June 25, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . John the Baptist

Yesterday was the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist.  In the Christian tradition, he is the last of the prophets before the arrival of Christ.  Christianity sees Jesus as the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, and John is seen as the embodiment of the prophets pointing the way to Jesus.

He appears in all four gospels, with his birth narrative and relationship to Jesus given in Luke.  He had a large following with some of his disciples becoming followers of Jesus (see John 1:35-42).  It was his public denunciation of Herod’s immorality that eventually led to his execution.

Everything John did and said pointed toward Jesus.  This often didn’t sit well with the religious and political leaders of his day (see the aforementioned execution), and John reminds us that living and speaking for the gospel in the face social and political pressures can have dire consequences. 

We need to remember that the Gospel was written to give hope to a persecuted people.  One of its purposes is to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”  If the message of the Gospel doesn’t challenge us or cause us to reevaluate our priorities, we are missing (or ignoring) a large part of what it has to say.

As we remember the forerunner to Jesus, may we have the courage to follow the example of John the Baptist and, in the words of John Lewis, renowned Civil Rights activist, make “good trouble.”

Blessings,

June 18, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Juneteenth

Tomorrow is June 19 and the celebration of Juneteenth, which originated at the end of the Civil War.  On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln announced that the Emancipation Proclamation would go into effect on January 1, 1863.  On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, TX, and announced the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation – 900 days after the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, 71 days after Robert E. Lee surrendered, and 24 days after the Confederate army in Texas was disbanded.

This event, unfortunately, did not lead to immediate or widespread freedom and equality for former slaves and people of color.  Jim Crow laws, the rise of the KKK, redlining, HOAs, the disparity in the GI Bill, segregation, and other policies upholding systemic racism worked to ensure that non-whites were “kept in their place” for generations – including up to today.

As we continue to struggle to live into our baptismal covenant promise “to respect the dignity of every human being,” it’s important to see where we fall short.  On the arrival of Juneteenth, I encourage to read, listen, and contemplate some of these words of freedom and equality.

Frederick Douglass and “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”

Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman” speech

“Wehold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that theyare endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights . . .”

“With liberty and justice for all.”

Blessings,

June 11, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Trinity Sunday

This coming Sunday is Trinity Sunday.  This is the only day of the year when we specifically honor the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  And while our Collects, Creed, Prefaces, Blessings, and some other parts of the service all often reference the Holy Trinity, this is the only day specifically dedicated to our understanding of God.

The concept of the Trinity is not specifically stated anywhere in the bible.  Instead, it is the result of years of study and revelation that led to people developing the concept of a God who is three-in-one and one-in-three.

As Christians we see evidence of the Trinity in the story of creation when God began to create, the Spirit swept over the waters, and the Word of God spoke.  We see it when Abraham was met by the Lord (singular) appearing as three men.  We see it in John when Jesus says he is in the Father and the Father is in him, and that the Holy Spirit is sent by Jesus from the Father.  There are other places, but you get the idea.  It was Tertullian (160-225) who first developed an early Trinitarian theology and was the first to use the term “Trinity.”  Over many years and several conflicts, Trinitarian theology won out and left us with the understanding that the eternal godhead consists of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one-in-three and three-in-one, co-equal and co-eternal.

That’s a lot to wrap your head around.  It’s been said that if you don’t want to commit heresy, stop there and don’t try to explain any further.  It’s also been said that if you don’t want to commit heresy on Trinity Sunday, have someone else preach.  But since that’s not an option, I’ll see what I can do.

In the meantime, when thinking about the Trinity think about God in a perfect triune relationship of love, communication, and existence.  Proceeding from that, then, should cause us to contemplate how we, as humans made in the image of God, can work to include all of our diverse fellow humans equally in bonds of love, communication, and existence.

Blessings,

June 4, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Pentecost

Pentecost is this coming Sunday.  This is the day the Holy Spirit descended on the twelve apostles and they began speaking in other languages to all the people gathered in Jerusalem.  People had come from far and near for the Feast of Pentecost, a Jewish festival that took place fifty days after Passover to celebrate the harvest.  And on that day the people in Jerusalem heard the apostles speaking in their own languages:  Parthians, Medes, Elamites, residents of Mesopotamia, and others.

And it’s in this story where we hear one of the greatest lines in Scripture.  After someone accuses the apostles of being filled with new wine, Peter says, “These men are not drunk as you suppose, it’s only 9 o’clock in the morning.”

In this story of Pentecost we see the thrill and wonder of the apostles in that room as they are bathed with the fire of the Holy Spirit.  In this story of Pentecost we see people gather together to celebrate a traditional feast and celebrate the presence of God.  In this story of Pentecost we see twelve men so compelled to share the good news of God in Christ that they did so in a very public way without worrying about what people thought (“filled with new wine”).

This Pentecost we will gather to celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We will be reminded of the promises we made and the expectations placed on us as we renew our baptismal vows.  And then we will gather after the service to spruce up the building and grounds and enjoy each other’s company at a potluck lunch.

We may not have 3000 in attendance, but I have no doubt the Holy Spirit will be present.

Blessings,