Seeing the Messiah for the first time ...

Scripture: Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Psalm 148; Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7; Luke 2:22-40

This first Sunday after Christmas, and the first day of the year, we study Luke’s account of the parents of Jesus presenting him in the temple, naming him, and of his bris, or circumcision, a sacred rite. We also are invited to see Jesus, as Anna and Simeon see him after many years and through the clouds of their life disappointments, uncertainties and experiences. No wonders, no miracles. Simeon was old and waited many years to see the Messiah. God granted his wish. He will grant our wish to see him, too, if we open the eyes of our hearts.

In his sermon, The Rev. Ben Helmer tells us that as the light shining forth in the darkness, we need to examine how we have been living, and that it is time to go to work and be the gifted people God created us to be. To be about God’s business, committed to redemption and bringing graciousness to the lives of all people.

The Rev. Dr. Ozzie E. Smith, in “A Sight for Certain Eyes,” invites us to see what happens when expectant eyes see the Lord’s gift. How can we see with certain eyes in jaded times, with an uncertain economy, high prices, foreclosures, war, and the list goes on…? Look through the eyes of enduring faith and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit as did Simeon and Anna.

In “Has the Messiah Come?” Paul Tillich, in The New Being, questioned how we can know the Messiah has come in a world with the Holocaust, weapons which can annihilate us, and those who are unhealed, hungry and broken.  He sees the character of salvation having the nature of a child. Seeing the Messiah in the mystery of a child. Somehow appropriate this season… and all seasons.

And while we are on the subject of children:

• What expectations do we have for our children as they grow towards adulthood? 
• What are our hopes for them? 
• How do we utilize the resources of our faith communities to support children?
• What protection and guidance do we offer them so hopes and expectations can be realized for their flourishing?  
• What responsibilities do all adults have for children, regardless of whether or not they are related to them by blood or marriage?

May God’s peace and the Holy Spirit be with us and guide us through this New Year. In the blessed name of Jesus, we pray.

Christmas - in Heart, Mind & Joyous Realism

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14 (15-20); John 1: 1-14

Although we will not have Sunday  School class on Sunday - enjoy the Christmas eve and Christmas services, and the presence and beauty of the Lord's coming in your own ways - I attach a lesson for those who may be interested. I believe there's a little something for everyone.

 

The Rev. Amy Richter gives us a message from and for the heart with a reprint of  The Rev. Richard H. Schmidt's Christmas: "Let Me Hold You, Dear Little Jesus," from Episcopal Life magazine.

 

Debra Dean Murphy, in "The Logic of the Incarnation,"shares historical and philosophical perspectives of the differing gospel accounts of God's coming to us in the gospels of Luke and John, blending "the familial and the philosophical; the provincial and the universal, the personal and the cosmic. And we find our place in a story that at once traverses the dusty roads of Nazareth and the farthest galaxies of the heavens. For unto us is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord: in him was life, and the life was the light of all people."

 

Theologian Bruce Epperly , in "The Joy -- and Ambiguity -- of Christmas," tugs at both our hearts and minds, as he brings us a joy grounded in the realism "that life can be difficult.  But, make no mistake, this is the world in which the Christ-child comes -- the world of grieving spouses, homeless families, frightened immigrants; a world of care and uncertainty. This is precisely where "we need a little Christmas" -- not false hope or a good-time God, but an all-season spirituality, grounded in a love that embraces the dark night and the joyful dawn."

 

"On this holy night, when you are a newborn baby, let us cradle you in our arms. Let us hold you and keep you warm. Now, while you are small and vulnerable, let us watch over you. We want to hold you now, because many times in time to come, you will hold us."

 

~ The Rev. Richard H. Schmidt

 

 

"Here am I, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.”

Scripture: 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16; Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26 or Canticle 3 or Canticle 15; 1 Romans 16: 25-27; Luke 1: 26-38

This week we once again consider Mary's wonderful Magnificat, but this time in conjunction with the Annunciation with the angel Gabriel, and in the context of her cousin Elizabeth who is pregnant with John the Baptist.

