Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of the 5^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 72; Evening, Psalm 119:73 to 96;
Wisdom 13:1to 9; Romans13:1 to14; Luke 8:16 to 25:

“For from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.” (Wisdom of Solomon 13:5)

The writer of Wisdom speaks about the people who look at created things, the sun, the moon, the stars, various living creatures and suppose them to be gods.  But the Wisdom writer informs us that created things and beings are “a corresponding perception of their Creator.”  They are not to be worshiped but to be appreciated and reminders to us that there is a Creator of all things and beings.

Several years ago our parish put on a play as a fund raiser in honor of our fiftieth anniversary.  Our now Senior Warden directed the play. She was not in the play, but everything we, the actors, did was in accordance with her instruction.  Our work on the stage was the evidence, a corresponding perception, of her leadership. Yet, no one saw her, she stayed out of sight, in the back of the room.

Everything we can see with our eyes, hear with our ears and smell with our nose is evidence that God exist. That all things are still held together is further evidence that God is still holding all creation together.

Our earth is so beautiful. The earth is full of color, with more varieties of life than anyone can imagine. Yet, God knows the whales and the mosquitoes by their names. I must admit that I don’t appreciate all creatures the same (mosquitoes in particular).  But God has seen to it that this earth has both beauty and balance. This earth functions as a life support system for all its inhabitants.

We are neither accident nor a random occurrence in space. We were created on purpose over time and in accordance with God’s plan in which we evolved. I have met people who show particular interest in one part of creation or another. Some people favor marine life, whales and such.  Some people favor spiders and tarantulas. Personally, I like to study the great apes, Gorillas, Gibbons, Orangutans, and Chimpanzees. Other people favor various kinds of plants or trees. I think it is good to enjoy and appreciate created things and beings. But let us not forget the Creator, who is not seen but rather, standing out of sight, in the back of the room.  It’s probably not a bad idea to regularly give thanks to the Creator for all creation.  This is the One in whom we all still live and move and have our being.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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 the 5^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 61 and 62; Evening,  Psalm 68;
Wisdom 10:1 to 21; Romans 12:1 to 21; Luke 8:1 to 15

“Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,”  (Luke 8: 1 and 2)

This is a very important writing from the Gospel according to Luke as it tells us something about how Mary Magdalene was liberated from seven demons.  This casting out of demons explains her sorrow at the death of our Lord Jesus and why she was crying at his tomb in the Gospel of John, chapter 20.

The life of Jesus goes from Herod to Herod; from Joseph his earthly father to Joseph of Arimathaea; from John the Baptist to John the apostle; and from Mary his mother to Mary Magdalene. Our Lord Jesus connects us around him and we come out better after him; our Lord Jesus is God’s plan for us and for our salvation.

While I have named the, various to-and-from, people of Jesus’ life, our Wisdom of Solomon  reading for today from the Apocrypha of the Bible will cause us to ponder even more deeply about who the writher is talking about.  Some hints would be Adam, Cain, Noah Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. Most of these people followed where God led them. Cain of course, ignored the caution to watch his behavior and what he was thinking. As a result of his lack of heeding God’s counsel, he killed his brother.

The bottom line is this. God is still connecting with us on all sides. All we have to do is open our hearts and minds to see what God is doing in our very presence. God in Christ Jesus is still casting out demons and helping us to get rid of bad thoughts. Our Lord Jesus will give us back to our true selves as he did for Mary Magdalene.  Thank You Lord Jesus.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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 the 5^th Week in Easter: Year 1

Morning,  Psalms 56 and 57,  Evening,  Psalms 64 and 65;
Wisdom 9:1, 7 to 18; Colossians (3:18 to 4:1), 2 to 18; Luke 7:36 to 50

“Who has learned your counsel, unless you have given wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high?” (Wisdom 9:17)

While attending a Systematic Theology class at Virginia Theological Seminary we received a lecture on St. Thomas Aquinas.  St Thomas Aquinas wrote volumes on the proofs of God and of the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

On this occasion, as the lecture was closing, I noticed several students making their way towards the instructor.  I followed on the chance that I might learn something. I heard from the Systematic Theology teacher that all of the volumes of St Thomas could not compare with one small glimmer of revelation from the Holy Spirit of God. This was a powerful moment for me. I realized that God can and will give us a revelation that we, or at least I, would not be able to put into words.

