Author: John Thomas Frazier

Part 1 of 2

Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 21: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 66 and 67; Evening, Psalms 19 and 46;
2^nd Kings 17:1 to 18; Acts 9:36 to 43; Luke 5:1 to 11:

“Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up;” (Acts 9:40).

Peter was an apprentice of our Lord Jesus. He was blessed to be present with his Master when he healed a little girl.  He saw Jesus remove everyone from the presence of the dead girl, and only allowed himself, James, John and the child’s parents in the room; (Luke 8:51 to 56). Peter copied this act for the restoration of this little girl’s life as he copied directly from our Lord Jesus.

This is what mature apprentices do, they keep their Masters alive by repeating their words and through performing their works.

Part 2 of 2

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Proper 21: Year B

James 5:13-20 and Mark 9:38-50

“But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me;” (Mark 9:39).

Jesus is making the point that whosoever copies the love of God in Christ Jesus, works in Jesus’ Name does the work of Jesus.  To John’s chagrin, the unknown healer did not have to be in their specific group of twelve as long as he or she was copying Jesus’ healings with love and respect.

Jesus also makes the point that if we dedicate ourselves to learning the art of healing through His love, we can’t speak out against the very teachings we have dedicated ourselves to. That would be foolish.

Today we have many Christian paths to, and through, our Lord Jesus to God Almighty. As we dedicate ourselves to Jesus in which ever denominational road we take, we know that Jesus does not want us to be stopped. The world today still needs Jesus servers, teachers, and  healers of all stripes.

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 20: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 87 and 90; Evening, Psalm 136;
2^nd Kings 11:1 to 20a; 1st Corinthians 7:10 to 24; Matthew 6:19 to 24:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:21)

While I really liked the adherence to the keeping of the Sabbath by at least a third of the military in our 2^nd Kings reading, the reading was filled with greed on the part of the mother queen who had all her family rivals killed. She was more concerned about her own privilege and power.  The last verse of our Matthew Gospel reading speaks to this, it says, “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth:” (Matthew 6:24).

I have for a long time now took issue with verse 21 which suggests our hearts follows our treasure, that is, our hearts follows our money. This statement automatically puts money first.  I think rather, our treasure, (whatever disposable income we might have), follows our hearts, that is, what we are truly interested in. So for me, our treasure follows our hearts.

Our hearts might be our Church, it might be our car, it might be our education, it might even be our money and the associated power that comes with it.  That is what drove the queen in the 2^nd Kings reading to murder, and eventually to her own death.  We must be better than that.

I am interested in many things. However, I don’t have the money to truly follow all of them.  My ministry is most important to me. I devote much of my day to the study of scripture and writing what I believe will be an encouraging word for others. I also enjoy learning and playing music. But even my music is spiritual. I pay for piano lessons and practice daily. I let selected hymns be my motivation for righteous living.

I strongly encourage you who read this message to first discern your heart’s desire. Ask yourself if your heart’s desire is helpful or harmful to humanity.  If it is helpful, continue on. Then, only as you are able, look at your money beyond your basic necessities and your charitable giving (which includes your Church) and let your treasure follow your heart. I truly believe that where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.

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 20: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 88; Evening, Psalms 91 and 92;
2^nd Kings 9:17 to 37; 1^st  Corinthians 7:1 to 9; Matthew 6:7 to 15:

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14 and 15)

In this chapter of Matthew our Lord Jesus has taught us to pray in the words of what we now call, “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Jesus concludes with the reminder about forgiveness. It seems God applies to us the very same criterion we use to judge others.

Every human being makes mistakes.  Sometimes the mistakes we make are because we didn’t know any better.  Sometimes we make terrible mistakes because we are wrongheaded. Be it a mistake or immaturity, we must learn to see it in our selves, and then we must learn to see it in others. Some people offend us accidently.  Sometimes people offend us on purpose.

We are flawed but not because of any oversight on God’s part except for maybe giving us intellect and reason. We are primarily flawed because we haven’t tempered our intellect and reason with love, also a gift from God. We should not use one without the other. Intellect and reason used in loving ways towards one another encourages us to forgive one another. God sees our loving compassion and so is compassionate with us as well.

