Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 7: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 101 and 109; Evening,  Psalm 119:121 to144;
1 Samuel 7:2-17; Acts 6:1-15; Luke 22:14-23:

“And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word:” (Acts 6: 2 to 4)

Every time this reading comes up in our Daily Office Lectionary I can’t help but refute it. It is not the understanding I have of who Jesus is or what he would have us do. In the Gospel accounts we have Jesus ordering the apostles to feed the people; “But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat:” (Matthew 14:16).

Too often today clergy sometimes see themselves as too important to fulfill the most basic of needs.  There are many things that our Lord Jesus did that we, (clergy, doctors, or any vocation), simply cannot do. We can’t cure all diseases, or bring people back to life.  But most of us can feed those who are hungry or teach those who want to know what we know.  We can buy a hungry person something to eat. We can teach adults to read. We can drive someone to a medical appointment or other place they need to be. We can teach young children to sing songs of hope.  We, none of us who follow our Lord Jesus, should think of ourselves as above providing the basic needs of people. 

We still need to find time to pray and hear the words of God and meditate on the Holy Spirit of God. But such contemplation should not stop us from the basic and important duty of taking care of those who lack the basic needs of life, or just needs a faith companion.  Our love must be shown in how we care for others. We should not send them away or put this labor of love on someone else.  Our Lord Jesus is still saying to us, “You give them something to eat.”

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 7: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 97, 99, [100]; Evening, Psalms 94, [95];
1^st  Samuel 6:1to 16; Acts 5:27 to 42; Luke 21:37 to 22:13:

“So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone; because if this plan or this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them—in that case you may even be found fighting against God!” (Acts 5: 38 and 39)

A Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel gave the council two examples of how uprisings settled themselves when they are not from God.  However, he asks them, and us, to be patient with this Jesus movement. He says if it is from human origin it will be made evident. But if it is from God, we have no choice but to obey.  Smart words I think.

In all my undertakings I ask if it is of God, or, where do I see God in it?  If I can’t see God in it anywhere, it is time to move on to something else.  Also, I must remember that God is love.  So, I must ask if there is love in the undertaking that I am pursuing. If no love, no God, then I go, no further.  I have always said that I can’t see where God is at this present moment in my life, only where God has been in my life. What I am saying now is not counter to what I have always said. 

While God is illusive, and can’t always be seen, God’s presence as love is readily revealed if we look for it. And if there are conflicts between the call of God and what the unloving among us are saying, then we must remember what Peter and the apostles said, “We must obey God rather than any human authority:” (Acts 5:29).  We can tell if God is in it, if love is in it.

God has no plan B for us.  The seed of Jesus is growing more and more every day. In the end we will learn to truly love one another. In so doing, we will make heaven manifest right here on earth where God’s will, will be done.

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 7: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 89:1 to 18; Evening, Psalm 89:19 to 52;
1^st Samuel 5:1 to 12; Acts 5:12 to 26; Luke 21:29 to 36:

“Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man:” (Luke 21:36).

Jesus has just told his followers about the certainty of the end of the age and to expect the unexpected. How does one do this? How does anyone prepare themselves to expect the unexpected?

I have met people who seem to be calm no matter what happens.  At first these calm people seem cognitively slow or even autistic. More observation will reveal that they are very much aware of their environment and all that is taking place; they just aren’t rattled by the supposedly unexpected happenings that take place.  I want to be like that.

I do believe the older I get, the more I am able to remain calm. Also, the more I get into meditation, the more I seem to be able to calm myself and remain calm when stuff happens.  This is being alert and also praying that we have the strength, the resolve, to avoid panicking and reacting without thought. I not only want to keep myself calm, I want to be a calming presence to those who might not be able to handle the unexpected.  I pray that our Lord Jesus uses me as a calming presence in my family, my neighborhood, my parish, and in all places where I may be with others.

I just need to keep telling myself that God is God and all things will be in accord with God’s will. Therefore, I shall not be afraid but rest in God’s presence. I also pray to God to use me Lord as you see fit for the benefit of all and quiet my soul when anxiety attempts to come upon me. Thank You Lord Jesus.

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Part 1 of 2

Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 7:Year 1

Morning, Psalms 66 and 67; Evening, Psalms 19 and 46;
1st Samuel 4:12 to 22; James 1:1 to 18; Matthew 19:23 to30:

“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel:” (Matthew 19: 28)

The twelve tribes or thrones may be a way of saying twelve ways of entering the kingdom of God. For me, the “renewal of all things,” is our resurrection into eternal life. Folks, the life we live now is not the end of all things. There is a renewal of all things in Christ Jesus.  Christianity is the religion where the faith of believers propels us, with God’s blessings, into eternal life after our death here on earth. Believe, my brothers and sisters in Christ, and be saved.