 

This Advent, we have experienced waiting in hope for the miracle of God's promise - then, now and when the Lord comes again. Last week our lessons added the joy, wonder, awe and mystery of God choosing to move in and amongst us. This week we consider themes of redemption, faith, trust, commitment and the freedom God so graciously gives us - both in the choice we have to accept, receive and act on the good news in his gift to us in Christ, and the freeing power of God's love for us when we decide to follow his Christ, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world. What a gift!

 

We see how Mary responded to her encounter with God's will for her, and us. See The Rev. Amy Richter 's "Here am I, the servant of the Lord. Let it be with me according to your word.” 

 

How will we respond to God's call for us?

 

 

Joy and Mystery - God in man made manifest!

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11; Psalm 126 or Canticle 3 or Canticle 15; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28

We have considered the message of being alert, of waiting with hope, of being prepared to receive God's most precious gift to us. We have looked at "Christmas to come," so to speak with the apocalyptic readings of the second coming, and of the voice of one crying in the wilderness to prepare, and make straight the way of the Lord.


This week we learn more about what God is doing from the Isaiah passage, which Jesus read to his fellow villagers in Nazareth as he began his mission, which is repeated in Mary's beautiful song, a paean of joy. We see it in Isaiah's proclamation; "The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn..." and in Mary's song, "for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed... He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty."

In "Dietrich Bonhoeffer, God is in the Manger - Reflections on Advent and Christmas,"edited by Jana Reiss, we consider the mystery of God's incarnation, and God's love of the humble and lowly. The mystery of God made manifest in Jesus, a carpenter in a small rural village.

In his homily, The Rev, Charles Hoffacker tells us to shift our attention from inconsequential routine, predictable small talk, and all things that seem safe because we think we can control them, and be alert to the message God is sending us. John the Baptist turned the attention from himself to one whose sandal's he was unworthy to untie - God's power is shown in humility. Don't miss it!

Joy leaps from the page, and from our hearts as we consider the prophet Isaiah's words, Mary's Song, and the passage from Thessalonians. In “Magnificat! Learning to Sing Mary’s Song” The Rev. J.Carl Gregg gives us links to listen to great musical renditions so that we might experience the joy, excitement and favor of God, this young woman experienced, and marvel how joyous she was in her state at that time - an unwed, pregnant teenager. 

Daniel J. Harrington gives us a marvelous scholarly account of the joy God brings us through people he chooses to bring the message, and who are willing to do God's bidding in "Joyous Witnesses."  Harrington would have us ask:

• Where do you find joy in your life? How do you express it?
• How might you articulate the joy that you find in being a Christian to someone seeking for God?
• The joyful witnesses in today’s readings experienced much suffering. What do you think allowed them to remain joyful?

Make Straight the Way - How Do We Prepare for the Lord's Coming?

Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8

Isaiah 40:3 A voice cries out: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."

Mark 1:4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins... He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."


Last week we read and considered scripture about the second coming in our first Sunday of this Advent season. This week, the gospel lesson is as old as Isaiah, and as new as today, as we study the one who was sent to prepare the way of the Lord, this week, John the Baptist and his message of repentance. What does it mean to repent? The Greek word is μετανοια. (metanoia), which means change of mind(set). What in our mindset are we called to change to prepare and receive God's most precious gift?

What can we do to prepare for the Lord's coming this year? How will he come?

The Rev. Dr. Russell Levinson, Jr., "Making Straight the Way," sums up John the Baptist's mission of preparing the way of the Lord:"At least one way of preparing for Christmas is this two-fold call of John - first to repent and turn to the Lord Christ with all that we are, and second, to begin a life of living that reflects our love for others.  In the end, the call seems to say our lives were not created to be our own.  They were created as a glorious celebration to be shared with our parents, children, intimate friends, spouses, and our Lord.  John the Baptist spent his entire life preparing for the coming of Another, and we are called to do the same."

Don't miss the awe and wonder of God coming - Maranatha!

Scripture: Isaiah 64:1-9; Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37

In the midst of the holiday hustle and bustle, it is easy to get frustrated, upset, depressed, and lose the joy, the excitement and "reason for the season." What can we do to regain the awe and wonder anew - like a child at Christmas?

