AM Psalm 102; PM Psalm 107:1-32
Isa. 65:17-25; 1 Tim. 5:17-22(23-25); Mark 12:28-34

Mark

“Then the scribe said to him, ‘You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that “he is one, and besides him there is no other”; and “to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength”, and “to love one’s neighbor as oneself”,—this is much more important than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.’ When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the kingdom of God.’ After that no one dared to ask him any question.” (Mark 12:32 – 34)

This man has just affirmed what Jesus gave them as the greatest of the Commandments; loving God and neighbors. When Jesus saw that this man had a holy revelation he informed the man that the kingdom of God was closer to him.

When we “get it” we are closer to understanding how we should behave and how we should relate with God and with one another. When this happens, everything we thought we knew about life changes.  We begin to see that the kingdom of God is not “out there” but rather “right here, right now!”  We are already citizens of the kingdom but too much of the time we don’t act like it.

When this revelation happens to us our priorities change.  The superficial goes away and the loving acts stay and grow even more loving. The burnt offerings and so-called sacrifices of artificial devotion go away and are replaced by real devotion to the needs of our neighbors living with us in the kingdom. We get to that point when we realize that loving God “IS” loving our neighbor which means everybody on this planet.  No one is outside the love of God and therefore no one is outside the love, real love we ought to have for them, all of them. When Jesus saw that the man had a real Epiphany, Jesus informed him, and will inform us, that we are now not far from the kingdom of God.  Thank You Jesus.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people and “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.”  John Thomas Frazier Sr.

AM Psalm 105:1-22; PM Psalm 105:23-45Isa. 65:1-12; 1 Tim. 4:1-16; Mark 12:13-27

Psalm 105:

“1 Give thanks to the Lord and call upon his Name; *
make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him, *
and speak of all his marvelous works.
3 Glory in his holy Name; *
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.”  (Psalm 105:1 – 3)

These opening three verses say more than one might first think.  They tell of the continuing gratitude we should have for God.  They tell of the obligation we should have to tell the story of God’s saving presence. Our children and their children should hear these stories, our neighbors and co-workers should hear these stories.  We even need to hear ourselves tell these stories.   We are to pass them on and then hope they get passed on even further. What deed has God done for you lately?

We should sing praises to God, about God.  We believers should have at least one favorite hymn.  I have heard that singing praise songs is praying twice.  I don’t know who said it but I like it.  I guess we first have the words themselves.  And then, we make the music, either with an instrument or the instrument of  voice.  Skill of voice is least important.  It is the heart that flows through the voice that matters. “Sing to him, sing praises to him” the Psalmist says.  On many occasions people from the pews keep a hymn going long after they’ve been told to go forth to love and serve the Lord.  Our souls need to hear the music and our souls need to hear it from our own mouths and hearts.

We need to remember how important God is and not to be afraid or embarrassed to use God’s Name when needed.  There are so many “OMG” people on social media today.  I wonder how many of them are actually attending a house of worship.  I have heard many older people proclaim “Thank You Jesus” when something good happens in their lives. I say it too.  It feels good, and I know it to be true.  Other people around me hear me say it.  I hope it’s contagious.  A simple outward cry of “Thank God” or “Thank Yahweh “or “Thank Allah” cleanses the soul.  This is the way we honor God.  It is important to let God, and others hear and know who we are – People of faith and people of Praise.   Thank You Jesus.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people and “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.”  John Thomas Frazier Sr.

Psalm 85:7-13  Isaiah 32:11-18John 8:30-32

“I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him.” (Psalm 85:8)

Today we remember Fredrick Douglas (February 1818 – February 20, 1895)

Douglas was born a slave in Talbot County, Maryland.  When Douglass was about twelve, his owner’s wife started teaching him the alphabet, which was against the law. Douglass succeeded in learning to read from white children in the neighborhood and by observing the writings of men with whom he worked. As Douglass learned and began to read newspapers, political materials, and books of every description, he was exposed to a new realm of thought that led him to question and then condemn the institution of slavery. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

