Tag: god

A Eucharistic Gospel Reading for Easter Sunday: Year A

John 20:1-18

“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the feet.” (John 20:11 – 12)

All of us share with Mary in the fact that it is through Jesus that we even know who we are. We read from the Gospel according to Luke that our Lord Jesus casts out 7 demons from Mary, (Luke 8:2). It is in this way that Mary even knows who she is. She owes her very identity to her Lord Jesus. It was when she heard him call her name, “Mary” that she knew beyond any doubt that her Lord and Savior was back! Which to her means, she can remain who she is supposed to be, because “Jesus lives,” and because Jesus lives, she lives.  Because Jesus lives, we live.

We, you and I, are the good we are through our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. I am sure that throughout my life I have had some demons. However, knowing and loving Jesus has enabled me to rid myself of demons and more fully become aware of who I am supposed to be. Like Mary Magdalene, we come to know fully who we are in Christ Jesus our Savior.  We have a Covenant of knowing ourselves in Christ. This Covenant in Christ Jesus will never be broken.  

God has had many covenants with humanity.  All were broken at some point.  We had a covenant with Noah symbolized by a rainbow; we had a covenant with Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him; we had covenant through Moses with the Law, whether it was the 613 Laws, or the 10 Commandments: we broke covenant with God every time. 

In Jesus we again tried to break covenant by crucifixion.  But God knowing we are not able to hold a covenant, became one of us and “un-broke” the attempted brake of this Covenant by Raising our Lord Jesus, the living Covenant, thus, not allowing His Covenant with us to be broken. In this move by Christ, death has died.  “I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues?   Where, O grave, is your destruction? (Hosea 13:14).  And this was reinterpreted by Paul in his 1^st Letter to the Corinthians as “Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?”  (1 Corinthians 15: 55). What we get from this is that death does not win.  Our Lord Jesus defeats death and keeps us with him forever in Covenant.

We have so much to be thankful for.  God loves us and has walked among us to experience what it is like to be us, the good and the bad.  Easter is about God keeping Covenant with us in order that we may be who we are intended to be in a Covenant we are not able to break. Thank You Lord Jesus.  Alleluia. Christ is risen!

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

Let us pray: (BCP p. 222)

Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Gospel Eucharistic Reading for Easter Vigil: Year A

Matthew 28:1-10

“Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”” (Matthew 28: 7 – 10)

Galilee, Galilee, Galilee. The Angels tell the women to tell his followers to go to Galilee to see him. A few steps later, the Resurrected Jesus himself tells them the same thing, “tell them to Go to Galilee.”  I am surprised that more Churches aren’t named “Galilee” as the place where we meet our Lord Jesus.

Some points to note here is that Jesus, and those assisting Jesus, (his angels) are the ones who first addressed the women.  The women were then “recruited” to further continue the message of how to find Jesus. So, we must be “in search of our Lord Jesus in the first place.  If we are in search of him, Our Lord Jesus will send us directions.

The second point to ponder is, Where is “our” Galilee?  Galilee is where Jesus did the bulk of his teaching and preaching, it is where he did his healing and walking on the water. It is where he was raised and grew up.  This gives a double message of “going home.”  Yes, he is going back to the Father but first he is going back to his earthly place of preference. Capernaum of Galilee, we are told, is the first place our Lord Jesus went to of his own free will and accord. 

I have a few Galilees in my life. I have St Vincent de Paul, Catholic School, in Nashville, Tennessee, where I was first introduced to God, and the Christ of God. I have Paris Island, South Carolina (where I was made a Marine); I have Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, Virginia, where my education was continued about our Lord Jesus.  All of these Galilees are places to “go back to” for refreshment and renewal for me. Jesus is calling his followers out of Jerusalem, the place that kills the prophets, to a better place, a place of peace and refreshment.

The Resurrection should mean the same thing for you.  Where, or when, in your life have you found learning and love? This does not have to be, and in most cases is not, geographic.  It’s more a state of mind. It is about when you were happy, loved and learning.  It’s time for a wake-up call.  Let’s use our minds to go back to places of our own free will and accord, places where we can find our Lord Jesus. And remember; when we go looking, our lord Jesus will send help and guide us on the way.  This is my message for you.  Happy Easter!

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

Let us pray. (BCP p. 291)

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquillity the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Daily Office Readings for Tuesday of Holy Week: Year 2

Morning, Psalms 6 and 12; Evening, Psalm 94;

Lamentation 1:17 to 22; 2^nd Corinthians 1:8 to 22; Mark 11:27 to 33:

“So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”  (Mark 11:33)

When our Lord Jesus says, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things,’ it suggests that the chief priests and the scribes did in fact know that John’s Baptisms were from heaven. But they would rather play the “ignorant” card than admit that John was more holy than they were.

The truth is an amazing thing.  The truth is not always pretty, but admitting it, is always noble. When our personal truth is not pretty we want to conceal it. We forget that God knows the truth that is in us just as God knew about Cane killing Able. While the actions of our personal truths may not be noble, being accountable for them is very noble.   Instead of concealing their thoughts about John the Baptist, the chief priests and scribes should have just told our Lord Jesus that they truly believed his Baptisms were from heaven. God did ask Cane where his brother Able was. God was giving him a chance to be truthful.

