3rd Day of Christmas: St. John the Apostle and Evangelist of The Word

Today's Scripture Readings

Exodus 33:18-23 (NRSV)

Moses said to God, "Show me your glory, I pray." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, `The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."

Psalm 92 (BCP., p. 720)


1 John 1:1-9 (NRSV)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John 21:19b-24 (NRSV)

Jesus said to Peter, "Follow me."

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"

This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.

Blog Reflection

St. John is my favorite of the Apostles and Evangelists.  I have a special affection for St. John.  Christmas just would not be what it is for me personally, without the words of the Prologue of St. John's Gospel chapter 1:1-14.  The first letter of John later in the New Testament is not only eloquent in its form and content, but it's message about the importance of loving God and our neighbor is so very clear. 

St. John's message of The Word and love, while they hold that special attraction for me; they are also the most challenging.  I love to write the words "Love one another as I have loved you", but, when it comes to doing what they mean I am as much a hypocrite as anyone else is.  If I am a hypocrite in any way with these words, it is because of my greatest personal and spiritual challenge.  I often have very high expectations of myself.  When I am not able to meet those high expectations, I become even more self-centered.  Instead of loving another as Christ has loved me, I end up staying even more focused on myself than as I was before .  Thomas Merton in his book The Rule of St. Benedict: Initiation into the Monastic Tradition 4 tells me that in so doing I indulge my "false-sense of self."

In the Prologue to The Rule of St. Benedict, he writes, "the Lord waits for us daily to translate into action, as we should, his holy teachings.  Therefore our life span has been lengthened by way of a truce, that we may amend our misdeeds.  As the Apostle says: do you not know that the patience of God is leading you to repent (Rom 2:4)?  And indeed the Lord assures us in his love: I do not wish the death of the sinner, but that he turn back to me and live (Ezek 33:11).  (RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in English, p.18).

How can I or anyone for that matter "translate into action, his holy teaching"?  

On this Feast of St. John the Apostle and the Evangelist, St. Augustine of Hippo gives to me (and may be you too) some kind of answer.

"Now this Word, whose flesh was so real that he could be touched by human hands, began to be flesh in the Virgin Mary's womb; but he did not begin to exist at that moment.  We know this from what John says: What existed from the beginning.  Notice how John's letter bears witness to his Gospel, which you just heard a moment ago: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.

Someone might interpret the phrase the Word of life to mean a word about Christ, rather than Christ's body itself which was touched by human hands.  But consider what comes next: and life itself was revealed.  Christ therefore is himself the Word of life" (The Liturgy of the Hours, Volume 1, Advent and Christmas Seasons, p. 1267).

In this Christmas Season as we begin returning to the real world, we are confronted with the reality of life.  There is darkness, discrimination, oppression, violence, neglect of the sick, poor and more.  We are equally confronted with our own human limitations that help us to rely more on God and less on ourselves.  We are once again brought to the reality that we are all social beings, and therefore being part of a community that embraces us as we are is essential for our salvation.

Jesus, The Word made Flesh and the call to love others by St. John is our alarming wake up call and purpose for "beginning again."

Amen.


Prayers

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light,
that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and
evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that
at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Collect for St. John.  The Book of Common Prayer, p.238).

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

Third Day of Christmas: St. John the Evangelist and Apostle

Today's Scripture Readings

Exodus 33:18-23 (NRSV)

Moses said to God, "Show me your glory, I pray." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, `The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."

Psalm 92 (BCP., 720)


1 John 1:1-9 (NRSV)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John 21:19b-24 (NRSV)

Jesus said to Peter, "Follow me."

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"

This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.

Blog Reflection

From the tractates on the first letter of John by Saint Augustine.

Now this Word, whose flesh was so real that he could be touched by human hands, began to be flesh in the Virgin Mary's womb; but he did not begin to exist at that moment.  We know this from what John says: What existed from the beginning.  Notice how John's letter bears witness to his Gospel, which you just heard a moment ago: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.

Someone might interpret the phrase the Word of life to mean a word about Christ, rather than Christ's body itself which was touched by human hands.  But consider what comes next: and life was revealed. Christ therefore is himself the Word of life. (Liturgy of the Hours, Volume I, Advent Season, Christmas Season, p. 1267).

