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

Today's Readings

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

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


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

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


Romans 4:13-25 (NRSV)
 

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

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

Mark 8:31-38 (NRSV)

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

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

Blog Reflection 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why do we need Lent?

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

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

Amen.


Prayers

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

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

First Sunday in Lent: A Journey Into Our Best and Our Worst

Today's Scripture Readings

Genesis 29:8-17 (NRSV)

God said to Noah and to his sons with him, "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Psalm 25:1-9 (BCP., p.614)


1 Peter 3:18-22 (NRSV)

Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you-- not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Mark 1:9-15 (NRSV)

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news." 

Blog Reflection

In my preparations for this blog post, I have been doing a word comparison study on the words, "And the Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness."  

Mark's Gospel account of the temptation of Jesus is the shortest version of the story. There is no detailed information about how Jesus was tempted, and what the conversation between Jesus, the Scriptures and the devil was about.  Mark's description begins with "the Spirit drove Jesus."  In Matthew 4:1 and Luke 4:1, they read that The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted.  There is quite the different meaning in those two words led and drove.  When I researched other translations of this text, I found some interesting variations on the word drove.  The word used in The Common English Bible is forced, while the word used in The Message Bible is pushed.  The New American Standard Version uses the word impelled.   The only version that suggests that the Holy Spirit was more gentle with Jesus is the New International Version which reads that the Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness.

To better understand what is happening in Mark's Gospel, it is best to go back to the beginning where we reread about what took place at the Baptism of Jesus.  As Jesus was coming up out of the waters of His Baptism, and the heavens are torn apart and the Holy Spirit descends on Him and a voice says: "You are my Son the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."   The Holy Spirit represents the Essence of God.  A good synonym for Essence is "the Intrinsic Nature" of God.  The word 'intrinsic" is best understood as "in and of itself (herself, himself)."  So why would the Essence of God drive, push or impel God's Beloved into the wilderness to be tempted among the wild beasts?   If God is so "pleased" with Jesus, why send (or drive) Him to face such personal danger?

To contemplate this mystery it is a good idea to look at the lives of Desert Mothers and Fathers.  They went into the desert not to escape the world as some suggest; although that was certainly an important part of the reason.  In the desert, one loses all attachments to how things used to be.  All of the illusions of ourselves are gone.  It is in the desert (or in solitude) with God, that we see as clearly as possible, the best and worst of ourselves.  We are confronted with the reality of just how wounded our bodies and souls are by our false-sense of self.  The false self that thinks that we are "someone" or "something" other than who or what we really are.  We see how we define ourselves by the damaging labels others place upon us.  We see how much we really rely on wealth, personal pleasure, possessions, power, fashion and knowledge to make up who and what we are.  If we are to receive some kind of healing with the help of God's Essence; then the Holy Spirit must be united with our own spirit, our own essence.  When we remove all the deceptions in our bodies and souls and seek a holy union with the Intrinsic Nature of God within our own essence, we are living from our Eternal Truth.   Then there can be true healing and we can live from our true selves.

So, why did the Spirit drive Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted?

Because Jesus is the Word of God, united with the Essence of God.   In Jesus Christ, the Perfect Revelation of God in the human Person, our humanity finds its fulfillment and healing when we face the best and worst of ourselves in the Light and Grace of God's Intrinsic Nature.  If God's Beloved in Christ can face the best and worst of our human nature in the wilderness, and rely on The Essence of God within Him: He will be more than able to face the reality of all human suffering in His Passion and Death on the Cross.  Humankind continues to fail under the reality of our communal, personal and spiritual immaturity.  We are all tempted.  At times, we all give in and live by our false-sense of self.  We all suffer because of things that have happened to us, including addictions, abuse, violence, prejudice and more. The reality of our human nature does not disappear because of God's grace.  On the contrary, we must, by faith in God, accept our false-selves and let go so that we can live into and from our true selves, united with God's Holy Essence.   