As we begin Advent, and Lectionary Year B, we once again consider time, and waiting, and what we should do while we wait. This week's focus is on being alert in the context of apocalyptic warnings. Apocalypse is from the Greek which means revelation - an uncovering of meaning. Eschatology is the study of the "end times." In his book History and Eschatology: the Presence of Eternity, Rudolph Bultmann considers Christ the "eschaton" in whose presence we experience the meaning of history. God meets us in the presence of Christ. The Greek term for "end, teleos,means more than far away. It also means "the limit," or "the final issue or result of a state or process."  We're talking "end game" here.

The "second coming" is known in Greek as the parousia. In our gospel lesson from Mark, Jesus speaks of the end time and second coming, "Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come..." in the context of the darkening of the sun, the falling of stars, and heaven and earth passing away." He is talking of what ultimately matters. But maybe he is speaking of more than of things to come.

The Rev. Dr. Russell Levinson, Jr. in  "Two Minute Warning," discusses this week's gospel not only in the context of the second coming, but also from the perspective of the importance of how we are to live, with expectation and alertness in love and service to God and our fellow man. The opportunity to recognize and live in God's time, kairos, not chronos, can present itself in otherwise unexpected situations, people and places, and especially in the stranger, with Christ present to guide, counsel and advocate for us. We are called to be alert so we don't miss what could be the most important "time of our lives."

As we look at the "end" time, we are about to experience the beginning again in the birth and incarnation of the Christ. From Alpha to Omega, and Omega to Alpha, in Christ, God works his plans through us, his beloved.

I think T.S. Eliot captures the wonder of Advent, seeing in awe and wonder the birth of Christ anew each year in this part of his poem The Gidding V:

"We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time."

The Shepherd King - it's Christ the King Sunday

Scripture: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 and Psalm 100 (Track 2: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 and Psalm 95:1-7a); Ephesians 1:15-23; Matthew 25:31-46

This is Christ the King Sunday, the Last Sunday after Pentecost. Advent is only 10 days away. We have studied lessons about God's kingdom. Take time to reflect on the kingdom, of what kind of King Jesus is, and the nature of his power and authority. Think about the shepherd king in this week's Ezekiel passage, the 23rd Psalm, David as king, and the Good Shepherd. What is the king concerned about in the gospel passage from Matthew 25?

 

In her homily, the Rev. Kay Sylvester asks "So what do we mean when we affirm that Christ is King? What are we celebrating? How is this monarchy part of the Good News?" John R. Donahue looks at the gospel passage from both discipleship and apocalyptic perspectives in his “Viva Cristo Rey!”

 

The parable of the talents...

Scripture: Judges 4:1-7; Psalm 123; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Matthew 25:14-30

This week the gospel lesson is the parable of the talents. We have studied God and man's justice and judgment, humility and weakness and power, abundance and scarcity, and what it takes to enter, be and act in the kingdom of God. Last week we studied the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, of being prepared and to act, of being alert so as not to miss the opportunity to see and do God's will. Last week the wise virgins would not share their oil with the foolish virgins - the foolish presumed the generosity of others. In the parable of the talents what do learn about generosity? Of giving of talents? What does the parable teach us about being in and participating in the kingdom of God? See John Donahue's "The Parousia is not for Wimps."

In "There's Two Sides to Every Story, the Rev. Linda Pepe tells us "a common thread that runs through both of these interpretations.  And that is, the perceptions of how each of the servants perceived the master determined his course of action. What do you get out the parable? How did the servants perceive the master? What did they do? How did the master perceive the servants? How does God perceive us, and others who are different than us?

"Getting Real" in Today's "Me, Me, Me" centered world

Scripture: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 and Psalm 78:1-7 or Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16 (Track 2: Amos 5:18-24 and Wisdom of Solomon 6:17-20 or Psalm 70); 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13

We have finished the vineyard parables, have considered the great commandment of loving God with all our heart, mind and soul, and also loving our neighbors as ourselves. Last week Jesus told us to "get real", and showed us how to practice what we preach.

This week we learn more about how to "get real," by giving up "false idols" in the Joshua scripture, and being attentive, "be awake" so we don't miss the kingdom, when the bridegroom comes. We must keep our lamps filled with oil and keep our wicks trimmed. We don't want to miss out on the real deal.