John and Augustine give us a very special picture of Jesus.  Jesus is not just someone who existed in history.  Jesus is so much more than a story told.  Jesus is God made visible and tangible to humankind in the Word made Flesh.  That tangibility requires faith to be guided to seeing and touching Christ in the various ways by which Jesus is made known.

John knows that what he proclaims about Christ is and was from the beginning, and even now exists, and will forever be.  This much we pray every time we pray Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.   It is more than a prayer of Faith as in what we believe, it is by this prayer that the Psalms and Canticles become the prayers of Christ himself. 

All of this may seem like theological stuff, but it is in fact more than that.  St. John the Evangelist wrote in both the Gospel attributed to him, and the three letters also said to be from him, the important place of love within the Christian life.  The Love for Christ, from Christ to us, and from us to Christ in others.   St. John makes it very clear that the worship of God in Christ finds it's meaning and tangibility when love is the reason and purpose of all we do, in the Name of Christ.

We can spend all of our time talking about restoring the world to a place of justice, equality with freedom from oppression and prejudice.  But, until we see that it is for the love of Christ that Christians must take their place and work towards these, the work of the Gospel will remain unfinished.  The Nativity of Christ of which we are still celebrating is just a really fancy bed time story.  It really is only meant for one time of the year.  As for the rest of the year, we are all on our own.  We left Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds etc at the manger in Bethlehem, but forgot to join Jesus as he walked with the Cross weighing him down and draining him of all life, because it just made us too uncomfortable.

St. John the Evangelist wrote about how real God was to him.   Today, Jesus invites all of us to make God real in our lives.   We are given the opportunity to make God tangible through Christ by our prayers and work to help the marginalized of society and the Church, including and not limited to LGBT people.   We include ending racism, sexism, the constant ignorance of the poor, the disenfranchised, the sick and so on.   As Christ was born amidst the mess of humankind, so God finds all of us and walks with us through our confusion and disarray.  God reaches out to touch us, so that we too can proclaim what we have seen and heard.

What ways might God be calling us to make the presence of Christ tangible?

If there were one thing you could do that shows God being authentic in your life, what would that be?

How might we respond to that tangible presence of Christ in those places and people where God is not so simple to find?

Let's take one idea from St. John the Evangelist.   Let love be one of those ways.

Amen


Prayers

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light,
that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and
evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that
at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Collect for St. John the Evangelist, Book of Common Prayer, p. 238).


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

Third Day of Christmas: St. John the Evangelist

Today's Scripture Readings

Exodus 33:18-23 (NRSV)

Moses said to God, "Show me your glory, I pray." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, `The LORD'; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live." And the LORD continued, "See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen."

Psalm 92 (BCP., 720)


1 John 1:1-9 (NRSV)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John 21:19b-24 (NRSV)

Jesus said to Peter, "Follow me."

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"

This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.

Blog Reflection

From the tractates  on the first letter of John by Saint Augustine.

Now this Word, whose flesh was so real that he could be touched by human hands, began to be flesh in the Virgin Mary's womb; but he did not begin to exist at that moment.  We know this from what John says: What existed from the beginning.  Notice how John's letter bears witness to his Gospel, which you just heard a moment ago: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.

Someone might interpret the phrase the Word of life to mean a word about Christ, rather than Christ's body itself which was touched by human hands.  But consider what comes next: and life was revealed. Christ therefore is himself the Word of life. (Liturgy of the Hours, Volume I, Advent Season, Christmas Season, p. 1267).

John and Augustine give us a very special picture of Jesus.  Jesus is not just someone who existed in history.  Jesus is so much more than a story told.  Jesus is God made visible and tangible to humankind in the Word made Flesh.  That tangibility requires faith to be guided to seeing and touching Christ in the various ways by which Jesus is made known.

John knows that what he proclaims about Christ is and was from the beginning, and even now exists, and will forever be.  This much we pray every time we pray Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.   It is more than a prayer of Faith as in what we believe, it is by this prayer that the Psalms and Canticles become the prayers of Christ himself. 

All of this may seem like theological stuff, but it is in fact more than that.  St. John the Evangelist wrote in both the Gospel attributed to him, and the three letters also said to be from him, the important place of love within the Christian life.  The Love for Christ, from Christ to us, and from us to Christ in others.   St. John makes it very clear that the worship of God in Christ finds it's meaning and tangibility when love is the reason and purpose of all we do, in the Name of Christ.

