcome with Humility is Something to Celebrate

Happy Pride

Today's Scriptures

Genesis 22:1-14 (NRSV)

God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you." So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you." Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.

When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."

Psalm 13 (BCP., p.597)

Romans 6:12-23 (NRSV)

Do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions.  No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness.  For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!  Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?  But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted,  and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.  I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.

When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness.  So what advantage did you then get from the things of which you now are ashamed? The end of those things is death.  But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 10:40-42 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward."

Blog Reflection

Reflecting on being welcoming is easy on Pride weekend.   Thinking about humility is not quite so simple.  Yet, without setting aside our self-center-ed-ness it is very difficult to be welcoming.   To exercise the ministry of hospitality that Jesus is talking about in the Gospel for this weekend, requires an abandonment of self to the point of seeking the common good of someone else, without the expectation of anything in return for ourselves.   We cannot do that freely and without reservation, unless we have that self-knowledge by which to trust ourselves into God's hands to guide us by the power of the Spirit.

Abraham was gifted by God to be the ancestor of a multitude of nations.  His offspring Isaac was God's proof to Abraham that God would carry out the promise made to Abraham.  Yet, God threw a wrench into the works.  God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to see just how dedicated he was to trusting in God, even beyond the physical sign of Isaac.   As frightening and as questionable as Abraham must have been with the notion of sacrificing Isaac, he was willing to do what God asked.  Abraham was able through the gift of faith to see beyond the physical dimension of what he was about to do, to see that God was more important than the son of his own flesh and blood.   God honored Abraham's faith and recanted.  God saw the faith of Abraham and provided another way for him to honor God with an acceptable sacrifice,without Abraham sacrificing his son.

All too often the debate about whether or not homosexuality, bisexuality or transgender behavior is moral; people get too weighed down in the details to see the tremendous gift of faith in LGBTQ people.   The women and men who struggle with their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression within the context of their faith, families, communities, schools, work places, medical care, marriage, etc. are determined to be productive people giving and adding so much to society and the Church.  They come with gifts of artistic abilities including craftsmanship, administration, well thought out philosophy and personal maturity that can add so much to any place in which they dwell or work.   Though many have been so injured by religions and spiritual communities, they still believe that humankind is capable of reaching a greater potential for inclusive justice and an equal sharing of the goods present in our world.   The faith that is present can bring belief to where there is doubt.  Hope to where all seems hopeless at the point of despair.  My Christian Faith and personal experience as a gay Christian, tells me, that LGBTQ people are full of life to be lived, and love to be shared that goes well beyond whether who they sleep with, or who they really are; as written into a judges ruling or legislative bill. 

Paul's letter to the Romans is commonly used as a ploy to bring condemnation to LGBTQ people.  The words of today's reading from the New Testament is one of the most commonly used texts to suggest that "the wages of sin found in homosexuality is death."   Evangelists are quite merciless about using that as a scare tactic for LGBTQ young adults attending a Christian College or University.   However, the message in this text, is broader than the issues of sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.   This Epistle Reading from Romans calls those who have decided that the Christian Faith is their religious and spiritual expression is about an obedience that accepts the Cross on which Jesus died for our sins.  Obedience to Christ and His Cross calls us to respect the dignity of every human person.

It is quite possible to be zealous about helping a person to decide to become a Christian and still violate that individual's dignity or not even be conscious of it.  It is for reasons such as this, that I personally oppose sending missionaries to places to convert Jews, Muslims or other religious practices in the world.  If you ask me if I think sending missionaries to other countries feed the hungry, care for the sick to show that we are personally concerned for their humanitarian needs; I am in all agreement.   If in the course, people freely decide to become a Christian, that is one thing.  But to do missionary work for the sole sake of converting Muslims, is something I cannot in good conscious condone.  

On the other hand, with regards to the expression of human sexuality straight or gay, this reading from Romans fits very well with the Gospel.   If we rethink things and answer these readings today with a determination to respect the dignity of every human person. and that we should never use (nor condone using) another person for the sole purpose of satisfying ourselves at the expense of who such a person is; then we are living the meaning of these readings.  We are to remember that each and every person is the presence of Christ in our midst.  Jesus must be welcomed and given a cup of water to satisfy His thirst to be received without prejudice or exploitation on our part.    