What must we do to "get real," and not miss out on the kingdom, and working in the vineyard? In "Be Prepared," D. Brent Laytham and Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom tell us "It's easy to read the parable of the ten virgins as a tribute to two core American values:  Individualism and meritocracy. Individualism and meritocracy. Individualism imagines the kingdom of heaven like this: "I got mine," the five wise virgins say to the foolish ones, "so you get your own." That sounds like our culture, which encourages us to "look out for number one." Hearing the parable this way affirms a selfish individualism, rather than the mind of Christ—who came to seek the lost, to serve the neighbor, to lay down his life for his friends. Meritocracy imagines the kingdom of heaven like this: "Everybody finally gets what they deserve. The wise virgins looked out for number one and earned their delight by being prepared. The foolish virgins, who played when they should have been working, deserved their despair." That sounds like our culture's approbation of ingenuity and effort, but it doesn't sound like the kingdom of God. The password for entrance into the kingdom has never been "try harder," and the kingdom's economy has never been one of scarcity ("If I share with you, I won't have enough"). Instead, the kingdom of heaven is about an abundance, given to all.

So how might we read the parable as Christians called to serve, love and give?

Walter Brueggemann ties the gospel passage into the Joshua passage in his homily "The Liturgy of Abundance, The Myth of Scarcity" Consider this description of the kingdom of our Lord :" The forgiveness of debts is the hardest thing to do--harder even than raising the dead to life. Jesus left ordinary people dazzled, amazed, and grateful; he left powerful people angry and upset, because very time he performed a wonder, they lost a little of their clout. The wonders of the new age of the coming of God's kingdom may scandalize and upset us. They dazzle us, but they also make us nervous. The people of God need pastoral help in processing this ambivalent sense of both deeply yearning for God's new creation and deeply fearing it.The feeding of the multitudes, recorded in Mark's Gospel, is an example of the new world coming into being through God. When the disciples, charged with feeding the hungry crowd, found a child with five loaves and two fishes, Jesus took, blessed ,broke and gave the bread. These are the four decisive verbs of our sacramental existence. Jesus conducted a Eucharist, a gratitude. He demonstrated that the world is filled with abundance and freighted with generosity. If bread is broken and shared, there is enough for all. Jesus is engaged in the sacramental, subversive reordering of public reality."

 The lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, the sick are healed, debts are forgiven and prisoners are set free. And death is not the end of the story. Thanks be to God.

Charades and Reality, Hypocrisy and Humility

Scripture: RCL) Joshua 3:7-17 and Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37 (Track 2: Micah 3:5-12 and Psalm 43); 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13; Matthew 23:1-12

Last week we discussed Jesus answering the Pharisees question about the "greatest commandment," and what he meant by loving God with all our hearts, minds and souls in connection with what the "messiah, Χριστός - Christ, means. We are able to do so with Christ present with us in our hearts, minds and souls - in everything we are and do. In doing so, we lose ourselves to God's will and service to God and our neighbors. A humbling but wholly fulfilling experience. As we say in our baptismal service - with God's help. We celebrate the presence of Christ in the sacrament of his body and blood when we celebrate, with thanksgiving, the Eucharist each week.

Speaking of the Pharisees, this week Jesus tells us "...do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them." 

We learn more about humility, and hypocrisy, about "playing rhythm guitar" to Jesus, as The Rev. Roy T. Bird puts it. in "Charades and Reality" We will consider what it means to "practice what we preach," and why we sometimes say, or act out "do as I say, not what I do." How can we be helped when we fall short? What is it to live an "authentic" life? How can we live "authentic" lives. Check out Steve Godfrey's  "Authentic Leadership" in his Blog The Church in the World. What does Jesus tells us about our burdens?

On "ALL" this hangs the law and the prophets...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17; or Leviticus 19:1-2, 15-18, Psalm 1; 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Matthew 22:34-46

 

This week Jesus answers the Pharisees' question about the greatest commandment. Jewish scholars had surveyed the Torah, counted carefully and discovered 613 commandments. Applying all 613 at once was virtually impossible, even if they could he remembered. If one were to hang all of these laws on one nail, what nail would it be? Jesus uses two nails: love of God and love of neighbor.

