Gospel text for Sunday 22 November 2020

 

Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Reflection        Sheep or Goat? What do you get when you breed a sheep with a goat? According to wikipedia, a geep or a shoat, but this hybrid rarely survives birth because of the genetic difference between them. Which brings us back to the question, sheep or goat?

I can see myself as both. This week a woman I will call Lisa came to the church asking for assistance with her rent. She gave me the information needed to pay her landlord and I felt good that we could help her. But when she immediately asked me for a gas card, I felt miffed, partially at her but mostly at myself because I had given away the last three gas cards the week before and had not yet replenished the supply. Still, I invited her to come back to the church the next afternoon for a gas card and she left. As it turned out Lisa’s landlord would not accept the discretionary account credit card, only a cashier’s check. My feelings of benevolence were fast fading. Driving to the bank to procure a cashier’s check was rather like navigating the fields of outer darkness, where I was grinding my teeth and grumbling

By grace there was no line inside the bank. While a kind teller printed the check, the sheep Debra had a talk with the goat Debra. “So, you are feeling inconvenienced. Did not want to drive to the bank this morning. Certainly did not want to go to Frys to purchase gas cards. Hummm. Imagine how inconvenient it would be if you could not pay your rent or put gas in your car. Imagine how you would feel if you had to ask a stranger for help.” The teller returned and offered me a blessing, “There will be no fee for the certified check.” Smiling I left the bank and went to Frys and purchased gas cards.  Now the sun shone through the windshield as I drove back to church. Peace was restored to my soul and I experienced the joy of being blessed to be a blessing. Sheep or goat? There is no geep or shoat.

Earlier in Matthew’s gospel we listen to Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mountain (Matt 5.3-11) teaching the ethics of God’s kingdom. In summary, we the people of God are meant to be pure in heart, merciful and peacemakers. We are meant to offer comfort and care to the poor, the meek and the mourning, even at the expense of being misunderstood or persecuted. Jesus proceeds to interpret the Law of Moses in what we call the six antithesis (Matt 5.21-48). Jesus is saying. Moses’ law is good but it does not go far enough. Do not murder and do not even express hatred or malice. Do not be sexually immoral or break any commitments, be truthful and have integrity in all things.

Throughout Matthew’s text we receive instructions on how to live as Jewish Christians, not only in obedience to Jewish law but also in imitation of Jesus’ exemplary mercy. With today’s gospel text we arrive at the moment  of reckoning. How are we doing?  Matthew’s text is the only gospel that describes this disturbing judgment scene where we find ourselves directed to either the right or the left hand of God.

This I believe is the mystery and hope in the pericope. You see, whether we are sheep or goats we are still held in the hand of God because God is the shepherd. We all belong to God. But in order to fully participate in the joy of God’s kingdom we must not only receive God’s blessing, we must allow God’s blessing to flow through our hands. The way we do this is by following the Mosaic law and living in imitation of Jesus whose life and ministry is all about connecting and caring for all people, especially the marginalized. 

We are blessed to be a blessing. There really is no gray zone between  feeding the hungry, dropping off water for the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to the naked, caring for the sick and visiting the prisoner; in other words, being sheep. Or being goats and hesitating to hand the hungry five dollars, reluctant to leave water for the thirsty, turning away the stranger, shrinking from the naked, shirking the sick and shunning the prisoner. No geep, no shoat.

Every hour of every day we have the opportunity to choose how we live. Do we choose to live in accord with the ethics of God’s kingdom and experience the joy of God’s blessing right here, right now on earth? or do we choose to withhold comfort, care and connection and naturally experience the misery of being dismembered from God’s kingdom?  Every hour of every day we choose. Shall I be a goat or a sheep? Our choice determines our experience of being cursed or blessed.

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Gospel text for All Saints Day, Sunday 1 November 2020

Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you."

Reflection        From his perch atop the mountain at first glance Jesus likely sees a motley crew of dusty peasants weeping, laughing, starving, napping, gnashing their teeth, being still. That is what he sees with his eyes. With his mind he recognizes Jews and Gentiles, tax collectors and soldiers, religious officials and lepers, friends and enemies and who knows what else. With his heart, yes, with the eyes of his heart, Jesus sees people in need of blessing. Regardless of their physical, emotional, social, political or religious condition, Jesus sees crowds of people in need of blessing.

