The Annunciation of Our Lord Jesus Christ: God Comes to Turn Our Lives Upside Down and Bring Salvation

Today's Scripture Reading

Luke 1: 26-38 (NRSV)

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Blog Reflection

I have just finished reading The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience by Thomas Keating.  He finishes the book by reminding us that Jesus doesn't make the biggest impact on our lives when they are all set in their untroubled moments.  Jesus makes the greatest change in our lives, when they are turned upside down.   When nothing seems to make sense.  When we have the most questions, with no answers.

I think Mary must have felt like God turned her world upside down when the Angel Gabriel came to her, to announce that she was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God.  History tells us that Mary was most likely no older than 16 years old.  I am sure she had many plans   Among them her engagement to Joseph.  Suddenly, just like when most are weddings are being planned, comes the shocker that turns everything over.  Whatever the plans were before, they suddenly had a new component to them.  It was out of order.  It was what most human minds would have thought was illogical.

The Annunciation is about keeping in mind that God is beyond logic.  God is not bound by human rules or laws.  God is not even bound by what humankind perceives to be God's word in the Bible itself.  God is bigger than all of that.  Yet, God comes not as a warrior to stop the conflicts of our lives.  God comes to us in Jesus Christ, through the yes of Mary, to let us know that when our lives are upside down, we too are given the opportunity to make choices.

Are we open to answering yes to God's call upon our lives to bear the presence of Christ in the midst of our messy lives?   Or, are we completely bent on having things our way, come hell or high water?

And there is more.  Just because we answer yes to God's call in our lives, doesn't mean that everything going forward will be without it's demands on our lives for further conversion.   The changes have only just begun.  The possibilities of what God can do with and through us are unlimited when we are obedient to God's will.   In Mary's case, God's random act of grace continued to pour itself out, even to the moment when Mary stood at the foot of the Cross with John, while her son was dying out of love for God and all of us.   For all of us, if we are willing to answer yes to God's random act of grace on our lives, God will only bring out what is truly best.  Even if it winds up costing us everything.  Even if the rest of the world tells us we are crazy.

How is God calling us through God's random act of grace, to make the Church and society a more inclusive place for LGBT and others who are marginalized?

What price are we willing to pay to answer God's call on our lives?

Our answer is more than a simple sinner's prayer and a statement that we have been saved.   It is way more than saying things such as "Religion does not save, only Jesus does."  Answering the call of God on our lives, turns them upside down.  It means walking the way of the Cross with Jesus, and letting God show us a greater love of God, neighbor and self that is authentic and transparent.  It is at total giving of self so that God's reign that is here and now can become ever more real and life-giving beyond our prayers and rituals.  Our God is to be found in the ordinary routines of our lives.  As God turns them upside down, God also calls us to follow Jesus in the midst of our messy lives.  Our choice is to answer yes to the narrow way that leads to everlasting life, or the no that leads to death, darkness and destruction.  

St. Benedict has something to say about all of this in The Rule.

Do not be daunted immediately by fear and run away from the road that leads to salvation.  It is bound to be narrow at the outset.  But as we progress in this way of life and in faith, we shall run on the path of God's commandments, our hearts overflowing with the inexpressible delight of love.  Never swerve from his instructions, then, but faithfully observing his teaching in the monastery until death, we shall through patience share in the sufferings of Christ that we may deserve also to share in his kingdom.  Amen.  (RB 1980, Prologue, vs 48-50, p. 19).

Amen.

Prayers

Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have
known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced
by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion
be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and
reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.240).

O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know
you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend
us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that
we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of
any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.  (Book of Common Prayer, p. 99).

Third Sunday of Advent: Let Everyone Rejoice in the Lord. No Exceptions.

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 35: 1-10 (NRSV)

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,

the desert shall rejoice and blossom;

like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,

and rejoice with joy and singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,

the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the LORD,

the majesty of our God.

Strengthen the weak hands,

and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,

"Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God.

He will come with vengeance,

with terrible recompense.

He will come and save you."

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

then the lame shall leap like a deer,

and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,

and streams in the desert;

the burning sand shall become a pool,

and the thirsty ground springs of water;

the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,

the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

A highway shall be there,

and it shall be called the Holy Way;

the unclean shall not travel on it,

but it shall be for God's people;

no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.

No lion shall be there,

nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;

they shall not be found there,

but the redeemed shall walk there.

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;

they shall obtain joy and gladness,

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Canticle 15: The Magnificat (BCP., p. 91 or 119).


James 5:7-10 (NRSV)

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 11:2-11 (NRSV)

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him,

"Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,

`See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way before you.'

Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Blog Reflection

We continue our Advent celebration with the figure of St. John the Baptist.  The one who prepares the way of the Lord. The difference is that this Sunday, we hear Jesus giving His impression of St. John the Baptist after Jesus already began His public ministry.  The contrast gives us much to reflect on. 

