Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost: Proper 19: Everyone Is Welcome to This Table

Exodus 32:7-14 (NRSV)

The Lord said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, `These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."

But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, `It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, `I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.

Psalm 51 (BCP., p.656)


1 Timothy 1:12-17 (NRSV)

 I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners-- of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Luke 15: 1-10 (NRSV)

All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

"Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Blog Reflection

The opportunity to share a meal with someone means a lot more than just eating.  We live in a time and society in which the important thing is to sit and eat.  If you are working, you eat your lunch as quickly as you can.  Sometimes you are fortunate to have an actual lunch break.  Other times, you may be someone who works through lunch.  Eating and working at the same time.

One of the downfalls of the electronic age of the internet, iPhones, Androids, television, iPads, etc, is that we communicate with individuals far and near.  Sometimes during meals.  I am embarrassed to say that I am all too often pulled in to doing this too.  As John Michael Talbot wrote in The Universal Monk, "We talk more in our time, but communicate less."  

When we actually sit with others (family, friends, church communities, etc) to break bread, enjoy a refreshing drink and share in good conversation; we are engaging in community living.  No longer is it just us vs. them.  In eating and drinking with others, we share what we are receiving with those who have grown, prepared and made what we are eating and drinking possible.  We are also sharing our lives and hearts with those we are eating with.

Those questioning what Jesus is doing in today's Gospel, are worried about what kind of people He is sharing the dinner table with.  They feel that there must be some kind of litmus test as to who should be seated at Jesus' table with Him and the communities that are gathering around Him.  What Jesus is doing here, is welcoming all who come to the table without labeling, stereotyping, and excluding.  The behavior of those whom Jesus has invited, might be questionable by others standards.  Jesus is not interested in standards.  Jesus came as God among us, to make a place at the table for anyone who wants to come and eat.  Jesus offers them and us in this Gospel to come as we are to find refuge and rest in God's gift of salvation with no pretenses or requirements other than to come and eat.  His happiness and the joy of Heaven is that people who often wondered if there was a place in God's loving Presence for them, find that they are warmly and eagerly welcomed.

The image of a table can also be symbolic of other opportunities to share with others who are different from ourselves.  Over these past few weeks we have been reading and hearing about the efforts to help the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota.  The potential for a pollution disaster is enormous.   Our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry calls on us to think carefully about what clean water means to all of us; and our commitment to be good stewards of this vital resource.

At the heart of this debate and issue, is the dignity of all human persons.  All too long Americans and the Church have failed to regard the Native Americans with respect and dignity.  Yet, this matter has brought together Americans from all walks of life, faiths to protect the Standing Rock Tribe's lands and rights. 

Jesus invites all of us regardless of the labels and situations in our lives to come to him and share at His table.  The Eucharist is where we share in the Goodness of God as the Real Presence of Christ is given to us in the Bread and Wine of Holy Communion.  As God is the Creator and Giver of all that is good, our sharing in the Sacrament of Christ's Presence, is a sharing God's extravagant love with one another.  

Will you accept Jesus' invitation to come to His table?

Will you help welcome others to Jesus' table?

Amen.

Prayers

O God, because without you we are not able to please you,
mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct
and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.  (Proper 19.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 233).

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

Third Sunday of Easter: Peace, Resurrection and Breaking Bread

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 3:12-19 (NRSV)

When Peter saw the astonishment of those who had seen the lame man healed, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

"And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out."

Psalm 4 (BCP., p.587)



1 John 3:1-7 (NRSV)

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Luke 24:36b-48 (NRSV)

Jesus himself stood among the disciples and their companions and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, "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."

Blog Reflection

The readings this weekend send a lot of messages.  One could easily be persuaded that "Jesus only" is among them.  The reading from Acts suggests the supercession of Judaism into Christianity with Peter's speech.  One miracle preformed by Peter, the same Peter that denied Jesus three times is suddenly filled with the Holy Spirit and proclaiming the resurrection.  The news of the resurrection and the coming of the Spirit on Pentecost has changed the landscape, but it is still the same God acting in various people in a variety of ways. 

As Christians, we are welcomed by the Risen Christ with the words, "Peace be with you."  It doesn't matter that we come as individuals who are not sure if the resurrection means the same to each of us.   Maybe we remember that the Prophets said that the Son of Man would suffer and rise again.  Maybe we heard Jesus tell us over and over before the Crucifixion and resurrection that these things would take place.  Perhaps we did not really understand it until now.  Maybe even now we do not know what it is suppose to mean.  Jesus the Risen One, is most concerned that each of us knows that He imparts God's peace to us, and wishes to share a meal with us in community with each other. 

How do we experience the Risen Christ in our lives?

Do Christians know and believe that through Christ every person is a child of God as is written in 1 John?   Do Christians know and celebrate that being children of God through Jesus, and that it is not just for us Christians who follow Christ in "our way"?

