Seventh Sunday of Easter: One Among Many

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 16:16-35 (NRSV)

With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.

But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, "These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe." The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Psalm 97 (BCP., p.726)


Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 (NRSV)

At the end of the visions I, John, heard these words:

"See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

"It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come."
And let everyone who hears say, "Come."
And let everyone who is thirsty come.
Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

 

John 17:20-26 (NRSV)

Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

"Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Blog Reflection

Are you confused at all by this Gospel reading from John is the one being used this Sunday? It is a bit strange.  We spent the last six or seven weeks focusing on the Risen Christ.  We had three Sundays with readings about the Risen Jesus with His Disciples.  After, we had two Sundays during which we heard Jesus speak about being the Good Shepherd, followed by Jesus telling us to love one another as He loves us.  Thursday was Ascension Day.  Jesus left the Disciples to be at the right hand of God.  Now, we are back to Jesus' discourse during the Last Supper.  What might this Gospel reading be telling us?   We are awaiting the Day of Pentecost on which we will celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Christians to be Christ's witnesses all over the world.

We have another challenging matter with this Gospel reading.  Jesus' prayers are for Christians to be one as He and the Father are one.  This prayer is very curious.  Each of the Disciples came from very different places and had different occupations.  There were Fishers from one town.  Others were perhaps farmers or servants.  It is suggested that Judas Iscariot was a scholar.   I am sure each of them had a different approach to their faith, and experiences of the Resurrection.  Thomas after all, wanted to see the evidence of the Risen Christ.   Others had an experience of Jesus walking with them on the road to Emmaus.   I tend to believe that there were women present for this conversation, each who knew Jesus from their own perspective.

There are traditions within Christianity that would suggest that Jesus was talking about the Church being one with no denominations to support different beliefs and practices for various countries, languages and cultures.  Others would suggest that oneness is for all Christians to be opposed to abortion, birth control, equality for women, LGBTQ, marriage equality, etc.  Notice that no where in this Gospel text does Jesus make conditions about what this oneness means.  What Jesus is praying about is that Christians will be one as He and His Father are one, so that every person in the world knows that they are loved without distinction.

While many Christians are waging political and social debates about transgender people using the "proper" public restroom, or declaring every Muslim not able to enjoy their religious freedoms, or supporting racism, sexism; the ministry of healing and reconciliation on the part of Christians being one is being made a scam.  Jesus did not make a condition on what oneness would mean.  Christians on the other hand, have been for centuries deciding what divides us from seeking the common good and respecting the dignity of every human person.  This prayer of Jesus is that we will be one in loving others who are different from ourselves, and welcoming them to be part of the Body of Christ with no distinction.

How will you answer Jesus' prayer to be one among many Christians?

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.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p.226).

Almighty Father, whose blessed Son before his passion prayed
for his disciples that they might be one, as you and he are one:
Grant that your Church, being bound together in love and
obedience to you, may be united in one body by the one Spirit,
that the world may believe in him whom you have sent, your
Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in
the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p.255).

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).

 

Seventh Sunday of Easter: From Ascension to Pentecost

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 16:16-34

With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.

But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, "These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe." The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Psalm 97 (BCP., p.726)


Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21 (NRSV)

At the end of the visions I, John, heard these words:

"See, I am coming soon; my reward is with me, to repay according to everyone's work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they will have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

"It is I, Jesus, who sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star."

The Spirit and the bride say, "Come."

And let everyone who hears say, "Come."

And let everyone who is thirsty come.

Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.

The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon."

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

John 17:20-26 (NRSV)

Jesus prayed for his disciples, and then he said. "I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

"Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."

Blog Reflection

I am writing this particular reflection at a fantastic time in the State of Minnesota.   Just this past Thursday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the bill that will grant the freedom to marry to same-sex couples.  This upcoming Monday, the bill will be voted on and likely pass in the State Senate.  Our Governor Mark Dayton is expected to sign the bill into law on Tuesday.   If all goes in that order, same-gender couples will be able to apply for State marriage licenses on August 1, 2013.   It is an exciting time for those of us who have been working so hard to make this kind of thing happened.  