 

D. Brent Laytham and MIchelle Clifton-Soderstrom tell us in their article "Christ Jesus it is He" in Blogging toward Sunday, that Jesus didn't stop there - he pushed it to a different level. He asked what they thought about the Messiah, and the asks "whose son is he? Why do you think he did this? What did he mean? How does this relate to what Jesus refers to as the greatest commandments? He says that on these two commandments hangs all the law and prophets.

 

The Rev. Sister Judith Schenke has a great homily on what "All" means, as well as "heart," "mind" and "soul." Most importantly, she discusses why Jesus asks about what the Messiah is. She says the significance of Jesus' choice of the word "hang," and his self-sacrificial love embodies God's loving forgiveness and redemption of us when we fail, when we fall. She says "the word “hang” is the same one used for “Jesus, whom you slew and hanged upon the cross.” That shifts the entire meaning of the Great Commandment, doesn’t it? To love the Lord with all our hearts and souls and minds, and to love our neighbor as ourselves is a crucifixion. It means to die to ourselves. No wonder there are so few volunteers. To love with that little word “all” costs everything. Everything. It is the Great Kenosis: a total emptying. [cf. Philippians 2: 7 "but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men"]  God asks no less. God asks everything. God asks all. Do we dare? Can you believe there is a resurrection in our own life on the other side of that void of death, that emptying, giving, surrendering love?"

All. Only “All.”

"Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's, and to God that which is God's."

Scripture: (RCL) Exodus 33:12-23 and Psalm 99 (Track 2: Isaiah 45:1-7 and Psalm 96:1-9, 10-13); 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10; Matthew 22:15-22

We have studied the parables of the vineyard owner, workers and tenants, and those invited to the feast of the king, including the one last week who didn't come with a robe - all stories about the nearness of God, being in the kingdom, and of judgment - God's judgment and our choices. At this point in his mission, the week before the cross, Jesus is challenging us to fish or cut bait. Now is the time for God's presence, and entrance into the kingdom. The table is set, and prefigures, like Psalm 23, the great heavenly feast at the wedding of the Lamb, to his bride, the church. We concluded last week with reference to the wedding garment - one of shining linen, made of the good deeds of God's saints - those who choose to accept God's continual calling and reaching out to and for us, and who put on the baptismal robe, dying to old lives of what we discussed last week - vanity, self- righteousness and possessiveness - and, with God's help, taking up a new life where we give our selves in service to God's call, and others. Grace, not cheap, but costly.

This week I include a charming story of a young woman who becomes a teacher for a year in Mexico, in “The Wedding Dress “ by Mary Sue Dehmlow Dreier from the book The Home Stretch - Matthew's Vision Of Servanthood In The End-Time as she ponders the meaning of a favorite hymn and Jesus' answer to the trickery of the Herodians and Pharisees "Give to Caesar that which is Caesar's, and to God that which is God's." She tells us "We cannot really give to God what is already God's. But we can release ourselves and our possessions to God's purposes. It's a matter of the heart."

What does Jesus mean by that? Is he speaking of a dichotomy of matters of church and state, matters religious and secular, or obedience to secular authority? What belongs to "Caesar? To us? To God? What are we to do with what we have?  What does this have to do with the kingdom of God, and the "wedding feast?" As John Donahue says in his exegesis "Tax Time in Autumn," "Paul summons his community at Thessalonica to persevere and grow in 'the work of faith, the labor of love and endurance in hope.' What better way is there to repay to God what is truly God’s?"

"Are you Ready for the Feast?"

Scripture: Isaiah 25:1-9; Psalm 23; Philippians 4:1-9; Matthew 22:1-14

Jesus is headed toward the cross. He has made his triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, and Matthew's gospel contrasts that with the rejection the king who invites guests, and invites them again, experiences when the guests do not come, and, as we study this week's parable, when one comes not dressed for the occasion.