One of the major problems we are seeing with the "religious freedom" debate is who gets to define what "religious freedom" is for whom.  As soon as we can use "religious freedom" as a justification for discriminating against one group of people vs. another, it is no longer freedom for anyone.  It becomes an enslavement of one group to be able to bind the freedoms of others and take them hostage.  This is not the freedom that God intended through the Paschal Mystery we are celebrating.  If it is, is it any wonder why Christians look like such fools as the license to discriminate bills are making their way into the law books all over the country?

The Risen Christ continues to come to us in prayer, worship and the Eucharist to wish peace on all of us.  As we break bread and share the cup, the Risen Christ retells the story of His Resurrection through our own stories.  He calls on us to make that story in to a real life event through our own lives and relationships.  We do not have to get it right.  All we are asked is to be faithful to the resurrection event around us, and Christ will continue to raise us up as witnesses Christ's redemption.

Amen.


Prayers

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his
disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith,
that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.223)

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

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Contemplative Prayer, Oneness in Christ and Justice

Today's Scripture Readings

 1 Kings 19: 1-15 (NRSV)

Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "So may the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life like the life of one of them by this time tomorrow." Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.

But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors." Then he lay down under the broom tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said to him, "Get up and eat." He looked, and there at his head was a cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you." He got up, and ate and drank; then he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb the mount of God. At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.

Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus."

Psalm 42 (BCP., p.643)


Galatians 3:23-29 (NRSV)

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Luke 8:26-39 (NRSV)

Jesus and his disciples arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me" -- for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, "What is your name?" He said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

Blog Reflection

Thus far, my studies during my Novitiate have me doing Lectio Divina using Preferring Christ: A Devotional Commentary on The Rule of St. Benedict by Norvene Vest.   The text of The Rule that she uses is a version by Fr. Luke Dysinger, OSB, of St. Andrew's Abbey in Valyermo, California.   We are given a portion of the Prologue, a Chapter to use for an entire week, so that the words of The Rule can sink deep into our hearts and God can speak to us there and help us grow closer to God.    At current, we are still in the Prologue.   The words that have been jumping out at me over these last 3 weeks have been about listening.   "Listen."  "Incline the ear of the heart."  "To you therefore, my words are now addressed."  "Let us at last arise, since the Scripture stirs us."  "let us hear with wondering ears what the Divine Voice admonishes us, daily crying out: Today if you hear his voice, harden not your hearts."  "And again, You who have ears to hear, hear what the Spirit says...." (Preferring Christ, pages 2-5).

All this brings me to the essential element in contemplative prayer.  Listening.  Contemplative prayer requires us to listen, and "incline the ear of the heart" in order to hear God speaking to us.   This is why St. Benedict places such emphasis on silence.  Silence is not just about the absence of noise, such as no TV, phones, internet, music, etc.   It is about silencing the noise within us.  The noise of our anxieties over the plans we are making, what our next meal will be, getting together with a friend, those things that just work us up.  To be able to hold a close conversation with God in contemplative prayer, it is essential that we practice a silence that could easily pierce everything that distracts us. In contemplative prayer, we are not seeking to get something we want.   We are seeking union with God, to the point of seeing things from God's perspective.

The narrative from the Hebrew Scriptures for this weekend is about a life in peril.  Yes.  However, it is also about knowing where and how God speaks to our heart and soul.   It is not through violence, the mighty fire, and the earthquake.  It is through the stillness of our interior selves, by way of the voice of the Holy Spirit calling to us, to seek union with God. Elijah did not just learn this, he experienced it.  God wants us to experience that union with God as well.  God wants to grow closer to each of us from the point of where we are.  All God asks of us, is to quiet our interior selves long enough to be able to listen to what God is saying within us.  If we will do that, we will discover that God is so full of love, so full of compassion and a desire for us, that we will wonder why we did not take time to meet God in this way before. 

The Psalmist opens with such the appropriate response to what we have heard from the Hebrew Scriptures.

As the deer longs for the water-brooks,
  so longs my soul for you, O God.

My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God;
  when shall I come to appear before the presence of God.  (Psalm 42: 1-2, BCP., p.643).

Our hearts and souls long to be nourished by God, by helping us to experience God's abiding presence in the midst of our troubled hearts.  God wants us to pour out our hearts to God, and so allow ourselves to be renewed in grace to live holy lives.

The work of Christ's redemption is not merely a legalistic penal code.   It is a way of living to the point, that the love of God, neighbor and self becomes the manner by which we exist.   All are one in Christ as St. Paul tells us in the reading from Galatians, because of Christ's work of redemption on our behalf.   We are all part of Christ, regardless of who we are in terms of gender, race, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, employment, language, physical/psychological or developmental challenge.   In Christ Jesus, we are all one in His Body, the Church.  Each of us come with our peculiar characteristics, behaviors, opinions, and understandings.  Some of us are not that well educated, others are very well educated. The point is, none of those things tear us away from being one in Christ.  We are one by our common Baptism, and our need of God's grace through Christ. We are united to Christ and one another because of the Holy Eucharist.   In our Post Communion Prayer in Rite II we pray:

Eternal God, heavenly Father,
you have graciously accepted us as living members
of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ,
and you have fed us with spiritual food
in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood.
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. (Book of Common Prayer, p.365).