What all of us can learn from the life of Fredrick Douglas is that no matter how humble our beginnings may have been, in poverty or in an abusive family, we can, through education and a life of faith, improve our station in life. And I might add especially in the United States.  We have many in America today who take issue with the hatred an unfair treatment of various walks of American life and I think it is right to do so.  Such acts of consciousness are carried out in knelling for the National Anthem or conducting demonstrations and acts of nonviolent civil disobedience.  I don’t agree with every method of expression.  Fredrick Douglas lived with legal slavery and laws against the education of people of color and yet, was educated and led the way advocating for the rights and improvement of his fellow men and women, and Native Americans. I would say he followed the Psalmist instructions where he writes, “I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him.” (Psalm 85:8)

Fredrick Douglas was a gifted speaker and used his God-given gift to stir this new Nation to move towards a more fair and equal place.  And while it didn’t work, the Civil War came about where some were influenced by Douglas’s words. At least President Lincoln was influenced by him as the two men did talk with one another.

We must always keep our ears open to what God is saying. Douglas was ordained in the African Methodist Episcopal Church that was started by Richard Allen near the time of Douglas’ birth.  Douglas was a firm believer in the equality of all people, whether black, female, Native American, or recent immigrant. He was fond of saying, “I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong.” (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

No matter our walk in life, we need to know that God is speaking peace to God’s faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to God. Thank You Jesus.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people and “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.”  John Thomas Frazier Sr.

AM Psalm 97, 99, [100]; PM Psalm 94, Isa. 63:7-14; 1 Tim. 1:18-2:8; Mark 11:12-26

Mark

“Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)

I don’t know if I have ever taken the time to dedicate a whole prayer to the forgiveness of others. Most of the time it kind of just fits in like in the Lord’s Prayer…”and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”  Amidst elongated requests I stick in there a request for the forgiveness of some transgression I have committed and maybe (though rarely) to forgive someone who transgressed against me.

I am getting from this verse of Mark that it would probably be a good idea to stop and deliberately pray for the forgiveness of someone who has wronged me.  That’s a tough call.  I would have to ask myself “do I really want to forgive this person or persons?”  And further, “Do I want God to forgive them?”  “Are they even asking for forgiveness?”  So much to ponder about.  I don’t think Jesus cares; He just says forgive if you have anything against anyone. Come on Jesus you are making this Christianity stuff hard.  Okay, Thank You Jesus.

Ponder #19

The fifth and final point of the second star is Patience.

I am once again reminded of my friend Sonny Browne’s grandmother’s saying “come in, sit down, be quiet and wait.”  She said this at the onset of a big storm blowing through.  But the advice can be used whenever anxiety sets in.  Sometimes just waiting in silence gets us through difficult times.

When I first created this second star I had patience before prayer.  But then I realized that it took prayer to be patient in the first place.  So I reversed it to prayer then patience.  My second star then winds up being Discipline, Respect, Integrity, Prayer and Patience.  So this star acronym is DRIPP. It is drip but with two p’s.  Waiting is so important.  The Psalmist got it right when he said, “Be still, and know that I am God”. (Psalm 46:10)

There are times when we will not know what to do.  And that is exactly what we are supposed to do, “nothing.”   Just sit still, be quiet in patience, and watch God fix it.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people and “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.” John Thomas Frazier Sr.

Martin Luther: Pastor and Reformer (18 February 1546)

Psalm 46 Isaiah 55:6-11 John 15:1-1

Isaiah

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 55:8)

This Isaiah verse has been a favorite of mine for some time.  It really speaks to how different God is from us. I think the crafters of our lectionary apply it here to represent Martin Luther’s agitation with the Church of Rome during his time and to which he loved, but was at odds with.

From A Great Cloud of Witnesses of the Episcopal Church:

“As a result of his [Martin Luther’s] theological and biblical studies, he called into question the practice of selling indulgences. On the eve of All Saints’ Day, October 31, 1517, he posted on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg the notice of an academic debate on indulgences, listing 95 theses for discussion.”

