Author: John Thomas Frazier

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 27: Year C

2^nd  Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 Luke 20:27-38

“But [Jesus] said, “those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage,  and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.” (Luke 20:35 – 36)

The first thing Jesus does is to inform the Sadducees, these priests of the Temple, that even they neither know nor understand scripture.  This makes me wonder about how much we of today, lay and clergy alike, really understand our ancient writings. It may be that some whole denominations are based on Biblical misunderstanding. It may also be that no single Christian denomination has the correct and complete understanding of where God is leading us.  Each one of us must do the best we can to walk by faith and not by sight.

It has only been about half of the Church’s existence that the Church adopted the human institution of marriage as a sacrament, and this sacramental rite has muscled its way against other existing sacraments like ordination whereby clergy in some denominations were not permitted to be married.  Perhaps some of us still neither know nor understand the scriptures.

I have been a married man for most of my life.  I don’t know what it would be like to not be partnered with someone.  I was never “given” in marriage like children are in some places, but married of my own free will and accord. So to hear Jesus say that that kind of relationship is over in the next life and will be different in the “age to come,”  is hard for me to understand. He said, “Those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.”  Okay, but I still want it.

In at least two movies I have heard some war hero, who was about to give his life for the sake of others, say to those he was rallying for a final fight that he was leading, “Do you want to live forever?”  As I watch these movies I silently respond, “Yes.”  So when I hear Jesus say, “They can no longer die,” it appeals to me very much.

 Eternal life is what I am looking forward to.  Yes Jesus, I want to be like an angel. And I know that this outcome is not based on my effort or worth, but rather, on your judgment of my heart.  Anselm, early twelfth century Archbishop of Canterbury, said that we should first believe that we might later understand. Therefore, I don’t understand in order that I might believe; rather, I believe in order that I might later understand.  I pray to you, Lord God, “Cleanse the thoughts of my heart by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit that I may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your Holy Name through Jesus Christ my Lord, in this life, and in the next, for all eternity. Amen.”

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

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 26: Year 2

Morning,  Psalms 75 and 76; Evening,  Psalms 23 and 27;
Ecclesiasticus 51:1to12; Revelation 18:1to14; Luke 14:1to11

“On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the Sabbath, they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, ‘Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath, or not?’  But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away.  Then he said to them, ‘If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a Sabbath day?’  And they could not reply to this.” (Luke 14: 1 to 6)

Jesus asks a question about how closely they follow their own laws.  This is God in Christ Jesus who sees “in secret” and knows all that we do.  But what he is trying to show them is that the Sabbath is a gift from God to them for their own health of body, mind and spirit. The Sabbath is not some tool of wrath for God, by which God might condemn us just for the sake of enforcing a law.

Besides all this, who prepared the meal they were partaking of on the Sabbath?  No faith should have laws whereby only certain humans are to abide by.  This includes my own tradition.  Maybe one day we will let all persons desiring to partake of Holy Communion to do so.  We are not there yet unfortunately.  I am not so sure that baptism was a requirement with our Lord Jesus to receive the Bread and Wine (Body and Blood), but it is for us today.

No religious tradition is perfect. Sometimes it takes people from other traditions to show us our shortcomings.  “Is it lawful to cure people on the Sabbath, or not?”  Is it lawful to for the un-baptized to receive Communion or not? We all must follow our own paths.  I am on the Episcopal path of the Jesus movement as our Presiding Bishop says. And, I am thankful.  But I also see paths for improvement.  I think Jesus is saying that not all laws should be absolute save loving God and loving our neighbors. These two laws of love are absolute laws under which all other lower laws must yield. Thank You Lord Jesus.

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

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

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 26: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 69: Evening, Psalm 73;
Ecclesiasticus 50:1,11to24; Revelation 17:1to18; Luke 13:31to35

“At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work.  Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.”  Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13: 31 to 34)

I was blessed to be able to go on a Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land in February of 2018.  I am thankful to God for this opportunity.  Before going I prayed to God to let me be open to accept and receive whatever God saw fit to bless me with.  And God answered me with truth.  My pilgrimage  began in Northern Israel (Galilee), and then ended in the city of Jerusalem in the south.