And so Jesus begins his first sermon with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” It has taken me years to arrive at what I believe Jesus means when he refers to the poor in spirit. I believe the poor in spirit are those of us who know that we are in need of blessing. Who among us does not need blessing? Yet, who among us  leaps up, waves our arms and shouts, “Over here. Look at me. I am poor in spirit. I need your blessing.” Honestly, I have never uttered those words, but I should.

Who among us does not need blessing? Who among us does not suffer anguish, grief and lament? Who among us does not submit, defer or yield? Who among us does not desire goodness, respect and justice? Who among us does not long for kindness, compassion, generosity and peace? Who among us does not feel misjudged or persecuted? Who among us does not need blessing?

Of course, that brings us to the other side of the equation. Who among us is not a source of blessing?   Who among us does not reach out to comfort those who suffer and grieve? Who among us does not ache for the oppressed and seek to dignify all people? Who among us does not act with kindness, compassion and generosity? Who among us is not meant to be a source of blessing?

Sunday we celebrate All Saints Day and just in case you are wondering, “Who are the saints?” the answer is, the saints are ordinary people, you and me, regular folk who follow Jesus’ example and use all three kinds of vision to perceive the need for blessing. We see our neighbor's physical condition with our eyes, we recognize our neighbor's social, political and religious situation with our minds, and we perceive our neighbor’s need for blessing with our hearts. 

When we open our eyes, our minds and our hearts to see by this threefold vision, we are transformed.  Like the great multitude of people from every tribe and nation in the visionary Revelation to John, we join the ranks of people who,  having come out of the ‘great ordeal’ replace our blue shirts and red hats with white robes, then ever so humbly fall to our knees, praising and worshipping God day and night. We are the company of saints wrapped in our white robes.

White is the liturgical color associated with purity, completeness and light. It is the color in which we wrap our holiest moments; new life at Christmas, baptism and the promise of renewed life at Easter, and the pall we drape on a casket at the completion of our life. As people of God we find our identity and mark the passage of our journey wrapped in white robes, the outward and visible sign of the interior light of Christ with us.

When we imitate Jesus’ threefold vision we see our neighbors physical and emotional condition, we recognize their social, political and religious situation and we perceive their need for blessing. And we do not stop there. As was Jesus, so are we, moved to offer blessing upon blessing to all the crowds of people because everyone needs to be blessed and we are all blessed to be a blessing. 

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Hebrew Testament Text for 2nd Sunday in Lent 8 March 2020

Genesis 12:1-4a       The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him.

Reflection   This wisdom tale, probably written about six hundred years before the current era, is the story of the first Jew, Abram, the father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Abram was part of a culture that found their identity in relation to the land on which they lived and the fathers and grandfathers and great-grand fathers from whom they were descended.

For Abram to leave his land and his father’s house was unimaginable. People of the ancient middle east did not immigrate from place to place. Not only were people tied to their land they depended on the local deities or gods for protection. Every aspect of their lives, food, fertility, culture and family welfare was linked to particular idols or gods which they took great pains never to offend. 

So how was Abram able to take the risk to go where he did not know and never be the same?

The oldest Torah, or Hebrew Testament commentary in existence, the Midrash Rabbah, written some two thousand years ago, has this to to say about Abram.

Abram’s family business was the making of idols. Having observed his father, grandfather and other relatives carve these local deities, even as a child Abram knew they could not speak and they were powerless.  So to walk away from the family business and risk offending gods or idols whom he knew had no power was really not earth shattering. But, to leave his place of origin to follow the voice of an invisible God and be a source of universal blessing, “blessings to all the families of the earth,” was unheard of.

Something inexplicable, something deep within Abram, enabled him to recognize the invisible voice of the One true God, the God of love on whom we can depend to bless us and make us a source of blessing. Abram’s is a story of faith. Which begs the question, What is faith? Faith is trusting or having confidence in someone or something without having concrete evidence. "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11: 1). Faith is what connects us to the unborn, undying something more that we call God, HaShem, Allah.  Faith is what allows us to take risks because we put our faith in God with us.

When we hear the Divine invitation, “Go from your country your kindred and father’s house to a land that I will show you… and  I will bless you so that you will be a blessing to all the families of the earth,” we understand this is an invitation to evolve our faith, to move from a literal and mythic understanding of our relationship with God, take full possession of God’s blessing  and responsibility for delivering God’s blessing “to all the families of the earth.”

