onewhoponders

Daily Office Readings for Saturday, of the 6^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 87 and  90; Evening,  Psalm 136;
Ezekiel 3:4 to 17; Hebrews 5:7 to 14; Luke 9:37 to 50:

“John answered, ‘Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he does not follow with us.’ But Jesus said to him, ‘Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.” (Luke 9:49 and 50)

I understand these words from Jesus as a lesson in ecumenicalism, specifically, dialogue and action between different Christian denominations resulting in good works for a community.

What makes Christians Christian is the belief in, and use of, the Name of Jesus to bring about good. John, in our Luke reading for today, is upset that a Jesus believer is someone whom he does not know. But he is making good use of the Name of Jesus. Jesus tells him to let him be.  Ironically, the Gospel of this same person of John, in the Gospel according to John, records Jesus saying, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd:” (John 10:16).

I think different gatherings of today’s Christian Church focuses on different agenda. Some are concerned with the forgiveness of sins; some on equality of life; some are about the afterlife; some are about our historic church; some are about who Jesus is and what he wants of us. some are about inclusivity and love for all. None of the Christian Churches, that I can see, have a perfect program. Perhaps the ecumenical approach is best. But in no way am I saying the “Non-Denominational Church is the perfect answer, or for that matter, my own faith choice, the Episcopal Church.  While we all are confused by trying to follow the Jesus path, we all have stumbling blocks.

I pray that as we all mature spiritually, that we evolve in a way that looks like “devolving.” That is, we begin to look and act more and more alike.  It seems to me that we got where we are today by “splintering” over divisive issues.  We must learn to have dialogue rather than debate; consensus rather than election where voting makes winners and losers.  For the most part, we all have something good to do in the Name of our Lord Jesus. And we are all called by him into one fold, under One Shepherd.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, 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 the 6^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 85 and 86; Evening,  Psalms 91 and  92;
Ezekiel 1:28 to 3:3; Hebrews 4:14 to 5:6; Luke 9:28 to 36:

“Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him” (Luke 9:35)

Jesus went up to pray, a separate place to pray, and took only Peter, James and John , from all who were following him.  We are informed that Jesus, Peter, James and John we then joined by Moses and Elijah from their own place in eternal life. And while there seems to be a separate conversation happening with Jesus, Moses and Elijah, all this brightness happens within the light of prayer, which is why Jesus went to this location in the first place. Let us not omit that there is a presence beyond the six figures atop the mountain. The very voice of God speaks to Peter, James and John saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen.”

This is the second time the voice of God proclaims our Lord Jesus as the pride of God. The voice of God says it the first time when Jesus comes up out of the water after being baptized by John in the river Jordan.  There is a little bit of a difference this time however. In this Transfiguration reading, the words, “Listen to him,” has been added.

We must understand that, “Listen to him,” means to heed his commands and to do what he tells us. There is a barrier broken on this mountain top experience. Our Lord Jesus has taken them to another dimension of time and space. This moved Peter so much that he recalls the experience in his own written letters in our Bible where 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 had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.  For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.” (2^nd Peter 1: 16 to 18)

My beloved in the Lord, we can only pray, as we read these words, asking God to bend these dimensions once again within us, so that we too might receive deeper understanding about the realities of the kingdom of God.  We too must find a quiet place to be alone with our Lord Jesus and witness His radiance.  Let us ponder this in our Sabbath time tomorrow.

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

 “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

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

Eucharistic Readings for Ascension Day: All Years

Acts 1:1 to 11; Psalm 47; or Psalm 93;  Ephesians 1:15 to 23;   Luke 24:44 to 53:

“Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,” (Luke 24: 45) 

The Bible, and in particular, the Gospel accounts, should be studied within prayer and faithful, unassuming believers.  I have learned from my time facilitating Women’s Bible Study, Sunday Christian Formation, Confirmation Classes, Group Spiritual Direction, Education for Ministry, the Brotherhood of St Andrew and Virginia Theological Seminary, that real learning is accomplished when we open with prayer, be honest about what we don’t know, and be willing to surrender to what the Spirit is saying to God’s people and the Churches. This is how our minds are opened still today.

I have learned very little, if anything, from reading in solitude for knowledge only, save perhaps some meditational pondering of our Daily Office.  I have gained some spiritual insight from listening to others preach. Thank You Jesus.  But for the most part, it is when I am in the company of believers that my “mind is opened to more fully understand the scriptures.”  

From the Acts of the Apostles we read, “When he [Jesus], had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven;” (Acts 1: 9 to 11).  With this, I am reminded; Christ was born, Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ has ascended, and Christ will come again.

