Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 20: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 80; Evening, Psalm 77;
2^nd Kings 5:1 to 19; 1st Corinthians 4:8 to 21; Matthew 5:21 to 26:

“But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy:” (2^nd Kings 5:11).

I will deal with Naaman in a moment. But for now let us go back and see the unnamed girl who informed Naaman’s wife and therefore Naaman about the existence of Elisha the Prophet of God. She is another unnamed prophet of the Bible. There are many such women who get no recognition.

Now for Naaman. How often do we also ask God to “fix” something only in the way we want it done?  Naaman already had in his mind what to expect from Elisha, even though he didn’t even know Elisha existed until he was told by his slave girl.  So too we also often pray for specific outcomes from God. We want God to cure ourselves, or a relative rather than just say “God’s will be done,”  and ask for divine intervention in whatever way God sees fit.  I can recall our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, (who, at this writing, is recovering from surgery)  saying, the best we can pray to God for,  is to just say to God, “Help.”  And then let God take it from there. 

There is often a requirement for us to participate in the response from God just as Naaman was told to go and wash seven times. Sometimes we are asked to spend time with the response we are seeking while not knowing what that response will look like.  It also serves us well to see that God will use those among us to inform us about how we should interpret what is happening to us. In our story today, one in the company of Naaman makes him realize that had it been something difficult he would not have hesitated to do it, yet he questioned washing seven times in unknown waters. We ask because we don’t know. If we don’t know then we should be prepared to accept the divine response when, and how, and from whom, it comes.

God loves us and the Holy Spirit of God will often speak through sometimes unnamed, or even very close persons, to help us. All we have to do is listen, not second guess, and respond as told to do. God will take it from there.

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 20:Year A

Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16:

“Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” (Matthew 20: 14 and 15)

This was probably written to explain the Christian movement assuming the responsibility of teaching and preaching the Good News Gospel after the self-serving Hebrew leadership hit a dead end.  Personally, I don’t believe all Hebrews hit a dead end.  But God needed to keep the promise alive.  God needs to keep the promise to Abraham alive. God needs our Church to carry on the message of salvation even if we are the new-comers.

What puzzles me is, who were the early workers angry with, the land owner, or the late workers?  The landowner was correct in that it was his prerogative with what he would do with what is his. He kept his word with regard to the “daily wage.”  The daily wage was needed to pay the bills.

This is an old story about paying the last laborers the same as the first.  Perhaps the owner of the vineyard, (a stand-in for God in this metaphor by Jesus), is looking past the working men themselves.  Maybe the land owner is looking at the mothers and children whom the workingmen represent.  These mothers and children require the same rents and food as the families of the men who were hired early on.  Should mothers and children do without food and a roof over their heads only because the breadwinner couldn’t find work?  The Landowner found a way to care for poor families and at the same time, give dignity to the men responsible for them.

When we look at those who didn’t do as much as we did, for as long as we did, we tend to feel like they didn’t “earn” their reward.  As if to think, we did.  God needs more from some of us than God needs from others,  Fairness has nothing to do with it.  Some don’t have it to give, be it time or talents. 

Should the mothers and children of the men who weren’t hired early, suffer?  “Because no one has hired us;”  (Matthew 20:7) Again. “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  (James 1: 27)

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 19: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 75 and 76; Evening,  Psalms 23 and  27;
2^nd  Kings 2:1 to 18; 1^st Corinthians 4:1 to 7; Matthew 5:17 to 20:

“Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.  Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you:” (2^nd Kings 2:1 and 2).

The need for every person to latch on to a good mentor cannot be overstated. We follow people in trades to learn how to earn a living. We follow people in professions to learn how to be doctors and lawyers and such. It is the natural course of the humanity to find and follow someone who has the skills or knowledge that we want, and to stick with them no matter what.

We stick with them until we are self-sufficient in the area of concern wherein we too should welcome the company of an apprentice.  Whether its mentor – protégé or master – apprentice; the point is that we need to work with those who are right-minded and decent in their relations with others. Elisha found in Elijah the power of the Spirit of God and would not leave him.

