Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 14: Year 2

 Psalm 105; Judges 14:1-19; Acts 6:15-7:16; John 4:27-42

“They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)

Yes true, but they would not have even known that the Savior of the world was near if it had not been for this unnamed woman coming to them with this valuable information. Once again, the most valuable information a community could have is delivered by a woman. And in this case, perhaps not a woman the village is proud of, or has shown any degree of love and respect.

She comes to the well at noonday, the hottest part of the day. She avoids others and their judgmental attitudes.  Maybe she has not made the best of her life.  Then again, maybe she played the cards that she was dealt in life the best she could.  She has had several husbands, which does not escape Jesus, but yet he loves her, and offers her the full life of living waters. Our Lord Jesus can, and does, use anybody to bring messages of hope. Even if we give up on ourselves, Our Lord Jesus does not give up on us.

This is where we are today.  As a preacher, it has been my privilege and honor to inform people that God, in Christ Jesus, is near. And that God loves you no matter how many mistakes you have made or what others think of you.  Do not believe because I said so.  Believe this because you have heard for yourselves and have seen little glimmers of grace in your own life.  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 Wednesday of Proper 14: Year 2

Psalms 101, 109:1-4(5-19)20-30,  119:121-144; Judges 13:15-24; Acts 6:1-15; John 4:1-26

“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.  (Acts 6:2) And also, John: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  (John 4: 24)

Today’s readings presented me with hard choices.  On the one hand I am passionate about the self-righteous attitude of the apostles; on the other hand, I love the words of our Lord Jesus about who God is.  Also, there is Florence Nightingale who is remembered today. Let’s start with the Acts reading.

The apostles decided that, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables.” I beg to differ.  Servitude is the Word of God. After John and James were caught trying to get good positions in heaven, and the rest of the apostles became angry, Jesus explains the importance of servitude. He told them,  “It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant,  and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave;  just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”  (Matthew 20:26 – 28) Therefore, in my humble opinion, the twelve were wrong, serving tables is following Christ, it is carrying out the word of God.

From the Gospel of John, Jesus explains to the woman at the well that God is not some old human man on a throne far away.  God is Spirit! God is Truth!  We must get rid of any notion that God is human, save God Incarnate, Jesus himself.  God can, and should, be worshiped everywhere, and always. “God is spirit, and those who worship [God] must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4: 24)

 “Florence Nightingale, whom we remember today, was born to a wealthy English family in Florence, Italy, on May 12, 1820. She was trained as a nurse in a hospital run by a Lutheran order of Deaconesses at Kaiserwerth (1851) and in 1853 became superintendent of a hospital for invalid women in London. In response to God’s call and animated by a spirit of service, in 1854 she volunteered for duty during the Crimean War and recruited 38 nurses to join her. With them she organized the first modern nursing service in the British field hospitals of Scutari and Balaclava.”  (Great Cloud of Witnesses for August 12)  Like most mystics, Florence had a very prayerful side. “An Anglican, she remained committed to a personal mystical religion, which sustained her through many years of poor health until her death in 1910. Until the end of her life, although her illness prevented her from leaving her home, she continued in frequent spiritual conversation with many prominent church leaders of the day, including the local parish priest, who regularly brought Communion to her. By the time of her death on August 13, 1910, her accomplishments and legacy were widely recognized, and she is honored throughout the world as the founder of the modern profession of nursing.”  (Great Cloud of Witnesses for August 12)

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 14: Year 2

Psalms  97, 99, [100],  94, [95];  Judges 13:1-15; Acts 5:27-42; John 3:22-36

“But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time.  Then he said to them, ‘Fellow-Israelites, consider carefully what you propose to do to these men.  For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and disappeared.  After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who followed him were scattered.  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 5:34 – 39)

This is very wise counsel from the Pharisee Gamaliel. He uses their history to show that there have been people who have come before but did not prove lasting.  When these former leaders rose up to change things, people followed as long as the leader was alive.  But when he died, they scattered. 

Our Lord Jesus said the same thing about “striking the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.”  But Jesus left good and faithful shepherds in his place.  And as Jesus rose from the dead, more and more followers came to follow him. It is still hard for me to wrap my head around having the apostles flogged before releasing them but that is what happened.  I think the flogging them is because of the jealousy of the High Priests.  They were about human designs, not Godly ones.

So while the other want-to-be leaders lost people when they died, our Lord Jesus gained more and more, and, is still gaining followers today.  Yes, Gamaliel, Jesus is from God, and no one will be able to overthrow us.  With daily Christian practices where two or three come together, in person or virtually, we will always have someone who keeps the Christian fires going even if something happens to those who lead. We will prevail in this life, and certainly in the next.

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 14: Year 2

 Psalm89:  Judges 12:1-7; Acts 5:12-26; John 3:1-21

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

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

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

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

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

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 14: Year A

Romans 10:5-15;  Matthew 14:22-33

“Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.  But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”   (Matthew 14: 28 – 30)

There are several places in the Gospel accounts when people take their eyes off Jesus, and when they do, they fall from faith or lose grace.  When Martha stares at Mary her sister sitting at Jesus’ feet, she complains about having to do all the work herself (Luke 10: 38 – 42).   In that same house from another perspective (and another Gospel), Judas complains about an expensive perfume used to anoint Jesus’ feet (John 12: 1 – 8). Again, Judas was not looking at Jesus himself but rather at Mary anointing the feet of Jesus, – a distraction.  Folks, we must maintain our focus on the Lord.