To live and/or act with humility on this Pride Sunday is to welcome Christ and to serve Christ in each other with a consciousness of God's presence with reverence.  A reverence demonstrated by the arms of love outstretched on the Cross, that welcomes everyone within Christ's embrace of all human persons without distinction or self interest.  The wages of the sin of exploitation and discrimination brings about the destruction of an individual's dignity and the meaning of community.   Human dignity and seeking peace and justice on their behalf, requires us to welcome them with our eyes and minds on Christ Jesus to bring about healing and reconciliation for all persons.

Jesus is not asking us to do everything perfect.   He is not even wanting us to understand Him without question.  Jesus is wanting us be willing to see past our own prejudices and to see the face of God in those who are different from ourselves.

The final verse of Hymn #603 in The Hymnal 1982 reads as follows:

Thus freely loved,
Though fully known,
May I in Christ be free
To welcome and accept his own
As Christ accepted me.

On this Pride Sunday, may our work, our celebrating, our parades and parties draw us to a deeper relationship with God in all the diverse people, places and things in which the Spirit's presence is found.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the
foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together
in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a
holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 8, Book of Common Prayer, p.230).

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

Loving God, bless us as we gather to celebrate LGBT Pride.  We are, each of us, created in your image lesbian, gay, straight, bisexual, and transgendered, alike.  Hasten the coming of your kingdom when all are welcome and all are equal.  Anoint us with the balm of hope and send us your healing Spirit, that we may be known as a just and unified community.  We ask this in your Name, through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.  (I have been told this prayer can be found in the Book of Occasional Services).

 

Second Sunday after Pentecost: Peace, Obedience, Inclusive Love

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 21:8-21 (NRSV)

The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.  But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac.  So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac."  The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son.  But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you.  As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring."  So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes.  Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, "Do not let me look on the death of the child." And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.  And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.  Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him."  Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.

God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow.  He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Psalm 86 (BCP., p.709)


Romans 6:1b-11 (NRSV)

Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound?  By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.  We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.  For whoever has died is freed from sin.  But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.  The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 10:24-39 (NRSV)

Jesus said to the twelve disciples,

"A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above the master; it is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher, and the slave like the master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household!

"So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. And even the hairs of your head are all counted. So do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.

"Everyone therefore who acknowledges me before others, I also will acknowledge before my Father in heaven; but whoever denies me before others, I also will deny before my Father in heaven.

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

"For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one's foes will be members of one's own household.

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it."

Blog Reflection

Given how much the Bible is used to suggest the subordination of women, the reading from Genesis is a  bit refreshing.   Here we have the Lord God telling Abraham to do as his wife Sarah wishes with regards to Hagar's son who was also a son of Abraham.  The narrative also gives us a glimpse into a non-traditional marriage.   Abraham has not one wife and son, but two.  So much for the one man, one woman thing.   Some additional background into what is going on in this reading from Genesis is good for us to consider.

Isaac the son of Abraham and Sarah, and the son of Abraham and Hagar have a symbolic meaning.   Hagar the slave and her son are symbolic of Israel being held in the bondage of Egypt later in Exodus.   Isaac the son of Abraham and Sarah are symbolic of Israel being free from slavery in Egypt and wondering through the desert for forty years being led by Moses and Aaron into the land promised to Abraham and his offspring.

As I  read through the story in Genesis, I was struck by a profound and powerful thought.  God looking after Hagar and her thirsty son without distinction or bias.  God gave of God's abundance to the mother and son born in bondage, as God does to those considered free.   Whatever human made label that can be given to any person or group of people on any basis, God sees all persons through the eyes of loving care.  God has just as big of a plan for salvation and prosperity for those the Church and society considers unwanted or unlovable as God does for the so called "privileged".   Such may be privileged by humankind, but are no greater or least in the mind, heart and eyes of God.

The relationship of parents and their children who come out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or questioning continues to be of tremendous concern.   Young women and men who contain within themselves a deep desire and capacity to love their parents and others as they truly are, seek acceptance and the opportunity to mature in a healthy home, church community and neighborhood free of violence, bullying and bias.   However, for way too many even in 2014, that is just not what happens.   Parents still attempt to commit their LGBT daughters and/or sons to self-abusive ex-gay or "reparative" therapists to "change" what is beautifully natural.  There are parents who threaten their children who are LGBT with the horrors of hell if they do not repent, loss of their homes, inheritance and/or participation in the family business.  

