Not Hearing

Jesus said, “Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.” The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?” Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon; but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is one who seeks it and he is the judge. Very truly, I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death.” The Jews said to him, “Now we know that you have a demon. Abraham died, and so did the prophets; yet you say, ‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’ Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? The prophets also died. Who do you claim to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ though you do not know him. But I know him; if I would say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you. But I do know him and I keep his word. Your ancestor Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day; he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple. John 8:47-59 

There is often so much noise in this world. And some people like to shut everything out by plugging their ears with headphones, or turning up their own music way up. Others just quit listening all together. Last Saturday night, a thunderstorm arose and we were sitting out on a porch with large picture windows. We chose to sit there, listening and watching the wonderful show. We could have retreated to the quieter places. I was so glad not to miss the deep rumbles and the loud pops, and the full range of nature's voice praising God. And we were so glad for the rain. Jesus invites us to tune back in and listen to God's still small voice, sounding in places strange and hidden.

Wondrous God, you turn our fragile earth

and set the planets in their regular courses

still speaking your love to those who listen

still aching to touch the broken places.

Help us to lean in and start listening

to you and to the world you have made.

Let us hear the cries of the needy and hurting

and let us be those who speak love to the darkness. Amen.

Free Indeed

The Pharisees answered Jesus, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you look for an opportunity to kill me, because there is no place in you for my word. I declare what I have seen in the Father’s presence; as for you, you should do what you have heard from the Father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing what Abraham did, but now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are indeed doing what your father does.” They said to him, “We are not illegitimate children; we have one father, God himself.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now I am here. I did not come on my own, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot accept my word. You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. “Which of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is from God hears the words of God. The reason you do not hear them is that you are not from God.” John 8:33-47

All of us want to be free. Free of the worries and pains that bind us and free from the brokenness we hide from the world. We want to be set free, and yet none of us is truly free without our neighbors being free. And, we often want our freedom without being truthful and admitting to our mistakes. Jesus gives us freedom daily, and we often refuse it by keeping it to ourselves. We want comfort for ourselves without having to share. 

Loving God, you bless us with freedom daily

you forgive us our blindness and our cruelties

setting us back on a right path of love

calling us to true freedom as we serve others.

Forgive us today for the ways we hoard freedom

let us be made humble and ready to serve again

help us to not lose heart as we walk the world

always ready to be servants of your divine love. Amen.

The Truth Will Make You Free

Again he said to them, ‘I am going away, and you will search for me, but you will die in your sin. Where I am going, you cannot come.’ Then the Jews said, ‘Is he going to kill himself? Is that what he means by saying, “Where I am going, you cannot come”?’ He said to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you believe that I am he.’ They said to him, ‘Who are you?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Why do I speak to you at all? I have much to say about you and much to condemn; but the one who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.’ They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak these things as the Father instructed me. And the one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.’ As he was saying these things, many believed in him. Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ John 8:21-32

The walk of faith is never easy. The world we live in often feels really competitive and often dishonest. Winning seems more important than caring. Yet, from everything we read in the scriptures, humans have always been this way. We get to make a choice with our faith. We can live for God by loving and serving others, or we can live for self. For me, it's a daily decision. A daily prayer to be a servant rather than a boss, a friend rather than an authority, a follower rather than a leader. The truth we seek is found in the heart of God which is healing, transforming and always and everywhere love. 

Tender Shepherd and our loving Creator

we begin a new week with worries

struggling to understand the truth

aching to find peace in every day.

Help us turn to you night and day

shine your light in our bitter darkness

shower us with the power of your love

the healing and truth we ache to know. Amen

Proper 17 Sunday, August 28th, 2022

The Collect

 Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

 Old Testament Jeremiah 2:4-13 

Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. Thus says the LORD: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves? They did not say, "Where is the LORD who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?" I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. The priests did not say, "Where is the LORD?" Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not profit. Therefore once more I accuse you, says the LORD, and I accuse your children's children. Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water. 

Psalm 81:1, 10-16

 1 Sing with joy to God 

our strength * 

and raise a loud shout 

to the God of Jacob. 

