Sunday School Lesson - July 3 - Year A - Pentecost +3

Have you ever thought, "No matter what I do, it is just never enough?" How many times have you been in "no-win" situations? What do you do when this happens? What is enough? Why even try? What does it matter? Sound familiar? In these situations, what would you give to be satisfied or relieved? What would that cost? God has provided us the answer in his Son, who has told us: "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." What are your burdens? Give them to him. "Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world." Sin, from the Greek `aμαρtia, "falling short," "missing the mark."  For us, who feel we can never do enough, we mean enough to God, and can mean enough to each other, that he bids us "Come to me, beloved," for beloved we are. He gave his Son for us.

The Rev. Canon C.K. Robertson tells us "Nothing I do is ever enough!" Yes, that's right! And the sooner I recognize that truth, the sooner I can embrace the deeper reality that God already knows me more fully than I would like to admit, and still calls me "beloved." The devotional writer Henri Nouwen once said, "When you are able to create a lonely place in the midst of your actions and concerns, then somehow, slowly, your successes and failures lose their power over you." You and I, we are not God...and we don't have to try to be. You and I can dare to let go of the heavy, wearisome yokes we put on ourselves and allow others to thrust upon us, and instead take up that blessed yoke that is no burden, the yoke of acceptance of our own beloved self in Christ, the yoke of acceptance of the beloved nature of other weary, heavy-laden ones still striving all around us. "Come to me," Jesus invites, "come, my beloved." Read more from "Never Enough" in Day 1.

"Jesus implied that all humankind are in some way burdened. There is the burden of our anxieties and of our fears. There is the burden of our temptations and our responsibilities. I think of the burden of our loneliness, maybe after bereavement, and the burden people have when they sense that life has no meaning, and above all, there is the burden of our failures and of our guilt. What a burden they can be! Does our conscience never feel its guilt? Is our heart never bowed down with a sense of shame? It is such persons that Jesus invites to come to Him. He promises to ease our yoke, to lift our burden, to give us rest, and to set us free." Matthew 11:28: "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."  Read more of Dr. John R.W. Stott "The Greatest Invitation Ever Made"

Sunday School Lesson - June 26 - Year A - Pentecost +2

This week we consider the Old Testament account of Abraham, God and the binding of Isaac for sacrifice, and God’s promises. We also will consider what “God will provide” means, and how we are called to a ministry of welcome and hospitality.

The Scripture (Click to read):

• Genesis 22:1-14 and Psalm 13
• Jeremiah 28:5-9 and Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18
• Romans 6:12-23
• Matthew 10:40-42

 "Job complained, Abraham negotiated, Jacob wrestled, Jesus pleaded. But in the end each one dared to trust, dared to believe that God could indeed be counted on to provide, especially when all seemed most hopeless. The promise has never been a lack of struggle...No wonder Jesus taught his friends to say to God, "Give us this day our daily bread; please give us what we need to make it through today." It is a comforting prayer because it is a realistic prayer. "God will provide." So let us be prepared to sacrifice our cleverness, our ability to get out of things, and most of all our naïve wishful thinking that somehow we are immune to the struggles and pain that faced the countless faithful who came before us. Let us instead dare to trust that God will indeed provide...not necessarily a way out, but always a way through. Read more from The Rev. Canon Charles K. Robertson in Day 1.

The Rev. Canon C. K. Robertson, Ph.D., is Canon to the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, headquartered in New York, NY.

"The Gospel today continues last week’s theme of “the cost of discipleship,” with the added motif of hospitality to the prophet (first reading). Following Jesus is a commitment to companionship and mission that can surpass the most precious things in life, relations with loved ones, and can bring about suffering and even loss of life. In rewriting an earlier saying, in which Jesus says the disciple must “hate” parents and relatives (Lk. 14:26-27), Matthew writes that the one who loves family “more than me” cannot be a true disciple. Family love is not abandoned but enhanced. Matthew also alters the harshness of the tradition by adding the sayings on hospitality, promising that everyone who gives one of the “little ones” even a glass of water will be rewarded.

Today, when the average life span is twice what it was in Jesus’ time, the love of Jesus, which transcends even natural affection, can paradoxically be expressed in care for those disciples of Jesus, parents and friends, who are aged and infirm, now “the little ones” who have received Jesus. Such love can be a daily taking of the cross and losing one’s life in care for those very people who literally gave life and lived in service of their children.