Let us relax then and ponder about those who have hurt us in one way or another.  Did they not know any better?  Was the hurt caused on purpose? Were they just trying to help themselves at your expense? Was the hurt or sin something that they could possibly grow out of over time?  I invite you to ask these same questions about the hurt or sin you have caused regarding someone else. Be especially focused on whether or not your hurtful or sinful behavior is something you can, and should, grow out of over time. Forgive with love, and be forgiven with God’s love.

 “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. 

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 

What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 20: Year 1

 Morning, Psalm 34; Evening, Psalms, 85 and 86;
2^nd Kings 9:1 to16; 1^st Corinthians 6:12 to 20; Matthew 6:1 to 6 and16 to 18:

“Truly I tell you, they have received their reward” (Matthew 6:2).

Our Lord Jesus has a huge task.  He is warning the people, and us, to not be like the Pharisees in their hypocrisy. He further explains that such hypocrisy seeks the reward of people, not God.

Jesus uses examples of piety, alms giving, public prayer, and fasting, as ways that the “want-to-be” holy people draw human glory to themselves. Human glory is not of God, and it is not eternal.

Our Lord Jesus teaches us to keep a low profile. He says for us to work in secret. He asks us to not let the left hand know what the right hand is doing. For me this means that we should not make public the kindness we show even to those who are rude. And we should keep quiet about the giving of our money to the more needy in the world. Too many of us act as if we are running for public office and want the approval of the masses in order that we might get elected. It is narcissism, self glorification and the opposite of who God is calling us to be.

God wants us to glorify, and give thanks back to God for all that God is doing for us, the miracles that we know about, as well as the goodness that God is doing for us that we don’t  know about (until later).  Our Creator is continuously at work in human life providing us with what we need to sustain ourselves. God even answers unspoken prayers because God knows better than we do, what we really need.  This is something to ponder.

None of us are God or even close. The best way to be more like God is not to seek glory or admiration from others, but rather to just love others, and more especially those who seem to be un-loveable. If we seek the glory and admiration of people, and then actually get it, then we have already traded our future reward of eternal life for the cheap payment of human admiration. This means we have already been paid. Let us rather hold out for the greater gift of eternity with God in Christ Jesus.

While we sometimes can’t stop people from showing us respect for being good people, we should not use this respect as some kind of public credit for personal advancement. We are called to love and serve others because God is working through us for the benefit of those around us. Therefore, we must redirect all glory to 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 Wednesday of Proper 20: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 119:97-120; Evening,  Psalms 81 and 82;
2^nd Kings 6:1 to 23; 1^st Corinthians 5:9 to 6:8; Matthew 5:38 to 48:

Psalm 81: 1 to 3:

1) Sing with joy to God our strength
and raise a loud shout to the God of Jacob.

2) Raise a song and sound the timbrel,
the merry harp, and the lyre.

3) Blow the ram’s-horn at the new moon,
and at the full moon, the day of our feast.

One of the questions we asked ourselves when I attended seminary is, “Will our children have faith?”  I have learned that the melodies of songs, especially Christian hymns or songs, go a long way to establishing and maintaining faith. 

I conducted an informal survey asking people, “what is the first song or hymn they remember learning?”  Many were lost trying to remember.  I made suggestions like the alphabet song, Happy Birthday, Mary had a little Lamb and so forth.  They all agreed but they could not come up with it without my suggestions. 

Also some of the early Christian hymns learned by young children are “Silent Night”, “Jesus loves the little Children”, and “Jesus loves me this I know.”  Will our children have faith?  Will our children have a melody in their hearts?  I think one begets the other.

The Psalmist (perhaps David given that he was one who played instruments), knows that we need songs of joy in our hearts, and we need them beginning at a very young age. At my “senior” age, I am taking piano lessons.  I love learning to play songs and hymns that I have sung for years.

I am aware that there are some Christian Churches that do not allow instrumental music to be played in their services. However, even most of these still give voice to their faith in song and hymns. I think that with no “sounds of music,” parishioners, particularly young parishioners, miss the opportunity to articulate their love of God and Christ Jesus more fully. Our children will have faith if we sing to, and with, them about how much our Lord Jesus loves them. Maybe later in their lives they too will learn to play their faith with timbrel, harp, lyre, guitar or piano.