Abram’s story is a succinct synthesis of the journey of faith development, from the literal faith of a child to the all inclusive faith of a mature practitioner of Judaism, Christianity or Islam. As the father of all three great religious traditions Abram is a blessing to “all the families of the earth.” As children of Abram we are meant to continue the all inclusive journey of faith by opening our minds, and hearts and lives to be blessed and to pass on the blessing.  

Abram put his entire life on the line to follow God’s great calling. I believe he was able to take the risk because he trusted the voice of the invisible One that stirred something deep within his breast. Abram received God’s blessing which was sufficient for him to take the risk of ruin and ridicule by his neighbors who no doubt saw him as a crazy heathen.

Perhaps this is why the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry calls us to be Crazy Christians, people who refuse to be conformed to the world, instead people who choose to take the risk to step out of our comfortable ruts, allow our lives to be transformed so that we become the source of blessings for all the people on earth. 

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Gospel Text for Sunday 4 August 2019

Luke 12:13-21        Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." But he said to him, "Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?" And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, `What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, `I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, `Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, `You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.

Reflection       I doubt that Jesus heard of “Earth Overshoot Day.” Have you?  This past Monday, July 29th  was the day we humans began using up nature 1.75 times faster than our planet's ecosystems can regenerate, according to the Global Footprint Network that has been making this calculation since 1987.  For the balance of this year, our current total usage of food, timber, fibers, carbon sequestration and our natural resources is equal to using up 1.75 earths.* 

Jesus warns, “Take care. Be on your guard.   Life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”  Here we trip over the question buried in the mountains of stuff stacked in our garages and storage units. “What does life consist of?”

According to the voice of God that breaks into Jesus’ parable and addresses the man who is  gloating over his ample store of riches, the hoarding man is a fool. What the greedy man has accumulated is not life. In fact, he is as good as dead because life consists of being in right relationship with God (rich with God) which is born on the shoulders of being in right relationship with one another. Nothing about ‘stuff.’

You see, being in right relationship with God we are blessed so that we will be a blessing. We hear this when the Lord says to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Gen 12.1-2)

Abundance is pure gift, blessing.  All  that we have is gift, is blessing. This is foundational to who Jesus is and who we are. We are blessed to be a blessing not to build bigger and bigger houses in which to hoard our blessings, not to gloat over the “many retirement years we can eat, drink and be merry.”  “So beware.  Take guard.  Do not be deluded, deceived by clever words and shiny objects. One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.”

Here, in the so called civilized western world, we are encouraged to acquire lots of stuff. Bigger houses, flashier cars, name brand everythings, expensive vacations, elite educations, mountains of must haves for the kiddos, and don’t forget insurance, even policies for life to be redeemed when dead. 

How do these things stand us in right relationship with God and one another? Do we see that all we have and all that we are is blessing bequeathed to us, not because we earn or deserve it? not for us to collect and accrue? Rather, to enable us to be a blessing? I believe it  is time for us to take God’s counsel to Abram to heart, “I will bless you, and make your name great, (in other words, provide you with many blessings) so that you will be a blessing.”

As people who claim to follow the way of Jesus we are meant to be especially sympathetic to the needs of the poor, the vulnerable, the widow, the orphan, the suffering and the stranger. What if instead of continuing to accumulate stuff, instead of using up nature 1.75 times faster than our planet's ecosystems can regenerate, what if we took an honest inventory of all of our blessings and decided to keep what we actually need for a decent life and distribute the balance as blessing for those without?   What if we chose to ‘be rich toward God’ rather than stuffing our storehouses? I suppose that would mean putting our faith in God and God’s blessing, rather than our selves.

• https://www.huffpost.com/entry/earth-overshoot-day-natural-resources-july_n_5d39a020e4b004b6adbbd643?ncid=newsltushpmgnews__TheMorningEmail__072919  

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Gospel text for Sunday 17 February 2019

Luke 6:17-26        Jesus came down with the twelve apostles and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon. They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all in the crowd were trying to touch him, for power came out from him and healed all of them.

Then he looked up at his disciples and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, 

for you will be filled.

“Blessed are you who weep now, 

for you will laugh.

“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets."

"But woe to you who are rich,

for you have received your consolation.

"Woe to you who are full now,

for you will be hungry.

"Woe to you who are laughing now,

for you will mourn and weep.

"Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”

Reflection       Jesus has just come down from the mountain where he had been praying and chose the twelve whom he named apostles, ones who are sent forth. Then Jesus looks at his disciples and says, “Blessed are you when you are poor, or hungry or weep or people hate and exclude you.” 

