onewhoponders

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 26: Year 2

AM Psalms 61and 62; PM Psalm 68:
Ecclesiasticus 43:1to 22; Revelation 14:14to15:8; Luke 13:1to9

“It is the moon that marks the changing seasons, governing the times, their everlasting sign.  From the moon comes the sign for festal days, a light that wanes when it completes its course. The new moon, as its name suggests, renews itself; how marvelous it is in this change, a beacon to the hosts on high, shining in the vault of the heavens!” (Ecclesiasticus 43: 6 to 8)

As an Education for Ministry (EfM) mentor, I have learned to make use of metaphor to explain life situations and our call as Christians.  This is a fine opportunity to do it now with the words from the writer of Ecclesiasticus.

The moon waxes and wanes.  It grows, from our earthly perspective, and then shrinks again. When the moon is directly between earth and the sun it is invisible.  We call this the New Moon. It is almost like it is born again.  It starts out small again and then fills in as the days advance.

We too, as we grow in Christ we reflect the light of the “Son.”  We also have a continual need to find a quiet place for solace and contemplation.  We have no light of our own.  We reflect the Light of our Lord Jesus.  As the Church we signal the changing seasons.  Advent is approaching, then comes Christmas.  Christmas is followed by the light of Epiphany which leads us into Lent. Then the Great Day and season of Easter!  Then we’re back to Pentecost or Ordinary time.  The Church as the moon has a huge responsibility.  We must signal the changing of the seasons, the times, the festal days, the everlasting sign.  And we do this by renewing ourselves regularly. It’s important to remember to do self care.  Those outside of us count on us. This earth needs the moon to keep it in balance.

Today we also remember Richard Hooker (Priest 1600).

Hooker said that, “all positive laws of Church and State are grounded—from Scriptural revelation, ancient tradition, reason, and experience…. Concerning the nature of the Church, Hooker wrote: “The Church is always a visible society of men; not an assembly, but a Society. For although the name of the Church be given unto Christian assemblies, although any multitude of Christian men congregated may be termed by the name of a Church, yet assemblies properly are rather things that belong to a Church. Men are assembled for performance of public actions; which actions being ended, the assembly dissolveth itself and is no longer in being, whereas the Church which was assembled doth no less continue afterwards than before.”  (Great Cloud of Witnesses for November 3) Seen or unseen, our Church “moon” is the Church, seen or unseen, new or full.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Readings for All Souls / All Faithful Departed:

Psalm 130 or 116:10 to17
Wisdom 3:1to9 or Isaiah 25:6 to 9;1^st Thessalonians 4:13to18 or 1 Corinthians 15:50to58; and John 5:24to27

“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.”  (John 5; 24)

So our Lord Jesus, while so wanting us to prosper in eternal life, that he dedicated his earthly life to the end that we continue to learn and to love and to transition our lives into that perfect realm where with the Creator we all truly live “happily ever after.” He has conquered death for us and we, by our faith will have everlasting life.

Our Episcopal and Anglican Church holds a day apart specifically to commemorate the faithful departed.  Our Church, on the second of November, today, remembers and prays for our departed family and friends whom we love.

Yes we remember September 11^th, (9/11) 2001 and other tragic days.  These were sad days. However, I personally object to letting a few sick minds pick a day that I am going to commemorate my lost loved ones every year. Our Church already has such a day.  There are individual days set aside for certain people of scripture and of the Church wherein we remember them.  And while I understand that most people in America do not belong to the Episcopal Church, I am personally thankful that I do and that my Church provides a time for me and my Anglican family to collectively remember those whom God has blessed us with, but who have now gone on to be with our Lord.