As Jason and I celebrated Ascension Thursday together at St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Minneapolis, on the very day the House passed the bill, we sang probably my favorite hymn.  And it was the most appropriate for both Ascension Thursday and the events of the day.

When Christ was lifted from the earth,
his arms stretched out above
through every culture, every birth,
to draw an answering love.

Still east and west His love extends
and always, near or far,
He calls and claims us as His friends
and loves us as we are.

Where generation, class or race
divide us to our shame,
He sees not labels but a face,
A person, and a name.

Thus freely loved, though fully known,
may I in Christ be free
to welcome and accept His own
as Christ accepted me. Amen.
Words by Brian A. Wren
Music by Gordon Slater
See Hymnal 1982, #603


Among the many comments that have come since Thursday's historic vote, is the argument by opponents about "religious freedom."  Not to mention their concerns about children and families.  All of these are based on a weak, but very firm belief that anything other than the union between one man and one woman is detrimental if not destructive to the family and children.  They also believe that marriage equality is a threat to "religious freedom."   A great professor at the University of Minnesota by the name of Dale Carpenter wrote a fantastic article answering all of those questions.  You can read that article here.   

Another point about the debate in the MN House on Thursday, was how respectful it was.  There was very emotional and passionate discussions, speeches about the subject of marriage, by both supporters of marriage equality and those who oppose it.  But, one of the other great events we witnessed was how people's hearts and minds are changing in regards to LGBTQ people, couples and families.   Rep. Tim Faust who is also a Lutheran Pastor gave an outstanding speech.   In his talk, he spoke about how his views and understandings have changed on the issue of the freedom of same-gender couples to marry the person they love.  You can watch and read about that speech here.  You won't be sorry.

I am sure many of my blog readers may be asking yourself what does this have to do with Christ's prayer for the disciples, those who believe in Him through their word, and for the Church to be one?   With Christians so divided over everything from the economy, politics, solving the issue of what to do about out of control gun violence, climate change, women's rights, LGBT equality etc, how can Christ's prayer possibly be answered?  When will it be answered?  

To give us some possible answers to consider, I would like to reuse a story quoted by Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB.

Once upon a time, the story begins, some seekers from the city asked the local monastic a question.
"How does one seek union with God?"
And the Wise One said, "The harder you seek, the more distance you create between God and you."
"So what does one do about the distance?"  the seekers asked.
And the elder said simply, "Just understand that it isn't there."
"Does that mean that God and I are one?" the disciples asked.
And the monastic said, "Not one, not two."
"But how is that possible?" the seekers insisted.
And the monastic answered, "Just like the sun and its light, the ocean and the wave, the singer and the song.  Not one. But not two."  (Wisdom Distilled from the Daily: Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today. p.195).

The grace that Christians must be open to, is to be able to grasp the notion that God and us are not one, but not two.  When we are interacting with another person, we are interacting with Christ present in her/him.  It really doesn't matter whether that person shares our religious convictions, beliefs, practices or not.  What matters most, is to seek God and to love Christ above all else in one another.  It is the most crucial thing to do, but the most challenging.  Despite our advances in technology, science, internet capability, psychological discoveries, etc we have yet to end the divisions that are created by distinctions.   Whether they be by race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, age, economic status, health, employment, language and so forth, there are more excuses and reasons to be divided to our shame as Christians and a so called "civilized" society. 

