Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 14: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 89: 1 – 18: Evening, Psalm 89: 19 – 52;

Judges 12:1-7; Acts 5:12-26; John 3:1-21

“Yet more than ever believers were added to the Lord, great numbers of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by.  A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.” (Acts 5: 14 – 16)

This is a testament to the power of faith.  I am a Star Wars fan (fanatic).  In The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker’s spacecraft is submerged in a swamp.  Yoda, the Jedi Master, tries to have Luke raise it using the Force.  Luke fails and replies, “You want the impossible.” Yoda then uses the Force and lifts the craft out of the muck.  Luke tells Yoda “I didn’t believe it could be done.”  Yoda replies, “That is why you failed.”  Star Wars is fictional art but beautifully crafted and contains certain truths in terms of our human story and the real power of belief. 

The people, both men and women, who carried their sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats in order that Peter’s shadow might pass over them were beyond asking Peter personally to see them and heal them.  They believed in the presence and healing power of one who was handpicked by our Lord Jesus and who was with him after he was raised from the dead by God. If he has a shadow then he exists. They needed nothing else.  They “believed” that the evidence of his presence, his shadow, would heal their loved ones and cast out unclean spirits, and they were vindicated.

Beloved of the Lord, all the medicine we will ever need is already in us.  Time after time when people were praising Jesus for their healing, Jesus would tell them, “Go, your faith has made you well.” Our faith still makes us well.  And like the men and women who took their loved ones to Peter’s shadow, it was not the faith of sick ones that brought the healings, rather, it was the faith of the believing family and friends that brought them near to Peter that brought about the cure.  And this happened whether Peter even knew about it or not.  Faith still moves mountains.  All we need to do is believe and we too will be made well, or caused to be made well, by those dear to us. If we don’t believe, we have failed already.

Let us believe in the life liberty and safety of Ukraine, our believing and our prayers will make it so.

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 14, 2022

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 and Luke 12:32-40

“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Luke 12:40)

Ok, here is the challenge.  When is it that we expect the coming of the Lord?  Being ready is not about preparing for the big day.  It is living everyday as if this day, is the day.

If Jesus comes to you today and ask you when was the last time you prayed what would your answer be?  Would it be “this morning?”  Would it be “last night?”  Would it be last Sunday in Church?”  Would it be the last Sunday that you attended a Sunday Service?”  And could it be, “Lord, I don’t know?”  No, what we really don’t know is when Jesus will come, and if He will ask such a question.

Bishop’s visits are announced.  We know the day and there is a certain amount of preparation to take place for that event.  But what if Bishop’s visits were unannounced?  “Oh My God. Look y’all, the Bishop is in the parking lot and coming to our Church today!  What are we going to do?”  In my days as Rector here I would have told you exactly what we were going to do.  We are going to have Church and the Bishop is going to lead and celebrate and I don’t have to worry about whether or not my sermon works or not because he is now going to preach.  Halleluiah!

This day and age we can read about events on social media almost as soon as it happens because phones are active in the pews.  But active phones in the pews won’t relate to you the presence of Jesus should Jesus decide to be at our Church on any given Sunday; you know, just to check things out, see whose regular and not just coming when they think he will be here.

Of course I can hear it now, “Man, if I knew Jesus was going to be at our parish I would have been there.”  Or, “Wow, if I knew Jesus was going to just pop up and ask me the last time I prayed, I would have been praying when he appeared.” Jesus knows that’s what we would say. But that’s not what Jesus is looking for.  Jesus is not looking for you getting ready; Jesus is looking for you being ready. Jesus is not looking for how you want to live your life; Jesus is looking for how you are living your life.

Today’s message is not about tomorrow. It is about now. It is about looking for Jesus now. It is about expecting Jesus in our life now.  The last thing you want to be texted to you from the pews if you are not in Church is, “Jesus came to our Church today and is promising all of us who are here today that we will be with him in paradise.  Sorry you weren’t here.  Love you, bye.” Let’s go the Church because it’s Sunday and that’s what we Christians do every Sunday. Halleluiah!

The people of Ukraine are suffering. Let us keep them in our prayers.

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

Today is the Day of the Transfiguration: Eucharistic Readings for the Transfiguration

Exodus 34:29-35;  Psalm 99:   2 Peter 1:13-21;  Luke 9:28-36

“Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.” (Luke 9:28)

As mentioned last Thursday, it was Peter, John and James who Jesus selected to be in his inner circle when serious holiness was to take place.  Twelve might be too big a number, especially given that one (Judas) betrayed him.  I know it makes a twelve-tribes kind of sense, but perhaps that’s just us trying to balance things in light of the Hebrew testament. In any case, it seems to be that where two or three of us are joined together in His Name, Jesus is with us. That’s still serious holiness for us today. Even as Jesus took two or three with him, we then met by two others.  It was always a manageable number.

