Part 1 of 2

AM Psalm 25; PM Psalm 9, 15
Isa. 44:6-8,21-23; Eph. 4:1-16; Mark 3:7-19a

“And he appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message” (Mark 3: 14)

Jesus appointed people to assist in the work of caring out the message.  I think this is the work of every Christian.  To receive the message in Church and then carry that message out from the church into everyday life.  This message is carried out not only in word but also in our conduct.  As St Francis said, “Go out and preach the Gospel, and when necessary, use words.”  This means that the primary method of spreading the good news is by our compassion and kindness. There are so many now who don’t bother to go to church.  They have given up on Good News.  But they still need it.  That’s where we come in.  We hear the word and take it into ourselves.  Then we go out and do good works through the faith re-kindled in us through the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Table.  With the Presence of Christ in us we go out and meet people, some are family, some are friends, some are people we have never met before.  But we have the Risen Christ within us. 

I can remember when I took Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and was assigned a floor in a hospital.  I was nervous about entering a patient’s room.  I don’t know why, I just was.  Then, I remembered the words of our supervisor who said “Go to them and just be, Christ will do the work of relationship.”  And that is exactly what happened.   I never experienced one problem.

We are all appointed to do the work of taking Jesus out to people who need him.  Do not worry and do not be afraid.  God in faith and Christ will do the heavy lifting. Be well.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Part 2 of 2

Ephesians

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,”  (Ephesians 4:4)

We hear these words at the Baptismal Service on page 299 of the Book of Common Prayer. Often we are reading along with the celebrant and can’t really focus on the depth of the meaning behind the words.  When Paul says there is one body he means the Christian Church.  We collectively make up the body of Christ.  The one Spirit is the Spirit of the Incarnate Word, Christ Jesus.  The Spirit has called us individually to a hope that fills a communal need.  Paul will go on to give some examples but what is important to know is that God’s plan is dependent on the call planted in each of us.  We are hard wired to be social creatures; we need each other. God made us this way. One can’t be Christian in isolation. 

The other part of this is that God is hoping!  God hopes that we will answer the call for the sake of the creation that God so loves. God doesn’t make us do good works, but rather hopes we will.  Once, an elderly lady came into the church for help, financial help.  I was busy at the moment and asked her if she could give me a minute or two.  In her desperate need she wanted to know if we were the kind of church that would help her so in her own vernacular she asked “have you ever “hoped” anybody before.  It took me a minute to realize that she was using a past tense of “help” that I had never heard. When I went to her she had left but her word stayed with me “hoped.”

It occurred to me that this is what the church is supposed to do for people, especially the down-trodden, give them hope.  So I turned the word hope into a verb.  To hope someone is to give them hope.  God has hope and wants us to pass it on.  So let’s do that.  Let’s hope people wherever we can. It is our calling. Be Well.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Part 1 of 2

Eucharistic Readings

 Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36:5-10 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5)

Mary has lived with her son our Lord for most of his earthly thirty years.  She has seen him replenish their food supply and maybe even change some of their water into wine.  She has probably seen him do more with nothing than is ever written in the Bible.

So it is quite natural for Mary to go to her son when there is a shortage of anything.  Notice that Mary does not respond to Jesus’ mumbling about whether or not his time has come.  She turns to the servants that will obey Jesus – she turns to us.  She looks through the pages of John’s Gospel directly into our eyes and says, “Do whatever he tells you.”

This is perhaps the first sermon ever about how we Christians should respond to Jesus. John the Baptist proclaimed the coming of Jesus and that Jesus would baptize us with fire and the Holy Spirit.  Later even Paul tells us about how Christ Jesus is our Salvation.  But Mary tells us we must do as Jesus tells us.  She puts into action everything that Jesus will say to us in commands and parables, from the golden rule (Do onto others as you would have them do onto you), to the Good Samaritan and to give to Cesar that that is Cesar’s and to God that that is God’s.  If we are really serious about following Jesus when Jesus says “follow me” then we first must listen to Mary who says to us “Do whatever he tells you.” Be Well.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Part 2 of 2

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Civil Rights Activist

Psalm 77:11-20 Genesis 37:17b-20 Ephesians 6:10-20 Luke 6:27-36

Luke

Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:31)

This weekend we remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Civil Rights Activist.  From the Gospel we read about doing to or for others as we would want them to do to or for us.  In 1963 Dr King writes a letter to clergy who think that his civil disobedience is “unwise and untimely.”  The following words taken from his letter of 1963 captures the necessity of its authorship.  He writes:

“I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.  We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial “outside agitator” idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail: April 16, 1963: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.)

