onewhoponders

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 20:Year 2

Morning, Psalm 80; Evening, Psalm  77:

Esther 4:4 to 17 or Judith 7:1 to 7 and 19 to 32; Acts 18:1 to 11; and Luke (1:1-4),3:1-14

“In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”  (Luke 3: 1 and 2)

 Wow!, Really? Look at all the prestigious titles of human achievement exhibited here.  We have Emperor of Rome, Tiberius by name.  We have Pontius Pilate as Governor of all Judea. We have the puppet king Herod, called the king of Galilee, and his brother Philip who lost his wife to his brother Herod as witnessed by John The Baptist.  Philip was the ruler of two small sections of the occupied Palestinian area of Judea; and we have Lysaniaas, ruler of Abilene.  In addition to these, self absorbed government rulers, we have the self absorbed clergy also, Annas and Caiaphas as high priests. 

Now, here is the striking part; The Word of God by-passes all of these self-absorbed men, and goes to the selfless John hanging out in the wilderness sustaining himself on whatever the earth can provide.  He is the empty cup that God can fill because he has room to be filled.  The lesson here is that if we are full of ourselves, there is no room for God. A good friend of mine informed me a few years ago that EGO means Edging God Out. Let us keep in ourselves a holy space for God to dwell.

I ask that we also make room in our prayer life to lift up 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

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 20: Year C

1 Timothy 2:1 to7;  Luke 16:1to13

“He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.”  (Luke 16:6)

In this world of the power of money we should always remember to let compassion for others rule over the cash of others. I think we only created money so that trade for much needed items could be acquired with a less perishable medium.  Live stock, olive oil, grain, fish, fruit and other food items will not hold up for long.  Currency in the form of coins, on the other hand, will often last a lifetime, and can even be handed down to following generations. But money was always about the ability to take care of the needs of the family and community.  This was the idea of people fulfilling their needs and not so much about profit. Money was the means to a needed end.

Then we began to make money the end, rather than the means. We began to pursue money for its own end.  Money soon began to be the object of worship. People with little or no money were regarded as people of little or no value. We somehow forgot that money was just a tool for getting what we need. We forgot we needed each other more than the goods that money would buy. We forgot about being good to those who had less wealth than we did. We should always consider our own fallen state. We are no better than the people we manage or those who have less money than we do. No amount of money advances us in God’s eyes.

After his exposure, the crafty manager in our Gospel lesson wants to be remembered for how he put money aside in order to help his neighbors. Right now, today, we are creating the memory that others will have of us. Our priorities will be evidenced by where we put people in relation to wealth. We can’t have it both ways.  We can’t serve God and money. 

This decision to be nice to people only came about when the shrewd manager was told about the accounting that was about to take place. This “accounting” is going to take place with every one of us.  This, now, is a good time for a review of my personal creed again: “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.”  And give an account, we all must.

Now is the time to do what is necessary to be welcomed into the hearts and homes of our fellow travelers. My message to you is not to discount money, but rather, to remind us that money is made for us to use in order to purchase what we need to live on, in order that we, and our houses of worship, being sustained, we might be better enabled to worship God, not the money itself.  This is the trust we have in the Creating Spirit and Word that will enable us to give a good account when our time comes.

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 19; Year 2

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

Esther 2:5 to 8,15-23 or Judith 5:1 to 21; Acts 17:16 to 34; and  John 12:44 to 50

“The God who made the world and everything in it, he who is Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things.”  (Acts 17:24 and 25)

Paul explains to the people who believe in gods that there is only one God and God is unknown and not in need of human support or shelter. This means that if we humans did not exist, God is still God. God gives to us, not we to God.  Paul goes on to say “For “In him we live and move and have our being”” (Acts 17:28)

Paul is speaking to an educated people.  These are learned philosophers and people who strive to seek more knowledge.  Paul also speaks about human ignorance.  He says, “While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”  (Acts 17:30 and 31)

It is because of this Acts writing, and the understanding that the English word “believe” really has more to do with “trust,” that I crafted my own theological creed which 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.” 

