Author: John Thomas Frazier

Eucharistic Readings for Thursday of Easter Week: All Years

Acts 3:11-26  Psalm 8 or Psalm 114 or Psalm 118:19-24   Luke 24:36b-48

“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you have set in their courses,

What is man that you should be mindful of him? the son of man that you should seek him out?”  (Psalm 8:4 – 5)

I have read somewhere that we are byproducts of star dust.  If we are, I don’t think it is a random act.  I believe God created the stars and used the dust of those stars causing us to be, and it was, and is, intentional. We are so special that God came among us as one of us.

 Sometimes I just like to look up at the stars and be in awe at the marvels of space.  I love our Eucharistic Prayer C which reminds us that “At your command all things came to be: the vast expanse of interstellar space, galaxies, suns, the planets in their courses, and this fragile earth, our island home.”

And then the words of the Prayer go on, “From the primal elements you brought forth the human race, and blessed us with memory, reason, and skill. You made us the rulers of creation.” Of course we are also reminded that “we turned against you, and betrayed your trust; and we turned against one another.” (All of this is on page 370 of the Book of Common Prayer) A sad lot we sometimes are but God loves us anyway. We are not a mistake by God.  However we have our God-given free will that we too often misuse.

So, as the Psalmist says, God is so mindful of us that God became born among us to model for us what real love looks like, agape love,  God became the living covenant that holds us together, forever.  God in Christ Jesus overcame death that through our Lord Jesus we too might believe and become born of a heavenly life for all eternity. Thank You Lord Jesus. So, are you thankful for God’s mindfulness? How are you using your God-given free will in expressing agape love? Maybe such a sacrificial love could be used to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus by keeping it away from those of us most vulnerable to it, those with compromised immune systems and the elderly.  Ironically, social distancing is a true expression of agape love.

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 Wednesday of Easter Week: All Years

Acts 3:1-10 Psalm 105:1-8 or Psalm 118:19-24  Luke 24:13-35

“But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” (Luke 24: 29 – 31)

Our Lord Jesus walks up and asks what was going on.  The two on the road are taken aback by this unrecognized person’s ignorance.  Only to discover this person knows much more than they do in terms of the destiny of Jesus. To quote Paul Harvey, “now they know, the rest of the story.” In telling the story Jesus starts with Moses.  And he ends with what they knew, that the Messiah was crucified, died, and has been seen alive.

 As it was getting late, they invite this “stranger” to their house for a meal and shelter. The stranger accepts. It was at the table that they come to realize that this stranger is in fact Jesus Himself.  They recognize him in the manner in which he performs his sacred ritual; he takes, blesses, breaks and gives the bread. This is the same thing our Lord Jesus did with his disciples; he took them in, blessed them with teaching, preaching and healing; split them up into pairs like these two we meet on the road to Emmaus.   And now has given us to the world at large to continue His work of teaching, preaching and healing to the best of our ability. So now our eyes too are opened and our hearts burning within us as we are also sent to make people aware of the prophecy of the scriptures, the fulfillment of the destiny of our Lord Jesus.

Today our eyes should be opened in order that we might recognize our Lord in the world today. While we are experiencing dark times with this Covid 19, sickness and death do not win. There is a resurrection in Christ Jesus.  As the darkness of this Covid 19 approaches it is our duty also to invite Jesus into our hearts and homes and have that ritualistic and intimate meal with our family. We are not to lose faith but rather really feel our heart’s desire for the presence of Jesus as did these two we read about while on their way to Emmaus.

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 Tuesday of Easter Week: All Years

Acts 2:36-41  Psalm 33:18-22   or Psalm 118:19-24 John 20:11-18 

“Indeed, our heart rejoices in him, for in his holy Name we put our trust.

Let your loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, as we have put our trust in you.”             (Psalm 33: 21 -22)

By most translations, these are the last verses of Psalm 33.  I think “trust” is the key word here.  Some translators have suggested that the English word trust is a more accurate word for believe.  Many translations have the word “hope” in verse 22. But for me, hope has an element of uncertainty about it or, in the least, the possibility exists that one’s hope may not be made manifest. Trust on the other hand, is putting all our eggs in one basket.  It is not having a plan “B” or a back-up plan. It’s God or nothing.

I know that on our currency we print “In God We Trust.”  I hope that is true for all of us but I have heard some self-proclaimed atheist swear there is no God but that same God loves them.  Just as our currency is a communal way of acquiring our personal and family needs, so too should our trust in God be for the welfare of ourselves, our families and our community – in that order. The God that we trust is a personal, family and Communal God.