Now we come to probably one of the most intense Gospel narratives.   There are so many messages to be listened to.  How do we discern what is really important?   By examining some important points.

Mental illness then (and even today), was not handled very well.  People who had mental illness issues, often had them as a result of the horrible oppression they lived under at that point in history.   They were outcast from the communities.   They often were left among the graves, as they were considered good as dead.

When the man in this narrative, who is possessed by an evil spirit says that his name is "Legion" what might he be saying?   He is speaking out of the reality of the horror he most likely witnessed when legions of Roman soldiers plundered people, and whole communities right in front of him.  He probably saw them all happen when he was very young, and lived with the horror of the great evils that possessed him ever since.  Fear. Anxiety. Unconsoled grief.  Perhaps even shame.

The swine on the country side are symbolic of what is going on in this narrative.  The pigs represent a change in the country in which Jesus was in.  He was no longer in no pork eating Israel.  He was in a Gentile place.  People in that country were so scared of the man, that the pigs on the hill country were more important than the life of the man who lived among the tombs.   When Legion asks to be sent into the swine and not the abyss, they are trying to tell us something.  The abyss from which they came, is a place where their power over the man came from They begged not to go back for fear of what awaited them should the Son of God send them there.  When Jesus finally commands them to go into the heard of swine that runs down the hill into the water to be drowned, it is not animal cruelty as some suggest.   It means that the life of the man who was tormented all those years was so important, that if it meant sacrificing the swine to make him well, that is what Jesus was willing to do.   It meant that that which had plagued the country at that time was cast out in shame and disgrace, and the man was set free.   Once again, Jesus is interested in the dignity of this tormented man.  Giving him the freedom of living as one redeemed by God was the most important thing He could do for him.  And, Jesus did it.

After Jesus frees the man, he wants to go with Jesus.  Jesus tells him and all of us to take care of what we have at home.  It might be nice to go off and see miracles, and hear great sermons.  But, what God has given us, that which is right in front of us, is what God wants us to pay attention to.  

What evils in our time do we settle for, because we want to hang onto other things that are least important?

How about our consistent inattention to the issue of mental illness in our time?

How about uncontrolled wealth at the expense of those who are poor?

How about male-privilege at the expense of the dignity of women, such as the anti-abortion bill passed by the US House this past week?   Yet, funding for job training, education, health care programs that benefit women, men and children are continually on the chopping block.  How is a woman who is economically challenged suppose to be able to support a child, when she can barely support herself?

How about the looming danger of student loans rates about to go higher than they already are, because some bankers want to make some money off those who already live in poverty?

How about companies polluting rivers, the Gulf of Mexico, the air and out atmosphere in the name of their billion dollar profits and CEO salaries, at the expense of the beauty of the earth and the sacredness of God's creation?

This past week, we have witnessed an incredible event.  Alan Chambers, the President of Exodus International, an ex-gay "ministry" is closing it's doors.   Chambers has issued a formal apology for how he and the organization have hurt so many people, many of them who unfortunately took their lives because of the misinformation of the organization.   He himself has been on an incredible journey by which he appears to be experiencing a great conversion within himself, and those who manage Exodus.   While he himself has not had a complete change of opinion about homosexuality, and is unclear about where he should stand on marriage equality at this point in time, he is at least willing to say that his opinions one way or the other, do not mean he has the right to control the laws of the country, or keep them out of houses of worship where they are affirmed and accepted.  In fact, he wants to see the Church become a more welcoming place for all.  Including those who understand differently than he does.   We have yet to see what becomes of all this, but, this beginning is a great sign of progress.  It is right that we celebrate it that way.

Could this be a sign of Jesus freeing us from a great evil in our time, so that souls who are still imprisoned in self-internalized  homophobia can begin to see that their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression are blessings from God?  Not barriers to living holy lives, or loving others with purity of heart. 

When Chambers read his apology to a group of ex-gay survivors, many of them told him of their concern about his continued use of language that hurts LGBT people.   You can watch the video here.

Our Gospel today, does not have a terribly happy ending.  Jesus is asked to leave that area, because the people there recognize who Jesus is, and what He can do.   As Jesus often comes to change us from the inside out, to make us a more inclusive Church and society, it is so easy to push Him out in those who are different from ourselves.   We make Jesus the new "other" that we must control, manipulate and oppress because of our personal biases.  Whatever we might want Jesus to do for us, the last thing we want because of our personal selfishness, is to allow Him to change us.

We are invited this Sunday to sit quietly with God in contemplative prayer, find our oneness in Jesus Christ, and to see Christ's work of mercy among us, as God's justice.   All of these have opportunities for us to allow the Holy Spirit to displace us a bit, so that we can grow closer to God, and reverence God's presence in others.  The hardest step to take is the first one.  It begins with our willingness to listen to God from within ourselves.  It continues by our viewing others from God's point of view and not just our own.  Spiritual and personal growth manifests God's presence as we are open to what God has to say to us, as we seek union with God in working for justice, equality and true peace for all people.