We have a wonderful Nicene Creed in our Book of Common Prayer.  And I totally believe in it.  However, I needed something short that I could both easily recall as a guide for myself, and share quickly with someone while on an elevator if asked what I believe.  I ask you to do the same.  Use mine if you want.  But if you believe in a Supreme Being, write down a simple sentence that articulates your belief.  We have the gift of words.  Use this gift to help guide your relationship with our unknown, but very loving God.

Please keep Ukraine in your prayers.

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 19: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 69; Evening, Psalm 73;

Esther 1:1-4,10-19 or Judith 4:1-15; Acts 17:1-15; and John 12:36b-43

“And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a great many of the devout Greeks and not a few of the leading women,” (Acts 17:4)

The language of the Acts of the Apostles is very interesting.  Christians were first identified as Christians in Antioch as explained in chapter 11, verses 25 and 26.  But I notice that as we move through this chapter the followers are referred to as, “believers.”  I like it.  I like it because I think first of all, as observers of all that takes place in the world; each person must see that there is a Creating and Ordering Hand at work in life and in the universe.  Once we acknowledge and “believe” that, we can wrestle with what we want to believe about our Lord Jesus and his relationship to the Creator.  Believing is not limited to one sex or gender.

As the people listened to Paul and Silas with an open mind the Spirit of God began to make sense to them, all of them, men and women.  Some of the women were people with power and it helped Paul and Silas to continue with the work of spreading the Good News.

The fact that women were included is mentioned again.  Luke, the author of Acts, writes that, “Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men,” (Acts 17:12).  These new believers were men and women with equal standing in this new form of Judaism, or the Way.  I say Judaism only because Paul and Silas were Jews who branched off from their traditionally male dominated theology, to be open to where the Spirit of our Lord Jesus was leading them, and the new believers, all the believers who followed them.

This leadership is still at work today.  When we take the time to ponder about the love of God and how God came among us as our Lord Jesus, we too, men and women, are still empowered by that same Holy Spirit to continue the work of spreading the Good News.  Thank You Lord Jesus.

May we ever continue to spread the hope of the Good News to the men and women of Ukraine.

“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 19: Year 2

 Morning, Psalm 71,  Evening, Psalm  74;  

Job 28:1 to 28; Acts 16:25 to 40; and John 12:27 to 36a

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25) 

Imagine, singing uplifting church hymns while being bound after just being whipped.  I have heard that this copping mechanism worked for prisoners of war. It got them through the most difficult time in their lives.

Then there was a divine earthquake that released the prisoners.  “When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas.  Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’  They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.  At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay.  He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.”  (Acts 16: 27 to 34.)

The jailer was well acquainted with the merciless system in which he lived and worked.  There would be no excuse for prisoners escaping. He moves from beating Paul and Silas with rods to using his own sword on himself.  Death would be better than the wrath he would face, not to mention the demise of his family and home.  But Paul, freed from fetters, still feeling the sting of the rod while singing hymns, calls out to save the jailer from himself.  How powerful is this kind of love?  Who today would prevent our tormentor from harming himself given the chance?  Folks, this is Christian love, this is Agape love.  There is nothing else like it in all creation, and it’s ours for the asking.

The jailer was so moved by Paul and Silas that he realized that they had their sights set on a salvation beyond this life.  He wanted this, for himself and for his family.  “He brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’”  Paul tells him and us, “‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’  I take this to mean, not just to believe in Jesus, but also to amend one’s life and live in accord with your belief about our Lord Jesus.  It means not only not returning evil for evil, but to bless those who curse you, to feed those who, are not only hungry, but have stolen from you.  Folks, this is Christian love, this is Agape love.  There is nothing else like it in all creation, and it’s ours for the asking. It will save us from ourselves and it brings us salvation.

Let us keep Ukraine in our prayers.