If we are to see a change in the Church and society with regards to the marginalized, destitute, sick and oppressed; we must begin by facing the best and worst of ourselves, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, find victory and strength in Jesus the Christ.  We must experience and live from our essence and the Essence of God, and seek healing and reconciliation within ourselves and the world around us.  In this great mystery, is that "truth" that "sets us free" (See John 8:32).

As we continue in our journey of Lent, may we be willing to walk with Jesus to face the best and worst of ourselves; so that, we can also seek and find the rejuvenation of God the Holy Spirit to live into our true selves to respect and uphold the dignity of every human person.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be
tempted by Satan; Come quickly to help us who are assaulted
by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of
each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through
Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for the First Sunday in Lent, The Book of Common Prayer, p.218).

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

Ash Wednesday: Do Something More for God in Lent

Today's Scripture Readings

Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 (NRSV)

Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near--
a day of darkness and gloom,
a day of clouds and thick darkness!
Like blackness spread upon the mountains
a great and powerful army comes;
their like has never been from of old,
nor will be again after them
in ages to come.
Yet even now, says the LORD,
return to me with all your heart,
with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
rend your hearts and not your clothing.
Return to the LORD, your God,
for he is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,
and relents from punishing.
Who knows whether he will not turn and relent,
and leave a blessing behind him,
a grain offering and a drink offering
for the LORD, your God?
Blow the trumpet in Zion;
sanctify a fast;
call a solemn assembly;
gather the people.
Sanctify the congregation;
assemble the aged;
gather the children,
even infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his room,
and the bride her canopy.
Between the vestibule and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep.
Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD,
and do not make your heritage a mockery,
a byword among the nations.
Why should it be said among the peoples,
`Where is their God?'"

Psalm 103 (BCP., p.733)


2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 (NRSV)

We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,

"At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you."

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-- we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 (NRSV)

Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Blog Reflection

New England and the Northeast part of the United States has record snow fall.  The tensions concerning the horrific violence of ISIS are escalating.  We continue to witness more grand standing on the part of the Judges in Alabama about the freedom to marry.   Our Congress is at a stand still over whether or not to fund Homeland Security that protects Americans at home and abroad.  The regular assaults on those who are disabled and retired haunts our consciences when comments are made that those receiving Social Security benefits "are gaming the system." A judge in Texas has made a ruling on Pres. Obama's Executive Action to improve our broken immigration system.  Turmoil, prejudice and oppression are all around us.

Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent are God's gift to us today.  As the events of the world present us with the inescapable reality of human suffering, the Church invites us to journey with Jesus for the next forty days beginning with a stark reminder of our mortality.   The imposition of ashes on our foreheads accompanied by the words, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return" bring us face to face with how quickly life as we know it is passing away.  St. Paul in his letter to the Corinthians tells us that now is the time of salvation.  There is a sense of urgency in those words; an almost military style wake up call.  There is a lot to do.  We have so much to celebrate.  As St. Benedict wrote in The Rule, "the Lord waits for us daily to translate into action, as we should, his holy teaching." (Prologue vs. 35).

Regarding the observance of Lent, St. Benedict wrote,

"The life of a monk ought to be a continuous Lent.  Since few, however, have the strength for this, we urge the entire community during these days of Lent to keep its manner of life most pure and to wash away in this holy season the negligences of other times.  This we can do in a fitting manner by refusing to indulge evil habits and by devoting ourselves to prayer with tears, to reading, to compunction of heart and self-denial.  During these days, therefore, we will add to the usual measure of our service something by way of private prayer and abstinence from food or drink, so that each of us will have something above the assigned measure to offer God of his own will with the joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:6).  IN food, drink, sleep, needless talking and idle jesting, and look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual longing" (RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, Chapter 49:1-7, p.71). 

