Pentecost, May 24, 2015

Collect for the Day

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

First Lesson: Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, the disciples were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs-- in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

In the last days it will be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams.

Even upon my slaves, both men and women,

in those days I will pour out my Spirit;

and they shall prophesy.

And I will show portents in the heaven above

and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist.

The sun shall be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood,

before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.

Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 

Reflections: An interesting note: the English “tongues” follows the wordplay in the Greek text between tongues as flames and tongues as language.

          The gift of prophecy does not entail foretelling the future (except inasmuch as the future can be anticipated from the present). Instead, biblical prophecy involves discernment of the truth and the proclamation of that truth. Both dimensions of prophecy depend on the Holy Spirit.

Left to ourselves, we succumb to the influence of the agendas and assumptions of our culture and our own interests. Discernment is seeing the truth—as opposed to seeing what we are conditioned to see, or what someone convinces us to see, or what we want to see . . . to see what is true we must transcend ourselves. Discernment—seeing what is true—is to see with the eyes of the Spirit.

But prophecy is, of course, more than discernment. Many of us can see what is wrong around us in the world today, but unless we point it out, it remains a private observation. Therefore, prophecy goes beyond discernment to proclamation. And it takes courage to name what we see. That’s risky business. Just look at what happened to prophets throughout the bible. Or look around the world today. 

Psalm 104:25-35, 37 Benedic, anima mea

O LORD, how manifold are your works! * in wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

Yonder is the great and wide sea with its living things too many to number, * creatures both small and great.

There move the ships, and there is that Leviathan, * which you have made for the sport of it.
All of them look to you * to give them their food in due season.
You give it to them; they gather it; * you open your hand, and they are filled with good things.
You hide your face, and they are terrified; * you take away their breath, and they die and return to their dust.
You send forth your Spirit, and they are created; * and so you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure for ever; * may the LORD rejoice in all his works.
He looks at the earth and it trembles; * he touches the mountains and they smoke.
I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; * I will praise my God while I have my being.
May these words of mine please him; * I will rejoice in the LORD.
Bless the LORD, O my soul. * Hallelujah!

Reflections: What’s not to love in a psalm that proclaims God’s hand in the whole of creation? The accounts of the birth of the church (as well as Christianity) usually focus so closely on the human story that we forget the context of God’s universe. We forget that we are not apart from creation, but a part of creation. Nowhere in the Bible does God eschew the larger creation in exchange for an isolated humanity. The very idea that God delights in a terrifying sea monster  puts our human preoccupations in perspective.  

Epistle: Romans 8:22-27

We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Reflections: This Pauline text proclaims the continuity of the human and the nonhuman to be not only evolutionary and ecological, but also spiritual. It starts with the eager longing of the whole creation. What a thought—that we are not alone in yearning to find and fulfill our purpose. Indeed, that we are not alone. Would that have any implications for how we live in the world? For who turns out to be our “neighbor”? In fact, if we meditate on the universe as science unwraps it to us, whole vistas of sacred possibility open up.

          But above and beyond those reasons, this passage in Romans touches me more deeply than any other of the writings of Paul. That’s because I know—and I’m sure that at your most honest moments you know, too—the experience of being so awed that we are silenced—unable to pray. Like you, sometimes I have stood before the terrifying majesty of nature (like our recent floods and tornadoes?), or I been too exhausted to carry on, or I found myself powerless in the face of terrible suffering. . . . In such dark places—especially where I have felt most alone—I have discovered God already present, waiting for me.

          When we don’t know how to pray, when we can’t, the Spirit prays in us. 

 

Gospel: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

Jesus said to his disciples, "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

"I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But, now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?'

But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: about sin, because they do not believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." 

Reflections: Because they love him, the disciples grieve that he will leave them. In his remark, “Yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’” it’s clear that Jesus knows the disciples are more focused on themselves than on him. Reading this, I am prompted to reflect how often my first thought about someone’s news is how it affects me.