To be an advocate for those with no voice is to do for others what you would want them to do for you.  There is still a great need for all of us to stand up for those who are not us.  We need men to stand up for equal pay for women, we need European Americans to stand up for African Americans. We need the healthy to stand up for sick. We need those of us who can, to stand up for those who can’t.  We are not competitors in some kind of game.  We are made to be people of compassion for those who struggle.  Dr. King saw this as Jesus’ command to love others as you love yourself and to do onto others as you would have them to do onto you. Would you not advocate for yourself if you could?  So too then, welcome the service of someone who advocates for you, and you advocate for someone out there who needs you.  Be Well.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Part 1

Daily Office Readings

AM Psalm 20, 21:1-7(8-14); PM Psalm 110:1-5(6-7), 116, 117
Isa. 43:1-13; Eph. 3:14-21; Mark 2:23-3:6  

Ephesians

 “Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)

How often have I heard the words, “Let go, and let God.”  But somehow I always think that God might not get it right.  So I go to work.  This is usually where things go from bad to worse.

Like many of us I forget that God is already at work in us.  I also forget that I am only who I am suppose to be when God is acting out in me.  So here is the thing, God can do far more than I can ask, or imagine!  I have a great imagination.  However, I must admit it’s flawed.  My imagination normally works out things to my favor, operating from my biases.

God is not about any of us for our own sake.  God calls individuals out for the welfare of the community.  God Called out Moses for the Israelites, God called out Jonah for the people of Nineveh; God called out all the prophets for the salvation of a displaced Israel.  And God in Christ Jesus called out the first apostles for the community of the Church. God is still calling us out in Christ Jesus to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine. Some ways you can tell it is God who is calling is; the call will be for the benefit of others, the call will be inconvenient, the will cost you something.  This is the way it was for Moses, for Jonah, for the prophets and for the apostles and the way it is for us today. 

 Listen for God’s call in your life. And when you hear God’s call don’t get in the way.  Allow God to use you for God’s purposes for the enhancement of the community.  Be Well.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Part 2

Richard Rolle (1290–1349)

Psalm 63:1-8
Romans 11:33–36
Matthew 5:43-48

Romans

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen. (Romans 11: 36)

Paul is expressing as best he can the overwhelming magnificence of God. Our thankfulness, and thoughts, and praise should always go to God.  Richard Rolle devoted himself to the study of how to get close to God. He described four stages that one had to go through to become closer to God.  He described it as an open door, heat, song, and sweetness.

In one of his best-known works, The Fire of Love,  Rolle provides an account of his mystical experiences, which he describes as being of three kinds: a physical warmth in his body, a sense of wonderful sweetness, and a heavenly music that accompanied him as he chanted the Psalms.

I think I really identify with Richard Rolle regarding his mystical three legged stool.  In my own walk in this life I move around in my daily routine into different ways of enjoying being human.

While Rolle has his physical warmth in his body I have fitness.  I maintain a serious commitment to daily exercise that includes, pushups, squats, pull ups sit-ups dips, leg lifts and yoga.  At 70 I truly believe that I don’t quick working out because I get old, I get old because I quit working out.

Rolle has “a sense of wonderful sweetness.”  For me, this would be my pondering.  I ponder about God’s call on our lives as humans and what expectations God has for us.  Sharing this journal is part of my pondering.  I am a Spiritual Companion for several people.  When I sit with my loved ones I always inquire about their prayer life.  I ask if they journal.  This too is my wonderful sweetness.