My Superior, Abbot Robert Cotton, OSB remarked in our CSL Newsletter for Lent, that while others focus on what to give up in the next forty days; St. Benedict wrote about "adding to the usual measure."  Abbot Robert suggested that,

"Lent is not a time of “giving up” so much as it is a time of contemplation, preparation and a time to move forward in our quest for a more perfect union with God. It is a time to make sure our priorities are right and aligned with  our goal. As monastics, we are called to do this not just once a year, but daily. In keeping Christ at the center, a life of Lent becomes the natural expression of our desire to become Christ like. This is not privation; this is Life itself."

Whether one is a monastic, a Priest, Lay Member, Bishop, or Deacon, whatever our path of life might be; we are all hungering and longing for more than the food on our tables or that something we are setting aside.  Lent is our time to do something more in our relationship with God.  We are to do more than pay the usual lip service of going through the rituals and motions.  Jesus tells us in the Gospel today, to do more not for the sake of being seen by people so as to gain human respect or for notoriety's sake; but, so that we grow closer to God in a bonded relationship of love, faith and trust.

It is important that whatever we may be setting aside over the next forty days, that we replace it with doing something for God and others.  There is always a tremendous need to be fulfilled by the work of Episcopal Relief and Development.   IntegrityUSA needs the support and prayers of everyone as they continue their work for a greater inclusion of LGBT people in the Church and Society.  David R. Henson wrote a terrific post in Pathoes about spending Lent in which Black Lives Matter to address the racism that is around us.  It is also important to do things such as turning off the TV and/or the computer to communicate (not just talk with, but actually communicate) with our spouses and families.  Spend some time thinking about our prayer life, our attitudes towards others and addressing those things in our lives that make union with God a bigger obstacle than it needs to be.

Whatever we do this Lent, may we all take time to meditate on the reality that God is so madly in love with all of us, that God gives us the next forty days to draw closer to us.  As we rediscover the wonder of God's love that includes the suffering and death of Christ; may we also grow in a deeper bond with God's presence with reverence and respect for our neighbor.  May our hearts and minds bow in worship as God makes God's being visible to us those relationships in which God wants us to respond in love, self-sacrifice and the hope of resurrection.

May God bless us all in our journey of Lent this year.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have
made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and
make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission
and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.  (Collect for Ash Wednesday, The Book of Common Prayer, p.217).

Almighty God, whose beloved Son willingly endured the agony
and shame of the cross for our redemption: Give us courage to
take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Prayer Of The Cross, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 252).

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.  (Prayer for Social Justice, The Book of Common Prayer, p. 260).

Last Sunday After the Epiphany: Transfiguration, Contemplation, Action

Today's Scripture Readings

2 Kings 2:1-2 (NRSV)

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

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

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

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

Psalm 50 (BCP., p.654)


2 Corinthians 4:3-6 (NRSV)

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

Mark 9:2-9 (NRSV)

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

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

Blog Reflection

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

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

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

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

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

Amen.


Prayers

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

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

The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Temple: Humility, Prophecy, Obedience

Today's Scripture Readings

Malachi 3:1-4 (NRSV)

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

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

Psalm 84 (BCP., p.707)


Hebrews 2:14-18 (NRSV)

Since God's children share flesh and blood, Jesus himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham. Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.

Luke 2:22-40 (NRSV)

When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, the parents of Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord"), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons."

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying,

"Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

according to your word;

for my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles

and for glory to your people Israel."

And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed-- and a sword will pierce your own soul too."

