Thanksgiving Day: By Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving

Today's Scripture Readings

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (NRSV)

When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, "Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us." When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, you shall make this response before the LORD your God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me." You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.

Psalm 100 (BCP., p. 729)


Philippians 4:4-9 (NRSV)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

John 6:25-35 (NRSV)

When the crowd found Jesus on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

Blog Reflection 

Agricultural festivals are of great antiquity, and common to many religions.  Among the Jews, the three pilgrimage feasts, Passover, Pentecost, Tabernacles, each had agricultural significance.  Medieval Christianity also developed a number of such observances none of which, however,, were incorporated into the Prayer Book.

Our own Thanksgiving Day finds its roots in observances begun by colonists in Massachusetts and Virginia, a tradition later taken up and extended to the whole of the New American nation by action of the Continental Congress.   (Holy Women, Holy Men, Celebrating the Saints, p.700).

These words in Holy Women, Holy Men strike a consonant and a disonant chord for me.   It is a wonderful thing to give thanks for all that God gives us by gathering with family, friends and sharing in the abundance together.   On the other side of the coin, is the reality of how much wanton destruction the pilgrims and white Christians brought to the Native communities.  The history of what colonization has meant to those who were oppressed and robbed cannot be justified.  Their cries for justice are valid.

St. Paul tells us "Do not worry about anything, but with prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."  It is much easier for us who have been given so much to pray with thanksgiving, and make our requests to God, than those who are still pleading for deliverance from violence and prejudice.   Yet, it is often those who live under such situations that teach us to be thankful to God in ways that shake us to our bones.  When a hungry child looks up at us and says thank you at the Thanksgiving meal at the soup kitchen, she is sincere.   Where as many who have an over abundance, have the greatest difficulty expressing appreciation without complaining that he may lose his investments in his portfolio because the Affordable Care Act is helping the poor to have health care for the first time in decades.  

In the Ninth Conference on Prayer, St. John Cassian devotes a majority of that Conference to the different kinds of prayer mentioned by St. Paul in our reading from Philippians today.   Abba Isaac breaks down what Paul writes as four different kinds of prayer.  Prayer, supplication, intercession and thanksgiving.  Each of these are dependent on the other.  Yet, they each have a different function in prayer.  Prayer itself, Abba Isaac suggests, is vowing or an offering of something to God of and from ourselves.  Supplications is a form of confessing our sins and asking for sanctification and deliverance.   Intercession is pleading with God on behalf of others, and thanksgiving is expressing our heartfelt thanks to God for the grace we receive in Christ Jesus.  

If we take the words of our Scripture Readings today seriously, and celebrate this Thanksgiving as St. Paul and St. John Cassian suggest, then we must take into account our responsibilities to each other, and seek God's consolation and opportunity for conversion that this holiday calls for.  Our giving thanks for all that God has given in abundance out of God's great love, must come with supplication for our sins and/or participation in the evils of injustice and cruelty, and a renewed offering of ourselves in prayer for change and transformation.

In today's Gospel Reading, Jesus tells us that He is the Bread of Life.  Every time we gather together for the Eucharist, we celebrate in thanksgiving for the great gift of our salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ.  God's greatest gift to Christians, is Jesus Christ, God's perfect revelation of Self.  In Christ, we have the awesome example of how God responds to our brokenness, by offering Himself in sacrifice to redeem us.  The Real Presence of Christ, invites all of us to share the Goodness of God with others around us, to find forgiveness of our sins, and the grace to be transformed and to transform the world beyond ourselves.  In thanksgiving for all that God gives by the great gift of faith, we are invited and welcomed to become participants in the Holy Spirit's work of "renewing the face of the earth" (Psalm 104:31 BCP).

May we all give thanks to God today, with supplication and prayer to recommit ourselves to helping to heal the wounded community of humankind.   Let no person's dignity be dishonored.   May every person know of God's extravagant and inclusive love, in which there is no distinction or exception.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the
fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those
who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of
your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and
the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p.246)


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, p.836).

