Author: John Thomas Frazier

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 25: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 55; Evening, Psalms 138 and 139:1 to 17;
Nehemiah 4:1 to 23; Revelation 7:4 to17; Matthew  13:31 to 35:

“After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands:” (Revelation 7: 9).

In this scene in Revelation we have many people of all walks of human life.  And while they are representative of almost all aspects of human life, there is one category not mentioned; religion.

All nations, tribes and voices of humanity are brought before God without mention of how they got to God. I think this is important, very important.  And here is the good part, “They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes:” (Revelation 7: 16 and 17).

God knows all there is to know about us no matter our religion as expressed in Psalm 139 today:

1. Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *
you know my sitting down and my rising up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.

2. You trace my journeys and my resting-places *
and are acquainted with all my ways.

3. Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *
but you, O Lord, know it altogether.

4. You press upon me behind and before *
and lay your hand upon me.

5. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *
it is so high that I cannot attain to it.

6. Where can I go then from your Spirit? *
where can I flee from your presence?

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 25: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 40 and 54; Evening, Psalm 51:
Nehemiah 2:1-20; Revelation 6:12-7:4; Matthew 13:24-30

 “So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well.” (Matthew 13: 26)

God has made all things very good as we learn in the opening of Genesis. But soon to follow is evil.  Why?  Please note that evil does not begin and then good follows. No, first there is good, and then evil follows. This doesn’t have to be.

In today’s parable Jesus tells of the wheat sown and then an enemy plants weeds among the wheat. It seems that evil only wants to spoil the goodness for evil’s sake. We start with Creation and proceed to a fall because of evil and sin. We have homes and employment and then comes foreclosure or termination, respectively.  If the first didn’t exist, the second couldn’t exist. Evil only has its existence in corrupting goodness. If we are aware of this, then being forewarned is being forearmed.

The lesson for us today is to be alert. We are not to wait for evil, but we are to understand that evil lurks at the door and its desire is to consume us but we must master it. (Genesis 4:7)

God created us very good. But we must be on the alert for the evil and sin that shows up in community, in our Church, in our friends, in our family and in our selves. We must be vigilant.  When, (not if), you see evil, call it out; even in yourself. We must separate ourselves from any evil that tries to infest itself in us. And like in the parable, as we grow in spiritual maturity, the evil will be as distinguished as weeds among wheat, and be better identified so as to be removed.

Let us ponder all that God has made good, and very good, including our Sabbath rest.

Today we remember Richard Hooker (Priest and Theologian November 3, 1600)

Throughout my blogging year I mention Richard Hooker several times. I often refer to his three-legged stool, his metaphor of our Anglican faith that is formed by Scripture, Tradition and Reason.  He was one who sought after mature wisdom. To borrow the lesson from above of today’s blog. Richard Hooker is such a one whom God gifted with understanding beyond his own studies. It is from such people as Richard Hooker that we are able to ponder the deeper meaning of our faith-walk.

“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

Readings for All Souls / All Faithful Departed

Psalm 130, Wisdom 3:1 to 9, 1^st Thessalonians 4:13 to 18, and John 5:24 to 27: 

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24)

I like the part where it says, “does not come under judgment.”  I have had many friends who did not claim a specific denomination, nor attend Church regularly, but have now passed away.  But God knows their faith.  We are not to judge them. That will be God’s job.  These are the Faithful Departed which we remember today.

I like that our Church has set aside a day of remembrance for people we have lost to death. Some died of natural causes or disease. Some were victims of mass murder such as a school shooting or shootings at a public gathering; some were victims of terrorist attacks such as the attacks of 9/11.  We should not let the evil plan of a sinful person or group determine when we mourn our loss. Our Church has a day for this. It is today. We remember them today and again give them to God Almighty where they have “passed from death to life.”

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

Today is All Saints Day!

Eucharistic Readings for All Saints Day; Year A

Revelation 7: 9 to 17; Psalm 34: 1 to 10 and 22; 1st John 3; 1 to 3; Matthew 5: 1 to 12

Let us Pray:

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (BCP 245)

Too few people are aware of this annual remembrance. Most know about Halloween or, All Hallows Eve, the night before all Saints Day but have no idea about the day we set aside to remember the saints of old.  There are many. We have the apostle saints, Matthew, John, James, Peter and the others. We have the post resurrection saints, a list that we are still adding to, like Saints Paul, Francis, Mary (Mother of Jesus) and Mary Magdalene, Teresa and many, many others

The saints made great personal sacrifices while living out their godly lives. Many were martyred like Joan of ark and Martin Luther King Jr. and many others. Others also suffered in the teachings of God’s love but they maintained their faith no matter what, setting for us examples of righteous living. “Having been disciplined a little, they will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of himself:” (Wisdom of Solomon 3:5) 

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

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

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 25: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 45; Evening,  Psalms 47 and 48;
Ezra 5:1 to 17; Revelation 4:1 to 11; Matthew 13:1 to 9:

“Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  Let anyone with ears listen!” (Matthew 13: 8 and 9)

I think what we are supposed to listen to with our ears is that our hearts and minds should be like the good soil.  I have never heard it preached this way, “We are to be the good dirt.”