Our Lord Jesus, an exact Image of God, began life in his earthly family.  His mother Mary, though poor by the world economy of her day, never had want as her Son and Savior could feed thousands with only a few fish and loaves. Mary trusted in Jesus. Jesus later moved out to the community. And the communities in which he visited also followed him and trusted in him, although some didn’t.

Jesus is present in our hearts, and families and communities today.  But folks, we must trust in him, though we have not seen him in a visual way, still we must trust in him.  Today is not a time for doubt.  Today is the time for all Christians to have that unseen Image of God in our hearts, and in our family.  Now in this time of “Stay at Home” we have time to began anew with the love of Christ in our family.  The time will come when we will again explore community.  If we develop the love of Christ during this period in our lives we can create a renewal of the love of Christ in our Communities. Our prayer must be, “Let your loving-kindness, O Lord, be upon us, as we have put our trust in 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 Monday of Easter Week 2020: All Years   

Acts 2:14,22b-32   Psalm 16:8-11  or Psalm 118:19-24   Matthew 28:9-15

“When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.” (Matthew 28: 12 – 15)

Our Lord Jesus walked into human history at about the same time that coin money made its way into our trading markets, or shortly thereafter.  While money has some good qualities insofar as having a long shelf-life while food (vegetable or animal) can’t be kept for trade for very long.  On the downside money quickly became the ends rather than the means of maintaining life.  So the chief priest and elders gave the soldiers a large sum of money, which is in addition to their pay as soldiers, to perpetrate a lie. 

For me, the saddest part is that these men (chief priest and elders) are supposed to be the faith and moral leadership of the community.  These clergy study and maintain the Ten Commandments of Moses, one of which says, “Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”

Being a person of religious responsibility I must keep my eyes and ears open to other faith traditions and always ask if my own tradition could learn something from another faith walk. None of our faiths are perfect. But each of us, clergy or not, has a personal responsibility to monitor our own integrity.  We should not devise schemes that lie about others nor should we become a party to such a scheme if proposed.

Our Lord Jesus was moved, that is, Raised!, not by disciples or soldiers or any human being, but by God as a way of keeping an unbreakable covenant forever.

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 Easter Sunday 2020: Year A

Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6  Colossians 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43 John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10 Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

“ Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the feet.” (John 20:11 – 12)

All of us share with Mary in the fact that it is through Jesus that we even know who we are. We read from the Gospel of Luke that our Lord Jesus casts out 7 demons from Mary. (Luke 8:2) It is in this way that Mary even knows who she is. She owes her identity to her Lord Jesus. It was when she heard him call her name, “Mary” that she knew beyond any doubt that her Lord and Savior was back! Which to her means, she can remain who she is supposed to be. Because Jesus lives, she lives.  Because Jesus lives, we live.

We, you and I, are who we are only through our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. I am sure that throughout my life I have had some demons. However, knowing and loving Jesus has enabled me to rid some demons and more fully know who I am supposed to be. Like Mary Magdalene, we come to know fully who we are in Christ Jesus our Savior.  We have a Covenant of knowing ourselves in Christ. This Covenant in Christ Jesus will never be broken.  

God has had many covenants with humanity.  All were broken at some point.  We had a covenant with Noah symbolized by a rainbow; we had a covenant with Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him; we had covenant through Moses with the Law, whether it was 613 or the 10 Commandments: we broke covenant with God every time. 

In Jesus we again tried to break covenant by crucifixion.  But God knowing we are not able to hold a covenant, became one of us and “un-broke” the attempted brake by Raising our Lord Jesus, the living Covenant, thus, not allowing His covenant with us to be broken ever again. In this move by Christ, death has died.  “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues?   Where, O grave, is your destruction? (Hosea 13:14)  And this was reinterpreted by Paul in his 1^st Letter to the Corinthians as “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?”  (1 Corinthians 15: 55) What we get from this is that death does not win.  Our Lord Jesus defeats death and keeps us with him forever in Covenant.

You should be able to see and hear my Easter 2020 presentation on this topic at:  https://youtu.be/IymW_9SIZoM. We have so much to be thankful for.  God loves us and has walked among us to experience what it is like to be us, the good and the bad.  Easter is about God keeping Covenant with us in order that we can be who we are intended to be, a Covenant we are not able to break. Thank You Lord Jesus.  Happy Easter Everybody!