The one who is called to prepare the way for the Lord, the one Jesus is talking so much about, is not a member of the royal family.  He is not a person with a Ph.D. from Harvard, Oxford or Loyola.   St. John the Baptist represents the outcast, becoming someone extraordinary who does wondrous things for God.

It is interesting that one of the Psalm choices for today is the Song of Mary, also known as the Magnificat.  The hymn attributed to a sixteen year old girl from a small town, who had the experience of the Angel Gabriel informing her that she would give birth to Jesus.  All the talk that the "perfect family" is one man and one woman seems to fall a part in the actual Gospel account of Christ's birth.  The Holy Family consists of an unwed mother being the Spouse of the Holy Spirit to give birth to Christ, betrothed to a carpenter who considers divorcing her, because she has broken the rules.   In the Song of Mary, God clearly turned the order of the the strong, the mighty, and the rich over so that the lowly and the hungry are to receive the random act of grace from the Most High.

This past week a certain news anchor made a remark about Jesus and Santa Clause being "white".  I find it interesting that someone who is employed to report the news of the day, never quite knew or understood that Jesus was Jewish, most likely non-white and definitely not Caucasian.  In article on the Lead found in the Episcopal Cafe,  there is a quote from Jonathan Merrit from an article he wrote in The Atlantic.

Setting aside the ridiculousness of creating rigidly racial depictions of a fictitious character that does not actually exist—sorry, kids—like Santa, Kelly has made a more serious error about Jesus. The scholarly consensus is actually that Jesus was, like most first-century Jews, probably a dark-skinned man. If he were taking the red-eye flight from San Francisco to New York today, Jesus might be profiled for additional security screening by TSA.

The myth of a white Jesus is one with deep roots throughout Christian history. As early as the Middle Ages and particularly during the Renaissance, popular Western artists depicted Jesus as a white man, often with blue eyes and blondish hair. Perhaps fueled by some Biblical verses correlating lightness with purity and righteousness and darkness with sin and evil, these images sought to craft a sterile Son of God.

In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Advice for Living” column for Ebony in 1957, the civil-rights leader was asked, “Why did God make Jesus white, when the majority of peoples in the world are non-white?” King replied, “The color of Jesus’ skin is of little or no consequence” because what made Jesus exceptional “His willingness to surrender His will to God’s will.” His point, as historian Edward Blum has noted, is that Jesus transcends race.

Those warnings hold just as true for believers today. Within the church, eschewing a Jesus who looks more like a Scandinavian supermodel than the sinless Son of God in the scriptures is critical to maintaining a faith in which all can give praise to one who became like them in an effort to save them from sins like racism and prejudice. It's important for Christians who want to expand the church, too, in allowing the creation of communities that are able to worship a Jesus who builds bridges rather than barriers. And it is essential to enabling those who bear the name of Christ to look forward to that day when, according to the book of Revelation, those “from every nation, tribe, people, and language” can worship God together.

On this Third Sunday of Advent, the reading from James tells us about the farmer who waits for the crops to grow.  What appears to be doing nothing, but laying beneath the soil, is actually the earth, the sun, and water giving new life and hope for the future.   No one can predict what will sprout up from the ground.  But, we will know when it appears, what it will be, and then can decide how it will be used.   So it is with the gift of faith in those who seem so different to us.  God's grace and power are not hindered by race, class, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, culture, language, health status or anything else that many in humankind use to divide and discriminate.   The work of God in the life of any human person is a matter between God and the individuals own conscious.   It is Sacred Space, and no one person has any business trying to interfere.   Prejudice hidden behind religious zeal, is still prejudice, and it still wounds the core of any human person.  Discrimination also brings brutal injury to the human community.

Today, we rejoice because as we wait for the coming celebration of Christmas, we have the opportunity to prepare His way, by doing our part to bring an end to violence, oppression and bias.  St. John the Baptist played his part.  Mary did what was required of her.  Jesus did the will of His Father.  Now, we have the chance to do what God asks of each of us, and to rejoice in God's Name at all times.

Amen.

Prayers

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come
among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver
us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and
the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (Third Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 212).

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. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 252).

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).

St. Mary the Virgin: A Woman Graced, Tried, and Rewarded

Today's Scripture Readings

 Isaiah 61:10-11 (NRSV)

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

my whole being shall exult in my God;

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots,

and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

to spring up before all the nations. 

 

Psalm 34 (BCP. p.627)

 

Galatians 4:4-7 (NRSV)

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.

 

Luke 1:44-56 (NRSV)

Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

 

Blog Reflection

As I read through the various traditions of what this August 15th, Commemoration of the St. Mary the Virgin means, I am awestruck by the diversity.  A diversity that is a great source of division among Christians.

