Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 28

Morning, Psalm 89:1 to 18; Evening, Psalm 89:19 to 52;
1^st Maccabees 3:1 to 24; Revelation 20:7 to 15; Matthew 17:1 to 13:

“While he (Peter) 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)

The Transfiguration appears on its day in August and at other times during the year like today.  I am very aware of how much is going on in our readings. Today we have a hidden Trinity.  We have a cloud that overshadows Peter, James and John; we have the voice of God, and we have the visual of our Lord Jesus in plain, and very bright view.

While this is a Matthew account, we also have Peter to speak of this event in his own letter to us.  He says, ^“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased, we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.”” (2^nd Peter 1:16 to 18).

This cloud-like Spirit of God has spoken about Jesus before, at His Baptism.  But this time the words, “Listen to Him,” has been added. And to listen is to be understood as “obey.”

I feel that once something this amazing happens, there is no way to continue in life the way it was before.  There would be no way to deny who Jesus is or that I know him, but Peter will do just that.  This makes me ponder about the amazing things that have happened to me in my life in Christ and yet I sometimes go on living as if these events didn’t happen.  I don’t think I listen all the time.  I am so thankful for a radiantly merciful Jesus, aren’t you?

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 28: Year A

1 Thessalonians 5:1to11 and  Matthew 25:14to30

“But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” (Matthew 25:18)

Imagine you were witnessing others being given more gifts and more responsibility and therefore, more trust than yourself.  It might have been different if you had not witnessed the gifts, responsibility and trust, given to others, but alas, you did witness it. and jealousy prevails.

There are a couple of ways to respond to such an experience.  One way is to not go along with such a disregard of your abilities, (albeit abilities you didn’t create for yourself, nor did the others). Jealousy of how others are perceived to be respected more will often make us resentful, and revengeful.   Also, it will show that your overseer (God) actually overestimated your loyalty, your faith, in his assessment of what you are capable of. Not hardly, God knows all.

I have been made aware of some kind of trade game wherein people begin with very little and then begin to trade for something better. Some have started with only a paper clip or an empty glass and have (over time) ended up with even a car. The post that I found on the net is called the “Trade Game” and is found at https://www.socialstudiesar.org/blog/tradegame.  The class room game begins with the instructor “giving” each student some random item. Of course the class later trades among themselves to achieve greater satisfaction. The point is, each person was given something. 

Our Lord has given each of us something, while it may not be to trade, it is something that is needed in our community, in our Church and in our world. It is something to be thankful for. It may not be much, only one little thing, but we are all given something.

Another way is to look at this is to be thankful that you have such a low bar to get over. Do what you can to the best of your abilities.  But know this, God knows more about what you are capable of than you do. What you observe may not be the whole story.  The others that were given more may have been you in previous years.  Always be thankful and do the best you can with what you are given.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 27: Year 1

 Morning, Psalms 87 and  90; Evening,  Psalm 136;
1^st  Maccabees 2:1 to 28; Revelation 20:1 to 6; Matthew 16:21 to 28:

“Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16: 24 and 25)

It’s pretty challenging to put down the words of what our Lord Jesus said in a different language, and some forty years after he has died, raised, and ascended back to the realm of the Creator. I think he knew that if he kept up the practice of the love of God for all people, the people themselves would kill him.  However, I see the cross that we should take up is more a metaphor for us to accept whatever burdens are put upon us, and at the same time, faithfully and lovingly, do the best we can in this life with the Lord’s help.

We follow our Lord Jesus by not going along with evil, and even in the presence of evil, we must show love. We follow our Lord Jesus by practicing that same love of God for all people as Jesus himself did. There is a pretty good chance that in most places today Christian practitioners will not be killed because of their faith, as Jesus and his early followers were.  Remember, I said most places. There are still some hateful places left on the planet. Where we are free to worship and extend love to all, we must keep in prayer those people and places that challenge the love of Christ. Today is a good day to start. Today is a good day to take up whatever your cross looks like and follow Christ.

How is your Sabbath going?

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 27: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 88; Evening,  Psalms 91 and 92;
1^st Maccabees 1:41 to 63; Revelation 19:11 to 16; Matthew 16:13 to 20:

“And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven: (Matthew 16:17)

They were asked by Jesus who the people said he was. They answered that the people thought he was Elijah and some thought he was Jeremiah; and some thought he was one of the other prophets. We can recall that Elijah was taken up to heaven alive.  Therefore he could have returned.  Jeremiah just sort of faded out of sight, (believed to have died in Egypt) and Jesus could have been Jeremiah, as well as one of the other prophets whose ends were questionable at best. Therefore, many believed that Jesus was a former prophet who was brought back again.   

