December 15, 2021

Bear fruits worthy of repentance – Luke 3:8

In the gospel from this past Sunday, John speaks to the crowd “with many exhortations” proclaiming the good news. He also calls the crowd a brood of vipers, which I said indicated that they were the offspring of corrupt systems and people that preyed upon those living on the margins, or the less fortunate, or others not of the right race, gender, or religion. We also are a brood of vipers because we are the offspring of corrupt systems which relied on stolen land and stolen labor to build this country.

But John makes the point that, even though the crowd is a brood of vipers, it doesn't mean that they, or we, are destined to become vipers. John points out that there is still time to change. Our past sins don't have to define who we are, but it is necessary to repent of those past sins whether or not we actually participated in them, because we still benefit from them. John reminds us that there is still time to repent, still time to turn to the Lord, still time to repair the damage done to bring good news and joy to the world.

He told the crowd to bear fruits worthy of repentance. If you have two coats, share with those who have none. Treat everyone equitably. Don't use unfair methods when dealing with others. If we do these things, and the things of Jesus, then our words and actions will promote the good news of the kingdom of God and we will be that much closer to seeing it on earth as it is in heaven.

All of these things are good fruit, things that build up the kingdom of God on the outside. But it is just as important to think about those things which build up the kingdom of God on the inside. While John didn't address this, Paul did. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes, “I fear that there may perhaps be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder.”

These things Paul wrote about are real life examples of “what you sow is what you reap.” If we sow seeds of dissension, quarreling, slander, gossip, and the like, these things will grow up to choke off the good news of the kingdom; and no matter how good we look on the outside, we will surely be rotten on the inside – dried up, withered, decayed, and easily toppled.

The counter to the above is to sow another kind of seed – the seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are seeds which can be sown on the outside, but it is just as important to sow them on the inside. In dealing with our fellow Christians and fellow parishioners, let us work to sow the seeds of the Spirit which will strengthen us and lead us to produce good fruit.

We all have the ability to sow any number of seeds. We all have the ability to sow seeds of two kingdoms – the kingdom of Satan or the kingdom of God. The problem is that sowing the seeds of Satan is easy. It's easy to quarrel, to become jealous or angry, to be selfish and conceited, or to slander and gossip. It takes a little more work to spread love and joy, to work for peace, to have patience, to be kind and generous, to remain faithful and gentle, and to maintain self-control.

As we begin another year, let us resolve to sow seeds worthy of the kingdom of God, bearing good fruit, and living the good news in thought, word, and deed.

Blessings,

December 8, 2021

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. -- Luke 3:1-2

This was the opening sentence to our gospel this past Sunday. Every Monday morning I meet with a few other clergy in the area to discuss the upcoming readings (primarily the gospel), and this gospel was our primary point of discussion.

I don't know how many times over the years I've heard or read this passage, but I have always seen it as a time stamp. Out of the four Evangelists, Luke was the historian. He opens his version of the gospel by writing, “Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us . . .” So it makes perfect sense, in a time when records were kept based on what year of whose reign, to hear Luke the historian state that John's ministry began “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea . . .”

One of the beauties of studying scripture with other people is hearing different insights you may not have heard before. One of my colleagues wondered if these two verses were simply a time stamp, and I asked him what he meant by that.

“Look at the names . . . the emperor, the governor, two rulers, and two high priests. Powerful people. And yet, the word of God came to JOHN in the wilderness.”

This would be like us today saying, “In the second year of Joe Biden's presidency, when Lawrence was governor of Maryland, and Emily was mayor of Hagerstown, during the episcopate of Eugene, and Michael was presiding bishop, the word of God came to Bob.”

Maybe these two verses are not simply a time stamp. Maybe these two verses are to remind us that the word of God doesn't necessarily come to those in power and those with authority, but that the word of God comes to the least expected. Maybe this is a reminder that the word of God is not tied up with the powers and principalities of this world, but that the word of God is to be found elsewhere.

That's not to say that powerful people are immune to hearing the word of God. It's not to say that ecclesiastical authorities are unable to hear the word of God. But it does point out that the word of God comes to unexpected people in unexpected places. More importantly, these two verses reiterate that the power of God is not dependent on (and in most cases is utterly opposed to) the powers of the world.

As we move through the wilderness of Advent and prepare for the coming of the Messiah, how are you hearing the word of God? As we move through the wilderness of Advent and prepare for the coming of the Messiah, how are you proclaiming the coming of the good news to those around you?

Because in the end, God does not rely on emperors, rulers, and others who wield earthly power; God relies on people like you and me to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near.

Blessings,

December 1, 2021

Can we ever know what God has in store for us? -- I Witness, First Wednesday in Advent meditation

In the Advent discussion group which began this past Sunday, we did some looking back and looking forward. We started with the meditation for the First Sunday of Advent and talked about the process of waiting and discernment. Not all waiting is discernment, but all discernment contains a lot of waiting.

