Author: John Thomas Frazier

Eucharistic Readings for Maundy Thursday: All Years

Exodus 12:1 to 4 and 11-14: Psalm 116:1 to 10 and 17: 1^st  Corinthians 11:23 to 26: John 13:1 to 17 and 31 to 35:

“So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.  Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.  If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them,” (John 13:14 to 17)

Our Lord Jesus has just washed the feet of his disciples. They have been taught the Way and are now to be sent into the world to teach and to further set the example of what it means to heal, to comfort and to evangelize. Jesus has just prepared their feet for carrying out the Good News. It is written, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”  (Isaiah 52:7)

Foot washing is so much more than the hygienic cleansing.  It is comfort for the one who is on their feet all day.  Such comfort is demonstrated appreciation, and radical hospitality.  When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan, He immediately was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness. Now, in this reading for today, Jesus baptises the feet of his followers, thus preparing their feet for the journey of carrying out the Gospel. Jesus points out that if he is doing this for his friends, then so should we. We are not greater than he is. We too are being sent into the world with the Good News (the Gospel).  We have the beautiful feet for the job.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and 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 in Holy Week: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 55; Evening, Psalm 74; 
 Jeremiah 17:5 to 10 and 14 to 17; Philippians 4:1 to 13; John 12:27 to 36:

“I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings.” (Jeremiah 17:10)

So what is in my heart?  What is on my mind? What does my mouth say, or not say, as a result of my mind or heart?   What acts do my hands perform, or not perform, as a result of what of what’s on my mind or in my heart?  I can only pray to God to make me better. “Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved; for you are my praise.” (Jeremiah 17:14) 

God knows that without God we lack what is good in our hearts and minds. I also think that God wonders if we know it.  The sooner we acknowledge our dependency on God and strive for goodness by asking for God’s assistance, the better off we will be. We can’t fix ourselves. But God can fix us if we only ask. So, 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)

Ultimately we should want to please God. Ironically, we can’t please God without God. Therefore, let us take the advice of Jeremiah and all of our saints since the time of our Lord Jesus and live lives of love – love for all people while striving to see God in the same people.   So that when God tests our minds and searches our hearts the fruit of our doing will be found favorable by God.

I will close today with Paul’s words to the Philippians as I find them relevant for today, “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.” (Philippians 4:5 to 7) This is all about our hearts and minds. Praise Jesus.

Today the Church also remembers Pandita Mary Ramabai Prophetic Witness and Evangelist in India, 1922: She was awesome.  Google her and check her out.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia and ourSchools.

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 Holy Week: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 6 and 12; Evening, Psalm 94; 
 Jeremiah 15:10 to 21; Philippians  3:15 to 21; John 12:20 to 26; 

“They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.”  (John 12: 21 and 22)

Taking a child fishing is perhaps one of the happiest moments a fishing person can have with a child. It ranks right up there with a baby taking their first step, or a child learning to ride a bicycle. When the fish is caught, patience is required of the experienced fisherman. We must let the child experience “bringing it in” and, maybe even taking it off the hook.  It’s all a part of fishing.

The Greeks in today’s Gospel lesson have bit the hook of Philip who is being taught by Andrew, (a fisherman by trade), how to fish. Jesus himself is the Master Fisherman, (who has already told them that he would teach them to fish for people). And while Jesus goes on to talk about how sad he is that he has to depart back to his eternal realm, there has to be some degree of happiness about the fishing seed that has been planted, and how it will continue to multiply over and over again.

As you live out your Church life, people will approach you about wanting to see “your” Jesus. When this happens, and it will, take them to the priest or the wardens of your parish and invite them to a Sunday service.  Our Lord Jesus will take it from there. Jesus trained us to be fishermen for the kingdom.  The fishing seed is planted in you. It is now time for you to bloom. It’s all a part of fishing.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and 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 Holy Week: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 51:1-18; Evening, Psalm 69:1-23; 
 Jeremiah 12:1 to 16; Philippians 3:1 to 14; John 12:9  to 19:  

“The Pharisees then said to one another, ‘You see, you can do nothing. Look, the world has gone after him!”  (John 12:19)

As I ponder the Gospels more and more, I find myself fascinated by the words that come from those who had an adversarial relationship with Jesus. An example is Pontius Pilate at the request for crucifixion and his asking the chief priests, “what evil has he done, (Mark 15:14). And now this statement from the Pharisees, “Look, the world has gone after him.”

