onewhoponders

This is the Fourth Day of Christmas

Eucharistic Readings for Holy Innocence

Jeremiah 31:15-17  Psalm 124  Revelation 21:1-7  Matthew 2:13-18

“A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:18 and Jeremiah 31:15)

I know a Rachel who has no children and yet she is a perfect mother. She is kind and gentle, very smart and nurturing.  Children, when we are blessed with them, are a gift from God. And because they are precious in God’s sight, they should be precious in our sight as well.  After all, we are made in the Image of God.

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

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

This is the Third Day of Christmas

Eucharist Readings for St John the Evangelist

Exodus 33:18-23; Psalm 92; 1John 1:1 – 9: John 21: 19b – 24

“This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. (John 21:24)

John is one of the five Apostles that the Gospel shows evidence of being handpicked by Jesus.  Oh the Gospels say he had 12 but some were just joiners I guess.  John, James, Simon (Peter) and Andrew and later Matthew (Levi; Matthew 9:9) were actually told “follow me,” and they accepted.  There was also the rich young man but he declined. (Matthew 19:21)  His name could have been among the 12, He was invited but his many possessions had control of him and wouldn’t let him follow.

John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1: 1 – 3). We have a beginning from One who has no beginning.

We must recognize the testimony of John as a divine message. All of his works, from the Gospel according to John, his pastoral letters and the Divine Revelation from our Lord Jesus are God’s doing. Thank You Lord Jesus.

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

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

This is the Second Day of Christmas

Eucharistic Readings for St. Stephens

Jeremiah 26:1-9,12-15  Psalm 31 or 31:1-5  Acts 6:8-7:2a,51c-60  Matthew 23:34-39

“Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died.” (Acts 7:60)

As a priest, and still considered a servant of our Lord Jesus, I am not in total agreement with how our first deacons were formed.  As I understand it deacons were formed in order to excuse priests from the responsibility of feeding those who were hungry, (Acts 6) which is what Jesus did at every opportunity he found. In fact he said to the apostles, “You feed them.”  (Matthew 14:16)  However, more than that, and in keeping with today’s focus, Deacon Stephen’s devotion to God through Jesus is most remarkable.

Stephen knows his faith history and relates it to those who falsely judge him.  He has every right to be angry about how they are treating him, however he lets love prevail. Psalm 31:13 – 16 may hold comforting words for Stephen and for all of us who are held in contempt.  For it reads:

13 For I have heard the whispering of the crowd; fear is all around; they put their heads together against me; they plot to take my life.

14 But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord. I have said, “You are my God.

15 My times are in your hand; rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, and in your loving-kindness save me.” (Psalm 31:13 -16)

I believe Stephen was saved, not from mortal death but form eternal death. And as he goes, he shares with us a very important lesson.

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

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

This is the First Day of Christmas

Eucharistic Readings for  Christmas Day

Isaiah 9:2-7  Psalm 96  Titus 2:11-14   Luke 2:1-14(15-20)

“While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child.  And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:6 – 7)  

No room at the inn, BALDERDASH! You or I would have given up our room for a pregnant woman, any pregnant woman, if we only knew about her.  We are not new or unique.  There have always been soft hearted, compassionate people like us in the world.  But we have to know about the pregnant woman.  No, I think this lack of compassion rests clearly on the managers of the inn.  They didn’t want to upset the guests, the paying guests. This lack of compassion is more accurately termed “inconsiderate.”

There would have been room in the inn for Herod; there would have been room for Caesar, today there would be room for the Governor, there would be room for the President.  But there was a lack of compassion for this pregnant girl.  This lack of compassion is more accurately termed “inconsiderate.” And it is to being inconsiderate that I say Bah Humbug!

Jesus is born in Bethlehem at the corner of Ignorance and Inconsiderate streets. In Dickens “A Christmas Carol” the ghost of Christmas present shows two children whose names are “Ignorance” and “Want.”  The ghost additionally says; “beware of them both but more especially of Ignorance.”  I’m thinking ignorance can be fixed with some teaching and preaching.  That is what Jesus came to do, to inform the ignorant among us. This has always included me.

Do you think that when ignorance is informed, such a one will become more considerate?  There are some examples in the life of Jesus.  In chapter 3 of the Gospel of John Jesus meets Nicodemus in darkness (pun intended) and explains how one must be born again from above to be saved. Later, in chapter 19 of the same Gospel, after Jesus has died and was taken down from the cross, Nicodemus brings fragrances to anoint the body.  He changed from being inconsiderate to being very considerate through being informed and taught and brought out of his darkness.