Jesus, on the other hand, isn’t concerned about himself; he doesn’t nurse resentment or hurt that the disciples are not focused on him first. Even now he puts them first. He knows that at the moment, this is the most they can bear.

          The promise of the Advocate who can come only if Jesus goes away must seem like cold comfort. But the disciples, for whom this whole experience is new, cannot be expected to understand. Now they want to hide away, lick their wounds.

But in fact, now the need to incubate. Something in them is dying; something in them is being born. Ultimately, the disciples will find in the very events that caused them incomprehensible pain a significance they cannot now imagine.

          As God draws us from darkness to light, from dullness to wisdom, from isolation to communion, from self-absorption to love, we cannot really understand, either. But the Holy Spirit is with us, working to bring us discernment and the courage to prophecy.

Ascension, translated to Sunday, May 17, 2015

Collect for the Day

Almighty God, whose blessed Son our Savior Jesus Christ ascended far above all heavens that he might fill all things: Mercifully give us faith to perceive that, according to his promise, he abides with his Church on earth, even to the end of the ages; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

Reflections: In the Mystery of the Ascension, Jesus—paradoxically—both leaves us and abides with us. In his life in Palestine, Jesus lived as a creature of history; he was bound by the same limitations as we. He was “God with us” then, incarnate as one human among humans. But he is much more radically “with us” now, no longer enclosed by an envelope of skin limited by time/space. We know this not through reasoning, but through the witness of those who were with him then. In this collect we pray for the perception of faith that allows us to see the deeper reality lying beneath the conventional facts of our world.

First Lesson: Acts 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. "This," he said, "is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

 

Reflections: Because the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts in the Bible are separated by the Gospel of John, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that both Luke and Acts are the work of the same evangelist. Here, at the beginning of Acts, we read a dedication that reminds us of the dedication at the opening of Luke’s gospel. Luke is writing to Theophilus, who could well have been a particular person, but the name could just as well be each of us, for we love God: theo (God); phileo (Love).

          Both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts recount eyewitness accounts of the ascension. They also speak of the struggle the disciples had in trying to bridge the worldview they had inherited and the understanding of reality Jesus had been teaching them. Growing up in the Church and nourished on the story of Jesus from a young age, most of us cannot begin to appreciate how difficult it must have been to take in what Jesus showed them.

          The very notion of messiah at the time had various meanings. Right here in this reading is an example of one of them. Before the ascension, the disciples asked Jesus’ timeline for the restoration of Israel. Their question shows one concept of messiah: a rebel leader who would lead an insurrection against Rome. What I notice here is that Jesus doesn’t challenge their notions, but redirects their attention. It’s not speculation that is important (particularly when they are not yet equipped to understand the momentous significance of Jesus and his teaching). What is important is who they are called to become.

          The closing paragraph puzzles me. I’m not sure what it’s implying. Two things get my interest, though. First, the angels comment on the disciples’ behavior as though they have missed something. Perhaps this wasn’t true of the disciples, but it is certainly true of us that we can get so caught up in the mechanical details of some amazing event (“How the heck did that happen?”) that we completely miss the real question (“What does that mean?”).

          The second statement of the angels seems to contradict the first. If Jesus is going to return in the same way as he departed, why not just stand and stare? Maybe he’ll be back any minute. Then again, perhaps the angels meant that Jesus would return—not from the sky, but— “suddenly,” or “mysteriously,” or “unexpectedly,” or “without warning.” That would certainly be in line with Jesus teachings about the return of the master, the arrival of the bridegroom, or the coming of the thief in the night. It might also suggest that it’s a good idea to stop staring and get on with what he told you to do.

Psalm 47 Omnes gentes, plaudite

Clap your hands, all you peoples; * shout to God with a cry of joy.

For the LORD Most High is to be feared; * he is the great King over all the earth.

He subdues the peoples under us, * and the nations under our feet.