There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Blog Reflection

The Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple has always been a significant one for me.  I was first introduced to this glorious Feast at Glastonbury Abbey in Hingham, Massachusetts in 1994.  The Benedictine Monks there observe The Presentation with an actual Candle Mass of lit candles as part of the celebration of the Eucharist.  The candles symbolize the Light of Christ that comes to the House of God in obedience, humility and prophesy.  The experience is similar to what many Christians will celebrate at the Great Vigil of Easter when the new Baptismal Candle enters the church.  The light that came into the world, brings with Him a new era.  The darkness of sin is extinguished by the Light that is Christ by His death and resurrection.   We celebrate the Light of Christ's Redemption in the Paschal Mystery, and participate in it, through the waters of Baptism.   Hence the commitment of Christians to live in that Light of the Easter event, because of God's grace through Christ

One of the meanings of the Presentation is to recognize that we are now between the Nativity at Christmas, and Ash Wednesday the beginning of Lent.   Here the two meanings of the coming of Christ as the Word made flesh, from the cradle to the cross find their crossover point.  

There are three main points about the Presentation of Christ in the temple that have meaning for our spiritual lives.  They are humility, obedience and prophecy.   Mary, Joseph and Jesus fulfill these by their humble submission to the law of Moses, and is confirmed through the Prophets Simeon and Anna.

In this 21st Century, the very idea of humility and obedience seem archaic, useless and things of the past.  However, the necessity of them could not be more real.

In humility, we acknowledge that we are not an entity unto ourselves.  Nor can we save ourselves without God's help.  Mary, Joseph and Jesus come to the Temple in humility, recognizing their humanity, and need for the God of their salvation.  We too, must return again and again to the God who has redeemed us in Christ, confess our sins, and accept God's mercy.   We cannot do this if we cling to a false sense of self.   Humility means we accept that God is God, and we are not.  Our true selves are found in Christ, who humbled Himself to the point of death on the Cross. (See Philippians 2:1-11).

Obedience says that we respond to God's mercy, by placing ourselves in God's hands, and serve others in the Name of Christ.  The humility of Jesus was such that the God who created us, became one like us in all things, yet did not sin, became a servant of all of us.  Even those of us who will not get up and wash our neighbors feet, or accept others who are different from ourselves.  The humility and obedience of Jesus, is our example of how to love one another, and be reminded that none of us are really above anyone else in any way.  We are all sinners, saved by God's grace.  In faith, our response needs to be one of obedience.

Lastly, is prophesy.  The Prophets Simeon and Anna greet Christ, recognizing that He is the hope that they have been awaiting.   As they both declare to have received the answer to their prayers, they also prepare Christ for the fulfillment of His life.   He has come to be the rise and fall of many.  He is the Light revealed to the nations, as God's perfect revelation of Self.   He has come to set free the marginalized, the oppressed and to give a sense of purpose to those who are left on the sidelines to fend for themselves.  Jesus has come as God's love embodied in the human person; living, serving and dying.   In God's revelation that there is no such thing as one so lost, that God is not concerned or reaching out for us.

These past couple of months and weeks, Christians have been called to a new era of humility, obedience and prophecy.  The momentous event of the ordination of the Rt. Libby Lane that continues the movement of women becoming more active in the ministry and leadership of the Church; suggests that God is calling us in humility, to be obedient and to be prophetic witnesses for an evolving faith.   

 

The violence that continues because of sexism, racism, heterosexism, gender discrimination; as well as those who are poor, sick, lonely, discouraged and/or live with mental illness; are symptoms of a deeper problem.  It is a problem of self acceptance, and a willingness to not only tolerate, but to accept and work towards living in peace with others who are different from ourselves.  It is a work we must give ourselves to in humility, and loving obedience as prophetic witnesses for a Christianity that is ever changing and continually renewing itself with each generation.

Humility, obedience and prophecy on this Presentation of Christ in the Temple, calls on us to see the Light of Christ in others around us.   To honor Christ's presence and to serve others in His Holy Name.  Without distinction, exception or excuse.   After all, which one of us is truly worthy of God's love in Christ?   Which one of us is so humble and obedient to not need God's grace to save us, so that we have the hope of everlasting life?    Therefore, who are we to withhold it from others?

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and everliving God, we humbly pray that, as your
only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so
we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts by
Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p.239).

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully
restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may
share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our
humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p.252).

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.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p.260).