Distractions abound.  We must focus on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, everyday.  If not, we get lost. We lose faith. We fall from grace. We can remind ourselves of our daily focus on Jesus through scripture readings, gazing upon the cross, through prayer beads, through pictures, paintings and icons.  We can use our daily office as found in the Book of Common Prayer. There are so many ways to keep our Lord Jesus at the center of our being.  But the first thing we must do is “Want To!”  If we go to bed with a prayer on our lips, we wake with Christ on our minds.  Dreams work this way.

Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and sank into the water.  He then prayed, “Lord Save Me! And of course, our Lord did but reminded him, and us, of his/our lackluster faith.  We must stay focused.  Even when the winds hurl and toss the storms of our lives to and fro, we must still stay focused. Let us never take our eyes off the Prize.

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 of Saturday of Proper 13: Year 2

Psalms 87, 90, 136;  Judges 9:22-25,50-57; Acts 4:32-5:11; John 2:13-25

“But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.” (John 2: 24 – 25)

This Gospel says that our Lord Jesus knows what is in everyone.  This reminds me of Jesus’ remark about Nathanael when he saw Nathanael approaching him. “When Jesus saw Nathanael coming towards him, he said of him, ‘Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” (John 1: 47).  Yes, we perhaps can fool one another, but we can’t fool Jesus.  Jesus knows what is in you.

Sometimes, I think we try to even fool ourselves.  If we tell ourselves the same lie often enough we will start to believe it.  At some point in our lives we need to be honest with ourselves, even if not honest with others. Perhaps if we start with ourselves, in time, we will expand out to others as well.  We have no choice with Jesus; He already knows what is in us.

I am no Nathanael.  But I am a work in progress.  I am in the crowd prepared to throw a stone at someone guilty when I hear my Lord Jesus say “let those who have not sinned cast the first stone.”   And that makes the stone fall from my hand. (John 8:7).  Once again he knew that each person who wanted to stone the woman carried their own sin. And the truth is, they each knew of their own sin also.

My brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, we all fall short.  We are probably not Nathanael. But most of us are works in progress.  We must persevere.  More than just being aware of our sin, Jesus wants to cure us of our sins. We must ponder, persevere and pray, “Help Me 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 13: Year 2

 Psalms 88,  91, 92;  Judges 9:1-16,19-21; Acts 4:13-31; John 2:2-12

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

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

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

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

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

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

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 13: Year 2

Psalms[83] or 145, 85, 86;  Judges 8:22-35; Acts 4:1-12; John 1:43-51

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

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

Jesus calls 7 of the Apostles:  Simon and Andrew  (Matthew 4:18 – 20),   John and James – (Matthew 4: 21 – 22) Matthew himself (AKA Levi)  (Matthew 9:9),   Philip ( John 1:43)  Nathaniel, from above (John 1: 50 – 51) Then there is one who Jesus called but who rejected Jesus’ call: the Rich young man: (Mark 10:21 -22)  However, of all whom he called,  Simon Peter, John and James seem to be the chosen three who went with him in the deepest sense of his work: the healing of Jairus’ daughter, the Transfiguration (which I will say more about in part 2 of today’s blog) and his passion prayer on the night he was arrested in which these three could not stay awake.

Part 2

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

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

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

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

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 13: Year 2

Psalms 119:97-120; and  81, and 82; Judges 7:19-8:12; Acts 3:12-26; John 1:29-42

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

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

I love the Spirituality of the Gospel of John.  Perhaps the Spirit has descended on others before but it was temporary. However, on this man, Jesus, the Spirit remained.  John the Baptist is not about building his own reputation, he is about letting the world know that the Savior of the world has come near.

John speaks the truth as best he knows it.  He gives great detail explaining that the One who sent him to baptize with water, is the same One who informed him about how to identify the Messiah, the Anointed One, Jesus. He was told that the Spirit would descend on Him, and remain on Him.

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

In the Service of Holy Baptism, the candidate is asked, “do you desire to be baptized?”  Those too young to answer for themselves are presented, and answered for, by their parents and/or sponsors individually.  New Christians are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  After which, they are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own FOREVER: The Spirit descends on them and remains, forever. (BCP 303 – 308)

Baptism is one of the many channels on our Christian cable network. Perhaps we don’t visit this channel enough. Our baptism contains a covenant that regulates our Christian life. As the Baptized, we are servants of Jesus, the Jesus we see in all persons, baptized or not.  We are servants of the next person we face, in our homes, or on the street.  Regardless of who baptized us, we are baptized into the household of God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Baptism is responsibility, Baptism is enough, and Baptism is Salvation. What does your Baptism mean to you?

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 13: Year 2

Psalm  78;  Judges 7:1-18; Acts 3:1-11; John 1:19-28

“John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know.” (John1: 26)

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

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

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

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