On a personal note, today I am very thankful to Almighty God for the gift of faith.   I am thankful for the Eucharist.   I am thankful for the Anglican Communion and The Episcopal Church.   I am thankful for the opportunity to be a Clothed Novice in the Companions of St. Luke/Order of St. Benedict.   I am thankful that I am legally married to my husband Jason, and for all that Jason is to me.    I am thankful that we now have 15 States where there is the freedom to marry.   I am thankful for the opportunities to share my faith and hope in this blog and for all who read, and gain something from it.  I am also thankful for those who read my blog and struggle, or just pass it by.   I am thankful that there are loving and caring people out there who care about the marginalized including LGBTQ people, and many more.  I am thankful for these things and many more that I cannot name or remember.

Thanks be to God.   Amen.

Christ the King: Mercy and Justice Are His Rule. The Cross is His Throne

Today's Scripture Readings

Jeremiah 23:1-6 (NRSV)

Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the LORD. Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the LORD.

The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: "The LORD is our righteousness."

Psalm 46 (BCP., p.649)

Colossians 1:11-20 (NRSV)

May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers-- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

Luke 23:33-43 (NRSV)

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots to divide his clothing. The people stood by, watching Jesus on the cross; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!" The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" There was also an inscription over him, "This is the King of the Jews."

One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!" But the other rebuked him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

Blog Reflection

If there was an irony to end the Liturgical Year C, this would be it.  The majestic celebration of Christ the King is about Jesus at the end of time.  The consummation of all time, seasons, earth and Heaven is believed to find it's conclusion in Christ.  The Alpha and Omega.   The Beginning and the End.  As Anglicized as this Feast is, and though many may find it to be outdated and perhaps unnecessary, there is an important contemporary and social context to this Sunday.  

The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures tells us of a king who would take care of those who have been mistreated by former shepherds.  The Prophet Jeremiah is conveying God's words that God's people being mistreated by others is of great concern.  The People Jeremiah is prophesying to are a farming community.  They have lands that they look after, and their country was being managed by rulers who were not caring for the oppressed and marginalized.   God promises a king who would truly look after God's people with compassion and justice.   Did they get that king?  

The New Testament Reading and the Gospel tie together our focus on Christ as King.   The irony I wrote about earlier, will be made here.  The irony is that on this Christ the King Sunday our focus is not on the majesty and splendor of the Reign of Christ as others might suggest.  Through the mystery of the Cross, the rule of Christ is mercy and Justice.  The Cross is Christ's throne by which He rules as God's Son.  As many of the Presidents, Prime Ministers, Governors of our world attempt to lead the rest of us by violence, oppression, injustice and prejudice, God's answer of how to govern the earth is through mercy, justice and forgiveness of our sins.  God's reply to the needs of God's people is to love us all without distinction. 

In the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, Christ the King gives of Himself as the victor, redeemer and Savior of all humankind.  The Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and the celebration of Holy Communion, allows that mercy, justice and forgiveness to become the way in which we interact with one another as Christ's Body, the Church.   How very interesting that the Gospel Reading for the First Vespers of Christ the King this year is Matthew 18:25-35 the parable of the unforgiving servant.  Jesus tells Peter to forgive not seven times, but seventy seven times.  Forgive and forgive again.  The Eucharist reminds us that Christ our King has forgiven us, so we are to forgive each other.

As we understand that Christ's rule is justice and mercy, and the Cross is His throne, what in the world are Christians doing?   Why do Christians continue to suggest religious exceptionalism and support prejudice towards women, LGBTQ people, immigrants, individuals of different races, religions, physical, psychological and personal challenges?    Why do we as Christians tolerate Christianists claiming a religion of dominionism?  

Perhaps on this Christ the King Sunday we might think about how we promote justice, mercy and the forgiveness of sins by the Cross of Jesus.  How might we hold our leaders in the Church and society accountable for improving them to be inclusive and respectful of other?   How do we hold ourselves accountable?

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, may we pray that the Church and society will become a more abundant Reign of Christ so that He is made real because we too work for justice, mercy and believe in the forgiveness of our sins through His name and His Cross.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all
things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of
lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided
and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together
under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Proper 29, Book of Common Prayer, p. 236).


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, p.836).