10 I am the LORD your God, 

who brought you out of the land

 of Egypt and said, * 

"Open your mouth wide, 

and I will fill it." 

11 And yet my people 

did not hear my voice, *

 and Israel would not obey me. 

12 So I gave them over to 

the stubbornness of their hearts, * 

to follow their own devices. 

13 Oh, that my people would listen to me! * 

that Israel would walk in my ways! 

14 I should soon subdue their enemies * 

and turn my hand against their foes. 

15 Those who hate the LORD 

would cringe before him, * 

and their punishment would last for ever. 

16 But Israel would I feed with the finest wheat * 

and satisfy him with honey from the rock. 

The Epistle Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 

Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. 

Gospel Luke 14:1, 7-14 

On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, `Give this person your place,' and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, `Friend, move up higher'; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

It is often hard for us as humans not to covet the limelight and the attention that comes with power and privilege. We want the star treatment and the best for ourselves. We often drive by those poorer than us and never notice. We wonder why those folks, whoever those folks are to us, are let in. Yet Jesus watched the religious leaders, how they took the prize spots and food, and never made room for others. He tells his disciples and us to set the most extravagant table and invite the poorest people. They are the ones we should honor and hold dear. The cause of much of our troubles in our church and in our world can be attributed and to our childish needs to be princes and princesses, the stars of the show. We are invited today, to watch with Jesus and see how we can change our tables and our communities for the goodness of all.

Loving Creator, we are blessed with much

you shower us with good harvests and plenty

we find comfort within the shelter we have

yet we seem to always strive for more.

Precious Savior, bless us as we invite those who cannot repay us.

As those who have so many blessings

we tend to store up as if we have little

we crave more honor and more power

instead of giving you the glory.

Precious Savior, bless us as we invite those who cannot repay us.

We know the needs are great yet we turn away

we pity and condemn others and shake our heads

Yet you stand outside the banquet hall now

with the poor, the crippled the lame and the blind.

Precious Savior, bless us as we invite those who cannot repay us.

Wipe the blindness from our eyes

and let us see you face to face

Precious Savior, bless us as we invite those who cannot repay us.

Give us your strength to embrace the stranger

give us your heart to make them as family

Precious Savior, bless us as we invite those who cannot repay us.

Let us be grateful and share what you have given us

so that we may be blessed by your love .

Precious Savior, bless us as we invite those who cannot repay us. Amen.

A Prophet from Galilee

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.'” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified. When they heard these words, some in the crowd said, “This is really the prophet.” Others said, “This is the Messiah.” But some asked, “Surely the Messiah does not come from Galilee, does he? Has not the scripture said that the Messiah is descended from David and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?” So there was a division in the crowd because of him. Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. Then the temple police went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who asked them, “Why did you not arrest him?” The police answered, “Never has anyone spoken like this!” Then the Pharisees replied, “Surely you have not been deceived too, have you? Has any one of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? But this crowd, which does not know the law—they are accursed.” Nicodemus, who had gone to Jesus before, and who was one of them, asked, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” They replied, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee.” John 7:37-52 

We all know where the cool places are, and the less than respectable places are in our communities. People always feel the need to look down on others and pity them. The fanciest places in our country are gated and guarded, the poorer places wide open. The place where my parents lived and owned a home was once looked down upon and thought of as less worthy. We were sandpipers. Now it has been discovered by the wealthy and is considered posh. And all the comfy homes and cottages are considered perfect teardowns. Jesus came from a place of perfect teardowns and sandpipers, a place of unskilled ones who get their livelihoods by scampering along the water's edge. No prophet was thought to be able to arise from there. Yet. he came and was the Savior of the world. From humble and rejected places come God's greatest gifts.

Wise and gentle Creator, source of knowledge

you amaze us with the comets in night's sky

teach us when we are surely lacking and afraid

and bring healing from our most humble places.

Help us see your face in the world around us

help us not shun the simple but look with expectation

knowing you are always walking with the poor

and making your place with the poor and prisoners. Amen.