What does he mean, to be blessed? To be blessed is to be made holy. To be holy is to be sanctified or set apart, purified, redeemed and made happy. For those of us who commit to love Jesus more dearly and follow Jesus more nearly (and be sent out to continue his work) the promise is, even while in the  midst of suffering the holy abides with us, thus we are blessed, no matter what.

Then Jesus reverses course and declares, woe to you who are rich, full, laughing and when people speak well of you. Woe is an interjection of grief, “Oh no…!” When we are on top of our game and the world seems to be in our pocket, we cannot cling to things of this world therefore, woe will inevitably befall us. Oh no, inevitably our good fortune will fade. 

In his sermon on the plain Jesus directs us to break out of our dualistic categories of right and wrong, good and bad, woe and blessing.  When seemingly bad things happen we have reason to hope and be holy. When seemingly good things happen we have reason to grieve.  Could this be Jesus foreshadowing St. Ignatius of Loyola’s insight that in the midst of desolation is hidden the seed of consolation, the promise that all will be redeemed and restored to holiness when we choose “with God life?” Likewise, tucked away in the heart of good fortune (consolation) is the seed of desolation because we cannot cling to fortune, inevitably it will pass?

The beatitudes poetically acknowledge our ever changing human condition. No matter who we are, we endure suffering, injustice and loss as well as fulfillment, joy and gain. Although we prefer to gloss over it, we are all subject to adversity as well as to advantage, we all are vulnerable to change. What makes the difference in how we navigate the good times and the bad is whether or not we set our hearts to love Jesus more dearly and our feet to follow Jesus more nearly. Navigating the vicissitudes of life with Jesus, we are blessed no matter what. 

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Gospel text for 4th Sunday of Advent 23 December 2018

Luke 1:39-45        In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

Reflection       This is the fourth Sunday of Advent and by now you probably have noticed something of a theme - preparing our hearts, the refiner’s fire, turning around to live from the inside out, and purifying our conscience. The question is why? Why all the fuss and preparation?

I believe the answer is, “So that like Mary we can fully and freely consent to with God life, so that we are available to be blessed.”  All of this is germane to our theme for the liturgical year, Finding God in All Things. You see, the more we examen our conscience, purify our hearts and live from the inside out the more we will be able to Find God in All Things. 

The Rev. Greg Boyle, S.J., author of Tatoos on the the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, has been serving gang members in Los Angeles for twenty years, finding God in himself and the gang members as together they grow in their life and work at Homeboy Industries. Here is a story Boyle told in an America Magazine article.*  

“Louie was 19 years old, a gang member making money hand over fist by running up to cars and selling crack cocaine. He quickly became his own best customer. After my many attempts to get him into rehab, he finally agreed to check himself in. He was there one month when his younger brother Erick did something gang members never do. He put a gun to his temple and killed himself. Gang members are much more inclined to walk into enemy turf and hope to die than to pull the trigger themselves.

I called Louie and told him what happened. He was crestfallen. “I will pick you up for the funeral,” I said, “but I’m driving you right back.” “I want to come back,” he said through his tears. “I like how recovery feels.”

When I arrive at the rehab center, Louie greets me with un abrazo, and once in the car, he launches in. “I had a dream last night—and you were in it.” In the dream, he tells me, the two of us are in a darkened room. No lights whatsoever. No illuminated exit signs. No light creeping from under the door. Total darkness. We are not speaking, but he knows I am in the room with him. Then, silently, I pull a flashlight from my pocket and aim steadily on the light switch across the room. Louie tells me that he knows that only he can turn the light switch on. He expresses his gratitude that I happen to have a flashlight. Then with great trepidation, Louie moves slowly toward the light switch, following closely the guiding beam of light. He takes a deep breath, flips the switch on, and the room is flooded with light. As he tells me this, he begins sobbing. “And the light,” he says, “is better than the darkness.” As though he had not known this was the case.”

Boyle reflects, “We cannot turn the light switch on for anyone. But we all own flashlights. With any luck, on any given day, we know where to aim them for each other. We do not rescue anyone at the margins. But go figure, if we stand at the margins, we are all rescued. No mistake about it.”

You see, blessing is shining our flashlights on with God life, regardless of the circumstance. Blessing compels us to know God more clearly, love God more dearly and follow God more nearly, in other words, blessing is finding God in all things. 