We can spend all of our time talking about restoring the world to a place of justice, equality with freedom from oppression and prejudice.  But, until we see that it is for the love of Christ that Christians must take their place and work towards these, the work of the Gospel will remain unfinished.  The Nativity of Christ of which we are still celebrating is just a really fancy bed time story.  It really is only meant for one time of the year.  As for the rest of the year, we are all on our own.  We left Jesus, Mary, Joseph, the Shepherds etc at the manger in Bethlehem, but forgot to join Jesus as he walked with the Cross weighing him down and draining him of all life, because it just made us too uncomfortable.

St. John the Evangelist wrote about how real God was to him.   Today, Jesus invites all of us to make God real in our lives.   We are given the opportunity to make God tangible through Christ by our prayers and work to help the marginalized of society and the Church, including and not limited to LGBT people.   We include ending racism, sexism, the constant ignorance of the poor, the disenfranchised, the sick and so on.   As Christ was born amidst the mess of humankind, so God finds all of us and walks with us through our confusion and disarray.  God reaches out to touch us, so that we too can proclaim what we have seen and heard.

What ways might God be calling us to make the presence of Christ tangible?

If there were one thing you could do that shows God being authentic in your life, what would that be?

How might we respond to that tangible presence of Christ in those places and people where God is not so simple to find?

Let's take one idea from St. John the Evangelist.   Let love be one of those ways.

Amen


Prayers

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light,
that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and
evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that
at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (Collect for St. John the Evangelist, Book of Common Prayer, p. 238).


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

Twelfth Day of Christmas: Love in Truth and Action

Today's Scripture Readings

1 John 3: 11-18 (NRSV)

For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We must not be like Cain who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action

John 1: 43-51 (NRSV)

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‘We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.’ Nathanael said to him, ‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ Philip said to him, ‘Come and see.’ When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!’ Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’ Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ Jesus answered, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.’ And he said to him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.’ 

Blog Reflection

On this last day of the Christmas Season in our Liturgical calendar the Lectionary brings us to the purpose of God coming to us in the Incarnate Word.  Jesus Christ came to help heal those broken relationships by commanding us to loving one another and encouraging one another to believe and act on our Faith.

As I stated on December 27th the Holy Day and Commemoration of my Oblate name sake John; I find his writings to be oh so full of things to chew on.   There is both depth and simplicity.  The Gospel and the three letters according to John the Apostle and Evangelist ask us to think about who Jesus was and how we should respond to God's gift of God's perfect revelation.

Christians have positively and negatively responded to the Biblical writings attributed to John.  The unmistakable proclamation of what Christians are to believe and think with regards to Jesus Christ have also led to some of the worst religious discrimination and spiritual violence.  What is central to Christians by the Gospel and writings according to John, have also become the unfortunate weapons of choice when Christians decide to act contrary to the heart of our Lord and Savior.  

John reminds us to learn to see every person that we encounter as our brother and sister.  Those who translated what they understood John to say were dealing with the backlash of the Jewish religion and their people who were protesting and rejecting the newly forming Christian Church.  In response to that backlash came the unfortunate and inappropriate use of religious exceptionalism that Christians were claiming made them resort to a great deal of anti Semitism that suggested that if Jews did not supercede into Christianity they were not able to gain salvation.  

As I read 1 John 3: 11-18 I hear a real plea to not become a people who murder our neighbors because of our evil deeds.  I would include that our attitudes which can breed violence in our hearts and minds towards others who are different than ourselves are also from the evil one.  John encourages us to love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.

As soon as I read that, I am immediately reminded of what we call "Minnesota nice."  People are often quite "nice" in their words and speech to your face, but the truth of that all too often comes out in the action of complaining behind one's back to someone else. 

Additionally, I remember the phrase: "We do not hate homosexuals, but we do not think they should have their equal rights either."  These words and speeches have often been given by Christianist groups working against marriage equality for LGBT people during and after they have succeeded.  Their actions during the campaign have been extremely violent. The cruel rhetoric about LGBT people in the attack ads that breed fear about the "dangers of same-sex marriage to children and the sanctity of marriage" are not only damaging, but completely false.   It is pretty hard for the LGBT communities to believe some anti-equality hate group saying that they "love us" while using false information to create more fear and violence around a people who are already marginalized by the Church and society.   It does appear to be "kicking the sick and wounded, when they are already vomiting and bleeding." 