These demands of Jesus would seem harsh and unrealistic were it not for the insight Paul offers. Two weeks ago Paul proclaimed that “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8), and today he unfolds the implications of this gift—the Christian is one who through baptism has already lost his or her life by dying with Christ, but now can walk in the newness of life. The daily cost of discipleship and the ultimate surrender of ourselves to God are not simply ethical demands, but an expression of gratitude for gifts received." ~ John R. Donahue in America Magazine.

John R. Donahue, S.J., is the Raymond E. Brown Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at St. Mary's Seminary and University, Baltimore, Md.

" It is noteworthy that in the Greek, the word for stranger-xenos-is also the word for guest and host. In this age of contemporary tribal warfare, of Balkanization and gated communities, most of us are all too aware of the term "xenophobia," or fear of the stranger. Such a fear leads to nationalism, racism and even genocide. As many scholars have noted, however, Jesus' call to welcome another is a call to xenophilia, or love of stranger, the stranger who is also guest, who as the embodiment of Christ after a long walk on the Emmaus road-is also host.

Hospitality should be the central practice of the Christian church today. As Arthur Sutherland states, "Hospitality is the practice by which the church stands or falls." Thus hospitality is the central practice that should receive attention by our pastoral leaders and theological educators, by Sunday school teachers and by local preachers. So how do we teach hospitality?

It all begins with practice: to offer hospitality, we simply bring who we are, what we have, where we are. At times that may be grand; at times that may be very little. In every case, it is the gesture itself-the practice-that shapes the character of the encounter, that shapes the character of the participants, of the story of grace that is the essence of the moment... Welcoming another requires attention to the other. It means often setting aside our discomfort for how one may be different or strange to us and meeting her or him as they are. Being an agent of God's hospitality makes Christ's presence known, for as Matthew reminds us, when two or more are gathered in Jesus' name, Jesus is present there as well." Read more from The Rev. Dr. Trace Hayhtorn in Day 1. 
The Rev. Dr. Trace Haythorn is President of the Fund for Theological Education in Atlanta, GA

Sunday School Lesson - May 29 - Year A - 6th Sunday in Easter

John Donahue tells us: "Karl Barth is reported to have said that as Christology was the focus of the 20th century, the role of the Spirit will be the focus of the present century, a prediction verified by renewed interest in both theology and church life. Too often in the past, the Spirit has been invoked as either the guarantor of fixed teaching or even a “fixer” behind the scenes, who will remedy human error (“I hope the Holy Spirit knows what he or she is doing”). Jesus promises the Advocate to those who keep his commandments, which in John are not primarily moral precepts but the call to radical faith and radical love. The Holy Spirit is present when the kind and quality of life embodied in the Word made flesh are visible to the world. Such is the best legal advice as we prepare for our trial." 

This week we learn more about love and the spirit, and how we can love one another as Christ has loved us, and how He abides in us, as we abide in Him as God sends us the παρακλητη - the paraclete - the Holy Spirit, literally “one called alongside of,” an advocate (a legal metaphor). This advocate is also the “Spirit of truth” (14:17) and the “Holy Spirit,” whom “the Father will send in my name, who will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have taught you” and be both advocate and defense witness (15:26). As Jesus has come into the world, so too the Advocate, who is teacher and guide, as was Jesus. The Advocate will likewise bear witness in a situation of hate, as did Jesus. The Advocate (Paraclete) is, then, the enduring presence in the church of the departed Jesus, who prolongs his life and teaching through history.

"Waiting for a Good Lawyer" by John Donahue in "America, The National Catholic Weekly," A courtroom drama—whether it is a John Grisham novel, a prime time TV series or one of a host of films from “To Kill a Mockingbird” to “Philadelphia”—provides enduring fascination. Especially common are plots pitting a little-known lawyer, defending a victimized client, against powerful adversaries. This appeal is as old as the biblical stories of Susannah and the elders and of the woman judged for adultery in John. In fact, John’s Gospel has been described as a long trial narrative in which the powers of the world are arrayed against Jesus, culminating in the carefully orchestrated appearance before Pilate. (Click link to read more).


"I Will Not Leave You Orphaned" by The Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad, Professor of preaching at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, in "Day 1" (Click link to read)

Lesson - May 22, 2011

The Text:

Acts 7:55-60
7:55 But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

7:56 "Look," he said, "I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!"

7:57 But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him.

7:58 Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

7:59 While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

7:60 Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." When he had said this, he died.

Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16
31:1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.

31:2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.

31:3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name's sake lead me and guide me,

31:4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.

31:5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.

31:15 My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.

31:16 Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.

