Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office readings for Wednesday of Proper 27: Year 2

AM Psalm 119:97-120; PM Psalms  81and  82;
Joel 2:12to19; Revelation 19:11to21; Luke 15:1to10

“Yet even now, says the Lord, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain-offering and a drink-offering for the Lord, your God?” (Joel 2: 12 to 14)

The real good news about God is that God is merciful, God will forgive us. Too often we will not forgive one another, but God will forgive each of us. God will forgive you.

This forgiveness comes from God’s deep, abiding and steadfast love for us.  It is a sacrificial love as expressed in our Lord Jesus going to the cross.  And nothing can separate us from that divine love. Paul said, “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 8:38 and 39)

It has occurred to me then, that such a love makes it easier to forgive someone when offended. Forgiveness for children and family might come a little easier than forgiveness for friends, and certainly easier than for strangers and folks who are different from us.  And there’s the rub.  God, especially in Christ Jesus, is family. While not really denying his earthly mother and family he declares also that those who do the will of God are his family. (Matthew 12:50) He also blurs the line between family and neighbor in the parable of the Good Samaritan where a stranger, a Samaritan, cares for a wounded man left for dead by robbers (Luke 10:29 to 37).  And finally, as he was crucified, our Lord Jesus ask God our creator to forgive the act we were committing (Luke 23:34)

It is impossible to forgive if we don’t first love.  We are asked by God to first love God and then to love one another. There is a direct connection between love and forgiveness.  If you don’t want to forgive, you never wanted to love in the first place.  To not love is ungodly. To change we must “return to the Lord, our God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing.” I don’t know about you, but I could use some of that grain-offering and a drink-offering from the Lord, our God.

A personal note this Veteran’s Day: from one veteran to all who served, Thank you for your service.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 27:Year 2

AM Psalm 78:1to39; PM Psalm 78:40to72;
Joel 1:15-2:2(3-11); Revelation 19:1-10; Luke 14:25-35

“To you, O Lord, I cry. For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and flames have burned all the trees of the field. Even the wild animals cry to you because the watercourses are dried up, and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.” (Joel 1:19 and 20)

At the time that I am reading this Daily office I empathize with my brothers and sisters on our west coast.  Terrible fires are driving people out of their homes and some have lost their lives, both residents as first responders. It is a very sad situation.

However, I remember the opening partition, “To you, O Lord, I cry.”  It is bad enough that we have a global pandemic to deal with.  And now, on top of that, people in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington States must also deal with finding shelter for people who are temporarily housed in close proximity with one another and yet, be thankful that their lives are spared.  I ask your prayers for, and responses to, those who are in desperate need.

Crying to the Lord is prayer and prayer works. I believe “God’s ears hears tears.”  God hears our prayers, and God will respond. And God responds in surprising ways.  However, we must remember that God comes to us, through us. And as revealed in the Joel reading, we must keep our non-human friends in thought, prayer and response as well. You may be God’s response to a squirrel or rabbit or even a wolf.  I believe we humans were brought into being to care for, and maintain this fragile earth, our island home.

Today we remember Leo the Great (10 November: Bishop of Rome 461)  I would say he was also a peace maker and protector.

On a personal note, I would like to say, Happy Birthday U. S. Marines.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 27: Year A

AM Psalm 80; PM Psalm 77, [79];
Joel 1:1to13; Revelation  18:15to24; Luke 14:12to24

“Hear this, O elders, give ear, all inhabitants of the land! Has such a thing happened in your days, or in the days of your ancestors? Tell your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. What the cutting locust left, the swarming locust has eaten. What the swarming locust left, the hopping locust has eaten, and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.” (Joel 1: 1 to 4)

In the Joel reading we hear of four different kinds of locusts.  There are cutting locusts, swarming locusts, hopping locusts and destroying locusts.  Therefore, no matter what kind of defense they plan, there comes a different kind of attack. It sounds similar to our current pandemic.

But Thanks be to God, we are never without hope.  We have had to endure many social limitations and when I read “Grain-offering and drink-offering are withheld from the house of your God”  (Joel 1:13), I remember that we, in the Church, are having to omit the chalice. We do however get the bread or grain-offering.