Whether a woman or man is LGBTQ or straight or cisgender, she or he is someone valued by God without distinction.   Who they are, who they love and whatever their true gender is, such to those belongs God's unconditional love and transforming grace to change society and the Church into a more just and inclusive existence.   God offers to them the waters of freedom,  hope and possibility.   For they are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139:15).

At first glance our Gospel Reading sounds as if Jesus is talking nonsense.  He is talking about a servant and the master, what is hidden, the relationship between parents and children.   I would suggest that His words to us today, suggest our willingness to listen more intentionally to the Holy Spirit and what our relationships with others around us need to look like.

It is important to take note that in the time in which this Gospel narrative would have taken place, children had no rights.  They were often committed to slave labor once they were old enough.  They were owned by their parents as property, and could be sold by a local governor if one could not pay their taxes or debts.  A fair majority of children lived in poverty with their parents.  Life for parents and children was anything but family bliss.

As Jesus tells us about the relationship of the master and the servant, He is talking about the relationship of God with us to respond "for the love of God" (See The Rule of St. Benedict, Chapter 7:34) in obedience to the will of God.   In this is a truth that many of us in our time of "do as you please without limit" do not like to hear.   Yet, the contrary is more true than we would like to admit.  When we see ourselves as free to do what we want with no guidance or accountability to another, we are in fact in slavery.   When we submit ourselves to be obedient to God through the wishes of another, we find real liberation from our false-selves to a true knowledge of who we really are.  

Jesus is not saying here that we are not to value our relationships with our parents or others in authority.   What He is saying is that to the extent that we rely on any relationship apart from the reverence and/or consciousness of God who is present in all relationships; is the point in which we have surrendered our true peace for something that cannot fulfill or complete us.   If an LGBTQ child is so bound to her/his parents Christianist faith that she/he cannot be who God made her/him to be, there can be no peace for the child.   Closets are places of death, not life.   Keeping oneself enclosed in a false shame to be self-abusive and suppressed can only lead to a death of one's true identity and being.   When we live openly and faithfully to who we are, and are able to mature in a healthy way into who we are and who we love, we can find God and be obedient to God's will.   There is no obedience to the will of God, without self-knowledge and the freedom to be who we are lovingly created to be.  When we are, we can be obedient to God, because we will be surrendering our true-selves freely and without coersion.

As Christians who have received the Holy Spirit by the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we must surrender ourselves to the peace that God gives to our lives through Christ.   That peace that the world cannot give, can be ours when we experience that true love that casts out all fear has been our experience to know and share.   In being open to the conversion of the Holy Spirit through our daily life experiences, relationships and failures, we can discover anew the merciful love and grace of God again and again.  It should not only help us experience a new freedom in Christ for ourselves, but it should transform our biases into loving acceptance of others who are different from ourselves.   The notion of sacrificing our prejudices to be inclusive of others, is something we give over freely and without reserve.   Because the love of God is so wonderful an experience in our own lives, we would not dream of  not sharing it with others around us.

Amen.

Prayers

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

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).

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).

First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday: God's Relationship Shared with Humankind

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 1:1-2:4a (NRSV)

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it." And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so. God made the two great lights-- the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night-- and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky." So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.

And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind." And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."

So God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth." God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it God rested from all the work that he had done in creation. These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

Psalm 8 (BCP., p.592)


2 Corinthians 13:11-13 (NRSV)

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. 

Matthew 28:16-20 (NRSV)

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Blog Reflection

Undoubtedly, my blog readers see an interesting diversity within the theology of what I write.   I can be all over the map.   That is the beauty of the Anglican/Episcopal Tradition.   We are the via media.   We are Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Unitarian/Universalist and any number of traditions.  At the same time, we are none of the above exclusively.   There are many unique individuals and influences within the Anglican Tradition and others that are distinctly and solidly Christian.  The one common thread that binds Episcopalians together is The Book of Common Prayer.   It is our prayer and what we pray and do within our prayer that unifies us amidst our differences.

There is one of many parts of our Tradition as Episcopalians/Anglicans that I remain very Anglo-Catholic about.   That is this Sunday's Feast of The Holy Trinity.  