A Little While Longer

About the middle of the festival Jesus went up into the temple and began to teach. The Jews were astonished at it, saying, “How does this man have such learning, when he has never been taught?” Then Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine but his who sent me. Anyone who resolves to do the will of God will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own. Those who speak on their own seek their own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and there is nothing false in him. “Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why are you looking for an opportunity to kill me?” The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is trying to kill you?” Jesus answered them, “I performed one work, and all of you are astonished. Moses gave you circumcision (it is, of course, not from Moses, but from the patriarchs), and you circumcise a man on the sabbath. If a man receives circumcision on the sabbath in order that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because I healed a man’s whole body on the sabbath? Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” Now some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they are trying to kill? And here he is, speaking openly, but they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Messiah? Yet we know where this man is from; but when the Messiah comes, no one will know where he is from.” Then Jesus cried out as he was teaching in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I am from. I have not come on my own. But the one who sent me is true, and you do not know him. I know him, because I am from him, and he sent me.” Then they tried to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come. Yet many in the crowd believed in him and were saying, “When the Messiah comes, will he do more signs than this man has done?” The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering such things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent temple police to arrest him. Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little while longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. You will search for me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? What does he mean by saying, ‘You will search for me and you will not find me’ and ‘Where I am, you cannot come’?” John 7:14-36 

I have been impatient all my life. I work at patience, but it was not a gift given me. I vividly remember, as a child, watching the clock in school, waiting for the bell to ring. I ache for summer when the first signs of spring appeared. In my older years, I have learned better hw to savor the moment, to not hurry through the day. Amazingly, much gets accomplished when we slow down and give up impatience. The people at this festival wanted more sooner, and they wanted bigger and brighter miracles. And in their impatience and short sightedness, they missed knowing Jesus in that moment.

Loving Creator, as we rush around today

slow us so we might see you here among us

steady us so we might know you in small tasks

and help us to look up and see you in the stranger.

Take away our need for speed and approval

replace our anxiety with tender compassion

let our every moment be in seeking to serve

those who you have sent to show us the way of love. Amen.

Come and See

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” John 1:43-51 

I have spent much of my young life resting under the shade of a fig tree. It was a great place to hide from my family and the world. The leaves are wide and provide great shelter and the limbs were large and easy to climb. Nestled there, in the fig tree in our yard, I felt safe from anyone's harassment. And, like Nathaniel, I was, and am, reluctant to face the heat of the day. Yet, Jesus surprised Nathaniel. A whole new life and possibilities lay before. But he had to come and see, not stay back in the comfort of his lair. 

Gracious and loving Creator

you have more for us each day

no matter age or place in the world

you call us out to come and see.

Help us to move from our comforts

to your places of challenge and wonder.

Let us be humble enough to follow

and faithful enough to take risks for love. Amen.  

Lord, to Whom Can We Go?

When many of his disciples heard it, they said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” But Jesus, being aware that his disciples were complaining about it, said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But among you there are some who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the first who were the ones that did not believe, and who was the one that would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted by the Father.” Because of this many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you also wish to go away?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? Yet one of you is a devil.” He was speaking of Judas son of Simon Iscariot, for he, though one of the twelve, was going to betray him. John 6:60-71

Some days, it's easy to know who you are and where you are going. Other times, it's not so easy. Some simple change in our lives can cause a radical change in perspective, and we can feel lost or forgotten. Last month we were in Baltimore for General Convention. We had lived there many years and it felt like home. Then we turned a corner, in what had been familiar, and we felt lost and confused. Some buildings and streets had been changed so everything became unfamiliar. We had to get back to a familiar place. Peter reminds us that at those times when we feel lost or want to run away, Jesus is right ere with us and we have all we need.

Precious Creator, who calls us your children

we wander away in arrogance and distracted

yet you remain steadfast as the world changes

you are our solid rock and our sure foundation.

Help us to remember to whom we truly belong

give us the humility to call on you when lost

make us strong to face the rough roads ahead

knowing you are with us and you feed our souls. Amen.