God is giving us our chance during our earthly lifetime to be truthful. I pray we all strive to be and do the noble thing.

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

Let us pray:                                                                                         

Almighty God in Christ Jesus, we believe that you truly are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and as you are in us, the Truth is in us also. Give us the strength to be honest in our thoughts and words no matter the cost. Help us we pray, to be truthful in our walk of faith, truthful in our determination to live into the integrity of your teachings and guidance, all the days of our lives. Amen.

Daily Office Readings for Monday of Holy Week: Year 2

Psalm 51:1-18(19-20); Psalm 69:1-23

Lamentations 1:1-2,6-12; 2 Corinthians 1:1-7; Mark 11:12-25

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.” (2 Corinthians 1: 3 – 4)

When I read these biblical passages, I always try to seek out the timeless messages, those passages that are still relevant for us today.  Paul identifies God as “Father of mercies and the God of all consolation.” He goes on to say that as God consoles us, so we then are able to console others. This consolation that God blesses us with is truly a blessing.  And just like God told Abram, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you:” (Genesis 12:2 and 3).  So I see this divine consolation as God’s blessing that comes upon us and then we are to console others.

Consoling, that is, the listening to, and blessing of, the other, is so important today.  We need to be spiritually present with our neighbors.  A phone call, a text message, an email, any form of spiritual consolation we can do means a lot to someone suffering from loss of work, fearing sickness, stuck in their home and are at their wits end.  Our neighbors need us and we need them.

God has blessed you with the blessing of consolation.  Some of it is for you, be blessed and wear it like a new suit. But some of what God has given you is for you to give to someone else. See who God puts in your path or on your mind today and give them that consolation that God gave you for them.

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

Let us pray:

Oh Lord God, as you provide each of us with your divine consolation, remind us to also receive this same consolation from the people you put in our path, both on line or in line, wherever we encounter them. And also remind us to be generous in proving the same to others. In your Holy Name we pray: Amen.

Daily Office Readings for Saturday of the 5^th Week of Lent: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 137:1 to 6 and Psalm 144; Evening,  Psalms 42 and 43;

Exodus 10:21 to 11:8; 2^nd Corinthians 4:13 to 18; Mark 10:46 to 52:

“So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus.” (Mark 10:50)

This is the healing story of blind Bartimaeus son of Timaeus who asks for his sight “again.”  This means he once had sight and could see clearly. What is often kind of glossed over is Bartimaeus throwing off his cloak.  Think about it. If you are blind you become well aware of keeping up with things so that you can put your hands on them again. I have my sight and still, I lose things all the time, my keys, my phone, my glasses, many things.

Bartimaeus, knowing he has the opportunity to stand (or kneel) before our Lord Jesus, throws off his cloak – his security blanket.  He lets go of his “security blanket” knowing that being before Jesus will make all things new. He knew that having the attention of Jesus changes what he values. He wants to see again.  Which means, he was once able to see but lost his sight.

The same is true for us today. We lose sight of our moral compass, and we want to see again. We have put too much trust in false security blankets like money and, or devices. When this happens, we need Jesus. The only way we can put our whole trust in our Lord Jesus is to let go of false security. Our Lord Jesus still asks us today, What is it that we want Him to do for us (for you)?

Today we remember James Solomon Russell, Priest, (March 28, 1935),  and his information may be found at: James Solomon Russell

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

Let us pray:

Dear God, in Whom we put all our hopes and desires, be present with us in our doubts and fears and receive us in our absolute trust in Your goodness. As we witness Your gracious hand at work in our lives, hearts and minds, teach us to through off all false securities and to value Your presence with us as the most important truth of our lives. This we ask in Your most Holy Name; Amen.

Daily Office Readings for Friday after the 5^th Sunday of Lent: Year 2

Morning, Psalm 22; Evening,  Psalms 141 and 143:1-11(12);

Exodus 9:13 to 35; 2^nd Corinthians 4:1 to 12; Mark 10:32 to 45:

“They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.” (Mark 10:32)

Here we have our Lord Jesus leading the pack to his own torture and death.  He is very much aware of his imminent pain and suffering and yet he leads the way. He sets the example for future Christians. 

The brothers James and John, are going to request places of honor in the kingdom of Jesus.  Jesus informs them that those places are determined by God Almighty.  The rest of his group becomes angry when they find out what James and John were up to.  Jesus gives them the lesson about the upside down world of honor in the kingdom of heaven.  He explains that it is those who serve others that are the most honored in the kingdom.  Our Lord Jesus tells them (and us) that the worldly call for harsh leadership, which demands for itself to be pleased no matter the costs, is not who we are supposed to be as followers of Him.  We are to lead in loving ways.  We are to lead by caring for those whom we lead.  We then, are to be copies of the Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Himself.

Today we remember Charles Henry Brent, Missionary Bishop (March 27, 1929),  and his information may be found at: Charles Henry Brent

“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 to serve, and to teach others to love and to serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John

Let us pray:

Abide in us Lord Jesus as we study your ways and follow your teachings. Help us to see that in Christian love we are to recognize all others as our brothers and sisters of our heavenly family, and as such, we are to care for them without fear as God intends for us to do since the foundation of our brought into being. In your most holy Name we pray: Amen.