onewhoponders

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 6; Year 2

Morning, Psalm 80;Evening, Psalm 77;

Numbers 9:15 to 23 and 10:29-36; Romans 1:1 to 15; Matthew 17:14 to 21:

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,  To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:1 – 7)

Wow! Paul: What an intro! I need to break this down in order to digest it.  First of all, I do believe Paul was called to be an apostle of the Gospel of God.  That whole experience on the road to Damascus was proof of that. I also believe that the prophets of the Hebrew Testament foretold of the coming of the Messiah, the Lord, our Lord Jesus, who was raised according to the human household code of David but sanctified by the Holy Spirit of God by which he survived death and that self-same Holy Spirit is with us today in us as the Spirit of God.

It is through the risen Lord that we receive grace and apostleship and all we will ever need to bring about the obedience of faith among all the inhabitants of earth. This obedience of faith is a slow process by human understanding but it is the work we are called to do nonetheless. You and I must keep the faith no matter what.  And so Paul dubs us as saints. Therefore, “Grace to us and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

This call that God has on us brings us out of death into everlasting life. For our part we must have faith, we must believe.  Faith is the handle by which heaven grabs us and brings us before the Holy Presence of God.  Even Paul will say later there is no difference between Jew and Greek or any other walk of human life.  All of us are products of God’s unending love and have the invitation through faith to continue to be with God after this life. Our faith secures our final destination.

When we get to the Great Beyond we will see that there is no difference between Ukrainians and Russians. Russians should live that way now. Their faith in the loving inclusiveness of God will pave the way for their entry into the everlasting. If they refuse to let the love of God work through them then they have no heaven handles, and they are not picked up. In this way, the Ukrainians win the most important battle, the battle of life everlasting. It’s not too late for any of us to repent.

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

Eucharistic Readings for Trinity Sunday: Year C

Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15

“God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

These words are the words we use every week at our Women’s Bible Study.  So they really resonate with the ladies and with me.  We open with Noon Day Prayers. We close the opening with a final prayer petitioning God, praying, “Heavenly Father, send your Holy Spirit into our hearts, to direct and rule us according to your will, to comfort us in all our afflictions, to defend us from all error, and to lead us into all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord; Amen.” And then we go into our Bible Study.  

God’s love is in us. Many biblical writings report this;from Jeremiah 31:31-34, to what we have in Romans 5:5 for today.  God has already done this wonderful thing to bring us closer to God. We just have to rely on it and trust it. As the writings say, we have God’s love through the Holy Spirit. As we learned last week (Pentecost Sunday) the Holy Spirit of God has come among us. This Holy Spirit works through the gathered community, the Church. This is why we must come together, yes, as an organized religion.  Jesus did not say go and do your own thing, but rather, he said, “follow me.”

We are a creedal people.  My own personal creed is Trinitarian.  While I still adhere to the tenets of our Nicene Creed, I needed to fashion words that more closely articulate my personal theology. And, here it is, “I Trust in the Creating Word through the Holy Spirit of the Incarnate Word, in whom we live and move and love and have our being, and to whom we must give an account.”

I try to be intentional about worshiping God in spirit and truth. This was foretold by Jesus when he said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks;” (John 4:23). This remembrance of Trinity Sunday informs us that God meets us where we are.  Some of us may need an All Powerful God to move the waters so that we can get to safety. I think this is the Presence of God that will bring the war in Ukraine to an end.  We may need a companion God while on the road to Emmaus to break bread with us and stop gun violence. Or, we may need the Great Spirit of  God to visit us in our dreams, or through the voice of another to guide us on our way (as revealed in our Gospel lesson for today), and move us away from divisiveness, all to have us do God’s will on earth as it is in heaven.  In all of these cases we are “on the move” with One or another aspect of the Trinity.” 

This concept is fully captured in our Collect for Trinity Sunday: “Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

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 Saturday of Proper 5: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 75 and 76; Evening, Psalms 23 and 27;

Numbers 3:1 to 13; Galatians 6:11 to 18; Matthew 17:1 to13:

“While he 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)

This is the second time we hear this proclamation from heaven.  In chapter three of Matthew after Jesus was baptized a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved,with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) We also read these words in 2^nd Peter, chapter 1, verse 17 about the mountain top experience.  The big difference here is the addition of, “listen to him,” in Matthew’s Gospel account.  I am currently putting together a book wherein listening is the first of five “L’s” that leads to life enhancement and leadership.  More on that at another time.

