onewhoponders

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 17: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 38; Evening, Psalm 119:25 to 48;
1^st Kings 9:24 to10:13; James 3:1 to 12;  Mark 15:1 to11:

“How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire.” (James 3:5 and6)

As I write this reflective ponder, California is suffering from out of control fires. Many people are losing all their material possessions , all the things they have.  It is a very sad situation. Prayers please.

I live in the country in North Carolina. Occasionally a neighbor will burn their rubbish rather than take it to the dump.  My prayer in such situations is that they are watching it closely.  As James says, a small fire out of control can burn down a neighborhood. This is what they are experiencing in California.

The point that James is making is about our tongues and how left unguarded they can cause more harm than they can repair.  This is especially true today where lives are ruined because someone “posted” something said by a person years ago on a social media platform.  I have witnessed sports journalist fired because of some statement they said which was often taken out of context, or was their own entitled opinion.  The opinion a person had years ago may not be the opinion they have today.  Hopefully, we evolve over time. What our tongues have expressed in the past may not be what we feel today. We should be asking people where they are now, not where they were then.

To the point James is making, we can’t be too careful about what we say, privately or publicly.  The line between private and public today may be blurred by re-sent or forwarded emails, and by what was thought to be fun videos.  These are what small fires look like today that can also make people lose all they have.

James also talks about mistakes in today’s reading.  I teach. And I’m here to tell you, we teachers also make mistakes.  The real test of the heat of a fire is in what was intended.  If love and respect and decency were the intent, then the fire (or the tongue) is well guarded. My personal rule is, if I don’t say it or do it from love, then I don’t say it or do it at all.

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 17: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 26 and 28; Evening, Psalms 36 and 39;
1^st Kings 8:65 to 9:9; James 2:14 to 26; Mark 14:66 to 72:

“So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (James 2:17)

The biggest and most important word in this verse has only two letters, (i and f).  I was once told that “if” is half of life.  I know that in my life I have looked back and said, “If I had only known;” or, “If I had only done this or that, life would have been different for me.”  Faith is a word that means belief in.  If we believe something then we act on that belief or faith.  If we believe that the earth is flat, and we are sailors, then we restrict how far out we sail. If we believe in, and have faith in God, who wants the best for us, then we act on that faith also. Our actions, that is, our works are guided by our faith, that is, what we believe in.

In the English translation of the Gospel according to John, the word faith is not used.  Faith is a noun. The writer of the Gospel according to John uses a verb because this writer wants action. Faith is belief in action, that is, works.

We help the homeless by assisting them, and the organizations that help them, with our money. This is works following faith. So, what is faith without works?   It is merely “wishing” everything goes well.  Wishing is for fairytales. It is as James says when we see someone in distress and say to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? There is no good in that. It’s fairytales.  Faith is for the believer.

James uses the story of Abraham and his faith, in the almost sacrifice of his son Isaac. The point being made is that Abraham followed his faith with dedicated works, until he was stopped by God. “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’, and he was called the friend of God:” (James 2: 22 and 23).

Faith in the human being is also the soul of the human being. Therefore, it is the spirit of the human being. It is what makes us different among all God’s creation.  This is why James, the brother of our Lord Jesus says, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” (James 2:26)

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 17: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 25; Evening, Psalms 9 and 15;
2^nd  Chronicles 6:32 to 7:7; James 2:1 to 13; Mark 14:53 to 65:

“Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire.  Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none.” (Mark 14: 55 and 56)

I often ask myself who witnessed the arrested Jesus story and told, or wrote it for us to have today? In this case, my question is answered; Peter is sitting within earshot of what is taking place. Too often we focus only on the three denials of Peter. We should pay attention also to the logistics of the Gospel and Peter’s closeness of Jesus’ interrogation. 

They held court on our Lord Jesus trying to convict him to death even knowing that to murder another human being was against God’s Law. Let this be a lesson to us to keep God’s Law at the forefront of our conduct. In their shallow testimony , “Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, ‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands;”  (Mark 14: 57 and 58).

St Paul will later write in his Second Letter to the Church in Corinth,  “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens:” (2^nd Corinthians 5:1).  Too often we can’t grasp the deeper meaning of the Gospel of God in Christ Jesus because we are so full of self-serving tendencies.