We talked about the process of waiting for a child that Zechariah and Elizabeth had been subjected to over the years before the arrival of John. We talked about times we had to wait and times we were discerning which way we might go in our own lives as we waited to figure things out.

In today's meditation, the author writes about Elizabeth that “she has no idea God has a plan.” That is immediately followed by the opening sentence of today's reflection.

I will confess that I get a little dubious when things happen and there is a response along the lines of, “It's okay . . . God has a plan and everything happens for a reason.” Yes, God does indeed have a plan, and we say as much in the Catechism. But not everything happens for a reason. Some things are simply accidents and some things are evil. God may work through various accidents and acts of evil, but to say those accidents and evil acts are the result of God's plan implies that God is pulling all the strings in our lives and we have no free will on which to act. But I digress . . .

As Christians, we believe that God's plan included the birth of Jesus, which also included the birth of John ahead of him to proclaim his arrival – to be that voice crying in the wilderness. And because of that, Zechariah and Elizabeth had to wait, unbeknownst to them, until the right time.

How would they have reacted if Gabriel had appeared to Zechariah when he was a newlywed and told he would have a son, but only after he was “an old man and his wife getting on in years?” How would I have reacted if, when discerning my own call, God had told me that I would have to sit with a family whose father and just been killed by a drunk driver, or be present with a new father whose baby died of SIDS? How would you have reacted if God had told you about a significant event in your life years ahead of time?

It may just be that the reason God's plan seems so slow in coming isn't because God is slow, but that God is waiting for us to grow enough to handle what we will be asked to do.

This Advent season, may you see this time of preparation and waiting not only as a time of preparation and waiting for the coming of the Messiah, but as a time of giving thanks for when you had to wait, only to learn that God was using that time to prepare you for what God had in store for you.

Blessings,

November 24, 2021

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Tomorrow is the day where, for those of us of a particular socio-economic class, we will gather with family, or friends, or both, and eat way too much. Maybe we'll watch a football game or two. Maybe we'll play in our own backyard version of a Turkey Bowl, or take part in a Turkey Trot. Maybe we'll spend time handing out meals to those less fortunate than ourselves.

Thanksgiving can be complicated. It can bring family tensions into play, but it can also bring a sense of unity. Who is bringing what always seems to be a topic of debate, and the seating chart can be an interesting point of conversation (just when is someone allowed to graduate from the kids' table to the adult table?). I fondly remember Thanksgivings in Montana when we would gather with some seminary friends to spend together, having our unity bound up in our friendship.

Add to all of this is that this year will be the first time back celebrating Thanksgiving with people after most of us refrained from participating in the holiday festivities last year, so there may be extra pressure on us to “get it right.” Or, maybe, it will be much more laid back and enjoyable as we are just thankful for being able to gather again.

There are a lot of layers to Thanksgiving and it's probably best to not try and examine all of them at once. So whether you want to enjoy the day alone, whether you are gathering with family, whether you are gathering with friends, whether you are cooking a ham, whether you are cooking a turkey, whether you order your meal from Bob Evans, whether your meal includes pickled eggs, or whether it includes yam casserole, I hope this year's Thanksgiving gathering helps to bring joy into the lives of you and those whom you love.

As a remembrance that Thanksgiving is complicated in many ways, here's an article about the holiday itself, its origins, what we got wrong, and what we can get right:

https://www.capecodtimes.com/in-depth/news/2020/11/19/plymouth-400-mayflower-first-thanksgiving-pilgrims-wampanoag-massasoit/6283891002/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=gh-capecodtimes-main&fbclid=IwAR3LmiLZamC_WqcJFt5c7ARh0Rg-ooaP629X-YzzeG2y5-x9e-FvkiLGk4U

No matter how you choose to celebrate, or not, may you always remember that you are a beloved child of God and that God is thankful for your very presence; and know that I am thankful for having you as part of my life with Saint John's.

Blessings,

November 17, 2021

COVID-19 has been many things over the past 21 months or so, but it has probably never been referred to as a blessing. It may not have been a blessing, but it did cause us to learn, adjust, and adapt at a different pace than before – which may or may not be a good thing depending on your point of view.

I remember hearing stories of people learning to reconnect with their families. I heard stories of people learning to bake. I heard stories of people learning new skills and trying new things. Those were the good stories that we all craved to hear about during months of lock-downs and worries.

Now that things are beginning to loosen up, now that vaccinations are becoming more common and people are getting their booster shots, now that people are feeling more safe and comfortable (despite our infection numbers telling a different story), it seems people are eager to get “back to normal.” It seems people are eager to put this chapter behind them and move on. But we will never “get back to normal,” because this is our normal. And we will never put this chapter behind us because too much of it will move forward with us.

As we move forward, I think it's worth asking ourselves, “What was the good during the worst of the pandemic that we can take with us?” Because it does seem that, in our rush to get back to normal, we are leaving behind some practices that we could stand to take with us.

