onewhoponders

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 17: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 30 and 32; Evening,  Psalms 42 and 43;
1^st Kings 12:1 to 20; James 5:7 to 12 and19 to 20; Mark 15:33 to 39:

“O Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you restored me to health.” (Psalm 30:2)

One of my reflections that I have preached to my listeners for fifteen years now is that God’s ears hears tears. While this sentence may not be correct grammar, the message is timeless and universal.  Everywhere in our Bible narratives when someone is crying, God, or an angel of God, appears whenever tears are rolling down cheeks.  The two I most like to recall are Hagar as she pushes away her son Ishmael, son of Abraham, because she does not want to see him die; (Genesis 21: 15 to 17).  And, Mary Magdalene, as she is broken down and crying outside the tomb of Jesus, who removed seven demons from her, giving her back to herself. Jesus was all she had and he was murdered:  (John 20:10 to 15).

Crying does not depend on language, country of origin, ethnicity or any human label.  God has fixed a way to connect with us when our spirits are at their lowest. It is sadness and/or sorrow that makes us cry.  And when we cry, God wants to know.  Crying is not dependent on faith or no faith. One can be a card-carrying atheist but if he or she cries, they are praying even without knowing it. 

All crying is to God. The Psalmist continues, “I cried to you, O Lord; I pleaded with the Lord, saying, “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?  Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; O Lord, be my helper. You have turned my wailing into dancing; you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.  Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.”  (Psalm 30: 9 to 13)

I love how much God loves us. It truly does make me want to dance with joy.  And who knows, maybe even make tears of joy.  I think God will feel them too and be happy for us.

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 17: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 31; Evening,  Psalm 35;
1^st  Kings 11:26 to 43; James 4:13 to 5:6; Mark 15:22 to 32:

“You do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that:” (James 4:14 and 15).

These are very interesting words from James.  We are not promised tomorrow. We must live the best life we can today.  And even today if the Lord wishes.

Our 1^st Kings reading shows once again that jealousy regarding God’s choice causes us to want to destroy one another.  It happened with Cain and Abel, it happened with Saul and David, and in this reading today with Solomon and Jeroboam.  If God is acting in our midst why should we be angry with God’s choice and wish harm to the person?  God always chooses the best for the community.  If anything, we are all going to benefit from the fruit of God’s choice. Believing in God requires us to accept God’s works among us and then be comfortable with, and thankful for, what God is doing.

James is right, we do not know what tomorrow will bring. We should plan for the worst and pray for the best. But above all, we must learn to be contemplative enough to discern the presence of God at work in our lives and in our communities. Out of Covid chaos, fires and floods, God will save us as God sees fit.  There is no time for jealousy of those who seem to be favored. For we are all a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes, at least in earthly form.  While we are in our earthly form, we ought to say, “If the Lord wishes, we will live and do this or that.”

Friday evening is the perfect time to start to contemplate the presence of God in our lives. It is the eve of the time God has gifted us with, in order that we might rest, reflect and ponder. We Christians are not excused from observing the Sabbath rest as our Lord Jesus also kept the Sabbath. Let us make it a time of ridding ourselves of all potential jealousy and prejudice. The Sabbath is a cleansing time for our souls.

What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube

“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. 

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 17: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 37:1 to 18; Evening, Psalm 37:19 to 42;
1st Kings 11:1 to 13; James 3:13 to 4:12; Mark 15:12 to 21:

“Pilate asked them, ‘Why, what evil has he done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Crucify him!’ So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified:” (Mark 15: 14 and 15).

There is so much senseless evil here. The clergy of the temple want to crucify of their own, a fellow Israelite. Pilate, the Roman authority, goes along with the local majority rather than stick to his conviction that Jesus has done nothing warranting the death penalty. And even though Jesus is going to be crucified, he is made to undergo flogging also.  So much evil, is there a lesson for us?

First of all, none of us should seek to take a life, and especially those of us whose vocation is to live and teach the godly life.  And second, if you are in a place of authority, you need to not yield to mob rule just to satisfy the crowd.  You need to stick to following Micah’s instructions, “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) The Bible really does contain all things necessary for salvation but it should be approached with prayer, caution and inclusive minded believers. 

While Pilate never had the injunction to love neighbor, the temple authorities did.  They were under the Commandment to love neighbor as self, as are we also. Being tolerant and merciful is a trait of love.  We are not to judge others but rather, see in them the love of God, regardless of how they act. So I go back to how I started this reflection and make a correction; all evil is senseless. Our senses were given to us to connect us, not divide us.

We were brought into being by Love, to love. The next person that you meet, try to stretch out with your heart and sense them. Do not use words, just spiritually feel them. It is amazing what God has empowered us to do.  Harming another, outside of self defense or the protection of the weak, should never find a place in your heart. Our calling is justice, mercy and humility.

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 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