Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Monday of  Proper 7: Year 2

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

Numbers 16:1 to 19; Romans 3:21 to 31; Matthew 19:13 to 22:

“Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” (Matthew 19: 21 – 22)

I like to bracket the words [the money] in verse 21 of chapter 19 of Matthew.  My Greek translation does not have those words. It reads, “ἔφη αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, ὕπαγε πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι.”  Roughly translated it says, “to him Jesus said, if perfect you wish to be, go sell your stuff and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me.” 

Translation is a tricky business.  There is a difference between “give to the poor,” and “give the money to the poor.”  Our Lord Jesus and his unemployed followers could certainly use some of the money.  We are told that certain women who had money helped with the necessities of the group, (Luke 8:1 – 3). We could miss the practical necessity here by too loose a translation.

In this story we see not a man with possessions; but rather, a man who was possessed by his possessions.  We might have had his name had he let go of his possessions. He could have been one of the apostles!  He was invited to follow Jesus with the familiar words, “then come, follow me.”

Based on a real understanding of this Bible reading it becomes clear that money is not bad but it can distract and rule us if we are not careful.  We should give to the poor but we must care for ourselves as well. If we don’t first care for ourselves, we may not be able to help anyone else. It takes a strong swimmer to save a drowning man.

I have 12 life sayings which I have developed for myself. Number 3 is, “Live long in moderation.  The other is number13 which is “Care for self.”  I find that I can easily care for my own needs and live a long healthy life if I maintain moderation.  Maintaining moderation for me means not overdoing anything in any category, be it financial, dietary, even time spent pondering.  Caring for self, for me, includes eating a healthy diet, getting enough sleep, daily exercise and proper hygiene. And then, after all this, I strive to follow Jesus.

Please keep Ukraine in your prayers. They are trying their own necessary self-care, defending themselves from aggression. We can’t let down our dedication to their cause. Also let us pray that Russia turns and follows our Lord Jesus more closely.

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 Sunday, Proper 7: Year C

1^st Kings 19:1 to 15; Psalm 42 and 43; Galatians 3:23 to 29; Luke 8:26 to 39:

“And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the abyss.” Luke:8:31.”

Before evil shows itself, good thrives. The man in our Luke Gospel for today, who may even be a father, seems to be a good man who was overcome by multiple demons.  It seems our Lord Jesus has dealt with these legion demon spirits in this man before. It also seems that Jesus has compassion even for the demons. All Jesus has to do is order them to go into the abyss and they must do it. The demons know who Jesus is but we often have problems understanding who He is.

I’ve said this before but it’s worth pondering again.  The demons ask for permission to enter the pigs near Lake Galilee. Jesus allows them to do it.  So the demons enter the pigs, the pigs go into the lake.  The pigs drown, but not necessarily the spirit demons.  Poor pigs.  Of course being Jewish, perhaps even the Jewish Jesus would not care about swine. Or maybe Jesus did not think the demons would drive the pits into the water. Perhaps further pondering here. The demons, which have survived multiple times of being cast out of the man who haunts the tombs,  and apparently aware of the abyss, now only have to survive drowning pigs. Once in the water, they can move into the fish in the lake.  It seems they only need an animal host to exist.  These same fish are then caught by the very men Jesus has recruited to carry out the Gospel. Weird huh?

The healed man asks to tag alone with Jesus but he was denied. Jesus tells him to go to his home and tell the people what God has done for him.  He goes and says what Jesus has done for him.  I hope they understood that Jesus is God Incarnate. The man was rejected by Jesus and the town. I wonder if he had children, and would they now get to know who he really is?

Today is Father’s Day.  Let men everywhere, regardless of whether they have biological children or not, emulate Joseph -the earthly father of Jesus, who knew he was not the biological father, yet modeled a good way of fatherhood. Goodness makes itself present first, then evil comes a lurking.  As a man, any man, we have a responsibility from God to be good, and continue to be, good. A child, any child, will see your good example in life, and your piety, and learn from you, both boys and girls.

Today also happens to be Juneteenth, the remembrance of the emancipation of slaves in the United States in 1863 but finally fulfilled in 1865. I would remind us that it was fulfilled due to Army General Gordon Granger letting God work through him for the purpose of liberating enslaved people.  He could have ignored their situation but he didn’t.  He listened to the guiding Spirit of God.

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 6: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 87 and 90; Evening, Psalm 136;

Numbers 13:31 to 14:25; Romans 3:9 to 20; Matthew 19:1 to 12:

“Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another.” (Psalm 90:1)

God is our timeless Parent.  We have a beginning and an end, at least in this earthly life.  God is circularly infinite: no beginning, no end.