The two landscapes are totally different.  Galilee, to the north, has fertile fields and little hills, and is the span of land that our Lord Jesus conducted his three year ministry of teaching, preaching and healing. I was impressed with Capernaum, Nazareth, Cana, and Mount Tabor. Also, I was impressed with Lake Galilee, of which, I use my picture from a boat in Lake Galilee looking back at the shoreline of Galilee as the heading of my daily blog. The picture shows all the places Jesus walked to do His ministry.

We ended our pilgrimage down in Jerusalem.  To get there we went down to Jericho and then the long ride by bus up to the top of a mountain of sand some 2,474 feet above sea level.  It must have been a real task to get water up there 2000 years ago. Much praise and worshipful attention has been centered on Jerusalem.  Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim a religious heritage to the place. I went to, and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Given all of its splendor, I was not that impressed.  Then I remembered that I prayed to God to show me what God wanted me to see.

I also recalled that our Lord Jesus, of his own free will and accord, chose the land of Galilee to bring the good news of the kingdom of heaven.  And when he was raised from the dead, he told his followers to again meet him in Galilee from which he gave the Great Commission (Matthew 28). If I was again blessed to go to Israel, I would only go to Galilee, and again take in as much as I can. If you ask God for something in serious prayer, please understand, God’s response to you is not guided by what humanity values, but by what God values for humanity. Pray and see.

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

 “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 is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 26: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 71; Evening, Psalm 74;
Ecclesiasticus 44:1to15; Revelation 16:12 to21; Luke 13:18 to 30

“Someone asked him, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’ He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.” (Luke 13: 23 and 24)

I guess the answer to the question of “someone” is, yes, only a few will be saved.  There is a wide door that many will walk through, but that does not mean it is the entry into paradise.

Each one of us has the personal responsibility to do what we think is right to do, no matter how unpopular it might be. I have a poster that shows an old man walking alone down a road.  Under it the caption reads, “It is better to walk alone than in a crowd going the wrong way.”

The wide door can surely accommodate the large crowd. But through the wide door it may lead the large crowd over the side of a steep cliff, and down into the abyss to their own demise. We all must make our own decisions about where we are going.  Even following the crowd is a decision; it is a decision to let others decide for us.  We can’t follow the crowd and then later, when trouble comes, allege innocents saying “I thought they knew what they were doing.”

Two biblical crowd decisions that I can recall show where the wrong decisions were made. One is  when the crowd persuaded Aaron to make a golden calf for the Israelites to worship while in the wilderness; and the other is when the crowd around the jailed Jesus insisted that he be crucified. Crowds are made up of individuals who have handed over their independent conscience to mob rule. Don’t do that.  Be who God made you to be, and do what God asks you to do in your prayers.

God’s Way is often a little more difficult and sometimes the unpopular path to travel. Too many of us look for the short cut, the easy way, the wide door.  Our Lord Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able.” Being able is a matter of personal determination and life discipline. Each one of us must make our own decisions about each next step in our lives.  And if you find that you are joined by other disciplined and determined persons who also chose your same path, great! But first strive to find your own path to our Lord Jesus. Roll your heart sleeves up, it’s hard work, it’s the narrow door.

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

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

Readings for All Souls Day or All Faithful Departed:

Psalm 130 or 116:10 to17:
Wisdom 3:1to9 or Isaiah 25:6 to 9;1^st Thessalonians 4:13to18; or 1^st Corinthians 15:50 to 58; and John 5:24 to 27:

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.”  (John 5; 24)

So our Lord Jesus, while so wanting us to prosper in eternal life, that he dedicated his earthly life to the end that we continue to learn and to love and to transition our lives into that perfect realm where with the Creator we all truly live “happily ever after.” He has conquered death for us and we, by our faith will have everlasting life.

Our Episcopal and Anglican Church holds a day apart specifically to commemorate the faithful departed.  Our Church, on the second of November, today, remembers and prays for our departed family and friends whom we love.