We too, as followers of our Lord Jesus, must look for the Jesus quality in those we admire. Personally, I am not going to dedicate myself to the service of someone who has the musical skills that I want if the gifted person is rude, unloving, and self-serving.  I don’t want the skills that bad. Trying to work with someone whose antisocial behavior is less than what it should be, with the idea that we will just copy the good parts of the person, doesn’t work.  We will begin to copy the undesirable parts as well, also, we mislead the mentor in thinking he or she is ok. No, it would be better to just not get involved in any capacity.

There are plenty of good believing people in every endeavor we want to pursue.  Also, today, we can start in one field of study with one good mentor, and also follow another good mentor in a little different field of study or skill. The key, at least for me, is to make sure my leaders, my mentors, my masters are good, loving and faithful people.  This is the kind of person I strive to be every day.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light:” (Matthew 11:28-30).  Our Lord Jesus was, and is, the perfect mentor master, leader and teacher. He did, and continues to do, all his teaching through love for us. Let us do the same and for the same reasons.

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 19: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 69:1-23(24-30)31-38; Evening, Psalm 73;
2^nd  Kings 1:2 to 17; 1^st Corinthians 3:16 to 23; Matthew 5:11 to 16:

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14 to 16)

Light is a tricky thing. It can be tainted or shaded with various colors. It can project a darkness in spite of being light. In our proposed morning Psalm for today, Psalm 69, we have the option of not saying verses 24 through 30 in our Book of Common Prayer.  These verses carry with it a desire for God to wreak havoc on those we deem evil or mean, a tainted light in my judgment.  I say God knows the whole story therefore let God do what God will do.

Our Lord Jesus says we who follow Him are the light, or lights, of the world.  Douglas R. A. Hare, writing for Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Matthew; argues that the “Your” is plural and that we, collectively as Church, must be such a light. There may be something to that but I believe our individual light must start within our individual selves. And, it is when our individual light is joined with other, inclusive, all-loving lights that we, the Church, bring the world into the Light of Christ. There can be no shades, bushel baskets or “recommended omissions” in it.

I am reminded of the old Negro Spiritual, “This Little Light of Mine,” as arranged by Horace Boyer and published in the Hymnal “Lift Every Voice and Sing II,” (1993).

“This Little Light of mine, I’m gonna let if shine.”  Yes it starts with our individual selves.  Prayerfully, as young ones, parents, teachers, preachers and such, will plant in us a loving response to the world. The next verse says, “Every where I go, I’m gonna let it shine.”  This applies from going next door, going to school or Church, or work or store, or around the world. We must let our little lights shine.  The last verse says, “Jesus gave it to me, I’m gonna let it shine.”  I say, Thank You Lord Jesus.

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 19: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 71; Evening,  Psalm 74
1^st Kings 22:29 to 45; 1^st Corinthians 2:14 to 3:15; Matthew 5:1 to 10:

“Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are discerned spiritually. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.” (1^st Corinthians 2:14 and 15)

I continue today in the spiritual sphere.  I have heard it said that we are spiritual beings learning to be human, not human beings learning to be spiritual.  I can’t remember who said it, but it sounds right.

Paul says that he built on a foundation begun in Christ that others also must build on. Personally, I don’t believe he is the only one.  We have other foundation builders who have built on it as well. There is Peter, James, Mary Magdalene and Mathew for whom we remember today.  The second part of Paul’s verse bears this out, “Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ:” (1^st Corinthians 3:10 and 11).

My beloved of the Lord, let us not be afraid to let go and let God. You don’t have to have answers, just wonder and adoration. “It is not the task of Christianity to provide easy answers to every question, but to make us progressively aware of a mystery.  God is not so much the object of our knowledge as the cause of our wonder.” (Kallistos Ware) 

Being spiritual is not foolishness. It is a discerning gift from God for all who wish to have it.  It is like mysticism.  The great mystic Evelyn Underhill speaks of the availability of mysticism. “Evelyn Underhill’s most valuable contribution to spiritual literature must surely be her conviction that the mystical life is not only open to a saintly few, but to anyone who cares to nurture it and weave it into everyday experience,” (Great Cloud of Witnesses for June 15)

God is Spirit according to the Gospel of John (4:24).  And all who want to worship God must do so in spirit and truth.  You, who are reading this blog, are a spiritual child of God. Live spiritually and discern all things, and be subject to no one’s scrutiny. For me, this is pondering. Thank You Lord Jesus.