The Psalmist says, “The span of our life is seventy years, perhaps in strength even eighty; yet the sum of them is but labor and sorrow, for they pass away quickly and we are gone,” (Psalm 90:10).  As I have now passed the seventy four mark and moving towards eighty, this Psalmist has my full attention.  I don’t consider my life only labor and sorrow while at the same time I acknowledge there are some things I could have done better.

Over my years of life I have become more and more aware of living in the “Dash.”  I have conducted many funerals as an Episcopal Priest.  Normally the inclusive dates of the deceased are inscribed by; month, day and year, born; then the dash; and then closes out the life with the ending; month, day and year. So it’s what we do with our hearts, minds, hands and mouths (or don’t do) in the dash time, that makes all the difference.

The Psalmist continues, “So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom,” (Psalm 90:12). The hands (as well as the tongue) follow the heart.  We Pray at our Sunday Morning worship, “Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of  your Holy Spirit.” We only have so many days on this earth. Numbering our days may indeed help us to be more lovingly responsive to the needs of others as we await the coming of the other end of our dash.

“May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork,” (Psalm 90:12).  I really like Psalm 90, it grounds me.

Keep Ukraine in your prayers. On a personal note, I was given a very nice, handmade Ukrainian Flag lapel pin last night.  I wear a vest always and so the flag pin is on my vest, over my heart as a testament of my support of Ukraine. I would sure like to see more support displayed as I travel throughout my days.

God is our timeless Parent.  We have a beginning and an end, at least in this earthly life.  God is circularly infinite: no beginning, no end. Through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we have an invitation to join God in eternity.  How shall we RSVP to this divine invitation?

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 6: Year 2

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

Numbers 13:1 to 3 and 21 to 30; Romans 2:25 to 3:8; Matthew 18:21 to 35:

“For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical.  Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal.” (Romans 2)

I want to thank Paul for this important clarification.  He says “circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal.” This is so important to understand.  Since it is spiritual and not literal, this kind of circumcision is inclusive of women also.  Further, the spirituality of it opens the idea of being inclusive of all humanity, regardless of skin tones, hair texture, language, nationality, gender or sexual orientation.  Thank You Lord Jesus and thank you Paul.

While Paul was addressing what it means to be a Jew, he was really deconstructing the argument about the difference between being a Jew and being a Gentile, to whom he was sent. His whole point is, that that makes us a holy people, is what is on the inside of us, not how we are packaged. It is that that is inside each of us that is both holy and eternal through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul still favored using the term Jew to mean God’s chosen and could not come up with a more inclusive identifier. I do believe that through the Body and Blood of our Savior we are made one with Him and therefore, with God. I have no problem being called a Jew through Jesus. At some point in our spiritual journey we must take on new identities. We must become new creatures in Christ Jesus. I believe this was God’s plan from the creation of all things.

I like most of the thinking and preaching of St. Paul. I think he does get off base from time to time with his own biases. But basically he wants us to be faithful followers of the Way.

Please remember to keep the Ukrainian people in your prayers. No matter how bleak it may seem, prayer can turn things around. Through our prayers God finds a way for divine intervention. God loves all people and always has since God brought us into existence.

 “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 6:Year 2

Morning, Psalm34; Evening,  Psalms 85 and 86;

Numbers 12:1 to 16; Romans 2:12 to 24; Matthew 18:10 to 20:

“Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. And he said, “Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams. Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face— clearly, not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the Lord.” (Numbers 12: 5 – 8)

Moses’ brother and sister are called to the carpet for their jealousy of God’s relationship with Moses. It does not turn out good for them, especially for Miriam.  What I want to bring out in this passage is the almost hidden way of God as is made manifest throughout our Old and New Testaments; and this is still God’s way of communicating with us, that is, through us; in visions and dreams.

In Genesis God appears to Jacob in a dream as Jacob sees the vision of a ladder extending to heaven; (Genesis 28: 10 – 17).  Also, in the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph was about to separate himself from Mary when an angel appeared to him “in a dream” and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins;” (Matthew 1:20 – 21). There are other such biblical cases as well. This is God’s Way.

I think it is important to be attentive to our dreams as well as what might seem like random messages that come to us from persons, known and unknown.  Prayer and the desire for the presence of God is very close to meditation , pondering and dreaming.  I dream, ponder and pray for a free and safe Ukraine. And I ask you to do the same.