Trinity Sunday is steeped in the Christian Tradition.  It is greatly controversial, and not without reason.  It is a mystery that is beyond human comprehension.   The Trinity defies human logic.   Even though we use the word "the-o-log-(ic)-y" in the many ways we attempt to explain and/or describe it academically or even to the least educated of people, there is no logic of any kind that adequately comes close to a definition.  Even with St. Patrick's attempt to explain it with a three leaf clover, his breastplate hymn, and the countless Saints through out the centuries, the complete understanding of the Trinity evades the human intellect.

For many, the easy way out is to say that the Trinity cannot be explained, because Jesus "never claimed himself to be a Divine Being."   This is a very common belief among Unitarians.   This belief though it is valid from their point of view, is not something I agree with.   I have tremendous respect and affection for Unitarians/Universalists and their "Standing on the Side of Love" campaign on behalf of LGBT, Women, Immigrants and more.   There are many Trinity believing Christians who cannot come up with a slogan as brilliant as what the Unitarians have.

Another way out for many Trinity believing and/or questioning Christians is to say it is without logic, so why discuss it?   A valid point.  If it tends to bring about endless controversies that disrupt the coffee hour after Mass, then perhaps it is better left out of the discussions.   Or is it?

I have just begun reading a new book as part of my formation as a Novice for Vowed Life with the Companions of St. Luke/Order of St. Benedict.   The book is entitled: Toward God: The Ancient Wisdom of Western Prayer written by Michael Casey.   Casey is a Cistercian Monk and Prior at Tarrawarra Abbey in Victoria, Australia.  I think what I have started reading so far has something to say about the Trinity.   See my quote below

Prayer is our means of taking a sighting, of re-orienting ourselves-- by re-establishing contact with our goal.  In the presence of God many components of our life fall into perspective and our journey makes more sense.  We look toward God, conscious that seeking what is unseen corresponds to a very deep stratum of our being.  It is not just a bright idea or fad; it grows from the soil of the heart.  Prayer is inseparable from living (page 5).

I think what the above quote from Casey's book about prayer are telling us, is that prayer and the mystery of the Triune God are about a deepening of a relationship between God and us.  When we limit the Scriptures to mere interpretation for the sake of defending a prejudice, or prayer as something we do only when we are wanting something; the mystery of the Trinity remains incomplete and without concrete conversion.   When we contemplate upon the awesome relationship of the One God who is Father/Mother/Creator,  Son/Daughter/Redeemer/Servant, and Holy Spirit/Advocate/Sanctifier/Life-Giver/Mother Spirit, etc. as being about God's relationship with God's Self to humankind, lived in the lives of those Baptized into the Body of Christ that is the Church;  the Trinitarian mystery breathes, works and loves others around us and through us.   What we pray the Nicene or Apostles Creed what cannot be seen becomes a living and breathing reality.   It can actually be touched by our human senses in ways that we cannot put into words.  It is just too awesome.   It baths the soul in spiritual ecstacy that raises us beyond any explanation. 

As we struggle with additional mass shootings at public schools and other places; wrestle with the horrific violence to LGBT people in countries like Russia, Uganda, Nigeria and right in our own nation; the Trinity longs to become an empowering transformation through us "more than we can ever ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20).

As we ask ourselves in the depths of our soul, how to respond to church theologians who still suggest that marriage equality is at all equivalent to Nazi Germany and the invasion of Iraq, it is the living relationship of the Holy Trinity with us, that will give us guidance and the words of the Holy Spirit.

As Christians of good will discern how to prayerfully respond with justice, healing and reconciliation for the oppressed, the disenfranchised, those who are sick, without companionship, struggling with addictions and more; it is the relationship of the Trinity to humankind that longs for us to be the answer to our prayers.

The relationship of the Trinity with God's Self is a relationship of obedience out of love for God and all humankind.  A love that seeks to end the discrimination towards individuals of differing religious beliefs and practices.  A love that wants to see women treated with equal dignity and respect, regarding the work place and their reproductive health care.   A love that does not condone violence in the Name of Christ of any kind, but thirsts to see the inclusive ministry of radical hospitality to bring about healing and reconciliation through the lives of those who believe in the majestic Name of the Holy Trinity.

The Psalmist rightly asks that if God who is so great that everything was created by God, then why are humans so wonderfully created and given such graces from the mind of the Holy One?  

