All Saints' Day 2018

For Thursday, November 1, 2018

 When he went

outside, the scribes

and the Pharisees 

began to be very 

hostile towards

 him and to

 cross-examine 

him about many 

things, lying in 

wait for him,  to

 catch him in something he might say.

Meanwhile, when the crowd gathered in thousands, so that they trampled on one 

another, he began to speak first to his disciples, ‘Beware of the yeast of the 

Pharisees, that is, their hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be

 uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. Therefore whatever

 you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered 

behind closed doors will be proclaimed from the housetops.

 ‘I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do 

nothing more. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has

 killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! Are not five 

sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.

 But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of 

more value than many sparrows.

 ‘And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others, the Son of 

Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but whoever denies me

 before others will be denied before the angels of God. And everyone who 

speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever

 blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. When they bring you

 before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about

 how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say; for the Holy Spirit 

will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.’ Luke 11:53-12:12

For many of us, there have been too many losses, too many made into saints
and martyrs this year. Too many innocent lives, children who were in school,
folks shopping in the market and faithful people at prayer. It is hard to imagine
how destructive we have become. Yet, even at the grave we make our song,
Alleluia, Alleluia. God has more to teach us from these horrid moments in our
history, and we can expect that these lives lost will somehow be a blessing for
many.

Jesus was telling us not to live in fear, no matter how dark the days are. We are
 more value than the sparrows and we are not to let fear dictate our faith and
practice. Our generosity and compassion will mark us as children of the living
God, the Creator of all, who made us all in the image of the Divine. We are
to live as people of the light, even when the world seems dangerous and so
very divided.

Today, I ask God to help me remember those who came before, who taught me
and many to live with compassion, justice and peace. May we set aside all our
fears and live as one family dedicated to the care and feeding of all.  

Inside and Out

For Wednesday, October 31st

While he was speaking,

 a Pharisee invited him

 to dine with him; so 

he went in and took

 his place at the table.

 The Pharisee was 

amazed to see that 

he did not first wash

 before dinner. Then

 the Lord said to him,

 ‘Now you Pharisees 

clean the outside of

 the cup and of the dish,

 but inside you are full

 of greed and wickedness.

 You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?

 So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will 

be clean for you. ‘But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue

 and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is

 these you ought to have practised, without neglecting the others. Woe to

 you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honour in the synagogues

 and to be greeted with respect in the market-places. Woe to you! For

 you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it.’

 One of the lawyers answered him, ‘Teacher, when you say these things,

 you insult us too.’ And he said, ‘Woe also to you lawyers! For you load 

people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a 

finger to ease them. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets 

whom your ancestors killed. So you are witnesses and approve of the

 deeds of your ancestors; for they killed them, and you build their tombs.

 Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and 

apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute”, so that this 

generation may be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since

 the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of

 Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell 

you, it will be charged against this generation. Woe to you lawyers!

 For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you did not enter 

yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.’  Luke 11:37-52

Inside and Out

Now we see how words inflame

our selfish greed inspired them

faithful worshippers mowed down

hate has come to dwell within.

The lights are fading here and now

we have been sent  humble prophets 

we think our wealth has sheltered us

the blood of the innocent says otherwise.

We had made monsters from arrogance

fashioned terrorists in our secure places

we have unleashed this demon on the world

and it will be our complete undoing.

Get up and raise your voices now

cleanse your heart and be humble

the one next to you is always family

the whole city groans to be loved.

Full of Light

For Tuesday, October 30th

While he was saying 

this, a woman in the 
crowd raised her 
voice and said to
 him, ‘Blessed is the
womb  that bore 
you and the breasts 
that nursed you!’ 
But he said, ‘Blessed 
rather are those 
who hear the word
 of God and obey it!’

 When the crowds 
were increasing,
 he began to say, 
‘This generation is 
an evil generation; 
it asks for a sign, 
but no sign will be 
given to it except the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be to this generation. The queen of the South will 
rise at the judgement with the people of this generation and condemn them, because 
she came from the ends of the  earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, 
something greater than Solomon is here! The people of Nineveh  will rise up at the 
judgement with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the 
proclamation of Jonah, and see, something greater than Jonah is here! 

 ‘No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those

 who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. If your eye is healthy,

 your whole body is full of light; but if it is not healthy, your body is full of darkness. Therefore consider whether the light in you is not darkness. If then your whole body 

is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be as full of light as when a lamp 

gives you light with its rays.’ Luke 11:27-36

There are  times in life when we can rest and relax and other times when we must be 
active and choose carefully. These are those latter times, when we need to be bold 
and act for love against the violence and destruction that seems to have infected
the culture and the country where we live. No one should ever be afraid when they
worship, no one should be afraid to go to school and no one should be afraid of just
being who they are. Across our land, people are afraid. We are the light in these 
dark days.

Jesus encounters all sorts of adulation as he goes about healing and sharing God's
love. Folks want to make him a hero  (and many vilify him), yet he calls them
to draw near to God and act as light in this world. Being light is not a selfish act,
but rather an act of submission to the love of God, which pushes us to love our
neighbor (all of them) and to live a sacrificial life. We are sternly called by God
today to be the change and the light so needed in these dark days.