Inherent in listening is learning and the expectation of amendment of life. Our duty here on earth, in this lifetime, is to prepare ourselves for our eternal time with God.  As much as the Book of Ecclesiastes talks about “all is vanity under the sun,” the writer sums the whole thing up in the last words from the Book of Ecclesiastes; “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for that is the whole duty of everyone.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13)

Listening brings learning, which brings loving, which enhances living, and may someday call one to leading. At the heart of any Truth and Reconciliation Commission, is listening. But listening is an art, an under developed art. Too many of us do not know how to really listen.. Too many of us pretend to listen while internally developing our comeback statements. We don’t listen so as to really understand. Real listening leads to action.

Peter, James and John, on the Mountain, listened to God say who Jesus is. Their listening led them to learning, and loving. They then lived out their new Truth and became leaders in the Jesus movement.

I wonder if Russia listens to Ukraine (and the rest of the world with regard to Ukraine)  just wanting to live in freedom and safety, just as Russia also wants for itself. Why does the Russian Orthodox Church not take issue with what the Russian government is doing?  All Christians have the same Jesus whom we Christians are told to listen to.

God said, concerning Jesus, “This is my Son, the Beloved;with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”  This kind of listening requires not only the hearing part, but also the obeying part as well.

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 Friday of Proper 5: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 69:1-23 (24-30) 31-38; Evening,  Psalm 73;

Ecclesiastes 11:9 to 12:14; Galatians 5:25 to 6:10; Matthew 16:21 to 28:

“Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.” (Galatians 5:26)

Sadly, we have become tribal team members. Maybe our school athletic programs and teams have programmed us to think in this way for everything else we encounter.  Perhaps we are too team oriented. I can remember once when I went to a high school basketball game wherein my school played an undefeated school that in fact had not lost a basketball game in years.  We beat them that night and one of their cheerleaders fainted. She just couldn’t believe it. There were also altercations from students from both schools after the game. So sad.

I think we need to check ourselves.  Sports are fine, but still, just sports.  Is it possible that our lessons about sports team loyalty has taken control of all allegiances, for example, political party, church denomination, the so-called “race” we happened to be born into, and so forth? We are always competing against one another.  It’s silly and shameful.

There is the one team of God; and then there is the sorted little made-up human teams. In our Gospel lesson for today our Lord Jesus makes a clear distinction between the human team and the team of God.  When Peter began to rebuke Jesus about the God ordained path he was about to take, “He [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ (Matthew 16: 23)

It is often uncomfortable, but we too must look beyond human, made-up distinctions, to that divine allegiance we have with God.  We must realize that being created in God’s Image we are all on the same team.  Anything less than allegiance to God is just sports and should “get behind us Satan.”

One of the things I try to see from God’s perspective is how much alike are Russians and Ukrainians. The only distinguishing difference I can see is the hatred one group has for the other. God did not make us this way.  We need to stop competing against one another, envying one another, as Paul said to the Galatians. Hating one another is hating God who made us.

“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 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 Thursday of Proper 5: Year 2

Morning, Psalm [70], 71; Evening, Psalm 74;

Ecclesiastes 11:1-8; Galatians 5:16-24; Matthew 16:13-20

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?”  (Matthew 16: 13 to 15)

All of the people who were asked who Jesus was, brought up people from their own historical past, either known or were taught about. Not one of them left room for a New Person, One they had not seen or heard of, but was indeed prophesied about.

Today we have a taught (and teaching) Jesus who existed in the flesh in our past. But our Lord Jesus also lives with us today in the Holy Spirit.  So, who do you say our Lord Jesus is? He is the living Holy Spirit that dwells in each of us and in our Church.  We then, are the fruits of His Spirit.  Paul tells us about the fruit of the Spirit in our New Testament lessen for today from Galatians.  He says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.  And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5: 22 – 24)

Who do we say Jesus is?  More importantly, how do we say who Jesus is?  We say it by our behavior and kindness, by our compassion and caring.  Through our deeds we say who our leader is because we model ourselves after him.

In so following Jesus we must speak out against the crimes perpetrated against Ukraine by Russian forces.  The Jesus we know wants us to say who he is by following His Commandments. His Commandments are to love God and to love one another as He loves us. We know Jesus as One who heals, teaches, and restores.  This is what Ukraine needs so much right now, restoration.  Let us today say who Jesus is.  Jesus is not one of the prophets of old, but rather, He is the one whom the those prophets prophesied about.  We proclaim that we know our Lord Jesus through our love and actions.