Below I am providing two prayers for your convenience.  In the first, please insert the name or names of loved ones you miss where I have inserted a blank.  And then I will close with another prayer.  Both are found in our Book of Common Prayer (BCP)

Let us Pray:

Father of all, we pray to you for those we love,[________] but see no longer: Grant them your peace; let light perpetual shine upon them; and, in your loving wisdom and almighty power, work in them the good purpose of your perfect will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (BCP 504)

Almighty God, Father of mercies and giver of comfort: Deal graciously, we pray, with all who mourn; that, casting all their care on you, they may know the consolation of your love; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP 505)

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Part 1 of 2 

Daily Office Readings for All Saints Day

AM: Psalms 111, 112; 2 Esdras 2:42to47; Hebrews 11:32to10:2; PM: Psalms 148, 150; Wisdom 5:1to5and 14-16; Revelation 21:1to4 and verse 22to22:1to5

“Light shines in the darkness for the upright; the righteous are merciful and full of compassion.” (Psalm 112: 4)

While there are many readings for All Saints Day, I think this verse of Psalm 112 really captures the essence of what the saints are about.  Remember, Paul called all believers in every place, saints.  And, we are.  Mercy and compassion are the characteristics of saints.

Part 2 of 2

Eucharistic Readings for All Saints Day: Year A
Ecclesiasticus 44:1-14; Psalm 149; Revelation 7:2to4,9to17;Matthew 5:1to12;

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” (Matthew 5:11)

There are 7 beatitudes leading to this summation of “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.”  Let’s look at them.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Poor in spirit means those who have almost lost all hope.  They just need the good news that God loves them.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. God’s ears hears tears. God will come.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.  All who humble themselves will be exalted.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. We are called to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” BCP 305)

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Judge not, and be not judged.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. We must see Jesus in everyone.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.  Can’t we all just get along?

Today is All Saints Day. The above list defines who the saints are. Do you want to be one too?

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 25: Year 2

AM Psalm 55; PM Psalms 138 and 139:
Ecclesiasticus 35:1to17; Revelation 13:11to18; Luke 12:32to48

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Luke 12: 34)

I really had to look at this passage closely.  I have heard that if you really want to know what a person’s priorities are just look at their checkbook, or perhaps today, their receipts, as fewer people are writing actual checks today. The point is the same, what we really care about is where we put our money.

This means our money follows our heart’s desire rather than our hearts following our money. Money, all by itself, has no desire at all. Some of us may not have the money that will allow us to follow our heart’s desire.  That doesn’t mean we don’t have desires.  Of course we do.

I think the most important lesson here is that we can learn to love and desire what God wants us to desire, and that is, to do God’s will. Over the years I have outgrown some selfish desires in life.  I don’t care about fancy cars, or clothes anymore. Unfortunately I had to experience some of these things to realize they aren’t that important. Blessed is the person who has never had these material things and never wanted them.

Real happiness for me now is seeing to it that others have the simple things in life, food, health care, housing, education, and a way to get around as they need to. My happiness in part, is based on the happiness of my neighbor. I believe this is the desire that God wants me to have.  So where is my treasure?

I give to my church and to charitable organizations. I join clubs and organizations whose purpose is to care for the poor and disenfranchised. I know my little treasure won’t bring an end to their plight but it makes me feel better and brings some joy to my heart, knowing that I provided some relief for them.

Money is not meant to be worshiped but it will reveal the nature of our worship. We are to love God and love our neighbor.  As far as I know, God does not need any money.  Some of our neighbors do.  These are the neighbors we are asked by God to love. Loving our neighbor should be our heart’s desire.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John 

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 25: Year 2

AM Psalms 40 and 54; PM Psalm 51;
Ecclesiasticus 34:1to 8 and 18to22; Revelation 13:1to10; Luke 12:13-31:

“Then he said, “I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”  (Luke 12: 18 and 19)

This Gospel of Luke is not written against the rich.  Often the rich in this Gospel contribute to the poor.  But Luke’s Gospel does get to the heart and soul of where those with wealth do their works.

In this reading for today the rich landowner never considers those less fortunate than himself; that he might follow the biblical mandate to not glean your field completely, thus leaving something for the needy.  He just figures out a way to keep more for himself.  He even talks to his soul, his direct connection to God.  His soul, nor ours, needs wealth.  Our souls just want us to gravitate towards the kingdom of God.

