Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday after the 4^th Sunday of Easter: Year 2

Psalm 119:49-72; Psalm 49, [53]; Exod. 33:1-23 ; 1 Thess. 2:1-12;  Matt. 5:17-20

“For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.” (Exodus 33:5)

I guess “stiff-necked” is a good way to describe our arrogance toward people who differ from us or our ungratefulness towards God, forgetting all that God has done, and is doing, for us..  Moreover, God lets them (and us) know that the pureness, goodness and immediate presence of God would be detrimental to our physical well-being if we are not on a path of purity.

This reminds me of a Russian priest (I forget his name) who said that when we die, our soul gravitates towards God. And as our souls get close to the divine, whatever it has about it that is not good and loving begins to disintegrate. This could happen to the point that there is nothing of us left of us.  This journey of our soul could be our destruction in whole or in part depending on what we can rid ourselves of now while we have time. This may even explain the innocence of babies and young ones. They haven’t had time to be corrupted yet.

So, my beloved in the Lord, we, like the Israelites in the wilderness, are on a journey.  Whatever it is that makes our necks stiff, let’s rid ourselves of it now so that when our souls are on its journey home little of it will be lost on the Way.

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 after the Fourth Sunday of Easter: Year 2

Psalm 45; Psalm 47, 48 Exod. 32:21-34   Thess. 1:1-10;  Matt. 5:11-16

“They said to me, “Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.””  (Exodus 32:23)

There are so many problems going on here that we should be made aware of.  First, Aaron is weak.  He is subdued by a scared and vicious mob. Then Aaron tries to convince Moses of the “sensibility” of his weakness.  Second, we can’t “make” gods.  The very nature of a god is that such a one is well beyond our existence.  Of course it is possible to make representative images of what we believe such gods would look like. But our God has a strict Commandment against that. Here’s a hint; if we can make it, it cannot really be a god, especially not our God.  We ourselves were created by God our Creator. Lastly, if we do not know what happened to someone, we should always assume they are alive in the Lord until otherwise is shown.

Now for me, there is sadness in this reading because it tells of mass murder from Moses and the Levites.  I leave it to you to think what you will about that.

The point here is that there is only one God, and God is not made with hands or anything.  God always was and always will be.  And this is true before we existed and will be true long after we exist no more. God does not need us to be God. But we do need God to be us.

While we are ordered not to make anything to resemble God, we can, and should, use the earth provided materials of art to help and aid us in the worship of God. In fact in Chapter 35 of Exodus God begins to give Moses specific instructions about how to craft worship space and items. Today, using our God-given memory, reason and skill, we have continued in making items that assist us in our worship of God.  Today we have stained glass windows, paintings and icons, music, candles and incense, our Book of Common Prayer and the Bible, which is not to worship, but rather to assist us in our worship of God.

Without doubt, prayer is the most powerful source for worship. Prayer is something that all humans can produce even if a person has no hands or discerned gifts of art.  To just sit quietly and opening one’s self to God is the greatest worship mechanism anyone can do. Aaron could have used this advice to strengthen him against the insistence of the people to make a calf.  We too must be diligent in prayer.  There are always anxieties around from some kind of fear that tries to move our loyalty from God to something human made. Let us not fall into Aaron’s mistake and give in to panic. God is present and loving and will intercede on our behalf. God is good, all the time.

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 after the Fourth Sunday of Easter: Year 2

Psalm 41, 52 Psalm 44 Exod. 32:1-20  Col 3:18-4:6(7-18)  Matt. 5:1-10

 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Of all the Beatitudes (as they are called) I like “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” the best.  I have only recently become aware of the Enneagram personality types.  I am a 9 on their spectrum.  The 9’s are traditionally those who try to bring people together, they are peace makers. They listen to others and work to find consensus.

Of Matthew 5:9, I prefer the Spanish translation of verse 9 of this chapter of Matthew. It reads, “Dichosos los que trabajan por la paz,porque Dios los llamará hijos suyos.” Roughly translated it says blessed are those who work for peace, they will be called children of God.  It might be nitpicking but in the English translation, if peace is not actually accomplished, you fall short of the title peacemaker.  However in the Spanish version you are called a child of God if you “work” for peace.  No one knows for sure if our efforts will bring about the intended results, whether it’s planning a conference or actually bringing about peace.  All we can do is work towards the goal.