Maybe you began a family game night, but now that things are back to normal that has been left behind. Maybe you developed a new prayer practice, but now that things are back to normal you find you don't have the time. Maybe it was baking bread on Saturday, but now that things are back to normal it's just easier to buy a loaf from the store. Or maybe it was just having the time to slow down, but now that things are back to normal you find you can't even do that.

In the midst of tragedy or difficult times or even global pandemics I think we can always find something good to appreciate. The trick is to figure out how to carry those good things forward so that we don't get back to what was normal but to help create a new normal that is more conducive to our good health – mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

And it just might be that those good things you found during difficult times are what will anchor you and keep you from being pulled into ever more chaotic waters.

Blessings,

November 10, 2021

As we get strength, but one extended act of faith (so to call it) influences us all through the day, and our whole day is but one act of obedience also. – from a sermon entitled, “The Spiritual Mind,” John Henry Newman

In preaching about how we might attain a deeper spirituality, or how we might draw closer to God, Newman made the above statement. As I thought about it, I was reminded of St. Paul when he referenced his faith as if he were running a race (2 Tim. 4:7). It might be appropriate here to compare our lives of faith and spirituality to that of a physical endeavor – swimming, running, walking, cycling, climbing, etc., or maybe to that of playing an instrument.

Very few of us, if any, have the ability to fall out of bed on a Saturday morning and run a marathon. Likewise none of us have the ability to jump in a pool and swim 100 meters, or decide to summit Mt. Everest. These things take training. We need to train our bodies to swim or run or whatever a little at a time. Our muscles need to be strengthened and our lung capacity needs to develop. We need to get to a place where we willingly put one foot in front of the other when others tell us to sit down and relax.

Our faith and spirituality can benefit from the same process. We don't suddenly decide to spend an hour each day on our knees in prayer. Instead, we begin with something we can accomplish. We train. Maybe we begin with five minutes in silent prayer at the beginning of the day. Maybe we spend a few minutes of our lunch hour in prayer. Maybe we begin by closing out our day praying Compline (p. 127 of the BCP if you were wondering). As we develop that, we “get strength” so that those small, self-contained periods of prayer or acts of faith develop to become one extended act of faith.

And then, when we have seen that develop over time, we hopefully come to place where prayer and acts of faith are no longer reserved for specific times and places, but they infuse our whole day so that each day becomes an act of obedience to God; which then, slowly but surely, molds our whole life into a life of obedience, faith, and prayer.

Just as we practice to swim farther, run longer, climb higher, just as we practice to sing clearer and play more smoothly, we should also practice our faith so that it isn't relegated to convenient times or places, but so that it may so infuse our daily lives in a way that draws us more closely to the Lord.

Blessings,

November 3, 2021

My floppy Orioles hat has a story – Dcn. Sue

This past Sunday was declared “Hat Sunday” by the Parish Life Commission and people were encouraged to wear their favorite hat to church that day. It was a fun event that brought smiles to those who opted to wear their hats and those who didn't.

Before service Dcn. Sue told me she had brought her floppy O's hat because it was her favorite and it had a story. “Of course it does,” I said, “because all good hats have a story.”

If you have been in my office you will probably notice two things: First, I have a large collection of crosses above the fireplace, and second, I have a large hat collection scattered around the office. All of those hats have stories behind them. Some stories are better than others (like the story behind the softball helmet painted with black & white stripes). Some stories are more memorable than others (like the hat from Carmel's Goosetown Mafia). Some stories I can barely remember (like the hat from Oklahoma and trying to remember if I was ever even in Oklahoma). But they all have stories and they all represent a piece of my overall larger story.

This past Monday was All Saints' Day, the day the Church commemorates those people of the faith who had died, and especially those who “had crowned their profession of faith with heroic deaths,” or people of the faith who lived exemplary lives. Yesterday was All Souls' Day/All Faithful Departed, an extension of All Saints, when the Church remembers the vast body of faithful departed known only to God, family, and friends. These people, whether Saints of the wider church or any number of faithful departed known only to family and friends, all have stories to tell; and by virtue of being part of the Church, they all represent a piece of our overall larger stories as faithful members of the body of Christ.

This coming Sunday we will be celebrating/commemorating All Saints'/Souls' Day as we transfer the appropriate lessons, read the necrology of those who have died this past year, and remember all those who have previously died. Those people all had/have stories to tell; and, to some extent, they all represent a piece of our overall larger story.

As part of the body of Christ we all have stories to tell. As part of the specific branch of the family tree known as Saint John's, we all have stories to tell. Some of those stories are better than others. Some stories are more memorable than others. Some stories we might barely remember. But we all have stories about the larger body of Christ; we all have stories about this specific place. And all of those stories represent a piece of our overall story.

This is the time of year when we remember the stories of those who have gone before us, and that is good and appropriate to do so. But let us also remember to share our own stories of our faith and this place with those who need to hear stories of hope, stories of tears, stories of joy, stories of resurrection, stories of faith. Because when all is said and done, it is our stories that enable us to connect with others.

Blessings,