 

As our homilists, The Rev. Frank Logue, and  Samuel Zumwalt in "Ready for the Feast," point out, some Christians and "Christian" leaders through the centuries have used this to justify ant-semitism, or a more subtle exclusionism. What do you think the point of the parable is when the king has the guest bound and removed from the feast? How does this fit the image of a merciful God? We have discussed God's judgment, and our judgment, and themes of justice, mercy, righteousness, grace and forgiveness as well as repentance this year.  How does this week's parable relate to those themes? What do you think the robe stands for? Can you think of other passages where clothing is used as a metaphor or serves to make a point?

 

Last week Fr. Gil told us to be doers of the word, not hearers only, considering James telling us  that faith without works is dead. Does that relate to this week's parable? What about Peter's denial of Jesus? Comparing Peter's denial with this parable, what does Jesus tell us about being received into the kingdom - and at the Table and feast of heaven?

 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer contrasts "cheap grace" and "costly grace".  "Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves ..the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance ..grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. ..Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.  Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.  It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."  God invites each of us to his banquet that we may share in his joy.  Are you ready to feast at the Lord's banquet table?

 

Conclude this lesson with a reading of Psalm 23.

 

I look forward to our discussion this week.

 

"Alleluia! The reign of the Lord our God the Almighty has begun; let us be glad and joyful and give praise to God, because this is the time for the marriage of the Lamb. His bride is ready, and she has been able to dress herself in dazzling white linen, because her linen is made of the good deeds of the saints."

Revelation 19:7-8

“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes.”

Scripture: Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20 and Psalm 19 (Track 2: Isaiah 5:1-7 and Psalm 80:7-14); Philippians 3:4b-14; Matthew 21:33-46

We continue with Jesus' parables in the vineyard. But first, this week, we have the Ten Commandments, the story of God's vineyard in Isaiah, and Paul's personal testimony and pressing on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

God gives us the law to help us get it together. He sends us the prophets, and when we still don't get it, he sends his Son, and what do we do to him? What do the tenants of the vineyard deserve under the law? What does God do in this parable told by Jesus? What does Jesus mean when he immediately says after the tenants have killed the son of the vineyard owner that the stone which the builders have rejected becomes the cornerstone, and will crush anyone it falls on? What does he mean that the kingdom of God will be taken away and given to those who produce fruits of the kingdom? What are the fruits of the kingdom?

I include sermons and exegesis by our own Fr. Rodge Wood, The Rev. Charles Hoffacker and John Donahue of the Society of Jesuits. What does Fr. Rodge say is the cornerstone on which the kingdom is built? See his story, when he was a prison chaplain, about the murderer and family of the victims. Hoffacker asks how can we put into practice the lessons learned from the rejection of the stone which becomes the cornerstone. Consider his examples of the Danish king and people's resistance to the Nazis, the stand against Marcos in the Philippines - young and old bound together to oppose the dictator, and Mandela in South Africa. How can we, in our everyday lives have the liberating power and authority (εξουσια) of Christ - the rejected stone, become the cornerstone - in our lives,  and bring it to the lives of others - even our enemies - producing fruits of the kingdom?

I look forward to seeing you Sunday. Give thanks for the wedding of Alan and Jan's daughter, Natalie, and her fiancé, Van, this Saturday. May God's joy, peace and radiant love be with them and us, now, and forevermore.

Love hard at work, but right under our noses.

Scripture: Exodus 17:1-7 and Psalm 78:1-4, 12-16 (Track 2: Ezekiel 18:1-4, 25-32 and Psalm 25: 1-8); Philippians 2:1-13; Matthew 21:23-32

Last week we heard the grumbling of the vineyard workers who worked all day and received the same wages as the workers called and invited throughout the day by the owner of the vineyard, and the murmuring of the children of Israel in the wilderness, lamenting having left the "crock-pots" of Egypt, as Father Bill paraphrased it, while clamoring to be fed.

 

This week we find the children of Israel angry at Moses for leading them out of Egypt, and crying out for water. God has Moses strike the rock, and God's grace poured forth.

 

In the gospel lessons this week, and last week, we need to put Jesus' parables in context.  The stories in Matthew 21 center on controversies that occur days before Jesus goes to the cross. They draw our attention to issues of authority and obedience. Jesus is confronted by the chief priests and elders who want to know by what authority he has been doing "these things." We assume "these things" to be the events recorded earlier in this chapter: the entry into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple and now his teaching in the temple. Jesus is dead serious in wanting us to get what he means by "love" of God and our neighbor.  

