onewhoponders

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

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 26: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 69: ; Evening, Psalm 73;
Ezra 7:27 to 28, 8:21-36; Revelation 15:1 to 8; Matthew 14:13 to 21:

“When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” (Matthew 14:15 and 16)

I think the disciples forgot one of the most important of Jewish codes of conduct; the hospitality code. Our Lord Jesus has extended this hospitality requirement to not only the disciples, but to all of us who follow him, to all who call themselves Christian.

In modeling this hospitality code, Jesus teaches us to depend on God to assist us.  After our Lord takes the food, he blesses it before dividing it up and handing it out. We are not alone in caring for others. There is no one we can help whom God does not love. And this hospitality code is not limited to food.

Assisting the needy with a place to shower and sleep, with medical care, and transportation to any of these places is equally important. What we need, all people need as well. It matters not about where we are, or how little we have.  God is not about what little we have.  God is about how much we care.

Since the beginning of creation God has brought us into a “shared” world; a world in which we humans were the last to arrive and share with creation what was already here. Thus, we are trusted to share with one another to the best of our ability, within reason, and we are not to look for easy excuses to deny others. We must love them, feed them, clothe them, house them and heal them. Let us take our Sabbath rest and ponder what these lessons might mean.

Once a Marine, always a Marine.  Today is our Marine Corps Birthday!  Semper Fidelis; Always Faithful.

“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 Reading for Thursday of Proper 26: Year1

Morning, Psalm 71; Evening, Psalm 74:
Ezra 7:1to 26; Revelation 14:1 to 13; Matthew 14:1 to 12

For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach the statutes and ordinances in Israel.” (Ezra 7:10)

Our Ezra reading for today reports a long list of fathers that led to Ezra. I find this paternal lineage very impressive. His lineage is from Aaron the original chief priest. It is hard to find this kind of fatherhood today. And, it’s problematic. Irresponsible fatherhood can lead to neglected children.

For my own lineage, I am John, some of Tom, son of Dinky Guy.  I don’t know much more than that.  However, I do have a son who is also John. The point to be made is that faithful fatherhood for sons is so important.  It is more important for a son to be the faithful offspring of a good father than being his biological offspring. I believe responsible fatherhood will curve the number of starving children all over the world.

Faithful fatherhood is also very important for the raising of girls also. I have daughters. Some biological, some not, all loved very much.  In the end, it is only love that matters. Young women who had loving fathers look for loving men to partner with should they be heterosexual. But regardless of sexual orientation, sons and daughters are able to live into all that God wants them to be if they are raised by good fathers. They may not “set their hearts to study the law of the Lord, and do it,” as did Ezra, but there is a greater chance of them being good people and good citizens and good parents themselves.

All of us should be proud to identify ourselves as sons or daughters of whoever our parents are or were. If not, then we have all the more reason to begin a good and faithful lineage so that our sons and daughters will identify as being from us. Sometimes we just have to start something good.

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 or Wednesday of proper 26

Morning, Psalm 72; Evening, Psalm 119:73 to 96;
Nehemiah 13:4 to 22; Revelation 12:1 to 12; Matthew 13:53 to 58:

 “He came to his home town and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?’ (Matthew 13: 54 to 56)

Every time I read this passage it reminds me to not leave God out of the equation.  His hometown folk did know who Jesus was as he grew up among them, but they, and often I, fail to craft the question correctly. It is not “Where” did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power?  The correct question is, “From whom” did this man get this wisdom and these great deeds of power?

God can, and often does use any one of us to do great deeds of power. The sooner we accept that all great deeds of power come from God, and that God is always using someone among us to do or speak great deeds, we will then stop being critical of one another and appreciate God working through us, for us. When this acceptance happens, hopefully we will stop being critical people we have known only because we have known them. We must always ask, “What is God doing now?”

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 26: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 61 and 62; Evening,  ;Psalm 68:
Nehemiah 12:27 to 31a, and 42b to 47; Revelation 11:1 to 19; Matthew 13:44 to 52:

“The earth shook, and the skies poured down rain, at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.  You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; you refreshed the land when it was weary:” (These are two verses from Psalm 68)

I watched a video where people (many women and children of southern Madagascar) are starving due to global climate change. For them climate change is not political, it is life, or should I say, the ending of it.  To read these words of a gracious rain in today’s Psalm 68 I thought how wonderful it would be for God to have it rain for these people, even in spite of the ecological negligence the rest of us perpetrate on them, and others like them.

That God would have me catch this television article on the day of the words of Psalm 68 is no coincidence. That I am sharing these words with you is also no coincidence. You and I need to advocate for the downtrodden on our planet, this fragile earth our island home.`

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 Proper 26: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 56 and 57; Evening, Psalms 64 and 65;
Nehemiah 6:1 to 19; Revelation10:1 to 11; Matthew 13:36 to 43

“I will confess you among the peoples, O Lord; I will sing praise to you among the nations.” (Psalm 57)

I talk God up whenever I am with others in order that they understand that my progression in life is not my strategy conceived and built by me, but rather by God.  I want people to put their trust in God again. We are not on our own to love whom we choose. We are owned by Love to love all. Hate has no place in us.

For me, “confessing God” means giving God proper credit for the good that happens to us as we journey through life.  I know that the good that has happened to me was not of my own doing. There have been opportunities and breaks in my life that were beyond anything I could ask or imagine. There have been military or government rules or regulations that were broken or changed that favored my further progression as a servant of God. And for all this I am so truly thankful.

Today our Church remembers William Temple: Archbishop of Canterbury (6 November 1944) The Temple quote that I really like is, “The Church exists primarily for the sake of those who are still outside it. It is a mistake to suppose that God is only, or even chiefly, concerned with religion.”

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 Proper 26: Year A

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13: Matthew 23:1-12

“Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach.”  (Matthew 23:1 to 3)

As Jesus instructs his followers to follow the teachings of the Pharisees, he cautions them not to observe their behavior for they themselves do not follow their on words.

According to our New Testament the Pharisees and scribes have always sought recognition and glory for themselves. We are told that that give long prayers in various places and wear extravagant garments so as to be noticed and recognized by all.  And just as this lesson given by our Lord Jesus is for religious leaders of all stripes, we must remember that we are all religious leaders if we live and walk by our faith. 

We tend to follow the examples handed down to us by parents, pastors and peers.  Not all examples handed down to us by any of the three ‘P’s are necessarily noble or even decent. If we hear “do not smoke or curse,” and yet we see our leaders do so, we are inclined to do so as well.

Jesus says our leaders know better, they often just don’t do better. We then, are asked to discern the difference between their words and their actions. But this lesson goes to us as well.

You and I are called to be “doers” of our words and not just speakers of words. We are called to lead by example regardless of what title is given to us.

From Douglas R. A. Hare; “This passage is perennially relevant. It is not a mortal sin for clergy to be addressed as ‘Reverend,’ Father,’ Doctor,’ or ‘Pastor.’ The eagerness of laypeople to exalt ordained persons by those honorific titles, however, intensifies the minister’s responsibility to work diligently at breaking down the barrier between clergy and laity.”

Titles aside, God is watching. Clergy or Laity, we are all teachers of the love of Christ; especially parents, and pastors. It would even be good for parents and pastors to observe who the peers of our little ones are.

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 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