onewhoponders

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Proper 19: Year 1

Morning,  Psalms 56 and 57; Evening,  Psalms 64 and 65:
1^st Kings 21:1to 16; 1 Corinthians 1:1 to 19; Matthew 4:1 to 11:

“It Is Written,” (Matthew 4:1 to 11)

While I must have read this Gospel text no less than a hundred times, I noticed something new this time.  Jesus uses the term, “It is written,” as human actions three times.  Now the devil in this writing tries to use Jesus’ anchor against him.  But he uses it in a way that talks about what God will do, that is, to have angels save him. But Jesus uses the, “It is written” statement, written by humans, for humans, as a human response to show, we feed on the word of God; we are not to test God; and that we are to worship God, and God only.

These three statements of what is written is the anchor not only for our Lord Jesus, but for us also. The Word of God is food for our souls. The Word of God sustains us, not only in this world, but for all eternity. In no way should we attempt to test God based on some twist of scripture; being mindful that some interpreters will try to lead us astray.  When this misleading attempt occurs it is usually for some partisan, exclusive and/or divisive policy. Beware. And lastly, we must remember that God is love. We are to worship God and God only. We are brought into being through the love of God specifically to love each other and to give love back to God in gratitude.

So here we go: feed on God’s words of love and inclusion; trust in God, don’t test God; and pray to, and worship God, both alone and when gathered. Let these written words be your anchor in life. It worked for our Lord Jesus and it works for us today.

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

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 19: Year A

Romans 14:1 to 12 and Matthew 18:21 to 35

 “But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe.’ Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?’  (Matthew 18: 28 – 35)

This gets back to our Lord’s Prayer, “Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”  But do we really forgive, or pardon those who have hurt us?  

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did many things that we are not able to do. He healed the paralyzed, he gave sight back to the blind, he restored hearing and speech; and he even brought the dead back to life.  We can do none of these although we sometimes come close through medical science. 

However, the one thing that Jesus did that we can all do if we set our hearts to it, is to forgive.  In order to forgive we must first want to.  It hurts.  When we have been wronged, or betrayed, or abused or lied to, or assaulted , or perhaps a combination of these. It hurts. Such pain can lead to anger.

We should plead with those whom we have offended for our forgiveness, and whether we receive forgiveness or not, we must have compassion for those who come to us and plead for the same. We all admit that we are fallible.  Therefore it should not surprise us when we err.  We must remember that when we see the unrepentant, that except for the grace of God, there goes us.

Sometimes we make mistakes.  Sometimes we are just wrongheaded. In any case, a time of reflection should make us aware of our transgression and cause us to want to walk it back. As painful as it might be, it needs to be done in order to set us right before God and our neighbor and ourselves.

So the same is true for those who wrong us. Jesus’ point is that though it might happen more than once, if we are counting the number of times, we are harboring resentment.  I do believe that we must guard ourselves against intentional evil, but we also must use our God-given reason to protect ourselves.  We shouldn’t count the number of times, but we must be accountable. We are not created for misuse.

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 18: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 55; Evening, Psalms 138, 139:1 to 17;
1^st Kings 18:41 to 19:8; Philippians 3:17 to 4:7; Matthew 3:13 to 17:

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented:” (Matthew 3:13 to 15).

I understand John. He knows he was born only to announce the coming of the Author of life and love. Yet, he thought, “I am not the one, but you, shouldn’t you baptize me, not me baptize you?”

We say that the baptism of John was a baptism of repentance. Fine, but our Lord Jesus had nothing to repent from.  John himself was a servant for sinners in order that they might repent. Therefore, shouldn’t those of us being baptized, be baptized into the call of servanthood? 

In the Episcopal Church, baptism makes us Christian. And, I am proud to say we accept the Trinitarian baptism of all Christian faiths. Later in our lives, if we remain steadfast, we are Confirmed by our Bishop.  Confirmation then, makes us Episcopalians.