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/03/28/father-greg-boyle-i-thought-i-could-save-gang-members-i-was-wrong

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Gospel text for the Feast of the Epiphany 3 January 2016

Episcopal Church of the Apostles "Change for Change" initiative

led by our families with young children
helps children in Tanzania go to school 

by supporting Julius' "Pigs & Chickens" business.

**

Matthew 2:1-12         In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Reflection       Not all kings are cut from the same cloth. King Herod the Great hears about a child born King of the Jews and he is “frightened.” An unknown number of Wise Kings from the East are “overwhelmed with joy” as they approach the child born kKng of the Jews. The mere thought of this child turns power hungry Herod to scheming infanticide. The sight of this child with his mother Mary humbles the Wise Kings who offer him precious gifts from their treasures. 

One newborn child. Such divergent responses. Whereas King Herod is striving to secure his position and power, the Wise Kings are seeking God. Herod acts on his own, seeking his personal benefit regardless of the cost to others. The Wise Kings act together, offering their treasures for the good of a foreign stranger, the newborn Messiah. 

Which makes me think of Jesus’ description of sheep and goats in the 25th chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew. The attitudes and behavior Jesus ascribes to the sheep can be summarized as compassion. “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you … for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” The interesting twist is, Jesus never says, “You are blessed because you gave food to the starving, or welcomed a stranger.” Jesus says, “You are blessed because “I” was hungry and your gave “me” food. You are blessed because “I” was a stranger and you welcomed “me”.” (Matt 25.32-46)

The Wise Kings’ attitude of reverence and generosity puts them in right relationship with God, which naturally brings them close to the child born Messiah, and they are blessed. Likewise when we  adopt the attitude and behaviors that manifest God’s compassion on earth, we are blessed.

When we align our will in the will of God we are inclined to care for the weakest and most vulnerable among us because our heart is transformed in accord with the heart of God. This is what it means to be reconciled or in right relationship with God. We are blessed because we are in right relationship with God, not because we do good works. Good works flow naturally out of our blessed relationship with God, and God in us is manifest. 

** Church of the Apostles’ young families spearhead a small business development ministry in partnership with a young man, Julius, in Tanzania. In gratitude for all that we have been given our children have asked us to put our “Change for Change” into piggy banks when ever we are thankful for something. When our personal piggies are full and fat we bring the change to the big pink pig at church, which when full we send 100% of the money to Julius who buys and raises “Pigs and Chickens” to support his family as well as five other children who otherwise could not go to school. If you would like to contribute please go to http://www.ovapostles.org/online-giving.html and note “Change for Change.” Thank you. 

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Gospel Text for 4th Sunday of Advent, 20 December 2015

Luke 1:39-55        In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

And Mary said,

"My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and to his descendants forever."

Reflection  When you hear the words, Mary, Mother of God, what image comes to your mind? For the first part of my life my image of Mary, Mother of God was the tall, slender, blond girl in my Sunday School class wrapped in a pale blue sheet with a sparkling gold tinsel wreath in her hair. She was the chosen one. I, was not. Fortunately I didn’t have to spend too many therapy hours on Mary because in my iconoclastic Presbyterian church Mary made a singular cameo appearance -  once each year on Christmas Eve. The question is, what does the fleeting glimpse of blue eyed Mary have to do with the woman passionately singing The Magnificat, the Song of Mary?

Who is this Mary chanting a rousing love song to God?  Who is this Mary whose fervent words are stirred with fire?  She seems to be more like a robust woman in full possession of herself than an adorable cherubic preteen. Who is this first century Judean peasant woman who dares to sing a subversive  verse for social justice? How is it  mere Mary sees God turning the world upside down? This Mary is not fragile or ineffectual, neither is she submissive or impotent. No, this Mary is competent and vulnerable, full-bodied and fruitful. This Mary knows who she is and knows who God is.

When Mary encountered the Angel Gabriel, she didn’t run away, she didn’t become speechless and she didn’t get inflated. When the angel addressed Mary as “Favored one,” and announced, “The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1.28) Mary paused and pondered the angel’s words. Her quiet acceptance of the angel’s blessing suggests that Mary had a  sense of worthiness.  When the Angel proclaimed that even though she was unmarried Mary would become pregnant and give birth to a son who would receive the throne of King David and his kingdom would reign forever,” Mary was not paralyzed by the paradox of her poverty giving rise to such greatness. Instead she stood her ground and engaged the angel asking, “How can this be?”(Luke 1.38) When the angel explained that she would give birth to the Son of God,” Mary was both bold and vulnerable saying, “Here I am... let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1.38) 

I much prefer the stand up, engage God and let her life be changed Mary to the once a year adolescent Mary wrapped in a blue sheet. If it was up to me I would keep hail and hearty Mary at the center of our lives all year long because she shows us how to be in relationship with God, how to show up in our lives, how to live in the tension of paradox, how to be vulnerable and take risks all year long. Mary is the unequivocal revelation of what it means to be courageous; to show up, be vulnerable and take the risk of saying yes to “with God” life and in so doing be fully alive, blessed, transformed and fruitful.

