4th Sunday After Pentecost, June 21, 2015

Collect for the Day

O Lord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving-­kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever Amen.

 First Lesson: 1 Samuel 17: 32-49

David said to Saul, "Let no one's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are just a boy, and he has been a warrior from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. Your servant has killed both lions and bears; and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God." David said, "The LORD, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine." So Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you!" Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul's sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these; for I am not used to them." So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones from the wadi, and put them in his shepherd's bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

The Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him. When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was only a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance. The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the field." But David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This very day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head; and I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army this very day to the birds of the air and to the wild animals of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not save by sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's and he will give you into our hand."

When the Philistine drew nearer to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. David put his hand in his bag, took out a stone, slung it, and struck the Philistine on his forehead; the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell face down on the ground.

Reflections: The story of David and Goliath begins some verses earlier, with the Philistine battle line, a harrowing description of Goliath, the anxiety of the Israelite fighters, and David’s arrival as he brings provisions for his brothers—just in time to hear the giant warrior’s shouts of defiance.

Ah, the courage of the young and innocent, who go charging in where angels dare not tread. Everybody knows that a slight young boy doesn’t stand a chance against the seasoned Philistine champion. The naïve David, however, believes God will protect him, and desperate King Saul—doubtless against his better judgment—is finally convinced to allow David to face the warrior one on one.

Saul does what he can to protect the boy—kitting him out for war—but his efforts prove useless. David is courageous, but he is neither large enough to wear the armor, nor strong enough to use the weapons. Saul can only hope that the boy’s convictions are right: the Lord will protect him and deliver Israel.

Now, David has presented himself to the king in a burst of inspiration, but he seems at a loss about how to proceed from there. No one goes to war unprepared; he lets the king outfit him for combat. But something just isn’t “right.” David is a shepherd, not a warrior, and can’t miraculously become one just by adopting the outward signs.

Fortunately, David comes to himself and sheds the helmet and the chain mail; he drops the sword. The young shepherd finds his God-given resources lie deep within. So he goes to face Goliath with no protection except that which is provided by being true to himself.

For his part, Goliath underestimates his opponent. Not seeing the marks of a champion—large stature, weapons and armor—he cannot conceive of the threat before him. He fails to pay attention because David doesn’t look like his equal.

How often, I wonder, do we fail to recognize opportunities (or threats) because they don’t look like what we expect? And how often, do you think, God comes to us in disguise?

Psalm 9:9-20 Confitebor tibi

The LORD will be a refuge for the oppressed, * a refuge in time of trouble.
Those who know your Name will put their trust in you, * for you never forsake those who seek you, O LORD.
Sing praise to the LORD who dwells in Zion; * proclaim to the peoples the things he has done.
The Avenger of blood will remember them; * he will not forget the cry of the afflicted.
Have pity on me, O LORD; * see the misery I suffer from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gate of death;
So that I may tell of all your praises and rejoice in your salvation * in the gates of the city of Zion.
The ungodly have fallen into the pit they dug, * and in the snare they set is their own foot caught.

The LORD is known by his acts of justice; * the wicked are trapped in the works of their own hands.

The wicked shall be given over to the grave, * and also all the peoples that forget God.
For the needy shall not always be forgotten, * and the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever.
Rise up, O LORD, let not the ungodly have the upper hand; * let them be judged before you.
Put fear upon them, O LORD; * let the ungodly know they are but mortal.  

Epistle: 2 Corinthians 6:1-13

As we work together with Christ, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,

          At an acceptable time I have listened to you,

and on a day of salvation I have helped you.

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see—we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

          We have spoken frankly to you Corinthians; our heart is wide open to you. There is no restriction in our affections, but only in yours. In return—I speak as to children—open wide your hearts also.

Reflections: Paul urges us not to “accept the grace of God in vain.” What does he mean? It has something to do with seizing the day, for he quotes, “Now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.” Could he mean not to merely accept God’s forgiveness and grace, but to live it out—embody it—here and now? If so, what would it look like to live out God’s grace by embracing the day of salvation “now”?

From Paul’s testimony, I think we can see that “salvation” is not the reward of an easy life or a good reputation. He lives out salvation by pouring himself out for the new Christians, by undergoing hardships, suffering, and defamation in patience—on their behalf. At least in the context of this passage, it would seem that the hope of salvation is not about a comfortable life, and perhaps not even primarily about eternal life on the other side of death, but in opening our hearts here and now. Now, what would that kind of life be like? I think some of you know. 