Oh, how I wish it were so.  What would this world be like if in fact all in the world followed our Lord Jesus?  For one, the police and military would be greatly reduced. Oh, we would probably still have bad actors but they would be more easily identified and put away for long periods of time, but not executed.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating for all people to be Christian. But if we were, there would be a universal understanding about what is acceptable in loving behavior. We would strive to care more for the less fortunate and infirmed. We would give more time, talent and treasure for the needy in a more joyful way.

Another way we would behave as real followers of Jesus is to not go after people who are not believing in the same way that we do. Our Lord Jesus often used outsiders as examples of righteousness rather than those who were in his immediate circle; for example, the Good Samaritan, (Luke 10: 29 to 37),  and the Canaanite Woman with a daughter possessed with an evil spirit, (Matthew 15: 21 to 28). Our Lord Jesus showed the same amount of love and respect to so-called outsiders that he showed to those who were very close. As true Christians there is no room for “us/them.” We are all one in Christ Jesus. So what if the world has gone after him?  Well, my beloved in the Lord, it really starts with you and me, one person at a time. In this way we bring heaven to earth. In this way, God’s Will, will be done on earth as in heaven.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and 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

Eucahristic Readings for Palm Sunday: Year A

Matthew 21:1-11  Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29  The Liturgy of the Word  Isaiah 50:4-9a  Psalm 31:9-16;  Philippians 2:5-11  Matthew 26:14- 27:66

“Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.” (Matthew 26:23)

What a shift from four days ago.  As Jesus entered Jerusalem four days ago people were hailing him King of kings and Lord of lords.  And now, at one of Christianity’s most important sacraments, Holy Communion, at the table, our Lord Jesus says, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.”  And Judas will do this dirty deed with a kiss later after supper and after our Lord Jesus attends prayer three times. 

We truly are a fickle breed.  Too many of us tend to go the way of the loudest rhetoric.  There is not enough personal thinking and praying happening in our lives. Again, I go back to Blaise Pascal’s quote, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”  Judas’s hand went to places that his heart didn’t lead him.

All of us have personal responsibility for how we go forward.  Most of the time in the Bible, when a crowd makes a decision, it’s the wrong decision.  I have a poster of an old monk walking alone down a road and the caption, by Diane Grant reads, “It is better to walk alone, than with a crowd going in the wrong direction”. We each should carefully think about each next step we take.  Be hesitant about loud rhetoric. Listen for the Spirit of God and celebrate the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of lords.

Today is Palm Sunday (Celebratory); and Passion Sunday (Grief).  Should we be both? If not, which one are you?

The philosopher John Mills said “people seek pleasure in the absence of pain.”  We naturally want to be celebratory. But situations for grief happens.  Death, particularly unexpected death will cause us grief. None of us should live in such a way as to intentionally cause grief for others, especially the death of another except in cases of self-defense. Let us seek pleasure but understand that unpleasantness happens from time to time.

What happened to our Lord Jesus was the result of us going down the road in the wrong direction. Even if this was a divine plan, as a thinking and compassionate and loving people, we should make it very difficult, even for God to do this. Today we can still see the lack of love and compassion in some.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and 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 the 5^th Week in Lent: Year 1

 Morning, Psalms 137:1 to 6, and 144; Evening, Psalms 42 and 43;
Jeremiah 31:27 to 34; Romans 11:25 to 36; John 11:28 to 44 or 12:37 to 50:

“The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord.  But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31: 31 to 34)

This is my favorite Jeremiah prophecy.  As a Christian, I believe Jeremiah was foretelling of the coming of our Lord Jesus when he says, the days are surely coming, says the Lord.” …”That I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel”… he goes on, “I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts.”  With this being prophesied, we are informed that God, acting in our Lord Jesus will make for all humanity, an unbreakable covenant. Given that we have a habit of breaking every covenant God has made with us, our Lord Jesus will be a living covenant. Being fully God and fully human, it is the way we, with God as one of us, (Emanuel), can keep covenant.  But we even tried to break this covenant by killing him.  But then God did something quite unexpected, God raised the covenant from the dead!  This living Covenant can never be broken. We are locked into God forever.