Amen.


Prayers

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


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).

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). 

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Bread and Word of Life: Not Violence or Prejudice

Today's Scripture Readings

Joshua 24:1-2a,14-18 (NRSV)

Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel:

"Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River, and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods; for it is the LORD our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God."

Psalm 34 (BCP, p. 628)


Ephesians 6:10-20 (NRSV)

Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

John 6:56-69 (NRSV)
 

Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever." He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum.

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?" But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, "Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe." For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, "For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father."

Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."

Blog Reflection

One of the joys of being a musician is the ability to read notes on a piece of music and turn them into a magnificent melody with the harmony.   To someone who does not read music, the notes and staffs, sharps and flats all look like ink blots on paper.  It takes a skilled musician to read the music and give it life so that it goes beyond just a beautiful piece played or sung.  It becomes a living medium that moves the heart and stirs the soul.

Over the past 20 years or so, Gregorian Chant has made a huge come back.  When the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo De Silos recorded their first Chant CD, they gave new life to something that was considered by many to be dead.   They breathed new life into the lives of many people, with those simple chanted melodies and phrases that moved people to cherish a tradition that is long removed from our own time.  Yet, somehow, it is all still with us.  It is because of the Bread of Life, that brings the words of everlasting life, to all who will take time to praise God in what ever time and situation we may find ourselves.

I do love the Holy Eucharist.  The day that I was finally convinced for myself that Jesus is really present in the consecrated Bread and Wine, was a moment of conversion for me.  I fell in love with the idea and practice of receiving Christ in Holy Communion and seeking God's grace to be nourished and strengthened by the Sacrament.  However, every day, I am challenged in my heart, mind and actions about how I make the real presence of Jesus real in my relationships with Jason and others.   That is why the Eucharist is so important to my own life.  Without it, I would not be able to keep my faith in Christ amidst the violence and prejudice I have experienced as a gay man, and/or as a gay man who is a Christian. 

In today's Gospel, Jesus again tells us that he is the bread of life.  He invites us to feast on himself so that God may abide in us, and we abide in God.   There are followers in his audience who just find this too much to take.   So they leave.  Jesus asks those who remain if they too want to leave.  Peter answers: "Lord, to whom can we go?  You have the words of eternal life."

What so many in our time are looking for, is for Christians to be an authentic example of the real presence of Christ. To give life and meaning to the Holy Communion we receive and the Word we listen to.  Unless Christians are ready and willing to surrender ourselves to the will of God, by accepting who we are, and agreeing to love others with openness and inclusiveness, Holy Communion is just a potluck supper, and the Word who is Jesus, is just another old world legend.   How can we call others to believe and love, what we ourselves do not practice in our daily lives?

Over these past two weeks we have seen the Christian Faith once again used as an excuse for violence and prejudice.  When an individual running for the US Senate suggests that when women are raped, their bodies are able to not get pregnant, and therefore laws should be made that affects a woman's ability to make the choice that is best for her, the Christian Faith becomes an offensive means of brutality.  When whole political parties, claiming to be following the Gospel are prepared to take health care away from seniors and the disabled because of the greed of Wall Street executives, the real presence of Christ in Holy Communion, becomes Sunday morning snack.  It was good to share it, but it really doesn't mean much.  When money and greed is more important than helping immigrants find a home where there is no racial profiling or degradation, the Gospel is just a story book, by which it's main character is dead.

Jesus, the Bread and Word of Life, calls us to authenticate the one whom we receive, by being who we are, the Body of Christ.  We are commanded by Jesus, to love one another as he loves us.   To give of ourselves, our time, resources and even sometimes just holding up in prayer, the marginalized and oppressed among us.   This means that we open ourselves to opposing harmful amendments that ban marriage equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.  The Bread and Word of Life, does not condone, nor bless the work of ex-gay ministries or therapies that attempt to change a persons sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, because of violence and prejudice towards LGBT and Questioning people.  Jesus, does not laugh when young women and men attending middle, high school or college are bullied because of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression.  Whether actual or perceived. 

When women, LGBT people, Muslims, Jews, Atheists, people of different races, cultures, classes and health are targeted and attacked socially and politically, Jesus weeps, because his message of salvation becomes moot and no longer lives and breaths among God's precious children.   No wonder people are losing interest.

The good news for us in 2012, is that Christians can still give meaning and authenticity to the message of the Gospel.  We can speak up on behalf of those stigmatized by radical religious and political groups.  We can act on the fact that voters are being suppressed all over the country with voter ID laws, by letting our governments know that we do not approve and we are prepared to do something to restore the right to vote. 

Jesus invites us to receive him in the Eucharist, and to remain with him, who has the words of eternal life, by seeking God at all times, and preferring nothing whatsoever to the love of Christ.  Hence, the two foundational pieces of the spirituality of St. Benedict.  We are asked today, to give life and meaning to our Baptismal Covenant, by working for peace and justice, and respecting the dignity of every human person, by standing up against violence and prejudice.  We can be people of radical hospitality and reconciliation, as we extend our hands in friendship and our hearts ready to receive and love others as Christ.