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

The New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Easter Vigil: Year A

Romans 6:3-11  Psalm 114  Matthew 28:1-10

“Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”” (Matthew 28: 7 – 10)

Galilee, Galilee, Galilee. The Angels tell the women to tell his followers to go to Galilee to see him. A few steps later, the Resurrected Jesus himself tells them the same thing, “tell them to Go to Galilee.”  I am surprised that more churches aren’t named “Galilee” as the place where we meet our Lord Jesus.

Some points to note here is that Jesus, and those assisting Jesus, (his angels) are the ones who first addressed the women.  The women were then “recruited” to further continue the message of how to find Jesus. So, we must be “in search of” our Lord Jesus in the first place.  If we are in search of him, Our Lord Jesus will send us directions.

The second point to ponder is, Where is our “Galilee?” Galilee is where Jesus did the bulk of his teaching and preaching, it is where he did his healing and walking on the water. It is where he was raised and grew up.  This gives a double message of “going home.”  Yes, he is going back to the Father but first he is going back to his earthly place of preference. Capernaum of Galilee, we are told, is the first place our Lord Jesus went to of his own free will and accord. 

I have a few Galilees in my life. I have St Vincent de Paul, Catholic School, in Nashville, Tennessee, where I was first introduced to God, and the Christ of God. I have Paris Island, South Carolina (where I was made a Marine); I have Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia, where my education was continued about our Lord Jesus.  All of these Galilees are places to “go back to” for refreshment and renewal for me. Jesus is calling his followers out of Jerusalem, the place that kills the prophets, to a better place, a place of peace and refreshment.

The Resurrection should mean the same thing for you.  Where, or when, in your life have you found learning and love? This does not have to be, and in most cases is not, geographic.  It’s more a state of mind. It is about when you were happy, loved and learning.  Currently we are living in the Covid state of sickness and death. It’s time for a wake-up call.  Let’s use our minds to go back to places of our own free will and accord, places where we can find our Lord Jesus. And remember; when we go looking, our lord Jesus will send help and guide us all the way.  This is my message for you.  Happy Easter!

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 Good Friday 2020: Year 2

Psalm 95 [for the Invitatory], 22; Psalm 40:1-14 (15-19), 54 Lam. 3:1-9, 19-33; 1 Pet. 1:10-20; John 13:36-38 John 19:38-42

“Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds.”  (John 19:39)

Nicodemus finds himself near the beginning of the Gospel of John, in the middle, and at the end like this one for today.  Nicodemus is a secret admirer of Jesus.  But because of his position with the Pharisees he has to be distant and secret.  He almost got in trouble defending Jesus with his fellow authorities. We read in John’s Gospel, “Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus earlier and who was one of their own number, asked, ^“Does our law condemn a man without first hearing him to find out what he has been doing?”  (John 7:50 – 51) He was quickly jumped on about that question and he backed off.

So Nicodemus is another follower of Jesus who felt shame for not standing up for Jesus. Perhaps this is why he brought well more than enough mixture of myrrh and aloes to anoint his body.  When we act outside of our Christian values we too disown Jesus. We refuse to acknowledge we know and follow him.  Today we remember his crucifixion. This is a very sad thing we did.  I say we as in humanity.  I think God looks upon this act as an example of our ignorance.  For the most part, we still are.  Most theologians believe this was a necessary sacrifice for the atonement for our sins. Because of this sacrifice, we dub today “Good Friday.” I must confess, I have a hard time connecting good and murder together.

For me, our Lord Jesus was born as one of us by the Holy Spirit working through Mary, was raised in Galilee setting the example for how we should live together and teaching and preaching the Good News of the Gospel. He healed the sick, cast out demons, gave sight to the blind, enabled the lame to walk, raised the dead back to life, and most importantly, forgave sins. This latter is something we can all do if we try.  I think forgiving sins is our Lord Jesus’ most important lesson. Perhaps Good Friday is Good for him because he gets to go back to the Father from whence he came, but not before he says good bye to us after his “Resurrection.” (Oops, Spoiler,  I’ve jumped the gun)

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 Maundy Thursday of Holy Week: Year 2

Psalm 102; Psalm 142, 143 Lam. 2:10-18; 1 Cor. 10:14-17, 11:27-32; Mark 14:12-25

“While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, ‘Take; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it.  He said to them, ‘This is my blood of the^* covenant, which is poured out for many.  Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” (Mark 14: 22 – 25)

This is the central sacrament of our Christian faith.  This act means so much more than sermons or readings.  This is what our Lord Jesus left for us to do and to remember him by. Today is what our Church has named “Maundy Thursday.”  This is the night our Lord Jesus was arrested and taken into custody of the chief priests and the scribes and the elders of the Temple.  He knew this was coming but insisted on this sacramental meal anyway. 

