onewhoponders

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 22: Year A

Philippians 3:4b-14 and Matthew 21:33-46

“Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.””  (Matthew 21:33)

In some circles God is referred to as the Great Architect of the Universe, the One who both Creates and Maintains all creation.

We are the tenants of this earth today.  The Creator has done (and is doing) everything for us already.  All we have to do is monitor it and keep it in ecological and spiritual balance with the rest of nature on earth.  God, like the owner of the vineyard, has fashioned the universe with this earth our island home with everything we need to sustain ourselves. And has given us the necessary wisdom to use the resources of our environment to our protection, comfort and nourishment.

Jesus told this parable against the chief priests and the Pharisees by saying that the Hebrew people tried to hijack what is rightfully God’s.  These religious leaders began to put themselves in the place of God and putting their own needs and desires ahead of God’s will for all people.

I have come to believe that God, the owner of the vineyard is looking for the fruit of humanitarian harmony amongst us. When God comes to collect, God wants to know that creation is in good hands and the primary fruit of the harvest is the love and respect we have for one another.

God has built a vineyard of faith whereby we may grow the fruits of love for God, and for one another.  It is so important for us to understand that we are tenants here on this fragile earth our island home and in this our present earthly life.  The Owner of this vineyard is coming to see what we have grown faithfully and harmoniously with one another.

Harmony then, the willingness to get along with one another, is the stone that too many people still reject today. But, it is the cornerstone of building relationships.

Will our children have faith?  Will we live in harmony?  Harmony then, is the real fruit that God will be looking for.  If we live our lives fully believing that we are not the owner of anything, including our own lives, then we will begin to see the value of living for the health and welfare of others. We are renters even of our own lives. Let’s do the best we can with what we have and assist others in doing the same with theirs.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools

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

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 21: Year 1

 Morning, Psalm 107:33 to 43 and Psalm 108; Evening, Psalm 33;
2^nd Kings 19:21 to 36; 1^st Corinthians 10:1 to 13; Matthew 8:18 to 27:

“And they went and woke him up, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ And he said to them, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a dead calm.  They were amazed, saying, ‘What sort of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”  (Matthew 8: 25 to 27).

I’d like to say that we are still saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’  And the only way we can be saved is through our Lord Jesus Christ. Drowning seems to be a fear of the ancient Hebrew peoples.  We have the story of Noah and the Flood; we have the story of Moses and the parting of the sea; and many other water related near-death experiences that plague their minds.  So we are saved through the waters of baptism.  Jesus brings us back to our fears and then brings us through them to eternal life.

Jesus seems to infer that fear and faith occupy the same space in our hearts and minds. He asks, ‘Why are you afraid, you of little faith?’  I know that Abraham was afraid during his lifetime but he never stopped believing in God. Therefore, at some level, fear accompanies our faith. It’s not either/or, it’s both/and. We just have to decide which one we are going to let lead us.

Jesus, when asked, comes to us and reduces the cause of our fears, the storm itself.  Later, in this Gospel according to Matthew, Peter will individually struggle with faith and fear while trying to walk on the water. When the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water, Jesus told them not to be afraid and that it was he, himself.   ^“And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me.”  Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14: 29 to 31)

It is ironic that the very thing we need to sustain life, we fear. That that cleanses us, can drown us. Faith and fear, which road will we take?   The same is true of our Lord Jesus with one big exception; there is nothing at all to fear about our Lord Jesus.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools

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

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 21: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 102; Evening, Psalm 107:1 to 32;
2^nd Kings 19:1 to 20; 1^st  Corinthians 9:16 to 27; Matthew 8:1 to 17:

“When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.  I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour;” (Matthew 8:10 to 13).

It seems that our Lord Jesus was the first to bring the Good News to the Gentiles. Jesus is amazed at the faith of the centurion.  The centurion compares the power of Jesus who can order diseases and evil spirits to depart, to his own human power to order soldiers around.  He goes to Jesus because of his understanding of real power and his faith in Jesus.

In this Gospel reading Jesus heals a leper, the servant of the centurion, Peter’s mother-in-law and a host of others brought to him later that same day.  It makes no difference to Jesus whether the people are Jews or Gentiles, or men or women.  Our Lord Jesus only needs someone in the mix to have faith. It could be the person in need or someone petitioning on behalf of a person in need. Our Lord Jesus uses our faith to heal us and those we love, and later, to save us and, hopefully to turn around those we love so that they too might be saved and meet Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in all eternity.

