Today's Scripture Readings
Exodus 17:1-7 (NRSV)
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 (BCP., p.694)
Philippians 2:1-13 (NRSV)
Matthew 21:23-32 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
I am going to be blunt in this blog post. We Christians can be among the most selfish of all the worlds religions. It is easy to dismiss how much Christians think only of ourselves with ISIS murdering individuals of various faiths, in particular Christians who in fact are martyrs. Christian Church history is full of real martyrs and self made martyrs. Christians in the here and now, can make martyrs of ourselves, whether or not there is a persecution of Christians. A great example of such is the whole "Religious Liberty" argument to stop marriage equality. When we stop listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit within ourselves and in others, that we become so self absorbed, that we cannot see what is really happening.
God showed the people of Israel how powerful God was in delivering them out of the slavery in Egypt, and crossing the Red Sea on dry ground. God supplied them with manna from heaven so they would not starve. Now they are thirsty. Just like they did before they went through the Red Sea, and finally got the manna, they grumbled against Moses because they had no water. In both situations, they pleaded for the life they had in Egypt. A life of oppression, forced labor and the killing of all the male children which were thrown into the Nile River. In the end, God grants them what they wanted.
There are many things that St. Benedict shows his dislike for in The Rule. The one that he expressly forbade, was murmuring or grumbling. His reason for that, was that murmuring or grumbling has the power to disrupt the life of the community. When a member begins to grumble, the focus of the community is taken away from silence, prayer and searching for union with God. Instead, the focus is the grumbling member. On one hand, St. Benedict had the flexibility in The Rule so that such grumbling can be avoided. On the other, if a member is endlessly murmuring, it is difficult for the member to pay attention to God in the heart. In addition, she/he can distract others. The best way to keep the focus on our prayerful vocation, is to eliminate as many distractions as possible. St. Benedict wants the members of his communities, to focus on what God is doing in the life of the community. To seek union with God through a continuous life of prayer and work.
The reading from Paul's Epistle to the Philippians and the Gospel of Matthew ask the reader to take our Faith to our hearts and live it from there. Those who were challenging Jesus wanted to know where He got the authority to do what He was doing. As Jesus challenges them with the question about John the Baptist, they are missing the point. John the Baptist and Jesus are doing the work of God, because people who were thought to be on the margins of society are coming forward and experiencing a deep conversion that awakens in them, a heart felt living faith in God. How far does that go? The conversion experience means that people are feeling the call of God to be obedient from the heart, even after they have said no, like the first son in the parable. The other son may have said yes, but in his heart, his faith was dead.
This past week, many of us in the Twin Cities area received the distressing news that Archbishop John Neinstedt of the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, requested the resignation of a music director. He was asked to resign, not because he is gay. He was asked to resign because he married his same-gender partner. Jamie Moore has held the job for 17 years. Those who have worked with him all these years were aware that he is gay, and has a partner. So long as he lived as a second class citizen without the rights, privileges and responsibilities of a married man, his job was safe. As soon as he married his partner, his job as a lay employee was considered a matter that could "confuse Catholics about the teachings of the Church." That is a paraphrase. As if the blatant hypocrisy was not enough, a Priest who has been accused of inappropriate sexual contact with children, has been promoted to the Archdiocesan marriage annulment panel.
Things like what I just wrote about above are why the Christian Religion in all of it's various denominations, including the Anglicans gets a bad name. When people who are wondering whether or not God really exists, or if Jesus Christ really is the loving Savior read about things like this; they just find our Faith so difficult to believe in. The same conclusion might be reached by people who just cannot understand why the faculty at General Theological Seminary in New York is on strike. There is an impasse that cannot be over come between the faculty, the Dean, President, and Board of Trustees in an Episcopal Seminary? Disagreements are one thing. This kind of thing is a disgrace.
