Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 9: Year 1:

Morning, Psalms 20, 21:1-78-14); Evening,  Psalms 110:1 to 5, 116 and  117;
1^st  Samuel 17:31 to 49; Acts 11:1 to 18; Mark 1:14-28:

“Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God.  So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believerscriticized him, saying, ‘Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” (Acts 11:1 to 3).

You readers of this passage perhaps do not need a translation of this passage.  But indulge me if you will.  Here I go: “Now the apostles and the disciples who were in Judea, but down the hill from Jerusalem, heard that the non-Jew Greeks have also believed and accepted the word of God in Christ Jesus.  Peter (also a Jew), climbed the mountain to Jerusalem and found himself in the presence of Jews who heard about him and who believed in God but perhaps not in Jesus. They believed in God, whom they also believed brought all life into being and who made all human kind in the image of God, yet they found fault in Peter for trying to reconcile the stranger to the belief in God.

Peter will go on to share his story about inclusivity in his food example wherein nothing that God has made is profane, including the uncircumcised, or Greek non-Jews.

Maybe it would be a good idea to review our Church stance on this matter.  In our Book of Common Prayer,  on page 855 of the Catechism, we are asked the question; “What is the mission of the Church?” The answer: “The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.”

Any time we frame a question wherein it is an “us – them” scenario we have missed the holy mark. In God’s eyes we are all the same. However, some of us have been set apart to example the humble life. Some of us have been called and set aside to serve others regardless of what they believe or don’t believe. Some of us have been called and set apart to make charitable contributions that will assist those in need regardless of who the needy are.  Those of us who are called in this way and set aside are called Christians. Christianity is not for the faint of heart. It is a high calling for a low walk. We are called to love those thought to be unlovable. We are called to pray for those who curse us; we are called to withstand some abuse and continue to march as Christian soldiers.  We are fortified with the Love of God for the desire of God that all humanity will be reconciled back to God. We do this work with love. If this is God’s desire as Peter says, who are we to hinder God?

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 9: Year 1

Morning,  Psalm 16 and 17; Evening,  Psalm 22;
1^st  Samuel 17:17-30; Acts 10:34 to 48; Mark 1:1 to 13:

“Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:” (Acts 10; 34 to 37).

Peter proclaims that anyone, in any nation, who acknowledges, and respects God Almighty, and lives in accordance with what is acceptable to God, is acceptable by God.

Peter also reminds us of the message of peace preached by our Lord Jesus Christ.  He points out that this message of peace began in Galilee and then went to Judea and the rest of the earth.

As one who has visited Israel, and in particular, Galilee, I have a real appreciation of God’s decision to begin the Jesus path in Galilee.  God could have started it in Bethlehem where David and Jesus were born. But chose instead, the region of Galilee, the region of the Gentiles, to show God is the God of all people: Jews and Gentiles alike. As Peter says, “God shows no partiality.

As we step back away from planet earth we will notice something very special about the region of Galilee.  The earth’s lowest level body of fresh water (Lake Galilee, also known as the Sea of Galilee or Tiberius), is located there. It drains back into the Jordan River from whence the lake is filled, and where John baptized our Lord Jesus.  I too was blessed to have been baptized (again) while visiting there in 2018. 

The picture that I use for the head of this blog everyday is the one I took while there.  I was very moved by seeing the same terrain and horizon that our Lord Jesus must have looked at as he was with the fisherman on that same lake some 2000 plus years ago.

Love is the final resolve for all of us. But, if we can’t find ourselves able to show love, let us at least make peace with one another. God almighty sent to the people of Israel, and to us all over the world, our Lord Jesus, showing no partiality regarding race, faith, politics, gender, language or nationality, by preaching peace through this same Jesus Christ; walking in Galilee, and now Risen, and with us everywhere.  He is Lord of all.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, and our schools.

 “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done” (Genesis 2:1 and 2). So, for this evening and tomorrow day my friends, Shabbat Shalom. 

What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 9: Year 1

Morning,  Psalm 18:1 to 20; Evening,  Psalm 18:21 to 50;
1^st  Samuel 16:14 to 17:11; Acts 10:17 to 33; Luke 24:36 to 53:

“Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.  And Saul’s servants said to him, ‘See now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you.  Let our lord now command the servants who attend you to look for someone who is skilful in playing the lyre; and when the evil spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will feel better: (1^st Samuel 16: 14 to 16).

Three times the words “evil spirit from God” is written or said.  I don’t accept it. Nothing about God is evil. God is love. God is the pure Spirit of Love. This language about and evil spirit from God is used in other places in the Bible.  But as praying believers we have every right to object to such language, written or spoken, that we know is not our God. I believe evil is a human construct that happens when we reject the will of God. I do however, like the insight given to look for a musician to sooth the suffering soul. As one who practices several musical instruments I agree with the soothing effect of melodious contemplation. Soft music can thwart sad thoughts or even evil inclinations that occur should we turn way from the will of God. Whether I play it on piano, guitar or horn, or it comes from an electronic device, there is nothing more soothing. Also, there is nothing more soothing for me than Native American flute music. It just puts me at peace and inclines my soul towards the Holy.