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 20: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 78:1 to 39; Evening, Psalm 78:40 to 72;
2^nd Kings 5:19 to 27; 1 Corinthians 5:1 to 8; Matthew 5:27 to 37:

Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, ‘My master has let that Aramean Naaman off too lightly by not accepting from him what he offered. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something out of him.” (2^nd Kings 5:20)

I mentioned in Part 1 of Sunday last that there would be more to follow regarding Gehazi. Because there was something wrong in the soul of Gehazi, he could not help the dying child as instructed by Elisha when he was told to take his staff and lay it upon the face of the child.  Indeed, there was something corrupt in the soul of Gehazi, it seems to have something to do with his feelings toward “that Aramean Naaman.”

Instead of leaving the decision of Elisha as it was regarding payment by Naaman, Gehazi goes after more. He is greedy and he wants to see Naaman pay more dearly. This is sad.  And, he doesn’t get away with it.  Elisha informs him upon his return, “Did I not go with you in spirit when someone left his chariot to meet you? Is this a time to accept money and to accept clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves? (2^nd Kings 5:26).  And therefore Elisha put the leprosy on Gehazi. What a shame

Gehazi followed a short line of Prophets beginning with Elijah.  The spirit was passed on to Elisha.  Perhaps with prayer, God would have endowed Gehazi in the same way. But Gehazi was selfish, revengeful and not given to the real care of community.

When we follow worthy mentors, we must examine their conduct very carefully. We should not second guess them if found to be good people.  If we don’t agree with their way of life, then perhaps it would be better to move to another mentor. The power of the prophet is not destroyed, it is passed on. But the recipient must be worthy; that is, loving, understanding, selfless and obedient, given to prayer and real concern for the care of his or her community.  These traits are what will enable the protégé to become a mentor one day.  That is, they will discipline themselves to listen, love, learn, live and finally, to lead as others have, who have gone on before, have also done.

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 20: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 80; Evening, Psalm 77;
2^nd Kings 5:1 to 19; 1st Corinthians 4:8 to 21; Matthew 5:21 to 26:

“But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy:” (2^nd Kings 5:11).

I will deal with Naaman in a moment. But for now let us go back and see the unnamed girl who informed Naaman’s wife and therefore Naaman about the existence of Elisha the Prophet of God. She is another unnamed prophet of the Bible. There are many such women who get no recognition.

Now for Naaman. How often do we also ask God to “fix” something only in the way we want it done?  Naaman already had in his mind what to expect from Elisha, even though he didn’t even know Elisha existed until he was told by his slave girl.  So too we also often pray for specific outcomes from God. We want God to cure ourselves or a relative rather than just say “God’s will be done,”  and ask for divine intervention in whatever way God sees fit.  I can recall our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, saying, the best we can pray is to just say to God, “Help.”  And then let God take it from there. 

There is often a requirement for us to participate in the response from God just as Naaman was told to go and wash seven times. Sometimes we are asked to spend time with the response we are seeking while not knowing what that response will look like.  It also serves us well to see that God will use those among us to inform us about how we should interpret what is happening to us. In our story today, one in the company of Naaman makes him realize that had it been something difficult he would not have hesitated to do it, yet he questioned washing seven times. We ask because we don’t know. If we don’t know then we should be prepared to accept the divine response when, and how, and from whom, it comes.

God loves us and the Holy Spirit of God will often speak through sometimes unnamed, or even very close persons, to help us. All we have to do is listen, not second guess, and respond as told to do. God will take it from there.

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

Part 1 of 2

Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 20: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 93 and  96; Evening, Psalm 34:
2^nd Kings 4:8 to 37; Acts 9:10 to 31; Luke 3:7 to 18:

“He said to Gehazi, ‘Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet anyone, give no greeting, and if anyone greets you, do not answer; and lay my staff on the face of the child;” (2^nd Kings 4:29).

While there is a lot to ponder in the reading, I want to bring to light only two points. First, the Shunammite woman makes provision for Elisha. “She said to her husband, ‘Look, I am sure that this man who regularly passes our way is a holy man of God. Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that he can stay there whenever he comes to us:” (2^nd Kings 4: 9 and 10). This is the basic set-up for monastic life to this day.  Also, Elisha orders Gehazi to “Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet anyone, give no greeting, and if anyone greets you, do not answer; and lay my staff on the face of the child:” (2^nd Kings 4:29). This is the same instruction our Lord Jesus gave to the seventy two as he sent them off to heal and cast out demons; (Luke 10:4). Gehazi failed at the task. Could there be something wrong with Gehazi? There will be more to follow.