He chooses our inheritance for us, * the pride of Jacob whom he loves.

God has gone up with a shout, * the LORD with the sound of the ram's-horn.

Sing praises to God, sing praises; * sing praises to our King, sing praises.

For God is King of all the earth; * sing praises with all your skill.

God reigns over the nations; * God sits upon his holy throne.

The nobles of the peoples have gathered together * with the people of the God of Abraham.

The rulers of the earth belong to God, * and he is highly exalted.

Epistle: Ephesians 1:15-23

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power.

God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Reflections: Here is one of my favorite Pauline passages. It starts with a prayer that we may mature in such a way that we may take in deeply the message of Christ. The Ascension is not just another event at the end of a long list of events in the life of Christ, one more item to memorize and check off.

It is a mystery we are designed to enter, a mystery that changes not only the world, but us. And this transformation takes time. As Zen Buddhists might say, we cannot grasp it with “ordinary mind.” I once saw a Zen T-shirt with a similar message: “Don’t just do something! Sit there.”

          May the prayer in the first paragraph of the passage here be our prayer for ourselves and for each other.

Gospel: Luke 24:44-53

Jesus said to his disciples, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. See, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

Reflections: Here is the same event told again by Luke the Evangelist, with subtle differences. Here his emphasis is on the final teachings and Jesus’ exhortation to stay put until they were ready. In the interim, Jesus laid the groundwork by opening their minds to understand the scriptures, helping them bridge their sacred tradition and their experience.

          So the birth of the church was not some instantaneous event. Some gestation time appears to have been necessary. Luke records 40 days of appearances and teaching before the Ascension. And even then the disciples are sent back wait for the Descent of the Spirit.

          It takes time to learn and to grow: time to experience, reflect on that experience, distill wisdom from it, and absorb that wisdom. The tracks we leave behind us as we journey through this process are not a straight line from where we started to where we end up. They twist and turn and double back. We can’t just check Google.

Christ says, “I am the way.” He is the road, and he is also the map, which we must read with the eyes of the heart. And that takes time (our whole lives?). What better thing to spend your life doing.

6th Sunday in Easter, April 10, 2015

Collect for the Day

O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflections: We are naturally resistant to letting go of the good we want in exchange for the surpassing good hidden in God. It is, after all, difficult to trust in “things that surpass our understanding.” Yet such trust is exactly what faith is about: trust. Trust that our idea of the world is not the last word, trust that the great heart at the center of the universe beats with a love we cannot even conceive, and promises fulfillment beyond our wildest dreams.

First Lesson: Acts 10:44-48

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?" So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Reflections: Following immediately on the heels of the account of Saul’s conversion, Acts 10 is a complicated story about yet another kind of conversion. Through divine inspiration, Saul’s eyes were opened to the truth of Christ—the very one he was persecuting. And Peter’s eyes were opened to the artificial barriers constructed to set “our people” off from “those people out there.” The people of God, however, turn out to be all people, regardless of who they are. And we know from the teaching of Jesus that God’s people are especially the people we habitually exclude.

Psalm 98 Cantate Domino

Sing to the LORD a new song, * for he has done marvelous things.

With his right hand and his holy arm * has he won for himself the victory.

The LORD has made known his victory; *

his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.

He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *

and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

Shout with joy to the LORD, all you lands; * lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.

Sing to the LORD with the harp, * with the harp and the voice of song.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn * shout with joy before the King, the LORD.

Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, * the lands and those who dwell therein.

Let the rivers clap their hands, * and let the hills ring out with joy before the LORD,

when he comes to judge the earth.

In righteousness shall he judge the world * and the peoples with equity.

Reflections: Even the psalmist, long before the time of Jesus, understood that God is more than a tribal or regional God, but cares for all.

Epistle: 1 John 5:1-6 

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  

      This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. 