Today our Church remembers Matthew (AKA Levi), a Tax Collector turned Apostle and Evangelist. I will always remember how much my New Testament Professor, the Reveren Dr. Tony Lewis, said that, “walking around in this Gospel changed his life.”

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 19: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 72; Evening, Psalm 119:73 to 96;
1^st Kings 22:1 to 28; 1^st  Corinthians 2:1 to 13; Matthew 4:18 to 25:

“My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God:” (1^st Corinthians 2, 4 and 5).

This is so true.  Our faith must not be based on what limited scientific or geological things we can prove. God’s presence in our lives is so much more than human understanding. There is a different kind of wisdom in what God is doing within us. 

Paul continues, “Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory:” (1^st Corinthians 2: 6 and 7). This kind of secret knowledge is what the Gnostics of old preached in their faith tradition – that is that only a few who God chose had this secret knowledge. This theology is not accepted by most mainline Christian traditions. However, anyone, and everyone, who chooses to listen to the Holy Spirit of God will receive this hidden and secret spiritual knowledge.

This hidden and secret spiritual knowledge is what Paul calls “These things.” Paul says that “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God:” (1^st Corinthians 2:10).  I think every now and then Paul records the absolute truth, and it is directly from God. I am not a big Paul fan. But my ear has been trained to know the divine truth when I hear it.

Paul ends this passage with the idea that spirituality seeks out spirituality. He says, “And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual:” (1^st Corinthians 2: 13).  After the coming of the Holy Spirit on what the Church calls the Day of Pentecost, every human being may open him or herself to the Holy Spirit. We can, and should, listen to what the Spirit is saying to us.

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 19: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 61 and 62; Evening, Psalm 68;
1^st  Kings 21:17 to 29; 1^st Cor. 1:20 to 31; Matthew 4:12 to 17:

“Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth:” (1^st Corinthians 1:26).

Wow! Paul has nailed me. I am all three. I am not wise by human standards. I am certainly not powerful. And, as an African American, a descendent of American slaves, I am not of noble birth. I am the trifecta, or maybe the humble Trinitarian characteristic of those who are truly called.

I failed second and fourth grade by a teacher who I found out later did not like my mother. In the meantime I was left with a huge inferiority complex that I had to overcome. I considered myself a failure. Yet, here I am, doing the Lord’s work.  Thank You Lord Jesus.

I truly do feel called to my ministry. So many things happened to me just prior to my retirement from the Marine Corps.  I was less than two years on station in Yuma, Arizona when I was ordered to Marine Corps Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina.  And, even then, with less than two years left before reaching thirty years active duty and mandatory retirement, I was allowed to continue my service and retire. Yet, as I was back in my old hometown of Havelock, I was able to again attend my home parish of St Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Havelock, North Carolina.  The Rector at that time asked me to consider if God has a calling on my life. God did. And here I am. Again, Thank You Lord Jesus.

You too must not look at your intellect, or race or ethnicity, sex, or anything of high “human” value. God doesn’t care about any of that. We can’t “figure out” God.  If you have truly emptied yourself of all human standards of achievement or birthright, which may tend to give you a false sense of security, then your empty cup or bowl is prepared to be filled by God. One more time, Thank You Lord Jesus.

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 19: Year 1

Morning,  Psalms 56 and 57; Evening,  Psalms 64 and 65:
1^st Kings 21:1to 16; 1 Corinthians 1:1 to 19; Matthew 4:1 to 11:

“It Is Written,” (Matthew 4:1 to 11)

While I must have read this Gospel text no less than a hundred times, I noticed something new this time.  Jesus uses the term, “It is written,” as human actions three times.  Now the devil in this writing tries to use Jesus’ anchor against him.  But he uses it in a way that talks about what God will do, that is, to have angels save him. But Jesus uses the, “It is written” statement, written by humans, for humans, as a human response to show, we feed on the word of God; we are not to test God; and that we are to worship God, and God only.