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 Wednesday Proper 5: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 72; Evening, Psalm 119:73 to 96;

Ecclesiastes 9:11 to 18; Galatians, 5:1 to 15; Matthew 16:1 to 12:

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith workingthrough love.” (Galatians 5:6)

 We have already seen in Chapter 3 of Galatians that “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus,”  (Galatians 3:28).  Paul continues now challenging their sacred religious traditions of circumcision. Faith working through love means everything.  What we do to our bodies has little to do with our heavenly value.  Today we can get our bodies tattooed, pierced, tucked and “Botoxed” and while it may impress certain human interest they have no value in the next life. And I also feel such practices don’t devalue our bodies either. They are all forms of art, personal art.

My own personal observation is that once circumcision is of no importance, women become equal recipient of God’s grace in human eyes. Women have always been equal recipients of God’s grace in God’s eyes.

What counts in the next life, and what will get us to the next life, is belief in God and love for our fellow human beings.  Our little body of practices here mean nothing. When we live by a code of faith in the love of God and truly believe that God is overseeing what we are doing, and that God is good, all the time, we will live a life of love for all people.  And the truth is, we will love them even if they ink themselves, pierce themselves, tuck themselves and/or “Botox” themselves. In God’s love we will overlook their (and our) little makeovers and love them for who God made them to be with God’s indelible Word stamped forever on their hearts; even if they are unawares.

I also want to point out that all of us, Ukrainians, Russians, Americans and all “ans,” are national titles that we give ourselves. The only concern I believe God has is that some nation on earth becomes, and remains, a beacon for love, liberty and the pursuit of justice and happiness. I hope and pray we are that beacon. And I pray other nations will see our light and emulate us.  While we still have problems with gun violence, racism, sexism and other isms attached to our “ans,” I pray that as individuals we each work to make ourselves better. By doing so, we become a better family, community, state, country and beacn.

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 5: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 61 and 62; Evening, Psalm 68:1 to 20 (21-23) 24 to 36;

 Ecclesiastes 8:14 to 9:10; Galatians 4:21 to 31; Matthew 15:29 to 39:

“Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ‘I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.” (Matthew 15: 33)

Because of Covid, we, the Church, have come full circle back from feeding the multitude camped outside on the Church grounds. Our Bishop instructed us (the Episcopal priest of East Carolina), two years ago, to Consecrate “Both Kinds” but to give only the bread.  I had compassion on the people who have missed Holy Communion for so long but at the same time remembering we could have not gathered for church at all. At least the readings, message, prayers and the wafer are better than not having church, and it is full communion with Christ. That was two years ago this month. We are now back to full communion with wine that can be received from small glass chalices or from the Common Cup as Jesus did. It is up to individual preference.

Who’s to say what would happen should the people continue without any communion at all for much longer.  Might they too have spiritually fainted on the way?  I have witnessed firsthand how glad parishioners are to be in gathered community, even in the heat of the day when we were restricted to outside worship.  Social media Church does not come close to satisfying the spiritual hunger people have as they struggle to keep Christ in their lives.  When I dismiss them I can see the satisfaction on their faces as they walk to their cars.  All I can say is, Thank you Lord Jesus for letting me be a part of Your ministry.

We are pretty much back to some sort of normalcy now. We use the common chalice and the small individual little glass chalices.  We meet the needs of the people which includes the individual preference for wearing masks.

We have been following our Lord Jesus for a long time. We don’t want to faint during our travels. We Christians need to be fed even as we are feeding others.  We live in a world of caring for others and at the same time, being cared for ourselves.

Having said all this, let us not forget caring for Ukraine. The people of Ukraine are faint right now but not defeated. They have us, and they have our prayers and financial support.  We must walk with them all the way no matter what. God bless Ukraine.

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 Monday of Proper 5: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 56 and 57; Evening, Psalms 64 and 65;

Ecclesiastes 7:1 to 14; Galatians 4:12 to 20; Mathew 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; God 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 mother’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. The first component brings about the second, humility.  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.

This is a transitional move by God to include with the Jewish nation all people on earth. 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.”  Our current Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, United States of America says, the most important prayer we can pray is, “Help.”