Rolle has a “heavenly music that accompanied him as he chanted Psalms.  I too enjoy music.  I have many favorite hymns that I am learning to play on the piano and guitar.  Hymns are prayer for me.  From : “Praise to the Lord” to  “Lead Me, Guide Me” my daily walk is to the melody of some hymn. 

Put a hymn in your heart, go for a walk, and ponder anew what the Almighty can do.  Let its message guide your life.  Be Well.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Part 1

Daily Office Readings

AM Psalm 16, 17; PM Psalm 22
Isa. 42:(1-9)10-17; Eph. 3:1-13; Mark 2:13-22 

Mark

“For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.” (Mark 2: 14)

In Paul trying to bring us together as the Body of Christ much of his work was in vain.  Sense the Church’s beginning there has been division and fighting amongst we Christians, the Body of Christ.  It is as if Christ’s Body has cancer, fighting against itself.

I think the all-inclusive Jesus is proud of Paul devaluing circumcision for it opens the door for women to have equal presence in the church, just as they have always had in the eyes of Jesus. But there is still “hostility between us.”

Jesus was not hostile – PERIOD. So if we are following Jesus, we the Church, should not be hostile either. I know these are strange words coming from a thirty year Marine.  While I am not a pacifist, I don’t believe one has to be “hostile” to be a defender of our American way of life. Peaceful tolerance to another’s way of life, to co-exist for the mutual benefit of all is both the Way of Jesus and the multicultural way of the United States.   The dividing wall, Paul said, is hostility.  All walls are hostile acts.  Walls infer that there are humans on one side and less-than humans on the other. That’s not my Jesus.

The fighting within the Church began because of what two groups of Christians believed about the nature of Christ (Fully God or From God).  Such fighting, even to death, makes a mockery of the very foundation of what Jesus came and died for. It is especially sad when resources are used for making war while people starve in the very presence of such violence and misuse of resources.

We, today, should be able to see past this and receive all people in loving ways just as would Jesus himself do.  For as St. Paul declares, “For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.”

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Part 2

 Confession of St. Peter:
Eucharistic Readings:

Psalm 23; Acts 4:8-13, 1 Peter 5: 1 – 4, Matthew 16: 13 – 20

 Matthew

“Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.”  (Matthew 16: 13 – 17)

There are at least two important teaching points going on here.

First, who do you say that Jesus is?  We Christians can be found proclaiming Jesus as our Lord and Savior.  And he is. We say this with the most convincing words.  What do we say about who Jesus is with our behavior, our actions, and our love?

I am sure I read a quote from Maya Angelou (who has many life-inspiring quotes) that said, and I’m paraphrasing, “I do not define my Church, my Church defines me.”  In my understanding of her words it means that she does not tell people what her church is about, but rather, as she walked her life, her church said who she was.  Who do you say Jesus is by the way you conduct yourself?

Second, Jesus points out that Peter did not “figure out” who Jesus is.  Jesus lets us know that Peter’s revelation comes from God.  All holy revelation comes from God but like Peter we have to be close to Jesus to receive it. My dear friend and one-time mentor The Rev Gene Carpenter called it a “Glimmer of Grace.”  I like that term. It fits. It’s God’s doing, not ours. Be well.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Daily Office Readings

AM Psalm 18:1-20; PM Psalm 18:21-50
Isa. 41:17-29; Eph. 2:11-22; Mark 2:1-12 

Part 1

“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:5)

This action takes place after four friends tear open a roof in order to place their paralyzed friend before Jesus for healing.

I am absolutely convinced that Jesus takes the faith that is planted in us and uses it to do good works.  Almost every time we see Jesus doing a miracle he mentions the faith of the person or persons involved.  This is amazing to me because although this faith is in us we are not equipped to make use of it ourselves.  It is through prayer, in thought, word and/or deed that our request is made known to the Holy Spirit of the Incarnate Word of God and then God reaches inside us, uses the God-given spirit in us for the benefit of us.  Wow!  I have seen this in action when one of my young parishioners was in a terrible motorcycle accident.  His mother, sister, other family members, myself and even one of the doctors asked if she could pray with us. It was powerful.  At that prayerful moment we were on Holy Ground.  It was later that I heard another one of the surgeons approaching our waiting area saying “that was a strong young teenager.”  No sir, I thought to myself, that was God using our faith for the healing of this child.  Sin is not always something that we have done.  Sin is the deviation from God’s plan. Such deviation is brought directly to God’s attention through prayer, And God’s ears hears tears.  