In our life search for God, it is not our job to “figure God out.”  No, we must only believe in God and create a space within our souls for God to gift us with revelation.   “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is so high that I cannot attain to it.” (Psalm 139)  Not only that, Anselm (Arch Bishop (April 21 1109), says that we should be faith seeking understanding. He says we must first believe in order that we might later understand.  Also, another deep thinking contemporary theologian says, “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.” These are the words of Kallistos Ware. All of these points to the human need to ponder about the mystery of God.

Many denominations want to first understand the scriptures in order that they might then believe. I think this is putting the cart before the horse.  But even after our Lord Jesus had taught his disciples all about the Law of Moses and the Prophets they couldn’t understand. It was not until the Resurrected Jesus opened their minds; “Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,” (Luke 24:45).  We can’t understand God without God. We must learn to pray for help.

While I disagree with much of our Colossians readings for today, I will agree with the instruction to pray at the beginning of chapter 4. The writer says to, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.” (Colossians 4:1)

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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

Eucharistic Readings for the 5^th Sunday of Easter: Year A

Acts 7:55-60;  Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16;  1^st Peter 2:2-10;  John 14:1-14:

“In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.”  (John 14:2 – 3)

There are few things that can compare with a well thought-out plan. One of the lessons I am still learning is to have a place for things before I get them. It is really upsetting to order and have delivered a new gym apparatus and no where to put it in an already crowded garage.   I’ve gotten to the point that when I am asked to move something for someone, I ask where do you want me to move it to?  If there is something already occupying that space, then the question becomes, where does that item then go? and on and on.

For our eternal home, this work has already been done by our Lord Jesus. Jesus says he has gone to prepare a place for us. This preparing that Jesus speaks of may even be to “create” a space for us. The good news is that there is a space, a dwelling for us. You have heard that there should be a place for everything, and everything in its place, right?  We are co-creating a space in our eternal home right now as we go about believing in, and following our Lord Jesus.

In what I call my “man-cave” upstairs are many photos, plaques, and memorabilia I have collected over the years. It’s not much, it’s just me. Jesus is decorating a room for you with the good works you have done, and hopefully, will do, as you await his call to your eternal home. So how about you my friends?  What personal souvenirs or memorabilia is our Lord Jesus preparing your space with? The good news is, if you are reading this you still have time to forward some good works or fruits of the spirit forward to our Lord Jesus as he prepares your space. For as he says, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” Let me be clear, this is not “works righteousness,” but rather, “living the dream.”

Jesus tells us to believe in God and to believe also in Him. As Christians we share the same good God who is the same God of other faith traditions. To this understanding we also recognize God walking with us in the person of Jesus, our Savior. All other traditions will admit that God can, and is able to do such a thing. We Christians however, proclaim that God has already done so.  We believe in God, we also believe in our Lord Jesus.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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 4^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 55; Evening,  Psalms 138 and 139:
Wisdom 7:1 to 14; Col. 3:12 to 17; Luke 7:18 to 35

“And when I was born, I began to breathe the common air, and fell upon the kindred earth;
my first sound was a cry, as is true of all.” (Wisdom of Solomon 7:3)

It is the breath of God that brought all creation into being, including us, the “human,” beings.  According to Genesis, God used the words translated as “Let there be….”  And in a series of callings, Creation was brought forth, “and it was so.”  And all creation breathed the common air. In my pondering, the word “common” resonates with me, as in our Book of Common Prayer.  It is common breath to form Common Prayer.

The writer of this lesson from Wisdom also understands that we are all kindred in creation. We are brothers and sisters.  He goes on to acknowledge that our first prayer in thanksgiving to God for our being comes in the form of a cry, our first sound.  To cry is to pray. Our cry is God’s way of bonding with us. God’s ears hears tears.