Reflections: In both John’s letters and the Gospel of John we find that “belief,” “faith,” “love,” “commandments,” and “obey” are richly interwoven. The connections between these themes seem circular—unlike the straightforward arguments we are taught to make today, with a logical sequence of claims and supporting statements. Passages such as these are of a different sort and have to be approached in a different way.

One thing I have learned through my years of teaching English language. The way we write is governed by cultural norms—and they can vary widely. These scriptures come to us over millennia, as well as from cultures vastly different from our own.

But more than that, these scriptures are complex and difficult because the reality they point to transcends logic. We are not intended to analyze this sort of writing point by point, but to immerse ourselves in it, to swim in it, to develop gills and breathe it in. Such is in fact the traditional approach of lexio divina, sacred reading. 

Gospel: John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.

You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another."

Reflections: Jesus’ final discourse in the gospel of John, which spans the last meal and the betrayal in the garden, weaves the great themes of love—God’s love for us, our love for God, our love for each other—faithfulness, and presence. They not separate things, but aspects of one reality.

But we cannot enter this divine dance if we just try hard enough—nor can we really believe something simply because we choose to (although we can be pretty good at hiding our doubts from ourselves). No, it is God who loves us, who chooses each of us, who invites us into Life.

5th Sunday in Easter, May 3, 2015

Collect for the Day

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Reflections: I love this collect because it reminds me that “everlasting life” is much more than a promise of life after death; and it’s not just a reward waiting for us in some future state. No, it is much more intimate and immediate than that.

As the collect says, “everlasting life” is “truly to know God.” This is not the same as knowing about God. Knowing about is abstract, objective, external, and mental. Knowing is intimate, immediate, and involves our whole being.

“Everlasting life,” is not merely a distant hope, but a present invitation. An invitation into the present, in fact. To say that is not to reduce “everlasting life” to the boring and frustrating mundanity of everyday existence. Quite the opposite, in fact. It is experiencing the everyday in light of the eternal here and now. “Everlasting life” is an invitation into the ever-present reality of God.

Well, if that’s true, why don’t we experience it all the time? After all, God is everywhere. We, however, are not. Most of the time we’re preoccupied with worries or memories or zoned out entirely.

God calls us to seek that we may find, to open our eyes and ears. And you will see in the readings that follow, perhaps the most important key is our hearts. 

First Lesson: Acts 8:26-40

An angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it." So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:

 

"Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,

and like a lamb silent before its shearer,

so he does not open his mouth.

In his humiliation justice was denied him.

Who can describe his generation?

For his life is taken away from the earth."

 

The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?" Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. 

Reflections: Notice the attention to the present moment, and the humility of both Philip and the eunuch.

Philip is alive to the promptings of the present moment. No business calls him to the wilderness road; he has no agenda to advance. A social nobody, Philip responds to the urge to approach the entourage of a VIP and engages him. Similarly, the eunuch isn’t offended by the upstart stranger who is clearly of lower social status; he even admits that he is struggling to understand—and accepts Philips offer of help. I am frankly astonished by the genuineness of their interaction.

It is no surprise, then, that the message of Jesus Christ flows freely through Philip’s interpretation of the Hebrew Scripture, and that the two men suddenly find themselves near water and all but beckons them to baptism.

Had either men been preoccupied, they would have missed this miraculous moment—and would never have known.     

Psalm 22:24-30 Deus, Deus meus

My praise is of him in the great assembly; *
I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
and those who seek the LORD shall praise him: * "May your heart live for ever!"

All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, *
and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

For kingship belongs to the LORD; * he rules over the nations.
To him alone all who sleep in the earth bow down in worship; *
all who go down to the dust fall before him.
My soul shall live for him; my descendants shall serve him; *
they shall be known as the LORD'S for ever.
They shall come and make known to a people yet unborn *
the saving deeds that he has done.

Epistle: 1 John 4:7-21

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, "I love God," and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also. 