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Part 2

“But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’—he said to the paralytic— ¹‘I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.’” (Mark 2:10, 11)

When Jesus is challenged regarding his authority to forgive sins Jesus shows the doubters that His power is beyond the simple physical matter of nature. Jesus is Lord of the seen, and the unseen – of this world and the next.

Jesus not only forgives sins which is something we also are equipped to do, He also makes the lame walk which even with all our technology often fall short of physical healing.

Yes, I said that, we, you and I, can forgive the sins of others and our selves. It’s not easy, but it is possible.  I recall a murderous act in Pennsylvania some years back when on  October 2, 2006, a shooting occurred at the West Nickel Mines School, an Amish one-room schoolhouse in the Old Order Amish community of Nickel Mines, a village in Bart Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. (Wikipedia)   Hurt and devastated to their core, the family and Amish community forgave the man who did the sin.  Amish are low tech, high faith, God loving people, and my faith heroes.

My point is that instead of making hate for the perpetrator our default emotional position, let’s use the love and calm that God in Christ has already placed inside us.  All the hate in the world will not bring back the lost one.  It is sad. But we must be reconciled to God.

We also must learn to forgive ourselves.  No matter how low we might sink the hand of God can reach us.  My favorite example of this “come to self” story is the one of the prodigal son in chapter 15 of the Gospel of Luke where we read, “But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you…” (Luke 15:17-18)  Self forgiveness is so important, it cannot be over emphasized. And yet, self forgiveness can’t be a carefree dismissal of what we have done or said. Forgiveness of our own sins is made manifest by our walking from the sin renewed and repentant, vowing never to do it again. Such repentance makes us and God happy.  Be well.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Daily Office Readings

AM Psalm 119:1-24; PM Psalm 12, 13, 14 
Isa. 41:1-16; Eph. 2:1-10; Mark 1:29-45 

Ephesians

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.” (Ephesians 2:8-10)

We are saved through faith – believing. I have always liked to look at faith as that handle by which God uses to pull our souls to God’s Self when we give up the ghost.  Just as our doing won’t earn our way into heaven, so too, our wrong doing shouldn’t keep us out.  It is all matter of faith, believing, and in believing we will do what is loving and pleasing in God’s sight. What we do then becomes a by-product of our faith.  

We are who God has made us whether we live into that being or not. We were created to do good works based on faith and for good faith-works to be our way of life. I think this is what St James is trying to tell us when he says, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.” (James 2:26)

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

More about who God made us to be: Wednesday 16 January 2018

Mark

“In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’” (Mark 1 35 – 37)

This again reminds me that my children never disturbed me during my prayer time.  As the kids were growing up they would often come to ask me something while I was on the phone,  mowing the lawn, or watching the game; but never did they interrupt me during prayers like it seems Simon and his companions did Jesus.  Long story short, I was never praying.  If it’s one thing I could change while raising my children it would be that I would be found praying regularly.  Kids are funny, if parents curse, they will curse, if parents smoke, kids will smoke, it stands to reason then that if parents pray kids too will pray.  I wish I had been found praying like Jesus was when they were searching for me. 

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people.

Wednesday Night Healing Service: 16 Jan 2019

ANTONY OF EGYPT MONASTIC (17 JAN 356)

1 Peter 5:6-11 

 Psalm 91
Mark 10:17-22

“When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”  (Mark 10: 22)

In this narrative of Jesus we hear of a man who could have been one of the Apostles.  This is one occasion where someone was invited to follow Jesus but declined. We don’t have his name but we could have.  The man says that he has kept the six relationship commandments that deal with how we treat one another; Honor parents, no murder, no adultery, no stealing, no bearing false witness, and no coveting.  Scripture then tells us that he could not follow Jesus because he had many possessions.  But I wonder if it was the possessions that had him.