Thanksgiving Day: Stop and Give Thanks

Scriptural Basis

Luke 17:11-19 (NRSV)

On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them, he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

Blog Reflection

I am thankful today for many of the advancements of our modern day.  It is because of the technological achievements in the last 20 years that I can write this blog.  The advances in the understanding of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions have brought us to seven States in the US that have legalized marriage equality.   Don't Ask, Don't Tell has been repealed this year. 

If there is one place where I remain rather traditional is in the area of worship and the seasons.   I do not like the stores putting up Christmas items for sale as early as mid-October.   The local lite rock station begins playing Christmas music 24/7 the third week of November.   The Hallmark Channel has already been showing Christmas films.  At 10:00pm tonight Wal-mart will begin their Black Friday sales. The commercials have been pushing the best gift ideas etc. 

My issue with all of that is that it does not allow us the space and season to prepare and celebrate Thanksgiving.  And the beautiful Season of Advent gets butchered by all of the rush of Christmas retail sales.

The Gospel for Thanksgiving Day is a great reminder to us about God's goodness.   The readings for Thanksgiving Day including Deuteronomy 8: 7-18 and 2 Corinthians 9: 6-15  reminds us that everything from the land we live on and the good food that we eat are all gifts of God given should not be taken for granted.   Yet, we all take advantage of what is in front of us.  Not only do we take it for granted, we can become selfish and try to hoard as much as we can for ourselves. 

We need to call to mind on this Thanksgiving Day that while we celebrate the opportunity to be grateful for our land and food we eat came to us at the expense of the Native Americans, whom the white Christians oppressed and suppressed.   As Americans we have much to repent of as well as be thankful for. 

This Thanksgiving as with any day of the year, we are urged to remember that there are people close to us who are not as fortunate as we are.  In our own neighborhoods there are elderly people who are lonely.  There are people who are sick and in need of help.  Around us are individuals who have been separated from their families for various reasons.  People who only wish for half of what we take for granted, just to survive another day with some hope. 

Giving thanks to God means more than having some gratitude for all God does.  Giving thanks means a change of heart and a life lived with gratitude, by willing to give of ourselves for the benefit of others who are different from us.  The one healed leper who returned to give thanks recognized that his life had been touched by God and wanted to praise God in the One who healed him.  The healed individual gave an example for all of us to imitate.  Our gratitude to God and each other has the power to help people sit up and take notice.  Or allows God to teach us something new and different.

This Thanksgiving there are many lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people who cannot be reunited with their families.  There are couples like Donald & Arthur who having pledged their love to each other face the possibility of being split up because Arthur is an immigrant who may be deported.  There are individuals who live with HIV/AIDS who live alone and without someone to love them just because they have HIV/AIDS. 

God invites us to give thanks by being open to God's call to all of us to recognize God's presence in all people.   Those who succeed in life.  Those who fail and wonder how to make it through another day.  God is present and speaking to us through people, events and opportunities where God is least likely to be found.  God seeks our good when someone who has never set foot in a church of any kind talks and behaves more like a Christian than any missionary we could meet.

As we continue throughout this Thanksgiving weekend until the First Sunday of Advent, let us stop and take time to be thankful to God.  May we also take time to show a sense of gratitude for all God does for us, by sharing all that we have with those who are less fortunate than ourselves.  May we reach across our sometimes biased hearts and begin to recognize the Holy Spirit's presence and grace in those who are marginalized by society and the Church to build relationships that lead to reconciliation.  

May our attitudes be like the Lila Montagne played by Jaqueline Bisset in the movie Latter Days.   At the end of the movie, Lila, Aaron, Christian and all the characters are gathered around a Thanksgiving table.  Lila lifts a class for a prayer and a toast that "Where ever you are in this world, whether success or failure, you will always have a place at my table." 


Prayers

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, page 246).

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.  (General Thanksgiving, Book of Common Prayer, page 101)

Thanksgiving Day: May We Celebrate, Include and Repent

My very favorite of all American Holidays recognized as Holy Days by the Episcopal Church has to be Thanksgiving Day.  I was raised in West Wareham, Massachusetts in the company of my good mother, my father, my sister, my Italian great aunts and grandmother on my mother's side.  My father was a hard working man.  Although he had difficulties as any person does, he did as much as he could humanly do to be sure his family was well cared for. 