Jesus gives several examples of how fruitless it is to not be rich towards God. Jesus warns that life in nature is fed better, and dressed better, than humans who try to do this for themselves at the neglect of those who have next to nothing. The man’s own soul would not be in agreement with his intentions to hoard his blessings.  And in fact, his soul will be taken back by God that day.

Jesus tells him (and us), “Do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.  For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, strive for his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well, (Luke 12: 29 to 31).  This reminds me of the hymn, “Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.” It is a beautiful hymn from our “Lift Every Voice and Sing” Hymnal.

Jesus informs us that our Heavenly Father knows we need food and provisions in order to live healthy lives.  While we need these things they should not become idols that replace God in our lives.  As citizens of heaven, temporarily visiting earth, we should never forget whose we are.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John  

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 25: Year 2

AM Psalm 50; PM Psalm [59, 60] or 33;
Ecclesiasticus 31:12to18 and 25to32:2; Revelation 12:7to17; Luke 11:53to12:12

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!  Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.  But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Luke 12:4 to 7)

I ponder several points from this Gospel passage.  First, our bodies will yield its soul back to the Lord, sooner or later.  No one knows how much time on this earth they have.  But “on this earth” is not the end.  At out death, life is changed, not ended.

I used to misinterpret this passage.  I used to think the writer was talking about a human taking the life of another human.  But have come to understand this as fearing God, who after calling us back to the Creator then decides where we go from that point. 

We humans are a part of creation like the sparrows.  I do believe God prizes us as the flagship of creation and holds us up as special and even came to dwell with us as one of us.

Lastly, the language of God counting the hairs of our head is the best explanation that could be given to let the people of that day know that there is nothing about us that the Creator doesn’t know.  Today we would say God made every molecule of us and put together our DNA.  This language would not have made sense two thousand years ago.  It is God whom we must go to concerning our health. It is God who is the ultimate doctor as expressed through the healings of Jesus. But more importantly, it is God whom we must go to for our spiritual health.  It is in the spiritual domain that we will have eternal life. God is the ultimate Spiritualist as revealed in the Gospel of John, chapter 4, verse 24.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John  

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 25: Year 2

AM Psalm 119:49-72; PM Psalm 49, [53];
Ecclesiasticus 28:14to26; Revelation 12:1-6; Luke 11:37to52

“As you fence in your property with thorns, so make a door and a bolt for your mouth.  As you lock up your silver and gold, so make balances and scales for your words. Take care not to err with your tongue, and fall victim to one lying in wait.”  (Ecclesiasticus 28:24to 26)

This reading from Ecclesiasticus for today begins with the destruction that slander can cause.  Slander is a weapon of the tongue.  And as we can see this passage ends back with the warning of the tongue, that is, the mouth and the hurtful words our mouths can produce.

There are other places in the Bible that caution us about the harm that the tongue can cause.  Most notable for Christians is the letter of James where he writes,  “For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue—a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God.”  (James 3:7 to 9)                                                                 

How often we might say something we really don’t mean, or, say something in a heated moment from which we have moved on and feel differently later.  Sometimes it doesn’t have to be heated. It is just what we think or believe at the time. I tell my students all the time that what they think or feel today, if we are opened to evolve, we could change as we learn more.  Therefore we must respect where others are on their journey and also realize we too could change as we learn.  We should guard against what we say, always.  I use a personal mantra to help me remember not to speak too freely.  I call it dust, and it stands for, “Don’t unnecessarily share thoughts.”  If I remember to use this management tool it helps me, and prevents me from saying something I may regret later.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 25: Year 2

AM Psalm 45; PM Psalms 47 and 48;
Ecclesiasticus 24:1to12; Revelation 11:14to19; Luke 11:27to36

“While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, ‘Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!’ But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” (Luke 11: 27 and 28)

This verse above sounds like content for praying the Rosary. “Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.”  Also, in her words she advocates for the mother’s role in God’s salvation plan. However, as far as blessings go, Jesus points to those of us who hear, and more importantly, obey the will of God.