Abide in Me

The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. Just as the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever eats me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like that which your ancestors ate, and they died. But the one who eats this bread will live forever.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum. John 6:52-59 

We used to sing the bread of heaven song, as my children called it, as a blessing for the meal. When we were with my extended family at my parents' home, there would be four part harmony with my Dad's strong tenor voice leading us all. "Feed me now and ever more, feed me now and ever more. Whenever e sing that hymn in church, I can't help but think of those days around their dining room table. That house is gone, yet the power of needing the bread of heaven stays with me. The desire to have Jesus abide in me has never ben stronger.

Wondrous Creator, you feed us and sty with us

help us to make our lives full of your love

despite the fact that we wander and go it on our own

you promise to abide with us despite our failings.

Precious Savior, stay with us, abide with us

for the world is cruel and suffering abounds

we need your strength to carry on in service

we need you to keep our eyes on heavenly food. Amen.

Proper 16 Sunday August 21st, 2022

Sunday August 21. 2022

The Collect

 Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

Old Testament Jeremiah 1:4-10 

The word of the LORD came to me saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." Then I said, "Ah, Lord GOD! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy." But the LORD said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a boy'; for you shall go to all to whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you, Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD." Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the LORD said to me, "Now I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant." 

Psalm 71:1-6 

1 In you, O LORD, 

have I taken refuge; * 

let me never be ashamed. 

2 In your righteousness, 

deliver me and set me free; * 

incline your ear to me and save me. 

3 Be my strong rock, 

a castle to keep me safe; * 

you are my crag 

and my stronghold. 

4 Deliver me, my God, 

from the hand of the wicked, * 

from the clutches of the evildoer

 and the oppressor. 

5 For you are my hope, 

O Lord GOD, * 

my confidence since I was young. 

6 I have been sustained by you 

ever since I was born; 

from my mother's womb 

you have been my strength; * 

my praise shall be always of you. 

The Epistle Hebrews 12:18-29 

You have not come to something that can be touched, a blazing fire, and darkness, and gloom, and a tempest, and the sound of a trumpet, and a voice whose words made the hearers beg that not another word be spoken to them. (For they could not endure the order that was given, "If even an animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death." Indeed, so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, "I tremble with fear.") But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven." This phrase, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of what is shaken-- that is, created things-- so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire. 

The Gospel Luke 13:10-17 

Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

I have, over my lifetime, experienced pain and ached for healing. I thought my faith wasn't strong enough. Some spiritual healing leaders even chastised me when I didn't immediately get healed from the touch and the prayers. Yet we find Jesus, lovingly healing a women who has been suffering for eighteen years. He is not chastising her. Instead he criticized the temple leadership for their adherence to rules rather than to compassion. Jesus did not accuse her of a lack of faith, but focused on their lack of care. We are called to care for the hungry, the homeless, the stranger, the suffering and those in prison. Jesus had no restrictions on the right day or time for healing and compassion, so there are no restrictions for us as well.

A Sunday Litany

Loving Creator, you look on us with compassion

calling everyone to care for those who are suffering

without restrictions or any kind of limitations.

Lord, give us loving compassionate hearts for service.

We are often bound by culture and class norms

yet you did not hold back on you care for all

make us humble and ready to serve the least among us.

Lord, give us loving compassionate hearts for service.

You weep when we fail to see the neighbor in need

you call us back every time we wander away

and you heal us despite the hardness of our hearts.

Lord, give us loving compassionate hearts for service.

The religious leaders held fast to the rules

and miss your great miracles and blessing.

Lord, give us loving compassionate hearts for service.

Help us to take down the walls and barriers we build

and learn to be people of warm welcome and embrace.

Lord, give us loving compassionate hearts for service.

This is you world crying our for healing and justice

help us to hear and respond with your love in all we do.