It was not until after I moved away from my home town that my grandmother filled me in on a secret that I never knew until then.  My grandfather's ancestors on my mother's side of the family were pilgrims who settled in the Plymouth Plantation and most likely celebrated that first Thanksgiving Day feast together.  I am very thankful to God for the heritage that is part of my families legacy.  Yet, I also have to be mindful of the fact that there are whole groups of people who perish and experience injustice at the hands of those who prosper. 

As a former right wing Christian I used to watch (and now I am ashamed of my previous behavior as I consider myself a progressive Christian) the news clips of Native American's in the First Unitarian Church in Plymouth expressing anger over how the Pilgrims took their land and resources as the Puritans colonized territories not belonging to them.  Now that I am Episcopalian I am reminded that my Anglican heritage is full of both Anglo-Catholics and Puritans who shamefully shared in some of the plundering of the Two Spirit Natives.   As Americans, we have much to be thankful for and celebrate, but we should also recognize that we have an obligation to include others as well as repent of many evils that are still part of our daily lives.

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 (NRSV)

When you have come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time, and say to him, "Today I declare to the LORD your God that I have come into the land that the LORD swore to our ancestors to give us." When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, you shall make this response before the LORD your God: "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our ancestors; the LORD heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O LORD, have given me." You shall set it down before the LORD your God and bow down before the LORD your God. Then you, together with the Levites and the aliens who reside among you, shall celebrate with all the bounty that the LORD your God has given to you and to your house.

The reading from Deuteronomy is a reminder that everything we have today is a gift from God.  Our land, homes, families, communities, material things as well as our intellect are all part of God's graciousness towards all of us.  As Americans we have been given an abundance of goodness to share in.  Yet, we like all individuals are effected enough by human nature that we often want to hoard all that we have for ourselves.  Thanksgiving is a day to celebrate with festivity all that God has given to us, as well as remember the sacrifices that have been made to bring to us all that we have.   As Christians, God sacrificed God's perfect revelation in Jesus Christ to bring salvation to all humankind that will approach God through Christ.  Even Christians have forgotten charity towards those with whom God communicates differently through other world religions, Spiritualities, cultural expressions and so forth.  God has created and blessed all humankind as unique and diverse so that all of creation can draw closer to God in ways that work for them.  This past year, American conservative Christians have demonstrated such hate towards Muslim people, resulting in negative stereotypes that have brought about hateful rhetoric and violence.  And the continued rhetoric and behavior towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and queer people from Christianists and arch-conservative Catholics/Anglicans and even some Episcopalians cannot be overlooked.  As a result of the poor behavior towards LGBTQ people many LGBTQ individuals struggle with isolation from their families during this holiday season.  May be some of us need to open our hearts, doors and dinner tables to an LGBTQ person who is lonely this Thanksgiving.  

In Paul's letter to the Philippians 4:4-9 we are told:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

This Thanksgiving we are called to rejoice in all of the opportunities that God gives us to speak up for and to work for the equality of all who this day are denied their dignity by the Church and society.  As Americans we are fortunate to live in a land where we have the freedom to act on behalf of people who are marginalized.  Our United States Constitution as well as the Gospel that Christians claim to cling to call on our Government and us to speak on behalf of and do all that we can today for those who are yet waiting for a better tomorrow.  Thanksgiving Day is an opportunity to be thankful that there are great voices and individuals among us who are passionate and willing to remind the wealthy and powerful, that their corporate wealth does not rule those who can barely afford a one room apartment and have to go to a soup kitchen.  Through out the Bible and especially the Psalms there are countless examples of God viewing the poor as God's greatest friends.  Even as corporate powers want to send the middle class into oblivion, God still has the last word.  In America, we still  have the power to tell corporations NO.  Let us rejoice and give thanks, in prayer and supplication that in America we can say no to injustice, inequality and the evils of greed.