I believe all of us, lay and ordained, have a responsibility to voice our feelings regarding the direction of our church.  But like Martin Luther, we should be totally dedicated to our church because only with true devotion will our concerns be taken seriously. Martin Luther did not start the Lutheran Church, but his admirers did.  I still remember when I was fresh out of seminary and thought I knew everything, I put forth the question to a Christian Ed. class I was conducting, “What does being an Episcopalian mean to you?”   One of the ladies sitting in this session replied, “It means I can ask a question, and question the answer.”  From that point on I knew I had a lot to learn.  Thank you Debbie.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Ponder #18

The forth point of the second star is Prayer.

The most important thing we must remember about prayer is that all prayer is always in response to God who prayed first.  In fact, God prayed us into being.  As we open the Bible we hear God praying the “Let there be’s.”  This prayer concludes with us being prayed into being. “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 1: 26, 27) While this translation is still male biased, it shows that our very being comes as a result of God’s prayer.  It adds new meaning to being people of prayer.

Prayer is so much more than verbal, out loud, words.  Prayer is being still and creating a space for Go to enter.  Prayer is the desire for God in your life. Prayer requires patience which is the next and last point of my second star.

“Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.” (From the 3^rd verse of Praise to the Lord)

Jeremiah 17:5-10Psalm 11 Corinthians 15:12-20Luke 6:17-26

“He came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.” (Luke 6: 17)

Geographically, Jesus is in Galilee.  We know this because he has just gotten out of the fisherman’s boats preaching to the people (Luke 5:1 – 4)

 We know that he was just by lake Gennesaret which is also called Lake Galilee and Lake Tiberius. While there were hills around, called mountains in the New Testament, Jesus was still in the region of Galilee. This is important as he was on a level place.  This is a good analogy for Jesus being on equal footing with all humanity. Those who came to hear and see him were a great crowd of disciples (students not necessarily apostles) and also a great multitude from Judea, Jerusalem and the coast of Tyre and Sidon.  Tire and Sidon are situated on the Mediterranean cost to the north and west.

This three year ministry of Jesus in the region of Galilee again shows that Jesus’ work took place in the region formally known as Israel before they were joined by King David (As seen in photo above from Lake Galilee).  There were high places and low places and level places.  Some like to refer this Lucan Beatitudes as the Sermon on the plane because it was a “level place.” You and I need to be on the level and walk between the high and low places in life as we also strive to be on level footing with all humanity. In Jesus’ words in this section of Luke there are four blessings and four woes. These are the high and low places. You and I have choices about whether to be blessed or not. Perhaps it’s better to visit more of the low places and assist God in raising them up.  What do you think?

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Ponder #17

The third point of the second star is Integrity.

Integrity here means honesty. It means being loyal to God’s call and being an honest person. I also like to call this regret avoidance.  Integrity is about doing what we say we will do.  It is about having an understanding with people and living into that understanding as best we can. If we say one thing and do another, what good is our word?  Today almost everything we agree on is covered with a civil contract so that we are able to sue the other for lack of their integrity.  Where are we going with this kind of thinking? Integrity then is honoring the understanding we have with God and with our neighbors.  It is honest relationship.

 “Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.” (From the 3^rd verse of Praise to the Lord)

AM Psalm 87, 90; PM Psalm 136Isa. 61:10-62:5; 2 Tim. 4:1-8; Mark 10:46-52

Isaiah

“For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.”  (Isaiah 61:11)

We human beings and all earthly creatures are so blessed. God has taken care of all of us with this wonderful earth.  And we humans are able to manipulate the earth in small gardens to produce what we need and what we fancy or just plain want.  This earth is the bedrock of all people everywhere.  Maybe it is through the earth that we can make known to all people everywhere that God wants us to love God and one another, and to praise God and to acknowledge God as our universal Savior.

We are fast approaching the reminder that from the dust of the earth we come, and back to the dust of the earth we shall return.  But perhaps not our whole selves will go back to the dust. Maybe, just maybe, the God-spark, the soul, the Spirit of God planted in us will ascend to the realm of heaven someday.  But more than that, we believers are the garden of God.  We are the garden in which God has sown goodness. We believers are the soil and God causes what has been sown in us to spring up before all nations. All we have to do is believe and be.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Ponder #16

The second point of the second star is Respect.