 

Enough of sentimentalism. The children are crying out for sustenance - survival. God is at work in Christ, humbling himself in obedience, even to the cross, to give us more, far more than just survival, because of his love for us. Jesus is hard at work in his mission. The cross is near. Citing a story from a chapter titled "A Lady of Little Faith," in Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Laurel Dykstra tells us something about love hard at work, quoting Father Zosima, with a critique of charity which seeks to define and control 'who is in need': "for love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams."

 

"Love is central to the readings from Romans and Philippians this month. But the lections from Matthew, in which Jesus and his companions approach Jerusalem, lean more toward the harsh and dreadful. They ask what love means in practical terms. How do we resolve conflicts in community? How do we love one another in a world of complex economic and social relationships? How do we deal with authority and power? How do we honor our families?"

 

In the same vein, The Rev. Dr. James C. Howell asks "Is the Lord Among Us, or Not?" considering the complaints of the Israelites, and our complaints, too. Love hard at work, but right under our noses. 

 

 

Judgment and Forgiveness Lessons on 9/11

 This week's Scripture: Exodus 14:19-31 and Psalm 114 or Exodus 15:1b-11,20-21 (or Genesis 50:15-21 and Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13); Romans 14:1-12; Matthew 18:21-35

Judgment and forgiveness are the subjects of our scripture and lesson this week.

This Sunday is the 10th anniversary of 9-11. In his sermon, The Rev. Cannon Frank Loguem asks:" Are there not some crimes to heinous to forgive? And on this day, we ask, Isn’t forgiving the perpetrators of September 11 too much to ask? How could those of us who remain alive even have the right to forgive?" Read his comments on the gospel lesson this week by clicking on "Read."

Jesus responds to Peter's request question about how may times we must forgive someone who sins against us in the Gospel passage, and Paul instructs us about judgment and forgiveness in his letter to the Romans.

The Dr. Courtney Cowart, in her sermon, "An Exhortation to Forgiveness," tells us: "It is this kind of belief about the justification of violence for the settling of moral grievances that leads to mornings like 9-11." Read the details of her account of 9/11 which she experienced in New York City that day, and what her prayerful remembrances call us to do - what Jesus calls us to do, and be.

Community - God's community - is the theme this week

This week's scripture: Exodus 12:1-14, Psalm 149; or Ezekiel 33:7-11, Psalm 119:33-40; Romans 13:8-14; Matthew 18:15-20

This week we read about one of the most, if not the most important moment in the Jewish faith - the Passover and the Exodus. We also study about what happens when trouble breaks out in the Christian community. Community - God's community - is the theme this week. The Rev. Dr. Susanna Metz tells us "we can't put limits to our forgiveness either. We can't say, “OK, fine, that didn't work. I don't have to do anything more.” Reconciliation means the door to forgiveness has to stay open. But there’s more. When we wrong others, we must repent...  If we want our life as a church to grow, we need to work constantly on our witness. Others must see us care for each other. They should hear us speak kindly of one another and they should see us forgive and ask forgiveness. It's not always easy, and we won't always do it. But as we try to live as we are called to live, we have only to remember that Jesus also said, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them.”

In "Bloody Doorposts," from the book The Divine Salvage by Curtis and Tempe Fussell, Curtis Fussell tells us "The thought of a meal with wine symbolizing blood is awesome and barbaric to the outsider. But in the drinking of that cup we spread the blood of Jesus Christ on the doorposts of our lives. We do it in the belief and out of the assurance that God acts decisively for us in Jesus Christ as He did for the Hebrews on that Passover night. God has not hesitated. God has not waited for us to change our minds. No, God comes and acts decisively to set us free."