As I began this blog post, Christians can be very selfish. We would like to believe that we own all the religions in the world, along with all the governments and provinces. The fact is, we do not. As Episcopalians, our Baptismal Covenant asks us to answer "We will, with God's help" to "Strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human person" (The Book of Common Prayer, p.305). When we make these promises with a sincere desire to be open to how the Holy Spirit leads us to live into that vow, and do our work even though we may say no with our voices, our Faith is lived from the heart. When and if we do otherwise, our yes is lip service only.
That is why the Epistle from Paul is so important for this Sunday's lectionary. Jesus Christ did more than pay lip service to God and humankind. Jesus made becoming a servant to humankind so important, that not even equality with God was something He exploited. If doing so meant that he had to die the horrible death on the Cross, that's what He did. Because of that, the Name of Jesus Christ is exalted and glorified. How much more exalted and glorified is the Name of Jesus Christ, when Christians work for equality and justice to end oppression due to the sin of prejudice? Is there any greater evidence of how real living the Christian Faith from the heart can be?
How are you being called to live the Christian Faith from the heart?
In what ways do you say no and do what you must do to live your Faith from the heart?
In what ways do you say yes to living your Faith from the heart, but do not do it?
This weekend, Jesus is calling on us to see the work of God's redemption in our lives, and to live from the heart the Faith we proclaim. Now is a good time to respond to that call.
Amen.
Prayers
Exodus 17:1-7 (NRSV)
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. The people quarreled with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." Moses said to them, "Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?" But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, "Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?" So Moses cried out to the Lord, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." The Lord said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"
Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 (BCP., p.694)
Philippians 2:1-13 (NRSV)
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.
- who, though he was in the form of God,
- did not regard equality with God
- as something to be exploited,
- but emptied himself,
- taking the form of a slave,
- being born in human likeness.
- And being found in human form,
- he humbled himself
- and became obedient to the point of death--
- even death on a cross.
- Therefore God also highly exalted him
- and gave him the name
- that is above every name,
- so that at the name of Jesus
- every knee should bend,
- in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
- and every tongue should confess
- that Jesus Christ is Lord,
- to the glory of God the Father.
Matthew 21:23-32 (NRSV)
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, "By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?" Jesus said to them, "I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?" And they argued with one another, "If we say, `From heaven,' he will say to us, `Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, `Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet." So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And he said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
"What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, `Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' He answered, `I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, `I go, sir'; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him."
Blog Reflection
I am going to be blunt in this blog post. We Christians can be among the most selfish of all the worlds religions. It is easy to dismiss how much Christians think only of ourselves with ISIS murdering individuals of various faiths, in particular Christians who in fact are martyrs. Christian Church history is full of real martyrs and self made martyrs. Christians in the here and now, can make martyrs of ourselves, whether or not there is a persecution of Christians. A great example of such is the whole "Religious Liberty" argument to stop marriage equality. When we stop listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit within ourselves and in others, that we become so self absorbed, that we cannot see what is really happening.
God showed the people of Israel how powerful God was in delivering them out of the slavery in Egypt, and crossing the Red Sea on dry ground. God supplied them with manna from heaven so they would not starve. Now they are thirsty. Just like they did before they went through the Red Sea, and finally got the manna, they grumbled against Moses because they had no water. In both situations, they pleaded for the life they had in Egypt. A life of oppression, forced labor and the killing of all the male children which were thrown into the Nile River. In the end, God grants them what they wanted.
There are many things that St. Benedict shows his dislike for in The Rule. The one that he expressly forbade, was murmuring or grumbling. His reason for that, was that murmuring or grumbling has the power to disrupt the life of the community. When a member begins to grumble, the focus of the community is taken away from silence, prayer and searching for union with God. Instead, the focus is the grumbling member. On one hand, St. Benedict had the flexibility in The Rule so that such grumbling can be avoided. On the other, if a member is endlessly murmuring, it is difficult for the member to pay attention to God in the heart. In addition, she/he can distract others. The best way to keep the focus on our prayerful vocation, is to eliminate as many distractions as possible. St. Benedict wants the members of his communities, to focus on what God is doing in the life of the community. To seek union with God through a continuous life of prayer and work.