Paul tells us to celebrate what is good, noble, pure, pleasing, commendable, holy to think on those things.  Love is excellent, whether shared by individuals of the same-sex or opposite sex.  Marriage equality is pure, holy, good, noble, pleasing.  Inviting someone who would otherwise be alone with no one to care about them to share our Thanksgiving Day meal, warm home if only for a few hours is good, noble, pure, pleasing and commendable.  Serving Thanksgiving meals at a place where people who would otherwise go hungry for the day is a good and praiseworthy thing.  Spending a day in silent gratitude is praiseworthy. 

Last but not least our Gospel for this Thanksgiving Day is John 6: 25-35.

When the crowd found Jesus on the other side of the sea, they said to him, "Rabbi, when did you come here?" Jesus answered them, "Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal." Then they said to him, "What must we do to perform the works of God?" Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent." So they said to him, "What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, `He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" Then Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." They said to him, "Sir, give us this bread always."

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."

I am very thankful that on Thanksgiving Day that our Gospel is about Jesus feeding us.  God promises us through Jesus that all who come to him will not hunger or thirst.   For those who are poor, without work, homes, heat, health care, or dignity through the misconceived notions of the Church and society hearing that Jesus won't leave us hungry or thirsty is a big problem.  Many people are hungry and thirsty.  Many people today are with out justice, such as individuals denied proper medical attention because of health insurance companies mismanagement of their wealth.  How then is God feeding and nourishing us?

As Episcopalians and Catholics we understand that Christ is Really Present in the Eucharist.  For Episcopalians we are reminded that we must allow Christ's presence to be Real through us if Christ is to truly feed all of us with Christ's Body and Blood.   The word Eucharist means Thanksgiving.  We give thanks to God when God's presence is made real as we celebrate, include others marginalized by society and the Church and repent of our sins for marginalizing other peoples in the first place.  Giving thanks is an opportunity to reflect that "immeasurable love in Jesus Christ, our Lord" through our service of those who really are hungering and thirsting for the Goodness of God through the Church's ministry.  God nourishes others with the Real Presence of Christ when we may Christ Real as we serve others who need to know that they are loved, cherished and part of God's holy family of loved and included persons.  

This Thanksgiving I am thankful to God for all of the good that I am able to enjoy because of God's graciousness.  I am thankful for the love that Jason and I share together as a devoted Christian gay couple.  I am thankful for our Spiritual home of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral and the Episcopal Church.  I am thankful for the ability to sit and write these lines that may give some encouragement to someone who might need one today.  I am thankful for the heritage of my family.  I am thankful that my mother has done so much for me and that we are still able to talk on the phone while we cannot be together in person.   I am thankful to all who read my blog and find it helpful.  I am thankful to all who read my blog and have different opinions.   I am thankful that though we as LGBTQ people we are far from achieving full equality in the Church and society that we are moving ever closer and closer.  I am thankful for all of the great activists both secular and religious who are part of the work for equality and caring for those marginalized.  I am thankful that God sees fit to allow me to know so many wonderful people, many whom I cannot name, but are an important part of my life.  I am most thankful that God loves me as much as God does, that I have been made a good gay person who loves Jesus Christ and that writing this blog is a means by which I can share that love.  I am no better than anyone else.  I am a man of many faults, sins and even some disabilities.  But I know that God loves me as a gay Christian because in Jesus God has redeemed me as one of God's own.  I am thankful that over these past two years God has been transforming me in ways that I could not be not that long ago.   I am also very thankful that this Friday, marks two years since I left the Catholic church's ex-gay ministry called Courage that was started by Cardinal Cooke, and that I now have a terrific life, a loving man and so much love in my life because I can be who I am and know that only better things are yet to come.

I wish all of my blog readers, whoever you are and where ever you are, what or who ever you believe in a Happy and Holy Thanksgiving.  

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Thanksgiving Day, Book of Common Prayer, page 246)

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.  (General Thanksgiving, Book of Common Prayer, pages 101 + 125)

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart, 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, page 823).