Can you name two or three people with whom you feel especially close to Christ?  Please understand that they may not be relatives or work colleagues or even Church members. But at some level you feel especially safe in their presence.

And maybe you’ve never tried to pray with them, but perhaps you should. The mountain you climb is a spiritual one.  You ascend to an upper level where you behold our Lord Jesus in his God-like presence – a holy presence. 

When this happens, you too, along with those close to you, will want to hold on to this holy state of grace. You will want to mark it with some sort of landmark as Peter wanted to do so that you may find your way back to it.

It is one thing to experience it alone. However, when you share it with one or two others it validates your sanity, you are not crazy. It really happened! God in Christ Jesus is real!

Ponder about this during your Sabbath time today, and while you are at it, please pray for the safety of 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 13: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 88: Evening, Psalms  91 and 92;  

Judges 9:1-16,19-21; Acts 4:13-31; John 2:2-12

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2: 5)

I confess, I am a Mary fan.  I even get the words for my blog from her lips.  Twice in the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible, she says that she “ponders” in her heart, according to the Gospel of Luke. When the angel Gabriel informs her that God wants her to be the God-bearer of God Incarnate, she “Pondered” what kind of greeting this might be. Luke 1: 29.   And when the shepherds told her about what the angels told them regarding the baby she just gave birth to, she “treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19 NRSV)

Mary was a thinking person, a pondering person. Perhaps it was this pondering quality that impressed God and why God chose her to be the Mother of our Lord Jesus. Mary gave birth to her Lord who in turn gave her eternal salvation, and also to us today who believe.

We will learn as we read the Gospels that Jesus can multiply fishes and loaves.  Therefore, Mary never ran out of food during the thirty or so years that she shared a house with her Son.  All she had to do was ask, and it was done.  We can see then that when the wedding hosts ran out of wine, it was natural for Mary to let Jesus know about the situation with full expectation that he would respond.  This too is true for us today.  We must ask with full expectation that our Lord Jesus will respond, but the response requires our obedience.

While Jesus sort of rebuffs her requests, she has already turned away from him and looking intently into the eyes of the “servants”, into our eyes, and she says to us, “Do whatever he tells you.”  For me, this is the most powerful, albeit shortest, sermon in the Bible.  All we need to do is make our needs known and then do whatever he tells us.  From Mary, I learn that as Christians, we ponder, we pray and we obey.

“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 13: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 145; Evening, Psalms 85 and 86; 

Judges 8:22-35; Acts 4:1-12; John 1:43-51

“Nathanael asked him, ‘Where did you come to know me?’ Jesus answered, ‘I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.’  Nathanael replied, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!’ (John 1: 48 – 49)

I would surely like to know what Nathanael was experiencing under the fig tree such that it made him realize that Jesus was truly the Son of God! We don’t get to know what was going on with Nathanael. I wonder if he was praying, or having a nervous breakdown, or some mystical experience wherein God gave him some kind of revelation. Nathanael follows Jesus as a result of his friend Philip coming to get him. 

Jesus calls 7 of the Apostles:  Simon and Andrew  (Matthew 4:18 – 20),   John and James – (Matthew 4: 21 – 22) Matthew himself (AKA Levi)  (Matthew 9:9), Philip (John 1:43),  Nathaniel, from above (John 1: 50 – 51). Then there is one who Jesus called but who rejected Jesus’ call: the Rich young man: (Mark 10:21 -22).  However, of all whom he called, Simon Peter, John and James seem to be the chosen three who went with him in the deepest sense of his ministry: the healing of Jairus’ daughter, the Transfiguration (which I will say more about on Saturday of this blog): and these three were also present at his passion prayer on the night he was arrested in which these three could not stay awake, (Matthew 26:36 -46).

For some of us, Jesus comes to get us. For many of us, a friend brings us to Jesus. But the lesson here is that our Lord Jesus already knows, “the trouble we’ve seen.”  Jesus meets us under our own vine and fig tree, for He truly is “Rabbi, or Teacher, the Son of God!”  Ponder about this.

Please keep Ukraine in your prayers.

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 Wednesday of Proper 13: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 119:97-120; Evening, Psalms  81, and 82;

Judges 7:19-8:12; Acts 3:12-26; John 1:29-42

“And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.  I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.”  And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.”  (John 1: 32 – 34)

We have to go to the Gospel of Matthew to witness the baptism of Jesus by John.  There was some back-and-forth about who should baptize who. But in the end, John baptized Jesus.  (Matthew 3: 13 – 17)

I love the Spirituality of the Gospel according John.  Perhaps the Spirit has descended on others before but it was temporary. However, on this man, Jesus, the Spirit remained.  John the Baptist is not about building his own reputation, he is about letting the world know that the Savior of the world has come near.  John speaks the truth as best he knows it.  He gives great detail explaining that the One who sent him to baptize with water, is the same One who informed him about how to identify the Messiah, the Anointed One, Jesus. He was told that the Spirit would descend on Him, and remain on Him.