The ever restructuring locusts are not too different from our Corona Virus.  Some catch it, and I have heard, some re-catch it.  This is different.  In Joel we read, “For a nation has invaded my land, powerful and innumerable; its teeth are lions’ teeth, and it has the fangs of a lioness” (Joel 1:6).  However, we believers must remember that no virus or any “bug,” is more powerful than our God.  And as the hymn goes, “Our God Reigns.”

And while our current virus makes us separate, I believe it is in coming together in the right way that we will be enabled to eradicate this pandemic.  We need to come together in heeding the advice to wear face coverings, maintain social distancing and washing our hands often.  Perhaps, just perhaps, these words come from the Spirit of God down through the saints of God.  I want this pandemic to be over. And, I want to touch people again during the Peace.  And with my grain offering, I want my chalice back too. O Lord hear our prayer.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Part 1 of 2

Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 27: Year 2

AM Psalm 93 and 96; PM Psalm 34;
Ecclesiasticus 51:13to22; 1 Corinthians 14:1to12; Matthews 20:1to16;

“And he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went.” (Matthew 20:4)

These workers were the 9am hires.  They already missed the 6 O’clock call to work but even they would be paid “whatever is right.”  This seems to be the way the vineyard owner takes care of the men’s families.  He gave them dignity by letting then earn at least a portion of what they needed. Even those who join the work force much later, at 12 and at 3 and even at 5.  This land owner finds a way to not just give them what they need but invites them to be stakeholders in their own needs. The bottom line is, their families will get what they need, “whatever is right.”

Part 2 of 2

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

1 Thessalonians 4:13to18  Matthew 25:1to13

“When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.” (Matthew 25: 3 – 5)

There are a couple of things to ponder here in this Eucharistic reading from Matthew.  First, the foolish are called foolish because of their neglect in not having reserve oil for their lamps.  Likewise, the wise are called wise because they brought along a reserve supply of oil.  Secondly, the point that Matthew has Jesus to make in this parable is to stay awake.  But in the parable, they all became drowsy and slept.  This is not literally about sleep deprivation. It’s about discipleship.

Both Matthew parables for today deal with at least trying to help one’s self.  The workers hired at different times during the day were at the hiring stations.  They wanted to work.  The so-called wise bridesmaids thought ahead about what the requirements would be if they were really serious about not only being at the right place, but also about sustaining themselves if things drew out, and indeed, they did.  We too, of today, must take those first steps in not only doing what is right, but also thinking through the process and preparing for the “what-ifs” of life, and, “whatever is right.”

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 26: Year 2

AM Psalms 75 and 76; PM Psalms 23 and 27;
Ecclesiasticus 51:1to12; Revelation 18:1to14; Luke 14:1to11

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

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

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

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

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 26: Year 2

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

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

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

The two landscapes are totally different.  Galilee to the north, has fertile fields and little hills, and is the span of land that our Lord Jesus conducted his three year ministry of teaching, preaching and healing. I was so impressed with Capernaum, Nazareth, Cana, Mount Tabor, and Lake Galilee that I use my picture from Lake Galilee of the shoreline of this land as the heading of my daily blog.

We ended our trip down in Jerusalem.  To get there we went down to Jericho and then the long ride by bus up to the top of a mountain of sand some 2474 feet above sea level.  It must have been a real task to get water up there 2000 years ago. Much praise and worshipful attention has been centered on Jerusalem.  Judaism, Christianity and Islam all claim a religious heritage to the place. I went to, and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Given all of its splendor, I was not that impressed.  Then I remembered that I prayed to God to show me what God wanted me to see.

I also recalled that our Lord Jesus, of his own free will and accord, chose the land of Galilee to bring the good news of the kingdom of heaven.  And when he was raised from the dead, he told his followers to again meet him in Galilee from which he gave the Great Commission (Matthew 28). If I was again blessed to go to Israel, I would only go to Galilee and again take in as much as I can.

To Jerusalem Jesus said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing.”  If you ask God for something in serious prayer, please understand, God’s response to you is not guided by what humanity values. Pray and see.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 26: Year 2

AM Psalm 71; PM Psalm 74;
Ecclesiasticus 44:1to15; Revelation 16:12to21; Luke 13:18to30

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 26: Year 2

AM Psalm 72; PM Psalm 119:73to96;
Ecclesiasticus 43:23-33; Revelation 16:1to11; Luke 13:10to17

“When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.” (Luke 13:13)

The leader of the synagogue gets upset because Jesus heals on the Sabbath day.  The leader himself probably could not heal the woman on any day of the week.  And he forgets that the Sabbath was made for us, not us for the Sabbath.