Antony of Egypt, the son of Christian parents, inherited a large estate. On his way to church one day, he found himself meditating on the text, “Sell all that you have, and give to the poor, and come follow me.”  When he got to church, he heard the preacher speaking on that very text. He took this as a message for him, and, having provided for the care of his sister, he gave his land to the tenants who lived on it, and gave his other wealth to the poor, and became a hermit, living alone for twenty years, praying and reading, and doing manual labor.  (Contributed by James Keifer)

I must admit that I too am moved when writings or words come to me repeatedly.  I look at it as if the repeating words are a sign from God that God is trying to tell me something. Conversations, in particular around money, can be toxic in relationships.  What also is meaningful for me is Antony doing manual labor.  I work at a desk.  There is a stack of papers there when I start work and there is a stack of papers there when I finish.  Whew!  I can’t tell I’ve done anything.  It is different with manual labor.  Last month it was left to me to take much needed canned food to our Fayetteville Urban Ministry. There was a lot of it.  I loaded all of it into the back of my truck and hauled it to the ministry.  They were thankful.  When I returned to the church and looked at the now empty space where the food was I enjoyed a real feeling of accomplishment. I am now taking a cabinet making class.  It is fun.  My hope is that I get a real feeling of accomplishment every time I complete a project.  I am aware that sitting with people in crisis is real work, and it is very much appreciated.  But like Antony I too would like many years of praying and reading, and doing some kind of manual labor, Jesus did, Paul did and John should.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying through and to God’s people. bti

Some pondering on revelation from Mark McIntosh as he has written “Mysteries of Faith” for The New Church Teaching Series. The following is taken from chapter four of this book which I am mentoring in Education for Ministry (EfM) at St Paul’s in the Pines, Fayetteville, NC

Mark writes: “Think how, as you come to spend more and more time with a person, you come to know more deeply who she is. That is only possible because at the same time you are being changed by your friendship with her – sometimes brought up short, sometimes delighted, sometimes wounded in your pride, sometimes healed and forgiven.  All these changes in you are the means by which you come to know your friend more and more, because knowing someone in that intimate way is only possible through a process of transformation and growth – sometimes painful, always unsettling – by which you and your friend come to share life together.  Similarly, revelation happens when, by the miracle of God’s grace, we are brought to share in the love of the Trinity.  As we know, such sharing is risky for us in the world we have made.  God’s giving-life-in-you (usually called “grace”) leads you out of the self others have made for you by their anger or their possessiveness, and it tugs you out of the life you have  settled into as a way of hiding from what God longs for you to be.  It sends you into soup kitchens and night shelters, to hospital bedsides and communion rails, it exhausts you and gives you life, it gets you crucified and yet raises you into life itself.”  (Page 77 “Mysteries of Faith”)

Thank you Mark. What I get from this is that God reveals God’s self through the other.  We should never dismiss another person who comes to us to share a message.  If we ever say to ourselves, “I know this person and God would never use him or her to bring me a revelation,” we are not really dismissing them. We would be limiting God; we would be saying that God is not able to use him or her to reveal anything.  Have you not heard, God is able use anybody to do anything?  The lesson here is to always be open to what God might be saying to you through someone else, and further, companion the ups and downs that accompany the revelation. Sometimes God is tough, but always loving.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through God’s people.

Daily Office Readings

AM Psalm 5, 6; PM Psalm 10, 11
Isa. 40:25-31; Eph. 1:15-23; Mark 1:14-28 

Ephesians:

“I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.” (Ephesians 1:17 – 19 NRSV)

St Paul prays that God gives us the spirit of wisdom and revelation as we come to know God.  We really need to ponder theses words.  We can study God all we want but until God decides to share wisdom with us we will not have it.  The same goes for revelation.  We are made aware of divine things when God shares the same.  I think the only way we can participate in this sharing is that we first believe and await God’s pleasure.  For it we choose not to believe, there is no place in us for God to put this greatness of God’s glory which contains the hope to which we have been called. We must learn to listen with the ears of our heart and see with the eyes of our heart.  I hope St Paul appreciates my explanation.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through God’s people.