Respect is the decency component of Discipline. In our Baptismal Covenant we are asked, “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” (BCP 305)   We say that we will respect the dignity of every human being with God’s help.

Respect, like Discipline, is a two way street.  Respect is what we must have for others and for ourselves.  God loves us and wants us.  Jesus died for us, every one of us.  Jesus died for everyone that we have met or will ever meet, no exception. Respect then is so important.  And here’s the thing, nobody has to earn our respect.  All of us are made in the image of God.  Therefore the Image itself demands respect.  And so we respect those, even those who do not respect themselves.  They don’t have to earn it; Jesus already has earned it for them, and for us.  We also must respect ourselves.  God can, and is, using us to do God’s work. If you say “God can’t use me,”  you are not putting yourself down.  You are limiting what you think God can do.  The same goes for anyone else you may think of.  The ability of God is unlimited and can be made manifest in you or anyone God chooses.  Respect then must be shown accordingly. Respect must be shown to yourself and to all people for the potential power of God.  

“Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.” (From the 3^rd verse of Praise to the Lord)

Readings for Tomas Bray: Priest and Missionary (15 FEB 1730)

Psalm 85:7-13Isaiah 52:7-10Luke 10:1-9

Luke

“Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid.”  (Luke 10:7)

Being Sent

Jesus sent out the seventy with strict instruction to be entirely present with those they were with, whose house they were in.  He told them do not go from house to house looking for the best deal. Being sent takes a lot of pressure off because it’s not about the one sent but rather the Sender. We are representing the Sender.  We just deliver the message.  We also report back to the Sender about what we saw and what we were able to do in the Sender’s Name.

Thomas Bray was sent by the Bishop Henry Compton, Bishop of London, in 1696. Bishop Compton appointed Bray as his commissary to organize the Church of England in the Colony of Maryland to see how the priests were conducting themselves in the New World.  Bray did not talk to the priest so much as he conversed with the people.  He talked to the people about how the priest conducted themselves on the voyage; whether they were given to drinking too much of chasing after women and such.  He also inquired as to whether they held regular hours of prayer and study of God’s word and did the conduct Sunday services in keeping with the Church of England.

Bray was not in the colonies long. And all of his time was spent in the Colony of Maryland.  But he advocated for the liberation and education of African slaves and Native Americans.  He also began the SPG (Society for the Propagation of the Gospel) and an educational and publishing society, SPCK (Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge), both of which are still active today.

Thomas Bray was quite a priest. I was blessed to see a stone monument dedicated to him and others while on Sabbatical in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at Christ Episcopal Church down town Philadelphia.  It does my old heart good to see the history I read so much about being made manifest in such a real way.    

I highly encourage anyone who can, to go to Christ Church Philadelphia and take in some of our Church history.  We are still being sent out.  And as we go, we are to be thankful and grateful for hospitality received.  We are to spread the good News of Jesus Christ and be comfortable where God leads and sends us.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Ponder #15

This is the first point of my second star and it is about Discipline.

In my pondering I very early on realized that if I am not determined and committed to doing all the things necessary to make me a better man I was wasting my time to even come up with ideas in the first place.  My pondering was a waste if I was not going to follow through.  So I have to have discipline.  I have to have the discipline to refrain from doing what should not be done and the discipline to make myself do that that needs to be done.  This is hard work.  It is not for the faint of heart.

As a result I maintain a rigorous daily physical exercise program, I study scripture and the life of the saints daily, I commit myself to spiritual counseling for family and parishioners and I practice music, golf, cabinet making and free masonry; all disciplines that I think will assist me in being a better man. Every man or woman should discern what works for them.  For me, discipline is both doing the things we ought to do, and not doing the things we ought not to do.  It takes a lot of will power and self determination. Have you ever thought about this?  Can or will you try to discipline yourself, with God’s help of course?

“Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.” (From the 3^rd verse of Praise to the Lord)

AM Psalm [83]or146, 147; PM Psalm 85, 86Isa. 60:1-17; 2 Tim. 2:14-26; Mark 10:17-31

Let us be a peaceful people.