For Roman Catholics, today is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Catholics believe that on this day, Mary did not die, but was assumed body and soul into Heaven.  It was a dogma proclaimed by Pope Pius XII in 1945.  This belief is based on another belief by Catholics in Mary's Immaculate Conception.  Meaning she was conceived without original sin, prefiguring the victory won by the death and resurrection of Christ.  Both dogma's suggest that because Mary was God's perfectly created creature, who did the will of God from conception to the end of her earthly life, she who was "full of grace" never experienced death, and was rewarded with a glorious assumption by Mary's Son.

 In the case of what this day means to the Eastern Orthodox, today is the Feast of the Dormition.  In a stunning explanation of the connection of the Feast of the Transfiguration which we celebrated on August 6 and the Dormition, the following comes from the website to St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Both feasts are connected with death. The Transfiguration comes before the death of Christ and anticipates it. The Dormition marks the death of the Mother of God, and comes after the death and resurrection of Christ. 

About the Transfiguration, we say that the revelation of His glory was the Lord's gift to the disciples Peter, James and John in anticipation of His suffering and death. The revelation of glory was meant to give the disciples something - some hope - to see them through their experience of holy week and to strengthen them in the face of death of their Master. Thy disciples beheld Thy glory as far as they could see it; so that when they would behold Thee crucified, they would understand that Thy suffering was voluntary.... (Kontakion) 

The Dormition of the Mother of God is also a gift. It is a gift of hope because it reveals that in Christ, death is no longer the master and great anxiety of our lives, but is itself subject to the power of His love. The reality and power of the resurrection of Christ is applied to our common human life in the person of the Mother of God. What is proclaimed as Gospel - the risen Christ, the Lord of Life, trampling death by death - is experienced here in the reality of the believer's new life in Christ. For being the Mother of Life, she was translated to life by the One who dwelt in her virginal womb. (Kontakion)

The Commemoration of the St. Mary the Virgin presents us with some interesting spiritual and theological problems as well as much to rejoice in.  The problem as Abbot Andrew Karr, OSB of St. Gregory's Abbey in Three Rivers, MI points out in his blog for today, is that Mary is either deified or made out to be a demigod.  

Mary’s real glory is that she was a human being every much as the rest of us. That is, she was and is a Jewish girl. Mary is, of course, inseparable from the Incarnation of the Word in her womb. Although Mary’s son was (and is) divine, Jesus was (and is) fully human, like you and me. In his excellent book Sheer Grace, Drasko Dizdar says that Mary, far from being a deity or demigod, “is the utterly and simply human subversion of this deification of human “archetypes” into the divine feminine.’” This is what the famous words of Mary in the Magnificat are all about when she says God “has cast down the mighty from their seats and has lifted up the lowly.” If such words simply mean other people become just as mighty as the ones who were cast down, then the words change nothing for humanity. The ones who are raised up are lowly and continue to be raised up only by remaining lowly. The proud are scattered in the “imagination of their hearts.” The rich are sent away empty because their hearts are too full of their desires to have room for God. What is so subversive about Mary, then, is her humanity. While other humans try to make themselves more than human by being movers and shakers, Mary is blessedly content to be human. As Dizdar says, Mary is a whole human being “as God has always intended the human creature to be as creature.” 

Then there is the matter of The Real Mary .  A 16 year old girl in a culture under immense oppression, with religious laws that are represented by as much misogyny as you can get.  Women were property to be owned by some man, with their dignity at the mercy of such a culture.  Yet, she has the most incredible experience with the Angel Gabriel who tells her that she was to be the mother of the Incarnate Word.  She accepts God's will, and she struggles like all of us do, with what exactly God is doing when we are blessed by God's random act of grace to do mighty things.   In her Magnificat, she sings of how God turned over the worlds corrupt structure, and gave life to the lowly, the hungry, and keeps God's promise of mercy.  Yet, as Mary experiences the crushing moments of Jesus' agonizing death, she questions God's purpose, and suffers with her son, and experiences what all parents who lose children do.  The experience of having died an inner and excruciating death as a mother feels in the depths of her womb, because the child who was once part of her body, is dead. 

On the subject of today's Commemoration of St. Mary the Virgin, I would like to throw some things out based on my own experience. I was a Roman Catholic for 15 years and believed very strongly in the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, her perpetual virginity and the rest. One of the great gifts of being Episcopalian is that we are open to differences of belief and opinion, and even questioning so that we arrive at an authentic faith. So, here is what I now think. It is just as possible that the Immaculate Conception and Assumption did happen, as much as it is possible that they did not. Whether they happened or not, we do know from the Gospel accounts, that Mary received a fantastic random act of grace to conceive and give birth to Christ, who is God incarnate. The human became infused with the divine, and the divine changed forever the relationship between humankind and God. Therefore, Mary is an awesome example of what it means to be a recipient of God's random act of grace, and to live her life, changed forever, by the fruit of her womb. Whether we believe in the Immaculate Conception and/or Assumption or not, I think the important thing is, are we transformed by our encounter with Jesus, the fruit of Mary's womb? How do we respond when we receive a random act of God's grace? Are we truly transformed, or do we return to business as usual? Mary is the example of how to live out that transformation, and receive the reward of God's saving grace. 