Daily Office Readings

AM Psalm 1, 2, 3; PM Psalm 4, 7   
Isa. 40:12-23; Eph. 1:1-14; Mark 1:1-13 

Ephesians:

“In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance,having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:11 – 12 NRSV)

After studying this sentence that runs through two verses in English, from various English translations, we have the words “destined” or “predestined” and the word “might” in the same sentence. I believe God has blessed humanity with free will.  I also believe God has set a path for us in Christ Jesus to be those of God’s creation who gives praise back to God.  We don’t have to, but we ought to. We have been wired for praise. I love the doxology that sings, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow, Praise him all creatures here below. Praise Him above Ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.” 

Many people avoid the Book of Revelation (to John from Jesus Christ).  However, a close examination of this book will reveal a regular round of singing praise to God from the heavenly host.  I don’t think it’s even a matter of singing ability; it’s just a matter of the heart. I don’t have any memories of my childhood as a church family but I can distinctly remember my mother singing Gospel hymns as she did our laundry. She would sing, “When I woke up this morning children, I didn’t have no doubt….”  I meet people all the time who have never heard that hymn.  But I love it.  One day I will try to find a copy of it.  I think this is who God wants us to be – God “wants” us to be, not “makes” us to be.  All we have to do is have no doubt.

So, “we who have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.” Let us practice singing praises to God regardless of what we might think of our ability to sing.  I’ve heard it said over and over again, God just wants a joyful noise. Our praising God now is practice for our eternal presence with God in glory everlasting.

 Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through God’s people.

Eucharistic Readings

Isaiah 43:1-7 Acts 8:14-17 Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Psalm 29

Luke

“When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened” (Luke 3:21 NRSV)

Often missed in the Gospel is how much Jesus prayed.  This version of Jesus’ Baptism suggests that the Baptism was over and then Jesus begin to pray and at that point the heavens opened and the Son of God pronouncement came.

Prayer, in particular prayer of thanksgiving, is so important.  Nobody likes to be taken for granted, including God.  For what ever reason most of us have learned to pray for a future event.  We are not able to see far into the future of how things will turn out.  Our short future prayers include a prayer as simple as grace before a meal or a good night’s sleep.  More distant prayers are said for the healing of someone or for help for us in a serious situation.

Then we wait and in God’s time help will come only in the way God wants it to. We may not recognize it as an act of God but it is.  I remember the old story told long ago.  It goes like this: A little town was being flooded and everybody evacuated except for the town preacher.  As the water level rose the preacher’s church began to take on water.  The old preacher finally climbed to the top of the steeple.  At last a man in a boat came to his rescue.  But the preacher denied the assistance proclaiming that God was going to save him.  Later, another man in a boat came but the preacher would not get into the boat saying that God was going to save him.  Lastly a helicopter came but the old preacher still refused. He was finally overcome and drowned.  He was taken to the pearly gates and standing before God almighty. He asked, “Good Lord, I have preached in Your Church for over 47 years.  Why did you not save me?  God said, I sent you two boats and a helicopter, why did you not let yourself be saved?

For most of us when we receive blessings we are very much aware that we have been so blessed. What we need to think about is thanking God for that blessing. I like to let loose a “Thank You Jesus” when I know a blessing just happened.  I knew a service member that I served with who had the strange habit of saying the grace before and after the meal. Most of us just say grace before the meal.  This man said that he looks back and is thankful for what he has just received. 

In our church tradition we give thanks and specific prayers for events that just happened.  For example; after baptism there is the “we receive you into the household of God…” prayer.  And after, communion there is the Post communion prayer.  Prayer should be like a hard-cover book.  A hard-cover book is opened, read and then closed.  Our prayers should open for the asking, the blessing received, and then closed with thanks giving.

Let us not take God for granted,  When God has done something or just been present with you in your life and you know it to be so, pause and give thanks, and you too will realize that the heavens are opened to you.

Let us hear what the Spirit is saying to and through God’s people.