We will learn that Jesus and John are cousins but apparently they did not know each other. Well, at least John did not know Jesus except for what God revealed to him.  It is quite possible however that Jesus knew in fact who John was.  We have no record of Jesus actually baptizing anyone.  Yet He baptizes with the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps his invitation to follow him, is indeed, the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

In the Service of Holy Baptism, the candidate is asked, “do you desire to be baptized?”  Those too young to answer for themselves are presented, and answered for, by their parents and/or sponsors individually.  New Christians are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  After which, they are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own FOREVER: The Spirit descends on us and remains, forever (BCP 303 – 308). Our baptism contains a covenant that regulates or Christian life. As the Baptized, we are servants of Jesus, the Jesus we see in all persons, baptized or not.  We are servants of the next person we face, in our homes, or on the street.  Regardless of who baptized us, we are baptized into the household of God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Baptism is responsibility, Baptism is enough, and Baptism is Salvation. What does your Baptism mean to you?

Please pray daily for Ukraine. I believe in prayer. Our prayers are indeed working.

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 Tuesday of Proper 13: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 78:1-39; Evening, Psalm  78:40-72 

Judges 7:1-18; Acts 3:1-11; John 1:19-28

“John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know.” (John 1:26)

John the Baptist explains that among them stands one whom they do not know.  I personally don’t think they even know John the Baptist; they have thought him to be the Messiah, Elijah and a prophet, all of whom John denies being. So they don’t even know John.  But John tells them that among them stands one whom they have not even noticed. And Jesus is right there, in their midst. I often ponder that when John uttered these words if he was making eye contact with our Lord Jesus as he said it.  I think if I were there and heard him say such words, I would follow his eyes to see if I could see who he was talking about.

One thing that this COVID 19 Pandemic has done is reduced us to social distancing to the point where, in our small groups, there would be no mysterious person among us.  We know everyone in our group.  No room for God Incarnate to ease up next to us.  I am convinced that from time to time in my life, mysterious strangers have come to my aid, even when I didn’t know I needed help. But this doesn’t mean that the Holy Spirit of Jesus couldn’t use those who are with us, no matter how small our group, even down to where two or three are joined together, He is with us.

We still need Jesus standing among us.  Regardless of how Jesus might appear in our midst, his presence is always a blessing.  Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to be with us, in our midst.  And I believe the Advocate is with us.  So John’s words are still true.  There is one among us whom we do not know.  Sometimes our Lord Jesus speaks through others because we need to hear His actual words.  Often, the speaker whom Jesus uses is unaware of what he or she is saying.  The message is for us, not them.  When this happens, we must learn to receive and accept the message as it comes, not from the person speaking, but from our Lord Jesus who uses who he chooses to ensure we are wholly, and holy, informed.  Yes, often there is One among us whom we do not know.  Jesus speaks to us, through us.

Making war against another is an evil, sinful act. Let us continually lift up Ukraine in our prayers. Let us hear the Spirit in our midst leading us to ways we can help end the pain felt in 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 13: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 80; Evening, Psalm 77 ;

Judges 6:25-40; Acts 2:37-47; John 1:1-18

“That night the Lord said to him, ‘Take your father’s bull, the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the sacred pole that is beside it; and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, in proper order; then take the second bull, and offer it as a burnt-offering with the wood of the sacred pole that you shall cut down.’ So Gideon took ten of his servants, and did as the Lord had told him; but because he was too afraid of his family and the townspeople to do it by day, he did it by night. When the townspeople rose early in the morning, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the sacred pole beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built.”  (Judges 6: 25 – 28)

While all of the Daily Office Readings are wonderful, my pondering gravitated towards the lesson I read in Judges.  Gideon has been called by God to let go, let go of the beliefs of his parents to ponder anew what the Almighty is doing.  This is not new.  Abram too was called from his father’s house to a place that God would show him, (Genesis 12:1).  So God calls us from darkness to light and to more light, and to further light.

I think this resonated with me so much because I too had to let go of old and false beliefs in order to behold the real truth about God.  My parents would have me believe in the human constructed system of racism even though they themselves were considered on the bottom rung of the racial divide.  It has taken time, but God has called me away from believing such nonsense.