And here is the thing, through our Lord Jesus, God has written the law of love and the fact that God exist, on our hearts, all human hearts.  We no longer have to ask about God. We all know that God is, that God is Good, and that God loves us and lifts us up as humanity as the capstone of Creation. This makes my job as a Christian preacher a little less difficult. All I have to really say is that God has already written the love of God on your heart, go and ponder what this means.

Today the Church remembers Frederick Denison Maurice, Priest and Theologian (1 April 1872). F D Maurice was born in 1805, the son of a Unitarian clergyman. He studied civil law at Cambridge, but refused the degree in 1827 rather than declare himself an Anglican. However, he was later converted, and in 1834 was ordained to the priesthood. 

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

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 the 5^th Week in Lent: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 95 and 22; Evening, Psalms 141 and 143:1-11;
Jeremiah 29:1,4 to13; Romans11:13 to 24; John 11:1 to 27, or, 12:1 to 10:

“Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.  There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him.  Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.  But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (John 12:1 to 5)

I chose this option of the Gospel reading for today because it also recalls the raising of Lazarus from the dead which is the other option. But it goes on further.  In this house in Bethany we have Judas Iscariot taking his eyes off of Jesus to look at Mary.  When he does, he quickly goes to contempt for her and, according to the Evangelist John, greed for money. 

This happens to us today if we look at family, friends or even strangers without looking at them through Jesus. We may develop contempt or envy or jealousy or even hatred for them and especially the stranger. My brothers and sisters in Christ, we must try hard to see all others through the eyes of our Lord Jesus. When we do, we shower them with love. We will be open to listening to them, and listening will lead to a deeper loving of them, even the stranger.

This happened six days before the Passover, this was preparation for the Sabbath. Jesus is back into the home of his friends, Lazarus and his sisters, Martha and Mary. Martha had also taken her eyes off Jesus to complain about her sister not helping with the hospitality work required for all the company who came with Jesus. “She [Martha], had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.  But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.”  But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her;” (Luke 10:39 to 42).  I believe this occurred at the same time, and in the same house as our John Gospel but seen from two different perspectives. This contempt happens to us too if we look away from our Lord Jesus to behold our family, our friends, and the stranger.  Please, please, please, try as hard as you can to view the other through the eyes of our Lord Jesus.

Today the Church remembers John Donne: Priest, Poet, and Preacher (31 March 1631)

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

“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 the 5^th Week in Lent: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 131, and 132; Evening, Psalm 140 and 142;
Jeremiah 26:1 to 16; Romans 11:1 to 12; John 10:19 to 42

“Jesus answered, ‘I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.  My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.  What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (John 10: 25 to 30)

There are several profound statements made by our Lord Jesus here.  The first is that “I have told you, and you do not believe.”  We have it recorded that Jesus said it. We have the evidence of Jesus’ words that testify to who Jesus is. We, you and I, cannot hear his actual voice today. But we can read the actual words that he said, and believe.  Moreover, in believing, we follow. We follow so as to have eternal life.  If we believe and follow in the way of trusting love, it cannot be taken away from us.  It is an eternal existence made by our Lord Jesus, who with the Creator, is One!

While we cannot hear the actual voice of Jesus, we can hear His Holy Spirit speaking to us in our studies and in our prayers.  My beloved of the Lord, this life is not the end.  Jesus gives us eternal life. A full life that comes to us after this one. We should rejoice and be glad in it.  Jesus says he and the Father are One!  I don’t know what that does to the idea of the Trinity but we for sure have Creation and Salvation in One. And yes, we also have the Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus come down to us to lead us into all righteousness. Thank You Lord Jesus.