Reflections: In this passage, John continues to unpack the theme of love. He seems to talk in circles. How could he not? We love because God first loved us; God is the very basis of our love, because God is love. “To know God,” as the collect put it, is to enter into the mystery of divine love, and therefore it means to be loved and to love. It is God’s love that we receive, that we share; God’s love for us, therefore is the very basis for our relations with the world. And we know it is God whom we love by the love that flows through us into the world. 

Gospel: John 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples." 

Reflections: Jesus’ image of the vine and the branches illustrates this profound reality of divine love in terms his hearers understand well. Sap flows through the vine and into the branches, through the branches to produce fruit. Even though we can name and point them out, the branches aren’t really objects on their own; they don’t exist (except as dead husks) on their own. 

So without the sap, branches have no life and can produce no fruit. Even attached to the vine, a branch might produce no fruit. Mother Karen invited us to consider what might inhibit the branches of our own lives from flowering and producing fruit. What obstructions choke off the life of those parts of ourselves? Which branches need to be pruned or cut away?

It is our very nature to be rooted and grounded in God, for God’s own love to flow into and through us, for it to blossom richly in the world.

Good Shepherd Sunday: 4th Sunday in Easter, April 26, 2015

Collect for the Day

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Reflections: The theme of the Good Shepherd is introduced in our collect, which echoes the gospel assigned for today. 

First Lesson: Acts 4:5-12

The day after they had arrested Peter and John for teaching about Jesus and the resurrection, the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is

the stone that was rejected by you, the builders;

it has become the cornerstone.

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved." 

Reflections: Several things in this reading ask for attention, but what captures my interest at the moment is the response to the healing by those in authority. The leaders here show more interest in credentials than in miracle. What is gained by discrediting those who have accomplished it?

          I am reminded of the general reaction when people present new ideas that fly in the face of accepted theories: that the world isn’t flat; that the earth isn’t the center of the universe, that geological process are not uniform; that alternative medicine works, and so on. Throughout history, proposers of such ideas have been ridiculed. Is it because they undermine trust in established authority?

          Another response to the “impossible” is to cast doubt on the phenomenon. The unexpected and unexplainable threatens our understanding of the world. For example, when various statues and icons of the Virgin Mary have been reported to “cry,” (scented oil—or even blood) the inevitable question is “How did they do this?” Distracted by the physics, do we miss what is perhaps the most important question: “What does it mean?”

In this passage, the Hebrew authorities of the early first century show more interest in challenging Peter and John than in the “impossible” deed they had accomplished—and the power in which they had carried it out. What threat are these “shepherds” reacting to? Who and what are they protecting?                                                        

Psalm 23 Dominus regit me

The LORD is my shepherd; * I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures * and leads me beside still waters.

He revives my soul * and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; *
     for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
     you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.

Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
     and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

 

Epistle: 1 John 3:16-24

We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us. 

Reflections: God calls us to love concretely. But we know that it’s impossible to cope with everyday life if our hearts are constantly open. Sometimes we must simply close our hearts and get on with business; our choices are justified by our demanding schedules, our diminishing disposable income, our skepticism about the most recent sob story.

Still, sometimes a scenario plays and replays in our minds. It seems that our hearts condemn us. But John reassures us: “God is greater than our hearts.” God, who “knows everything,” already knows we do not want to see about ourselves. Already knows . . . and forgives. And that—perhaps that alone—frees us to love. 

Gospel: John 10:11-18

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away-- and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father."

Reflections: The image of the Good Shepherd reaches back into history as well as forward into the present. The “shepherd” is an ancient metaphor for the leaders of the Hebrew people. In a majestic passage from the prophet Ezekiel (ch 34), God accuses the religious leaders of betraying their sacred charge by using the people for their own ends: “Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? . . . I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak . . .”

          This prophetic utterance forms the backdrop for John’s discourse on the Good Shepherd. The symbol of the shepherd would become among the earliest representations of Jesus. The image above is a ceiling fresco in the Catacomb of Priscilla in Rome and dates from the second half of the 3^rd century.  
          In his sermon on Sunday, Fr. Tony Hiatt called us to be both sheep and shepherd. Sheep in following the Good Shepherd—not running after the false promises of false shepherds; shepherds by living into our vocation to be like Christ.