Yes we remember September 11^th, 2001 and other tragic days.  These were sad days. However, I personally object to letting a few sick minds pick a day that I am going to commemorate my lost loved ones every year. Our Church already has such a day.  There are individual days set aside for certain people of scripture and of the Church wherein we remember them.  And while I understand that most people in America do not belong to the Episcopal Church, I am personally thankful that I do and that my Church provides a time for me and my Anglican family to collectively remember those whom God has blessed us with, but who have now gone on to be with our Lord.

Below I am providing two prayers for your convenience.  In the first, please insert the name or names of loved ones you miss where I have inserted a blank.  And then I will close with another prayer.  Both are found in our Book of Common Prayer (BCP)

Father of all, we pray to you for those we love,[________] but see no longer: Grant them your peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and, in your loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of your perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (BCP 504)

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort: Deal graciously, we pray, with all who mourn; that, casting all their care on you, they may know the consolation of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP 505)

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

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

Eucharistic Readings for All Saints Day: Year  C

Daniel 7:1-3,15-18; Psalm 149; Ephesians 1:11-23; Luke 6:20-31

“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.” (Ephesians 1:17 to 19)

Every now and then, Paul really nails it.  Paul refers to all believers in Christ as Saints, both past believers and believers of today. 

Today, we sometimes want to be heroes; that is, life savers and protectors and such.  What would it be like to want to be a saint in the truest sense of the word?  Most saints aren’t officially named as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church until certain criterion are met.  However, Paul doesn’t wait, if we believe, we are saints right now according to “Saint” Paul.

We have ancient, and not so ancient saints to emulate.  From Saint Peter to Saint Francis of Assisi; from Saint Mary Magdalene to Saint Teresa of Avila, there are varieties of practices we can copy. Humility and compassion I find to be the most common traits.  While humility and compassion aren’t very “heroic” such traits guide believers into eternal life with our Lord Jesus for all eternity.  Let all true believers become saints.

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

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

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 26: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 56 and 57; Evening, Psalms 64 and 65;
Ecclesiasticus 38:24 to 34; Revelation 14:1 to 13; Luke 12:49 to 59

“How different the one who devotes himself to the study of the law of the Most High!” (Ecclesiasticus 38:34)

I have a friend who really appreciates the life lessons she received from her former pastor. She said he would take his own money to post bail for one of his parishioners when he was arrested; he broke his own Church tradition and served real wine at their Holy Communions, and many other such acts that taught her to live a faithful Christian life. He was a barber by trade.

Our Ecclesiasticus reading for today teaches us that one cannot be both. The author says that we either devote ourselves to secular work or we devote ourselves to work of spiritual healing and worship. The writer teaches that we can’t effectively do both.  I disagree.

For one thing, the secular work we find ourselves in was either handed down as the family business, or was evaluated for us in some kind of career test, or something we thought would be nice to do or, such a craft pays well.  Real spiritual healing and Church worship are not career choices, such Godly vocations are Callings.  Jesus Called fishermen to follow him.  He didn’t stop them from being fishermen, he qualified them to do the Lord’s work. We still need both today.  I don’t believe we must forego one in order to do the other.  We don’t qualify ourselves for the Lord’s work.  God doesn’t call the qualified, God qualifies the Called.

There are many doctors and scientists today who are also life changing Christian clergy, and not all are called along our Christian path. The point is that many of us are like Saint Paul who was a tentmaker who was also called to take the Gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. You too may be such a saint who God is calling to do such work, the Lord’s work.

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

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

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 26: Year C

2^nd Thessalonians 1:1 to 4 and 11 to 12; Luke 19:1 to10:

“Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” (Luke 19: 9 – 10)

I always see Danny De Vito as Zacchaeus; a short man in statue but very tall in his openness to change. Funny how a man (Zacchaeus) climbs a tree to see a man (Jesus) who will end his life on a tree.  This is something to ponder. 

