onewhoponders

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of the 1^st Week after the Epiphany: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 18:1 to 20; Evening, Psalm 18:21 to 50;

Genesis 4:17 to 26; Hebrews 3:1 to 11; John 1:43 to 51:

“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today,  if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors put me to the test,  though they had seen my works”  (Hebrews 3:7 – 9)

Today if you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts.  I think it takes a minute to discern where the inside voice is coming from.  We can call it conscience, or in my case, pondering, or whatever.  The point from the Hebrews reading is that we need to at least acknowledge the voice and heed it.

I have found that listening deeply requires me to check my emotions.  I have to ask myself, how am I feeling?  Am I disturbed about something?  Am I nervous about something?  I must also ask myself if I am overjoyed about anything.  All of these moods or emotions could alter what the Spirit is saying to me.  Such clearing of the mind requires contemplation, meditation and often just sitting quietly alone.  I recall the words of Blaise Pascal: who said, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”  I modified his words to read, “All of humanity’s problems stem from each person’s refusal to sit quietly in a room alone.

Aside from the gender references I want to acknowledge that it is not so much the inability to sit alone, but our flat out refusal to do so.  I think this is the hardness of heart that the Hebrew writer warns against.  Sometimes we can be so stubborn as to not allow ourselves to be open to pondering about what is right and loving to do. You should try it.  Sometimes we just need to shut everything off and be still. And yes, know that God is God.(Psalm 46:10)  A hardened heart is a blockage to the voice of the Holy Spirit. We all, from time to time, need to step away from the fear of change and the conviction that we are right, and be open to what the Spirit is saying to 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 Wednesday of the 1^st Week of Epiphany: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 119:1 to 24; Evening,  Psalms 12, 13 and 14;
Genesis 4:1 to 16; Hebrews 2:11 to 18; John 1: 35-42:

“Therefore he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.” (Hebrews 2: 17 and 18)

This explanation from the letter to the Hebrews reinforces my belief that God gets to understand the human condition through His Incarnate self in the life and death of our Lord Jesus.

When God walks among us and suffers with us, God develops mercy for us. It is through and because of our Lord Jesus that we are redeemed of our sins and saved in eternal life.

Jesus says, “Here am I and the children whom God has given me,” (Hebrews 2:13). We are given to our Lord Jesus through our faith, that is, in believing in the Presence of Christ in our everyday lives.  Our belief in our Lord Jesus makes us, through Holy Communion, be of the same flesh and blood, and therefore, brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus. “Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things,” (Hebrews 2:14).

Thanks to our Lord Jesus all we have to do is believe to belong to the family of God.  Other faith traditions have different kinds of faith connections with God. For us, we have Christ crucified. This is why “he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested.” 

Every day we should live our lives in thanksgiving for God being one of us in order to experience what we are going through. 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 Tuesday of the 1^st Week after the Epiphany: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 5 and 6; Evening, Psalms 10 and 11;

Genesis 3:1 to 24; Hebrews 2:1 to 10; John 1:19 to 28

“John answered them, ‘I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know.”  (John 1: 26)

We don’t always know who is in our midst.  I wonder if John made eye contact with Jesus as he said the words “Among you stands one whom you do not know.”  John knew Jesus, it is said that they were cousins.

Knowing someone is more than just knowing who their relatives are, their parents, siblings and so forth. Knowing a person implies, at some level you know what they like and dislike, what they value and their preferences of foods, music, habits and hobbies.  In the case of our Lord Jesus, it also means you know He is God Incarnate.  No one around John knew that about our Lord Jesus except for Cousin John.

I have been around some of my friends for a very long time only to find out that when a certain topic came up and they surprised me with how they acted.  Then I realized that I didn’t really know them at all.  So when John says “Among you stands one whom you do not know,” he’s right. But let’s not confuse knowing a person with knowing “of” a person.  Sometimes it’s good to know something about a person in order to know how close you want to be with them.  The more similar attitudes you both have about various subjects the closer you become.  But even with this, I like to be close with people who differ with me in some areas.  I always want to hear an opposing view point. It keeps me honest. It may even cause me to shift in my pondering as I hear what the Spirit is saying to me through someone with a different perspective.  We don’t mature if we stay stagnated with people of the same mind. We must listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, through 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 Monday of the 1^st Week of Epiphany: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 1, 2 and 3; Evening, Psalm 4 and 7;

Genesis 2:4 to 25; Hebrews 1:1 to 14; John 1:1 to 18

“Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son,whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

It is perhaps difficult if not impossible for us to wrap our minds around all matter and all life being created through the Being of God we now call our Lord Jesus.  This message is also reflected in John’s Gospel account which we have assigned for today as he writes, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” (John 1:3).