May Our Yes Be More Than Lip Service

Based on Matthew 21:23-32

There was an incredible story about a mom, her daughter and a very helping hand on Thanksgiving Day. The day before Thanksgiving Lucy Crutchfield called to tell her daughter that she was sending her daughter money to buy food till the end of the month. As Lucy was leaving this message on what she thought was her daughters voice mail, she was also informing her daughter that sending her this money was going to put Lucy even further behind on her mortgage, but not wanting to see her daughter and grandchildren suffer, she would do what she could. Lucy's house was already in foreclosure. Her own mother had recently died and she was trying to pay off the house. Little did Lucy Crutchfield know that she had infact left the right message at the wrong number on someone else's voice mail. The voice mail Lucy left the message on belonged to Virginia Saenz a real estate agent. Virginia was moved by the desperate voice of Lucy as she listened to the message. Virginia returned Lucy's phone call to not only tell her that she had left the message on the wrong voice mail, but that she understood that everyone right now was in a real bind. Virginia told Lucy to go ahead and write the check for her mortgage and that Virginia would go shopping for Lucy's daughter and grandchildren. When Virginia called Lucy's daughter and asked what they needed, Lucy's daughter just told Virginia that they needed bread and milk. Virginia heard this message and knew that they needed a lot more than just bread and milk. So Virginia took along with her, her own 14 year old son and they went shopping on Thanksgiving morning for all the good things that children like to eat and got enough for Lucy's daughter and her children to live on until the end of the month. This story is rightly entitled "Wrong number miracle."

When we listen to what God is calling us to do and we answer God with our hearts willing to do what God wants, there is no telling what we can do. All of us have opportunities to do good work for God and God's people. All God wants of us is to answer God honestly and with true devotion and trust in God's will and way. Sometimes in our prayers to God, we can do God a lot of lip service with our hearts still stuck on ourselves. This can be especially true for people who worship in Liturgical Traditions. Being someone who is in love with Liturgical Traditions, I do not know what my life would be like without a Liturgy that helps me focus my entire self in the worship of God. However, if we are not careful all of the prayers we say, all of the bowing and kneeling and standing and reciting can easily become an abstract story recitation rather than become the Gospel actively alive in and through our life story.

Reading the Scriptures and saying prayers day after day is a necessity if we are to better understand what God wants for our lives. However, if what we pray does not become our intention to be actively pursuing God's will than our prayer remains just empty words and lives that are like the second son in Today's Gospel. We say yes to God in our prayers, but no to God with our lives. Injustice continues to live in our world. The poor continue to struggle to survive. People who have never heard that God loves them still think that God does not care. Our lives lived with love for God and neighbor is how the Gospel jumps out of the page and becomes a living testimony to the Person and power of Jesus Christ in our world.

Yesterday we remembered World AIDS Day. A day to recall that there are many suffering and sick people in the world who need to be remembered. We are also hearing how our Senate is watering down the Health Care Reform Bill and our Legislators are doing it without people speaking up and letting them remember who this bill is being written for. The District of Columbia's City Council just voted for marriage equality allowing same-sex couples to get married. These and other situations are places where the voices and lives of people who are followers of Jesus Christ can and need to be actively involved. A world with a killer disease such as AIDS and almost no one paying attention anymore cannot be allowed to continue without Christians and other people of good will taking action. With the prognosis of over 45,000 Americans said to be dying due to a lack of health care, the watering down of the public option in the Health Care Reform bill cannot go unchallenged. With the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington threatening to discontinue services to the poor if D.C. passes marriage equality, Christians and all fair minded people must be ready to speak up and take a stand for what is right. When the Salvation Army is checking green cards to see if illegal immigrants should share in incoming Christmas funds, people need to be speaking up and saying that this is wrong. It is not enough to pay God lip service, we must do it with our lives and our whole selves in the activity. And we must never apologize for being a voice for those who cannot speak up for themselves.

Where in our lives are we praying yes to God, but saying no in our actions? What is a place in our lives where we can actually do what God has asked us to do, even though we have already said no? Have we been putting off that phone call to our legislators about health care reform? Do we have the ability to write a letter to the editor of our local newspaper about the anti-homosexuality bill in Uganda? Do you know of someone calling for help that we can actually do something for, but have been putting it off?

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, #36 For the Oppressed, Page 826).