Perhaps on this Commemoration, we can pray for God's random act of grace to help us address the issue of climate change, the horrific violence to LGBT people in Russia, Uganda, New York City, and in other places because of prejudice and oppression.   What would we do if we received God's random act of grace to uphold the dignity of women with regards to adequate reproductive health care, job creation and training, equal job wages, protection from exploitation and gender violence?   

If we were to receive such a random act of God's grace, would we truly be transformed, to become a missionary of God's transforming grace?  Or would we just continue with business as usual?

Amen.

Prayers

Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene
to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness
of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we
may be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the
power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit
lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for St. Mary the Virgin, Book of Common Prayer, p.242).

 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, p.815).

Second Sunday after the Epiphany: Creation, Marriage, Justice and New Life

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 62:1-5 (NRSV)

For Zion's sake I will not keep silent,

and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,

until her vindication shines out like the dawn,

and her salvation like a burning torch.

The nations shall see your vindication,

and all the kings your glory;

and you shall be called by a new name

that the mouth of the LORD will give.

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,

and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

You shall no more be termed Forsaken,

and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;

but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,

and your land Married;

for the LORD delights in you,

and your land shall be married.

For as a young man marries a young woman,

so shall your builder marry you,

and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,

so shall your God rejoice over you.

Psalm 36 (BCP., p.632)


1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NRSV)

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Let Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

John 2:1-11 (NRSV)

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward." So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, "Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Blog Reflection

Oh to hear those words from Isaiah that God delights in us.   At Compline every night we pray the words from Psalm 17:8.  "Keep us, O Lord as the apple of your eye.  Hide us under the shadow of your wings" (BCP. 132).   The Prophet is so convinced that there are great things coming, that he just cannot keep quiet about them.  God is doing an awesome thing, but it means changing what already exists, and re-creating it into a precious jewel.   

America indeed began as a great nation.  Our founders had amazing plans as they created the new world.  Yet, not everything they brought here was totally good. 

The white Christian settlers did take land that was not theirs to take from the Native Americans, and oppressed them.  In addition, they also brought with them the second class citizenship of black people, whom they kept enslaved.  The negative attitude towards African Americans and individuals of many different skin tones, cultures and religions continues up to this very day.

In to the middle of our continued ignorance and prejudice, came a man with a vision of a different future for America.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr came on the scene as did Mrs. Rosa Parks who refused to sit at the back of the bus because of her skin color.   African Americans through the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. found renewed inspiration to keep calling for civil rights, and believed it was possible.  Forty-five years  after his assassination the work towards a just and equal society for all people remains far from finished.  Yet, the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr continues to inspire us all to keep working and believing in better things yet to come.  Racism is still a big issue in our country.  The racial overtones towards President Barack Obama are a living testimony to the prejudice towards people of different races, cultures, religions, genders, sexual orientations and many more where that came from are heard in all parts of our coutry.

The Prophet Isaiah is so excited about what God is going to do.  What can we do to get people excited about doing more to bring about the establishment of God's reign of justice, equality and peace today?   How do we speak up and act so that America and the Church can be a place that God and all of us delight in?

The Apostle Paul tells the Christians at Corinth that every one has different gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Not everyone is called to do the same thing.  Yet, by taking our place and making use of what God has given each of us, we can use them for the building up of the Body of Christ.   The gifts each of us has are not given to us for our own use, nor are they for abusing others.  They are given to us to continue the work of Jesus Christ in the ministry of radical hospitality and reconciliation. 

The narrative of the Wedding at Cana in the Gospel attributed to St. John the Evangelist and Apostle, is one of creation.   The figures of Jesus, Mary and the people gathered for the wedding, the water and the wine are a New Testament telling of Creation.   The account of creation in Genesis starts with the words: "In the beginning God created."  In St. John's Gospel it begins with "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God...."   As we venture into the Wedding at Cana we are presented with the prominent figure of Jesus, who is the Word made flesh, representing the new Adam.  We also see Mary who is believed to be the new Eve.    Just as creation is not complete without two people coming together to celebrate God's love in both body and mind, so too, we  have a wedding in John's Gospel.   As the waters of the earth flowed to create new life, so does the water at the wedding feast become the new wine, representing the restoration of the life of humankind through God's perfect revelation in Jesus Christ.  

All of this is meaningless and just an abstraction, unless we are willing to allow God to recreate what is within each of us, not only today, but every day.  Each of us have learned some thing in our past about God, ourselves and others that needs a renewal by God's random act of grace.   The events of the wedding at Cana are part of God's manifesting God's glory through the humanity of Christ.   The work of redemption that began with Jesus, continues through to this very day, as the "Spirit of Truth, will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13 Common English Bible).   The tasteless and stale water of our lives cannot become the wine of new life, justice and compassion, unless we allow God to change us from within, and reflect the Goodness of God in the world around us.   