In our Creed we say that we believe in one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I think I have been baptized three times.  I only discovered one when I sent off for my transcripts for college and my transcripts from Saint Vincent de Paul’s school in Nashville, Tennessee reported that I was identified by baptismal certificate.  I never knew that.  My intentional baptismal was at Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church, Memphis, Tennessee at the Easter Vigil of 1980.  That I did know about. And lastly, I could not pass up the opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River itself when I visited the Holy Land in February of 2018.

Even while we hold on to our sacred traditions we really don’t know what life will bring us on the morrow. Our Lord Jesus set us the example of humility. He was handed over to Mary for birth. He handed himself over to John to be baptized. And, shamefully, he was handed over by us to be crucified.

I pray that in my baptism, with God’s help, I will seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving my neighbor as myself; and I will strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being. So help me God.

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 18: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 40 and 54; Evening, Psalm 51;
1^st Kings 18:20 to 40; Philippians 3:1 to16; Matthew 3:1 to 12:

“Let those of us then who are mature be of the same mind; and if you think differently about anything, this too God will reveal to you:” (Philippians 3:15).

Walking in faith requires constant due diligence. Maturity in faith requires us to learn and be open to evolving, even beyond the limits of Bible and Church doctrine. When we are a little silent in the company of others, we will hear and see those in the room who are also mature, and of the same mind.  While being of the same mind does not mean absolute agreement on all things biblically or otherwise, it does mean the acknowledgment of not having the answer to all questions. It is okay to humble ourselves into the cloud of unknowing while maintaining our sacred faith in Christ Jesus.

In our 1^st Kings reading, Elijah was able to prove that the Lord is God by calling down fire for the sacrifice of a bull. Unfortunately, it also led to the slaughter of the prophets of Baal.  Being of the same mind does not mean we all have to agree. Being of the same mind, for me, means that in the end, God will decide.  We should do what we think is loving and right, then God will decide.

Fire is also the cleanser of our souls as reported by John the Baptist in our Gospel reading from Matthew today. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire:” (Matthew 3:11), John the Baptist proclaims as he acknowledges he doesn’t have all the answers. But our Lord Jesus will be the burning bush of enlightenment that will at last give us peace. 

I think the mature mind is the mind that tells itself that it still has some maturation to go. It doesn’t hastily discount other’s thoughts, but it ponders about a great many things. It’s Friday again. Let us take some time tomorrow to just contemplate where we are spiritually, “this too God will reveal to you.”

 “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 18: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 50; Evening, Psalms 8 and 84;
1^st Kings 18:1 to19; Philippians 2:12 to 30; Matthew 2:13 to 23:

“Now after they [the wise men]  had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him:” (Matthew 2: 13).

I have often pondered about this reading, why did God not just prevent Herod from killing the child Jesus, and also prevent the killing of the innocent babies two years and younger around Bethlehem? This would have shown all Israel that God’s work was being done.

But God does not work that way. So from the court of heaven and angel appeared to Joseph in a dream giving him instructions about what to do. We have no words from Joseph in any of the Gospel writings. He is the silent and obedient father of our Lord Jesus.  He is the perfect role model for fatherhood.

Joseph does as he is told; he takes his family to Egypt. He stays there until he is again told to return to Israel. A point to notice is that he uses his own reasoning to go to Nazareth instead of returning to Bethlehem. Richard Hooker, a sixteenth century Anglican priest and theologian, says that we Episcopal Anglicans have the three legged stool of scripture, tradition and reason.  I believe all three have equal play in our faith walk and Joseph used reasoning to lead him to Nazareth rather than back to Jerusalem. Joseph was a strong man of faith in the Hebrew tradition. He was brought up under the Hebrew scripture and tradition of the Law of Moses of his day.  He had no way of knowing that he was a part of the new Christian tradition even as the New Testament scripture, which included him, was being recorded.