I realize that not everybody is called to be a peace maker.  I think it would be interesting for you to look up your own Enneagram type and match your own numerical personality type at http://www.enneagraminstitute.com and compare it to the Beatitudes and see how you match up.  This will require you to take an online free test that will discern your Enneagram number. Your strongest of three numbers is the one you should try to match up with a Beatitude if you can. It may be a new way in which the Holy Spirit is speaking 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

Eucharistic Readings for the 4^th Sunday of Easter: Year A

Acts 2:42-47  Psalm 23  1 Peter 2:19-25  John 10:1-10

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.” (John 10: 1)

In my youth I worked with my dad in the long distance moving business. My dad painstakingly loaded his moving van.  I thought it was a lot of work that could be done a lot easier. But as I leaned, there were two good reasons for loading household items tightly.  First, the tighter they were packed the less likely anything was going to be broken. Second, by loading one household tightly there could be more space to pick up another household.  My dad said, “No short cuts.”

There are no short cuts to being who God made us to be.  I began my journey to the priesthood asking my then bishop to let me just read for orders.  We called it Canon 9 in those days.  It was a way of accelerating the ordination process and filling the need of parishes needing priests. The bishop listened patiently. After my detailed presentation the bishop gave me a piece of paper with the names of three seminaries on it. There will be no short cuts, he said.

There are three words to remember here, and they are awareness, will and ability.  Ability should be the least of our concerns. First and foremost is awareness.  Awareness means you know about the situation or problem.  Next is the will.  Are you willing to act to resolve the situation? If you are even thinking about your “ability” you begin to eliminate God working with you.  David took on Goliath without hesitation because he trusted that God is with him.  David, a shepherd, entered the sheepfold by the gate. Later, his son Solomon, assuming leadership of all Israel, was aware of the huge responsibility he had, and willing to do the work, he prayed to God to “enable” him to do the work.

There is only one proper way to enter the sheepfold and that is by the gate.  The gate today may be the proper procedures set up for whatever that sheepfold might look like in your particular situation. It may be education and the proper training in how to do the work.  The gate may be licensing as in the medical field or law. The first Gate for Christians is our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus tells us that He is the Gate. The gate is the proper way to enter whatever sheepfold you want to enter. If we, as Christians, can’t see our Lord Jesus as the Gate of our vocation, then we are looking at the wrong sheepfold.

Below is a video of this homily. 

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 after the 3^rd Sunday of Easter: Year 2

Psalm 30, 32; Psalm 42, 43; Exod. 25:1-22; Matt. 4:18-25

“Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” (Colossians 3:13)

Ourselves, and God, are all we have. God never makes mistakes, and we make them all the time. We think, say, and do things that we often regret. We hurt each other, and in doing so, we hurt ourselves. Perhaps the first lesson we ought to learn is to realize when we have offended and how to respond with “I’m sorry.”

Sometimes we are taught in our families to go and tell someone “I’m sorry.”  The trouble is that we didn’t realize we had offended in the first place. Sometimes our offense was intentional; sometimes it was unintentional.   From family, this idea of required apologies grows even to the national stage.  I have heard national leaders say that some other country will not be pardoned unless they apologize for some wrong-doing they have done.  I think if I have to tell you that you have offended me, demanding you to apologize, is a waste of time, mine, and yours. The only time this is not the case is when the offense was not intended to be offensive.  However when explained that it was taken as offensive, the appropriate “I’m sorry” is welcomed. Sometimes in my life I have had to reflect on my past behavior and realized I needed to apologize to someone. And when I realized it I apologized accordingly.

So the words of the letter to the Colossians is worth heeding: “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen. (BCP 79)

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 aftetr the 3^rd Sunday of Easter: Year 2

Psalm 105:1-22 Psalm 105:23-45 Exod. 2 4:1-18 Col 2:8-23 Matt. 4:12-17

He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulon and Naphtali.”  (Matthew 4:13)

I still remember looking from a boat to the coast of Israel, in particular, Capernaum.  This is the first place our Lord Jesus went of his own free will and accord.  Everywhere else, he was taken by his parents; to Bethlehem to be born; to Nazareth to be raised, to Jerusalem to be circumcised, back to Nazareth, to Jerusalem again at age 12 and even to a wedding in Cana by invitation and always back to Nazareth.  But now, he left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake. I took a picture of Capernaum and Galilee of Israel and was so impressed with it that I made it the representation or icon of my blog page.