As we approach the Sabbath tonight, ponder about the strength of your faith.  Do you put your whole trust in the healing power of Christ Jesus? Do you do this for yourself as well as for the healing of those you love?  Our Lord Jesus is still looking for our faith in order to heal us and save us.  Rest, this evening and tomorrow, in the sure and certain knowledge that God in Christ Jesus loves you regardless of your ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, nationality, or language, or even your faith tradition. God just loves us no matter what. Jesus explains that our connection and response to God is through our faith in God’s call on our lives.  I believe this call was made manifest in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.  Acknowledge God this Sabbath.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, and our schools.

 “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. 

What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube

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

Daily Office Readings for Thursday of Proper 21: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 105:1 to 22; Evening, Psalm 105:23 to 45;
2^nd Kings 18:28 to 37; 1 Corinthians 9:1 to 15; Matthew 7:22 to 29:

On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?” Then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.” (Matthew 7:22 and 23)

Here our Lord Jesus makes it clear that God can, and will use any of us, with, or without us being aware of our fulfillment of God’s will.

We, especially clergy, can pass on the word of God and even do the miraculous actions that God wants done. But if in our hearts we are not totally genuine in our walk of faith, God will know. And of them (us) our Lord Jesus says, “I never knew YOU.”  Jesus is aware of the conversions we prompted, and the positive outcomes in the lives of people we with whom we brought to Christ. But if while doing the Lord’s work we also participated in immoral acts known to be sinful, we remove ourselves from the circle of those whom Jesus knows.

This fellowship of Jesus extends beyond the clergy. As God can, and does, use any of us to fulfill the dream of God, all of us have the personal responsibility to stay on the righteous course in life. We personally have to walk our talk. We can’t just tell others to do the right thing, we too must do the right thing. Some commentaries recount that Jesus here quotes Psalm 6:8 in saying, “Go away from me, you evildoers.”  Therefore, what we profess and what we do may be drastically different. It is up to us individually to seek divine help in correcting our missteps.

If we truly are trying to master the art of love, it will be shown in our everyday ways of living. It won’t just be about what we say, or about how we give to charities, but how we live. We will not return evil for evil. We will not think of anyone as less valuable than ourselves. We will strive to love all people, and we will try especially hard to love those who often prove difficult to love. It is in this way that on that Day, “ The King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”  (Matthew 25: 34 to 36)

Our lives are about love. We were brought into being through love in order that we might also love.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools

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

Daily Office Readings for Wednesday of Proper 21: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 101 and 109; Evening,  Psalm 119:121 to 144;
2^nd Kings 18:9 to 25; 1^st Corinthians 8:1 to 13; Matthew 7:13 to 21:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it;” (Matthew 7:13 and 14).

As a child I used to go on trips with my dad during the summer. He worked for United Van Lines, the moving company.  I was blessed to see all of the continental United States while still a teenager.  Riding in the truck, and occasionally driving, was fun. The packing and moving of furniture was not, it was hard work.

I can remember my dad, on several occasions, finding a truck stop somewhere and tearing down and repacking household goods tighter.  This was a twofold benefit. First, being packed tighter prevented breakage. And second, packing it tighter created more space and we were able to maybe pick up another small shipment going in the same direction.  I will tell you that the last thing I wanted to do was take some supposed downtime, and use it to unpack and repack household goods. It was a hard reality, but in the end, very rewarding; something I didn’t understand until later.

According to our Lord Jesus, our God is asking us to unpack and repack ourselves.  It is probably the last thing any of us want to do. It is hard work. Because it is a hard road to travel, it is the road less traveled because of its difficulty, and therefore it leads to a very narrow gate.

But if we stay on our path of the hard work, of repacking ourselves tighter and tighter, we will see amazing things and as we journey, God will give us more as we are creating more space and as we are traveling in the same direction, towards God. Not all will willingly put in the self work of repacking themselves. The easier way is to just let whatever environment you are in, shape you according to the political, racial, religious, or cultural persuasions you find yourself in.

Our Lord Jesus is inviting us to do the hard work of resisting that which does not get us through the narrow door. It is not easy. We tend to be satisfied with whatever others tell us or is easy. Such is the wide gate and the easy road that leads to destruction. We are equipped to do the hard work and like me, we may not understand it until later. Now, however, we just walk by faith.