It is believed by most theologians the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were written by the same person, Luke the Physician.  Both works have our Lord Jesus ascending up into heaven.  Happy Ascension Day.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, 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 the 6^th Week of Easter: Year 1:

Morning,  Psalm 119:97 to 120;

Baruch 3:24 to 37; James 5:13 to 18; Luke 12:22 to 31:

Eve of Ascension:

Psalm 68; 2nd Kings 2:1-15; Rev. 5:1-14; Baruch 3:24 to 37:

“He is our God, the God of our salvation; God is the Lord, by whom we escape death.” (Psalm 68:20)

As we prepare to remember and celebrate the Ascension of our Lord Jesus into Heaven tomorrow, we reflect today on God’s Presence with us in the person of the Resurrected Jesus.

The Resurrection itself, Easter, is the significant Christian event.  Our Lord Jesus came back to life after being put to death.  In his Resurrection many came to believe in him, this includes members of his family who formerly were not numbered among his disciples, his brother James to mention one.

The Resurrected Jesus visited with the apostles behind locked doors, and on paths to different towns, and even on the shore as they were fishing. Scripture informs us that there were many more times that he was present with different people that were not written in the scriptures. His Resurrected presence lasted for forty days, a little longer than a month. This living defeat of death sealed the faith of Christianity forever and eternity.

But the time came when our Lord Jesus would let us know that he will depart back to his eternal glory where he is preparing a place for all who both believe, and live out that belief, in the way they live their lives.  For more than a month Jesus has shown us that there is life after death. You and I will not be able to return to this world as he did but we will be among the family of the faithful who continue to walk in the love of God, and of one another, forever. We will do this because we have an awesome God. “He is our God, the God of our salvation; God is the Lord, by whom we escape death.” (Psalm 68:20)

Today we remember Thurgood Marshall; Lawyer and Jurist.

 Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, serving from October 1967 until October 1991. Marshall was the Court’s 96th justice and its first African-American justice.

Marshall was a devoted Episcopalian and an active member of St. Philip’s Church in Harlem, serving on the Vestry, as Senior Warden and as Deputy to the 1964 General Convention, before moving to Washington.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, 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 the 6^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 78:1 to 39; Evening, Psalm 78:40 to 72;
Deuteronomy 8:11 to 20; James 1:16 to 27; Luke 11:1 to 13:

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world,” (James 1:27).

It seems that in any pure and undefiled religion there is the humanitarian requirement to care for others, especially those who are stressed such as orphans and widows. Jews, Christians, and Muslims, all have the requirement to care for the needy. And, all can be pure religions.

We who call ourselves Christians have our Lord Jesus as the divine example of pure religion. Jesus was very attentive to the needs of the sick, the demon possessed, the blind, and all who were stressed in His world and ours. And, our Lord Jesus responds to the needs of the people in ways that improve their lives. And he still does today.

Now, let us not ignore the words, “to keep oneself unstained by the world.”  I don’t think this applies to the planet when James says “the world.” I think he means the people of the world. I have been round the planet six times while serving in the Marines. I have met good and bad people from all walks of life.  With many people that I have met, I could not speak their language and was unfamiliar with their traditions and customs. But through it all, there were good people trying to be as hospitable as they could; and, there were those, for whatever reason, only wanted to take advantage of me and others, and to be self-serving, hostile and unfriendly. I don’t know why.

I think if we attach our words from James for today with the words from the prophet Micah where he says, “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  (Micah 6:8). This coupled with the words from James, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world,” (James 1:27).  These words will guide any of us, of any religious stripe, to be the best persons we can be no matter where on the planet we live, or language we speak, or faith we profess. These words help us to stay unstained by the unfriendly and inhospitable people of the world. God made us all with the unlimited capacity to love one another. We just have to choose to do so.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, 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 the 6^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 80; Evening, Psalm 77:
Deuteronomy 8:1 to 10; James 1:1 to 15; Luke 9:18 to 27:

“He, [Jesus], said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered, ‘The Messiah of God.” (Luke 9: 20)

If I have said this once, I have said it at least fifty times, we say who Jesus is by the way we follow in is steps and mannerisms. We can give voice all day to who we think Jesus is. In fact, wars among Christians have been waged because of differences about who people understood our Lord Jesus to be.  Valuable resources went into military might, while people, especially mothers and orphans, of the warring countries were starving for the basic necessities of life. 

Some were saying that Jesus comes from the Father and is different from the Father, God Almighty.  The opposing view, is, that that our Lord Jesus is one and the same as God, being God Incarnate. So we Christians fought to the death about who Jesus is, forgetting that Jesus himself would not lift a finger in violence. Like the apostles of His day, we often still don’t get it.

