Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Propere 6: Year 2

Psalm 87, 90; Psalm 136; Num. 13:31-14:25; Rom. 3:9-20; Matt. 19:1-12

“Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another.” (Psalm 90:1)

God is our timeless Parent.  We have a beginning and an end, at least in this earthly life.  God is circularly infinite: no beginning, no end.

“The span of our life is seventy years, perhaps in strength even eighty; yet the sum of them is but labor and sorrow, for they pass away quickly and we are gone.” (Psalm 90:10)  As I have now passed the seventy mark and moving towards eighty, this Psalmist has my full attention.  I don’t consider my life only labor and sorrow while at the same time I acknowledge there are some things I could have done better.

Over my years of life I have become more and more aware of living in the “Dash.”  I have conducted many funerals as an Episcopal Priest.  Normally the dates of the deceased are inscribed by; month, day and year; then the dash; and then closes out the life with the ending; month, day and year. So it’s what we do with our hands and mouths (or don’t do) in the dash that makes all the difference.

“So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)  The hands (as well as the tongue) follow the heart.  We Pray at our Sunday Morning worship, “Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of  your Holy Spirit.” We only have so many days on this earth. Numbering our days may indeed help us to be more lovingly responsive to the needs of others as we await the coming of the other end of our dash.

“May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork.” (Psalm 90:12)  I really like Psalm 90, it grounds me.

God is our timeless Parent.  We have a beginning and an end, at least in this earthly life.  God is circularly infinite: no beginning, no end. Through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we have an invitation to join God in eternity.  How shall we RSVP?

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 6: Year 2

Psalm 88; Psalm 91, 92; Num. 13:1-3,21-30; Rom. 2:25-3:8; Matt. 18:21-35

“For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical.  Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal.” (Romans 2)

I want to thank Paul for this important clarification.  He says “circumcision is a matter of the heart—it is spiritual and not literal.” This is so important to understand.  Since it is spiritual and not literal, this kind of circumcision is inclusive of women also.  Further, the spirituality of it opens the idea of being inclusive of all humanity, regardless of skin tones, hair texture, language, nationality, gender or sexual orientation.  Thank You Lord Jesus and thank you Paul.

While Paul was addressing what it means to be a Jew, he was really deconstructing the argument about the difference between being a Jew and being a Gentile, to whom he was sent. His whole point is that what makes us a holy people is what is on the inside of us, not how we are packaged. It is that that is inside each of us that is both holy and eternal through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 6:Year 2

Psalm [83] or 34;  Psalm 85, 86 Num. 12:1-16; Rom. 2:12-24; Matt. 18:10-20

“Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. And he said, “Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams. Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face— clearly, not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the Lord.” (Numbers 12: 5 – 8)

Moses’ brother and sister are called on the carpet for their jealousy of God’s relationship with Moses. It does not turn out good for them, especially for Miriam.  What I want to bring out in this passage is the almost hidden way of God as is made manifest throughout our Old and New Testaments; and this is still God’s way of communicating with us, that is, through us; in visions and dreams.

In Genesis, God appears to Jacob in a dream as Jacob sees the vision of a ladder extending to heaven. (Genesis 28: 10 – 17)  Also, in the Gospel of Matthew, Joseph was about to separate himself from Mary when an angel appeared to him “in a dream” and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20 – 21) There are other such biblical cases as well. This is God’s Way.

God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.  God is unchanging but causes all changes. Occasionally God still gives the prophetic message to some of us for the benefit of the world.  We never know who gets the message. It could be anybody, not necessarily a seminary graduate or ordained person. This is why we must always listen to anyone who comes to us with a message. Therefore:

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 6: Year 2

Psalm 119:97-120; Psalm 81, 82;  Num. 11:24-33 (34-35); Rom. 1:28-2:11; Matt. 18:1-9

“For he will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.” (Romans 2: 6 – 11)

To this New Testament Reading I have some critiques and some Amen’s. I believe that God will take into account what we do and what we say over what we just think about doing or saying.  We might think many things that are not noble or divine.  But as we use the discipline not to speak or act on them, we are pardoned.  Thank You Lord Jesus for helping us overcome the demons in our minds. 