Psalm 85

 “I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him.”  (Psalm 85:8)

2 Timothy

“Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth” (2 Tim. 2:23 – 25)

Peace can be factored out of both of these passages.  The Psalmist reminds us to listen to God speaking peace to us, and Paul reminds Timothy and us to avoid entanglements that lead to quarrels but rather act kindly to everyone with patience, again, we are to be a peaceful people.

Sometimes I think a space ship has come close to earth and sprayed some kind of hate toxin at us.  We all seem to be at each other’s throat. It will take real effort to go against the toxin but we can do it.  The antidote is in believing the scriptures above.  We must force ourselves to listen to God speaking peace to us and avoid the temptation to join hate speech and quarreling.  We can do this.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Ponder #14

This is the fifth and last point of my first star and it reminds us to Live Plain.

I have studied and admire the Amish people. While I don’t agree with their theological position regarding pacifism and their rejection of technology. However I do like the way they walk their talk.  Perhaps the chief characteristic that I most admire is their plain living.  It is a no frills life style. The Amish I looked into were of the Old Order.  They went from place to place in horse and buggy.  And they did not have electricity hooked up to their homes. Ok, that’s not me.

However, I very much believe in living a low-maintenance life style.  I am not a slave to fashion and expensive cars don’t do it for me. I do enjoy golf and model trains but keep it under control I believe that we should use money, money should not use us.  As non-Amish, plain living people, we should keep all extravagances to a minimum.  What we wear, or drive, or even eat does not say who we are so much as what we read, watch and pray for.  It is our personal disciplines that define us. In fact discipline is the first point of second next star. Love the Lord and Live plain, or at least as plain as you can.

“Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.” (From the 3^rd verse of Praise to the Lord)

Readings for Absalom Jones (Died February 13 1818 Philadelphia, Pa.)

Psalm 126Isaiah 42:5-9John 15:12-15

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

This Commandment of love from Jesus is different from the Commandment we get from Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels. In Matthew, Mark and Luke we get Jesus commanding us to love our neighbor as ourselves.  The big assumption here is that we in fact love ourselves.

John does not let us off so easy.  John records Jesus commanding us to love one another as he, Jesus, loved us.  An he loved us all the way to the cross.  Jesus literally loved us to death.

Absalom Jones loved his people too in just the same way.  He also loved the Episcopal Church.  He would not leave this Church to join Richard Allen in the Methodist Episcopal movement. Jones was a man of conviction.  As a slave he bought the freedom of the woman he loved and married and then bought his own freedom.

I can’t talk about Absalom Jones without also lifting up Bishop William White.  White was Bishop of Philadelphia and ordained Jones to the Deaconate and then to the Priesthood.  And while this ordination was for Jones to be a priest for people of color, he was still ordained in God’s One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.  Bishop White listened to God and opened his heart and the Church to make a space of this important ministry.

Blacks were asked to leave a church and as a result Jones met with Bishop White and this brand new Episcopal Church made room for them.  Bishop White listened to the voice of God for what to do about this Episcopal Church and former slaves.  Being brought about in the midst of a revolution already, he further heard the call to be open to providing for displaced African descendents.  Absalom Jones then decided to work with Bishop White and not leave, but rather, give of himself to this perhaps, unexpected opportunity.  Praise Jesus.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Ponder #13

This is the forth point of my first star and it reminds us to Work Hard.

Repeating myself now from my Ponder #1, “I ponder and I work.”  I believe all work takes place as a result of pondering. I also believe the old saying that anything worth doing, is worth doing right.  Working hard means being attentive to details. It means not taking short cuts. The term Work Hard applies to all we do physically to develop skills such as playing the piano or to achieve material goals as in making a cabinet.  The end can be to achieve a skill or have the desired construct.  To work hard one must have both the dedication and discipline to be committed to the work itself.  Some work can be more pleasurable than other work. But again, if it needs to be done, it should be done right.  And it should get our serious attention.   This journal blog and the concept of my stars came about in pondering.  I believe all physical work was first pondered at its conception. I think God pondered creation before God started with the physical work.

“Ponder anew what the Almighty can do.” (From the 3^rd verse of Praise to the Lord)