Let us all pray for one another to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit, and ask for her leadership so that we can receive and live the Bread and Word of Life.  

Lord, to whom can we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  May we be authentic examples of what we pray and receive in our lives.

Amen.


Prayers

Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Proper 16, Book of Common Prayer, p. 232).

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).

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).

Monday of the Third Week of Easter: Working for What Endures As Life-Giving

Today's Scripture Reading

John 6: 22-29 (NRSV)

The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’ Then they said to him, ‘What must we do to perform the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ 

Blog Reflection

I recently read a blog post in Good As You.  In the post there is a video of a Christianist minister suggesting that if the folks in North Carolina vote against a constitutional amendment banning marriage equality for LGBT people, that it is considered "treason in God's court."  My own response to such a statement draws me to Canticle number 10 on page 87 in The Book of Common Prayer, using Isaiah 55: 8. "For my thoughts are  not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways, says the Lord."  Then I am immediately drawn to vs. 9 that reads: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

In the Person of Jesus Christ we see an image of God that is not an angry psychopathic judge, but a merciful Savior.  God's ways that are so far above ours, are ways of inclusion and unconditional love instead of oppression and bias.  In the Paschal Mystery which we celebrate during this Easter Season, Jesus longs to give himself to us, so that we may work for what endures unto everlasting life in the here and now.  The eternal life promised to us by Jesus, comes by what we do with what God gives us to do today. 

All of us look for signs that God is authentic and believable.  We live in a world and time where things are proven to be true, by how quickly they transmit information or power.  Whether they are life-giving or not, matters very little.  If Christianists can keep LGBT people from gaining marriage equality, then they can continue to rake in billions of dollars in profits to keep the hate machines promoting the dying message of a mean and angry god, who is not only fake, but also a dishonest representation of the real and actual God.  Another form of idolatry, disguised as religious zeal.

In the Eucharist, God gives us the true and everlasting Bread of Life that is Jesus Christ.  Holy Communion is given to help us work for what endures in this life, for the hope of new and eternal life in the next.  What are examples of things that endure?   Justice for the oppressed and equality for those experiencing violence and discrimination.  Community where every person has the opportunity to become part of the human family, by participating in their chance to live life to the fullest with friends and family who love and cherish them.  The power of people coming together to help people who have been devastated by natural disasters and/or the economic hardships of these past few years.  All of these things and more can be the result of the Holy Eucharist, if we will allow the Real Presence of Christ to live through us.

As we work for that which endures, let us remember that Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection endures, as does the love of God.  Even when we are faced with violence, oppression or bias, the power and hope that comes from God's extravagant love, helps us all to work together for that which endures.  


Prayers

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, p. 224, 225).

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen.  (Prayer attributed to St. Francis, Book of Common Prayer, p. 833).

Third Sunday of Easter: The Risen Stranger in the Breaking of Bread

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 3:12-19 (NRSV)

When Peter saw the astonishment of those who had seen the lame man healed, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

"And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out."

Psalm 4 (BCP, p. 587)


1 John 3:1-7 (NRSV)

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Luke 24:36b-48 (NRSV)

While the disciples were telling how they had seen Jesus risen from the dead, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, "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."

Blog Reflection

Yesterday, I witnessed what I would describe as a series of Easter moments.

Jason and I are very active in our local Democratic Farmer Labor Party's activities.  We were delegates to the Congressional District Convention where we endorsed Rep. Keith Ellison to once again represent us in Congress.  Rep. Ellison is under attack from right wing extremists because he is a Muslim.  Individuals from all over our Congressional District know Keith to be an outstanding leader and person, because he puts the needs of the least among us before the eyes of those who write and debate our laws.

In the State of Minnesota, we are facing two major ballot initiatives. One that if passed will deny lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons the right and opportunity to marry the person we love.   The other, if passed would require all individuals to have a photo I.D. in order to vote.  This referendum will seriously hurt minorities, college students, the elderly and many others who might not be able to get a Government issued I.D, and there fore many people would not be able to participate in the election process.

During the Convention, we did walking sub-caucuses to select delegates to go to the Democratic National Convention to renominate Pres. Barack Obama for the 2012 elections.  The walking sub-caucuses gather delegates from among the Congressional District Convention into one group.  Once we have a total of 20 people in that sub-caucus we can get one delegate to send to the National Convention.  Well, the one group I was part of was called Obama: Vote No on the Constitutional Amendments.   When we finished our first walk into our sub-causes, the one I was in had a total of 65 delegates, which would give us 3 delegates to go to the National Convention.  One group called Obama: Minorities Against the Constitutional Amendments had only 18, which means they did not have enough people to be a viable sub-caucus to get one delegate.  So a second walk was done.  The majority of the Minorities Caucus, came over to join Obama: vote NO on the Constitutional Amendments, giving us a total of 82 delegates, which meant we now could select 4 delegates.   Among the reasons for selecting them was to go to the National Convention so that we can push to get marriage equality put on the national platform.