This past election season, we saw three States elect to allow marriage equality for LGBT citizens.   Minnesota rejected a constitutional amendment to limit the freedom to marry to straight couples.  Now, we hear of bills being introduced by legislatures in Illinois and Rhode Island that will grant the freedom to marry for LGBT couples.   The debate on either side of the issue is hot.  There are the usual individuals in the Catholic church and other Christianist organizations who want to continue to suppress LGBT individuals and couples by limiting the freedom to marry.  Thanks be to God, that we have the amazing witness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ seeking to transform the Church and society, through letters by Episcopal Bishop Lee in Chicago and Bishop Knisley in Rhode Island. 

Over the last week, President Obama made the announcement of plans he has to work on the issue of out of control gun violence in our nation.  The tragedy of Newton, Connecticut and the courageous people there are bringing people together to take seriously the responsibility to children, families and neighborhoods when it comes to gun violence.  Though the rhetoric of the National Rifle Association (NRA) remains violent and hateful, individuals from various parts of the Country are speaking up and writing about the need to do something about the enormous number of people killed by a gun.  As individuals use the Christian Faith in erroneous ways to defend the use of armed violence towards other people, others who remind us that Jesus was about peaceful solutions to life's difficult moments are speaking up.     

These are just some examples of how ordinary people are taking seriously the work of Jesus Christ, to change the dry waters of injustice, inequality and oppression, into the delicious new wine of justice, equality and freedom for the marginalized of society and the Church.  

It is true that the Wedding at Cana points us to both the Eucharist and the Cross.  For it is in the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ that all of us can and do come into the Presence of Christ and share in his suffering and death on the Cross.  However, in the Eucharist we also receive the nourishment of not only God's Goodness, but also the healing presence of being in community with others to share in the Lord's Supper.   In the Eucharist, strangers are made friends, the outcasts are included and brokenness has the opportunity to be made whole.  

May God continue to make us all into the precious gems of God's goodness, by continuing to renew the life of Jesus Christ within all of us.   As the Spirit of Truth continues to guide us in to all truth, may we with God's gifts in each of us, use them for the building up of the Body of Christ, and bring about the transformation of the world around us.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light
of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word
and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's
glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the
ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with
you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and
for ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Second Sunday after Epiphany, Book of Common Prayer, p. 215).

Almighty God, who by the hand of Moses your servant
you led your people out of slavery and made them free at last:
Grant that your Church, following the example of your 
prophet Martin Luther King, may resist oppression in the name 
of your love, and may secure for all your children the blessed 
liberty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you 
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.  (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, p. 307).

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).

Fourth Sunday of Advent: God's Evolution and Revolution In Christ

Today's Scripture Readings

Micah 5: 2-5a (NRSV)

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,

who are one of the little clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me

one who is to rule in Israel,

whose origin is from of old,

from ancient days.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time

when she who is in labor has brought forth;

then the rest of his kindred shall return

to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD,

in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.

And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great

to the ends of the earth;

and he shall be the one of peace.

Magnificat (Canticle 15 BCP. p. 91)


Hebrews10: 5-10 (NRSV)

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body you have prepared for me;

in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

Then I said, 'See, God, I have come to do your will, O God'

(in the scroll of the book it is written of me)."

When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Luke 1: 39-55 (NRSV)

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Blog Reflection

If there were ever a Being in all the universe who can turn a world settled unto itself upside down, God would be the One.  It is a fact of life, that God does not leave us to our comfort zones without some way of moving us to become more faithful followers of Christ. 

In the coming of Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, God turned a world where the powerful were to dominate the weak with no recourse, into a world redeemed by the sacrifice of God's Son.  That sacrifice did not begin with the Cross, it began when God left the throne of heaven and came to us in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.  In 2 Corinthians 8: 9  Paul wrote: "For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich."   This is the very song of Mary in the Magnificat.

William Barclay in : The New Daily Study Bible The Gospel of Luke wrote: "When Joan of Arc knew that her time was short, she prayed, 'I shall only last a year; use me as  you can" (Page 17).

In the Magificat, Mary sings of how she is God's "lowly servant" yet, God used her to do mighty things, and therefore she proclaimed God's Name to be holy.   When we accept that God uses our prayers, though they may seem insignificant to us, great and mighty things happen.  Even if what happens is something we do not see for ourselves.  Mary received God's random act of grace, by being chosen as to give birth to God's Son, yet she recognizes God's great power in her life, and how it brings about an evolution of God revealed to human kind to begin what Barclay calls a "moral revolution," a "social revolution" and "an economic revolution" (Pages 19, 20).

A "moral revolution" that is the end of a pride that considers ourselves greater that God.  This idea fits very well into the first step of humility in the Rule of St. Benedict.   That first step being that we keep the consciousness of God always before our eyes.  This is a recognition that God is God and we are not.  It is a giving over of control and our own wills to that of God with a trust in God, even when our personal securities become unstable in an effort to help us to find our stability in God, through obedience and conversion of life.