How, we might ask ourselves we can live into that calling? First, we might ask how we do not. In what ways we use the people or resources around us, by placing our agenda, convenience, comfort, success, or status first? God, who is greater than our hearts, will teach us.

 

 

3rd Sunday in Easter, April 19, 2015

Collect for the Day

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

Reflections: Through our Sunday liturgy and fellowship we encounter Christ. While we are reminded every Sunday, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the details of our everyday experience during the week. Here we pray to know the work of God outside the church walls not only in theory, but concretely in the whole of our lives, in the whole of creation. 

First Lesson: Acts 3:12-19

When Peter saw the astonishment of those who had seen the lame man healed, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.

"And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out." 

Reflections: Do we really know how to determine what is good or bad? We choose and act, often after much anxiety and handwringing, sometimes to discover at a later time that we have made a grave mistake. It may take years for us to come to terms with the niggling feeling that we have made the wrong choice. Mistakes have consequences, and they can be difficult to live with. But God isn’t out to trip us up, or punish us for guessing wrong. Acknowledging our ignorance our outright bad choices probably won’t erase their painful consequences, but it might help us out of the mire of regret, so we can embrace the present moment and awaken to the opportunities it affords.  

Psalm 4 Cum invocarem 

Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; *
you set me free when I am hard-pressed; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.
"You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory; * how long will you worship dumb idols and run after false gods?"
Know that the LORD does wonders for the faithful; * when I call upon the LORD, he will hear me.
Tremble, then, and do not sin; * speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.
Offer the appointed sacrifices * and put your trust in the LORD.
Many are saying, "Oh, that we might see better times!" * Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.
You have put gladness in my heart, * more than when grain and wine and oil increase.
I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; * for only you, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

Reflections: We’re often so agenda-driven and results-oriented that we miss the presence of God waiting for us even right now at this moment. Happiness, we think, is conditional, dependent on outer circumstances. But happily, Christ’s peace—and the joy that flows from it—is not.  

 

Epistle: 1 John 3:1-7

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 

Reflections: Ultimately there is one law, the law of love. But ironically, while our deepest yearning is for unconditional love, we don’t really seem to believe in it.

From a young age, we learn to compete for love; our culture confuses status with value. The reassurance we take from a healthy bank account, success, acclaim, or accomplishments ultimately proves thin. Popularity frequently masks for envy, a fact amply demonstrated every time a celebrity’s misfortune is plastered on the front of the People Magazine. How easily we feel lessened by the good luck or apparent superiority of others.

          But however fickle the world (and ourselves with it), God is constant; as God’s own children we are each infinitely precious. We are children of the same Father, born of the same Divine Love. And just perhaps the facets of the jewel in our hearts flash all the brighter because the light of all our sisters and brothers—indeed the whole creation—shines through us.  

Gospel: Luke 24:36b-48

Jesus himself stood among the disciples and their companions and said to them, "Peace be with you." They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you-- that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things." 

Reflections: God does not demand blind obedience (nor does the Episcopal Church ask unthinking acquiescence to what it teaches). Faith does not come easy for all of us. Truly trusting God may come through intense struggle. But to struggle with God requires the rigor of honesty, the courage of doubt, and the risk of error. And we all know there is biblical precedent for struggling with God: Abraham’s negotiations with the three angelic visitors, Jacob’s wrestling with the angel, even Jesus’ prayers and bloody sweat.

So when Jesus stands among the disciples and offers them his peace, they really need it. They need it because of the trauma and loss they have just gone through. And they need it because his presence among them is quite simply uncanny. They have entered new territory; what they had been and what they had known no longer seem to apply. But Jesus seems undisturbed by their fear and confusion.