I truly believe that among the things Jesus was praying for, is that those to whom the Apostles would reach out to in the Name of Christ, would believe in Him because of what they said and did.  Jesus prays that for us today.  Jesus did not give birth to the Church on that Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on those disciples, to become isolated by distinctions that cannot be reconciled.  This is evident in the fact that after the Holy Spirit came, each person listening to the Apostles speaking to them, heard them speaking in their own language.  Finally, the language of the God of love, through Jesus Christ and the Spirit was so clear, so understandable, that everyone could hear it.   Every person, regardless of their walk of life, was able to hear something about someone they could believe in.   They were driven to know God in Christ as Savior, Redeemer and friend.  By way of the Holy Spirit the distance between God, them and us does not exist.  We are not one with God, but we are not two.  That includes with our sisters and brothers.

As we await the celebration of Pentecost, we are asked today to find our oneness in Christ, not as labels, distinctions.  But as people with names.  People with hearts to love and be loved.  People looking for hope where they see despair and tragedy. People who want to believe without being told that there is no space or place for them.  People who can search for God just as all of us are.  In prayer, singing, reading, meditating and in one another.

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.  (Collect for the Seventh Sunday in Easter, 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. (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p.818).

Ascension Day: Celebration, Displacement and Hope

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 1:1-11 (NRSV)

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

So when they had come together, they asked him, "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."

Psalm 47 (BCP. p.650)


Ephesians 1:15-23 (NRSV)

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Luke 24:44-53 (NRSV)

Jesus said to his disciples, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

Blog Reflection

The Ascension for me has always been one of bitter sweet.   The bitterness of Jesus leaving us forty days after His Resurrection.  Why couldn't you have stayed with us, Lord Jesus, as we prayed for you to stay?   The sweetness is found in the answer Jesus gave us in John 16: 7-13a.

Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgement, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 

Jesus also goes to the right hand of God the Father, taking our wounded humanity in His crucifixion, perfected in His resurrected body, before the throne of God to intercede for us.  All of our brokenness is before God through the timeless intercession of Jesus Christ our only "mediator and advocate" (1 Timothy 2:5).

The Ascension is a day of celebration, displacement and hope.

We celebrate Christ taking up His throne in heaven. Jesus Christ has completed his mission in the work of salvation. Now He goes to God to send us the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.  Jesus Christ reigns on high with Angels, Cherubim and Seraphim serving Him in worship and adoration in the Holy Trinity.

The disciples however, experienced a great displacement.  A displacement from having Jesus alive and with them.  A displacement that leaves them wondering what comes next. They have heard Jesus' words in John's Gospel, but as we have seen before, they are quick to hear, but slow to understand.  The sense of displacement leaves them confused, lonely and wondering what to do.  The angel in Acts is almost no help.  They stand there gazing in to heaven, because their best friend just left them for a better place.  They want the heavens to open up and Jesus returns right that moment. Who wouldn't want it that way?   However, it is in displacement, that God does God's best work in and through us. That is what is about to happen on Pentecost.  But, for the time being they have to settle for being displaced.

Displacement is a good place for Christians to be.  It is from a place of displacement that we as a Christian Community can learn trust in God, as well as be open to what God does next.

I have been thinking a lot about displacement since I read a terrific chapter on the subject in the book entitled Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life by Henri J.M. Nouwen, Donald P. McNeil and Douglas A. Morrison. 

Many Christians have the disillusion that Community is about a cozy, warm and non-confrontational existence.   No change is necessary.   As long as we have our favorite pew, sing our favorite hymns and we use the most modern forms of worship to make us comfortable, we are creating a Christian Community.   However, the Christian Community of the Church cannot exist in an atmosphere of static, stoic and being abstract.  It must become a living, breathing and ever changing entity.

As the Church continues to move towards equality, inclusion and acceptance of all people, the resistance we are experiencing is due to the displacement many are experiencing with the changes.   If we have been taught to take the Bible literally in terms of homosexuality, then the moves by church groups and States across the Country to legalize the freedom to marry for LGBT people is a major displacement.  It means becoming unsettled for them, and learning to adapt is no easy task.   We must remember our own displacement when we came out, and had to re-establish our own lives around a new understanding of ourselves.  We were displaced.  Just as those who embrace the anti side are experiencing displacement.  The displacement in and of itself is a wonderful thing.  However, moving Christians to acceptance of displacement and seeing it as an opportunity for growth, takes a great deal of doing.  The resistance to displacement is no reason to discontinue educating people about why ending heterosexism, racism, religious based discrimination, violence and oppression is so very important. 