Moreover, that a musician becomes head of state or a spiritual advisor is probably not a bad idea. David is referred to in our reading for today.  David will kill Goliath in our reading for today. David is also given credit for most of the Psalms of Scripture.  

It was Saint Augustine of Hippo who said “singing is praying twice.”  When I look at the numerous times we hear about singing in the Bible (songs sung after crossing the Red Sea in Exodus, to the Song of Mary in Luke), and especially in the Revelation of Jesus Christ to John where many times the elders folded themselves to the ground singing to the One on the Throne; it becomes obvious to me that singing and/or music is important to God; and should be to us as well.

Chanting is music as well. When monks chant they slow down the words and let them be carried throughout the halls and corridors of their monastery where all can benefit from the pleasing, peaceful sounds that perhaps drive off evil thoughts and intentions.  And maybe, just maybe, the love of God will fill the void. There is nothing evil about God, but calming music will cast out man’s self-generated evil. Sing one of your favorite hymns today and see.  

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 9: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 119:1 to 24; Evening,  Psalms 12, 13 and 14:
1^st  Samuel 16:1 to 13; Acts 10:1 to 16; Luke 24:12 to 35:

“In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God. One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, ‘Cornelius.’ He stared at him in terror and said, ‘What is it, Lord?’ He answered, ‘Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God:” (Acts 10:1 to 4).

God is bringing Peter and Cornelius together, the Jew fisherman and the Roman centurion, to do the Lord’s inclusive work. Whenever God sends you to someone, God prepares that person to receive you.  That person may be unaware that God is involved, but nonetheless, God is orchestrating the whole thing. 

While not a person of Israeli heritage, Cornelius is a man of constant prayer and giving to the poor. His heart sourced faith and devotion has been seen by God.  Cornelius is instructed in a vision to invite Peter to come and be with him. It is very odd that a Roman citizen, much less a centurion, would do such a thing. But Cornelius’ vision is tied to the vision of Peter through God. For Cornelius it is a matter of following God’s word.  For Peter, it is a matter of being inclusive as shown by the inclusion of various foods, foods provided by God for the health and nourishment of the faithful. The live animals that Peter is instructed to “kill and eat” are outside of what Peter, who is of Israeli heritage, has been taught to eat.  While God is stretching Peter to move beyond his tradition, God is also showing him (and us) that nothing, or no one of whom God has brought into existence, is profane.

What the two men have in common is faith in One God who calls people through visions, to prayer and charitable acts. Within these visions we too are stretched beyond our “normal” traditions. We are called to be with people different than ourselves. We are given insight that we could not have “figured out.”  I call these insights “glimmers of grace.”

Within glimmers of grace, some of us are called to move.  Some of us are called to be still.  If we all move we will never connect. We would miss each other. Some of us are called to be messengers who plant the seeds of prayer and fellowship, God has planted faith in all of us already.  Some of us are called to bloom where we are planted.  The world needs both kinds of us. The call we get from God may even change over time.  Together, we fulfill the dream of God. Together, we make the world a more inclusive and loving place – a place where God’s will, will be done.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 9: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 5 and 6; Evening, Psalms 10 and 11;
1^st  Samuel 15:24 to 35; Acts 9:32 to 43; Luke 23:56b to 24:1:

“As Samuel turned to go away, Saul caught hold of the hem of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this very day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” (1^st Samuel 15: 27 and 28)

There are three things for me to ponder in this 1^st Samuel reading for today. The first two are in the verses above. 

Is this where the tearing of clothing began?  Saul grabbed the garment of Samuel as Samuel had turned to leave and Samuel used this action as an explanation of how God is tearing Saul from being king over Israel. This tearing of clothing will appear elsewhere in scripture whenever someone is upset or angry about something that has happened, or was said. It’s just something to ponder.

The second thing to ponder is that sometimes people better qualified to do what I like doing will be chosen to do the work.  Samuel tells Saul that, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this very day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.”  I don’t believe anyone is really “better” than anybody else, but some might be better at certain deeds than others, and the need of the community is what is most important. First comes the “what” that needs to be done, and then comes the “who” that is best gifted to do what needs doing. As part of my community I too benefit from the best possible person in the right position.