I continually ask for help through our Lord Jesus for the Nation of Ukraine. Help them Lord Jesus. Let the crumbs from your Table fall on, and for, them. Knowing that you are always doing more for us than we could ever ask or imagine, Thank You Lord Jesus.

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

Eucharistic Readings for the Day of Pentecost: Year C

Psalm 104:25-35 and 37; Acts 2:1 to 21; Romans 8:14 to 17; John 14:8 to 17:

 ^“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.” (John 14:16)

These words from The Gospel of John were recited and remembered well before the writings of the Acts of the Apostles, in our Acts reading for today.  But even in John’s Gospel, Jesus tells of a coming time when God will send the Holy Spirit to be with, and lead our assembled Church.

What does “another” advocate mean?  Our Lord Jesus was an advocate for us, not so much for human authorities, but for believers, as the real intercessor of our faithful presence before God.

Perhaps the greatest harm that Covid did to us was to stop us from coming together. Many of us have now gone to live streaming worship or other Church telecommunications as a way of worship. I fear something is missing with “e-worship.”  Our parish has gone to ending our Old and New Testament readings with the words, “Hear what the Spirit is saying to God’s people:” rather than “The Word of the Lord.”  The Holy Spirit of God can speak two different meanings to two different people sitting side by side using the same words. It is far more important to feel the guidance of the Holy Spirit than to be fixated on the literal words that were read. But we must be together for this to happen.  We have become so accustomed to not coming to Church that some find it difficult to come back now that Covid is declining.  We need to turn this around.  

In Acts we have New Testament people recalling Old Testament prophecy. What we have this time in our Acts reading is a repeat of the Prophet Joel, Chapter 2, verse 28 to 32. Whether it’s Acts or Joel, the point is that God will pour out the Spirit of God on all “gathered” community who accept it and call on God so that they will be saved. Saved in this sense is different from cured.  This “saved” refers to life after death, eternal life. 

The Acts message is so inclusive that it is spoken by people who did not know the language of the Gentiles to whom the message went to but was heard clearly by those Gentiles who never knew Jesus.  It makes no difference.  If they too call on Jesus, they will be saved. If we call on Jesus we will be saved, forever.

As we receive the Holy Spirit let us not forget Ukraine in our prayers. This same Spirit of God who speaks the universal language of love and togetherness is completely understood by the people of Ukraine. They are not cut off by Covid but rather they are trying to be cut off by tyranny. We must not let that happen. We will continue to pray in the Spirit, in the Advocate that God has sent to be with us forever. We are all one in the Spirit.

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 Saturday of the 7^th Week of Easter: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 107:33-43 and Psalm 108; Evening, Eve of Pentecost Psalm 33;

Ezekiel 36:22 to 27; Ephesians 6:10 to 24; Matthew 9:18 to 26:

“ Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.”  (Ephesians 6: 18)

Paul says to “pray in the Spirit.”  How do I do that?  Do I sit quietly and meditate on what I want God to do?  Do I ask the Spirit to pray through me?  That has been said by Paul, that it is not we who pray but the Spirit who prays through us. “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God;” (Romans 8: 26 and 27).  I think both of these concepts are correct.

It is at least an American tradition to incorporate prayer into events. We have become accustomed to asking someone to pray at meals, or, for the opening or closing of meetings or ceremonies.  And we have framed prayer as religious words heard at key points of events.  I am normally chosen to perform these prayer duties when I am present, or asked to be present.   I think the writers that were read by our early Christian parents encouraged our parents to pray quietly. In fact, we may not have been able to tell when they were praying and when they were not.  Prayer is not restricted to Church. Church depends on prayer prayed outside itself.

Prayer, sitting with our Creator and being open to divine instruction, is the most important experience we can have on any day, but more especially on a Sabbath Day like today.  

Occasionally however, people need to hear words of adoration to assist them in their spiritual focus.  When it’s needed, it should be provided. When audible prayer is needed it should be remembered that what is heard comes from the silent, loving heart of a faithful person.  Just as St. Francis said “go out and preach the Gospel and when necessary use words,” I say, pray always, and when necessary use words, words that others may actually hear.

Tomorrow we begin the Season of Pentecost.  It is the annual remembering of the Church receiving the Holy Spirit. I pray that the Holy Spirit leads all houses of worship in ways that end the Russian war against Ukraine. I pray for Ukraine both silently and aloud. Please God, help them. I pray that we all keep alert and persevere in supplication for all the saints in Ukraine.

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