In his Prayer to Christ, St. Anselm of Canterbury prayed: "Most merciful Lord, turn my lukewarmness into a fervent love for you...."  Displacement is one of the ways by which God answers that prayer.  By displacing us from ideas and beliefs we previously had, and allowing God to remake us into more mature followers of Christ.  When we think of ourselves as settled Christians, we become lukewarm by not allowing the Holy Spirit to move us towards conversion and renewal.   Displacement put into the hands of God in prayer, gives God that opportunity to transform displacement into a fervent love of Christ in all people.

In the Ascension we have hope on the other side of displacement.  In Christ is our hope that the Holy Spirit will come and lead us into all truth.  One of the dangers that Christians must avoid and end, is believing that we have God all figured out. The Holy Spirit leads us into all truth. The moment we become complacent in our spiritual and communal life, we are no longer a growing organism.  We become a withered and useless weed.  The Holy Spirit wants to continually refresh us with the living water that is Jesus Christ, to help us reach out to one another in charity and love. To see in each other the presence of Christ, so as to practice radical hospitality, to foster healing and reconciliation.   The hope we find in Jesus Christ, becomes the hope of all humankind as we become His living Body, the Church.

St. Teresa of Avila wrote in her famous prayer:
Christ has no body now, but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth, but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which He looks
with compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good.
Yours are the hands, with which He blesses all the world.
You are His Body.

May the Ascension bring us all celebration, while we embrace displacement and look to Christ as our hope.

Come, Holy Spirit, come.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, whos blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ
ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things:
Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his
promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end
of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory
everlasting. Amen. (Collect for Ascension Day, 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. (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 818).

Sixth Sunday of Easter: Peace, Compassion and Community Gospel Style

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 16:9-15 (NRSV)

During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.


We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us. 

Psalm 67 (BCP., 675)


Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 (NRSV)

In the spirit the angel carried me away to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day-- and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. Nothing accursed will be found there any more. But the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him; they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. And there will be no more night; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

 

John 14:23-29 (NRSV)

Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe."

Blog Reflection

This past week we witnessed major victories for LGBT couples and families as Rhode Island became the final State in New England to pass marriage equality.  Bills to grant the freedom to marry are now in the Minnesota State Legislature and Delaware.  They are small steps forward, but, important steps.  More and more people are understanding that regardless of one's religious beliefs and/or affiliations, it is not proper to use the Civil Governments of States to deny the freedom to marry for LGBT people.  Yet, as more States move forward and people evolve on this issue, organizations such as the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) continue to use religion and the whole "religious freedom" thing as their weapon of choice as a reason to deny the freedom to marry.  Just after Rhode Island's Governor signed the marriage equality bill into law, NOM made some silly statement that "People of faith are being ghettoized."  

We also saw Jason Collins, the first NBA basketball player come out as a gay.  Following his coming out, Chris Broussard on ESPN gave the standard Christianist response, suggesting that Jason Collins is now living in sin.  A channel that is suppose to be about the competition of professional sports became a vehicle for erroneous Biblical interpretations to be used to justify prejudice.  David Person offered his own commentary in USA Today reminding ESPN that the NBA is not a theocracy, and that Broussard's opinions are just opinions, and not every Christian agrees with Broussard's opinions about LGBT people, including Collins who is also a Christian.

On a completely different front, the Native Americans in the area of the Wounded Knee Massacre where many of those who were slaughtered, are concerned because a land owner is trying to sell their sacred land for a profit.  A people who to this day still have not been granted their full rights, and are oppressed, continue to experience tragedy and horror.   When will it all end? 