Lastly, I think Samuel is incorrect when he says that God will not have a change of mind. When Saul requests prayers in an effort to see if God will have a change of mind regarding his kingship, Samuel tells Saul, “Moreover, the Glory of Israel will not recant or change his mind; for he is not a mortal, that he should change his mind;” (1^st Samuel 15:29).  However, when Moses engaged with God about God’s plan to destroy the Israelites because of their worship of an idol that they made with their own hands, he got God to have a change of mind.  ^“And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.” (Exodus 32:14 NRSV). There are other places as well where God has a change of mind about what was planned.  If God can have a change of mind and we are created in God’s Image, can we not also have a change of mind?  I think we should ponder this.  We should especially consider having a change of mind if it such a change results in a more loving response.

Today we remember Benedict of Nursia, Founder of western monasticism (11 July 540)

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 9: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 1, 2 and 3; Evening,  Psalms 4 and 7;
1^st Samuel 15:1 to 3 and 7 to 23; Acts 9:19b to 31; Luke 23:44 to56a:

“And Samuel said, ‘Has the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the Lord?  Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.”  (1^st Samuel 15:22)

I think this is a very important lesson for Saul, and for us, but it needs to be understood in a way that is more meaningful for us today.

The point that Samuel is making is that to God, obedience is more important than sacrifice.  That is, adherence to what God tells us to do is more important than what we give to God in terms of the fruits of our labor as well as the time spent in worship and adoration.

Obedience is a matter of doing what God says.  This could be interpreted as following the Law, and in Saul’s case, as with Moses, following the Law to the letter.  I understand that there were 613 Laws that must be obeyed.  Not all of these are applicable for us today.

For us who follow the Jesus movement, we only have two commandments; we are to love the Lord our God with all of our being, and we are to love our neighbors with the understanding that all people are our neighbors. This first law might contain everything that is found in sacrifice to, and worship of, God. This public adoration of God is made manifest after our private adoration of God. According to Samuel’s lesson of obedience, while it is the second lesson, it seems to be the weightier of the two. We are to love our neighbors, and for Christians, as Jesus loves us, to the letter and to the cross.

There are words in the old song, “Walk On The Wild Side,” as sung by Brook Benton that say, “One day of praying and six of having fun, the odds against going to heaven; six to one.”   This translates to loving people along with praying, is a seven day a week necessity. We might assemble one day a week, but private prayer and worship along with living out the real love of people is an everyday affair and the only way that we obey God.

For me then, obedience to God is made manifest in living a daily loving life, and is far more important than Church attendance and worship one day a week. However, as we assemble weekly in Jesus, we ought to also resemble our Jesus who prayed daily.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 9: Year A 

Romans 7:15 to 25a;  Matthew 11:16 to 19 and 25 to 30:

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11: 28 to 30)

When our Lord Jesus invites us to come and take his yoke upon us, this is not an exchange of yokes, as I once thought.  No, this is an invitation to join him in his yoke.  And it’s more than that; it’s an invitation to connect with Jesus through someone we know in Christ Jesus.

This is an invitation to come and be a Trinitarian partner. We partner with another believer and become yoked with Christ in a yoke-fitted for three. I am learning to play guitar and piano.  I am blessed to be led in my musical instruction by fellow Christians – fellow Christians who may not follow Christ in the exact same way that I do, but then, we are all evolving theologically.

With my guitar teacher, we mostly play Christian music for Cursillo songs and we are comfortable knowing that our Lord Jesus binds us together in a common brotherhood, a blessed yoke of learning. The same is true for my piano teacher. The weight of trying to learn to play these instruments on my own is more than I can bear.  But Jesus assists me through my albeit younger teachers, to share the load in Jesus’ name. 

The Bible is replete with examples of pairs of people through whom God (or Jesus) works through for our communal good.  Some examples are; Moses, God and Aaron; Ruth, God and Naomi; Elijah, God and Elisha; Simon Peter, God and Andrew; John, God and James; and Paul, Glod in Christ Jesus and several others.  My point is, that in our biblical tradition, we are called to seek out our Lord Jesus through another believer and share the burden of doing the work put before us with God’s help.

Most of the tasks before us are far more serious than playing music, but I needed to show an example of what we are able to do when yoked with Christ. Today we have racism, sexism, and just plain ego-ism. We need to partner with one another in fighting the “isms” of today.  I begin to see that all isms are bad but cannot be overcome without teaming up with a fellow believer wherein we are yoked with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The work before us is plentiful but we laborers are few. Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  Who do you know in Christ that you could work with for our communal good?  Let’s be fitted in the yoke of Christ, and get to work.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 8: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 137:1-6, and 144; Evening,  Psalm 104;
1^st  Samuel 14:16 to 30; Acts 9:10 to 19a; Luke 23:32 to 43:

“One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah?  Save yourself and us; (Luke 23:39).

Often as we read scripture we are led to think or believe in the way the writer wants us to.  I always ask those with me to be aware of the writer’s bias. The writer of Luke, whom I admire and from whom I learn so much, I still must hold accountable. 