Gospel: Mark 4:35-41

When evening had come, Jesus said to his disciples, "Let us go across to the other side." And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, "Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?" And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" 

Reflections: The passage to the other side—whatever that “other side” might be—exposes us to uncertainty and makes us vulnerable. To leave an abusive relationship, for example, to change jobs, or go back to school—all of these can be frightening. Even more so changes over which we have no control, like the fact that our children grow up and leave us, our health fails, or a spouse dies.

          Through these things, we may well feel that God has abandoned or forgotten us. It seems to me that the anxiety we feel as we make the passage from one side to the other, is heightened by the dread of ultimately being alone. But what if (unbeknownst to us) God is with us, quietly tucked into a corner?

3rd Sunday After Pentecost, June 14, 2015

Collect for the Day (Proper 6):

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

First Lesson: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13

Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the LORD was sorry that he had made Saul king over Israel.

          The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons." Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the Lord said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, `I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you." Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

          When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen any of these." Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one." Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah. 

Reflections: Samuel was paralyzed by grief over Saul. Samuel was stuck, but God pushed him to get on with his life and mission, with what his life was really about.

And wouldn’t you know it? The task God gave him seemed impossible. Not only would it require risking his life, but he would constantly feel suspicious eyes watching wherever he went. And then, once he did get to his destination, God was so picky that he despaired of ever fulfilling the task.

Samuel was looking for the next king, but none of the sons Jesse paraded before him were God's choice. The choice for Israel, God’s choice, the young David--sidelined to the low-status job of keeping the sheep--seemed too insignificant to count, even to his own father. Fortunately, things looked different to God.
Things still look different to God than they do to us. We are easily swayed by a handsome face, a flashy figure, a smooth talker, a catchy tune. What does God see that we don’t, and how can we become more trusting of, and sensitive to, that vision? 

Psalm 20 Exaudiat te Dominus

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble, * the Name of the God of Jacob defend you;

Send you help from his holy place * and strengthen you out of Zion;

Remember all your offerings * and accept your burnt sacrifice;

Grant you your heart's desire * and prosper all your plans.

We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the Name of our God; * may the LORD grant all your requests.
Now I know that the LORD gives victory to his anointed; *
     he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand.
Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, * but we will call upon the Name of the LORD our God.
They collapse and fall down, * but we will arise and stand upright.
O LORD, give victory to the king * and answer us when we call. 

Epistle: 2 Corinthians 5:6-17

We are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil.

Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we ourselves are well known to God, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.

And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them. From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 

Reflections: Paul talks about feeling distant from God. The mere fact that human beings have a material body (whereas God does not) can leaves us feeling like exiles. There is a sense that as long as we are “material,” we are away from God, and can be fully “with the Lord” only after death.

But is it really true that being creatures distances us from God? If so, what does that say about the Incarnation? Is Jesus as Emmanuel, God with us, a miracle restricted to 2,000 years ago in Palestine? And what about his of his gift of the Spirit? Could the presence of the divine, dwelling within us, be true, despite the fact that we are separated by our individual bodies and experiences?

The “new creation” isn’t simply a formula of faith; it’s the reality of God with and within us here and now. So the next time you feel alienated and hopelessly alone, remember: it’s not just the Resurrection that changes everything, but the Incarnation. The Christian hope isn’t only about a “resurrection like his” on the other side of death, but about a life like his.

          And as for the feeling of being alone, Christ himself experienced it on the cross. If Jesus could feel it (and he was one with the Father), so can we (who are one with him). Surely it’s here that we most need each other’s encouragement; we need each other’s help to see with the eyes of faith—simply because it’s difficult to see through the dirty, distorting glasses of our default “human point of view.”

Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come."

          He also said, "With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade."

          With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples. 

Reflections: Spring, Early Summer. ‘Tis the season to speak of seeds. Pam has given me a packet of milkweed seeds, and Kelly has been sending me pictures of the opening pods of her mature antelope milkweed plant. The seeds, like those of dandelion, take off and float under an umbrella of feathery silk.

Why care about milkweed? The plant has uninteresting leaves; the flower is nothing to boast of (from the human point of view). Greens fade into surrounding greens. If you don’t already know the plant, you probably wouldn’t even notice it, and you certainly wouldn’t put it in your garden.

Certainly, nobody’s going to achieve commercial success marketing milkweed.  But there’s more to it that meets the eye, as it were. While it’s hardly a showy garden plant—the butterflies who love it truly are showy. So cultivating milkweed (and other plants needed by butterflies in different stages of their lifecycle) can actually do wonders for your garden. Cultivating milkweed also looks after the ecology of our home: this beautiful natural world.

