March 29, 2023

“For to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended.” – BCP 382

This was the refrain from my sermon this past Sunday. The gospel story was that of Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus. I pointed out that there were several times where Lazarus' life was changed, not ended.

It was changed when he encountered Jesus and became a friend and disciple.

It was changed when he died and was able to participate with angels and archangels in the singing of the eternal hymn.

It was changed when Jesus recalled him from a life immortal back to this life mortal.

It was changed when he began to publicly proclaim the Good News of Jesus after coming out of the tomb.

Lazarus experienced several episodes where his life was changed, not ended.

Reading through the Burial service I am constantly reminded of how hopeful it is.

“Whoever has faith in me shall have life, even though he die. If we die, we die in the Lord. For to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended.” These and other sentences remind us that we are the Lord's possession, that life changes not ends, and that we live in hope.

I mention all this for two reasons. The first is that next week is Holy Week. Next week we will once again participate with Jesus in his Passion and Resurrection. Next week we will be reminded that in order to get to Easter, we must go through Good Friday. Next week we will be reminded that in order to get to resurrection, we must first die.

The second reason is that on Monday, after a long illness and declining health, my dad died. Like all people, he had his flaws; but like most people, his goodness outweighed those flaws. He didn't quite make it to Easter, but in his death I am reminded that life is changed, not ended. I am reminded that he is the Lord's possession. I am reminded that death always precedes resurrection.

Next week we will once again walk with Jesus in his time of suffering and death, and we will live in the hope of the resurrection.

These past several months my family has walked with my dad in his suffering, and now his death, and we live in the hope of the resurrection. All of us go down to the dust; yet even at the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Even in the midst of death, this is the hope we proclaim: the hope of the resurrection, the hope of Alleluia, the hope of life everlasting, and the hope of a life changed not ended. This is our hope.

May you have a blessed Holy Week and a joyful Easter.

March 22, 2023

Yesterday was the first day of a new thing.

New things are all around us at this time of year. The first day of Spring was earlier this week. We are preparing for Holy Week and the Day of Resurrection, a new creation, a new thing Jesus did in his victory over death.

Yesterday, however, was the first day of John Sabine's tenure with Saint John's as our next Minister of Music.

As usual, there was all the first day paperwork that needed to be filled out. He had to submit pieces of identification – One from Column A and One from Column B, or Two from Column C – or however that works. A key was issued. He's going to work on recording his office voicemail. Business cards are being lined up. And on and on and on.

It was also the first day that he and I worked together as priest and musician. We went over the upcoming Sunday service. We discussed Holy Week for a time. We talked about liturgical keys. And we think we covered enough so Sunday worship will be good.

Under better circumstances, we could take some of this slow; but we find ourselves trying to come together as a team during the rush of Holy Week.

Ultimately that's okay – because if we can get through this, we are sure to get through anything.

Holy Week is almost here, as is the new thing that Jesus did with his Passion and Resurrection. John's tenure is just beginning, and this is also a new thing as we all learn to worship with a new player. As I told him in our meeting today, he and I are learning the liturgical dance. It may take a bit, but we'll get there.

I hope that you will make plans to join us for this new thing – new musician, new personality, new life after the Passion and Resurrection.

Newness abounds, and that's a good thing.

March 15, 2023

I received a jury summons a few months ago, and I'm in the middle of my scheduled week of service. As I was sitting in the courtroom on my first day, it occurred to me that I was participating in a liturgy of a different kind. Liturgy, you may recall, is often translated as, “the work of the people.”

On that first day all prospective jurors filed into the courthouse where we were segregated into two different courtrooms. We found places to sit where we would read, play on phones, or sit in silence. At an appointed time the clerk arrived, welcomed and thanked us for being there, and showed a video about why jury service was an important part of the judicial system and our country. Sometime thereafter, we were all asked to rise as the judge came into the room and was seated at his bench. He then dismissed us for the day, reminded us all to check in every night to see whether or not we were needed the next day, and we all filed out of the courthouse.

On the first day of the week worshipers file into the church building segregated by their preferred service (8:00 or 10:15). Everyone finds a place to sit where they read through the bulletin, send in prayer requests from their phone, or sit/pray in silence. At the appointed time everyone is welcomed and thanked for being there and various important announcements are made. Sometime thereafter everyone is asked to rise as the worship service begins. And then at some point everyone is dismissed.

In both of these scenarios a liturgy, a work of the people, is taking place. In the first one, the work of the people is to ensure a defendant receives a fair trial and that person is judged based on the evidence provided. In general, unless you are an officer of the court, you are not likely to return until absolutely necessary.

In the second one, the work of the people is to gather with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven as we joyfully worship the Lord. We are gathered to offer our thanks and praise to the One who created us. We are there as a gathered community offering our particular gifts and talents for the glory and spread of the kingdom. In general, those gathered for worship on Sunday continue to gather on a weekly basis for fellowship, prayers, and the breaking of the bread.

You can find liturgies – works of the people – all around us. Only one of them, however, provides a holy community, only one of them provides a place to intentionally meet God, and only one of them provides living water and bread from heaven.

I pray that you find the liturgy of the church – the work of the church – holy and life-giving.

March 1, 2023

It is impossible for you to live according to God if you love pleasures and money. – Isidore the Priest, Sayings of the Desert Fathers

First, there is nothing wrong with having a good time, or having pleasurable experiences. In fact, these are necessary, I think, to having a well-balanced, healthy life. Second, there is nothing wrong with money, per se. Money, in and of itself, is neither good nor bad, it's a neutral tool that can be used in a variety of ways.

What Isidore the Priest is saying is that the LOVE of pleasures and money make it impossible to live according to God.

When we love pleasures, that becomes our focus – to continually find things that give us pleasure, to continually pursue that which makes us feel good, often at the expense of other things in our lives. Unfortunately we can also develop a tolerance over time that causes us to need and seek out more pleasurable experiences in order to recreate the feeling we used to have. This can become an addiction as with alcohol, drugs, pornography, gambling, etc. The term for this is gluttony. When we live for the love of pleasures, we are living for our self and not for God.

The same can be said for money. Money allows us to make transactions easily (as opposed to bartering). Money allows us to purchase food, transportation, and shelter. But the love of money causes problems. As Paul said, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” The love of money creates systems where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The love of money creates a feeling of scarcity. The love of money leads us to treat others as expendable. The term for this is greed. When we live for the love of money, we are living four our self and not for God.

Living according to God, however, leads us in a different direction. When we live according to God we work for justice, offer compassion, and pursue kindness. When we live according to God we live in abundance offering to others what we ourselves will never use. When we live according to God we look for ways to serve rather than to be served.

Pleasures and money are not bad things in and of themselves, but we need to have a balance and we need to put things in proper perspective. Lent is a time to do just that. Lent is a time to reevaluate how we are living and whether we are living a self-centered life or a God-centered life.

This Lent may we turn once again to the Lord, forsaking all that separates us from God, remembering that in his presence are pleasures for evermore.

Todd+