Thanksgiving Day Blog: Trust in God

As we gather with friends, family and our communities to celebrate God's goodness on this Thanksgiving Day we hear Jesus during his Ssermon on the Mount tell us: "Do not worry." Today's Gospel is taken from Matthew 6: 25-34.

Jesus begins saying: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to the span of your life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grown, they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you-you of little faith? Therefore do not worry saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today."

This Thanksgiving comes during a very dismal economic time. Many people over this past year have lost their jobs, homes, dreams and had their hopes crushed. Many, many soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have lost their lives leaving many families without their husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, cousins and best friends. The LGBT folks of Maine gather for Thanksgiving Day after Stand for Marriage Maine, the National Organization of Marriage and the Catholic Diocese worked to revoke their civil rights to legally marry. Many more service members have been discharged from America's military services due to don't ask, don't tell. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act has not yet been passed. The Defense of Marriage Act has not been repealed. The health care reform debate remains in limbo due to insurance companies lobbying against the needs of Americans who are sick and in need of medical treatment. The executives on Wall Street continue to grow fat on the bail outs they received from tax payer moneys given to them to help aid America's economy. For many people, this Thanksgiving is happening after having lost a loved one in death or separation or divorce and faces the day lonely and in despair. It is said that during the Holiday season that more relationships and marriages break up during this time of year due to high expectations and lack of communication. These issues and many more I am sure I have not named do not sound like today could be a very happy Thanksgiving. Yet, in today's Gospel Jesus tells us not to worry. How do we listen to Jesus and receive God's peace during a Thanksgiving Day while all of these realities remain part of our world?

Sometimes in our struggle to relieve those who are troubled or relieve our own troubles, we might tend to forget who Jesus was, is and always will be. Jesus Christ is God's perfect revelation in the human condition. Jesus was born into the middle of the filth and dirt of the human condition. Jesus was preaching: "Do not worry" as someone who lived as a poor man. Jesus very often had no where to lay his head. The very people who Jesus associated with were those who were marginalized by society and the religious establishment of his time. Jesus "who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8). And also "...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." (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus Christ who was God had every rich ability of heaven and earth at his command. For we read in John's Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being." (John 1:1-3). Yet in Jesus Christ God came not to be served, but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many. (See Matthew 20:28.) Jesus fed five thousand people in Matthew 14:13 to 21 and four thousand in Matthew 15: 32 to 39 with the Goodness and Grace of God without requiring them to oppose abortion or same-sex marriage or endorse the teachings of the church of their time. Jesus was the best friend of those whose rights were being denigrated and showed great friendships with women.

God is interested and active in all that is happening in the world both good and bad. However, God does not act on the problems of the world without employing the work of God's people. God has endowed all of us with the ability to speak up when our rights and dignity are violated. God has also given many of us the ability to speak up in behalf of someone who may not be able to speak for themselves. God has given to us the day of incredible technology to be able email our President, representatives and senators, Governors, Mayors and City Council members. God has given us church leaders who can be contacted and confronted. God has given us today the duty to be a voice for the lonely, the poor, those who's civil rights have been violated or not protected. God has given us another opportunity today to be agents of justice and peace in our world. We have every reason to give thanks today because we have the opportunity to be the hands, feet and heart of Jesus Christ in today's times. God has and does provide for all of us even in the midst of very dark times. We have an opportunity to be friends with the friendless, to invite and be a companion for those who are missing someone today. We can make a phone call and invite someone who is missing someone to spend Thanksgiving with. And we can love our significant other(s) who would not be being loved by us today. Therefore, God has indeed provided an abundance for us today. And therefore, if we only trust in God and God's grace and power what God does today is only the beginning of what God will continue to do in and through us as the days go forward. Let us never stop being a voice for those without health insurance, jobs, civil rights, food, clothing, electricity and a place to live. By being advocates for the poor, lonely and those who face prejudice we help people rely on God and God's promises through Jesus Christ.

Let us give thanks today that we can enjoy God's goodness and abundance and can give thought to how we can be God's message of goodness and abundance to others.

A General Thanksgiving taken today from the Book of Common Prayer on page 836.

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 which 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 temptations, 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 Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.