The reading from Paul's Epistle to the Philippians and the Gospel of Matthew ask the reader to take our Faith to our hearts and live it from there. Those who were challenging Jesus wanted to know where He got the authority to do what He was doing. As Jesus challenges them with the question about John the Baptist, they are missing the point. John the Baptist and Jesus are doing the work of God, because people who were thought to be on the margins of society are coming forward and experiencing a deep conversion that awakens in them, a heart felt living faith in God. How far does that go? The conversion experience means that people are feeling the call of God to be obedient from the heart, even after they have said no, like the first son in the parable. The other son may have said yes, but in his heart, his faith was dead.
This past week, many of us in the Twin Cities area received the distressing news that Archbishop John Neinstedt of the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, requested the resignation of a music director. He was asked to resign, not because he is gay. He was asked to resign because he married his same-gender partner. Jamie Moore has held the job for 17 years. Those who have worked with him all these years were aware that he is gay, and has a partner. So long as he lived as a second class citizen without the rights, privileges and responsibilities of a married man, his job was safe. As soon as he married his partner, his job as a lay employee was considered a matter that could "confuse Catholics about the teachings of the Church." That is a paraphrase. As if the blatant hypocrisy was not enough, a Priest who has been accused of inappropriate sexual contact with children, has been promoted to the Archdiocesan marriage annulment panel.
Things like what I just wrote about above are why the Christian Religion in all of it's various denominations, including the Anglicans gets a bad name. When people who are wondering whether or not God really exists, or if Jesus Christ really is the loving Savior read about things like this; they just find our Faith so difficult to believe in. The same conclusion might be reached by people who just cannot understand why the faculty at General Theological Seminary in New York is on strike. There is an impasse that cannot be over come between the faculty, the Dean, President, and Board of Trustees in an Episcopal Seminary? Disagreements are one thing. This kind of thing is a disgrace.
As I began this blog post, Christians can be very selfish. We would like to believe that we own all the religions in the world, along with all the governments and provinces. The fact is, we do not. As Episcopalians, our Baptismal Covenant asks us to answer "We will, with God's help" to "Strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human person" (The Book of Common Prayer, p.305). When we make these promises with a sincere desire to be open to how the Holy Spirit leads us to live into that vow, and do our work even though we may say no with our voices, our Faith is lived from the heart. When and if we do otherwise, our yes is lip service only.
That is why the Epistle from Paul is so important for this Sunday's lectionary. Jesus Christ did more than pay lip service to God and humankind. Jesus made becoming a servant to humankind so important, that not even equality with God was something He exploited. If doing so meant that he had to die the horrible death on the Cross, that's what He did. Because of that, the Name of Jesus Christ is exalted and glorified. How much more exalted and glorified is the Name of Jesus Christ, when Christians work for equality and justice to end oppression due to the sin of prejudice? Is there any greater evidence of how real living the Christian Faith from the heart can be?
How are you being called to live the Christian Faith from the heart?
In what ways do you say no and do what you must do to live your Faith from the heart?
In what ways do you say yes to living your Faith from the heart, but do not do it?
This weekend, Jesus is calling on us to see the work of God's redemption in our lives, and to live from the heart the Faith we proclaim. Now is a good time to respond to that call.
Amen.
Prayers
O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing
mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we,
running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of
your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for
ever and ever. Amen. (Proper 21, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 234).
O God, you made us in your own image and redeemed us
through Jesus your Son: Look with compassion on the whole
human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which
infect our hearts; break down the walls that separate us;
unite us in bonds of love; and work through our struggle and
confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth; that, in
your good time, all nations and races may serve you in
harmony around your heavenly throne; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Human Family, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).
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, The Book of Common Prayer, p.823).
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