Joseph was, like Mary, handpicked by God to parent God Incarnate. There is no greater resume for parenthood than this. Joseph loved our baby Lord more than he loved himself.  Joseph was open to obeying the messengers of God who did not “come” to him, but rather, “appeared” to him in a dream.  Angels are always with us. They keep themselves indiscernible to our senses. Angels don’t come to us, they drop their cover when we need God’s intervention. God works through us, for us. We, especially fathers, should emulate Joseph in being strong, silent lovers and protectors of our children. Joseph lived a life of love for Mary and Jesus. And, sometimes running away is God’s plan for salvation, such as the families trying to escape devastation in Afghanistan, Sudan, South America, and other places.  Let us also love as Joseph did and do what we can as a part of God’s dream.

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 18:Year 1

Morning, Psalm 119:49 to 72; Evening, Psalm 49;
1^st Kings 17:1 to 24; Philippians  2:1to 11; Matthew 2:1 to 12:

“Go now to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and live there; for I have commanded a widow there to feed you:” (1^st Kings 17:9)

As we read this passage, we will see that the widow didn’t get the memo.  Ravens had just fed Elijah and when the famine hit, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath in Sidon where, God says “I have commanded a widow there to feed you.”  But upon arrival, Elijah encounters a widow who  seems to know nothing about feeding him. She is caught up in her own misery. She is on her last parcel of food.  She has a son. She is preparing for her and her son to have their last meal and die. Maybe this is God’s divine way of answering her prayer of tears .

I believe that when God sends us to people, God creates a place in that person to receive us. Albeit it is sometimes hard to get to, or to have the person realize it.  There are many “sent to” stories in the Bible. Most fulfill God’s plan.  Some have to become a hard lesson such as Moses going to Pharaoh in Exodus. But in the end, God always wins. God’s Will, will be done.

In the same way, when God sends someone to us, God creates a place in us to receive that person. But we might be like the widow in our passage for today. We might be so burdened with our own personal problems that we don’t see God’s bigger plan. We don’t see how God is working within humanity for the benefit of humanity.  These are times of just letting go and letting God.

The widow finally felt the love that Elijah had for her and her household.  So she relented and included him in what she thought was their last meal.  It was a meal that was multiplied over and over again.  Our Lord Jesus will do the same thing at the feeding of the multitude with only two fish and five loaves. These feeding stories are about listening to the Holy Spirit and discerning the will of God in our lives. God loves us and wants the best for 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 Tuesday of Proper 18: Year 1

Morning, Psalm 45; Evening, Psalms  47 and 48;
1^st Kings 16:23 to 34; Philippians 1:12 to 30; Mark 16:1 to 20:

“And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around Peter. And afterwards Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.” (The added ending of the Gospel of Mark; NRSV)

As one who studies the Bible I had a hard time with this brief and somewhat challenging end to the Easter message.  Where are the Resurrection stories?  Where is the Great Commission? Where is the witness on the road to Emmaus? Where are the admonishments for not believing Mary Magdalene?

So, some words were added to Mark later to provide similar endings contained in the other Gospel accounts. Even in Mark’s closings there is inconsistency about whether the women leaving the tomb either, talked to no one, or as suggested in the extended version, went and told those who were with him. It can’t be both ways can it?

I guess what I glean from the short version, alleged to be the first recorded Gospel account, is that our Lord Jesus did in fact come back to life and that he “sent out through them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation.”

That’s what I really want, eternal salvation.  I don’t believe that this life is all there is. My hope is in the Name of the Lord. He who was raised from the dead, will raise his followers from their end of life also. How then should we be living our lives now in this life as we prepare for being raised into the next, and there, being present with all who have gone before us? 

He is Risen; Halleluiah!

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 18: Year 1

Morning, Psalms 41 and 52; Evening, Psalm 44;
1st Kings 13:1 to 10; Philippians 1:1 to 11; Mark 15:40 to 47

“There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem:” (Mark 15: 40 and 41).

This passage reminds me of a Sunday Holy Eucharist of two years ago, when our COVID ravaged service count was down to 22.  There were 19 women and 3 men.  We men were all a part of the worship support, the priest (myself), the Eucharistic minister and the acolyte. The ushers (who took the count), and all in the pews were women. I’m guessing if the men had not been assigned a worship support duty, they would not have been present either. However, I would like to think that I would be present. Where are the men of persistent faith?