What I have also pondered about the Gideon story is that there is often the requirement to give up something in order to obtain something. And it may not be an action that we are bold enough to do openly.  Gideon did his deed at night so as to avoid notice.  I chose to give up any so-called black expectations people may have had of me in order to be who I really am, who God made me to be.

Racial discrimination is today’s  altar of Baal and the un-sacred poles of some of our parents outdated superstitions.  We must remove them in order to make room for the real Truth: the Truth that is God. Stepping out of our expected behavior of darkness into the light of true belief territory is not easy, but it is very necessary.  And the truth will make us free.

I pray that the truth of the atrocities perpetrated against Ukraine come to light and are dealt with accordingly.

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 13: Year C

Colossians 3:1-11 and Luke 12:13-21

“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you.” (Luke 12:20)

This passage is taken from the parable of the “Rich Fool.”  This parable is used by Jesus to show a younger brother that his desire for wealth made wealth his idol. Moreover, he would do well to not worry about material things but rather the kingdom of heaven.

To be clear the rich man in the parable that Jesus uses to teach from is not an evil man.  He has not cheated his workers or stolen anything.  However, he has benefited from the sun, the soil, and the rains in due season.  Because of this trifecta of blessings he obtained wealth.  And this wealth becomes his god and begins to own him.  It has him talking to himself. It has him planning for himself only. It has him living for himself only.  And finally, it even has him congratulating himself.  Where is the Creating, Redeeming and Sanctifying God in his plan, his life, his living and his praise?

Jesus comes into the world after money comes into the world.  Before the coins of currency, time was a big issue.  People had to trade before crops spoiled. And there was great dependence on God for tomorrow’s sustenance. Money begins to avert our dependence on God.  Money then became a god. 

All around the rich fool were the poor.  But apparently it never occurred to him to share his stores with them.  I know people who don’t have much. And by the way they distribute what little they do have, they probably never will.  But they give to the needy, They give to the children of the poor. They give to their church.  They are rich in the Kingdom of God! Instead of being rich fools, they are the holy saints of heaven that will dwell in light eternal.  Because they are looking after the poor and lonely in this world, God will take care of them in the next.  Thank You Jesus.

I have worked with families who fought bitterly over wealth at the time of the death of an older family member.  It is not pretty. I think what is saddest about it is the concern and energy put into wanting the money and property of the deceased. I have also seen the property fights regarding divorce settlements, again, not pretty. Instead of thinking about what we need, we think about what we can get.

We should focus our desire on the Kingdom of heaven and go back in our corporate spiritual ancestry and learn to re-trust in God for tomorrow’s sustenance.  God is God before time began. God was God when we depended on the short life of crops and livestock.  That same God is our God today.  Just because we have coins, currency, credit cards, stocks and bonds we are not out from under the domain of God.  This is the God before time. This is the God before money. This is the God of now. And, this is the God that always will be.  This God is watching how we use our borrowed resources during the little time we are here.  We should not want to be so much concerned with who will get what remains of our wealth after we are gone. Rather, we want to be concerned with where our soul remains after we are gone. This very night your life could be demanded of you.

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 12: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 75 and 76;,Evening, Psalms  23 and 27;

Judges 5:19-31; Acts 2:22-36; Matthew 28:11-20

“‘You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know, this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power.”  (Acts 2: 22 – 24)

Peter painfully reminds the Israelites of both who Jesus was, and is, and, their part in going against the goodness of God in handing him over to be killed.  Even though those who actually crucified him were outside their faith, they indeed were responsible. 

The important thing to remember for us today, we who call ourselves Christians, is that our Lord Jesus was, and is, the living will of God. Today we can only read of “the deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through” our Lord Jesus among the people. We must read and believe.

Today, as Christians, we must believe in the living Jesus.  Our belief then is made manifest in how we conduct ourselves in everyday life.  We do not return evil for evil.  We seek fairness and justice for all people.  But first and foremost, we must love God.  For some of us, without regular Church services during the restrictions of this pandemic, it is difficult.  But church was never intended to be first.  First faith starts at home and in the heart of the individual. The story of Jesus is shared so that the hearer might grab on and believe.  And in believing, the faithful might come together in Church community.  But even without the gathered Church, we are still held accountable to the precepts of our Baptismal Covenant, our allegiance to the teachings of Christ.  

Peter reminds us, “This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear” (Acts 2: 32 – 33).  Peter’s words are not limited to his time and day: they are meant for us today as well.

Peter continues, “Therefore let the entire house of Israel [and indeed the world] know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified”(Acts 2: 36).  We might also ponder about any acts we do today that are inconsistent with the faithful covenant we have made to be a Christian and amend our lives accordingly. Our Christian duty also includes praying for Ukraine that they may be safe and sovereign.

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