If we really want to say who Jesus is, we will do so in the way we conduct ourselves. Our Anglican, Episcopal Church says that our Lord Jesus is One with God and therefore God Incarnate.  Jesus says quite clearly of himself that “The Father and I are One;” (John 10: 30). Peter says that Jesus is the Messiah “of” God, not “from” God. But we should not fight about it. Nor should we insist that everyone who comes to our Communion rail believes the exact same thing.  Many good Christian works are done by professed Christians who don’t believe the way we do. And, that’s fine.

The question of “Who do you say that Jesus is?, is an important one in terms of how you live your life the way you do. This is a question of religious faith. It is a question of how your religion responds to the real needs of the world. For those of us on the Jesus path, it should not be heated arguments about the origins or essence of Jesus, but rather, what does he command us to do? He commands us to love one another as he loves us, all of us. About our religion, let us remember the words of James that will be coming to us tomorrow: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world,” (James 1:27).  More on this tomorrow.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, 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

Eucharistic Readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter: Year A

Acts 17:22-31    Psalm 66:7-18  1 Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21

“This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:17)

Later in the Gospel according to John, Pontius Pilot asked Jesus, “What is Truth.”  Rowan Williams (Last Arch Bishop of Canterbury), remarked that this was the most profound question in the whole of the New Testament. This former Arch Bishop of Canterbury, a very learned and respected theologian, lifts this question up from the lips of a Roman governor as the most profound question of the New Testament.  The truth is so powerful and yet our Lord Jesus proclaims that the truth is part of who he is. He says of himself, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

Jesus promised us the Spirit of Truth. But Jesus also says that sometimes we are not able to hear the truth, that the truth is more than we can bear.  This reminds me of Jack Nicholson in the movie, “A Few Good Men” where he protests, “You can’t handle the truth.”  The Church too has had difficulty handling the truth.

Early in the history of the Church we supported the idea that the earth was flat. A little later, the Church refused to believe that the earth was not the center of the universe and that the earth revolved around the sun.  The Church accepted the notion that the sun was the little light that rose in the East and sat in the West as God had appointed it. People, early astronomers, who taught differently from the Church, were condemned by the Church as heretics. It was hard for the Church to believe the truth that we were not the center of the universe. But science helped the Church see the truth.

Another painful truth is that even priests of our beloved Church owned slaves before it was outlawed to do so. It seems constitutional law had to bring the morality of truth to our Church. What truths are we faced with now that we are not ready for, or “can’t handle?” 

We know our Lord Jesus because he abides with us.  And we know him because he is in us. Jesus also says that he has more to tell us but we aren’t ready yet.  This is 2023.  Perhaps we ought to be getting ready for a major shift in human existence. We need to prepare ourselves for, not only a new normal, but also to receive more truth.

Today is Mother’s Day! As God planned to come among us as one of us, God did this through human motherhood. There is nothing more truthful than motherhood. Mom goes to the hospital and gives birth to us. Motherhood is truth and a true gift from God which God also participated in by coming to us as our Lord Jesus.

Jesus says it is the Spirit of Truth that we will receive and that we know him because he abides in us. Thank You Lord Jesus.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, 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 the 5^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 75 and 76; Evening, Psalms 23 and 27;
Wisdom 19:1 to 8 and18 to 22; Romans 15:1 to 13; Luke 9:1 to 17:

“For there were about five thousand men.  And he said to his disciples, ‘Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.’ They did so and made them all sit down. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. And all ate and were filled.” (Luke 9: 14 to 17)

 I can remember asking my bishop, when I was about to graduate from seminary, to consider me for a small parish.  I felt most comfortable in small parishes. My sending parish, St. Christopher’s, Havelock, North Carolina, was such a small parish. It is easier to get to know all the members if it’s not a “mega” church, (five thousand members).  Of course, the financing is more challenging, especially with the Episcopal Church’s compensation package.  None the less, the five loaves and two fish of the small parish were sufficient to pass on to other groups of fifty. And, there were leftovers.

My supervisor during my field education while at seminary had a picture of the Lord’s Supper with a room full of people. Yes, the apostles were there, but so were other people also, other men, women and children. It was both solemn and celebratory.  I would love to have that painting or one like it. It suggests that while the apostles were present, they were not the only ones there, some disciples were present also. You and I were there also. For me, this painting doesn’t dispute the Bible, it tells the greater truth.

Our Lord Jesus teaches us to not look at the greatness of the five thousand or the littleness of the five loaves, but rather, to focus on the groups of fifty. We will get to the five thousand, fifty at a time. We will take them, bless them and dismiss them back into the outer community to further spread the word of the Kingdom of God.  Herein lies the fourfold points of Communion.  Our Lord Jesus Took, Blessed, Broke, and Gave to us the different pieces of blessings.  For us to be whole and holy, we must come together again and again, reuniting what is blessed in the hands of our Lord.