God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  God is unchanging but causes all good changes. Occasionally God still gives the prophetic message to some of us,  for the benefit of all of us.  We never know who gets the message. It could be anybody, not necessarily a seminary graduate or an ordained person. This is why we must always listen to anyone who comes to us with a message. Therefore:

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 6: Year 2

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

Numbers 11:24 to 33 (34-35); Romans 1:28 to 2:11; Matthew 18:1 to 9:

“For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.” (Romans 2: 6 – 11)

To this New Testament reading I have some critiques and some “Amen’s.”  I believe that God will take into account what we do and what we say over what we just think about doing or saying.  We might think many things that are not noble or divine.  But as we use the discipline not to speak or act on them, we are pardoned.  Thank You Lord Jesus for helping us overcome the demons in our minds. 

Twice Paul says “the Jew first and also the Greek.”  And yet follows up with “for God shows no partiality.”  This seems partial to me however on the part of Paul.  Full disclosure, I don’t care if I am second, as long as I get there.  As I have studied various cultures I have learned that some cultures use different ways to separate themselves from everybody else.  The Japanese have two different alphabets. One is used for original native Japanese society; Hiragana; and they have an alphabet used for words foreign to Japanese speaking; Katakana. The Amish also say that all persons outside the Amish community are called “the English,” regardless of where they live or originate from. So I understand Paul and his “Jew first” attitude.  I also fully understand that with God there really is no partiality.

I think what I really like here is the fact that we are held more accountable for what we do and say rather than what we think, or what our ethnicity is.  Our minds are free and sometimes wild, but left to be regulated by our sense of the moral plumb line. Giving in to the temptations of saying or doing wickedness is ungodly. Self seeking and self-serving is ungodly. By patiently doing good works and seeking glory and honor for God, we will have immortality, and God will give us eternal life. Thank You Lord Jesus.

As a spiritual person, I love exploring the spiritual realm. Today we remember Evelyn Underhill.

My journaling, from which this blog comes, is all about my contemplative self.  I actively sit in quiet inviting God to enter my mind and move me in ways pleasing to God.  Evelyn Underhill is one of my major heroes. Here is some insight from her sharing:

“Evelyn Underhill’s most valuable contribution to spiritual literature must surely be her conviction that the mystical life is not only open to a saintly few, but to anyone who cares to nurture it and weave it into everyday experience, and also (at the time, a startling idea) that modern psychological theories and discoveries, far from hindering or negating spirituality, can actually enhance and transform it.” (Great Cloud of Witnesses for June 15)

So we don’t have to be monks, or priests, to enter into the mystic life.  It is available to all of us who dare to be still and know that God is God. God says through the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)                                      

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 6: Year 2

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

Numbers 11:1 to 23; Romans 1:16 to 25; Matthew 17:22 to 27:

“And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wailed in the hearing of the Lord, saying, ‘If only we had meat to eat! Surely it was better for us in Egypt.’ Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat not only one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you—because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’” (Numbers 11:18 – 20)

All of the prescribed readings for today are very good.  But the presence of God in the manna in our Numbers reading was particularly interesting to me.  They are told that they “rejected the Lord who is among you.”

This manna was the food of faith and freedom.  They were living in the wilderness without taskmasters. All they had to do was breathe and eat the simple meal that was provided for them.

It doesn’t take us long to become bored and complain does it?  Meat is nice but bread is our staple.  I see the communal nature of what’s going on with the manna, the Emanuel of it, the God with us in it.  Today in our Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, we are back to full Holy Communion. Never have I been so glad to receive it as now.  Covid was a real lesson about the importance of Holy Communion.  While I keep up with our Daily Office as shared in this my daily blog, there is no way to receive the manna, the bread and wine via streaming electronics. We must be together for that.

Unlike the wondering Israelites Ukraine has never considered going back to being under Russian control. Their only complaint is that Russia, like old Pharaoh, did not want to leave them alone.

Holy Communion may be the only way Russia and Ukraine can really come together. War will not work. Secular negotiations don’t seem to work either. Given that both nations have a Christian faith component within them, perhaps coming together around a table of peace will go a long way towards truth and reconciliation, and peace. I ask in prayer that our Lord Jesus do this work and that the Holy Spirit of God lead and guide both sides to come to the Table together.  Our initial response might be that such a request is impossible. But let us be reminded that nothing is impossible for God.

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 6; Year 2

Morning, Psalm 80;Evening, Psalm 77;

Numbers 9:15 to 23 and 10:29-36; Romans 1:1 to 15; Matthew 17:14 to 21:

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,  To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:1 – 7)

Wow! Paul: What an intro! I need to break this down in order to digest it.  First of all, I do believe Paul was called to be an apostle of the Gospel of God.  That whole experience on the road to Damascus was proof of that. I also believe that the prophets of the Hebrew Testament foretold of the coming of the Messiah, the Lord, our Lord Jesus, who was raised according to the human household code of David but sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God by which he survived death and that self-same Holy Spirit is with us today in us as the Spirit of God.