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Gospel text for Sunday 2 November 2014

Matthew 5:1-12       When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Reflection       Jesus begins his first sermon with “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” It has taken me years to arrive at what I believe Jesus means when he refers to the poor in spirit. I believe the poor in spirit are those of us who know that we are in need of blessing. Who among us does not need blessing? Yet, who among us wants to leap up, wave our arms and shout, “Here is am, poor in spirit?” Frankly, I have never heard anyone say those words, including myself. However, there are other ways to say it.

A week ago Saturday at Riverfront park during our Community Blessing of the Animals I heard teenages say, “We need blessing”  Please picture this. A bevy of apostles with sunglasses, visors, a wheelchair, floppy hats milling about with Joshua the donkey and Hooligan the horse weaving in and out among unsuspecting neighbors enjoying a Saturday morning stroll, some with and some without four legged friends. Also in this picture are three collared clerics hawking  blessings, waving wands of rosemary and sprinkling water on anything that moved. The extra holy water and bowls were home on a picnic table under the Bighorn Ramada. All the while an interesting thing was happening at the next door table. During the course of an hour a bevy of ten or twelve high school students gradually collected; watching and listening from a near distance. We could almost touch their curiosity.

When I asked them if it would be alright if Deacon Jon blessed them, their assent was immediate and unanimous, “Ah yes, we need blessings. He needs lots of them.  She does. So does he. I sure do….” a delightful repartee.  Every single one of them bowed their head to receive their blessing. A few even moved around for seconds.  “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” for they know that they need blessing. 

What is the take away from that experience? We are people of blessing and it is time for us to get our of our church building and deliver blessings to all the people. Who among us does not need blessing? And, who among us is not called to live in imitation of Jesus, seeing with the eyes of our hearts and being purveryors of blessing for all of humanity?

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Gospel text for Sunday 23 December 2012

Luke 1:39-45      In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord."

Reflection      What does it mean to be blessed? In this context it means to be favored by God, which is how the angel Gabriel greeted Mary before she left to visit her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, “Greetings favored one. The Lord is with you!” What a fantastic announcement. And it was not long thereafter that Mary received essentially the same message from Elizabeth, “Blessed are you...(favored are you),” and “blessed is the fruit of your womb,” (the Lord is with you). It’s no wonder Mary believed that she was blessed and with the Lord. Not only did she receive the message from an angelic messenger she also heard it from the lips of her kinswoman. 

Here is the thing about being blessed. Blessing is not fulfilled unless it is believed. When we believe something we accept that it is true, we have confidence in it. But it does not stop there. Mary “...believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord,” and acted on it. She believed the angel’s claim that her elderly cousin Elizabeth was six months pregnant and so went quickly to Judea to be with her. It seems Mary believed the divine declaration, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Lk 1.37) and it set her in motion.

The angel Gabriel didn’t do something to Mary. The angel did not impose the will of God upon Mary. Mary did something. She chose to believe. And that is the essence of faith. Faith is not the particular doctrine or theological perspective that we adopt in an attempt to explain the inexplicable (pregnancies). Faith is not the explanations and justifications of our behavior. Faith is our intellectual consent to what we cannot understand or explain. Faith is our decision to believe the angel’s message that along with Mary and Elizabeth we are blessed and the Lord is with us. 

In the wake of the tragic shootings in Newtown, Connecticut, we desperately need to hear the angel’s good news. “Blessed are you. The Lord is with you.” And perhaps even more than that we need to choose to believe that even in the midst of the debacle at Sandy Hook school, we are blessed. God is with us and something good that we cannot begin to explain or even imagine will rise from the ashes of this tragedy because “nothing will be impossible with God.” May we, like Mary, act such that it be so.

Gospel Text for Sunday, November 6th, 2011

Matthew 5:1-12 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

"Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.