Nothing will bring us closer to God than our personal prayers. Church services, spiritual music or writings, nor close intimate consultation will bring us God’s glimmer of grace like our quiet, surrendering, personal prayer to God, letting the Spirit pray through us. “Therefore I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.”  (Wisdom 7:7)

My beloved in the Lord, we have not been left orphaned.  God is with us.  God is watching and listening to us. While Church services, spiritual music or writings, and close intimate consultation in spiritual advisement will enable us to more fully present ourselves open to God, we each need some quiet, private time, to just be with God in prayer. As the Psalmist says, we need to “be still and know that God is God.”  (Psalm 46)

I recall again the words of Blaise Pascal: “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”  “Inability?”  I think not.  Therefore, I have restated his words with my own modification: “All of humanity’s problems stem from a person’s “refusal” to sit quietly in a room alone.  I believe we can sit quietly in a room alone if we so choose.  But we’ve been taught that if we are not jamming our ears and minds with continuous commercial noise we are bored, or that our quality of life is less than it should be. We need to trust the quiet. The noise is our ego, or “Edging God Out.”

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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 the 4^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 40 and 54; Evening, Psalm 51;
Wisdom 6:12 to 23; Colossians 3:1 to 11; Luke 7:1 to 17:

“The centurion sent friends to say to him, ‘Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; therefore I did not presume to come to you. But only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.  For I also am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, “Go”, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’  When Jesus heard this he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, he said, ‘I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.” (Luke 7:6 to 9)

Here is an example of the inclusivity of our Lord Jesus. A servant of a centurion is sick and dying. The dying servant does not ask for the help of Jesus. The Roman centurion himself asks for the help of Jesus. And he gets it. The centurion’s faith is stronger than the faith of the Israelites. Jesus is amazed at this and of course, cures his servant.

Jesus heals from a remote location. Even today, Jesus responds to our prayer requests as He sits on His Throne.  Our Lord Jesus does not care about human pedigree.  We can be Israelite, Roman, Greek, German, Chinese, Mexican, Nigerian, or American; Jesus doesn’t care. Our Lord Jesus only cares about our faith. If we trust in Him, He will deliver.  He will deliver for us, and for those whom we pray for if we pray as one who believes in the healing power that Jesus has.

As we prepare for our Sabbath time, let us ponder about how our Lord Jesus answers our prayers, for ourselves, and for those whom we love and pray for. Remember, if you have no words, just cry about it because God’s ears hears tears.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, South Sudan 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 the 4^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 50; Evening,  Psalms 114 and 115:
Wisdom 5:9 to 23; Colossians 2:8 to 23; Luke 6:39 to 49:

“But the righteous live forever, and their reward is with the Lord; the Most High takes care of them.”  (Wisdom 5: 15)

In the writings of Wisdom, the writer has shown how the unrighteous are so temporary. They vanish and are remembered no more. The writer uses a ship through water and an arrow through the air as metaphor for how the unrighteous have their time but are soon forgotten as they leave no lasting goodness behind them. 

I can remember times while serving in the Marines our aircraft squadron would visit various air bases of other services. Often we would be put up in old, and seldom used barracks.  Without fail, our Sergeant Major would have us clean and restore the facility in addition to flying the missions we were there for.  He said that we would leave this barracks in better condition than we found it. I am surprised that this word didn’t get out to the whole country and we were “invited” to visit even more bases as a way to renovate old buildings; (just kidding).

The point could be made that if we create and maintain goodness we could be allowed to dwell in that goodness for all eternity. Such goodness applies to human relationships as well as the care of the earth.  “But the righteous live forever!” God is righteousness. And God is eternal. To be righteous then, is to be godly, as best we can. We are visitors here on this earth our fragile and temporary home. And we should strive to leave it better than we found it. In this way we are “invited” into a permanent home, not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Our reward is with the Lord who will take care of us for all eternity.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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 the 4^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 119:49 to 72; Evening, Psalm 49
Wisdom 4:16 to 5:8; Colossians 1:24 to 2:7; Luke 6:27 to 38:

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

This is what we call the Golden Rule. It makes so much sense. We all want a fair deal and an equal opportunity to at least apply for jobs, loans, schools and so forth. None of us want our property or identity stolen. This Luke verse simply says if you don’t like something, don’t do it to others.  And if you do like something, try to do it for others.