A "social revolution" by which through Christ the helpless and vulnerable are those who inspire us to a radical conversion.   A reorganizing of our lives that recognizes Christ in those who are sick without health care, and the lesbian girl coming out to her parents.   The young gay man being harassed by the high school football team.  The LGBT people of Uganda fearful of a law passed that would put them in prison just for their sexual orientation and/or gender identity/expression, or very possibly executed.  The social revolution of Christ born through Mary is our invitation to be the voice for the retired and disabled who could lose Social Security benefits to satisfy tax breaks for the wealthiest people, in a fiscal cliff resolution.  To care about the constant placing of the welfare of the poorest and most vulnerable of society as a chip, while giving the wealthy more power to own more and to exercise even more power.

A "social revolution" can be the beginning of an "economic revolution." 

Barclay writes: "A Christian society is a society where no one dares to have too much while others have too little , where everyone gets only to give away.

There is loveliness in the Magnificat but in that loveliness there is dynamite.  Christianity brings about a revolution in individuals and revolution in the world" (Page 20).

As we leave the Season of Advent and enter into the Christmas Season, we are all called to sing the Magnificat with Mary.   We sing that Christ will once again be born in us and in our world, to infuse our society and the Church with an environment of justice, equality and freedom from oppression and violence.  In Christ, our human nature is restored with God's grace by which God is randomly choosing and empowering us to be the change that we want to see in the world.

Amen.


Prayers

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,
that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a
mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen. (Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, p. 212).

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).

The Annunciation of our Lord Jesus Christ: The First Female Priest Says YES!

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 7:10-14 (NRSV)

Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the LORD your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test. Then Isaiah said: "Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.

Hebrews 10:4-10 (NRSV)

It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

"Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body you have prepared for me;

in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

Then I said, 'See, God, I have come to do your will, O God'

(in the scroll of the book it is written of me)."

When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), then he added, "See, I have come to do your will." He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God's will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Luke 1:26-38  (NRSV)

 

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." Then Mary said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Blog Reflection

Who was the first Christian disciple to exercise the roll of a Priest?  It was Mary.

Mary was chosen by a random act of God's grace to be the mother of the Incarnate Word.  She was a simple woman, probably 16 years old. Yet, Mary experienced the fullness of God's favor, for this once in a life time opportunity that would change not only her life, but the history of the entire world.  By her surrendering herself to God's will, offering herself completely to God's purpose, she became the bearer of God, through whom God gained a human form.

Among the many duties of a Priest, is to give oneself up to the will of God.  Also, a Priest serves the common good of others, and gives birth to Faith through not only their duties, but by their life example.  Even when faced with the greatest of personal suffering, a Priest still surrenders her/himself to what is best in God's eyes, totally trusting that all will be well.   Mary did all of this, in her acceptance of God's call on her life.

Mary sang her Magnificat in Luke 1: 46-55 of how God changed the dynamics of those who were thought to be powerful, now giving way to the lowly, the servant and the hungry.   Through Mary's acceptance of God's plan for her life, God came to us as one like us, to show us that God relates to us where we are.  As we face our Lenten practices of self-denial, fasting and prayer, God comes to us through the yes of Mary, to identify with our human experience.  "The Lord is with you" is said by Gabriel to Mary, but is said to all of us too.  God does not abandon us, but is in the midst of our sufferings and tribulations.

Mary doesn't wait around for some Church council to decide the doctrine of the Incarnation. She accepts God's will, even though she has her own fears and uncertainty about what all of this might mean.  Through the humility of Mary, God shows humility as Jesus becomes the greatest example of what it means to be earthed, by serving the marginalized and releasing those oppressed by social, religious and political suppression.  

As we see the injustices of racism, sexism, heterosexism, class discrimination and a total disregard for the dignity of every human being in our politics and even in our churches, we are reminded that our God has been there in the Person of God's Son.   Just because Jesus was different in so many ways, he was "despised and rejected, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." (Isaiah 53: 3).  Jesus shows us how to trust in God in the midst of the most horrific of circumstances and still comes out the victor of life over the imminent powers of death.  

All of this happened, because the first female Priest, said "Yes."

In what ways are we being called to say our yes to God's will?

How might we answer God's call in our lives?

What are some places where we are clinging to our own will, because of fear and uncertainty?

Each one of us, must answer these questions between ourselves and God, as we discern where and how God might be calling us.  Among the things we can be very sure about, is that if God is calling us, it is because God loves us, and sees in us something wonderful that God wants to use.  God wants to use us to make a positive impact in our world where as long as you have all the money, you can get by.  In a time when as long as you are well known and prestigious you can do anything you want, God calls those of us who remain hidden in prayer and solitude, to be a positive influence on changing the world for all of God's people.