Normally I would lead our St Paul’s family through a Seder meal as an Instructed Eucharistic.  We can’t do that this year due to the Corona virus. But I would ask each family to have a prayerful meal this evening as did the first Passover Meal during the time of Moses. This is the faithful tradition that our Lord Jesus was maintaining, and asking us to do the same.

St Paul also asks us to continue this tradition in our 1^st Corinthian’s reading for today. He says, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?  Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.” (1 Corinthians 10: 16 – 17)  The four fold parts of Holy Communion are “Take,” “Bless,” Brake,” and “Give.” We are living into the “Brake” and “Given” parts now during our physical separation.  We are still our Church. It is not the building that makes us the Church; it is being the body of Christ that makes us the Church; broken apart and given to ourselves but blessed nevertheless.

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 Holy Week: Year 2

Psalm 55; Psalm 74 Lam. 2:1-9; 2 Cor. 1:23-2:11; Mark 12:1-11

Psalm 74: 8 – 11

8. There are no signs for us to see; there is no prophet left; there is not one among us who knows how long.

9. How long, O God, will the adversary scoff? Will the enemy blaspheme your Name forever?

10. Why do you draw back your hand? Why is your right hand hidden in your bosom?

11. Yet God is my King from ancient times, victorious in the midst of the earth.

These words from Psalm 74 seem appropriate for today as the world goes through the Covid 19 pandemic.  I guess verse 11 brings hope.  I spoke with a dear friend last night who reminded me of the preacher who was sent two boats and a helicopter as a flood was devastating his town. The preacher refused to let the boats or helicopter save him not realizing that this was indeed God’s way of saving him.  God uses us for us.

God has taught us about physical distancing, the wearing of masks, and is teaching us about various medications. This is happening as I am writing this journal.  We just need to put into practice what the Spirit is guiding us to do.  God is our King from ancient times, victorious in the midst of the earth.  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

“Today we remember William Augustus Muhlenberg who was born in Philadelphia in 1796, into a prominent German Lutheran family, and was drawn to The Episcopal Church by its use of English. He deliberately chose to remain unmarried to free himself for a variety of ministries. He was deeply involved in the Sunday School movement, and was concerned that the Church should minister to all social groups. Aware of the limitations of the hymnody of his time, he wrote hymns and compiled hymnals, thus widening the range of music in Episcopal churches. The use of music, flowers, and color, and the emphasis on the church year in worship, became a potent influence. In 1846, he founded the Church of the Holy Communion in New York City. Again, he was bold and innovative: free pews for everyone, a parish school, a parish unemployment fund, and trips to the country for poor city children. His conception of beauty in worship, vivid and symbolic, had at its heart the Holy Communion itself, celebrated every Sunday. Many of his principles are set forth in the Muhlenberg Memorial to General Convention in 1853.”  (Great Cloud of Witness for April 8)

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Holy Week: Year 2

Psalm 6, 12; Psalm 94 Lam. 1:17-22; 2 Cor. 1:8-22; Mark 11:27-33

“So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”  (Mark 11:33)

When our Lord Jesus says, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things’ it suggests that the chief priests and the scribes do in fact know that John’s Baptisms are from heaven. But they would rather play the “ignorant” card than admit that John was more holy than they were.

The truth is an amazing thing.  The truth is not always pretty or even noble. When our personal truth is not pretty or noble we want to conceal it. We forget that God knows the truth that is in us just as God knew about Cane killing Able. While the actions of our personal truths may not be noble, being accountable for them is very noble.   

Let us look at the George Washington/Cherry Tree incident. “The Cherry tree myth is the most well-known and longest enduring legend about George Washington. In the original story, when Washington was six years old he received a hatchet as a gift and damaged his father’s cherry tree.  When his father discovered what he had done, he became angry and confronted him.  Young George bravely said, “I cannot tell a lie… I did cut it with my hatchet.” Washington’s father embraced him and rejoiced that his son’s honesty was worth more than a thousand trees.” (https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/cherry-tree-myth/)

So, while the act of cutting the tree was shameful, his being accountable for it brought nobility to him.  Perhaps it is this kind of character that enabled him to be our first President of these United States.

Instead of concealing their thoughts about John the Baptist, the chief priests and scribes should have just told our Lord Jesus that they truly believed his Baptisms were from heaven. God did ask Cane where his brother Able was. God was giving him a chance to be truthful. God will also ask you about what you have done.  What Cherry tree have you chopped at lately? Want to be President one day?

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