This verse is the other side of the same coin as the Torah on one foot.  From the web I found this: “There’s an old story we all learned as children about a stranger who came to the two teachers of the first century, Hillel and Shammai, with an odd request. “Teach me the Torah while I stand on one foot.”…… “So Hillel taught him: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah, all the rest is commentary. Zil u’gemar, now, go and learn it.” The entire writing can be found at; ON ONE FOOT – Valley Beth Shalom (vbs.org)

Both of these sayings are good lessons that should be followed closely.  The only way to end the disrespect we show to one another is to learn empathy.  We must learn to be the other as God learned to be one of us in the person of our Lord Jesus.

These are the lessons that we learn from our Lord Jesus.   The Writer to the Colossians says in our Colossians’ reading for today,   “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” (Colossians 2:6 and 7)

Saint Francis of Assisi (Friar 4 October 1226) lived his life dedicated to poverty and the dignity of others. He empathized so strongly with the respect of others. There is a prayer in the Book of Common Prayer that really fits his lesson.  “A Prayer attributed to St. Francis: Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.”  (BCP 833)

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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 the 4^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 45; Evening,  Psalms 47 and 48;
Wisdom 3:1 to 9; Colossians 1:15 to 23; Luke 6:12 to 26:

“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.” (Colossians 1:15 to 17)

Two years ago on the 23^rd of April, 2021, at about 5:45 am, as I was publishing my blog, four human beings were launched into space to join the International Space Station.  I paused to take the picture shown here. I took this picture with my phone from my front porch in North Carolina. For me it was visible. For many others it was not. They either didn’t know to look for it or were not where they could see it. They must trust my word and my picture.

The writer to the Church in Colossae informs the believers, including us, that our Lord Jesus “Himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”  We must trust his word.  Aboard this spacecraft were two American astronauts, a Japanese astronaut and a French astronaut for total of four people.

The words of the writer to the Colossians reminds me that, 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.”  We are also flying a drone on Mars. God is working through us to enlighten us about the majesty of God and creation. Now, if we could just figure out how to better love and serve one another on the surface of the Earth. Maybe it starts with America, Japan and France in a capsule in space. Perhaps besides the cell study that was they planned, maybe just being together in that spacecraft will be the human experiment that will prove most informative. Thank You Lord Jesus.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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 the 4^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 41 and 52; Evening, Psalm 44;
Wisdom 1:16 to 2:11 and 21 to 24; Colossians 1:1 to 14; Luke 6:1 to 11:

“This you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant.  He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has made known to us your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.” (Colossians 1:7 to 10)

Some people, even in high political status, say that prayer is not enough.  I vehemently disagree.  In our world of racism where people with dark skin are killed at a higher rate by authorities than people with lighter complexions, some say that we need to do more than pray. I say No!  Prayer works. Prayer is the beginning of whatever action is seen as the solution. Prayer brings about changes that some say are a results of action outside of prayer.  Nothing is outside of prayer.  Prayer brings about the physical action that makes the change we need.  Prayer is where we start.

For this reason we Christians pray without ceasing for the action of change.  This is why the writer of  the letter to the Colossians says, “we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God.”  My beloved in the Lord, we pray not only for change, we pray for people who pray for change.

Have you ever prayed for people who said that they would pray for something?  As a priest I often let people know that I will be praying for them. Every now and then, some will reply saying that they will also pray for me. I am moved by this. They are praying for the “pray-er.”  I will do that also. When someone says that they are going to pray for someone, or something, or a situation, I will pray for them, that God will listen, and that God knows that the person praying is supported by at least one other person prayig.  Prayer works.  We must never devalue prayer.

Remember, prayer does not have to be audible words carefully composed, or words from the Book of Common Prayer. Some of the most touching prayers are the silent opening of your heart to the pure love of God, even with tears. God’s ears, hears tears.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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