Jesus does more than just heal this woman; he causes her to praise God.  I wonder how many people who regularly attended the synagogue came away with a renewed sense of being thankful to God and praising God. How many of us today come away from our places of worship with a renewed sense of giving thanks to God and praising God?

Here is the truth; we shouldn’t wait for the Sabbath or our Day of worship to turn people to God. And, turning people to God doesn’t have to take place in a house of worship. We can turn people to God at work, at home, at school, at the bus stop or even in a tavern. The opportunity to show people the love of God comes everyday and anywhere.

Every day brings us an opportunity to do something good. We may not be able to heal infirmities but we can share with the sick the power and love of God.  We can give them hope in their distress.  Every day brings us an opportunity to teach people to praise God; anywhere, anytime. Let us do more to turn people to God always and everywhere.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 26: Year 2

AM Psalms 61and 62; PM Psalm 68:
Ecclesiasticus 43:1to 22; Revelation 14:14to15:8; Luke 13:1to9

“It is the moon that marks the changing seasons, governing the times, their everlasting sign.  From the moon comes the sign for festal days, a light that wanes when it completes its course. The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself; how marvelous it is in this change, a beacon to the hosts on high, shining in the vault of the heavens!” (Ecclesiasticus 43: 6 to 8)

As an Education for Ministry (EfM) mentor, I have learned to make use of metaphor to explain life situations and our call as Christians.  This is a fine opportunity to do it now with the words from the writer of Ecclesiasticus.

The moon waxes and wanes.  It grows, from our earthly perspective, and then shrinks again. When the moon is directly between earth and the sun it is invisible.  We call this the New Moon. It is almost like it is born again.  It starts out small again and then fills in as the days advance.

We too, as we grow in Christ we reflect the light of the “Son.”  We also have a continual need to find a quiet place for solace and contemplation.  We have no light of our own.  We reflect the Light of our Lord Jesus.  As the Church we signal the changing seasons.  Advent is approaching, then comes Christmas.  Christmas is followed by the light of Epiphany which leads us into Lent. Then the Great Day and season of Easter!  Then we’re back to Pentecost or Ordinary time.  The Church as the moon has a huge responsibility.  We must signal the changing of the seasons, the times, the festal days, the everlasting sign.  And we do this by renewing ourselves regularly. It’s important to remember to do self care.  Those outside of us count on us. This earth needs the moon to keep it in balance.

Today we also remember Richard Hooker (Priest 1600).

Hooker said that, “all positive laws of Church and State are grounded—from Scriptural revelation, ancient tradition, reason, and experience…. Concerning the nature of the Church, Hooker wrote: “The Church is always a visible society of men; not an assembly, but a Society. For although the name of the Church be given unto Christian assemblies, although any multitude of Christian men congregated may be termed by the name of a Church, yet assemblies properly are rather things that belong to a Church. Men are assembled for performance of public actions; which actions being ended, the assembly dissolveth itself and is no longer in being, whereas the Church which was assembled doth no less continue afterwards than before.”  (Great Cloud of Witnesses for November 3) Seen or unseen, our Church “moon” is the Church, seen or unseen, new or full.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Readings for All Souls / All Faithful Departed:

Psalm 130 or 116:10 to17
Wisdom 3:1to9 or Isaiah 25:6 to 9;1^st Thessalonians 4:13to18 or 1 Corinthians 15:50to58; and John 5:24to27

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

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

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

Yes we remember September 11^th, (9/11) 2001 and other tragic days.  These were sad days. However, I personally object to letting a few sick minds pick a day that I am going to commemorate my lost loved ones every year. Our Church already has such a day.  There are individual days set aside for certain people of scripture and of the Church wherein we remember them.  And while I understand that most people in America do not belong to the Episcopal Church, I am personally thankful that I do and that my Church provides a time for me and my Anglican family to collectively remember those whom God has blessed us with, but who have now gone on to be with our Lord.

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

Let us Pray:

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

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

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John