Part 2 of 2

Eucharistic New Testament Readings for Sunday of Proper 7: Year B

2^nd Corinthians 6:1 to 13 and Mark 4:35 to 41;

 ^“He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” (Mark 4:40)

Jesus has been awakened because of the fear of his disciples who are in the boat with him.  Jesus is concerned about their faith, more than about the storm; even if they drown they will live. Do they not know that raising them to new life is entirely within the realm of God?

We Christians need to start living our lives in the full belief that there is a new heaven and a new life, and a new place, awaiting us who believe. It sounds scary, I know. But at some point we need to believe, or give up altogether.  For those who choose to give up, I quote Mister T, (from the A Team), who said, “I pity the fool.” We have an invitation to eternal life. It’s Real!

My beloved of the Lord, our hope is in the Name of the Lord. If there is nothing after this life then God’s promise is false. And, I don’t believe that.  If this life is all there is, then let us just eat, drink, and be merry until death grabs us. This is like the man who built a larger barn in order to hold the abundance of his fields.  He did this rather than share with the needy. He lived for this current life, not for eternal life. He lived for greed and not for love. “You fool,” God said of him, “this very night your life is being demanded of you:” (Luke 12: 20).

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 6: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 87 and 90; Evening,  Psalm 136;
1^st Samuel 4:1 to 11; Acts 4:32 to 5:11; Luke 21:20 to 28:

“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).

I am well into my 70’s now. While I have been walking around on this earth for what seems like a long time to me, it is nothing to God who knows no time. I tell people that as we live, we are living in our “dash.”  The dash is that time that begins at our birth and ends with our death.  What’s important in our dash time is not what we can do for ourselves. What is important is how close we can attach ourselves to the eternal God.

What is most important during our dash time is our ability to be open to God’s loving-kindness everyday.  The Psalmist says, “Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life:” (Psalm 90:14).  We all have challenging days but perhaps with God’s help we can have better days, most days. 

Some of our daily rejoicing is dependent on us.  I don’t think the sum of our lives necessarily as to be labor and sorrow, that pass away quickly and we are gone.  We must apply an effort in our rejoicing. If we take one step in love and happiness, God takes two.  When we use our hearts and hands in the service of God, and in the service of those among us who are distressed, we will have a loving and memorable dash time, even noticed by God. The Psalmist concludes, “May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork:” (Psalm 90:17).

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 6: Year 1

 Morning, Psalm 88; Evening,  Psalms 91 and 92;
1^st  Samuel 3:1-21; Acts 2:37-47; Luke 21:5-19:

“But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’ He said, ‘Here I am.’ Eli said, ‘What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.’ So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him:” (1^st Samuel 3: 16 to 18).

This is what I meant when I said on Monday, the 14^th of June, that “Such negligence will come back to bite him later.”  Eli had sons that did not follow in Eli’s ways.  In fact they blasphemed God and Eli did not correct them.  We must remember Father Abraham who would slaughter his son Isaac, who was without sin, only to obey what he perceived to be the will of God. Eli was still learning what it means to be a father when he took custody of Samuel. He may have been a better father to Samuel than he was to his biological sons.

As we approach Father’s Day I pray that fathers everywhere will ponder their parental responsibilities and at least coach their young ones into their faith tradition. I believe that while we are not to go out and demand anyone to follow our Christian path, all people, and fathers in particular, should have a guiding light that leads them on a moral path. As we fathers walk our paths, we should invite, or even insist, that those for whom we are responsible accompany us as we traverse life’s expedition.

Eli, and later, even Samuel himself, will fail in their responsibility to guide their young ones in their faith paths.  I hold up Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus, as the model of fatherhood.  We don’t have any words from Joseph. What we have is his silent obedience to the will of God.  We have the example of his unconditional love for his non-biological son and his son’s mother.  Love conquers all. But indeed, sometimes that love has to be tough love.

So I’m going to throw out a Happy Father’s Day in advance to all the dads of the World. Tough love is often tougher on us dads than on those we raise. Ask Abraham and ask Joseph.  Real fatherhood is not about biology, it’s simply the coaching, unconditional love we have for our young ones.

For this evening and tomorrow day my friends; Shabbat Shalom.

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 6: Year 1

 Morning, Psalm 34; Evening, Psalms  85 and 86;
1^st  Samuel 2:27-36; Acts 2:22-36; Luke 20:41-21:4

“For David himself says in the book of Psalms, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ ”  (Luke20: 42 and 43); and;  “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’ ” (Acts 2: 32 and 35)

It should not be surprising that the same words are found in both Luke and Acts given that it is the same writer.  However we can also find the same quote of Psalm 110, verse 1, in Matthew 22: 43 and 44; and Mark 12: 36.  The point that Jesus is making is that the followers of David should realize that even David was aware of the coming of our Lord Jesus. The people loved David but they must have only read the Book of Chronicles regarding David where he comes out looking pretty good.