It is because God wants us to do more than soak up the blessings for ourselves.  Our kind and gracious God has given us the fullness of a Father's love in Christ through the Holy Spirit so that Christians may be the living and breathing life of God that makes visible that which cannot be seen by the human eye.   Love and compassion that is inclusive makes each of us an icon of the Beatific Vision of the Holy Trinity.   Because we live in relationship to God the Holy Trinity, with all of God's holy people.

The Question I ask in conclusion is; how seriously are Christians about that relationship that goes beyond the pews and walls of our churches?

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us
your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to
acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the
power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep
us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to
see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with
the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 228).

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.  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).

Almighty God, who created us in your image: Grant us
grace fearlessly to contend against evil and to make no peace
with oppression; and, that we may reverently use our freedom,
help us to employ it in the maintenance of justice in our
communities and among the nations, to the glory of your holy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 260).

Day of Pentecost: Holy Spirit, What Language Do You Wish to Speak Through Us?

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 2:1-21 (NRSV)

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

`In the last days it will be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams.

Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

in those days I will pour out my Spirit;

and they shall prophesy.

And I will show portents in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

The sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.

Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' "

Psalm 104 (BCP., p.735-737)


1  Corinthians 12:3b-13 (NRSV)

No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free-- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

John 20:19-23 (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."

Blog Reflection

In The Liturgy of the Hours: Volume II, Lenten Season and Easter Season, the Office of Readings for Pentecost, Saint Irenaeus wrote the following.

The Lord promised to send the Advocate: he was to prepare us as an offering to God.  Like dry flour, which cannot become one lump of dough, one loaf of bread, without moisture, we who are many could not become one in Christ Jesus without the water that comes down from heaven.  And like parched ground, which yields no harvest unless it receives moisture, we who were once like a waterless tree could never have lived and borne fruit without this abundant rainfall from above.  Through the baptism that liberates us from change and decay we have become one body; through the Spirit we have become one in soul.

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of God came down upon the Lord, and the Lord in turn gave this Spirit to his Church, sending the Advocate from heaven into all the world into which, according to his own words, the devil too had been cast down like lightening.  (Pages 1025-1026).

I love this excerpt by St. Irenaeus with one exception.  I do not agree that Baptism has liberated us "from change".  If the Sacrament of Baptism does not change us to live into our Vows with greater love of God, neighbor and self, then Baptism is no different from our morning shower.   We may cleanse the body, but the soul is without an important element for salvation.  Conversion. 

When the Holy Spirit came upon the early Church on that Day of Pentecost, suddenly they could be heard telling the story of God's salvation through Jesus Christ in their own native language.  The story of God that had been kept within, was able to reach out to the ends of the earth.   Those first women and men, who were Apostles were given the gift of faith by which they were empowered to share God's grace through the word and the Sacraments.  Jesus Christ, the Word made Flesh who was crucified, raised from the dead and now ascended into Heaven, had sent the Holy Spirit in abundance.  The fragrance became a pleasant scent that pierced even the most congested life, full of death, hopelessness and despair.  The hope of God continuing to bless all humankind in Christ, now had a new element to humankind, yet ever present in the Triune relationship of God with God's Self.  The Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit represents the feminine nature of God.   She is the Advocate.  The Comforter.  She continues to lead the Church "into all truth" (John 16:13).  She also continues to call and speak through those Baptized into the Name of the Holy Trinity, to be examples of Jesus' compassion and hope for the poor, the sick, the oppressed and those stigmatized by the Church and society. 

In the Noonday Office, we pray:

Heavenly Father, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts, to
direct and rule us according to your will, to comfort us in all
our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into
all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p.107).

I think a really good prayer for us to pray on this Day of Pentecost is: Holy Spirit, what language do you wish to speak through us?    

Those Apostles though they were imperfect and had many doubts, were filled with the Holy Spirit, and given the ability to speak Her language in their native dialects.   With in every language is a unique culture and receptivity for hearing the Gospel message of love.   In every understanding of Jesus and His work on behalf of the marginalized and destitute, is the movement of the Holy Spirit calling the whole Church to a deeper sense of unconditional love amidst diversity and expressions of the Christian Faith.  The Holy Spirit calls each of us to not become too comfortable in our current situation, but allow God to displace us to speak of God's acceptance and liberation of people who are different from ourselves; based on the reason of our unique experience of God in our own lives.  To let go of our prejudices, and to see the face of Jesus with reverence and respect for the dignity of every human person.