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 of Proper 19: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 72; Evening, Psalm 119:73-96; 

Job 42:1to17; Acts 16:16 to 24; John 12:20 to 26

“One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling.”  (Acts 16: 16)

There is so much in this Acts reading. First of all, did the slave girl recognize Paul and his partners as fellow slaves, even though she says they were slaves of the Lord almighty? (Perfect Freedom)

Second, I’m guessing Luke is the silent partner as he records the Acts, and says, “While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation;” (Acts 16: 17).  She gave insight to those who did not know salvation, that is, a Way to eternal life, and a path to achieve it. This is the “next life” stuff.

Third, “She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour;” (Acts 16: 18).  So we are to understand that Paul, through the Name of Jesus, took away the slave girl’s “gift.”  She was devalued then in the eyes of her master.  But she was also freed in terms of her own autonomy.

Fourth, “But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities;” (Acts 16: 19).  So it turns out that it’s all about the money.  Perhaps not much has changed, even for us today.

It is awful the way we use money to misuse others.  It is equally awful the way we retaliate against those who hold us accountable for the dignity of others. “When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods;” (Acts 16: 20 to 22).  This was clearly an anti-Semitic attack on this group of Jewish believers in Jesus, and was only brought about because of the loss of money. 

The lesson for me in all of this is to remember to be decent to others always. We must not look for ways to bring hurt on those who hold us accountable.  We should not have needed it, but if we do, better to be held accountable in this life rather than the “next life.”  Paul removes the spirit that was at work in the girl but does not attempt to use his divine gift to resist or retaliate against his oppressors.  Decency towards others and discernment of the spirit are key here.  We all can do this.

We all can, and should, continue to pray for decency and discernment 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

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 19: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 61and 62, Evening, Psalm 68; 

Job 40:1,41:1to 11; Acts 16:6 to 15; John 12:9 to 19

 “They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.  When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” (Acts 16: 6 and 7)

I often ask my blog followers to be attentive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  The idea is that the Spirit is moving us to go here or there, or to do this or that.  I ponder, from this passage in Acts, that sometimes the Spirit is telling us not to go here or there, or, not to do this or that.

Maybe such guidance is more important than the doing, or saying, or going, or anything that requires action or moving ahead. Maybe there is something to be said for being quiet and being still.  This message is about hearing the Holy Spirit say “stop.”  Do not move another step.  Do not say another word. 

Even sin comes packaged in commission and omission.  We ask for forgiveness for things done, and left undone.  So too, we must hear the Spirit say “this is what you should do, and, this is what you should not do.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit forbids us from certain courses of action. And, sometimes the Spirit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will not allow us to do certain things. My brothers and sisters in Christ, even the Ten Commandments are constructed with do’s and not do’s.  Half of them say what we shall do, the other half say what we shall not do. The point in all of this is that there are real occasions when we are guided by the Holy Spirit to not do a certain thing; to not go to a certain place, and to not say certain words. This is often expressed as a “gut” feeling, or a bad feeling. We must always heed the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

I am still watching what is happening in Ukraine. I pray you are also. I pray that the war there comes to an end soon. I pray for the intervention of the Holy 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 Monday of Proper19: Year 2

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

Job 40:1 to 24; Acts 15:36 to 16:5; John 11:55 to 12:8

“Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.)”  (John 12: 3 to 6)

This is what happens when we look at each other around Jesus instead of “through” Jesus.  Judas, who the evangelist informs us, is less than honorable, gazes upon Mary with contempt. This looking around Jesus is also reported in the Gospel of Luke. I think it was at the same time, with the same people, in the same room, but seeing from a different point of view.  “Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things.”  (Luke 10: 38 to 41)

My point in both of these situations is that Judas, in the first reading, and Martha in the second, move their eyes off of our Lord Jesus to look directly at Mary.  When we look around Jesus, instead of through Jesus, we see others through our human lens rather than through how God sees them.  If we take the time to see family, or the stranger through the eyes of our Lord, we would see them with love. If we look around Jesus instead of through him, we tend to see people with contempt, disdain, disrespect, and sometimes, if they are different than us, with hate. Let’s not see people in this way. Try to always look upon another through the eyes of our loving Lord.