Then Jesus asked them who they themselves said he was.  Peter speaks for the group and confesses that Jesus is “the messiah, the Son of the living God!”  Peter speaks for us today.  And if we believe that Jesus is the Messiah, then we Christians are obliged to behave as such.

Finally Jesus informs them (and us), that who he is, is not “figured out.”  It is revealed to us by God. Therefore, we are not to base our belief about Jesus only on the ancient text, and Church teachings, but rather on our own prayers and ponderings about the Great Mystery of God and who God is.  And if this Creator and Sustainer of the world wants us to care for the earth and love one another, then this is what we should be doing.

God created this earth and saw that it was very good.  Then God placed caretakers upon it who are to care for the earth and love each other. Then, in the fullness of time, and seeing our jealousy of one another, God, in the person of our Lord Jesus, walked along the lowest elevation of natural freshwater coast on the planet, inviting fishermen to fish more meaningfully.

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all their multitude. And on the seventh day God finished the work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work that he had done” (Genesis 2:1 and 2). So, for this evening and tomorrow day my friends, Shabbat Shalom. 

What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 27: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 34; Evening,  Psalms 85 and 86;
1^st Maccabees 1:1 to 28; Revelation 19:1 to 10; Matthew 16:1 to12:

“Then they understood that he had not told them to beware of the yeast of bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees:” (Matthew 16:12)

Teaching is one of the responsibilities I think we Christians are called to do for the benefit of all believers. Perhaps the worst kind of teaching is telling people what to think.  This is the shame of some self-promoting politicians who want people to buy into their personal success.  It is also the method used in business to have the weak minded to fall in line with policies that only work to line the pockets of the already rich.  And, lastly, preachers are not above the fray.  Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, self-serving preachers from all walks of faith attempt to have their listeners believe in the way that profits the prophet.  Our Lord Jesus taught against this kind to teaching.

I believe we teachers and preachers are to teach people “how” to think, not “what” to think. The seed, or yeast, of God is already planted in each of us.  The true teacher and preacher should guide the listener to use his or her own God-given reasoning to sort out the truth in prayer, listening to what the Holy Spirit of God is saying to us.

Our Church has Scripture, Tradition and Reason, according to Richard Hooker (Anglican Priest:1600). Let us not underestimate reason. We don’t check our brains at the door of the Church on our way in. God has given us the ability to think and to verbally communicate with other believers in order that we might come to sound teaching and the loving understanding of God’s desire for us. Let us let the loving leaven of God lead us into all truth.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 27: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 119:97 to 120; Evening, Psalms 81 and 82;
Nehemiah 7:73b to 8:3 and5 to 18; Revelation 18:21 to 24; Matthew 15:29 to 39:

“Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.” (Mathew 15: 30 and 31)

There have been many times in my own life where, when something wonderful happened by someone I knew, and I gave thanks to God, not to the person or persons who performed the deed, but to God because deep inside, I felt God at work in what was being done.

This is what happened to the crowd who witnessed, that is, “experienced,” the mighty acts of God through the man called Jesus. The Risen Jesus is still performing mighty acts today. I fail to count the number of times when some small (or large miracle) occurred in my life’s problems and I utter the words, “Thank You Jesus.” Each of us should spend as much time giving thanks to God for helping us as we did asking God for intervention in our crisis. We should not take God for granted.

For me, it makes no difference when giving thanks whether I say God or Jesus.  I believe our Lord Jesus to be God Incarnate. God in the person of Jesus gives humanity a way to relate to God in a personal way. Being with us and dying for us is what God is doing for us. Praise God and Thank You Lord Jesus.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 27: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 78:1 to 39; Evening,  Psalm 78:40 to 72;
Nehemiah 9:26 to 38; Revelation 18:9 to 20; Matthew 15:21 to 28:

“But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.”  (Matthew 15:25)

This is the unbreakable hold we have on God in Christ Jesus; He can’t refuse the word “help.” Help from God may not be packaged the way we expect it however. God is really good at surprises.

It is because of the woman’s faith that Jesus heals her daughter. I believe there are two components at work here.  The first is the love she has for her daughter.  I believe for the mother, and for us, that the power of our love for someone close to us, fuels our faith and humbles us.  Too often our faith doesn’t have a focus.  This Canaanite mother however, even though not a Jewish Israelite, brings her desperation to our Lord Jesus.  She is grateful for whatever help she can get from him, explaining that even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the master’s table. Her love for her daughter and her acquired faith in the man known as Jesus humbles her and she asks him for help.  And, He does.