Today our Church remembers Saint Francis of Assisi (4 October 1226) a friar who embraced poverty as a way to be closer to our Lord Jesus.  While many remember him, few strive to emulate him.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools.

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

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Proper 21: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 97 and 99; Evening, Psalm 94;
2^nd  Chronicles 29:1 to 3 and chapter 30; 1^st Corinthians 7:32 to 40; Matthew 7:1 to 12:

‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets:” (Matthew 7:12).

This instruction from our Lord Jesus is the other side of a Jewish teaching which instructs us, “That which is hateful to you, do not do to another; that is the entire Torah, the rest is commentary. Now, go study.” (Shabbat 31a, 6)  This the teaching of Rabbi Hillel when he was asked to explain the whole Torah while standing on one foot.

In both cases the language calls for us to empathize with others.  Both lessons call for us to identify with the ones whom we are talking to, or conducting business with. Jesus says to treat others like you want to be treated. This is known to us as the Golden Rule.  Hillel says, that in your own experience, if something is unpleasant to you, do not cause it to happen to anyone else. In both cases it is “other” related.

I often remember the word “Joy” as a guiding reminder of my day-to-day relationship with people. In this case J-O-Y stands for Jesus, Others, and Yourself.  In this way I am reminded to put Jesus first, then the other (whoever that might be), and then myself.  I try, but I will confess that I don’t always remember the joy of J-O-Y.

There is a caution about not letting the concern for the other be something that will be harmful or hurtful to them, to others, or to ourselves.  Every rule of life has to have certain exceptions or cautions that must be applied so that real joy will prevail.  Our Lord Jesus explains that the Golden Rule was the intent of the law and the teaching of the prophets for as long as we have had a relationship with God.

We must be careful in not assuming that because we lean a certain way in life, like perhaps enjoying social events and humor, we shouldn’t assume others do as well. So we can’t take this rule which says, “Do onto others as you would have them do onto you,” as a license to force what we like on others. I think we need to first understand the other and appreciate what he or she likes and then, if possible, help them with that.  Again, empathy, the learning of the other is so important. Understanding someone is learning to love them more deeply. Love is the real intent of the Golden Rule.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools

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

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 21: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 89:1-18; Evening, Psalm 89:19-52;
2^nd Kings 17:24 to 41; 1^st Corinthians 7:25 to 31; Matthew 6:25 to 34:

“For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well;” (Matthew 6:32 and 33)

We have a hymn in one of our Hymnals that sings, “Seek Yee First the Kingdom of God” (1982 Hymnal, # 711).  It uses Matthew 6:33 as its focus.  These words are sung with a lot of feeling.  But do they ever last in our hearts?

I recall that our Lord gave Solomon the wisdom he asked for and then added to his gift of wisdom, riches, and long life, which he did not ask for.  Our God is generous and loving.  All we have to do is put God and our community first, that is, ahead of ourselves.

Jesus says that our Father knows that we need, “all these things,” the provisions necessary for us to be sustained and more than that, to be communal with one another, and God is pleased to provide them..  Today we really need food, shelter, clothing, and we also need transportation and communication ability.  We are a needy lot. I think that’s why the words “all these things,” were spoken by our Lord.  We would fill in what “all these things” are, later.

Let us not forget the most important point here.  We must make God first.  Once we make God number one, all else will fall into place. We must start thinking eternally now in this temporal, biological, life. Only then will the little temporal things like food, shelter, clothing, transportation and communication fall into their secondary little places. The eternal thing, that is, love in the Presence of God, will never end. Let this last forever in your hearts.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools

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

Eucharistic New Testament Readings for Sunday of Proper 21: Year A

Philippians 2:1-13 and Matthew 21:23-32

“Which of the two did the will of the father? (Matthew 21:31).

As we open and unpack the first part of our Gospel reading we see the difference between the first sons of the prophets of God proclaiming God’s love for God’s people. And, we see this new-comer John the Baptist proclaiming a Baptism of repentance. The question quickly becomes the Baptism itself: Was it from God or John himself?  If John is actually doing the work of God then what were the chief priests and the elders of the people doing? Thus, we have the parable of the two sons.

As I ponder about these two sons I try to be as objective as I can, even in spite of the heavy influence by the evangelist.  Matthew says the first son, changed his mind and did the work he said he would not do.  For the second son the evangelist implies that he just lied about his intentions and never intended to do the work in the first place.