Jesus was teaching and preaching to the crowds. And, “When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, ‘This generation is an evil generation; it asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.  For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation” (Luke 11: 29 and 30).  Could Jesus be using this old Hebrew story as an analogy about his salvation purpose in our life?  Could our Lord Jesus be saying that just being able to quote a Bible chapter and verse is nothing if we don’t learn from it and live our lives according to its lesson?  I think so.

Jesus will go on to tell them (and us) that, “The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here!” (Luke 11: 32)

Jesus walked among us as an example of how to live a loving life in harmony with one another. As I have noticed our Lord Jesus in his travels, other than teaching and preaching, he was healing and feeding.  God, in Christ Jesus, in his human form, was a nurturer. This is not just a role for mothers.  It is not only okay for non-mothers to be considerate and compassionate, it is who God in Christ Jesus wants us to be, men and women, just like the example he set for us.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 25: Year 2

AM Psalms 41and 52; PM Psalm 44;
Ecclesiasticus 19:4to17; Revelation 11:1to14; Luke 11:14to26

“But some of them said, ‘He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” (Luke 11:15)

Jesus was casting out demons and putting people back in their right minds.  And instead of being thankful, some in the crowds wanted to be critical of the source of Jesus’ ability. It can be disheartening when we struggle to do something good and then are accused of doing the good work for self-serving or self-glorification purposes.  

We are at the height of national politicking in this country.  We are about eight days from elections at every level. I have seen good works from people in both of our major parties. From the presidential office down to the local state representatives, if we really look, we can find some good works that they all do. We can find good works from both the incumbents as well as those desiring to replace them. 

In our faith history, the scriptures, in particular Ezra,  has recorded good works done by two kings of Persia who were not Hebrews but by the power of God, Cyrus and Darius assisted the Hebrew people in the re-establishment of Jerusalem (Ezra, chapters 1 through 6). These kings gained nothing from these godly acts.  But both believed that God Almighty wanted them to do this good work. They did it not for themselves, but because it pleased God.

Our Lord Jesus also informs his critics to understand that God works in mysterious ways. He said to them about his casting out the demon, “But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out the demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Luke 11:20).

God is all about good and holy works.  You and I don’t do good works. God does good works through our faith.  Let us not be confused about the real source of the good works that we do.  The finger of God is still at work in this world because the kingdom of God has come to us.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John

Part 1 of 2

Daily Office Readings for Sunday of Proper 25: Year 2

AM Psalms 63 and 98; PM Psalm 103; Ecclesiasticus 18:19to33; 1^st Corinthians 10:15to24; Matthew 18:15to20

“Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar?” (1^st Corinthians 10:18)

I think the most troubling time for me during this pandemic is missing being with my brothers and sisters around the Table for receiving the Body of Christ.  We all have differences in many ways.  We have different political beliefs; we have different beliefs regarding who should marry who; we even have different beliefs about who Jesus really is, Son of God, or God Incarnate.  But we come to the Table in solidarity of purpose.  And that is, obeying Our Lord Jesus who said, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Despite our differences we are partners at the Altar. Thank You Lord Jesus.

Part 2 of 2

 New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 25: Year A

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 and Matthew 22:34-46

“He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  (Matthew 22: 37 to 40)

There was a traveler who asked an old Rabbi, “Sir, could you explain the whole of the Torah while standing on one foot?”  To which the Rabbi answered, “What you don’t like done to you, do not do to anyone else.” 

In the Hebrew Testament there are six hundred and thirteen laws; many of which are outdated in today’s societies.  And we Christians have adopted the Ten Commandments as part of our own code of conduct.  However, in today’s Eucharistic Gospel, we see where our Lord Jesus makes it easier for us.  It is indeed easier to remember only two Commandments.  Love God with all that you are and love your neighbor as yourself.  Loving God must come first.  Love God, and then we are able to love others through the love we have for God.  It is also very important that we love ourselves.  It does us no good to love others as we love ourselves if in fact, we don’t love ourselves. God loves us. Therefore, we too must love ourselves. God finds us worthy of God’s love. So we cannot, not love ourselves. After this, we stretch out to our neighbors, all on earth.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to, and through, the saints of God, and then ponder anew what the Almighty can do. John