It is around Capernaum that our Lord Jesus walked along the shore and said to John and James; and to Andrew and Simon Peter; “follow me.”  Capernaum then was his preaching and teaching area.  I have discovered that Capernaum is only mentioned in the Bible in the Gospels. Therefore, Capernaum is Christ centric.

Our Lord Jesus bloomed where he planted himself.  We too, in our very transitional world, move around a lot. I think now however we are beginning to see that we can pretty much live wherever we want to because we can reach out, or bring the world to our laptops wherever we are.  This stay at home; work from home Coronavirus is showing us this new way of life.  We too can bloom from right where we are.  Our home town can, and should, become our “preaching and teaching area” for the Church.

Many preachers, including myself have been preaching to the world via “YouTube” during this stay-at-home pandemic.   For me, there is also this blog page.  Raeford, North Carolina is not Capernaum, Israel.  But it is where I am planted.  Where did you begin your life?  Where are you now?  What are you telling others about Jesus of Capernaum?

None of us knows where our Jerusalem is.  None of us knows where our lives will end here somewhere on earth. We must always do the best we can wherever we are at this time in our life and let tomorrow take care of itself.  Wherever you are right now, it is your Capernaum! It is your preaching and teaching area for the Church.

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

Today we remember St. Philip and St. James. Their Eucharistic Readings are: Psalm 119:33-40; Isaiah 30:18-21;  2 Corinthians 4:1-6;  John 14:6-14

Daily Office Readings for Thursday after the 3^rd Sunday of Easter: Year 2

Psalm 37:1-18 Psalm 37:19-42 Exod. 20:1-21 Col. 1:24-2:7 Matt. 4:1-11

(Psalm 37: 3 – 7)  I really like these verses.  Let’s look at them individually.

 3 “Put your trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and feed on its riches.”

As I have mentioned before, “Trust” is a better word than believe.  We must trust in God and know that God is Good, all the time.  Also, God has given us this good earth with all that we need to sustain ourselves.  This is why we should always ask for blessings over anything we are about to eat that it may nourish our bodies and that our bodies my do God’s will.

4 “Take delight in the Lord, and he shall give you your heart’s desire.”

What our heart desires often changes as we mature.  Fancy cars and clothes no longer interest me.  Now I desire truth and love and good friends and a faithful worship community. 

5 “Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass.”

So, again, the word trust comes into play.  But let us not trust in any specific thing.  But rather, let us trust in God in general to make things the way God wants them to be, in God’s own way. 

6 “He will make your righteousness as clear as the light and your just dealing as the noonday.”

What is good and right will hold up in the light. Our call is to let go and let God.

7 “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.”

So I’m wanting things done, and done now!  I have a hard time “waiting” for the Lord to do whatever it is the Lord is going to do. So I use this morning time to ponder about what God is doing while I am waiting. What should we do while we wait?  I pray for answers that I can’t imagine.  I only hope and trust that my evolving spiritual maturity is commensurate with what God is doing, and that with God’s help, it will be.  I ponder anew what the Almighty can do.

Today we remember “Sarah Josepha Buell was born in New Hampshire in 1788 to Captain Gordon Buell and Martha Buell, both of whom were advocates for equal education for both sexes. In 1813, she married David Hale, a promising lawyer who shared her intellectual interests. In 1822, David died four days before the birth of their fifth child…. In 1830, she published a book of verses for children aimed at the Sunday school market; it included the now-famous “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” originally called “Mary’s Lamb.” (from Great Cloud of Witnesses for April 30)

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 after the 3^rd Sunday of Easter: Year 2

Psalm 38 Psalm 119:25-48 Exod. 19:16-25 Col. 1:15-23 Matt. 3:13-17

“Take from me the way of lying; let me find grace through your law.” (Psalm 119: 29)

I have learned from a dear friend that leaving out the whole truth is the same as lying. It is the misleading understanding about a situation that you leave with people that you are responsible for.