All of these events have something in common.  They show Christians making progress, and yet being held back.  There are doors opening for the Church to continue our Apostolic ministry of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ through striving for peace and justice among all people, and respecting the dignity of every human person.   Yet, we also see examples of the Gospel being used as an excuse for cruel language and behavior that is so contrary to who Jesus Christ is and was.  There is a real need for a Gospel understanding of peace and compassion to become the means by which we do our ministry.

Every one of us, including myself is attracted to what the word peace means in modern culture.  Peace is that thing we all want.  No more wars, gun violence, street gangs, rape etc.  We want that peace that lets us be safe in the streets of our cities and neighborhoods.   We want a peace that is passive, one that does not disturb us, but lets us lock ourselves up in our own small world with our ideals, decisions and comfort zones.

The peace and compassion that Jesus speaks of in today's Gospel is the kind of peace that calls us to put the love of God, neighbor and self before all else.  It is a peace based on loving one another as Christ loves us, as we heard in last weeks Gospel.  It is a peace that will bring us face to face before the Cross on which Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the world, to carry our own crosses in our daily life, work and relationships.  The peace and compassion that is based on the Gospel is about allowing ourselves to be displaced as Christ was, to the point of living a life of service on behalf of God towards others in need.

The kind of peace and compassion that Jesus offers us, is not based on individualism.  Though it can certainly do a lot for us as individuals.  The peace and compassion offered to us is the kind that is expressed through community.  Community in which there is acceptance of each other, the willingness to struggle together through our opportunities for growth, and a sincere desire to serve one another in humility.  The very humility through which Jesus Christ "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" (Philippians 2:6-8 NRSV).

In just a few days we will celebrate the Ascension of Christ.  That moment when Jesus took our wounded humanity to the right hand of the throne of God, where He intercedes on our behalf.   As God accepts our broken humanity through Christ, and continually pours out God's grace and mercy upon all humankind, we need to respond to all of that with the willingness to serve others in God's Name.   It doesn't mean doing everything. It means doing what God calls us to do in our communities where the Holy Spirit is constantly displacing us, and calling us to serve Christ in one another.  It means being open to learning that no discrimination or violence is ever the will of God.   And, responding to prejudice and cruelty with a call to work for the justice, inclusion and equality for all people.

Amen.

Prayers

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good
things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such
love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above
all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we
can desire; 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 Sixth Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, p. 225).


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


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, BCP p.815)

Seventh Sunday of Easter: Being One and Being Inclusive of Diversity are Inseperable

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 (NRSV)

In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said, "Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus-- for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry. So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us-- one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection." So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. Then they prayed and said, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place." And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

Psalm 1 (BCP., p.585).


1 John 5:9-13 (NRSV)

If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

John 17:6-19 (NRSV)

Looking up to heaven, Jesus prayed, "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. While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth."

Blog Reflection

Jesus' famous prayer for the Apostle's to be one.  A prayer that has been the source used for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity on one hand and then used by many Roman Catholic Bishops to suggest that any church community or denomination not united to the See of Peter are not part of the "one Church" on the other.   This same Gospel gets used to accuse other church communities who have accepted lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people as ordained Bishops, Priests and Deacons, and/or began blessing same-sex relationships, of having "broken off from the one true Gospel."     This passionate plea by Jesus for his followers to be one is used time and again, to give Jesus a very bad Name.

This past Thursday, we commemorated the Ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God.  What that means and how it happened is different for everyone.  Just as each person has a unique understanding of what the resurrection means.  No two people discussing the Holy Trinity will understand it in the same way.  But, is their belief in God any less real because of their disagreements?  

