onewhoponders

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 20: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 146 and 147; Evening, Psalms 85, and 86:

Esther 7:1 to 10 or Judith 12:1 to 20; Acts 19:11 to 20; Luke 4:14 to 30

“Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, ‘Look, the very gallows that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.’ And the king said, ‘Hang him on that” (Esther 7:9), and also:

 “She [Judith] came close to his bed, took hold of the hair of his head, and said, ‘Give me strength today, O Lord God of Israel!’ Then she struck his neck twice with all her might, and cut off his head” (Judith 13: 7 and 8).

I have deliberately skipped over the Esther and Judith readings these past days for two reasons.  The first, is that I am so fascinated with what was happening in the Acts of the apostles.  The second, is that I wanted to wait until the climatic parts of these two Hebrew women’s stories came into view; the parts where they cause the destruction of evil men. I did skip ahead with Judith.  The part that I share from Judith today is actually from tomorrow’s reading of Judith.  But I wanted to bring these two stories together to show these two faithful and powerful women.

Sometimes we overlook how God works through us in sometimes wrathful ways.  Haman (Esther) and Holofernes (Judith), were self-serving men of position.  Interestingly, there are other-serving  eunuchs (considered less than men due to their mutilations), in both stories.  These eunuchs play important roles in the fulfillment of God’s wrath (albeit in Judith’s case, not awares).

We tend to play to our strengths, sometimes as if we had no weaknesses. But we do indeed.  And God is aware of our weaknesses.  Arrogance blinds us to our weaknesses.  Often God uses those, thought to be weak by our calculations, to illumine for us our short comings, our weaknesses. I don’t think such illumination is to our death, but it is often emotionally painful. We should use it as a growth moment.

Esther, Judith and the respective eunuchs are examples of God using the weak to overcome the strong.  These stories are similar to the David and Goliath story of 1^st Samuel 17.  God is never concerned about human strength, position or power.  God loves us and God wins every time.  

Please continue to keep Ukraine in your prayers. The world is watching, and so is God.

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 20: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 119:97 to 120;and  Evening, Psalms 81and 82;

Esther 6:1 to 14; or Judith 10:1 to 23; Acts 19:1 to 10;  Luke 4:1 to 13

“He entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly, and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.” (Acts 19: 8 and 9)

Paul shows that there are some people that just won’t believe. And we know that this is still true today. The only thing we can do in such a situation is leave.  I would add that we should still keep them in prayer.  But is serves no good purpose to stay and argue for the sake of arguing.

This type of arguing brings up another important problem to deal with.  And that is, the “speaking evil of,” about the Way.  I think it is okay to, “not agree,” but why do people then have to demean those whom they don’t agree with?  I think it was Patrick Henry or Evelyn Beatrice Hall,  who said, “I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”  Regardless of who first said it, the greater point is the respect of the speaker without a sense of contempt for the speaker.  I often tell my listeners that whatever they believe, it is what it is for right now.  In an hour, or a year, it could change or evolve.  It has, and continues to be so for me.  We are all a work in progress. We must be patient and respectful of one another.  We are all created in the Image of God. 

Like Paul and his disciples, we can take our arguments elsewhere and continue.  I really like being a citizen of these United States.  Sometimes I forget that we are a country of fifty United States. That means that different states have different values and priorities.  And even those priorities and values change over time.  We can stay where we are and strive for incremental change and improvement, or we can move to where likeminded people already live.  We are a free country under one federal system where our vote rules.  We elect our state Governors, representatives and senators based on the majority of our values and then continue to argue for an even better life.  We don’t all agree on any particular issue but hopefully, we don’t, (or will stop), lowering ourselves to demeaning those who differ from us.  We must be open to God appearing in them, and in their words also.

Please continue to 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 Tuesday of Proper 20: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 78;  1 to 39; Evening, Psalm 78:40 to 72;

Esther 5:1 to14 or Judith 8:9 to17, 9:1, 9 to7-10; Acts 18:12 to 28; Luke 3:15to 22

“He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately.  And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.” (Acts 18: 26 to 28)

Apollos spoke boldly in the synagogue but with limited and often incorrect understanding.  However, he was smart enough to listen to good counsel.  We all could benefit from the example of Apollos.  If we think we know it all and are opposed to listening to others, we could err in our speaking and in some cases, do more harm than good.

Perhaps the best way to practice our faith is to live a life of life-long learning.  I know that for me, seminary showed me how much I did not know. Sense seminary I have continued my theological studies.  Education for Ministry (EfM), a program of study from the School of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, continues to be a good source of Christian education for me. While EfM is a four year program, I am an EfM mentor and therefore I continue to learn every year as I mentor participants in the program.  Also, clergy conferences, and Bible studies as well as one on one dialogue with people who God put in my path, helps me to learn more and more. 

All of this informs my understanding of what God is doing in the world, and in my own life.  I just have to follow Apollo’s’ example and listen to the people God sends to me.  How about you?

Please continue to 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 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