I felt a real jolt of Spiritual energy, almost like being a witness to the resurrection when I saw minority groups, LGBT and supporters come together to state that we all want equality for all of us as we work to support our leaders.  Jesus was recognized, even in a non-direct fashion, because diverse groups of people came together ito be part of change in our State and Nation. 

Today's Gospel comes after the story of Jesus walking and talking on the road to Emmaus with the Apostles in Luke 24: 13-35.  The disciples found themselves with a 'stranger' who came along to talk with them about what had happened.  Jesus spoke to them all of the things the Hebrew Scriptures had prophesied about what Jesus had experienced, yet they did not recognize him.  It was only when Jesus broke bread at their evening meal, that they recognized who had been with them.   In their excitement to tell the other disciples what happened, Jesus once again comes among them with the words; "Peace be with you."   He tells them one more time, of all the Scriptures referring to his crucifixion and resurrection.  Yet, it was when Jesus sat down and shared a meal with them, that they understood that it was the Risen Christ was in their company.

The title of this blog entry: "The Risen Stranger in the Breaking of Bread" sounds a bit weird doesn't it?   I actually planned it that way. 

All of us expect to see and experience the Risen Christ in someone who fits our understand as to what another person should be.  White, male, heterosexual and wealthy Christians have dominated the discussion about who Jesus Christ was for so long that we cannot possibly think of him coming among us as black/Latino/Asian/immigrant or Native American, female, homosexual/bisexual/transgender, poor, Jew/Muslim/Atheist.  We want the Risen Christ in our company so long as he comes in the image we have made of him.  We don't want to open up our tables to those who dress in those funny clothes that are not like ours.  We don't want to share our pew with someone who's behavior seems so different.  Share marriage with LGBT people, when it has always been only for heterosexual people?  Come on now, that just isn't how Caucasian, male, heterosexual, Christians know the Risen Christ.  We want that Pandoras' Box shut tight, with no way of opening it up.

The Risen Christ comes among us in the stranger, the poor, the immigrant, the LGBTQ person, the Native American, the physically/emotionally/behaviorally challenged and the woman.  Jesus Christ, crucified and now risen from the dead, comes to us in the many Bishops in the Church of England who are supporting marriage equality, while openly defying the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York.  As the Church opens it's doors and hearts to welcome those who are not quite like us, the Risen Christ comes to us in the broken bread that is the Eucharist.  The Body and Blood of Christ, broken, shed and shared with all humankind, finally becomes a living Sacrament when we welcome the Risen Stranger with hospitality and reconciliation.  

Notice that our Gospel narrative does not end with the meal.  Just like our service to Christ does not conclude with the final blessing in our worship.  Jesus tells his followers to be witnesses of all that God has done on our behalf.  We like them, know all that God has accomplished to bring about the hope of salvation.  Now, we have been given the commandment and opportunity by the Risen Christ, to be the people God has called to proclaim the message of redemption and the forgiveness of all our sins.  We are now part of that "new creation" (see 2 Corinthians 5: 17-18) and are given the ministry of reconciliation, in the Name of God who has reconciled and saved us.  We proclaim a message of inclusion and justice for all God's people, not just those who are considered privileged.   We also proclaim the establishment of God's reign here and now as we await the reign of God that is yet to come.

Let us all celebrate the glorious resurrection today, by welcoming the Risen Stranger in the breaking of bread.  "Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia" (1 Corinthians 5: 8, and BCP, p. 83).


Prayers

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his
disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith,
that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives  
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Third Sunday of Easter, Book of Common Prayer, p. 224, 225).


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).


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).

 

Friday in Easter Week: Pray and Work: A Benedictine Perspective of Easter

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 4: 1-12 (NRSV)

While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand.

The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is

`the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;

it has become the cornerstone.'

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."

Psalm 116: 1-8 (BCP, p. 759)


John 21:1-14 (NRSV)

After these things Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Blog Reflection

We have two images of Peter today.  In Acts he is the one who speaks on behalf of the other Apostles before the very council that had Pontius Pilate crucify Jesus.  In John we have Peter catching fish with the others, and Jesus telling them to put their nets over the side where they would catch fish.  Peter gets up, gets dressed, jumps in the sea towards the Risen Jesus.   Jesus sits down and has breakfast with them.

I think all of us can identify with both sides of Peter in our Lectionary today.  There are moments when we are prepared to boldly and confidently proclaim the Risen Christ before an unbelieving Church and society.   We also experience those times when we need to run to Jesus so that we can eat with him, and listen to what God's Word has to teach us.

The Paschal Mystery which we celebrated a week ago, and consequently every time we gather for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, reveals the power of the Crucified and Risen Christ whenever we take time to proclaim our Faith, or retreat to renew it.  