We must notice that all the seed is the same and therefore good.  What really matters is where it lands. These seeds are like the gifts of God and faith in God, given to us to bring forth a harvest pleasing to God.

But like the diverse terrain upon which some of the good seed falls, some of us are not conducive to making the most of God’s gifts to us.  Some of us are too shallow and provide no foundation for our faith and gifts.  Some of us are too occupied with worldliness to make good use of God’s gifts to us, which would actually make this world we are in transfixed and made a better place. Some of us misuse our gifts for personal gain thus let our gifts go as if taken away by birds.

But some of us, too few of us, actually receive, and make good use of God’s good gifts and so, make our world a better place for all who dwell therein.

We are called to be absorbent soakers of God’s seed putting everything else aside. It is in this way that we will do what is pleasing in God’s sight, thirty, sixty, and a hundred fold.

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 25: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 41 and 52; Evening,  Psalm 44;
Zechariah 1:7 to 17; Revelation 1:4 to 20; Matthew 12:43 to 50:

“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders through waterless regions looking for a resting-place, but it finds none. Then it says, “I will return to my house from which I came.” When it comes, it finds it empty, swept, and put in order.  Then it goes and brings along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil generation:” (Matthew 12: 43 to 45).

Our Lord Jesus speaks of various evil spirits that will inhabit us should they find a vacancy in us.  They can be driven out, but if we don’t work at finding worthwhile, good spirits to make a home in us, the evil spirits will return and be even worse.

It seems we humans are made to be led by one kind of spirit or another. All spirits or longings make themselves manifest in us by the way we think, our attitudes towards others, and our charitable, or self –serving greed. We have a few choices.

The only choice we do not have is to stay void of any spirit at all. Every person I have ever met pushes towards some desire, the good or the bad. When I say good I include everything from studying birds, or the universe, or medicine, or theology, or anything godly that keeps us occupied with learning that may help or inform others in a good way.  When I say bad, it tends to be all practices that bring harm, hurt or death to our neighbor. The bad practices may include, but are not limited to, identity theft, the illicit sell of drugs, any desire of trying to take something that does not belong to us, and any harm we wish to have done to others, even in the name of so called justice.

We need to monitor our emotions and desires. Are they good or bad?  If accomplished, will the spirit of our desires bring others wholeness; or new helpful information; or a way to start their own search for goodness?  We must “be” those we are in any kind of relationship with. Any notion in us that has us to not care about our neighbor is the manifestation of an evil spirit that is lurking around looking for a vacancy. We must fill our desires with ambitions that build up our neighbor and our Church. Good and positive spirits do not have to appear religious but will still have a charitable and loving outcome.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools and the families of the victims of the Maine shootings.

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 25: Year A

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 and Matthew 22:34-46

“He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  (Matthew 22: 37 to 40)

In the Hebrew Testament there are six hundred and thirteen laws; many of which are outdated in today’s societies.  And we Christians have adopted the Ten Commandments as part of our own code of conduct.  However, in today’s Eucharistic Gospel, we see where our Lord Jesus makes it easier for us with only two Commandments. 

There was a traveler who asked an old Rabbi, “Sir, could you explain the whole of the Torah while standing on one foot?”  To which the Rabbi answered, “What you don’t like done to you, do not do to anyone else.” 

It is indeed easier to remember only two Commandments.  Love God with all that you are and love your neighbor as yourself.  Loving God must come first.  Love God, and then we are able to love others through the love we have for God.  It is also very important that we love ourselves.  It does us no good to love others as we love ourselves if in fact, we don’t love ourselves. God loves us. Therefore, we too must love ourselves. God finds us worthy of God’s love. So we cannot, not love ourselves. After this, we stretch out to our neighbors, all on earth are our neighbors.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Israel and our schools and the victims and families of the mass shootings in Maine.

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 24: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 30 and 32; Evening, Psalms 42 and 43;
Ezra 4:7 and 11 to 24; Philemon 1 to 25; Matthew 12:33 to 42:

“My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?” (Psalm 42:2)

While all the readings for today have good messages of sound ministry, sometimes I find that the words in a Psalm more readily resonate with me. Verse 2 of Psalm 42 speaks of how my soul longs for the Lord. My cloaked or veiled soul is struggling to be in the presence of God. But as my soul approaches the Holy Presence of God, it brings the rest of me with it. This makes me nervous.