In the Gospel we see Philip the Apostle questioning if there can be anything good to come from Nazareth.  Philip obviously has a stereotype attached to those who come from Nazareth.  Jesus does not qualify his question with a "well of course there is".   Jesus invites the skeptic Philip to "come and see" for himself    He invites those he encounters to do more than just pay attention to only what they know and/or see, but to come and witness the great things God can do beyond their limited ideas and understandings.

The Incarnate Word invites us on this last day of Christmas to venture forth with him to see God's revelation (manifestation, Epiphany) through Jesus Christ.  We will learn that God's love for all  humanity in Christ is not just for a selected few, but for all who wish to find salvation through the unconditional and all inclusive love and grace of God.  Everyone who knows marginalization and separation are invited to find God through the means that they find best to approach this mystery.

Christians will not make God's revelation of Christ known if we do not learn that our differences are not barriers to God's interaction with all human kind. Christianists with prejudice in their hearts place those barriers there. God's prejudices are not their prejudices.  The ignorance about people different from ourselves that gives life to fear, which tends to lead society towards violence and often death is not ordained by God, nor is it God's will.  Those who claim to be protecting what is God's by using political maneuvering to get people who do not share their opinions out of the way; such as those planning the meeting in Texas to decide which Christianist should be promoted to the Presidency and which should not be; is hardly a move that shows the love of God towards others in truth and action.   

When Christians learn and act by showing the most radical hospitality and reconciliation towards all people, reverencing Christ's presence in everyone, then God is truly revealing God's Self to others through us.   St. Benedict begins chapter 53: The Reception of Guests with: All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt 25: 35).

May this truly be part of our prayer and work to heal broken relationships in 2012.


Prayers

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully
restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may
share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share
our humanity, you Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns
with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Second Sunday after Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, page 214).

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, page 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, page 816).

 
 

Third Day of Christmas: St. John the Evangelist and Apostle: The Incarnate Word is About God's Inclusive Love

Today's Scripture Readings

1 John 1:1-9 (NRSV)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John 21:19b-24 (NRSV)

Jesus said to Peter, "Follow me."

Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, "Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!" So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"
This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.

Blog Reflection

Today is the commemoration of St. John the Evangelist and Apostle.  St. John is my name sake as an Oblate of St. Benedict.

I chose the name because of my love for the Gospel named after John, as well as the three letters attributed to John in the New Testament.  The celebration of Christmas is just not complete for me without hearing the wonderful first chapter of John's Gospel about the Word becoming flesh, full of grace and truth.  John dedicates a majority of his first letter to God's love and the love we should have for each other to show that we are in relationship to God.  One of the most important parts of St. Benedict's Rule is to prefer nothing whatsoever to the love of Christ.

Lest we think that John is all mushy with love and sentiment, Jesus often nicknamed John and his brother James "Boanerges," which means, "sons of thunder" (See HWHM, page 140).  John was among the most arrogant for seeking to be seated on one side of Jesus with his brother James on the left.  It was John and his brother who had to be told that being a leader in God's reign was a matter of service to others.

Throughout John's Gospel, there is never a mention of John's name.  Whenever a reference could be made to John in the Gospel it is often always said as "the disciple whom Jesus loved."  There are many interpretations as to what that means.

One reference suggests that Jesus and John had a love affair. Why is that so horrible to think about?  God's Son was a human being with the ability to be in love with someone.  It is very possible that could be true.  Could that be what John was talking about in his first letter used today?  What John and the other apostles saw, touched and heard was nothing more than the very love of God through Jesus expressed in such an experience so awesome and beautiful, that they can only talk about it to people who just cannot believe it.

The other idea which has equal merit for being true is that "the disciple whom Jesus loved" means all of those who love and follow Jesus.  Given John's other remarks about God's love in his first letter, I could believe that too.

Forward Day by Day's reflection for today says:

The apostle John wrote these words not long after the crucifixion. We can hear the note of panic, frustration, and disbelief in his letter. He was there, he saw it all unfold, the coming of the Messiah and the redemption of the world. How can anyone question? How can anyone doubt?

Yet, already in John’s time, the Gnostics were challenging the divinity of Christ, and other divisions and dissent threatened to dissolve the young church.