These three statements of what is written is the anchor not only for our Lord Jesus, but for us also. The Word of God is food for our souls. The Word of God sustains us, not only in this world, but for all eternity. In no way should we attempt to test God based on some twist of scripture; being mindful that some interpreters will try to lead us astray.  When this misleading attempt occurs it is usually for some partisan, exclusive and/or divisive policy. Beware. And lastly, we must remember that God is love. We are to worship God and God only. We are brought into being through the love of God specifically to love each other and to give love back to God in gratitude.

So here we go: feed on God’s words of love and inclusion; trust in God, don’t test God; and pray to, and worship God, both alone and when gathered. Let these written words be your anchor in life. It worked for our Lord Jesus and it works for us today.

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 19: Year A

Romans 14:1 to 12 and Matthew 18:21 to 35

 “But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’  (Matthew 18: 28 – 35)

This gets back to our Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”  But do we really forgive, or pardon those who have hurt us?  

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did many things that we are not able to do. He healed the paralyzed, he gave sight back to the blind, he restored hearing and speech; and he even brought the dead back to life.  We can do none of these although we sometimes come close through medical science. 

However, the one thing that Jesus did that we can all do if we set our hearts to it, is to forgive.  In order to forgive we must first want to.  It hurts.  When we have been wronged, or betrayed, or abused or lied to, or assaulted , or perhaps a combination of these. It hurts. Such pain can lead to anger.

We should plead with those whom we have offended for our forgiveness, and whether we receive forgiveness or not, we must have compassion for those who come to us and plead for the same. We all admit that we are fallible.  Therefore it should not surprise us when we err.  We must remember that when we see the unrepentant, that except for the grace of God, there goes us.

Sometimes we make mistakes.  Sometimes we are just wrongheaded. In any case, a time of reflection should make us aware of our transgression and cause us to want to walk it back. As painful as it might be, it needs to be done in order to set us right before God and our neighbor and ourselves.

So the same is true for those who wrong us. Jesus’ point is that though it might happen more than once, if we are counting the number of times, we are harboring resentment.  I do believe that we must guard ourselves against intentional evil, but we also must use our God-given reason to protect ourselves.  We shouldn’t count the number of times, but we must be accountable. We are not created for misuse.

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 18: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 55; Evening, Psalms 138, 139:1 to 17;
1^st Kings 18:41 to 19:8; Philippians 3:17 to 4:7; Matthew 3:13 to 17:

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented:” (Matthew 3:13 to 15).

I understand John. He knows he was born only to announce the coming of the Author of life and love. Yet, he thought, “I am not the one, but you, shouldn’t you baptize me, not me baptize you?”

We say that the baptism of John was a baptism of repentance. Fine, but our Lord Jesus had nothing to repent from.  John himself was a servant for sinners in order that they might repent. Therefore, shouldn’t those of us being baptized, be baptized into the call of servanthood? 

In the Episcopal Church, baptism makes us Christian. And, I am proud to say we accept the Trinitarian baptism of all Christian faiths. Later in our lives, if we remain steadfast, we are Confirmed by our Bishop.  Confirmation then, makes us Episcopalians.

In our Creed we say that we believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I think I have been baptized three times.  I only discovered one when I sent off for my transcripts for college and my transcripts from Saint Vincent de Paul’s school in Nashville, Tennessee reported that I was identified by baptismal certificate.  I never knew that.  My intentional baptismal was at Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church, Memphis, Tennessee at the Easter Vigil of 1980.  That I did know about. And lastly, I could not pass up the opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River itself when I visited the Holy Land in February of 2018.

Even while we hold on to our sacred traditions we really don’t know what life will bring us on the morrow. Our Lord Jesus set us the example of humility. He was handed over to Mary for birth. He handed himself over to John to be baptized. And, shamefully, he was handed over by us to be crucified.

I pray that in my baptism, with God’s help, I will seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself; and I will strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being. So help me 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