The Good Life - the Problem with Certainty

This week's Scripture: Exodus 3:1-15 and Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c (or Jeremiah 15:15-21 and Psalm 26:1-8); Romans 12:9-21; Matthew 16:21-28

 

Last week Peter was walking on air. He exclaimed that Jesus was the Christ, and was told that upon this rock, Jesus would build his church, giving him the keys to the kingdom. This week, after Peter thinks he knows what that kingdom will be like, and tells Jesus not to talk about suffering a humiliating and horrible death, Jesus calls him Satan, and says to get behind him. What is going on here? How can the kingdom of God be established if it's leader, the Messiah, is to suffer death at the hands of the Romans and the entrenched Jewish religious leaders? We see Moses encounter God in the form of the burning bush, burning without be extinguished. Moses, who was a Prince of Egypt, and now tending the sheep of his father-in-law. How would he, with a speech impediment and loss of esteem, lead God's people out of bondage to the promised land? How can this be?

 

We are given the name of God in this lesson. God speaking to Moses, and Jesus to his disciples says "I AM WHO I AM," or I am becoming who I am becoming - the great "I AM" - the essence of existence, the presence of eternity. Through this power, like the yeast in the parable we considered a few weeks ago, the kingdom rises and spreads.

 

We are called to help bring about the kingdom. God engages us through Christ, the Word and the Holy Spirit. Through a power and paradoxes we may not understand, the kingdom comes. Consider, "God's Economic Plan, " in the Rev. Dr. Gary Charles'  "The Good Life." Our own Father Rodge Wood tells us about "The Problem With Certainty." Fr. Bill has told us about losing or dying to putting our will ahead of God's will.

 

We learn more about the kingdom, and ourselves.

This week's Scripture. Exodus 1:8-2:10 and Psalm 124 (or Isaiah 51:1-6 and Psalm 138); Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20

In this week's gospel lesson, Jesus asks "Who do you say I am?" The disciples give answers they probably have heard, but Simon - renamed Peter form πετρα - petra - Greek for rock - immediately says that Jesus is the Messiah - χριστοσ (Christ) - the Son of the Living God. Jesus replies that only God could have made this known to him, and that upon this rock, He will build his church, giving Peter the keys of the kingdom. 

 

In "How Do We Know What God Is Like?" The Very Rev. Dr. Ian Markham gives us many looks at what God is like. What is God like?  In "Who do you think you are?" Paul Bellan-Boyer does what Jesus does. He turns the focal point on us. Why does Jesus do this?

 

Bellan-Boyer says ; "Self-awareness, knowing ourselves, helps us relate to God.

The Jesuits use a daily prayer of self-examination, which asks things like:
· [God,] When did I sense your presence the most in my day?
· When did your presence seem farthest away from me in my day?
· How were you loving me in my day?
· How were you loving me even when your presence seemed far away?
· How did I respond to your love in my day?

 

Why is it important to know who we are? Who do you think you are?

 

 

Sunday School Lesson - August 14 - Year A - Pentecost + 9

Scripture this week:  Genesis 45:1-15; Psalm 133; Isaiah 56:1, 6-8; Psalm 67; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; and Matthew 15: (10-20), 21-28.

 

 

Dr, Jan Love addresses unity, conflict and differences of opinion in the church, and suggests that the gospel account of the Canaanite woman seeking healing for her daughter offers Christ's example of resolving conflict in a positive, healing manner.

 

"The kind of unity described in Psalm 133-a community of faithful followers on a journey with God to a beloved home-never obliterates differences, disagreement, and conflicts. Unity among believers does not require uniformity, which would not only be boring but also a denial of the rich variety of God's good creation among humans and their communities.

 

The kind of unity described in Psalm 133 does require, however, that we engage each other and our conflicts over differences to make them productive rather than destructive. Such unity requires that we see conflict as an opportunity to deepen our faith rather than destroy our adversaries, whether they be across the world or across the table in a local church meeting.

When we within the body of Christ choose to listen deeply, we will discover new ways of hearing about each other's encounter of and witness to Christ. Moreover, we will likely learn more about the wonders and mysteries of our own faith when we listen, really listen to others, even those with whom we will never fully agree. Then we will know more fully the unity to which God calls us-a unity so large, a love so expansive, and a mutual encounter so riveting, just like that of Jesus and the Canaanite woman, that we find new ways of healing ourselves and our communities."

In "Who Gets to Enter the Temple," The Rev. William Blake Rider asks "Is everyone entitled to mercy?" What do you think?