1 Peter 2:2-10
2:2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation-

2:3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

2:4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and

2:5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

2:6 For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

2:7 To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,"

2:8 and "A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

2:10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

John 14:1-14
14:1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.

14:2 In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.

14:4 And you know the way to the place where I am going."

14:5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"

14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

14:7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

14:8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied."

14:9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.

14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.

14:12 Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.

14:13 I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

14:14 If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

Links to the lessons:

The End of the World  by Rodge Wood, retired Episcopal priest

     "There is a man with a radio ministry who has been claiming that Christians will be "raptured", that is taken into the air to meet Jesus this coming Saturday.  Those of us left on earth will "suffer" for five months until the world ends in October.  Now this isn't a new phenomena.  People have been predicting the final judgement of God for centuries.  That someone in this age does it is hardly surprising.  What is atrocious about it is that followers of his have sold homes, gathered up belongings and gotten ready for this big day.

     What is puzzling to me is how all of these people are certain that they are the chosen of God, that they will be the ones who are raptured and the rest of us will be left behind.  That is always what is puzzling about these things.  The quiet judgement that pours from this prophecy is astounding.  To simply denounce it is not really helpful.  After Saturday, when nothing of this sort happens, we will be left with a failed prophet who will do everything that he can think of to tell us why the date was wrong, or that somehow God has chosen another time.  I don't think that our prophet will tell us that he is simply wrong about the whole thing.

     What I would like to suggest is that we all submit to God's judgement here and now.  That we look at ourselves and confess our sins and look at each other with compassion and love.  That is certainly what Jesus asked us to do, to get us closer to the beings that were created by God to be objects of his perfect love.  That is certainly the reason that God became incarnate in the person of Jesus of Nazareth to become human like us to know our hopes and dreams and to have a first hand understanding of how humanity is limited and full of sin.  That our Lord went to the cross willingly for us so that by his resurrection we can come to some kind of understanding of the ultimate Grace of God is the most astounding thing that has ever happened.  How we understand this becomes the basis for how we live our lives and how we relate to each other.  May God bless our prophet in the days following Saturday.  May he know that he is certainly on of the redeemed by God who I suspect he believes has contempt for most of us. "

~ Rodge Wood is a retired Episcopal Priest who has just moved back to Pittsburgh, with wife, Rosie, and near where two of their daughters live. He was the Rector of Christ Church, North Hills in Pittsburgh for 18 years before he retired. We were privileged to have him serve as an interim priest at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in St. Albans, WV.

How Do I Love Thee? Let me count the ways.

(Click the above link to read more from Nannette Sawyer in Blogging Toward Sunday, The Christian Century)

"The story this week from the Gospel of John is an intimate tale of fidelity, commitment and trust. In the midst of feelings of abandonment, betrayal, grief and fear, Jesus comforts his disciples. “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” he says to them.


But how could they not be troubled? He’s told them he’s about to die, that Judas is about to betray him, that Peter is about to deny him, and that he’s going somewhere they can’t go. “Where, where, where?” they clamor.


In comforting them, Jesus tells his disciples to trust. Many translations use the English word “believe” for the Greek pisteuo, but we have so flattened this word that it conveys to most listeners the sense of intellectual assent. Pisteuo has more of a connotation of trust and fidelity. It’s a relationship thing, not an intellectual thing... "
Nanette Sawyer

Nanette Sawyer is the founding pastor of Wicker Park Grace in Chicago and the author of Hospitality: The Sacred Art (Skylight Paths).

What is it in our human nature that persistently wants to turn grace into law, inclusion to exclusion, plenitude into penury?   (Click this link to read more from "I am listening..." by Peter Wood, a minister of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and live in Port Alfred, South Africa.) ...

"All the divisions are healed in Jesus.  There is unity and accommodation for all.  There is no need to go anywhere, for Jesus has come to us.  There is no need to search any further for it right here.  Just lay down., you are home already.
 When Richard has spoken inclusively, and people throw at him, “But Jesus said ‘I am the way, the truth and the life…NO ONE…” Richard replies in his lovely gentle manner, “When Jesus said ‘I am the way the truth and the life’, it means that you are NOT...”  
How tragic then, that this passage has become the war-cry of exclusivist and triumphalist Christian dogma that uses the very words of the all including Jesus as a sword of separatist isolation from others.
As Jesus has pointed out in this passage if we don’t see the unity in all this, we really don’t get it.  “How can you say, show us the Father?”

Perhaps the best rejoinder to those who use the words of Jesus in this passage to be judgemental and exclusive, comes from that master of the one-liner and the succinct, snappy answer, Richard Rohr.