So God creates and maintains the universe through our Lord Jesus who walked among us to model for us how we should live in creation with God and one another. I believe we humans have three missions in life. First, we are to ever strive to develop and maintain our faithful connection with the Creator, “Our Father in Heaven.” Second, we are assigned as caretakers of the earth.  And lastly, we must recognize that we live in covenant relationship with one another for the purpose of being co-maintainers of the earth, God’s prized jewel in the universe.

The more I ponder about these things the more focused I am about our call to exist and do the work God has put before us. God has made this earth like a Grandfather clock and has put us here to rewind it ever so often. Yes, we may use it to mark the time, but we also must keep it running. This clock is not just for us humans.  The rhythms of its musical chimes are the living pulse of all on, and in, this blue round home we call earth.   If we don’t keep it going, it will shut down. 

As we listen to what the Spirit is saying to us, let us live to love, to serve, and to teach, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Eucharistic Readings for the 1^st Sunday after the Epiphany: Year C

Isaiah 43:1 to 7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14 to 17; Luke 3:15 to 17 and 21 to 22

“Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3: 21 and 22)

There is so much to get to in today’s Gospel reading before we open verses 21 and 22 above.

There is the wonderment of what the people thought of John the Baptist, that he might be the Messiah. This is a two part concern.  First, the people were expecting the Messiah to come as had been told to them from the Holy Writings.   Second, if the Messiah is coming, then who is he? Could it be this rebel baptizer?

Then there is John’s confession that he is not the Messiah. John’s whole life purpose is to announce that the Messiah is indeed coming. This proclamation of John is now handed down to you and me. Christ is coming!

Within this reading of Luke there is the almost incidental baptism of our Lord Jesus, unlike Mathew where there is concern from John about his worthiness to baptize Jesus: (Matthew 3: 13 to 15).

Then finally we get to the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus in bodily form like a dove. A voice proclaims that Jesus is the Son of God and that God is pleased with him. This proclamation happens again in the Bible and is remembered in our Church on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany and at the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus on August 6^th. Most of what we do in our Church is biblically based. However since biblical writings are in the language of the people, interpretation of what is being said can be determined at the family level. And I believe this is fine as long as families remember to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as they read the ancient words.

 Today is a prescribed day for Baptisms according to our Book of Common Prayer because today we remember that our Lord set the example for Christians to be Baptized as part of our Church tradition and as the only initiation into Christianity. Let us make no mistake, there is the Bible, there is Church Tradition in all its variations, and there is family prayer. I believe the latter is the most important, even in the absence of the first two. Remember what Jesus was doing when the Holy Spirit descended upon him: “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him.”

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 January 8: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 117 and 118; Evening,  Psalm 112 and  113;
Exodus 17:1 to 7; Colossians  1:15 to 23; John 7:37 to 52:

“They replied, ‘Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.’ (John 7: 52)

The “they” in this exchange are the Pharisees. They are jumping on Nicodemus for asking, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” The Pharisees did not know the whole story of our Lord Jesus. He in fact was born in Bethlehem. But I say even beyond his birth place, they should have taken in for consideration his compassion and deeds of power. Sometimes they, and we, have our minds so fixed on what we think God is doing that we don’t leave room for what God is really doing.

I visited Galilee in February of 2018. I loved Galilee more than Jerusalem and Judea.  Galilee is where our Lord Jesus began his ministry. Galilee is where our Lord Jesus called his disciples to follow him. Capernaum is the first place Jesus went of his own free will and accord. He was born in Bethlehem, taken to Egypt as a baby, and then taken to Nazareth where he was raised to adulthood. But of his own choice he went to Capernaum where he met fishermen.

The Pharisees want to accuse even the temple police of being deceived.  Nicodemus will be seen again at the end of this Gospel account bringing ointment for the dead body of Jesus. Nicodemus was a closet disciple. Many of us are as well. I pray that we come out of the closet of denial and stand boldly in the faith, the faith that proclaims Christ as Lord and God’s salvation plan for us 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 January 7: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 103: Evening, Psalms 114 and 115:

Deuteronomy 8:1 to 3: Colossians 1:1 to 14:  John 6:30 to 33 and 48 to 51

“I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”  (John 6:51)

From the Gospel according to John we learn of God’s plan for us through Jesus who is to give us eternal life through a human body which is the very Word of God, and where the Holy Spirit of God is pleased to dwell in His human body.  It sounds confusing.