As we have our Lord Jesus crucified but still alive, we have the words of the people; “And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!” (Luke 23:35).   And in the next verse we hear from the Roman soldiers; “The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”  (Luke 23:36 and 37)  We have these words about saving himself from people walking around but not on a cross.

This is why I look carefully at the words of the crucified men.  We are told by Luke that the first crucified speaker “derided” Jesus saying “Are you not the Messiah?  Save yourself and us.”  I think it is the, “and us,” part that draws me to him.  As I too am a man that knows well that I am a sinner I want our Lord Jesus to not only save himself but to save me also.  I too am on my cross as I deserve to be and I want our Lord Jesus to save me as only he can. 

We must remember that Luke never met Jesus.  Luke received the stories of Jesus from Peter and Paul, (Paul, who also never met Jesus before he was crucified) and Luke passed these words on to us with the interpretation he was given when he received these words.

But this so-called deriding criminal was the only one that asked for his own salvation as well as Jesus saving himself.  Sometimes one has to be in a situation where death is near to really appreciate the need for being saved. And my beloved of the Lord, that’s where we all are today; we are crucified with our Lord Jesus.  We have sinned and strayed from the ways of God and are in need of our Lord Jesus saving himself and us.  And Jesus does exactly that. We too look for the day we are in paradise with our Lord Jesus. When we learn to love we also learn not to rush to judgment.  The man on the cross may not have been mocking Jesus as we are led to believe and as were those who were walking around thinking they are not going to die (ever).  There is truth in his words about the need for salvation for us all. 

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Week 8: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 140 and 142; Evening, Psalms 141 and 143:1-12:
1^st  Samuel 13:19 to14:15; Acts 9:1 to 9; Luke 23:26 to 31

“Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips; let not my heart incline to any evil thing.” (Psalm 141:3)

If only I could think before I hit the “send” button on my mouth.  My blogs are like this also. I really ponder over my words and even have them read aloud by a computer voice before I hit the “publish” button. And even then occasionally the wrong meaning is floated.

 As we interact with people, both, the people we like, and the people we don’t particularly like, we should be very careful about our choice of words. While it is sometimes difficult when done face to face, it is even more challenging with the widespread use of text messaging and emails, and without the use of facial expression and body language, the wrong message is sometimes sent.

In setting a watch before our mouths and a guard on the door of our lips we must go deeper inside our selves, and to our hearts.  It is in our hearts that our attitudes and feelings are first developed before they make their way to our mouths and lips.  Words and hands can help or hurt depending on the heart source from which they originate.  And how do we adjust the thoughts of our hearts?  We don’t, without God’s help.

God did not give us the ability to fix our selves or heal ourselves. God intends for us to first believe in God, and as a result of our belief, to ask God for the assistance needed.  Therefore, we pray, “Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.” (BCP 355)

I have heard it said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease.  Therefore, before we speak, perhaps in prayer we should squeak.  We need our words to be true to what we feel.  But what we feel needs to be something we are proud of before God and our neighbors. It is only with God’s help that I; “Set a watch before my mouth, O Lord, and guard the door of my lips; let not my heart incline to any evil thing.”

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, and our schools.

 “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done” (Genesis 2:1 and 2). So, for this evening and tomorrow day my friends, Shabbat Shalom. 

What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 8: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 131 and 132; Evening Psalms 134 and 135;
1^st Samuel 13:5 to 18; Acts 8:26 to 40; Luke 23:13 to 25:

“Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.’ (This is a wilderness road.)” (Acts 8:26)

As I read this Acts lesson I am reminded of how geographical God is.  God finds the people with the faith and personality traits desired, and then moves them to where God needs them.  This is repeated throughout the Bible. God moves Abraham from his father’s house to a land the God will show him; God moves Ruth to Naomi’s people; God moves Moses back to Egypt to free the Israelites;  God moves David away from and then back to Jerusalem; God Moves Joseph to Egypt and back again with the baby Jesus. And God moves Philip to the eunuch in our Acts reading for today.  God is a mover and shaker.

But today’s Acts passage has several preaching points.  After God, through the angel, moves Philip to the path of the Eunuch where God has him to begin the explanation of the Christian life from where the Eunuch was, rather than the beginning of the Bible.  This is a lesson we could all learn. When we are asked to help someone understand, we should start with where they are, and go from there.

 Another preaching point is the unexpected opportunity to Baptize. Philip wastes no time when the Eunuch points to available water. While the Eunuch was perhaps not allowed in the Temple due to his physical disfigurement (which makes him a eunuch), he none the less is accepted into the household of God in Christ Jesus through Baptism.  Thank You Jesus.

Then God moves Philip to Azotus where he continues teaching and preaching the Good News. There are many lessons in this passage.

As we began July we are asked to remember that on the first of this month, two great Women: Pauli Murray, civil rights lawyer and Episcopal Priest; and  Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”  I invite you to research these women who also allowed God to move them as God saw fit.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John