Second, this is a transitional move by God to include with the Jewish nation, all people beyond the Jews. It becomes clear that it is not genetics that makes one belong to the kingdom.  It is faith. Have you heard about the Healer whose name is Jesus?  Do you love someone in trouble? Does this love and faith humble you? All you need to do is pray, “Lord, help me.” Or, “Lord, help him or her.”  Appealing to God for help is a power we have that we don’t use enough.

Today our Church remembers the Consecration of Samuel Seabury, the first Bishop of our Episcopal Church.  

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 27: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 80; Evening, Psalm 77;
Nehemiah 9: 1 to 25; Revelation 18:1 to 8; Matthew 15:1to 20

“Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, ‘Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat.” (Matthew 15: 1 and 2)

These temple authorities travel from Judah up to Galilee only to point out what they believe is a minor transgression against the law. Jesus will point out that they themselves have perverted the will of God by creating human covenants that subvert the Law of God.

The issue is about food and clean hands. Jesus points out that it is not food that pollutes us but rather the self serving sin of our own egos that pollute us. Therefore, if we petition God to clean our hearts (because only God can), we will be better  off and not defiled, or at least, less defiled.  But we must first want it.  This is why we pray:

 “Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”  (BCP page 355)

God waits patiently for us to decide what we want. It matters more about what we want than what we do. Of course we shouldn’t eat with unwashed hands. I know that. But we also must stop being selfish, racist, cheaters, thieves and murderers; for these atrocities are far worse that eating with unwashed hands. And even if the body is poisoned, a clean soul will have our Lord to save us and bring us to be with Him, so that where He is, we will be with Him. Let us first get our hearts on the right path.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 27: Year A

1^st  Thessalonians 4:13to18;  Matthew 25:1to13

“When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.” (Matthew 25: 3 – 5)

There are a couple of things to ponder here in this Eucharistic reading from Matthew.  First, the foolish are called foolish because of their neglect in not having reserve oil for their lamps.  Likewise, the wise are called wise because they brought along a reserve supply of oil. 

Secondly, the point that Matthew has Jesus to make in this parable, is to stay awake.  But in the parable, they all became drowsy and slept.  This is not literally about sleep deprivation. It’s about discipleship. It is about being forever diligent.

Wise, or wisdom itself, must be based on caring; caring for yourself, and caring for others. The wise bridesmaids cared for themselves, but were not able to give additional care for those who didn’t think things through. We, today, must first make sure we are taking care of ourselves, and if we are able, to help those who didn’t see hard times coming. I guess the old adage is true, “It is better to have and not need, than to need, and not have.” This should have been the thinking of all the bridesmaids.

To stay awake, we must stay focused. Yes we must get our rest, our sleep. But we should go to sleep praying, and we should wake the same way. As children we learned, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep….”  Our Church adult version of this (before bed) prayer can be found in Compline, “Guide us waking O Lord, and Guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace. Lord you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised. For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior whom you have prepared for all the world to see: A light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people Israel. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. Guide us waking O Lord, and Guard us sleeping; that awake we may watch with Christ, and asleep we may rest in peace.”  (BCP 134)

The wise bridesmaids thought ahead about what the requirements would be if they were really serious about not only being at the right place, but also about sustaining themselves if things went longer than expected, and indeed, they did.  We too, of today, must take those first steps in not only doing what is wise, but also thinking through the process and preparing for the “what-if’s” of life, and, “whatever is right.” And my beloved in the Lord, staying awake in prayer.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 26: Year 1

Morning, Psalms75 and 76; Evening,  Psalms 23 and 27;
Ezra 9:1 and15; Revelation 17:1 and 14; Matthew 14:22 to 36:

“Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.  And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,” (Matthew 14:22 and 23).

Among the many attributes of Jesus, he was a man of prayer. The two things that Jesus did often, that we normal people can, and should do, as well is forgive others, ourselves, and pray. 

We can’t give people their sight back, or make the lame walk, or raise the dead back to life. But we should ponder about forgiving others and ourselves for blunders done or things said or should have been said when it would have helped. 

Prayer too is what Jesus often did as recorded throughout the Gospel in all four versions. I particularly like the habit of Jesus that he found a place alone to pray.  This is how I ponder, even now as I am writing this blog, I pray that God gives me the words that will help you. And who knows, maybe I might find help for myself in the process.

Let us remember our veterans today and keep them in our prayers, those who have served and those who are currently serving.  Thank You Lord Jesus.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools.

As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John