Prayers

Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have
known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced
by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion
be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and
reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for the Annunciation, Book of Common Prayer, p. 240).

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

Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn
but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the
strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that
all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of
Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and
glory, now and for ever. Amen.  (Collect for Peace, Book of Common Prayer, p. 815).  

 

St. Joseph: Father 2 in a very Non-Traditional Family

Today's Scripture Readings

2 Samuel 7:4,8-16 (NRSV)

The word of the LORD came to Nathan:

Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the LORD of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

Romans 4:13-18 (NRSV)

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

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, "I have made you the father of many nations") -- in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become "the father of many nations," according to what was said, "So numerous shall your descendants be."

Luke 2:41-52 (NRSV)

Every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

Blog Reflection

All this talk about the meaning of love, marriage and family these days, seems to forget that Jesus was born into a non-traditional family.  At least according to their version. 

In Matthew 1:18-25 from today's Morning Prayer, we read of how Joseph was planning to dismiss Mary, because she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.  Mary could have been exposed in shame, or even stoned to death for conceiving another child out of wedlock.  Joseph would have been complying with the laws of the day.  He was in his right to do so.  God, however, has a really good sense of humor.  Just when ya think following the rule book is the best thing to do, an angel shows up to tell Joseph to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife.  The child that Mary would bear, would be Jesus who would be the Savior of the world.  Once Joseph is aware of God's plan, he accepts God's call and takes Mary to Bethlehem.  And, we know the rest of the story.

The Gospel narrative from Luke about Jesus being found in the temple, ends with him saying something very peculiar.  "Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"   It seems that the young boy Jesus is aware that there is more than one Father in his life.  Very interesting, no?

Joseph may have been born of the noble line of David, but Jesus who was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary, was born in the City of David, yet was the Son of God. 

It appears that Joseph was father number 2 in a very non-traditional family.  One in which things were not so logical, as in, made sense.  It was by God's will that what came to pass happened.  If God was so concerned about the rules, God would have chosen to act on them, right?  Not necessarily.

God is not bound by time or laws, nor is God limited by how humankind thinks or writes about God.  Therein lies the real problem with the Bible.  It is a book written about God's acts, by imperfect human beings, though inspired by the Holy Spirit, yes.  But, the views written are still accounts from a human perspective. Words, accounts and meanings are rightly met with a little bit of skepticism.  So are the things we interpret from them.   The messages contained within, do inspire us as the Holy Spirit seeks to move us with her grace.

Whether our family is one of a man and a woman, with or with out children.  Or a family of two women, with or without children.  Or a family of two men, with or without children.  Each family is one that has been brought together by God's grace and design.   Family, however it is defined, is built around individuals loving each other, caring about one another and seeking to create a community of compassion and companionship in a world that is all too scary and lonely for way too many people.  

The negative atmosphere that Christianists and other arch-conservative groups are casting around LGBT families, couples and individuals is based on false information, biased opinions and facts that simply do not exist, only in their minds.  Yet, they are willing to go State by State, to destroy marriage equality laws in States that have passed them, or wage campaigns for ballot initiatives against marriage equality to pass them.  The Roman Catholic church and their hierarchy of authoritarianism disguised as religious zeal for the House of God, insists on arguing for religious freedom, while violating it for others who do not share their opinions.   Whether the issue be abortion, contraception or marriage equality, there is no stopping their political maneuvering to make their ways, the "American way." 

It seems to me that Jesus came into the world, because a man who was dedicated to following the rules, was suddenly open to God's will, once it was made clear to him.  And because he acted on God's will and not his own, the Savior of the world was born, and through him, the Church.  The Christian religion is not one of a list of major rules or one way moral codes.  Our Faith exists not because of some thing, but because of some One.  His Name is Jesus Christ. 

Jesus came as one who brought with him, God's love for all people.  Including those, who were thought to be unlovable and unwanted.  Even the eunuchs, the gay men.  Even women.  Including the sick, the lonely, and the discouraged.  Those considered unclean or non-traditional.  Jesus even put a human face on the dead, by giving of his own life, and raising them up in the resurrection. 

In what ways are we open this Lent to God shattering our expectations?

How does God meet us in the midst of made plans, and changes our hearts so to better follow God's will?

How do we see others who are different from ourselves in light of God's salvation?

As we remember St. Joseph and his willingness to be open to God, let us all pray for one another to be open to the call of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and lives.   If God did such amazing things through Joseph's openness, imagine what God could do through our own openness?


Prayers

O God, who from the family of your servant David raised
up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the
spouse of his virgin mother: Give us grace to imitate his
uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 239).


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


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).

Thursday in the Fourth Week of Advent: The Hungry Filled, The Rich Empty

Scripture Reading

Luke 1:46-55 (Book of Common Prayer)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
    for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
    the Almighty has done great things for me,
    and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
    in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
    he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
    and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
    and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
    for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
    to Abraham and his children for ever.