Part 2 of 2

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Proper 20: Year B

James 3:13 to 4:3 and 7 to 8a; and Mark 9:30 to 37:

“He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9: 36 and 37)

The last person to board a cross country bus is the Bus Driver.  After separating us from our luggage, he or she takes his or her seat at the controls and takes us to our destination.

The bus driver is our servant. Without the driver we can’t get there. However, none of us remember his or her name. Yet, they get us where we need to be. Such is the call of the Christian; we are to work hard, perhaps only to have our names forgotten. Our call is to bring people to God. Occasionally, we help them loose the bad luggage that holds them back while keeping the good.

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 19: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 75 and 76; Evening,  Psalms 23 and  27;
2^nd  Kings 2:1 to 18; 1^st Corinthians 4:1 to 7; Matthew 5:17 to 20:

“Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal.  Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you:” (2^nd Kings 2:1 and 2).

The need for every person to latch on to a good mentor cannot be overstated. We follow people in trades to learn how to earn a living. We follow people in professions to learn how to be doctors and lawyers and such. It is the natural course of humanity to find and follow someone who has the skills or knowledge that we want, and to stick with them no matter what.

We stick with them until we are self-sufficient in the area of concern wherein we too should welcome the company of an apprentice.  Whether its mentor – protégé or master – apprentice; the point is that we need to work with those who are right-minded and decent in their relations with others. Elisha found in Elijah the power of the Spirit of God and would not leave him.

We too, as followers of our Lord Jesus, must look for the Jesus quality in those we admire. Personally, I am not going to dedicate myself to the service of someone who has the musical skills that I want if the gifted person is rude, unloving, and self-serving.  I don’t want the skills that bad. Trying to work with someone whose antisocial behavior is less than what it should be, with the idea that we will just copy the good parts of the person, doesn’t work.  We will begin to copy the undesirable parts as well, also, we mislead the mentor in thinking he or she is ok. No, it would be better to just not get involved in any capacity.

There are plenty of good believing people in every endeavor we want to pursue.  Also, today, we can start in one field of study with one good mentor, and also follow another good mentor in a totally different field of study or skill. The key, at least for me, is to make sure my leaders, my mentors, my masters are good, loving and faithful people.  This is the kind of person I strive to be every day.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light:” (Matthew 11:28-30).  Our Lord Jesus was, and is, the perfect mentor master, leader and teacher. He did, and continues to do, all his teaching through love for us. Let us do the same and for the same reasons.

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 19: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 69:1 to 23(24 to 30)31 to 38; Evening, Psalm 73;
2^nd  Kings 1:2 to 17; 1^st Corinthians 3:16 to 23; Matthew 5:11 to 16:

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14 to 16)

Light is a tricky thing. It can be tainted. It can project a darkness in spite of being light. In our proposed morning Psalm for today, Psalm 69, we have the option of not saying verses 24 through 30 in the Book of Common Prayer.  These verses carry with it a desire for God to wreak havoc on those we deem evil or mean.  I say God knows the whole story therefore let God do what God will do.

Our Lord Jesus says we who follow Him are the light, or lights, of the world.  Douglas R. A. Hare, writing for Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Matthew; argues that the “Your” is plural and that we, collectively as Church, must be such a light. There may be something to that but I believe our individual light must start within our individual selves. And, it is when our individual light is joined with other, inclusive, all-loving lights that we, the Church, bring the world into the Light of Christ. There can be no shades, bushel baskets or “recommended omissions” in it.

I am reminded of the Negro Spiritual, “This Little Light of Mine,” as arranged by Horace Boyer and published in the Hymnal “Lift Every Voice and Sing II,” (1993).

“This Little light of mine, I’m gonna let if shine.”  Yes it starts with our individual selves.  Prayerfully, as young ones, parents, teachers, preachers and such, will plant in us a loving response to the world. The next verse says, “Every where I go, I’m gonna let it shine.”  This applies from going next door, going to school or Church, or work or store, or around the world. We must let our little lights shine.  The last verse says, “Jesus gave it to me, I’m gonna let it shine.”  I say, Thank You Lord Jesus.

“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. 

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

What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube