Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent: 2020: Year 1

AM Psalm 119:49 to 72; PM Psalms 49, and optional [53];
Isaiah 9:8 to 17; 2^nd  Peter 2:1 to 10a; Mark 1:1 to 8

“He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1: 7 and 8)

Just so you know, touching anything on, or about another’s feet, two thousand years ago in Palestine, was considered among the most disgusting things one person can do to, or for another, in the time that Jesus walked the earth.

When I went to Saudi Arabia for the Liberation of Kuwait, in 1991, we were taught that even sitting with our legs crossed such that people could see the bottom of our shoes, was offensive. I have also seen video where an angry Arab man threw his sandal at then President Bush (43). The President ducted and it missed him.  The point is that the foot item, while not very lethal, carried with it a humiliation beyond its ability to inflict physical harm.  It was, and to a certain degree, still is, something Mid-eastern people are loath to do. 

Personally, I will often drop down and tie the shoes of a child or an elderly person when I notice the need.  However, I would struggle to attend to the personal need of a sick person who had an incontinent accident or threw up on themselves. I am so thankful for nurses and first responders who do provide this care.  Would I do this care for our Lord Jesus?  Would you?

Here is the deal. Our Lord Jesus comes to us in the people in our lives.  He or she is standing among us every day.  As Christians we are taught that when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and visit the sick or incarcerated, we do it to, and for, our Lord Jesus. (Matthew 25:31 to 46) 

It goes without saying then that when we care for our brothers and sisters beyond our personal comfort zone we are living out the sheep-life we are intended to live. We are called to do some things we don’t think we are worthy to do, or able to do.  But we must press on with God’s help.  With God, we can go beyond our perceived limitations.  For with God, all things are possible and my beloved of the Lord, you are so worthy.

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 the 3^rd Week of Advent 2020: Year 1

AM Psalm 45; PM Psalms 47 and 48:
Isaiah  9:1 to 7; 2^nd  Peter 1:12 to 21; Luke 22:54 to 69

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.  For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’  We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.”  (2^nd Peter 1:16 to 18)

Simon Peter’s testimony of God recognizing our Lord Jesus as the Messiah is one of the most compelling witnesses we have in the Bible. We hear of the Transfiguration in the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke. But then this repeat of the event outside the Gospel is the icing on the cake. The voice from heaven declaring that our Lord Jesus is the Son of God in whom God was well pleased was first proclaimed at the Baptism of Jesus in the Same Gospel accounts.  However, at the Transfiguration, the words, “Listen to Him,” were added. What more do we need?

Peter, and the others, did indeed not follow cleverly devised myths about what God was, and is, doing, and neither should we today.  Our faith heritage is the most precious gift we could ever receive.  Since reading “Sabbath” by Abraham Heschel, I am convinced that the Transfiguration itself, is more important than being on a holy mountain. Our Lord Jesus could have shown his true Self anywhere; and when that happens, it is the Sabbath. Our Lord Jesus will still do this today and wherever it happens, it will be Holy Ground and a Sabbath time.

 Our Lord Jesus can invite you to follow him into a certain place in your own home and reveal who he really is to you and how you are to go forward from that point on.  Are you ready for that? Our Lord Jesus is no made up story.  And, it is not so much that he “was” real, It is that He “IS” Real! He is Risen, and working through us for the benefit of us, and will still reveal himself to us in our prayers and through the saints of God. 

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 the 3^rd Week of Advent 2020: Year 1

AM Psalms 41 and 52; PM Psalm 44:
Isaiah 8:16 to 9:1; 2^nd  Peter 1:1to11; Luke 22:39 to 53

“Thus he has given us, through these things, his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of lust, and may become participants in the divine nature. For this very reason, you must make every effort to support your faith with goodness, and goodness with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with endurance, and endurance with godliness, and godliness with mutual affection, and mutual affection with love.” (2^nd Peter 1:4 to 7)

The people of the world are full of lust for personal desires.  Such lust ranges from the desire for power, money, fame, and many other such self-serving intentions. From Genesis we learn, “Then God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great upon the earth and that every thought of their heart was intent upon evil at all times.” (Genesis 6:5)  We must be careful not to fall into the traps of this world.  I think the lesson from Peter’s second letter should be well studied.

We must first have faith and then support our faith with good works believing in our good Lord.  We must study the holy writings in order to acquire the knowledge needed for self-control. Passions will come but we must keep control over them. The only way to do this is through religious practices like regular prayer and worship. We must do this daily, and as Peter says, with endurance. There are no excuses. What I tell people all the time is that we first have to have what we want to do, or be, in our minds. If we don’t first determine in our minds and hearts where we are going, we will never get there. And we must be consistent, we must control the self and stick with it, no matter what.

It is no surprise then that Peter ends his progression with love.  Peter has experienced the love of our Lord Jesus who forgave him and loved him even through Peter’s denial of his Savior.  This is the kind of love that will get us to where we want to be.  If who we want to be is not based on love that is made manifest by mutual affection, then who we want to be may be set upon evil as in God’s criticism of humanity from the Genesis passage above. Saint Peter is definitely one of the saints we should read and heed.

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 the 3^rd Week of Advent 2020: Year 1

AM Psalms 63 and 98; PM Psalm 103;
Isaiah 13:6 to13; Hebrews 12:18 to 29; John 3:22 to 30:

“Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew.  They came to John and said to him, ‘Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” (John 3: 25 and 26)

Poor John the Baptist, and poor us. I feel we are left with a poor choice of words.  Read this text carefully. It says “a” Jew argued with them.  But “they” came to him.”  There is confusion about how many.  However, John himself was a Jew, as was Jesus. Why the Evangelist picked these words is baffling but at the same time, divisive. Also it implies that Jesus himself was baptizing. Other sources say he personally did not baptize.  In any case, Jesus was starting a new following.  This following is still alive today.  We follow and walk by faith and not by sight.

Part 2 of 2

Eucharistic Readings for the 3^rd Sunday of Advent 2020: Year B

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11;  Canticle 15;  1^st  Thessalonians 5:16 to 24 John 1:6 to 8 and 19 to 28:

“This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.” (John 1: 20)

By, “the Jews,” is the language typically translated by the evangelist John, a Jew also. We readers of today must not forget that our Lord Jesus and his followers were all Jews. John the Baptist makes it clear that he is not the Messiah but informs them then that there is a man standing among them who is the Messiah.

This language sort of implies that being Jewish is a bad thing.  I argue it is not.  On the contrary, I believe being a spiritual child to Abraham is who God wants us to be.

We should place more concern on our spiritual ancestry than our biological history.  We are spiritual beings first and foremost.  We happen to occupy human bodies now but we are spiritual beings who will return to our spiritual selves at the resurrection.  It is in this way that we will be like our Lord Jesus when he returns. And He is coming soon, and very soon.

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 the 2^nd Week of Advent 2020: Year 1

AM Psalms 30 and 32; PM Psalms 42 and 43;
Isaiah 8:1 to 15; 2^nd  Thessalonians 3:6 to 18; Luke 22:31 to 38:

“But I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:32)

It seems that our Lord Jesus already knows that Peter will fall away, and he does.  But it seems that Jesus also knows that Peter will come to himself, and return to the Lord, and Peter does that too.

To this point the apostles had been believing primarily on the faith of Jesus.  But Jesus prays that they, and we, will come into our own faith. Jesus tells Peter about Peter’s denial of him three times before the rooster crows. I have heard that rooster crow.  I hear that rooster crow every time I do something that is inconsistent with the teachings of our Lord Jesus. I hear the rooster and look into the eyes of a disappointed, yet loving and forgiving Jesus.

It is my sincere intention to “come to myself.”  I am tired of what that rooster’s crow means to me.  I want to be in a place where I can hear the crow and smile because I will know it no longer applies to my denial of the teachings of Jesus.  How about you?  Have you heard the crow of the rooster?  When you hear it, do you ponder about how you might have done or said something that you would not want our Lord Jesus to witness? 

Come into your own faith. Our Lord Jesus is still praying that we come into our own faith. We will fail from time to time to be who we are created to be.  But it’s not over. We also have the responsibility when we turn back to assist our brothers and sisters with their struggle with the rooster’s crow.  Let’s let that rooster remind us of what we are taught by Lord Jesus, and like Peter, turn our lives around so that the rooster’s crow will be the sound of happiness because we have moved on.