Lord, give us loving compassionate hearts for service.Amen

Bread of Life

Jesus said, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” Then they said to him, “What must we do to perform the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” So they said to him, “What sign are you going to give us then, so that we may see it and believe you? What work are you performing? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Then Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.” John 6:27-40 

Every culture has a bread that speaks of comfort and home. Among Indigenous folks in the US, that bread is frybread. "Way back when, we were havin' a feast on our reservation. A good old feast.

We didn't have 

a whole lot of food...just a little bit of deer meat, a huge vat of mashed potatoes...some Coke and fry bread. But the fry bread made all the difference in the world. You see, a good piece of fry bread...turned any meal into a feast. " Thomas Builds-the-Fire explains the importance of frybread to his people, from the movie Smoke Signals. Despite the fact that frybread is not an historical part of the diet in most tribes, with the arrival of government commodities, it became a staple among us. We often look to comfort foods, when troubles surround us. We are reminded today that God provides us with the bread of life in Jesus.
Loving Creator, you feed us with good foodand invite us to your table every dayhelp us to cling to you in our worriesand lift our hearts to you every morning.Some are suffering for lack of breadothers for the lack of love and community.Give us the bread of life so we might shareyour love and healing with our people. Amen.

Rough Seas

When evening came, Jesus’ disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going. The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” Jesus answered them, “Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.” John 6:16-27 

I have experienced rough seas many times in my life. Once, we were out on a boat with a dear friend, enjoying a glorious summer afternoon. Suddenly, a vicious storm came up and we turned the boat and headed back to shore. My friend was in the ordination process at the time. He was terrified he might have put his bishop's life at risk. I had grown up by the ocean, so we worked together to bring us safely into the harbor and next to the dock. We did a lot of praying and we knew we were not alone in that boat. Jesus brought the disciples boat safely to land. They too were probably praying hard. Some were probably cursing. Jesus is always with us, even when we cannot see due to the storms and strains of our lives.

Gracious Creator, ruler of sea and sky

you walk to us in our great troubles

you seek us out when we are lost

and you bring us to safe harbor again.

Help us to know you are in our storms

let us know you presence on rough seas

make us strong in our faith as we row home

and let us be safe harbor for those who are lost. Amen.

So Nothing May Be Lost

After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.” When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself. John 6:1-15

My mother spent her later years weekly feeding children from the projects in a neighboring town. She had a small crew of helpers and every Friday night, she would cook a huge meal. She always had takeout boxes, so that each child could take home leftovers. Many of the children went to homes without stable adults, lacking basic necessities and with a parent away in prison. She gathered up the fragments and share them. Other folks might not see these children as important but my Mom did. She knew what their lives were like from experience and she was willing to gather up the little she had to share with the most vulnerable. We do not know where the leftovers from this miracle went. I believe they were sent home with needy children and shared with those who were left out and marginalized.

Gracious Creator, source of abundance

you saw the needs of the hungry people

filling them to the fullest and sharing

with others so nothing may be lost.

Help us to be those who help feed

and care for the overlooked and hungry

the people who you dwell among

and the ones you saved the fragments for. Amen.

 

Nothing On My Own

Jesus said, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek to do not my own will but the will of him who sent me. “If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies on my behalf, and I know that his testimony to me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. Not that I accept such human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But I have a testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father has given me to complete, the very works that I am doing, testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent. “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings. But I know that you do not have the love of God in you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; if another comes in his own name, you will accept him. How can you believe when you accept glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the one who alone is God? Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me. But if you do not believe what he wrote, how will you believe what I say?” John 5:30-47

One of the things we have lost in our American identity is a real sense of community. We firmly believe in rugged individualism and that each person is completely capable by themselves. My Cherokee tradition and upbringing has taught me that we are all responsible for one another, and we can do nothing on our own. Even Jesus, Savior of the world, openly shared this truth. We can fools ourselves all we want, yet we need God and we need each other. A simple truth we can run from or embrace. And that embracing is true freedom.

Holy and Mighty Creator, you have planted us

in a wide variety of families and communities 

so that we might learn how to love one another

and rely on you for our every living breath.

Our world is crumbling sue to our selfishness

relationships have vanished due to our arrogance.