When the Anglican Church was being formed, among the ways that the founders sought to make that distinguished us from Rome, is that although we pray in common, we do not have to believe in common.  As Episcopalians who are part of the Anglican Communion, we cherish independent thinking and the ability for each person to arrive at their own belief's, but still pray with us all the things Christians believe.  Yet, one thing we do understand is that our Baptismal Covenant incorporates us into the Body of Christ, and Holy Communion continues to united us one to another through the Body and Blood of Christ.   We believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, but we do not define how that presence is real (ie. transubstantiation or consubstantiation).  We leave that up to God and the individual to work out, while at the same time feeling free to dialogue with each other about our differences.  Can differences of opinion about doctrines, dogmas, sacraments, the interpretation of Scripture and so forth, still mean a oneness among the followers of Jesus?  As Episcopalians and Anglicans, we answer yes.  Because one matter that we do understand is the commandment of Jesus to love God, our neighbors and ourselves inclusively, is something we are all called to do.  That is something we can all agree on.

Christians have become so settled with disagreeing about doctrines and the like so long, that we do risk forgetting that the commandment of Jesus to be one in the loving of God, others and ourselves is really what Christians are all about.   No two people have to agree on anything.  However, seeking the common good of another individual who is different from ourselves, is what Jesus' prayer to be one entails.  It is not just a prayer about our creeds, sacraments, leaders or worship languages, etc.  It is a prayer to be one in what God through Jesus Christ did in his earthly ministry, and now continues to pray for all of us to do as he prays for us from his throne in glory.   We can use the Bible literally and even the meaning of the sacraments to exclude LGBT people from participating in Communion and be spot on if we want to be like that.  Except that by doing so, we have failed to love God, our neighbor and ourselves, making our actions null and void.  Read 1 Corinthians 13 for a better explanation of that one. Because the oneness of God's people to see God's presence in LGBT people, women who have had abortions, individuals of different races, religions, languages, behaviors etc, and seek to exclude them from the Church and the sacraments, is the Body of Christ, that is the Church, fractured. 

Being one and being inclusive of diversity are inseparable from each other.  They compliment each other.  They complete one another. When Church leadership uses the Gospel to instruct and guide Christians away from being inclusive of diversity, they render the answer of Jesus' prayer as unanswerable.  When Christians fail to hold Church leadership accountable for not being inclusive of diversity, we too grieve the heart of God, by not participating in the answer to the prayer of Jesus coming to pass.  When we work for justice and equality for all people, serving the needs of the poor, the hurting, those affected by political, religious and social oppression, we are making progress so that Jesus prayer for us to be one, is a step closer to becoming a living reality.

How are we playing our role of answering the prayer of Jesus?

What are some things we might do in the weeks and months ahead to help the Church answer Jesus' prayer for his followers to be one?

How might we be an example of someone who wants to be an answer to Jesus' prayer?

I think we could be a better example if we will think a little bit more about the ending to the Prayer after Communion on page 365 of the Book of Common Prayer.

Send us now into the world in peace,
and grant us strength and courage
to love and serve you
with gladness and singleness of heart;
through Christ our Lord.  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.  (Collect for the Seventh Sunday of Easter, 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.  (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 818).


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).

Ascension Day: Time for Christians to Work for Equality and Justice

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 1:1-11 (NRSV)

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

So when they had come together, they asked him, "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."

Psalm 47 (BCP, p. 650)


Ephesians 1:15-23 (NRSV)

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Luke 24:44-53 (NRSV)

Jesus said to his disciples, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. See, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

Blog Reflection
 
When ever I read the last verses of the reading from Acts: "why do you stand there gazing into heaven?"  I get the impression that the Angels were telling the Apostles to get to work.   You can only stand looking up to the heavens looking for something awesome to happen so long, while the work to be done in the here and now waits for your hands and mine.   St. Benedict thought of this same kind of thing when he wrote in his Rule:  "Idleness is the enemy of the soul" (Chapter 48, The Daily Labor).