The not so secret mantra of God is to love each other.  This love that we are supposed to have is to extend to those who are like us as well as those who are different. We can disagree without disengaging. It’s not easy at first, but it is absolutely possible, and pleasing to God. We are certainly not called to devise ways to put a person to death because of disagreement. Have we evolved in the last two thousand years?  I pray that we have, and continue to become more and more Jesus like.

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

Part 1 of 2

Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 17: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 148, 149 and 150; Evening,  Psalms 114 and 115;
1^st  Kings 8:22 to 40; 1st Timothy 4:7 to 16; John 8:47 to 59:

“Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” (John 8: 53).

Let us start at the end and work backward. They asked, “Who do you claim to be?”  Well, our Lord Jesus claims to be, and in fact is, God Incarnate.  The same God who commanded Abram to leave “his father’s house and go to the land I will show you:”(Genesis 12:1).  God further tells Abram “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12; 2).  So, yes, our Lord Jesus is far greater than Abram (or Abraham) who died along with all the prophets; and then was raised again in glory everlasting.  So yes also, our Lord Jesus not only claims to be the Holy Creator, he is the Sustainer from whom all things came into being and have eternal life. Thank You Lord God in Christ Jesus.

Part 2 of 2

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 17: Year B

James 1:17 to 27 and  Mark 7:1 to 8, 14 to 15 and 21 to 23:

“There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”  (Mark 7:15)

The word defile here is used in the sense of sinfully polluting the person and turning them from the purity of God.  We consume nothing that makes us more sinful, or turns us away from God.  Yes, poisonous food will kill us, the abuse of alcohol will make us drop our discipline, and rotting food will make us sick. But our hearts, that is, our minds and souls are not defiled by them. 

So I’m going to take an English alphabetical exchange here and move from the word defile to the word define.  Exchanging the “l” for an “n” in the word defile will help us to better understand the meaning of this Gospel lesson. When asked to define her Church, Maya Angelou responded, “I do not define my Church, my Church defines me,” she said.  We are our Church wherever we are. It is our Church that goes inside us and says who we are and how we are to behave, before God and before the World. So I say, let your Church come out and define who you are.

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 16: Year 1

 Morning, Psalms 20 and 21:1 to 7; Evening, Psalm 110:1-5 and 116 and 117;
1^st Kings 7:51 to 8:21; Acts 28:17 to 31; Mark 14:43 to 52;

“He lived there for two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.” (Acts 28:30 and 31)

Acts is a summary of Paul’s life and ministry as recorded by Luke the physician.  He has finally been delivered to Rome, from whence he will never leave, at least as his mortal self.

And while Paul was promised by God that no harm will come to him, (Acts 18: 9 and 10), he was beheaded with a sword.  Christianity is not for the faint of heart.  How is it that we follow our Lord Jesus seeing that most of his first apostles and disciples were martyred?

We have a faith that informs us that this life is not the end-all of life.  We await the greater glory of eternal life with our Savior. This Christian faith informs us, leads us, enlightens us, and keeps us going no matter what. Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about our Lord Jesus who himself also was martyred. 

At the heart of Christianity, the emphasis is on the resurrection, the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus. And through his Resurrection, we too come to glory. Such is the love that God in Christ Jesus has for us, all of us.  Jesus says to Martha, and to us, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25 and 26). Yes Lord I believe, and 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

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 16: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 16 and 17; Evening, Psalm 22;
1^st Kings 5:1 to 6:1 and 6:7; Acts 28:1 to 16; Mark 14:27 to 42:

“My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest in hope” (Psalm 16:9)

As we enter the eve of our God-given Sabbath Day, I look for words in our readings that suggest rest.  Our Sabbath (Saturday), is our gift from God. 

In our Gospel reading from Mark our Lord Jesus reprimands Peter, James and John for sleeping and taking their rest while he, (Jesus), was praying. However, I believe prayer can, and should be done while at rest, especially on the Sabbath. Of course, the day that Jesus was arrested was by all accounts, a Thursday.

Maybe the Sabbath should not be for public worship. A worship service requires work.  I believe the original worship services conducted on the Sabbath were a way for the clergy leadership to ensure people were not at their normal avocations or occupations.  God did not give us the Sabbath as a day of worship; but rather, a day of rest.  So, shouldn’t we all hold Saturdays aside as a day to remember the Goodness of God, and be thankful? I realize that not everybody can.  First responders, medical staff, the military, police, detention staff and others must have a way of rotating a Sabbath observance.  But that does not mean we should just ignore it altogether. We need to take time weekly to just ponder about our relationship with God and one another.