I also pray that we look at the people of Ukraine and Ethiopia through Jesus rather than around Him. My friends, all we have to do is pray with loving hearts and God will work through us to fix us, wherever we are, to include Eastern Europe and Western Africa.

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

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 19: Year C

1 Timothy 1:12-17 and Luke 15:1-10

“Just so, I tell you, there is (and will be) joy over finding what was lost.” (Luke 15)

I call Chapter 15 of Luke the “Lost  Chapter.”  Not because it is missing but because it is about the lost.  We have the lost sheep, then the lost coin and then it concludes with the lost son.

What is significant is that this chapter teaches us that sometimes we don’t appreciate and celebrate what we have while we have it.  But boy, let it get lost!  Whether it’s a sheep, a coin, our glasses, our keys, our job, our money, or even a human relationship, what we have lost is felt deeply and we want it back. What is being celebrated in this Luke reading is the getting back to normal.  It is celebrating the experience of not having lost anything in the first place.  It is celebrating “the way it was.”  

So therefore, we should treasure all we have even if it’s very little.  We, in our prayers, should continually give God thanks for the benefits bestowed upon us and remember, it is not ourselves that made manifest our possessions, but God. The greatest riches we have are our relationships with others, family and friends.  We need to be thankful for these relationships and celebrate them all the time, not just when, and if, we get them back.

Today we remember the tragedy of Nine-Eleven.  This was the evil and intentional act of aircraft crashing into the World Trade Centers in New York, and in Pennsylvania, and into the Pentagon. We suffered great loss. We can add to our list of loss the health illusion we had before the Covid pandemic.  From most of the losses of these two events, we are finding our way back. Can we realize how good we had it before the terrorist attack and the virus? 

From the perspective of the lost, it is about re-membering.  It is about finding what was lost. Sometimes we must find ourselves.  Sometimes we have to be found by another.  Either way, getting our community back, is absolutely a cause for celebration. “Just so, I tell you, there is (and will be) joy over finding what was lost.”

As I write these words, the people of Ukraine and the people of Ethiopia are trying to find their way back to safety and security.  Let us keep them in our prayers.

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 18: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 55; Evening, Psalms 138 and 139:1to 17;

Job 38:1to17; Acts 15:22 to 35; and John 11:45 to 54

“We have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.” (Acts 15: 25 to 27)

So four disciples (Barnabas, Paul, Silas and Judas (also called Barsabbas) went to Antioch to give “word of mouth” testimony about how the believers should behave.  I am as much concerned about method as I am the content of the message.

There is something very meaningful about hearing the word directly from human lips that we can see as well as hear.  While I know that many hearing challenged people rely on reading lips, I think we all do a little of the same as a way of affirming what we think we hear.  It is word of mouth. It is the ancient way of spreading the Gospel.  Remember that, in the beginning was the Word, not the book or the print.

Many times in the Bible we are directed to “Hear O Israel.”  Most notably these words appear in Deuteronomy 6:4. This directive entails the receiving and retelling of our dedication to God and it is done by word of mouth.  This instruction to hear is found throughout the Bible and is meant to be read aloud in the hearing of the people.  Letters read out loud was the way our forbearers received the Gospel and the letters of Peter, Paul, John, James and the preacher to the Hebrews.  We are a word-of-mouth people.  This word of mouth is spoken through us, the saints of God. So when the opportunity presents itself, and it will,  be a speaker of the Good News of the Gospel, that “We are all loved by God and there is always hope, no matter what.” First, listen to yourself say these words, and then deliver them to someone else by word of mouth.

As we pass on the Good News of the Gospel, let us also encourage those who listen to us to pray for Ukraine and Ethiopia.  

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