Twice Paul says “the Jew first and also the Greek.”  And yet follows up with “for God shows no partiality.”  This seems partial to me however on the part of Paul.  Full disclosure, I don’t care if I am second, as long as I get there.  As I have studied various cultures I have learned that some cultures use different ways to separate themselves from everybody else.  The Japanese have two different alphabets. One is used for original native Japanese society; Hiragana; and they have an alphabet used for words foreign to Japanese speaking; Katakana. The Amish also say that all persons outside the Amish community are called “the English,” regardless of where they live or originate from. So I understand Paul and his “Jew first” attitude.  I also fully understand that with God there really is no partiality.

I think what I really like here is the fact that we are held more accountable for what we do and say rather than what we think.  Our minds are free and sometimes wild, but left to be regulated by our sense of the moral plumb line. Giving in to the temptations of saying or doing wickedness is ungodly. Self seeking and self-serving is ungodly. By patiently doing good works and seeking glory and honor for God, we will have immortality, and God will give us eternal 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 Tuesday of Proper 6: Year 2

Psalm 78:1-39; Psalm 78:40-72; Num. 11:1-23; Rom. 1:16-25; Matt. 17:22-27

“And say to the people: Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wailed in the hearing of the Lord, saying, ‘If only we had meat to eat! Surely it was better for us in Egypt.’ Therefore the Lord will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat not only one day, or two days, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you—because you have rejected the Lord who is among you, and have wailed before him, saying, ‘Why did we ever leave Egypt?’” (Numbers 11:18 – 20)

All of the prescribed readings for today are very good.  But the presence of God in the manna in our Numbers reading was particularly interesting to me.  They are told that they “rejected the Lord who is among you.”

This manna was the food of faith and freedom.  They were living in the wilderness without taskmasters. All they had to do was breathe and eat the simple meal that was provided for them.

It doesn’t take us long to become bored and complain does it?  Meat is nice, but bread is our staple.  I see the communal nature of what’s going on with the manna, the Emanuel of it, the God with them, in it.  Today in our Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina, we are limited to the wafer only at Holy Communion. And even that bread must be received outside, in the wilderness of our church yard due to the high contagion of the COVID 19.  Some may complain, but the bread is enough. It is God with us. As the hymn goes, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”

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 6; Year 2

Psalm 80; Psalm 77, [79] Num. 9:15-23, 10:29-36; Rom. 1:1-15; Matt. 17:14-21

Paul, a servantof Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spiritof holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,  To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1 – 7)

Wow! Paul: What an intro! I need break this down in order to digest it.  First of all, I do believe Paul was called to be an apostle of the Gospel of God.  That whole experience on the road to Damascus was proof of that. I also believe that the prophets of the Hebrew Testament foretold of the coming to the Messiah, the Lord, our Lord Jesus, who was raised according to the human household code of David but sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God by which he survived death and is with us today in the Spirit of God.

It is through the risen Lord that we receive grace and apostleship and all we will ever need to bring about the obedience of faith among all the inhabitants of earth. This obedience of faith is a slow process by human understanding but the work we are called to do nonetheless. You and I must keep the faith no matter what.  And so Paul dubs us saints. Therefore, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Today we remember Evelyn Underhill

My journaling, from which this blog comes, is all about my contemplative self.  I actively sit in quiet inviting God to enter my mind and move me in ways pleasing to God.  Evelyn Underhill is one of my major heroes. Here is some insight from her sharing:

“Evelyn Underhill’s most valuable contribution to spiritual literature must surely be her conviction that the mystical life is not only open to a saintly few, but to anyone who cares to nurture it and weave it into everyday experience, and also (at the time, a startling idea) that modern psychological theories and discoveries, far from hindering or negating spirituality, can actually enhance and transform it.” (Great Cloud of Witnesses for June 15)

So we don’t have to be monks, or priests, to enter into the mystic life.  It is available to all of us who dare to be still and know that God is God. God says through the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)  This is further evidence or our potential sainthood.