As the Church and society struggles with everything from immigration reform, better gun control laws, funding for the unemployed, to those who need food stamps, education, protection from the laws that discriminate on the basis of gender expression/identity, sexual orientation, race, culture, religion and so forth; God the Holy Spirit is empowering us to emulate that all human persons be respected and cherished as God's holy people.   God's holy ones endowed by God's image and likeness and redeemed for the hope of prosperity, wholeness of life and the liberty of God's adopted daughters and sons in Christ Jesus (see Ephesians 1:5).

On this Pentecost Day, may the Church be open to the work of the Spirit in our time, community and homes to speak Her language with clarity of speech, and hope for all who long for the grace of God to liberate all of us from division, to oneness of heart and soul.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life
to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy
Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the
preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the
earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.227).

O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful
people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit:
Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all
things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and
ever. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.227)

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.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.818).

Seventh Sunday of Easter: Christ's Presence in His Absence

Today's Scripture Readings


Acts 1:6-14 (NRSV)

When the apostles had come together, they asked Jesus, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

Psalm 68 (BCP., p.676)


1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 (NRSV)

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

John 17:1-11 (NRSV)

Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

"I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. "

Blog Reflection

This past Thursday, the Church celebrated the Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ.   The feast recalls that forty days after the Resurrection on Easter Day, Jesus ascended into Heaven.  

The Ascension is a mysterious event in the Scriptures.  The Bible is quite clear that it happened, but not so clear as to when it occurred.   The Gospel of Matthew has almost no account of the Ascension.   It is briefly referred to in Mark.  In Luke's Gospel there is the suggestion that the Ascension happened on Easter Day.   John does not mention the Ascension in a chronological order, but, he records that Jesus spoke of such in the Last Supper discourse as He prepared the Disciples for His Death and Resurrection.  Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will come after the Ascension in Acts, and in the Gospel reading for today.

It feels as if we Christians are in an in between time.  Between Ascension and Pentecost.  In terms of the seasons, that is where we are.  However, this period of time in the Liturgical Year is not unlike where we all are.   We are between the narration of these Gospel accounts, and awaiting the return of Christ, just as the Apostles awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit.  Something wonderful has yet to happen.  All we know, as did all they knew then, is that God had done something amazing, and the best was yet to come. As we read through out the Acts of the Apostles, the best that God gave on Pentecost was a miraculous transformation in the lives of those who received the Holy Spirit.  It changed them, those around them and it really changed the lives of those who heard the message of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection.  It also changed how others responded to the message of the early Church.  Some responded with joyful reception.   Others just couldn't get passed hearing about it without using their political powers to try to silence the messengers.

We in this Year of 2014 are given the same choice that those first Apostles were given on that Ascension Day.   We can stand idle, looking up to the heavens for the best new wave of miracles that may or may not happen, or, we can gather and pray and work together as the Holy Spirit is already among us calling on us to minister hospitality, healing and reconciliation to those who are oppressed, experiencing injustice, prejudice and separation from any sense of community. 

We will experience the outpouring of the Holy Spirit next Sunday on Pentecost, along with the joyous emotions of celebrating the birthday of the Church.   It is right and good that we will celebrate together. However, so long as the members of the Church walk with tunnel vision to our neighbors who suffer from poverty, gun violence, loss of loved ones, their health and well being without turning to them with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ, the celebration of Easter, the Ascension and Pentecost is nothing more than a fable with no realistic implications.   Our Baptism means little more than a head splashing, and our Baptismal Covenant are vows taken for nothing.

Through prayer, worship and an openness to the presence of Jesus Christ amidst His absence, the Body of Christ which is the Church remains active and real.  For it is in the Eucharist that Jesus nourishes His Body (as in us) as one people called together in our diversity and amidst our disagreements to love one another as Christ loves us.   Our oneness is not so much in what we believe, but in what we pray.   We pray together and with one another for God to make a difference in the world through faith in all that Christ has accomplished on our behalf.   Through the Paschal Mystery that we have celebrated during this Easter Season, we can be empowered by the Holy Spirit to love one another, and others who are different from ourselves with acceptance and wholeness, as we ourselves have experienced.   But, only if we allow that grace of God to work in and through our lives.

Come, Holy Spirit.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son
Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to
strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior
Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and
the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 226).

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.  (Book of Common Prayer, p.818).