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

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 the 5^th Week in Lent: Year 1

 Morning, Psalm 119:145 to 176; Evening, Psalms 128, 129 and 130;
Jeremiah 25:30 to 38; Romans 10:14 to 21; John 10:1 to 18

“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”  (John 10:16)

Our Lord Jesus uses the “I Am” identifier about himself twice in our passage for today.  He says he is the Gate, and that he is the Good Shepherd.  This is the Identifier God used at the burning bush with Moses. God told Moses to go and tell the Israelites that “I Am” sent him (Exodus 3:14). And just as Moses gathered all the tribes of Israel to be one following of God, so too, our Lord Jesus is going to call other faith traditions and denominations to be one flock. 

I think what is key here is for each of us to belong to some flock. We all need to be a part of a faith community. When Jesus began his ministry on the shores of Capernaum he didn’t say, “go and do your own thing.” No, he said, “Follow Me.” 

Over the years in the development or, “devolvement,” of the Christian Church we now have many denominations.   No denomination gets everything right.  I personally believe the Episcopal Church is the best way for me to worship God through our Lord Jesus. Perhaps the Episcopal Church is not the best way to worship for others. But that does not make other faith traditions or denominations worse or less holy; just another flock that will be joined with Jesus to make up the one flock.

The point is, we all need to belong to some flock somewhere. Jesus meets us where we are and in the faith community we are in.  It seems that God sends us, buses not cabs. God in Christ Jesus collects groups of people, not individuals. We need to belong to the household of God and await God’s call. This gathering of others reminds me of our Lord Jesus after the resurrection when he called out to his followers who were fishing. “When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.  Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught,” (John 21:9 and 10).  This is another message of gathering not only of different people, but also those who only recently came to believe.

The main point is that we all need to find a spiritual community to be with. And I would suggest attending many and different kinds of services. Your spiritual comfort will be revealed to you through the Holy Spirit. It may or may not be the pastor or the preaching.  It may be the feel of the parishioners. It may be any number of environmental or spiritual affects acting upon your soul. But remember, when you find it, stick with it. Our Lord Jesus will join all faithful groups together into one holy family. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

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

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 the 5^th Week in Lent: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 121, 122 and 123; Evening, Psalms 124, 125 and 126;
Jeremiah 25:8 to 17; Romans 10:1 to13; John 9:18 to 41

“The man answered, ‘Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes.” (John 9: 30)

As you can see, I want to continue with our John Gospel readings. This Gospel story of the man born blind fascinates me.  He stands up to the Pharisees knowing that he could be thrown out of the synagogue. His parents had the same fear. The difference is, he has never experienced the sights of the synagogue.  You can’t miss what you have never had.

This once blind man mocks the Pharisees by asking them if they too want to become disciples of Jesus. He is eventually thrown out of the synagogue. Jesus finds him and explains to him who Jesus is, the one who is speaking to him in the moment. At this point in his life, he has never seen nor heard more clearly in his life. The same is true for us when we first come to believe.

This truly is Amazing Grace. We too were blind but now we see. We were lost but now we are found. No one is beyond the reach of our Lord Jesus. It is especially sad when the people responsible for giving others hope, the clergy, be they Pharisee, Rabbi, Imam, priests or any kind of faith leader, refuses to see what is happening right in front of their eyes. We need to realize that God will act through whom God will act.  We can’t pick for God, God picks for God and God picks for us.

There are still know-it-all religious leaders who resist the wondrous works of God. Think about this man, Jesus didn’t “restore” his sight.  Our Lord Jesus gave him sight for the first time! Many of us today are in need of a first-time sight when it comes to having unconditional love for our neighbors, all of our neighbors. 

As I write this our nation is grieving over the loss of life in horrific murders in Nashville, Tennessee, my home town. There is much concern about why this happens.  We should be heartbroken about any persons murdered, anywhere.  I consider myself a Christian, American cowboy, who walks the Anglican Episcopal, path.  I only realized this about myself when my Lord Jesus opened my eyes about myself some forty years ago.  And yes, for me, this is an astonishing thing! Work with our Lord Jesus as did this man born blind. Jesus will open your eyes to the life that best suits you. You will then have real vision for the first time.  Thank You Lord Jesus.

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

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