So Jesus was right, of course. The seed is just the beginning of a story that far surpasses it in spread and complexity—it grows into a whole web of life. Who would have guessed? The seed is where it all starts.

Or is it? Which came first, the seed or the flower? Who reaped the seeds we sow? And who sowed them?

2nd Sunday After Pentecost, June 7, 2015

Collect for the Day

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Genesis 3:8-15

The man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate." The LORD God said to the serpent,

Because you have done this,

     cursed are you among all animals

     and among all wild creatures;

     upon your belly you shall go,

     and dust you shall eat

     all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

     and between your offspring and hers;

     he will strike your head,

     and you will strike his heel.

Reflections: History has insisted on giving Eve a bad rap, but most of us know that is a misinterpretation and a distortion. This story is about big questions, like the human relationship with one another and with God, and our place in the universe. One of the themes is blame; one thing that rings true is how quickly we cast blame when we have betrayed ourselves in some way.

Another theme here is that we are not isolated. What we do—and who we become—has implications not only for ourselves or the people we know, but for the whole creation. We make choices and act based on what we think will be good for us, but those actions have implications far beyond what we imagine. But the human/non-human duality is artificial.

Fortunately, while we are largely oblivious to, or uninterested in, the whole picture, God is not. This Genesis account, along with passages elsewhere in the Bible, such as Ephesians and Romans (such as chapter 8), demonstrates that. 

Psalm 138 Confitebor tibi

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with my whole heart* before the gods I will sing your praise.
I will bow down toward your hold temple and praise your Name, * because of your love and faithfulness;
For you have glorified your Name* and your word above all things.
When I called, you answered me* you increased my strength within me.
All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord,* when they have heard the words of your mouth.
They will sing of the ways of the Lord,* that great is the glory of the Lord.
Though the Lord be high, he cares for the lowly;* he perceives the haughty from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you keep me safe;*

          you stretch forth your hand against the fury of my enemies; your right hand shall save me.

The Lord will make good his purpose for me;*

          O Lord, your love endures for ever; do not abandon the works of your hands.

Reflections: The psalmist proclaims in faith, “O Lord, your love endures for ever.” Then, ironically, prays, “do not abandon the works of your hands.” Don’t we sometimes feel confidence in God’s love, and yet at other times feel as though we were completely alone?

          But God is faithful and never abandons us. What is it that Paul says in Romans 8: 38-9? “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, no things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Epistle: 2 Corinthians 4:14-5:1

Just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—"I believed, and so I spoke" -- we also believe, and so we speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will bring us with you into his presence. Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

          So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  

Reflections: We live in a halfway house. In a sense, we are “halfway” people, with our “outer nature” wasting away, and our “inner nature” being continually renewed. It is not easy to negotiate a path between the all-too-seen and the as-yet-hoped-for-but-still-unseen, yet that is the privilege into which we have been invited.

The fact is, when things are going well, few us are closer to God than when things are going badly. Most of the time we are preoccupied and God is just another person competing for our attention. And perhaps not always the most interesting one.

          And then when bad things happen (especially when there’s nobody and nothing to blame), when I’m overwhelmed, when my heart is broken, all I see is brutality and soullessness.

At those times, I find no visible trace of Paul’s hope for renewal or redemption. My heart cries out in desperation. I need meaning and hope like I need air to breathe. It is precisely then, I suspect, that the Spirit prays with our spirit with “sighs too deep for words.” Holy is not synonymous with comfortable. 

Gospel: Mark 3:20-35

The crowd came together again, so that Jesus and his disciples could not even eat. When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, "He has gone out of his mind." And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebul, and by the ruler of the demons he casts out demons." And he called them to him, and spoke to them in parables, "How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but his end has come. But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his property without first tying up the strong man; then indeed the house can be plundered.

"Truly I tell you, people will be forgiven for their sins and whatever blasphemies they utter; but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit can never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin" -- for they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, "Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you." And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?" And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother." 

Reflections: The scribes resort to name calling; they blame Jesus’ teaching on a demon. When we start calling someone names, it’s a sure sign that we’re losing the argument. It’s a sort of desperate lashing out when we’ve run out of ammunition. We dig in and refuse to accept that we may have be wrong.

That seems to be what Jesus is talking about when he indicates that the scribes are committing the “unforgiveable sin.” While two millennia of Christians have worried about what this sin us, as Father Tony said in his homily—if you’re worried about it, you haven’t done it. From the context of this gospel passage, it looks to me that the unforgivable sin has to do with refusing to be open inside.

What is this talk about “unforgiveable”? I suspect it’s unforgiveable because we turn away from the forgiveness eternally extends towards us. Ultimately it is not God who withholds.