This baby Jesus born this day teaches us and brings us out of our darkness also. Our Lord Jesus informs us so that we may be open to those who need our help or our room in the inn. In this way we ourselves are saved.  Our being saved has as much to do with the birth of our Lord Jesus as it does his Resurrection from the dead.  Merry Christmas to all.

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

This is Christmas Eve!  So I have decided to break from the normal readings in order to once again share my poem written in 2006.  Enjoy:

The First Night Before Christmas

It was me and my buddies out watching our sheep,

The night was quiet, not one of them bleeped.

It was so quiet in fact, we were about to sleep,

When we noticed someone out by the sheep.

Then all at once it became very clear,

No ordinary person was visiting us here.

We were all afraid, but he said “Fear Not.”

And then there were more, and their numbers wouldn’t stop.

He said go to Bethlehem and see the Baby,

He is the Word of God, there is no maybe.

He said the baby’s in Bethlehem, lying in a manger,

He can save you all, from permanent danger.

Then they all left, praising God for this birth,

Just like they came, they were all gone from the earth.

Then I and my friends said, let’s go if we’re able,

To Bethlehem there, and straight to the stable.

And there we were on a cold winter’s night,

We saw Mary, Joseph and Baby, what a sight!

We told them everything right from the start,

But Mary just smiled, kept our words in her heart.

So we left there then in the thick of the night,

Asking you to thank God with all of your might.

Luke 2: 8 – 20

The Reverend John Thomas Frazier 2006

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 Week Four of Advent Year 2

AM Psalm 61, 62; PM Psalm 112, 115  Zeph. 3:14-20; Titus 1:1-16; Luke 1:1-25

“He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’” (Luke 1:16 – 17)

In this passage the angel Gabriel is speaking with Zechariah about things that will happen and how all this will be good news. He is telling him about a son that he will have through Elizabeth his wife and that he is to name the child John.

Gabriel tells Elijah that this child will turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. This is amazing.  These are Israelites.  They are raised in the Holy Scriptures of the Lord our God from birth.  Yet, this John the Baptist is going to have them love their children more than they do already and he is going to shine a light on the ignorance of disobedience. 

Zechariah questions Gabriel and as a result Gabriel makes Zechariah mute until the child is born. “Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.’” (Luke 1: 18 – 20)

We know that Zechariah’s son, John the Baptist, becomes the herald or announcer of the coming of our Lord Jesus. John was a hard man who did not bend to the selfish desires of others, be they the Pharisee (Brood of vipers) or Herod the puppet king who married his brother’s wife.  John told it like it was.  Yes he lost his head but he saved his soul.  We can’t lose anything that God can’t put back together and make it even better than it was before.

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

Eucharistic Readings for the 4^th Sunday of Advent Year A

Isaiah 7:10-16 Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 Romans 1:1-7  Matthew 1:18-25

“But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”” (Matthew 1: 20 – 21)

So God is preparing to walk with people on earth.  And God decides to start as all humans start, as a baby.  Of all the earth, and specifically, the people of the earth, Joseph and Mary become the new Adam and Eve.  This is not about original sin but a new place to begin.  This is not even about marriage as the scripture makes clear.  This is about the best parents for raising God Incarnate. 

Joseph goes to sleep with a heavy decision to make: to keep or not to keep Mary.  He decided not to keep her but even that was burdensome. This is why an angel from God came into his life, and in a dream none the less.  This is not the first time God visited us in this way.  In the first beginnings, in Genesis, God visited Jacob as he slept (Genesis 28: 12 – 13).

Do you believe God and the angels of God really did this?  If so, do you believe God can, and still does do this?  I do.  Like Jacob and Joseph, we too get so burdened with fear or conflicts of the norms of our day that we need help in doing what God wants.  It is during these times that God acts. Dreams enter a cleared mind, something we rarely have when we are awake.

This is the Holy Spirit of God.  This Holy Spirit always acts for the benefit of the human race, like saving us from our sins.  And, like Joseph, we too are called to silent obedience.

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

Eucharistic Readings for Thomas the Apostle December 21

Habakkuk 2:1-4  Psalm 126  Hebrews 10:35-11:1  John 20:24-29

“Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with the other disciples when Jesus came.” (John 20:24)   

Today we reflect on Thomas the apostle.  But before we get into Thomas as the so-called “Doubting Thomas,” let’s ask why Thomas was not with the other disciples.  The now ten (Judas has killed himself) are continually locked in a room.  Only Mary Magdalene and some other women are running around getting provisions and giving updates on Jesus sightings to the apostles, save Thomas. Why?