For many of us, this Tuesday is our first or second day back at work after Christmas. The commute, the keyboard, the tasks put aside before the holiday now look stale and burdensome. Perhaps for us, too, the sense of wonder we found in the Nativity is already starting to erode. But we can listen to John. He saw, he heard, he touched, he wrote. He wrote to bring joy to the hearts of his readers. May our joy, indeed, be ­complete. Christ is born. Alleluia!

It is easy to put the blame on Gnostics for challenging the divinity of Christ.  Except that Christians do a really good job of challenging Christ's divinity through our refusal to love inclusively and with a sense of compassion towards those who are different than ourselves.   

St. John challenges me to look at my own arrogance and need to learn to love others who don't quite match up to my standards.  John may make my heart dance with his words and make me feel all warm inside, but if I am honest with myself, I am more challenged by his exhortation to love others to authenticate my wish to be a true disciple of Jesus.

The Church and society need to be infused with that love that heals broken relationships.  The love that came down on Christmas through one so innocent and so in need of help; though Jesus was the Word through whom everything in the world that was made, was made.  Jesus came to us as one who needed to be taught how to love in his own humanity; while being able to love unselfishly and completely in his divinity.  So the Church by virtue of our relationship with the Divine God; needs to continue to learn through the humanity of God's perfect revelation to love and heal broken relationships.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer (LGBTQ) people come with a natural desire to love and be loved for who we are.  Yet, because our sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression challenge heterosexism; that idea that says that heterosexuals benefit at the expense of those who are not; we remain among the marginalized in the Church and society.  Even in the Episcopal Church, there are still clergy, Bishops and lay people that still look at LGBT Bishops, Priests and Deacons with a skeptical mind along with those questions about why is the Church becoming inclusive to us.

Today's Gospel appears to give us a look at something that can be easily missed.  John is reclining on Jesus.  Cuddling with each other, is Jesus and John at the table where Jesus is about to confront his betrayer.  Jesus tells Judas to do what he intends to do.  In the midst of this loving moment there is romantic and life giving love that is so tender. At the same time the love that sacrifices even to one who is about to betray Jesus is visible and real.  

The Church celebrates this feast of St. John as a reminder that the link between Christmas and the Cross is forever connected. God's love in Christ is tender, innocent and holy, because it also sacrifices and experiences the excruciating pain for all of the sins of humankind. God's love never withdraws itself, even in the face of injustice and prejudice. Even when betrayal and when life just does not make sense.  In the love of Jesus our sins are forgiven. Our broken relationships can be healed through the Incarnate, Crucified and Risen Christ.

We are challenged by St. John to know that the Incarnate Word is about God's inclusive love.  That includes you and me.

Prayers

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light,
that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and
evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that
at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, Book of Common Prayer, 238).

Almighty God, you have poured upon us the new light of
your incarnate Word: Grant that this light, enkindled in our
hearts, may shine forth in our lives; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (First Sunday after Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, page 213).

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have
done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole
creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life,
and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for
the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best
efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy
and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures
that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the
truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast
obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying,
through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life
again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and
make him known; and through him, at all times and in all
places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen. (A General Thanksgiving, Book of Common Prayer, page 836). 

St. John the Apostle and Evangelist: The Saint of God's Revelation, The One Whom Jesus Loved

1 John 1:1-9 (NRSV)

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

James Kiefer writes about St. John the Apostle and Evangelist:

John, son of Zebedee, was one of the twelve apostles of Our Lord. Together with his brother James and with Simon Peter, he formed a kind of inner circle of Three among the Twelve, in that those three were privileged to behold the miracle of the Great Catch of Fish (Luke 5:10), the healing of Peter's mother-in-law (Mark 1:29-31), the raising of the daughter of Jairus (Mark 5:37 = Luke 8:51), the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1 = Mark 9:2 = Luke 9:28), and the Agony in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37 = Mark 14:33).

He expressed a willingness to undergo martyrdom (Matthew 20:22 = Mark 10:39)—as did the other apostles (Matthew 26:35 = Mark 14:31)—and is accordingly called a martyr in intention.

However, we have ancient testimony that, although imprisoned and exiled for his testimony to the Gospel, he was eventually released and died a natural death in Ephesus: "a martyr in will but not in deed."

John is credited with the authorship of three epistles (1 John, 2 John, 3 John) and one Gospel, although many scholars believe that the final editing of the Gospel was done by others shortly after his death. He is also supposed by many to be the author of the book of Revelation, also called the Apocalypse, although this identification is less certain.