To get a fuller understanding of the Sabbath, I have again attached my favorite YouTube website about the Sabbath:  What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube.  This YouTube video will explain the importance of Sabbath.  It is God’s gift to humanity.  God loves us and wants the best for us. This is why God wants us to rest on the seventh day.

My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; my body also shall rest in hope, and more especially for me on the Sabbath Day.

“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. 

Let us live to love, serve and teach, listening to what the Spirit is saying through the saints, and to us, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 16: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 18:1 to 20; Evening, Psalm 18:21 to 50;        
1^st  Kings 3:16 to 28; Acts 27:27 to 44; Mark 14:12 to 26:

Take, bless, divide and share.

We have a Eucharistic meal taking place in two of our readings for today.  I will start with our Gospel according to Mark. And while this Gospel account took place first chronologically, we read our Acts account first as we pray through the Daily Office.  But the point to the lesson remains; Both Paul and our Lord Jesus (albeit at different times), took bread, blessed the bread, divided it up and handed it out to those needing the healing food of Communion.

Our Lord Jesus instituted the gathering at a meal as a Christian sign of love and hospitality.  I was gathered among friends last night where I was asked to say the blessing. I was asked again at the close of our gathering. I am always honored to do it.  Our Lord Jesus was intentional about using food as a way to remember his presence among us for all time.

In Acts, there were about two hundred fifty persons on the ship sailing for Italy. This ship could be considered to be a floating Church of two hundred fifty souls.  Before the ship ran aground and begin to crumble, Paul took bread, gave thanks to God for it, and shared the meal.  This is what we do in our Church almost every Sunday in remembrance of our Lord Jesus.

The ship was destroyed.  Some could go on by their own ability to swim. Some had to stay clutched to pieces of the church-ship in order to come to safety.  Let this be a lesson to all of us.  Some of us have been fully well-informed by the Church and can go on in life being led by the Holy Spirit. Many of us must hold on to parts of the Church in order to arrive safely before our Lord Jesus.  Paul was not a sailor but he knew and loved and trusted in the Lord. As it turns out, Paul lost no one to death even though it was the plan of the soldiers to kill the prisoners rather than to let them escape. Where is the love in that response?

When you are among friends, perhaps some who have not as yet been recognized as such, and refreshments or a meal is served, be the good spiritual host and give thanks to God for it.  This does not mean to be offensive to those who do not yet understand the meaning of Thanksgiving to God.  It simply means remembering and being thankful to God for faith, food and fellowship.

Let us live to love, serve and teach, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying through the saints and to us, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 16: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 119:1-24; Evening,  Psalms 12, 13 and 14;
1^st  Kings 3:1 to 15; Acts 27:9 to 26; Mark 14:1 to 11:

“It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this.  God said to him, ‘Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right;” (1^st Kings 3:10 and 11)

Solomon wanted God to equip him to be able to live into the responsibility he was born into.  He did not ask for self-serving traits that would make him stand out among others solely for the purpose of being recognized by others as special. He wanted to be able to do God’s work in, and for, his community.

This is the way God still works.  Any gift that we have is not for us alone. It is given to us to be used for the enhanced quality of life for the community in which we live.  It doesn’t matter what kind of gift we are given.  From singing to sports to healing to serving or just plain listening; we are given these gifts for the benefit of others. 

Every human being has the capacity to receive and use God’s gifts among us.  This is why is so tragic when someone dies. What gifts from God, perhaps not yet made manifest, did they take to the grave with them?  Every person is a treasure. Every person is an empty cup waiting to be filled with whatever the community needs.  God sees what we need and then blesses various people with what we need. This is God’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes.

Like Solomon, we must first love our community and want to see it flourish. It is then we go to God asking for whatever is needed that will enable us to be of service to others.  We should not assume to already know what our community needs. But rather, look to God who knows far better than we do what is needed. Emptying our cup in this way invites God to fill us with what is needed. And, like Solomon, God often blesses us with even more for ourselves, but we shouldn’t ask for gifts for selfish reasons. We ask out of an abundance of love for our neighbors.