Women have always supported the Church and by extension, Jesus himself.  There are some denominations that believe that women should not be in Church leadership.  To this I say, Balderdash! Our Lord Jesus did all he could to make us remember that woman are as equally important in the message of the Gospel as are men.

The two greatest Christian sermons are given by women.  Mary his mother says to the servants of Jesus (that’s you and me), “Do whatever he tells you:” (John 2:5) And Mary Magdalene was commissioned to proclaim “Christ is Risen!” Our Easter message: and, that she has seen the Lord! (John 20:17 and 18).

Since the time our Lord Jesus walked among us, even when he was dragged to the cross, women, faithful women were with him.  Women are still holding our Church together.  Just as I ponder why women have such strong faith, I also ponder why so many men do not.  Perhaps faith is closely associated with the capacity to nurture as does a mother to her child. I don’t know but I do believe that love is the most important ingredient in faith.  Thank You 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

New Testament Eucharistic Readings for Sunday of Proper 18: Year A

Romans 13:8 to14:  and Matthew 18:15to20

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)

Our Lord Jesus lived out this idea of 2 or 3.  His favorite three were Simon Peter, John and James.  He took only them with him to heal Jairus’ daughter; to the Mount of Transfiguration; and in the garden when he went to pray the night he was arrested.  You might say that Peter, John and James were his “executive counsel.”  They were all simple men, fishermen by trade.

Their important qualities were, and are, a good and loving heart, and a strong faith. They all had flaws. Peter was an ego-centric extrovert. John and James wanted to pre-arrange a position of glory for themselves in the kingdom. But notice that our Lord Jesus held onto them for his inner circle anyway. 

Is there a lesson in this example of two or three for us today? In the passage from our Gospel lesson for this Sunday Jesus moves from a one-on-one situation to the whole Church on one.  But in the middle he asks us to select one or two others to bear witness of the troubling situation.

There should be some backfire caution here. Those you pick may even say that you are not correct. Remember, we, like Peter, James and John, all have flaws but Jesus will love us and keep us anyway.

Can you pick two or three people from your faith community to stand by you in difficult times?  Find one or two, and there will be three or four, because Jesus will be in the midst of you.

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 17: Year 1

Morning, Psalms, 30 and 32; Evening,  Psalm 42 and 43;
1^st Kings 12:1 to 20; James 5:7 to 12 and19 to 20; Mark 15:33 to 39:

“O Lord my God, I cried out to you, and you restored me to health.” (Psalm 30:2)

One of my reflections that I have preached to my listeners for many years now, is that God’s ears hears tears. While this sentence may not be correct grammar, the message is timeless and universal.  Everywhere in our Bible narratives when someone is crying, God, or an angel of God, appears whenever tears are rolling down cheeks.  The two I most like to recall are Hagar as she pushes away her son Ishmael, son of Abraham, because she does not want to see him die; (Genesis 21: 15 to 17).  And, Mary Magdalene, as she is broken down and crying outside the tomb of Jesus, who removed seven demons from her, giving her back to herself. Jesus was all she had and he was murdered:  (John 20:10 to 15).

Crying does not depend on language, country of origin, ethnicity or any human label.  God has fixed a way to connect with us when our spirits are at their lowest. It is sadness and/or sorrow that makes us cry.  And when we cry, God wants to know.  Crying is not dependent on faith or no faith. One can be a card-carrying atheist but if he or she cries, they are praying even without knowing it. 

All crying is to God. The Psalmist continues, “I cried to you, O Lord; I pleaded with the Lord, saying, “What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?  Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; O Lord, be my helper. You have turned my wailing into dancing; you have put off my sack-cloth and clothed me with joy.  Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.”  (Psalm 30: 9 to 13)

I love how much God loves us. It truly does make me want to dance with joy.  And who knows, maybe even make tears of joy.  I think God will feel them too and be happy for us, and with 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