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 the 2^nd Week of Advent 2020: Year 1

AM Psalm 31; PM Psalm 35;
Isaiah 7:10 to 25; 2^nd Thessalonians 2:13 to 3:5; Luke 22:14 to 30

“So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.” (2^nd Thessalonians 2:15)

I did not grow up churched.  I wish I had been. I raised three of my daughters with a Church tradition however; but I still don’t know if it stuck.  At least they have it in their bones if they ever want to revert back to it.  I probably should have done more lecturing about “holding fast” to their tradition. 

I have been a practicing Christian along the Episcopal path since my Baptism at the Easter Vigil of 1980. So I have a little over forty years of ingrained Church tradition.  If you say, “The Lord be with you,” I can’t help but respond, “And also with you.”  It even slips out when I am watching a Star Wars movie and I hear, “The Force be with you.” In a low voice I whisper, “And also with you.”  It has become my tradition.

In Education for Ministry (EfM), we do Theological Reflection. With Theological Reflection we are shown that there are four sources from which all major concerns come.  Of the four sources, Tradition means Christian Tradition which includes our Church, the Bible, Christian music or writings as well as Christian art. Theological Reflection asks us to consider our Tradition when pondering our experiences in life. As Paul says, we must stand firm in our Church traditions as we consider our thoughts and actions.

I was an active duty Marine for 30 years, I have been an active duty Christian now for more than 40 years, fifteen of those forty years as clergy.  I have a lot of ingrained discipline and tradition, and I’m thankful for all of it.

All of us have some kind of life tradition taught to us by parents, or, as in my case, the institutions we joined and grow up in. While I support young people in participating in the military as part of their personal development and as a civic and patriotic duty, I strongly encourage them to become participating and practicing members of a faith community. They should keep up with the passing weeks in their lives not by their days off, but rather, by their meetings with like-minded worshipers on a weekly basis. Church needs to be our tradition and we should hold fast to those traditions that we were taught by parents, pastors and Christian educators.

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 the 2^nd Week of Advent: Year 1

AM Psalm 37:1 to 18; PM Psalm 37:19 to 42;
Isaiah 7:1 to 9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1to 2; Luke 22:11 to 13

“If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all.” (Isaiah 7:9)

This is the second half of verse 9 of chapter 7.  But it says everything.  We were created in the  prayers of God to be a people of faith.  God embedded in us the faith connection that informs us about the existence of the Creator. God also gives us the free will to not realize it or live by it.

We may get fairly far in life only counting on our money, physical strength, family connections, political position, or some other human idolatrous anomaly. But all of these can be lost in life.  Some would argue that we could also lose our faith; perhaps, and if so, it is the saddest of all.

 Losing one’s faith will almost certainly cause the loss of at least one of the human attributes; money, health, family or social position. And if faith is lost, where are we when we are called to judgment? And my beloved of the Lord, each and every one of us will be called to judgment.

Belief, moreover, trust and faith in a Power greater than ourselves, who loves us, is the deal breaker in human existence.  We need that faith to keep us going when we find ourselves against the wall and there seems to be no way out.  Our heart screams, “Where are you Lord?” I feel sad for the person who has no faith and yet is in a desperate situation.

We have wonderful examples of Biblical figures who walked by faith.  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Ruth, Esther and Mordecai, and John the Baptist and the apostles of our Lord Jesus, all walked by faith and not by sight, or money, or power, or any human icon of importance. So I like what Isaiah says, “If you do not stand firm in faith, you shall not stand at all.”  Let us listen to this prophet and use our God-given faith, and then walk the rest of this life in faith, in God.

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 the 2^nd Week of Advent: Year 1

AM Psalm 38; PM Psalm 119:25 to 48;
Isaiah 6:1 to 13; 2^nd  Thessalonians 1:1 to 12; John 7:53 to 8:11

“The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery; and making her stand before all of them, they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.”  (John 8:3 and 4)

She was not caught alone, she, (and someone else with her), was caught in adultery.  It might have even been one of the men standing in the crowd of scribes and Pharisees with a stone in his hand.  But then our Lord Jesus says to them, “Let anyone among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (John 8: 3 and 4)  They all, one by one, had to deal with their own shortfalls, and walk away. None of us today are without sin.