Today's meditation in Forward Day by Day offers additional insight into John.

Exodus 33:18-23. I will make all my goodness pass ­before you, and will proclaim before you the name, “The Lord.”

The author of Exodus prefaces this speech by explaining “the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” Our lectionary sets John’s close relationship with Jesus in the context of Moses’ relationship to God. In the wilderness, when Moses is weary of the weight of leadership, God refreshes him with an intimate vision of God’s very self. Moses, not famous for his unquestioning obedience, needs the reminder of God’s goodness.

John inherits this pattern of relationship with the Lord. John brings all that he is, his whole person, to Jesus, and Jesus receives him. If the other disciples were disturbed by John’s “thunderous” personality, by his questions of Jesus, Jesus himself seems to have known what John needed. Clearly Jesus made his own goodness pass before John.

Like Moses and John, we are meant to bring all that we are to God and to talk face to face. Nothing less will satisfy. (1996)

When I made Oblation as an Oblate of St. Benedict, I chose St. John as my Oblate name.  I chose the name for a few reasons.   Of all the Gospel writers John reflects a depth of knowledge and spirit.  St. John also represents for me the one Apostle who seemed to walk to the beat of a different drummer.   Of all the Epistles in the New Testament, the Apostle wrote more about the topic of love than probably any other author.  John clearly makes the love of God and neighbor a central theme to his understanding of being a follower of Christ.  Some of the best writings and the most difficult are found in St. John's Gospel.  

In my own humble opinion, St. John the Apostle shows through his work as an Evangelist and an Apostle that the love of God for all humankind transcends human labels and classification.  One of the beliefs that is quite central to Christians is that God is both transcendent and imminent.   God is beyond human description and understanding, yet God is closer to us than the smallest cell of our body.  St. John represents to me an individual who's heart was made vulnerable to God in Jesus, and yet he was willing to risk having his heart broken to get closer and closer to God in not only Jesus, but in others who also needed God.  It was John who stood by Mary as Jesus hung dying on the cross.  

As we celebrate this Christmas Season, what is our focus on St. John about?  We read in the Epistle reading that John writes about what he and others have seen and heard, that Jesus came as the Light to deliver us from darkness.  We are encouraged to come to Jesus and receive the forgiveness of our sins through God's perfect revelation of God's Self in Christ.  In today's commemoration we are remembering that Jesus' birth happened so that he could go from his cradle to the cross on which Jesus would redeem all humankind through his suffering and death.  On the cross is the culmination and meaning of all human suffering, when suffering becomes redemption in and through God's human vesture on the cross.  All suffering no matter how little or how great is valuable to God in the sense that God can use suffering to transform ourselves and the world around us.  God is not a sadistic God in the sense that he wants us to suffer pain and anguish. But we know that within our human experience there is much suffering.  At the cross, God demonstrates how God is present in and with all of us who suffer any grief or trouble.   God's love is ever present and communicating with us and with the world through human suffering in ways that we do not understand.

In Jesus, God came to us in the midst of all of our grief, mess and trouble to help us know that we do not walk through the darkness of this world without the Light of Jesus Christ to help guide us through.  When John writes about himself in his Gospel, he refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved."  All of God's children are among the disciples whom Jesus loved.  When John writes of "the disciple whom Jesus loved" John is writing about all of us.  God's compassion and grace is given and shared with all humankind through the Person of Christ who's birth we celebrate.  St. John the Apostle and Evangelist makes this love for humankind from God the center of his life and ministry through his Epistles.  St. John makes it ever more clear that those who claim to follow Jesus must be willing to make some kind of investment in loving our sisters and brothers if our discipleship with Christ is to be authentic.

1 John 4:7-21(NRSV)

God Is Love

7Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
13
By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world. ¹⁵God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. ¹⁶So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. ¹⁷Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. ¹⁹We love^* because he first loved us. ²⁰Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters,^* are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister^* whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. ²¹The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters^* also. 