The Rule of St. Benedict stresses the idea of preferring nothing to the Opus Dei (Work of God).   Whether it is praying the Daily Office, participating in the Eucharist, in our daily work and lives spent in relationship to others, or personal prayer, we are to be consciously aware of God's presence at all times, and in all places.   This idea is how what we pray and read, becomes the way we live.  Our readings on this Friday in Easter Week speak to just that concept.  If we are going to be effective in living and sharing the Good News of the resurrection, we must spend some kind of time in prayer and personal reflection.  To the extent we spend time with the Risen Christ in prayer and contemplation, we will be able to be witnesses to the power of God in our daily lives.

As Christians who care about the marginalized in the Church and society, including LGBT people and many more that we could name, we need what can be gained through prayer spent with the Risen Christ so that our work can be rewarding and effective.   This Easter Week is such a powerful time.  It is one we should not miss, just because we are worn out by Holy Week.  Christ experienced the Cross and rose again from the dead so that all people, including those rejected by the Church and society could know the power of God for the hope of their salvation.  Salvation that takes place in this time, as we prepare for the eternal life yet to come.


Prayers

Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins
and to rise for our justification: Give us grace so to put away
the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always
serve you in pureness of living and truth; 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 Friday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, p. 224).

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).   

Wednesday in Easter Week: Know the Risen Christ in the Breaking of Bread

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 3:1-10 (NRSV)

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o'clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk." And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Psalm 118: 19-24 (BCP, p. 762)


Luke 24:13-35 (NRSV)

Now on that same day, the first day of the week, two of the disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Blog Reflection

The loneliness and despair seem so unbearable.  The pain is even more excruciating.  The grief from loss appears inescapable.  That is, until someone, a dear friend comes along and shares in our sorrow.

The scene painted for us in the words of our Gospel for today appears as if the Risen Christ did just that for the disciples.  They were so disappointed and grieving.  The Messiah they had hoped would be the mighty warrior to redeem Israel from the tyranny of the Roman Empire had been Crucified.  Just like the stranger who just came to town, Jesus comes, to ask them about what they are talking about.  Yet, the disciples do not recognize Jesus.  In fact, they see him as the one fool in town who doesn't seem to know what had happened.  Jesus tells them word for word the Scriptures that refer to what had happened, and still they did not recognize him.  It was not until Jesus sat down with them and broke bread that they realized who he was.  Just when the light came on for these weak and faithless men, Jesus vanishes.

The Risen Christ is so often right within our grasp, that we could literally touch and sense him.  Jesus often comes to us in the brokenness of an LGBT youth who is being bullied in her/his school.   The Risen Christ is in that person in front of us at the grocery counter, who is counting pennies and calling the cashier on any item that was not processed properly by the scanner.  Jesus Christ, crucified and alive again is walking around in our neighborhoods in the lonely, the depressed, the poor and the forgotten.   Yet, do we recognize Jesus there?

When the Bread that is the Eucharist, the Presence of the Risen Jesus in His Body and Blood, is broken and shared, we receive him.  More importantly, His Presence is to be come real in the lives of all who consider ourselves to be part of the Body of Christ.   Even though we do not see him, physically, Christ is present there nourishing us and calling us to love one another as we have been loved.

Jesus comes to be with us in our moments of sorrow, loneliness and pain, if we will allow God to be present with us in those moments.  Sometimes God comes to us through another person.  A friend, a spouse, a minister, a counselor, or just a kind person.  Other times, the Risen Christ comes to us by the grace of the Holy Spirit, to console us in our moments of disbelief and anger. To call upon us to trust in God and believe that somehow there is peace and hope, even when all seems hopeless.   God may be calling us to die to ourselves in some way, shape or form. But, God is also telling us that there is resurrection on the other side.  If God raised up the only, Begotten Son who's acts of redemption benefit all God's people, God will certainly help us to experience Easter Day, whenever we give ourselves up to God's will with trust in the mercy and love of God.


Prayers

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his
disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith,
that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Wednesday in Easter Week, Book of Common Prayer, p. 223).


Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of
everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the
day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death
of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Easter Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 222).

 

Easter Day: The Tomb is Empty, Are We A Living Sign of The Resurrection?

Today's Scripture Readings


Acts 10:34-43

Peter began to speak to the gentiles: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24 (BCP., p. 760)


1 Corinthians 15:1-11 (NRSV)

I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

John 20:1-18 (NRSV)

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Blog Reflection

Alleluia. Christ is Risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

The Alleluia's ring out of our churches, our hearts and voices.  The organist plays the most majestic and triumphant of hymns on this the highest feast of the Church year.  The choirs sing anthems of the glorious news of our redemption. Lent is over.  Christ has broken free of the bonds of death and won for us new and eternal life through His Holy Name.

Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving as we praise our God who this day has shown that life is more powerful than death.  Love wins the ultimate victory over hate.  The dead now have a face and a name, as Christ has given new life to all who have died and gone before us.  As Christians, this is our passover feast, and Christ has been sacrificed for us.  Christ has risen in glory and majesty.