Turn us around today and transform us all

into your family, loving, interdependent and free. Amen.

St. Mary the Virgin

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there a few days. John 2:1-12 

We celebrate Mary today. This feast is called the feast of Mary the Virgin, although, we know she lived a full life and had many children. She was at a family wedding with Jesus at the beginning of his ministry. At that point, she knew his capacity better than he did. Honestly, every mother understands their child often better than they understand themselves. We often put Mary on a pedestal, yet in my mind, she is planted firmly on the earth. She was faithful, strong, a refugee, abused, and brokenhearted. She was willing to forgo her own safety and reputation for God and for her child. Her life was never easy and she was never given status or great honor in her lifetime. Yet she carried the Savior of the world and paid a great price for her faithfulness.

Wondrous God, you fashioned Mary for strength

more than a vessel she was a gracious leader

taking on the abuse and ridicule of her people

in order to safely bring us a loving Savior.

Mary did not hold back the strength given

she guided and disciplined her children

she model sacrificial servant leadership

and fiercely protected her offspring and family.

Let us honor the faithful women in our lives

never perfect but always strong and sacrificial

the ones who work from the back rooms

and who feed the world so we might know your love. Amen.

Proper 15 Sunday, August 14, 2022

The Collect 

 Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 Old Testament Jeremiah 23:23-29 

 

Am I a God near by, says the LORD, and not a God far off? Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the LORD. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the LORD. I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, "I have dreamed, I have dreamed!" How long? Will the hearts of the prophets ever turn back-- those who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart? They plan to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, just as their ancestors forgot my name for Baal. Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let the one who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? says the LORD. Is not my word like fire, says the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces? 

 Psalm 82

 1 God takes his stand 

in the council of heaven; * 

he gives judgment in 

the midst of the gods: 

 2 "How long will

 you judge unjustly, * 

and show favor to the wicked? 

 3 Save the weak and the orphan; * 

defend the humble and needy; 

 4 Rescue the weak and the poor; * 

deliver them from the 

power of the wicked. 

 5 They do not know, 

neither do they understand; 

they go about in darkness; * 

all the foundations 

of the earth are shaken. 

 6 Now I say to you, 'You are gods, * 

and all of you children 

of the Most High; 

 7 Nevertheless, 

you shall die like mortals, * 

and fall like any prince.'" 

 8 Arise, O God, and rule the earth, * 

for you shall take all nations for your own. 

 The Epistle Hebrews 11:29-12:2 

 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. And what more should I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets-- who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned to death, they were sawn in two, they were killed by the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented-- of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 

The Gospel Luke 12:49-56 

Jesus said, "I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed! Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division! From now on five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three; they will be divided: father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law." He also said to the crowds, "When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, `It is going to rain'; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, `There will be scorching heat'; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?"

Sometimes in our lives we have to make hard decisions. Christians often want an easy life, as most people do. Yet, across our world, people are dying for their freedom and dying for their faith. We want Jesus to be the tender shepherd only, and not a warrior. We want everyone to get along and yet we know all too well that people seldom agree and the wealthy and powerful do not want to share. Jesus is preparing his followers for hard times, when they must make a stand with dire consequences. We don't like to hear this. We too, must prepare for the hard times and accept them. God does not choose for us to suffer, yet greed and power doesn't care who suffers. God calls us in our hard times to see Jesus in our midst, the one who suffers with us and suffered for us.

A Sunday Litany

Loving Creator, you walk with us

through the cool of the morning garden

in the weariness of our darkest nights

and in the scorching heat of our deserts.

Lord, make us strong and faithful for the coming fires.

Jesus dis not hold back the truth

nor treat his followers like children

instead he made them strong for the days

when evil and sin would overwhelm them.

Lord, make us strong and faithful for the coming fires.

In ancient times David knew your abiding love

and sang that you were there in the shadow of death

help us to know your abiding presence

as we live for you and serve your broken world.

Lord, make us strong and faithful for the coming fires.

There is war and rumor of war all around

the innocent and poor suffer without ceasing.