Christ is not threatened by our fear or confusion, either. We cannot see from the divine perspective, but God can. And the entirety of our individual stories—which we experience only incrementally, bit by excruciating bit—already rest completely in God.

2nd Sunday in Easter, April 12, 2015

Collect for the Day

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Reflections: Is it not always our prayer to give living expression to the most sacred inspirations of our hearts? In the Paschal mystery we see the reconciliation of the most disparate aspects of our lives: sin and righteousness, violation and forgiveness, self and others, death and life. Our faith calls us to realize, to bring into concrete reality, what is simply beyond our capabilities: a way of being that belongs to God. This mind-blowing “way” is nevertheless extended to us in Christ. 

First Lesson: Acts 4:32-35

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Reflections: In light of the collect, we note here the remarkable reconciliation between self and other, a unity in the heart and mind, as well as in material. It is not so difficult to find oneself in emotional agreement, or unity of faith. The easiest sort of unity of heart and mind is against; we see it in Congress in the unwillingness to discuss or compromise (“my way or the highway”). But the worst manifestation is in the rapid multiplication of terrorist groups all over the world today.

The best examples of this sort of unity, of course, are found in those who seek justice, visit the sick or imprisoned, give to the poor, comfort the suffering. Given the natural human tendency to place oneself and one’s family above all others, instances such as these testify to the radical nature—and practical implications—of grace.

 

Psalm 133  Ecce, quam bonum! 

Oh, how good and pleasant it is, * when brethren live together in unity!
It is like fine oil upon the head * that runs down upon the beard,
Upon the beard of Aaron, * and runs down upon the collar of his robe.
It is like the dew of Hermon * that falls upon the hills of Zion.
For there the LORD has ordained the blessing: * life for evermore.  

Epistle: 1 John 1:1-2:2

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life-- this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us-- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 

Reflections: I notice here how John associates fellowship with one another and fellowship with Christ. To have true fellowship with one another, we must walk in the light of truth, the light of Christ; we must be cleansed from sin.

In contrast, we tend to close down on ourselves in any number of ways: imagining that we are self-sufficient, denying that we sin, identifying with the face we present to the world.  All of these normal ways of being in the world are modes of self deception that cut us off from one another, and cut us off from our deepest truth, which is Christ. That is, they are sin.

But what may be the most astonishing message of this passage is that “our joy” is not complete until it is also extended to others. Joy is not private; it is expansive. 

Gospel: John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. 

Reflections: Probably Thomas’ response to the testimony of the disciples doesn’t surprise you. If you’re like me, you’re delighted that Christ makes allowances for our mistrust, for our yearning for direct, personal experience.

          Nevertheless, we always find ourselves in a position where we don’t have that experience—and we have to trust what people tell us. But whose version of events? How do we know that their enthusiasm or their prior commitments and attitudes don’t color their witness? Throughout our lives, we find ourselves in situations where we have to make decisions based on what other people tell us. But I suspect that we can really be sure about what is true in very few of those situations. So to some extent, faith plays a large role in how we negotiate everyday life.

          But faith in Christ is of a different sort. The Greek verb “to faith” (which English tradition translates “believe”) means something closer to “trust,” or perhaps further, to “entrust” oneself.

We see both of these sorts of “faith” in Thomas’ story here. First, he is faced by the challenge of simply believing what the other disciples tell him. He knows the grief they all experienced at the crucifixion and death of Jesus; he also knows how desperately they want to erase the past, how much they want him to come back to them. Can he believe what they say? Could they be suffering from a mass hallucination? His caution is understandable.

          But then he sees Jesus; Jesus invites him to touch and verify his presence. But Thomas doesn’t need that. The truth of the testimony is immediately clear. And Thomas takes one step further: he entrusts himself to his risen Lord, to God.

          Easter isn’t really about belief in the Resurrection. We can argue about that forever. Easter is about the new life that is born of giving ourselves in trust to the one who called us into being, and who calls us into being each day, every minute of every hour.