Perhaps this fulfills the prophetic word of our Deuteronomy reading for today where we are told, “He humbled you by letting you hunger, then by feeding you with manna, with which neither you nor your ancestors were acquainted, in order to make you understand that one does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.” (Deuteronomy 8:3)

So we must feed on the material food of this world to fortify our material bodies.  But this material world is a temporary world, not an eternal one.  Jesus, born into our created material world through a human mother whose pregnancy was made manifest by the eternal Holy Spirit, makes possible our eternal life through that same Holy Spirit. Yes, it sounds confusing, but I want it. How about you?  To get it we must believe it and live it out in our daily lives.

“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

What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube

Eucharistic Readings for the Epiphany: Years A, B, and C

Isaiah 60:1 to 6; Psalm 72:1 to 7 and10 to 14; Ephesians 3:1 to 12;  Matthew 2:1 to 12: 

“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising and have come to pay him homage.” (Matthew 2: 1and 2)

I find it amazing that a non-Jewish people, albeit a studied group of ancient scientist, came to the realization that an astronomical power favored a human existence and pointed the way through their studies – the stars – to where this special existence is taking place.  It should not surprise us however because the same thing happened with the shepherds.  In Luke’s Gospel account, Shepherds tending their flocks were visited in their vocation by celestial beings who pointed to where God was at work in that same baby.  (Luke 2)

These wise men of Matthew’s Gospel account let go of any ethnic pride they might have had in order to see what God was doing regardless of what people it was happening.  This meant they had to go where their studies led them, in this case to Judea and specifically, to Bethlehem. If we are wise people today we must do like-wise.  God can appear in any people, anywhere at any time. Here’s the thing, God always “points” to where God is.  And God often does this within the very way we make a living.  We just have to be aware and follow the clues no matter where they lead. The clues may lead to the incarcerated, the terminally ill, to non-English speakers or even to people we don’t particularly like. Moses was led back to Egypt where he was guilty of murder. But he followed the instructions of the burning bush that pointed him back to Egypt.

The Always is, (clue-dropping) God, loves us and is trying to add light to our lives.  This is the theme of Epiphany, the season of light.  As light is added to coming light in this season after the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, let us follow God’s leading light wherever it may lead as we too go in search of what God is doing for us today in this new year of 2022.

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

Today is the Twelfth Day of Christmas

Readings for Morning Prayer, December 5^th: Year 2

Psalm 2, 110:1 to 5;
Joshua 2:2 to 9; Ephesians 6:10 to 20; John 11:17 to 27 and 38 to 44:

“Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6: 14 to 17)

St Paul has placed many gifts under our Christmas Tree right before it’s taken down; the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, shoes for walking the Gospel, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.  Wow, he has given us many last day Christmas gifts.

Above all, let us take the Word of God as our guiding light forever. Merry Christmas: Day 12

Let us strive to maintain the light of Christ in the world all year long. Merry Christmas: Day 11

Let us always listen, learn, love and lead with the mind of Christ. Merry Christmas: Day 10

I pray that we too may come to the realization that we should not have any pride in our so-called racial make-up, but be happy and thankful for being children of God. Merry Christmas: Day 9

May your Christened name be blessed forever.  Merry Christmas; Day 8

We thank you Lord Jesus for being born like us, for us, and saving us.  Merry Christmas: Day 7

If being forgiven is the greatest gift we can ever receive from someone, then it is also the greatest gift we can ever give to someone. Merry Christmas: Day 6

It is an extraordinary gift we have, to believe. All Christians need to live into what we believe.  Merry Christmas: Day 5

We are never to hurt or harm children, only help them, teach them, save and love them. This is what Christmas is all about. Merry Christmas: Day 4

The testimony of John the apostle about our Lord Jesus is true; Believe.  Merry Christmas: Day 3

Let us not take our hate or ill will for another with us to our mortal death.  Merry Christmas: Day 2

Our being saved has as much to do with the birth of Jesus as it does his Resurrection from the dead.  Merry Christmas: Day 1

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