Twice during this scene Jesus stoops to the ground and writes something. I wish we had what he wrote, if he was writing.  Maybe with his hand touching the ground, his Spirit moved through the ground and touched the conscience of the scribes and Pharisees and elders who were accusing the woman. Therefore, maybe he didn’t even write at all. I ponder these kinds of things. Something shook the men into knowing that they were not innocent of various sins.

Look at what’s going on here.  Jesus reaches down to touch the ground, to write or whatever. The accusing men reach down to pick up a stone. What do we reach down for when something or someone we don’t like comes before us?  Maybe such a time is the time to take notes, with pen and paper, or just a mental note about what is going on in our hearts and minds, and about our own spotty history. We too are still “works in progress.”  Even with our flaws, in Christ Jesus, we are the saints of God. Saints pardon and forgive. Reach down, but be careful about what you pick up.

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 the 2^nd  Week of Advent 2020: Year 1

AM Psalms 26 and 28; PM Psalms 36 and 39;
Isaiah 5:13 to 17 and 24 to 25; 1^st  Thessalonians 5:12 to 28; Luke 21:29 to 38

“And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good;” (1^St Thessalonians, 5: 14 to 21)

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians he gives them, and us, lessons in how to relate with each other. His instruction requires us to at least notice others; are they idlers, are they faint-hearted, are they weak?  We can’t live in community in a vacuum.  The implied answer to Cain’s question of “Am I my brother’s keeper?” is, yes. (Genesis 4:9)

It is hard to be patient and to rejoice always.  We have sad times.  We can however pray without ceasing.  Such prayer is not formal, spoken prayers, but rather, thoughts of appealing to God for help.  This can, and often should be done, quietly. It is being thankful and saying “Thank You Jesus” when you realize things could have been worse.

Regular reading of scripture certainly helps us in our relationship with others.  As you know, I read our Daily Office daily.  I don’t really get a lot from all of the readings.  But even acknowledging what I don’t like helps.  There is much wisdom in the Bible.  But I advise you to say a little prayer before you read asking the Holy Spirit to assist you with understanding, and then one of thanks at the conclusion. Perhaps a Bible Study group would help.  The prophets still speak to us through these ancient words.

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 the Second Week of Advent: Year 1

AM Psalm 25; PM Psalms 9 and 15;
Isaiah 5:8 to 12 and 18 to 23; 1 Thessalonians  5:1 to 11; Luke 21:20 to 28

“All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.” (Psalm 25:9)

Our Presiding Bishop, the Most Reverend Michael Curry, has said of our Church that we are the Episcopal path of the Jesus movement.  I like it!  There are several Christian paths to God.  And just as there are several Christian paths, Christianity is only one of several faith traditions that the people of the world cling to for reconciliation to God.  Judaism and Islam are a couple of other well established faith paths.

Of these three, Judaism is the oldest, and in fact, Christianity has its roots in Judaism. The Psalmist says, “All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”  Keeping covenant is something we have failed to do over and over again.  The Bible records over and over again how the People of Israel fail to keep covenant with God and then go into repentance and God saves us again.  It makes no difference if covenant is made up of two laws (Love God and love your neighbor), or, if covenant is 613 laws from the Hebrew Testament. We repeatedly fail and must call on God for salvation. Failure requires love and faith.

Love is expressed in all of the three mentioned religious traditions.  There is love of deity and love of fellow human being.  There should be no room for jealousy or hatred within our faith path or of another faith tradition.  We are all God’s children.  And God loves us all the same.  All humanity is favored.  There is no one group within humanity favored over another.

Faith is the other necessary component of a religion.  We must understand that there is a Master of Creation, the Creator and Maintainer.  There is a Presence larger and far more important than ourselves.  It is in this Presence that we place our trust. This trust is for the benefit of life in creation: a creation held together by the love of the Creating Maintainer.

Love and faith make up the Christian covenant (and perhaps others faith covenants) that our Lord Jesus left for us Christians.  We are to love the Lord our God with all that we are.  We are also to trust in the lord in all situations, no matter what.  And the second is like onto it, we are to love our neighbor as our self, (which includes loving ourselves).  Our faith is a path that the Holy One uses to enter our heart.  From our heart, the Holy One spreads love. “All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”

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