This distribution and making whole and holy is much easier done in smaller groups, say fifty or so.  We should come together weekly in remembrance of our Lord Jesus asking us to be seated in groups of about fifty. When we see members of our “family of fifty” outside of the parish, we know them, and are glad to see them.  We don’t worry about how little we have; we celebrate how much we love.  What a great parish.  What a great plan. What a great Lord and Leader.

Today we remember Frances Perkins:

Frances Perkins (April 10, 1880– May 14, 1965) was the U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, and the first woman appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. As a loyal supporter of her friend, Franklin D. Roosevelt, she helped pull the labor movement into the New Deal coalition. She and Interior Secretary Harold Ickes were the only original members of the Roosevelt cabinet who remained in offices for his entire presidency. During her term as Secretary of Labor, she was largely responsible for the U.S. adoption of social security, unemployment insurance, federal laws regulating child labor, and adoption of the federal minimum wage. (Taken from;

http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/frances_perkins.htm)

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan, 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 the 5^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 106:1 to 18; Evening, Psalm 106:19 to 48;
Wisdom 16:15 to17:1; Romans 14:13 to 23; Luke 8:40 to 56:

“He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.”  (Luke 8:48)

While Jesus was on his way to help Jairus’ daughter, he was touch by a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years.  This was an unintended healing. But more than that, this was an unexpected opportunity. I struggle with this term, “unexpected opportunity.”  If I didn’t see it coming, and it wasn’t planned for, how can it be an opportunity? Well, Jesus teaches me how to handle unexpected opportunities.

It was an opportunity for Jesus to show that we already have it within ourselves, to heal ourselves. It is our faith.  Jesus tells her (and us), that our faith makes us well. But we must realize that this woman “acted” on her faith. She got past those who were guarding Jesus; she let go of norms about touching a man she doesn’t know. She followed her faith against all odds to find healing.

I now realize that not only did Jesus show me how to deal with unexpected opportunities, The woman did also. What an unexpected opportunity to have our Lord Jesus come by when all other healings have failed.  Now she, and we, have to take advantage of this unexpected opportunity and do something. She did, and we should.  First, we must realize that our Lord Jesus is near us in our prayers.  It is through the faith that is implanted in us that our prayers go forth and touch Jesus. We must drop any, and all thoughts that inhibit our faith impulse to pray.  The faith that is in us will heal us.

Now is the time to expect the unexpected. Now is the time to make ourselves aware of the presence of our Savior and get close enough to touch him. As we approach our Sabbath downtime today, let us ponder about the healing faith that is in us. Let us reflect on the approach of Jesus in our lives and then be bold enough to prayerfully reach out to Him. Then, we too may “go in peace.”

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

 “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

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 the 5^th Week of Easter: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 71; Evening, Psalm 74;
Wisdom 14:27 to 15:3; Romans 14:1 to 12; Luke 8:26 to 39;

“But you, our God, are kind and true, patient, and ruling all things in mercy.  For even if we sin we are yours, knowing your power; but we will not sin, because we know that you acknowledge us as yours.” (Wisdom 15: 1 and 2)

We are the Lord’s; living or dead, we are the Lords. This writer brings out some points that I am thankful for, and at least one point that I am not so sure about.

I believe that God is kind and true, patient, and ruling all things in mercy.  In fact, I am counting on it; especially the mercy part.  I know that when the Bible writers say “all things,” it means all people.  The two words that really stand out for me are “kind,” and “mercy.”  I think the words are related. One who is kind is perhaps also merciful. I hope so.  Maybe in our being created in God’s Image, we too have the capacity to be kind and merciful?

The one point that I am not so sure about of our reading for today is, “we will not sin, because we know that you acknowledge us as yours.”  I will try hard not to sin. But I can’t guarantee that I will not sin.  I am however glad that God acknowledges us as God’s own.  This theme is shared in our Roman’s reading for today; “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”  (Romans 14: 7 and 8)  Yes, we are the Lord’s.  Thank You Lord Jesus.

I think our perspective about life changes once we realize that we live in the kindness and mercy of God. God is our Alfa and our Omega; our beginning and our end. But our end can be eliminated. We, all things, have an invitation to be with our Creator, in paradise, forever, in Christ Jesus. The beginning of the response to accept this invitation is to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)  It all gets back to kindness and mercy.

We are created in love, to love. Kindness and mercy shows God the love in us that God is looking for in all people.  When is the last time that you have had a chance to show kindness and mercy?  When is the last time that you have actually done so? These are two different questions. You may not even think about the opportunities you have had to be kind and merciful.  Sin can slip in on us so easily.  Our life perspective shifts when we are attentive to the opportunities presented to us to be kind and merciful. We need to be attentive to such times.  As we watch for such times, God is watching us.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, Sudan, South Sudan 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