It sounds very tough and independent to say that you don’t care about what people think of you. And, in some cases, depending on who the person is, it may be okay. There are biblical cases in which God sanctions a lie (Rebecca lying about the identity of Jacob to Isaac; and Rahab lying about the spies of Joshua).

Also there are the cases of lying to save the life of people such as lying to protect human life as in the Underground Railroad and the Holocaust cruelty and murders.  However, in many cases, knowingly allowing a falsehood to exist, only to enhance one’s own image, is the same as straight out lying. It seems especially heinous when done only to protect or promote the status of the liar.  Perhaps the need to remember the lie, and to keep on lying, is worse than the original lie. Mark Twain said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Thanks Mark, I love it.

Today we remember Catherine of Siena, Reformer and Spiritual Teacher (April 29, 1380).  She worked tirelessly to bring the Church back from France to Rome. (The Avignon Papacy, sometimes called the Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy, began when Philip the Fair, King of France, captured Rome and the Pope in 1303).

“Catherine is known (1) as a mystic, a contemplative who devoted herself to prayer, (2) as a humanitarian, a nurse who undertook to alleviate the suffering of the poor and the sick; (3) as an activist, a re-newer of Church and society, who took a strong stand on the issues affecting society in her day, and who never hesitated (in the old Quaker phrase) “to speak truth to power”; (4) as an adviser and counselor, with a wide range of interests, who always made time for troubled and uncertain persons who told her their problems — large and trivial, religious and secular.”  ( by James Kiefer at http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Catherine_Siena.htm )

I like the “to speak truth to power” part.  It fits with my message for 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 Tuesday after the 3^rd Sunday of Easter: Year 2

Psalm 26, 28; Psalm 36, 39; Exod. 19:1-16;  Col. 1:1-14; Matt. 3:7-12

“Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.”  (Matthew 3:9)

Abraham is a very significant Father of Faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims.  But what is significant about Abraham is not his genetic code, his biology, nor his DNA.  No, what was important about Abraham was his faith. He believed in God and for his faith, “it was reckoned to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.” (James 2:23)

The significance of Abraham is not something genetic that is passed on the next generation, not even to Isaac or Jacob.  They, like Abraham, had to meet God for themselves and be tested by fire. So none of us, not Jew, not Christian, not Muslim can claim a direct heritage from Abraham as for as God is concerned. And, even if someone did show close DNA to a people supposed to be of Abrahamic lineage, it matters not.  It is not the biology that matters; it is the faith of Abraham.  So, like John says, God can raise children to Abraham from the stones of the earth.

It makes no difference who we are, we can choose to be children to Abraham, not by investigating our ancestry, but only by believing. To be raised as children to Abraham we must choose to believe and hold God more dear than our own children as did Abraham. As I have said before, I now say again, “Trust” especially in God, is a better translation of the word used for believe. Trust God more than family, more that government, more than so called authority figures, more than human professions like doctors and lawyers. The only exception I will make to this are doctors and professionals who pray.  Faith means everything.

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 after the 3^rd Sunday of Easter: Year 2

Psalm 25 Psalm 9, 15  Exod. 18:13-27  1 Pet. 5:1-14  Matt. (1:1-17),3:1-6

“Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; remember me according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.” (Psalm 25: 6)

This is an interesting proposition.  The Psalmist is asking God to not see the sins of the Psalmist but rather to be judged by the love of God and the goodness of God.

I share this sentiment with the Psalmist.  I am a sinner.  I have erred and strayed from God’s ways on occasions.  I am in real need of a loving and merciful God.  I need a God whose mercy outweighs my wrongs. I need a God whose love makes me a better person, in spite of myself. 

And then, living into God’s love, I will do my best to be a new and much better person.  Like many, I am a work in progress.  But also like many, I depend on God’s help and love to work in me, making me who God wants me to be understanding that God will gift me with what my community needs.  And in the end, how do we want to be remembered?  We want to be remembered according to God’s love and for the sake of God’s goodness.

I love these mornings when I come to this laptop and ponder the spiritual presence of God first thing in the morning.  I know that each day brings a challenge and some enlightenment. I just pray that I let God do the work in me and that I just settle down and watch what happens, yes, even if for a moment it’s unpleasant.  “Remember [us] according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.”

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