Blog Reflection

The recitation of the Magnificat (Song of Mary) is among my favorite parts of Evening Prayer.  The beauty of the words and the many chant and musical melodies are reminders of how wonderful Mary's song really is.

The Magnificat mirrors the Canticle of Hannah from 1 Samuel 2: 1-8 which you will find below.

Hannah prayed and said,
‘My heart exults in the Lord;
   my strength is exalted in my God.
My mouth derides my enemies,
   because I rejoice in my victory.

‘There is no Holy One like the Lord,
   no one besides you;
   there is no Rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
   let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
   and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken,
   but the feeble gird on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,
   but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.
The barren has borne seven,
   but she who has many children is forlorn.
The Lord kills and brings to life;
   he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich;
   he brings low, he also exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust;
   he lifts the needy from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes
   and inherit a seat of honour.
For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s,
   and on them he has set the world.

Mary's powerful hymn as well as Hannah's praises God for upsetting the imbalance of power in the world. Mary's reflection on the powerful being brought down from their thrones and the lowly being lifted up.   Hannah's song declares that the weapons of those who are mighty are rendered powerless, while the strength of the "feeble" gain strength.

We in America know all about how out of balance the powers of the rich vs the poor have been at work this year.  We have seen the rich and wealthy work harder and harder to take away more and more from middle class and low income people.

Gov. Walker's bill that stripped Union Workers of their collective bargaining rights.

The situation with Crystal Sugar tossing their Union Workers out over the executives needs to protect their billion dollar profits, while keeping their organized employees from fair health care benefits. 

The funds that protect Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid for retired and disabled Americans are under constant attack in a need to satisfy those who have abundant wealth and just want more power to go with the money.

The announcement that Mary was chosen by God's random act of grace to conceive and bear Jesus so that humankind could have forgiveness of our sins and the hope of everlasting life, greets the ears of all of us in different ways.  Yet, there is one resounding theme that does not go anywhere.  God wants to feed those who are hungry.  Lift up those who are low.   God wants to show the strength of God's arm, while scattering the proud in their conceit.

I think in many ways that is what the Occupy Movement has done.  The Occupy Movement is calling out to those who are consistently losing to the careless abuses of bad financial investments and loaded mortgages.  The movement calls to people who have been soaking up all the money in profits, while those who need help to own a home, fund their education, keep their retirement savings and hope for the future just keeps disappearing with every passing moment.

God came to us in the Incarnate Word in the midst of a dirty cave where animals fed on hey and messed their business.  Jesus was born not with royalty and splendor given first by humankind.  Jesus arrived so that we would know Emmanuel. "God with us" (see Matthew 1: 23).  In Jesus is God's perfect revelation of Self, who is with all of us in our lowly, poor and hungry state.   The rich, the powerful and the mighty are on a different tier as God comes to the marginalized, sick, lonely and discouraged among us.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer who share in the sufferings of Christ in a Church and world, by being "despised and rejected" have a very special place with the Incarnate Word.  As Jesus came and loved differently, so do LGBTQ people.  As Jesus was rejected for his revolutionary way of loving and being, so are LGBTQ people.  Just as the death of Jesus was not the end of a new chapter in human history, there is resurrection for LGBTQ people along with the risen and ascended Christ.

Mary's Song and Hannah's are the hope that God's establishment of a new world.   In the words of the hymns, that new world already exists.  We in the 21st Century know that the new world where the poor are lifted up and the rich go away hungry is not yet.

In the perfect revelation of God in Christ, the world by which God brings justice and inclusion for all who are stigmatized and experience discrimination is already here.  Throughout the Gospel Jesus meets those separated due to political, economic and social bias are given a place of honor and dignity in the house of God.   Here and now, we see great progress in the wider acceptance of LGBTQ people in both the Church and society.  But, we have not yet achieved full equality and inclusion.

Just as Jesus being born in Bethlehem changed the world, but not yet.  So the work of justice, equality and inclusion has already happened for LGBT people and many others who are on the margins, but it is not yet accomplished.  There is more work to be done.

Hannah's Hymn and Mary's Canticle give us hope that God who came into human history is here with us now in the Holy Spirit working in hearts, minds, lives and actions for a better future for all people.

May our Christmas celebrations this year help us to remember that God is with us in Christ.  All of us have and continue to receive the fullness of God's grace and truth.


Prayers

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation,
that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a
mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.  (Fourth Sunday of Advent, Book of Common Prayer, page 212).

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.  (Prayer for Mission, Book of Common Prayer, page 101).

Almighty and most merciful God, we remember before you
all poor and neglected persons whom it would be easy for us
to forget: the homeless and the destitute, the old and the sick,
and all who have none to care for them. Help us to heal those
who are broken in body or spirit, and to turn their sorrow
into joy. Grant this, Father, for the love of your Son, who for
our sake became poor, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Poor and Neglected, Book of Common Prayer, page 826).