Lord, make us strong and faithful for the coming fires.

You came that we might have life abundant

suffering and dying for the sake of the world.

Lord, make us strong and faithful for the coming fires.

You have given us so great a cloud of witnesses

make us strong like them for your love's sake.

Lord, make us strong and faithful for the coming fires. Amen.

 

Healing

When the two days were over, he went from that place to Galilee (for Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in the prophet’s own country). When he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, since they had seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the festival; for they too had gone to the festival. Then he came again to Cana in Galilee where he had changed the water into wine. Now there was a royal official whose son lay ill in Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my little boy dies.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and started on his way. As he was going down, his slaves met him and told him that his child was alive. So he asked them the hour when he began to recover, and they said to him, “Yesterday at one in the afternoon the fever left him.” The father realized that this was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” So he himself believed, along with his whole household. Now this was the second sign that Jesus did after coming from Judea to Galilee. John 4:43-54 

I spent part of yesterday having tests that will help my doctor determine what might nee to be done. This particular test involved stimulating nerves and muscles and included electrical pulses and needles. It was uncomfortable and long. I found myself praying, for myself and for the doctor. I always hope that there might be an instant cure. Like the official's son, I would like to recover instantaneously. I have sometimes thought I didn't have enough faith and chastised myself for my weakness. Yet I have grown to understand that with each illness and each healing, however they happen, God is with us. Time and space fall away, and we are close to God, even when we feel helpless or abandoned.

Loving Creator, source of all healing

you taught our ancestors to trust your gifts

you gave us strong faith so we might thrive

and blessed us with communities to nurture us.

We are often impatient and frustrated

thinking you are far off and distant from us

yet you draw closer in our suffering 

and surround us with your arms of love.

Help us to be those ready to draw close

let us walk in faith so that love might flow

and help us to see you in our challenges always. Amen.

We Heard for Ourselves

Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that Jesus was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.” John 4:27-42

Interpersonal and cultural misunderstandings happen all the time. Even folks who speak the same language can have trouble understanding others. While in England, we often delighted in the different terms and usages we heard. At Lambeth, wit Bishops from all over the globe, there where many times we had to explain how we do things here and listen deeply to their circumstances and challenges. The disciples were confused by Jesus. What he did and who he spoke to often threw them into confusion. And we who follow him, are also often confused. The good news is that we are followers, and do not have to go this road alone.

Eternal Creator, you guide us by day and night

setting the stars and planets in the night sky

and the sun moves over the horizon by your hand.

We are often lost, confused and misunderstanding,

we want to go or own way and cry out when lost

you come and rescue us, and lead us back home

we hear your voice for ourselves and know your love. Amen.

Sharing Water August 10th, 2022

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John”—although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized—he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.” John 4:1-26

A good portion of our Lambeth discussions, although not always spoken out loud, were the concerns about who would be in and who would be out. Our LGBTQ bishops were there but their spouses were not allowed to participate. Some stayed away in protest of their presence and the action of our church. And others sat out because they were protesting the way our gay brothers and sisters were treated. Yet, somehow, we remained together, despite disagreement, with a clear message  - we need one another. Jesus sat with an outcast woman, an enemy and someone considered a great sinner. These two people needed each  other. Jesus needed water and she needed God's love and healing. We all need God's love and healing. I pray we can all offer that cup of water, that hand of kindness, the love of God when asked.

Loving Creator, who made us in diversity

intending that we learn to reach beyond borders

see beyond our narrow, limited vision

to embrace the stranger as our family.

Help us to offer what we can to everyone

help us to know our need of your love 

heal us as we reach out to the stranger

and let us live as true people of God. Amen.