Something else to ponder is that Zacchaeus is called a “chief” tax collector.  This shows how he is considered even further removed from the House of Israel and from the Temple. He is perhaps the most repugnant among the excluded of the Hebrew people. But Jesus hears his change of heart and proclaims him also “a son of Abraham.”  Jesus bypasses all the Temple bureaucracy and puts Zacchaeus back into the Promise of God.

Jesus came for people like you and me.  But like Zacchaeus, we too must get ourselves into a place where we can see who Jesus is, and then allow him to come and visit with us.  We  must make right the wrongs we’ve done and promise to do all we can to fix or mend what we’ve broken.  we too want to be placed back into the fold of Abraham.

Being lost is no problem because our Lord Jesus proclaims that he has come to seek out and save the lost. I am glad that our Lord Jesus is looking for me and you, how about you?  Climbed any sycamore trees lately?  He is coming!  We need to get to a place where we can at least be seen by Him and then accept him into our homes and hearts.

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

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

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 25: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 55; Evening, Psalms 138 and 139:
Ecclesiasticus 35:1to17; Revelation 13:11to18; Luke 12:32to48

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Luke 12: 34)

I really had to look at this passage closely.  I have heard that if you really want to know what a person’s priorities are just look at their checkbook, or perhaps today, their receipts, as fewer people are writing actual checks today. The point is the same, what we really care about is where we put our money.

This means our money follows our heart’s desire rather than our hearts following our money. Money, all by itself, has no desire at all. Some of us may not have the money that will allow us to follow our heart’s desire.  That doesn’t mean we don’t have desires.  Of course we do.

I think the most important lesson here is that we can learn to love and desire what God wants us to desire, and that is, to do God’s will. Over the years I have outgrown some selfish desires in life.  I don’t care about fancy cars, or clothes anymore. Unfortunately I had to experience some of these things to realize they aren’t that important. Blessed is the person who has never had these material things and never wanted them.

Real happiness for me now is seeing to it that others have the simple things in life, food, health care, housing, education, and a way to get around as they need to. My happiness in part, is based on the happiness of my neighbor. I believe this is the desire that God wants me to have.  So where is my treasure?

I give to my church and to charitable organizations. I join clubs and organizations whose purpose is to care for the poor and disenfranchised. I know my little treasure won’t bring an end to their plight but it makes me feel better and brings some joy to my heart, knowing that I provided some relief for them.

Money is not meant to be worshiped but it will reveal the nature of our worship. We are to love God and love our neighbor.  As far as I know, God does not need any money.  Some of our neighbors do.  These are the neighbors we are asked by God to love. Loving our neighbor should be our heart’s desire.

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

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

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 25: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 40 and 54; Evening, Psalm 51;
Ecclesiasticus 34:1to 8 and 18to22; Revelation 13:1to10; Luke 12:13-31:

“Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”  (Luke 12: 18 and 19)

This Gospel of Luke is not written against the rich.  Often the rich in this Gospel contribute to the poor.  But Luke’s Gospel does get to the heart and soul of where those with wealth do their works.

In this reading for today the rich landowner never considers those less fortunate than himself; that he might follow the biblical mandate to not glean your field completely, thus leaving something for the needy.  He just figures out a way to keep more for himself.  He even talks to his soul, his direct connection to God.  His soul, nor ours, needs wealth.  Our souls just want us to gravitate towards the kingdom of God.

Jesus gives several examples of how fruitless it is to not be rich towards God. Jesus warns that life in nature is fed better, and dressed better, than humans who try to do this for themselves at the neglect of those who have next to nothing. The man’s own soul would not be in agreement with his intentions to hoard his blessings.  And in fact, his soul will be taken back by God that day.

Jesus tells him (and us), “Do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.  For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well, (Luke 12: 29 to 31).  This reminds me of the hymn, “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.” It is a beautiful hymn from our “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Hymnal.

Jesus informs us that our Heavenly Father knows we need food and provisions in order to live healthy lives.  While we need these things they should not become idols that replace God in our lives.  As citizens of heaven, temporarily visiting earth, we should never forget whose we are.

“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 is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John