Today, I ask God to help me be light to all those around me today. May we
shine with love and healing for a world that needs to know we are willing to
serve and walk in solidarity with all of our neighbors.

Love One Another

For Monday, Oct 29

Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude

Jesus said to his
 disciples, “I am
giving you these

 commands so
that you may

 love one another.

“If the world hates
 you, be aware that
it hated me before
it hated you. If you

 belonged to the
world, the world
would love you 

as its own. Because
you do not belong
 to the world,  but
 I have chosen you out

 of the world-- therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you,

 ‘Servants are not greater than their master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you;
  if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on
  account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and
spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin
. Whoever hates me  hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works
that no one else did, they would  not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both
me and my Father. It was to fulfill the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me
without a cause.’ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father,
 the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will  testify on my behalf. You also
 are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.”

 John 15:17-27

Love One Another

We cannot patrol these hallowed halls

while we worship without trembling

we cannot hide behind our weapons

expecting the world to become safe.

Love must be our instrument and tool

the only weapon in our arsenal

we must be long on forgiveness

and banish all the hate within us.

We are children of the same parents

standing in the same cold rain

wondering how we could become this

how loathing has found purchase.

There is no money that can fix

a precious life when it's taken away

no policy or political parties

that can return joy when abolished.

The Author of love expects in return

that we will attend to loving neighbors

we will live as shelter and safe harbor

we will beacons of light for the lost.

Let Me See Again

For Sunday, October 28th Proper 25

Jesus and his disciples came to Jericho. As he and his disciples and a large crowd were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus son of Timaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the roadside. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” Jesus stood still and said, “Call him here.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart; get up, he is calling you.” So throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. Then Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.” Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and followed him on the way. Mark 10:46-52

I got my first pair of glasses when I was in college. Of the five children in our family, only two of us were blessed with good vision and neither of us had to have glasses until we were adults. I cannot imagine what it is like to lose one's sight, or to never have seen the world at all. I love the colors around me, the changing light, and seeing the faces of people close by. These days, I have to see the eye doctor every year and my prescription gets stronger every time. For me, and many others, it is a matter of working with trained professionals. Yet, I too, want my faith to be like Bartimaeus, a faith that brings miracles of renewed vison.

Jesus is on the move with his disciples and a crowd around him. One man continues to shout at Jesus, and although everyone is trying to silence him, he persists. Bartimaeus is not going to miss the opportunity of healing. He aches to see again, to be renewed and made whole. All of us do. We are invited today to persist in our faith, despite what the people around us might say. We are invited by our loving Creator to use our voices for the healing of the world, for the purpose of making miracles happen around us.

Today, I ask God to help me be faithful in prayer and expectant of healing in all things. May we be bold and faithful like Bartimaeus, so that we might see again, and use our faculties for the healing of this world.




The Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Ask, Search, Knock

For Saturday, October 27th

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished,  one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray,

 say:Father, hallowed be your name.
   Your kingdom come.
   Give us each day our daily bread.
   And forgive us our sins,
     for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
   And do not bring us to the time of trial.’

 And he said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, “Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.” And he answers from within, “Do not bother me;

 the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.” I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence he will get up and give him whatever he needs.

 ‘So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you

 will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone

 who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for

 everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone

 among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake 

instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion?

 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your

 children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy 

Spirit to those who ask him!’ Luke 11:1-13

I am facing many changes as I transition from being the Assistant Bishop in Montana to being a Regional Canon in Massachusetts. I find myself struggling to figure out how to

prepare, what to set up, who to talk to - all while trying to unpack the goods from my

office and apartment in Montana. I am worried about many details, as I am often Martha.

It takes me awhile in these kinds of times to remember to pray often, especially when I

get worried and afraid for the days to come.

Jesus is teaching his disciples how to pray. The words of what we refer to as the Lord's

Prayer, are simple, direct and honest. He then goes on to show them the heart of God as 

a loving parent, as the one who will respond to our asking with what we truly need for this and every hour.

Today, I ask God to help me pray at every turn and to persist in prayer as I face the 

unknown. May we all readily turn to prayer in every troubling moment, every 

confusing turn, trusting God to bring us through and beyond these tough days. 

The Better Part

For Friday, October 26th

Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman 
named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, 
who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha 
was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do
 you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell 
her then to help me.’ But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are
 worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.
 Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’
  Luke 10:38-42

The Better Part

Oh, Martha dear let go
the worries will always be
yet love has come home
we cannot miss this one.

Oh, Mary your sister's here
all the work you've left her
bring her along to listen
let her know your true joy.

Oh, women who fret and toil
we cannot always hide away
behind the tasks and servant roles
we must sit still and made room.

Some days are solely for work
others for rest and refreshment
and yet others a mix of the two
we must choose the better part.

When love comes to our doors
we must let them come in
we can set the table with food
then we must sit and be fed.