Home Again

After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he spent some time there with them and baptized. John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim because water was abundant there; and people kept coming and were being baptized—John, of course, had not yet been thrown into prison. Now a discussion about purification arose between John’s disciples and a Jew. They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” John answered, “No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven. You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah, but I have been sent ahead of him.’ He who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. For this reason my joy has been fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease.” The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony. Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God’s wrath. John 3:22-36 

We arrived home late yesterday afternoon after two weeks attending the Lambeth Conference. We were met by blasting heat and a screaming cat. It took her well into the evening to calm down and quit the repeated accusations. It will take us weeks to get our lives back to some semblance of order. There is so much to consider from the conference and so much to reorganize and clean. Jesus and his disciples were constantly on the road and constantly criticized by the faith community. They were going where God sent them and yet so many found reason to criticize. It's good to remember that being sent by God and following Jesus often puts us in messy places and open to harsh criticism.

Gracious Creator, you send us out

and you bring us back home again

protecting us on the rough roads

and shielding us when we are criticized.

Help us to follow you in troubled times

when even baptizing is troublesome

and help us to remember the troubles

and the criticism you were subject to

and rejoice in the way you restore us. Amen.

Canterbury Tales 2.0 Final Day August 7, 2022

The Collect 

Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. 

 Old Testament Genesis 15:1-6 

The word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, "Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "You have given me no offspring, and so a slave born in my house is to be my heir." But the word of the LORD came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; no one but your very own issue shall be your heir." He brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed the LORD; and the LORD reckoned it to him as righteousness. 

Psalm 33:12-22

12 Happy is the nation 

whose God is the LORD! * 

 happy the people 

he has chosen to be his own! 

13 The LORD looks 

down from heaven, * 

 and beholds all 

the people in the world. 

14 From where he sits 

enthroned he turns his gaze * 

 on all who dwell on the earth. 

15 He fashions all the hearts of them * 

 and understands all their works. 

16 There is no king that can 

be saved by a mighty army; * 

 a strong man is not delivered 

by his great strength. 

17 The horse is a vain hope 

for deliverance; * 

 for all its strength it cannot save. 

18 Behold, the eye of the LORD 

is upon those who fear him, * 

 on those who wait upon his love, 

19 To pluck their lives from death, * 

 and to feed them in time of famine. 

20 Our soul waits for the LORD; *

 he is our help and our shield. 

21 Indeed, our heart rejoices in him, * 

 for in his holy Name we put our trust. 

22 Let your loving-kindness, 

O LORD, be upon us, * 

 as we have put our trust in you. 

The Epistle Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old-- and Sarah herself was barren-- because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore." All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. 

The Gospel Luke 12:32-40 

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. "But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."

Sunday is our last day with one final scriptural reflection from the Archbishop of Canterbury and a closing service in the Cathedral. In between we will have lots of packing and final goodbyes to be said. Repeated over and over these past two weeks were calls to humility, sacrificial love and always preparing ourselves to be ready to go where God calls us. Saturday was the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima. We prayed for the bishops of Japan, and also all those bishops returning home to conflicts, war and dangerous places. I have come away with a renewed sense of service. The only thing we are truly called to do is be servant leaders, with the people, loving and serving the least among us. Our best selves are not the proud and the pompous but the humble servants ready at all times to carry love.

A Sunday Litany

Holy Creator, we live in a conflicted world

we are overwhelmed by the crisis around us

we fell helpless in facing all of the challenges

yet you said, "do not be afraid, little flock."

Wondrous Shepherd, help us to serve your lost sheep.

Our mother earth is exhausted and wearied

all our relatives are feeling many traumas

we have not share your incredible bounty

and we have kept your love to ourselves.

Wondrous Shepherd, help us to serve your lost sheep.

Our history is full of ancestors of the faith

who met pain and death from earthly powers

we have been with brothers and sisters who suffer now

and yet we keep silent when our siblings are in danger.

Wondrous Shepherd, help us to serve your lost sheep.

Precious Lord, renew our hearts and souls

make us your heart and hands here and now.

Wondrous Shepherd, help us to serve your lost sheep.

We are are lost and wondering with out you

help us humbly call on you day and night.

Wondrous Shepherd, help us to serve your lost sheep.

You are the One who is love and who seeks us out

Help us to share your love and healing now.

Wondrous Shepherd, help us to serve your lost sheep. Amen.