The tomb today, is empty.  Our human minds and eyes cannot fathom what happened on that first Easter Day.  We cannot prove that the resurrection even happened by the Gospel narrative alone.  The Scriptures by themselves are powerful, and full of truth.  But, they are limited in the sense that they tell a story that is removed from us in the 21st Century of technology, scientific breakthroughs and the development of theology and thought.  We were not there physically.  We did not see Jesus wake from death, and walk out of the tomb.  We too can be like those during the time when these events took place, who wanted to keep the news of this Easter Day quiet, because others might think they were a bit crazy or weird.  Because we are human, we need the gift of Faith as well as something physical that we can handle, hold and remember because we touched the very heart of the Risen Christ.

Our Baptism, as well as Holy Communion are tangible ways to be connected to that grace that helps our faith grasp the possibility of new life beyond death.  What we cannot see through our own physical eyes, we can see through faith only.  This was a common theme of St. Thomas Aquinas.  How interesting it is that one week from today, we will recall St. Thomas the Apostle's struggle to believe in the news of the Risen Lord, unless he personally touched the nail prints in His hands and feet.

But, for the time being we have the testimony of a courageous woman, Mary Magdalene.  She sought to do Jesus' dead body a compassionate and loving deed.  In her quest to find the dead body of Christ, she instead finds an empty tomb.  A man asked Mary why she was weeping.  Mary thought it was a gardener.   Suddenly her name is called, "Mary."  She looks up and sees the Risen Jesus before her eyes.  Her faith and hope have been rewarded by seeing Christ risen from the dead right before her tearful eyes.

The Rev. Canon Frank Logue writes about the significance of the meeting between Jesus and Mary Magdalene in the garden.

The Book of Genesis tells us, “The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he placed the man he had created.”

And John’s gospel tells us that on the night before he died, Jesus told his disciples, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.” He said this in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before his arrest. Then in John 19 we are told, “The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before.”

This is a second garden, one that, theologically, takes the place of Eden. For in John 12, Jesus had said, “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit,” and it is Jesus’ earthly life, his mortal remains, which are laid to rest in this garden. Jesus dies and is resurrected, and so bears much fruit in defeating death itself.
With this in mind, look again at what our gospel reading reveals. Jesus’ whole life and ministry were part of a project undertaken by God to help humanity find its way back into the Garden of Eden. Jesus’ death and resurrection are the final stages in his defeat of death itself. The second person of the Trinity willingly offered his life for the sins of the world. Now through faith in Jesus, all can regain their original innocence and make their way back into the Kingdom of God, back into the garden. And now at the culmination of this long project, working its way through all human history, Mary Magdalene sees Jesus as the gardener. And in this, she is the most right.

Jesus was not simply a teacher. He didn’t come to teach lessons to prepare you for a test. Jesus came to work the soil in his father’s garden, to help spark spiritual growth in the depths of your soul.

If you leave this Easter and think Jesus was simply a great teacher, then you will have missed the point of this great feast day of the Church. For on this day we gather not to remember something Jesus taught. We are gathered today to remember that God raised Jesus from the dead as the first fruits of a new creation, a new garden.

Part of that new creation that Canon Logue writes about, includes a new look at others around us. Christians become living signs of the resurrection whenever we leave our pews and churches on this Easter Day, and seek out those who are marginalized by the Church and society.  The new life we experience in the resurrection today, should inspire us to know that all of us are loved exactly as we are, and that who we are is a child of God among others in this world.  The Church joins with voices of praise and jubilation all over the globe, in heaven and on earth to celebrate God's redemption of our souls.

Each individual person regardless of race, culture, gender, gender identity/expression, sexual orientation, religion, challenge, health, wealth, language, their employment, immigration status and personal behavior etc., is someone that God gave the Son of God on the Cross and rose from the dead to redeem for the hope of eternal life.  If we walk from this Easter Day and target our Muslim or Jewish sisters and brothers because they do not celebrate these mysteries with us, we dishonor God's work of salvation in our own lives.  Any Christian who labels an individual who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or queer who like myself, believes that God blesses the love I share with my partner, as someone destined for hell and judgement, is ridiculing the death and resurrection of Christ.

If we want to be living signs of the salvation Christ won for us, then we must leave the empty tomb with the risen Christ in our hearts through faith, and by the power of the Holy Spirit declare God's unconditional and all-inclusive love as without exception.  We must be a voice united under the banner of Christ Risen, that all injustice, oppression and bigotry done in the Name of Jesus, represents a dead faith and an Easter Story that never actually happened.  The story in the Scriptures in such an instance, is nothing more than a fable of a time that no longer exists.

All of us are God's Easter People.  We have been saved by the blood of the Lamb, and we celebrate together the hope we all have because of Jesus Christ, Risen from the dead.  May our Alleluia's sung, become our energy to be God's instruments of holiness and transformation for the Church and society.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Prayers 

O God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten
Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection
delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die
daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of
his resurrection; 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 Easter Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 222).


Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of
everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the
day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death
of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Easter Day, Book of Common Prayer, p. 222).


O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of
the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this
day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week
to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for Sundays, Book of Common Prayer, p. 96).


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).