It is through the risen Lord that we receive grace and apostleship and all we will ever need to bring about the obedience of faith among all the inhabitants of earth. This obedience of faith is a slow process by human understanding but it is the work we are called to do nonetheless. You and I must keep the faith no matter what.  And so Paul dubs us as saints. Therefore, “Grace to us and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This call that God has on us brings us out of death into everlasting life. For our part we must have faith, we must believe.  Faith is the handle by which heaven grabs us and brings us before the Holy Presence of God.  Even Paul will say later there is no difference between Jew and Greek or any other walk of human life.  All of us are products of God’s unending love and have the invitation through faith to continue to be with God after this life. Our faith secures our final destination.

When we get to the Great Beyond we will see that there is no difference between Ukrainians and Russians. Russians should live that way now. Their faith in the loving inclusiveness of God will pave the way for their entry into the everlasting. If they refuse to let the love of God work through them then they have no heaven handles, and they are not picked up. In this way, the Ukrainians win the most important battle, the battle of life everlasting. It’s not too late for any of us to repent.

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 Trinity Sunday: Year C

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15

“God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

These words are the words we use every week at our Women’s Bible Study.  So they really resonate with the ladies and with me.  We open with Noon Day Prayers. We close the opening with a final prayer petitioning God, praying, “Heavenly Father, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts, to direct and rule us according to your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord; Amen.” And then we go into our Bible Study.  

God’s love is in us. Many biblical writings report this;from Jeremiah 31:31-34, to what we have in Romans 5:5 for today.  God has already done this wonderful thing to bring us closer to God. We just have to rely on it and trust it. As the writings say, we have God’s love through the Holy Spirit. As we learned last week (Pentecost Sunday) the Holy Spirit of God has come among us. This Holy Spirit works through the gathered community, the Church. This is why we must come together, yes, as an organized religion.  Jesus did not say go and do your own thing, but rather, he said, “follow me.”

We are a creedal people.  My own personal creed is Trinitarian.  While I still adhere to the tenets of our Nicene Creed, I needed to fashion words that more closely articulate my personal theology. And, here it is, “I Trust in the Creating Word through the Holy Spirit of the Incarnate Word, in whom we live and move and love and have our being, and to whom we must give an account.”

I try to be intentional about worshiping God in spirit and truth. This was foretold by Jesus when he said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks;” (John 4:23). This remembrance of Trinity Sunday informs us that God meets us where we are.  Some of us may need an All Powerful God to move the waters so that we can get to safety. I think this is the Presence of God that will bring the war in Ukraine to an end.  We may need a companion God while on the road to Emmaus to break bread with us and stop gun violence. Or, we may need the Great Spirit of  God to visit us in our dreams, or through the voice of another to guide us on our way (as revealed in our Gospel lesson for today), and move us away from divisiveness, all to have us do God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.  In all of these cases we are “on the move” with One or another aspect of the Trinity.” 

This concept is fully captured in our Collect for Trinity Sunday: “Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, forever and ever. 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 5: Year 2

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

Numbers 3:1 to 13; Galatians 6:11 to 18; Matthew 17:1 to13:

“While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved;with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’”  (Matthew 17:5)

This is the second time we hear this proclamation from heaven.  In chapter three of Matthew after Jesus was baptized a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved,with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) We also read these words in 2^nd Peter, chapter 1, verse 17 about the mountain top experience.  The big difference here is the addition of, “listen to him,” in Matthew’s Gospel account.  I am currently putting together a book wherein listening is the first of five “L’s” that leads to life enhancement and leadership.  More on that at another time.

Inherent in listening is learning and the expectation of amendment of life. Our duty here on earth, in this lifetime, is to prepare ourselves for our eternal time with God.  As much as the Book of Ecclesiastes talks about “all is vanity under the sun,” the writer sums the whole thing up in the last words from the Book of Ecclesiastes; “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Listening brings learning, which brings loving, which enhances living, and may someday call one to leading. At the heart of any Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is listening. But listening is an art, an under developed art. Too many of us do not know how to really listen.. Too many of us pretend to listen while internally developing our comeback statements. We don’t listen so as to really understand. Real listening leads to action.

Peter, James and John, on the Mountain, listened to God say who Jesus is. Their listening led them to learning, and loving. They then lived out their new Truth and became leaders in the Jesus movement.

I wonder if Russia listens to Ukraine (and the rest of the world with regard to Ukraine)  just wanting to live in freedom and safety, just as Russia also wants for itself. Why does the Russian Orthodox Church not take issue with what the Russian government is doing?  All Christians have the same Jesus whom we Christians are told to listen to.

God said, concerning Jesus, “This is my Son, the Beloved;with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”  This kind of listening requires not only the hearing part, but also the obeying part as well.

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