Author: John Thomas Frazier

I am a retired U. S. Marine of 30 years and now an Episcopal Priest serving in the Diocese of East Carolina. I am a husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. I am originally from Nashville, Tennessee now living in Raeford, North Carolina.

Readings and Reflections for Saturday 5 January 2019: Day 12 of Christmas

On this 12th Day of Christmas our Scripture brought to us the gift of love born in human form.

AM Psalm 2, 110:1-5(6-7)Joshua 1:1-9;  Heb. 11:32-12:2;  John 15:1-16

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) 0 \lsdu

I personally prefer John’s Commandment to love over the Synoptic version of “love your neighbor as you love yourself.”  There is an assumption in Matthew , Mark and Luke that one loves one’s self.  Not everybody does, they should, but not everybody does. Self loathing can then be justification for other-loathing.  But Jesus’ command in John’s Gospel makes us realize that we are to love others not as we love ourselves, but as Jesus loves us. And that includes self.

Jesus went to the cross for us, every one of us, whether we believe in him or not.  He died for the whole world, to redeem the whole world.  He did this for the world then, the world now, and the world to come – for our children’s children yet unborn. So let’s review:

Day 12;Thank you God for Your Love, born of a human mother, for the salvation of the world.

Day 11; Thank You God for Your living Word born to us

Day 10; Thank you God for the birth of the Gate

Day 9; Merry Christmas in our Church Traditions

Day 8; Merry Christmas in thanksgiving for Your Holy Name

Day 7; Merry Christmas for the Gift of Reconciliation

Day 6; Merry Christmas for adoption into the Divine Family

Day 5; Merry Christmas in Patience for the Holy Spirit

Day 4; Merry Christmas for Holy Innocents

Day 3; Merry Christmas and thanksgiving for the gift of believing

Day 2; Merry Christmas and thanksgiving for the gift of Your Church

Christmas Day we give thanks for the Birth of our Savior and for our Families                    

Merry Christmas

Readings and Reflections for Friday 4 January 2019: Day 11 of Christmas

On this 11th Day of Christmas our Scripture brought to us the very Word of God.

AM Psalm 85, 87; PM Psalm 89:1-29 Exod. 3:1-12; Heb. 11:23-31; John 14:6-14 l7

 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”  (John 14: 10)

So from Jesus’ words we hear directly from God. It is perhaps more important to listen to Jesus than to watch him. This somewhat validates the red print Bible because we can quickly focus on what Jesus is saying – what Jesus is commanding – what Jesus is asking us to look deeper into.

In our first Gospel Matthew reminds us that “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Matt. 4:4.  Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of Matthew should be read no less than once a week as it contains spiritual medicine for our souls.  In these chapters we find the beatitudes, instruction about interpreting the Hebrew Testament and how we should go forth into the world.  Good stuff.

Much of what is in Mark is also found in Matthew and Luke. Luke however has the most parables all which are teaching tools for morality, not the least of which is chapter 15 (that I like to call the “lost chapter” because Luke talks about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son or prodigal son). It teaches us about divine priorities.

St John’s Gospel really drives home that Jesus is Word of the Creator.  John opens with “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. Then this Gospel lets us hear Jesus’ words. Chapters 14 through 17 of John’s Gospel have Jesus’ Words of compassion, instruction and prayer for us, and to us.

Again from St. John, “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”  (John 14: 10)  We cannot do what Jesus does. But we can hear what Jesus says.  Jesus is Word of the Father. In the ancient ways, to hear IS to obey. Let’s go back to hearing the Word and then doing like-wise.  Thank You God for Your living Word born to us.

Merry Christmas

Readings and Reflections for Thursday 3 January 2019: Day 10 of Christmas

On this 10th Day of Christmas our Scripture brought to us The Way in and out of life
Readings For 3 January  AM Psalm 68; PM Psalm 136
Gen. 28:10-22; Heb. 11:13-22; John 10:7-17 

 “So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.” (John 10:7)

As Jesus uses the gate metaphor in self-identifying who he is, I am reminded yet once again about the opening is this same Gospel where it is says, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)

All creation came into being through Jesus, the Gate, the entry (and exit) point into and out of creation. I remember having a simple fish tank. In the tank I had a variety of fresh water fish with various toys or things to look at in the water.  Daily I dropped some flaky fish-food (manna) from the top of the tank.   It is also from the top of the tank that I would add a new fish and take out those who had swam their course.

So I imagine the top of that tank itself re-shaping itself into a fish and residing in the tank with the others. This strange fish’s job is to explain to the rest of the fish that they are appreciated for just being, that’s all!  He lets them know that there is pleasure in just seeing them from one who lives outside the tank provides all their needs. And then this strange fish returns to being the opening at the top of the tank, through which they are fed and pass through in their beginning and in their ending. So what does this mean for us?

We are all here at the will and pleasure of God who enjoys our multicultural, multi-color, multi-ethnic existence and our beauty is in our variations.  Therefore we should live into being as diverse as we can be. Our contrasting variety pleases God who feeds us through Jesus Christ with the bread of life. While I know that the fish symbol did not originate from what I just framed, I do like the fish symbol because it reminds me of who we are and how we are intended to live together. 

So, be it gate for the sheep or top of the tank, Jesus is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6) and is the only Way to the One outside of the tank who takes great pleasure in our co-existence and harmony.  Therefore we should be doing all we can to live lives of supporting more different cultures, ethnicities, languages and even different ways of worship – of different ways of appreciating the One outside the tank who takes pleasure in our collective beauty.

Merry Christmas in thanksgiving for the birth of the Gate.

Readings and Reflections for Wednesday 2 January 2019: Day 9 of Christmas

Readings For GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS Psalm 19:7–14  Wisdom 7:7-12 John 8:25-32 On this 9th Day of Christmas our Scripture brought to us The Leadership of Jesus John 8: 31-32

Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

In seminary I learned that Gregory of Nazianzus was one of three Cappdocian Fathers that we were asked to do a short paper on and I chose him.  What amazed me most was his articulation of God creating everything from nothing!  Still does. However, Gregory’s greatest challenge was probably defending our Christian faith that holds the belief that Jesus the Logos, is God in every sense of its meaning and that Jesus is not some afterthought from God. This is where our Church is today in our Nicene Creed crafted in the year 325. It’s who we are still.

This continued challenge with many offshoots of Arian theology is present today in many of our Christian faiths, many of whom are not familiar with the history or theology of what our Christian faith has suffered.  But nothing declares more about who we are than how we treat the less fortunate among us.  If people want to fuss and fight about who Jesus really is rather than care for the needy in our midst we have already lost sight of Who Jesus really is.

As I write this I am preparing to meet with fellow parishioners and members of Cedar Creek Baptist Church and feed the less fortunate.  All of us, both congregations, are trying to live into who Jesus wants us to be. We say who we are in God by our actions.  I know that when God brings the poor before us, it is not the poor God is watching, but us! 

Therefore, in the words of Richard Hooker, we are blessed with the gifts of Scripture, Tradition and reason. This is our Gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Merry Christmas in our Church Traditions ;\lsdsemihidden