As baptism is about repentance, which is change, perhaps we should look more closely at the son who changed his mind and did the work the Father requested.  Hidden in this parable of Jesus is a lesson for the chief priests and the elders of the people to change their minds and begin doing the work they were called to do instead of fearing their own governing body by not listening to, and following John the Baptist. By their own admission they knew that the people saw John as a prophet of God.

The bottom line here, no matter which way we look at it, is, “Which of the two actually did the will of the father?”   I have a quote from Mark Twain where he says “Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.”  I really do believe we speak more accurately with our actions. 

So which son did the will of the Father? The one who changed his mind. Let us not be so determined in our own way that we refuse to see the Way and Will of God, and our own misdirection right in front of us.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools

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

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of Proper 20: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 87 and 90; Evening, Psalm 136;
2^nd Kings 11:1 to 20a; 1st Corinthians 7:10 to 24; Matthew 6:19 to 24:

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:21)

While I really liked the adherence to the keeping of the Sabbath by at least a third of the military in our 2^nd Kings reading, the reading was filled with greed on the part of the mother queen who had all her family rivals killed. She was more concerned about her own privilege and power.  The last verse of our Matthew Gospel reading speaks to this, it says, “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth:” (Matthew 6:24).

I have for a long time now took issue with verse 21 which suggests our hearts follows our treasure, that is, our hearts follows our money. This statement automatically puts money first.  I think rather, our treasure, (whatever disposable income we might have), follows our hearts, that is, what we are truly interested in. So for me, our treasure follows our hearts.

Our hearts might be our Church, it might be our car, it might be our education, it might even be our money and the associated power that comes with it.  That is what drove the queen in the 2^nd Kings reading to murder, and eventually to her own death.  We must be better than that.

I am interested in many things. However, I don’t have the money to truly follow all of them.  My ministry is most important to me. I devote much of my day to the study of scripture and writing what I believe will be an encouraging word for others. I also enjoy learning and playing music. But even my music is spiritual. I pay for piano lessons and practice daily. I let selected hymns be my motivation for righteous living.

I strongly encourage you who read this message to first discern your heart’s desire. Ask yourself if your heart’s desire is hurtful or helpful to humanity.  If it is helpful, continue on. Then, only as you are able, look at your money beyond your basic necessities and your charitable giving (which includes your Church) and let your treasure follow your heart. I truly believe that where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine, Russia, and our schools

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

Daily Office Readings for Friday of Proper 20: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 88; Evening, Psalms 91 and 92;
2^nd Kings 9:17 to 37; 1^st  Corinthians 7:1 to 9; Matthew 6:7 to 15:

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:14 and 15)

In this chapter of Matthew our Lord Jesus has taught us to pray in the words of what we now call, “The Lord’s Prayer.”  Jesus concludes with the reminder about forgiveness. It seems God applies to us the very same criterion we use to judge others.

Every human being makes mistakes.  Sometimes the mistakes we make are because we didn’t know any better.  Sometimes we make terrible mistakes because we are wrongheaded. Be it a mistake or immaturity, we must learn to see it in our selves, and then we must learn to see it in others. Some people offend us accidently.  Sometimes people offend us on purpose.

We are flawed but not because of any oversight on God’s part except for maybe giving us intellect and reason. We are primarily flawed because we haven’t tempered our intellect and reason with love, which is also a gift from God. We should not use one without the other. Intellect and reason used in loving ways towards one another encourages us to forgive one another. God sees our loving compassion and so is compassionate with us as well.

Let us relax then and ponder about those who have hurt us in one way or another.  Did they not know any better?  Was the hurt caused on purpose? Were they just trying to help themselves at your expense? Was the hurt or sin something that they could possibly grow out of over time?  I invite you to ask these same questions about the hurt or sin you have caused regarding someone else. Be especially focused on whether or not your hurtful or sinful behavior is something you can, and should, grow out of over time. Forgive with love, and be forgiven with God’s love.

Today our Church remembers Saint Michaels and all Angels;  On the Feast of Michael and all Angels, popularly called Michaelmas, we give thanks for the many ways in which God’s loving care watches over us, both directly and indirectly, and we are reminded that the richness and variety of God’s creation far exceeds our knowledge of it; taken from;  St. Michael and All Angels (satucket.com).  We sometimes hurt but we forgive as we are forgiven. Let us listen to the Angels.

Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia, and our schools.

 “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. 

What is Shabbat? Intro to the Jewish Sabbath – YouTube

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