It is for the reasons stated in these Bible passages that I repeatedly write about the full inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer (LGBTQ) individuals in the Church and in society here in this blog.  The message of Jesus is one of unconditional and all-inclusive love.  The hate that is so often pitted against LGBTQ people on behalf of arch-conservative Christians of all kinds is not as much based on the Bible, as it is on capital gains.  See an excellent article in America Blog Gay here that is such a great example of what I am writing about.  The hateful rhetoric of organizations like the American Family Association continues in the wake of the historic repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.  While the focus of LGBTQ people is on equal rights and the opportunity to serve our country openly, the focus of groups like the American Family Association is focused on the issue of homosexuality.   They are insistent on continuing to "bear false witness" (See Exodus 20: 16) about gay sexuality for the express purpose of continuing to criminalize LGBTQ individuals.  Not because it is the right thing to do, but because it earns their organizations money and political power.  Tomorrow we will recall the slaughter of the Holy Innocents.  That is exactly what happens when people are so concerned about political power before justice, inclusion and equality.  That is the kind of thing God came to us in Christ to call us to repentance and redemption from.  It is that kind of thing that concerned progressive Christians have every business speaking and writing about stopping.  That is why we celebrate the mysteries of God coming to us in Christ.  Because in Christ those dominant, conquering forces are overthrown not by violence and more prejudice.  But, by love, acceptance and inclusion.   This is why I think St. John the Evangelist is so important.

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light, that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Collect for St. John the Apostle and Evangelist, Book of Common Prayer, page 238).

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, page 815).

 

St. John the Apostle and Evangelist: The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved

As someone who is still quite new to the Episcopal Church I learned only this morning that today's Feast of the Holy Innocents was moved to tomorrow, because yesterday's remembrance of St. John was moved to today.

When I made my promises as an Oblate of St. Benedict I took the name of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist. I took that name for many reasons. The Gospel of St. John is my favorite of the four Gospels. It speaks of the Word made flesh, as well as all of the "I am..." texts. "I am the good shepherd" (John 10:11), "I am the resurrection and the life" (11:25), and "I am the bread of life" (6:35). In John's Gospel is also recorded the Last Supper Discourse including Jesus proclaiming himself to be the "way, truth and life" (14:6) And Jesus' command to "Love one another as I have loved you" (15:12).

I also love the 3 letters attributed to John. Particularly the opening to the 1 John 1: 1-10. In this amazing chapter we read: "This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness. we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one antoher and the blood of Jesus God's Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-8).

Through out St. John's Gospel, John never names himself. Instead he often refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." (See for example John 19: 26). And one of the most common understandings is that when St. John refers to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved" he is in fact saying that all of Jesus' disciples are the disciple whom Jesus loves.

As I work through the figure and writings of St. John one of the things that has drawn me to him is his constant usage of the word "love". This tells me that St. John saw love as a very central theme to the Person and works of Jesus. In fact one of St. John's greatest writings is: "God is love and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in 'them'". (1 John 4:16b New American Bible with the word "him" exchanged for "them" to make the language inclusive).

Yet, whenever the word "love" is talked about from the standpoint of Christianity all discussion about love appears to stop at the topic of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people. This past weekend in Catholic parishes and Diocese' they celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Given all the number of States that have passed same-sex marriage laws no doubt there was mention somewhere that marriage and love are under attack because of marriage equality. However, if marriage is about commitment, family and love than the love of two people of the same-sex is just as sacred and beautiful as the love between one man and one woman. It has often been recorded that Jesus reclined at the table with St. John's head leaning on the breast of the Savior. There have been some tales that perhaps St. John and Jesus were romantically involved. Whether that is true or not, we do not know.

We do know that love was at the center of St. John in his love for Jesus and the Gospel that Jesus preached and proclaimed. St.John was persecuted as were all of the other disciples for sharing God's message of inclusive and unconditional love.

As lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, we are individuals, couples and families that have love at the very heart and center of who we are and what we are about. It is our love for people of the same sex that has caused such a back lashing from the religious right. Our love for our same-sex partner, boyfriend/girlfriend, lover and best friend has been the subject of persecution by right wing Christians and politicians. Love is at the center of what we want, want to do and want to be about. It is love that aches in the heart to be free from political and religious oppression. But remaining in God's love is exactly what Jesus commanded his disciples to do in John 15: 9. No matter how much the Catholic church and other "Talibangelical Christian fanatics" tell us we are "intrinsically disordered" we are to remain in God's love. God's love and the love that God has given us for members of the same-sex as well as bisexual and transgendered people that love is of God and is ordained by God to do awesome and wonderful things. Let us never stop speaking up about the rights of LGBT people to love other people.

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light, that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Collect for St. John, December 27th, Book of Common Prayer, Page 238).