We must remember that there is a dark chapter in the life of King David.  It is 2^nd Samuel, chapter 11.  David commits adultery with the wife of his military officer and then has him put in harm’s way in order that he would be killed. I loved the story of David and Goliath, it was a childhood favorite of mine.  The truth is that all of us have at least one dark chapter in our lives.  Some of us may have more than one. But we have a merciful Savior who will forgive us as He did for David.

Every biblical hero has hiccups in their past but God takes them, blesses them, brakes them and gives them to us in ways that blesses us.  Thank Your Lord Jesus; take me, bless me, brake me and give me. Amen.

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 6: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 119:97-120; Evening, Psalms 81 and 82;
1^st  Samuel 2:12 to 26; Acts 2:1 to 21; Luke 20:27 to 40:

“Indeed they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are children of God, being children of the resurrection:” (Luke 20:36).

We humans so often try to project our own existence on life beyond our known world. We try to make God in our image rather than accept that some part of our existence is patterned after God. We also try to make our resurrected life like life on this side of the resurrection. It simply doesn’t work. We have to be open minded. For one thing, as Jesus points out to the Sadducees, we are done with the idea of death after our resurrection. Marriage too, like racism, war and money are all human constructs that don’t exist in that “next generation.”

There are two things that I believe about the resurrection. The first is that while we will not die again, we might tend to cease to exist if we can’t let go of human constructs that don’t work in heaven: that is, we will return to the nothingness from whence God brought us in the beginning.  The second is that there will be some accountability at our resurrection. This is why we should practice some sense of morality in this life. For me, it means giving all human constructs the low level of heavenly priority they deserve. It also means giving love the high priority that it deserves; that Godly construct which eternally exist in the resurrection, that house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.  

My personal living creed 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.”  Our lord Jesus says that at our resurrection we will be like angels and children of God, being children of the resurrection. I pray the crafters of Luke’s Gospel got this right. I am living my whole life in these words. Thank You Lord Jesus.

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 6: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 78:1 to 39; Evening, Psalm 78:40 to 72;
1^st Samuel 1:21 to 2:11; Acts 1:15 to 26; Luke 20:19 to 26:

“So they watched him and sent spies who pretended to be honest, in order to trap him by what he said, so as to hand him over to the jurisdiction and authority of the governor. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are right in what you say and teach, and you show deference to no one, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth.  Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’  But he perceived their craftiness and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose head and whose title does it bear?’ They said, ‘The emperor’s.’ He said to them, ‘Then give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s:” (Luke 20: 20 to 25)

My history sources inform me that the use of coin money predates the appearance of our Lord Jesus by about five thousand years, that is, about the year five thousand B.C. There were, and are good reasons for money. Foods and other needed products have short shelf lives. Coin money maintained its serviceability for a long time, but not forever.  Money quickly became the great tool for the establishment of the rich and the poor – the haves and the have-nots. Money worked its way into our relationship with God, albeit without God’s approval.  God does not want our money.  God wants our hearts, our love.  Love then is what we should give to God. Even metal or plastic money is not eternal; but love is.  Thank You Lord Jesus.

Today we remember Evelyn Underhill: Theologian and Mystic (15 JUNE 1941)

“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. Evelyn Underhill’s writings proved appealing to many, resulting in a large international circle of friends and disciples, making her much in demand as a lecturer and retreat director. She died, at age 65, in London on June 15, 1941”; (Great Cloud of Witnesses for June 15).   I thank you Lord Jesus for Evelyn Underhill among us.

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 6: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 80; Evening, Psalm 77;
1^st  Samuel 1:1 to 20; Acts 1:1 to 14; Luke 20:9 to 19:

“Then Eli answered, ‘Go in peace; the God of Israel grant the petition you have made to him; (1^st Samuel 1:17).

This opening of 1^st Samuel is important as it opens for us the beginnings of the prophet Samuel. But there is a lesson here about parental responsibility.  Hannah is distressed because she has not given birth to a child.  While her husband’s other wife has given birth to a few children.  So she prays for the ability to become pregnant. Eli, the priest also had sons but his sons did not follow the pattern of the parent, they were rude and gluttonous and disrespectful.  Eli did not hold them accountable. Such negligence will come back to bite him later.

While Hannah is devoted to God in her inmost self, the priest, Eli, doesn’t know her well enough to see that she is a pious woman. He assumes the worst, and he is wrong. To his credit however, when he sees his mistake, he works with God to grant her petition.

Our Church today is wrong whenever it takes part in judging people.  We forget that we, the Church, are not called to judge, we are called to love, and to love unconditionally.

Let us live in order that we might love, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John