Let us live to love, serve and teach, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying through the saints and to us, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 16: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 5 and 6; Evening,  Psalms 10 and 11;
1^st Kings 1:38 to 2:4; Acts 26:24 to 27:8; Mark 13:28 to 37:

“While he was making this defense, Festus exclaimed, ‘You are out of your mind, Paul! Too much learning is driving you insane:” (Acts 26:24)

I am an advocate of life-long learning.  So I argue that not learning, and insisting on ignorance will make us more “out of our minds.” We must be open to our truths being reinterpreted.  Saul’s leaders were okay with him as long as he agreed with their narrative. But when his truth was reinterpreted by our Lord Jesus and he was renamed Paul, they say, it’s too much learning.

For me, learning is the second “L” in my five L pattern of following Christ. First, there is simply listening. We must listen in order that we give the speaker the opportunity to be heard, and maybe even understood. When we listen, we learn. Learning then is the second L.

The third L is Love.  If we have really listened we will either see and understand the speaker’s perspective or misunderstanding, or, if we admit it, we will come to understand that we ourselves have made false assumptions.  Either way, love will find a way to resolve our differences.

The fourth L is for living. Paul has done this. Paul has gone off and lived his new truth in Christ Jesus.  We too must put on whatever new development we have been made aware of as if it were and new suit of clothes. We must adjust and feel comfortable in our new understanding of our relationship with God and one another.

The fifth L is for leading, if we get that far. Paul felt that he was called to teach, inform, or lead the nations (Gentiles) to and about our Lord Jesus. But this could only be done after he fully accepted Jesus and believed himself in the Way.  We too after living our lives based on the love of Christ are called to lead those uninformed, or misinformed people about the real and inclusive love of God as made known in Christ Jesus.

So, it’s not that it’s too much learning for Paul or us.  Paul had not received any continued formal education after his Christ encountered trip to Damascus.  He received learning from our Lord Jesus. Such revelation supersedes all human schools of learning. Jesus teaches us to listen, learn, love, live and when called, to lead. But human life really begins with the love of listening.  Too many of us want to be heard but do not want to listen. Paul’s accusers did not want to listen to him. They wanted the Roman authorities to listen to them however. We have the same problem today. At some point our mouths must remain closed so that our ears (and hearts) will open.

Let us live to love, serve and teach, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying through the saints and to us, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 16: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 1, 2 and 3; Evening, Psalms 4 and 7;
1^st  Kings 1:5 to 31; Acts 26:1 to 23; Mark 13:14to 27

“Happy are they who have not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor lingered in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seats of the scornful!” (Psalm 1:1)

Our Daily Office Lectionary starts the Psalm readings over again.  We cycle through them several times throughout the year. It pleases me that the first word of the first Psalm is “Happy.”  It is a good way to start anything.

In this particular verse the Psalmist is commending those of us who can recognize unpleasant company and politely avoid them.  The outcome is happiness. It is overall happiness.  We will all have bad days, it’s just part of life.  But we shouldn’t make it worse by staying in the company of negative minded persons who are always looking for antisocial ways of relating to others. Part of being happy is assisting others in being happy as well.

Some of the Psalms are revengeful and harsh, at least for me. I don’t do well with asking God to wreak havoc on those whom I think have done me, or others, wrong. If they are sinful, God knows and in God’s own way, they will be corrected or adjusted. 

In our Acts reading for today Paul recounts being corrected and adjusted as he was going to Damascus.  In our Mark Gospel Reading Jesus informs us that had not God cut short the dreadful day of the coming of the Lord, no one would be spared. But God saved those that God chose.  I personally don’t like the word “elect.”  It kind of seems like some of us are better than others. God loves us all. This kind of “culling” process is present in biblical language in several places in scripture. It is suggested in the Flood language with Noah and his family on the ark.  It is used to save Lot from Sodom. God seems to favor the people who choose to be happy rather than let themselves be dragged into the company of wickedness, sin and scornfulness.  

I don’t initially avoid people I find unpleasant.  I try to get them to see and think about an alternative way of seeing the world. I try to get them to consider an “out-of-control” God.  I say this because when I mention bringing God into their lives, too many people already have an idea about what God would say or do. The key to happiness is not “knowing” God, but rather, “trusting” God.  Once we make an out-of-control, but loving God a part of our relationship with others, we are well on our way to being happy.  In this way we will cease walking in the counsel of the wicked, and lingering in the way of sinners, and sitting in the seats of the scornful. We will just be happy trusting in God.

Let us live to love, serve and teach, rather than just live to live, listening to what the Spirit is saying through the saints and to us, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John