I often think that one of the dangers for Christians always thinking about the end of our lives and judgement day, is that we don't pay attention to what is here before us.  We worry so much about the eternal destiny of our souls, that we forget that there is salvation of our souls here and now as we do what is required of us today, at this moment.  When we seek to work for equality and justice for the marginalized of the Church and society, we honor the work of Christ, who ascended into heaven.  We prepare a place for the Reign of God here on earth, as well as in heaven.  So we say in the Lord's Prayer.

Here at the 40th Day of Easter, we commemorate the Ascension of Jesus to the right hand of God.  Before he ascended, Jesus called upon those first Apostles to proclaim the Gospel and baptize all nations.  So Jesus calls upon us to do the same.  The Gospel of not just what Jesus said, but what he did.  Loving the unlovable.   Healing the sick.  Raising the dead.  Calling people to repentance and forgiveness of sins, and reconciling the lost and forsaken to God's holy family.  These are the things that the Church is called to do and proclaim.   But, we are also to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost eleven days from today, so that we will be lead into all truth.  The truth that never stops revealing the power of God through those who believe in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Yet, what we have seen throughout Church history and even in today's time, the message of the Gospel being hijacked by Biblical literalists who make Christianity into a religion of hate and discrimination.  The Name of the Lord is taken in vain as wars in the Name of Christ are begun because a certain group of Christians support slavery for African Americans, or the destruction of the Native Americans, the targeting of Jews and Muslims.   Fundamentalist and arch-conservative Christians stand gazing into heaven and stuck in the dark ages, use a counterfeit version of the Gospel to support the discrimination towards women and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.  Even though Jesus himself, never said a word about homosexuality.   Paul's words in places like Romans 1: 27 and 1 Corinthians 6:9 etc, get wrenched out of context, and used to support cruel rhetoric and violent behavior.  In the Name of a loving and all-inclusive God.  

We have been given a sharing in the mystery of God's love in Jesus Christ so as to welcome the stranger, the outcast and those who are told that there is no place for them in the Church and society.  There is Gospel work to be done, and everyone is welcome to be part of the efforts.  Jesus welcomes all nations, races, languages, sexual orientations, genders, gender identities/expressions etc, to be participants in the work of God's redemption and salvation through the work of the Church for the good of all humankind.  No exceptions.

All of us Christians have work to be done in our own hearts.  All of us carry that something for someone who is different from ourselves, in a poor attitude.  We all have our moments of being uncomfortable with someone that just makes us a little bit afraid of them, but we just do not talk about it.  We act in certain ways, and pray that no one notices. But, we know in our own hearts, some thing is just not right. We all have some kind of hypocrisy inside of us.  That is God speaking to us.  God is answering the prayers of Jesus, our only Mediator and Advocate, as the Holy Spirit moves on our hearts to look at ourselves through the eyes of God's forgiving grace and mercy.   But, calling us to a new understanding of God, others and ourselves.  
As we open our hearts and minds to the healing of God's Holy Spirit, we also pray that we will be motivated to become people of radical hospitality and reconciliation so as to fulfill the call of Jesus before his Ascension.


Prayers

Almighty God, whos blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ
ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things:
Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his
promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end
of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory
everlasting. Amen. (Collect for Ascension Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 226).

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).

Gracious Father, we pray for they holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.  (Prayer for the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior,
the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the
great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away
all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body
and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all
of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth
and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and
one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.  (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, p. 818).

  

Ascension Day: Jesus Is Always With Us

One might think that because today is Ascension Day that talking about the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals in society and the Church might seem a bit odd.   However, if we are going to talk about full inclusion then we must stop thinking that there are certain days to discuss the subject and other days to avoid it.  Because until there is a greater understanding that every person is invited to celebrate the Eucharist together as well as contemplate how the mysteries of our Christian Faith apply to all people, then the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ given before he ascended might as well be a fairy tale.  In fact, for many, it is a fairy tale.  It has yet to actually happen for people who are still to this day told that there is no place at the Table because they do not fit certain social classes. 