My day to day life is not perfect. I sometimes do stupid stuff, stuff I regret.  My life during this time is the day time of my life.  And at my passing, I will enter my night time. This understanding makes me ponder about verse 10 of Psalm 42:  “The Lord grants his loving-kindness in the daytime; in the night season his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” (Psalm 42: 8 or 10 Depending on Translation)

Every morning I play and sing hymns to my God.  These hymns also go to bed with me every night. I keep this discipline as it feeds my soul. My soul that is athirst for God, athirst for the living God. I can often feel the heaviness of my soul. It might even cause a rise in my blood pressure. I too ask myself, “Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? and why are you so disquieted within me?” (Psalm 42: 14) May my soul, as it speaks to God, it also struggles to make me behave and live the most godly life I can.

 So, as we try to listen to God, It might be good to listen to our souls as they try to bring us to God. After all, God has given us our souls as the God-spark which guides us along right pathways for His Namesake, (Psalm 23).  My advice to all is to: “Put your trust in God; for I will yet give thanks to him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God.” (Psalm 42: 15)

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 24: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 31; Evening, Psalm 35;
Ezra 3:1 to 13; 1^st  Corinthians, 16:10 to 24; Matthew 12:22 to 32:

“When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, according to the directions of King David of Israel; and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord, ‘For he is good, for his steadfast love endures for ever towards Israel.’ And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid.”  (Ezra 3: 10 and 11)

This brick and mortar foundation reminds me of my spiritual foundation which was laid in me in my early elementary years at Saint Vincent de Paul Catholic School.  The Sisters there spoke of the steadfast love of God that endures forever. I remember liking and needing that very much.

The priests and the sisters dressed everyday in their vestments and in fact did station themselves and designated points throughout the school awaiting our arrival every day.  This spiritual foundation would not be realized until I reached my late twenties.  So while a spiritless edifice was built on top of my spiritual foundation formed at St Vincent, the latter spiritless edifice in me crumbled over time because of bad decisions, but the foundation held strong. It is of the utmost importance to have a strong spiritual foundation established early in life.

It was not my parents that built my spiritual foundation, but rather the priests and sisters of St Vincent.  I had some sad moments at this school as well; there was unfair treatment of me first, and then my sister later as she caught up with me during my repeat of second grade.  But the love of the sisters and the priests far overshadowed the cruelty of the one lay teacher whom I found out later, didn’t care for my mother and made my sister and me her way of revenge.

At a much later point in my life when my first marriage was failing I asked a friend about seeing a priest.  He told me that I could talk to his priest. I informed him that he was not catholic and therefore could not have a priest.  He said, “follow me.”  He took be to St. Anne’s Episcopal Church where I was eventually baptized. I did not know of priests outside of Roman Catholicism, and now, I am one. There is nothing more important than establishing a strong spiritual foundation early in our children.

“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 and 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 24: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 37:1 to18; Evening,  Psalm 37:19 to 42;
Ezra 1:1 to 11; 1^st Corinthians 16:1 to 9; Matthew 12:15 to 21:

“On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. And when I arrive, I will send any whom you approve with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem:” (1^st Corinthians 16: 2 and 3).

Thus Paul begins the Sunday collection. Sunday has always been known as the First Day of the Week.  And so, we Christians, meet together for our traditional morning worship of our Lord Jesus, as we should.  This is a morning in remembrance of the Resurrection of our Lord so it truly is a re-living of Easter every week throughout the year.  But it is also a weekly collection of the fruits of our labors, that is, some of our money.  And we should do this also. Our Church needs money to pay its bills and staff including its clergy and administrative support. But Sunday is work, not a Sabbath Day in my humble opinion. The Sabbath should still be acknowledged and set aside on the Seventh Day, Saturday. However, I am aware that we have moved away from this.

In our readings for today they all seem to have either a money component or an invitation to the Gentiles, that is the Nations, to come and believe in the One True God. And in the case of the Gospel, to follow our Lord Jesus, including the Gentiles.

Let us start with money and the Holy Place.  After king Cyrus takes over from king Nebuchadnezzar he assists the Israelites by letting them rebuild the house of the Lord with whatever money of the day that they needed. He says, “and let all survivors, in whatever place they reside, be assisted by the people of their place with silver and gold, with goods and with animals, besides freewill-offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem:” Ezra 1: 4). Cyrus is not an Israelite himself,. He is a Persian, of the nations or, Gentiles outside of Israel. And then we have Paul.  Paul tells the Church in Corinth in our New Testament reading to collect early so as to expedite the transfer of money to Jerusalem, that city that kills the Prophets. (Luke 13: 34)

In the Gospel according to Matthew, our Lord Jesus knows what the Pharisees are up to and keeps his distance. He does his works of healing and salvation from the fringes and so opens himself to the Gentiles, the Nations. We too are called to care for those outside ourselves. And we are not to value money in any of its forms more than we value God or the body of Christ, that is, the Church. When it comes to the love of Jesus our Lord, there is no “us/them.”  All believers are one body in Christ Jesus. Nothing separates us, not ethnicity, nor country of origin, nor its language, nor sex or its orientations, and certainly not money. We are a body of both the rich and the poor together.

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