This makes me ponder.  Having been in small groups I understand that sometimes I just need to get away for a minute.  Perhaps the decisions of the group are going in a direction I don’t agree with.  Maybe there is an irritation growing and trust is eroding within the group.  These men are human just like me.  The feelings I have today are some of the same feelings they, and in particular Thomas, might have had then. When Thomas says, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe,” maybe this statement was about his disbelief of the ten, not something he thought Jesus couldn’t do, or would do.

Thomas shows courage in the Gospel of John.  When Jesus is warned about going back to Jerusalem that he might be killed there, “Then Thomas (also known as Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11: 16) This surely shows both his character and his courage.  Also, Thomas speaks up when he doesn’t understand something that Jesus said.  When Jesus announces his approaching death and tells them that they know the way he is going, the confused Thomas speaks up,  “Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”  (John 14:5)  Of course this sets up the place where Jesus declares that he is “the Way the Truth and the Life.”  (John 14:6)

With all this evidence of his courage and character most of us still like to hold Thomas as the doubter – Doubting Thomas, we like to refer to him.  It’s a shame.  Thomas has so many good qualities.  Why is it we often label people by maybe one slip or flaw rather then look at the whole of a person and find a more suitable name for them? Maybe Thomas the True-Hearted would have been more suitable.  I know that even with my sometimes doubts, I need to be more like Thomas, how about you?

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 Week 3 of Advent Year 2

AM Psalm 40, 54; PM Psalm 51  Zech. 7:8-8:8; Rev. 5:6-14; Matt. 25:14-30

“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” (Matthew 25: 14 – 15)

This is a very familiar parable.  It is about using whatever gifts we have to the best of our abilities.  In this parable the one servant gets only one talent and decides not to use it.  He buries it until the return of the master. Bad move.

What I ponder about is the relative affects of this parable.  The man who receives the one talent witnesses the others receiving more, one gets 4, the next gets half of that which is two and finally he, the third servant, gets half of that, only one.  So much here to ponder.

What I want to bring to the forefront is the responsibility we all have to do the best we can with what God has graced us with.  Whatever gift or gifts we have, it is what our family, or community or the world needs.  God does not waste gifts.  Some of us have gifts of mathematics; some of us have gifts of voice as in singing; some of us have gifts of extraordinary compassion; some of us have gifts of agricultural cultivation and some of us are blessed with more than one; maybe four or two or just one like our servant above. 

I tend not to focus on what will happen to us if we waste our gifts. The saddest part for me is that we all suffer for the lack of what we could have enjoyed.  God does not waste gifts. Has God gifted you with something we need in our lives right now? I already know the answer is yes. Please make use of it, we need it.  Remember, what the world needs and what you enjoy doing is where God enters our world.

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 the 3^rd Week of Advent Year 2

AM Psalm 50; PM Psalm [59, 60] or 33 Zech. 4:1-14; Rev. 4:9-5:5; Matt. 25:1-13

“The angel who talked with me came again, and wakened me, as one is wakened from sleep.”  (Zechariah 4:1)

Our readings from Zechariah and Revelation speak of angels and their ongoing relationship with us as they carry out God’s will.  Zechariah, like Jacob and Elijah and Joseph were awakened by angels as one is wakened from sleep.  It occurs to me that sleep may just be a metaphor of ignorance.

I believe God still sends angels into our lives to move us or shift us into the direction that God wants us to travel.  Sometimes such angels may be two or three people away. For example, an angel may influence a friend of yours to ask you something that in turn caused you to act or respond in a way that is pleasing to God.  In such a case we waste time and God’s blessing if we judge the message by the one bringing it.  We must be attentive to what the question or message is, not the messenger.

There are several places in the Bible where the one who is helpful is not named but makes all the difference in the outcome. I will share two, both from Second Kings where we read, “Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife.  She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”” (2 Kings 5: 2 – 3)  And again, “Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” (2 Kings 5: 13)  In both cases unnamed person intervene to ass Naaman with his leprosy.  Are they angels?  God knows.

In the reading from Revelation today we have an angel asking the question. “And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” (Revelation 5:2)  Angels always seem to be connecting with us in our thin places, that is as we are in prayer, or dreaming or otherwise letting go of business.   The angel in the Revelation that John received seems to come directly from the One seated on the throne and speaks for the One sitting on the throne.  Angels are both messengers and, when necessary, correctors of human history as may be best for us and is pleasing to God.

I have heard so many angel stories.  I love them all. Angels are shrouded in mystery.  In the midst of our dealing with an angel we lose track of time.  It becomes clear no ordinary person is with us.  Perhaps the term “fear not” has real merit in such circumstances. I do know this, once visited, you can’t un-visit.

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