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 Sunday Proper 6:  Year A

Genesis 18:1-15, (21:1-7) Psalm 116:1, 10-17 Romans 5:1-8 Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23)

“But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10: 22)

At this writing another African American man has been killed by police, this time in Atlanta, Ga.  People are justifiably angry.  This killing happened as people are still protesting about the George Floyd killing that took place in Minnesota two weeks ago.  There is much despair. We are taught by the Gospel passage above to never give up.  Some are calling for the defunding of police departments.  That makes me nervous. Who are we going to call when bad stuff happens?

I have helped some troubled people in counseling sessions by having them concentrate on a clock or even their watch.  I had them specifically focus on the second hand.  As the seconds ticked by I would remind them that they survived those seconds successfully.  When a minute was reached it seemed almost appropriate to celebrate, just a little.  Maybe even silently saying the Lord’s Prayer helps to pass the seconds and minutes. But don’t stop noticing the seconds and minutes tick by.  And maybe an occasional “Help Me Jesus” would fit in between prayers; tick, tock, tick tock.

What we must remember is that it is not our self who is getting us through these murderous times, but our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God has a plan but we have to be here for God to use us to fulfill that plan, even if such a plan makes us nervous.  We also must remember that the one who endures to the end will be saved; tick, tock, tick tock, watch the clock, and pray.

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

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 5: Year 2

Psalm 75, 76; Psalm 23, 27; Num. 3:1-13; Gal. 6:11-18; Matt. 17:1-13

While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!’  (Matthew 17:5)

This is the second time we hear this proclamation from heaven.  In chapter three of Matthew after Jesus was baptized a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)  The big difference here is the addition of “listen to him.”  I am currently putting together a book wherein listening is the first of five “L”s that leads to life enhancement and leadership.  More on that at another time.

Inherent in listening is learning and the expectation of amendment of life. Our duty here on earth, in this lifetime, is to prepare ourselves for our eternal time with God.  As much as the Book of Ecclesiastes talks about “all is vanity under the sun,” the writer sums the whole thing up in the last words from yesterday’s reading; “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

God said, our Lord Jesus is His Son, listen to him.

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 Reading for Friday of Proper 5: Year 2

Psalm 69:1-23 (24-30) 31-38; Psalm 73Eccles. 11:9-12:14; Gal. 5:25-6:10; Matt. 16:21-28

“Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:26)

Sadly, we are team members. Maybe our school athletic teams have programmed us to think in this way.  Perhaps we are too team oriented. I can remember once when I went to a basketball game wherein my school played an undefeated school that had not lost a basketball game in years.  We beat them and one of their cheerleaders fainted. She just couldn’t believe it.

I think we need to check ourselves.  Sports are fine but still just sports.  Is it possible that our lessons about sports team loyalty has taken control of all allegiances, for example, political party, type of car, church denomination, the so-called “race” we happened to be born into and so forth? We are always competing against one another.  It’s silly and shameful.

There is the one team of God and the sorted little made-up human teams. In our Gospel lesson for today our Lord Jesus makes a clear distinction between the human team and the team of God.  When Peter began to rebuke Jesus about the God ordained path he was about to take, “He [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ (Matthew 16: 23)

It is difficult and often uncomfortable but we too must look beyond mortal loyalties to that immortal allegiance we have with God.  We must realize that being created in God’s Image we are all on the same team.  Anything less that absolute allegiance to God is just sports and should “get behind us Satan.”

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

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 5: Year 2

Psalm [70], 71; Psalm 74; Eccles. 11:1-8; Gal. 5:16-24; Matt. 16:13-20

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?”  (Matthew 16: 13 – 15)

All of the people who were asked who Jesus was brought up people from their own past, either known or taught about. Not one of them left room for a New Person, One they had not seen or heard of, but was indeed prophesied about.

Today we have a taught (and teaching) Jesus who existed in the flesh in our past. But our Lord Jesus also lives with us today in the Holy Spirit.  So, who do you say our Lord Jesus is? He is the living Holy Spirit that dwells in each of us and in our Church.  We then, are the fruits of His Spirit.  Paul tells us about the fruit of the Spirit in our New Testament lessen for today from Galatians.  He says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5: 22 – 24)

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