As I was praying the Divine Office this morning, I came across some interesting reminders that all of us would do well to keep in front of our minds and hearts.  In the book of Daniel is written the following words:

As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13, 14).

There again is the word all.  When the Scriptures use the word all it is quite clear that they were not talking about the laundry detergent.  This was a vision that Daniel had that prefigured Jesus the Son of God as ruler over all people.  Not only is Jesus ruler of all but he wants all to serve him.  And notice that it says: all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.  


This is why the Arizona Immigration law and now the law that has been signed in removing all ethnic studies form Arizona's public school system is so outrageous.  In a conversation with Archbishop Desmond Tutu he said:

" I do not disagree with the calls to boycott the businesses in the State until [the law] is turned around."

Tutu ends by drawing a parallel between the drivers of migration today, and of the past:

The problem of migrating populations is not going to go away any time soon. If anyone should know this, it should be Americans, many of whom landed here themselves to escape persecution, famine or conflict. With the eyes of the world now on them, Arizona has the opportunity to create a new model for dealing with the pitfalls, and help the nation as a whole find its way through the problems of illegal immigration. But to work, it must be a model that is based on a deep respect for the essential human rights Americans themselves have grown up enjoying.

The call for all to serve God+ is why the constant discrimination towards LGBT people in the Church is such a contradiction to the Gospel.   This upcoming weekend the Episcopal Church will once again remind the world that all people, every where can be called to discern a call to serve Christ and the Church and that includes women and LGBT people.  This Saturday the Diocese of Los Angeles will ordain Bishops Bruce and Glasspool to serve the Episcopal Church.  Both individuals have been blessed with incredible gifts and abilities.  Thank you to our wonderful Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori who is prepared to consecrate and ordain these two wonderful women, despite the opinions of many conservatives within the Anglican Communion.

As we celebrate the Ascension today, we are reminded that Jesus ascended to the right hand of God to take with him all of our humanity to forever be in the presence of God.  Everything that is both beautiful and broken about our human condition is interceding at this moment at the right hand of God for every human person in every time, place and culture.  Matthew 28: 16 to 20 reminds us that it was the wish that the Apostles that were left behind were to baptize all nations in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Creator, Servant and Life-giver. 

In the readings from today's Eucharist particularly Luke 24: 44-53 we read that Jesus has accomplished what God sent him to do, and has fulfilled what the Scriptures said of him.   Jesus died and rose again that the message of forgiveness and reconciliation would be preached to all nations.  There is that word all again. 

As we recall the Ascension of Jesus, we also want to keep in mind the message that Jesus gave us to remember those who are lonely, poor, excluded, sick, without the means to care for their daily lives, and without someone to love them.  LGBT people are among those who have been not only treated as if no one loves them, but told to their face that God hates us because we are LGBT.  You don't see Fred Phelps lining up with "God Hates" signs at just any group of people's gatherings, though he does picket at the funeral for fallen military soldiers.  But he doesn't picket there saying that the country is doomed because we have accepted African Americans, he does it because he wants to spread bias against LGBT people.  He did not picket Bishop Robinson's consecration and ordination because he was a bad Bishop, but because he is gay, and the Episcopal Church chose to consecrate and ordain him.  People who are told they are to be excluded from serving the Church or participating in the life and ministry of the Church just because they are LGBT, are among those whom God desires to bring closer to God's Self so that God can ordain and consecrate them to serve and be served in God's Church.  This is why God answered the prayers of the Diocese of New Hampshire and now is answering the prayers of the Diocese of Los Angeles.  And thank God, God heard and answered through the consent of the Standing Committee's and Bishops within the Episcopal Church. 

Where do we see Jesus calling us to serve God and the Church?  Whom are we excluding from God's Church and family?  How is God calling us to help make the Church more inclusive for LGBT people and other groups that are second class citizens of society and the Church?

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (Collect for Ascension Day, Book of Common Prayer, Page 226).

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 you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, Page 818).