Acts & Gospel Text for Pentecost 5 June 2022

 Acts 2.1-21        When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in the same place. And there came suddenly from heaven a sound like the sweeping of a mighty wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Then there appeared among them divided tongues, as of fire, and one rested on each of them. And all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and they began to speak in other tongues just as the Spirit gave them to speak. 

Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem devout Jews from every nation under heaven. Now at this sound the crowd gathered and was confused because each heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astounded, they asked “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how do we hear, each in our own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and those who live in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjacent to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs, we hear them speaking in our own tongues about God’s deeds of power.” All were amazed and questioning to one another saying, “What does this mean?” But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”

 

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Judeans and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you all, and attend to my speech. For these persons are not drunk as you suppose, it is only the third hour in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your daughters and sons shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your elders shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both women and men, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 

John 4.7-26        A Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” Now his disciples had gone to the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How are you, a Judean, asking a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?”(Judeans do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God and who is the one telling to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir you have no bucket, and the well is deep. From where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, the one who gave us the well and with his daughters and sons and his flocks drank from it?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again. But the one who drinks of the water that I will give will never thirst. The water that I will give will become in them a fount of water springing up into eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may never thirst or keep coming here to draw water.” 

 

Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back to this place.” The woman answered and said to him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You said rightly, ‘I have no husband.’ For five husbands have you had, and now the one you have is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our mothers and fathers worshiped on this mountain, yet you say in Jerusalem is the place where people must worship.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Sovereign God. You all worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Judeans. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Sovereign God in spirit and truth, for these are the worshippers the Sovereign God seeks. God is spirit, and those who worship God must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Jesus, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am, the one who is speaking to you.”

Reflection    Jesus instructs the Samaritan  woman who is  much concerned about worshipping rightly, “God is Spirit, and those who worship God must worship in Spirit and Truth.” Sixteen-hundred years later Ann Hutchison, a well-educated midwife and daughter of an Anglican priest apparently takes Jesus’ words to heart as she boldly claims an “...unmediated experience of God’s Presence.”*  Hutchison dauntlessly declares that by grace her religious experience gives her wisdom, discernment and peace. In other words, Hutchison consents to receive and express the Spirit of Truth. Regardless of what other people say to or about her, Hutchison consents to the Spirit of Truth’s presence and action with her.

But it was the seventeenth century and, like the Samaritan woman Hutchison is supposed to be silently sequestered in shadows. There is no room in the Anglican Church’s story for her to think for herself, speak her mind, and certainly not claim direct access to the Spirit of Truth. Silenced by her mother church, Hutchison and her family join a Puritan community, cross the pond  to the New World where immediately she teaches that faith, rather than rigid adherence to Puritan rules, is the ticket to heaven and that individuals can and should read and interpret the Bible for themselves.

Hutchison’s teaching does not stop there.  Using her midwifery services as a pretext for gathering people around her, Hutchison encourages the people to “receive the Holy Spirit, claim the Spirit of Truth for yourself.”  I can almost hear her saying, “It is right here in John’s gospel. Read it for yourself. Jesus promises, ^“When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…  he will take what is mine and declare it to you,” (John 16. 13,14) Friends, we do not need officials telling us what to believe. The Spirit of Truth is with us.”

Oh dear!  Hutchison’s  message violates all that the keepers of the status quo protect. Outraged, the Church and government officials in the new Massachusetts Bay Colony bring Hutchison to trial and when she publicly claims direct experience with God, whom she assures them is not pleased with their behavior,  she is charged with contempt and sedition and banished from the colony. 

Has no one in the Church  heard and heeded God’s words spoken through the prophet Joel? and repeated by Peter?  “… I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh… upon slaves, women and men I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy.”

The windy Spirit of Truth lands on each of us. Apostles, Galileans, Parthians, Jews, Arabs, Mesopotamians, Mexicans, South Americans, Sudanese, migrants, asylum seekers, single, married, old, young, gay, straight, people of every skin and stripe, all filled with the Spirit of Truth and meant to speak Truth out loud. 

So, how does the Spirit of Truth get silenced on the way to Church?  

Maybe it is this. We humans are stuck on the question “What is truth?” the question Pilate raises when Jesus asserts, “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth.” (John 18.37,38) Rather than believe what Jesus testifies is true, we choose sides and fight for what we think is right? 

 

Here is the good news. The key to answering the question, “What is truth?” is hiding in plain sight and has nothing to do with answering (or worshipping) rightly.

When possessed by pride or the compulsion to win our bodies are as leaves tossed on writhing seas and like wind whipped flames our minds leap to judge, deface and destroy. By contrast, when we are steered by the Spirit of Truth our bodies like oak trees on good ground take root and like a pond’s mirror surface on a windless day our minds are clear. The trademark of pride and compulsion to win is insolence and dissension. The signature of the Spirit of Truth is humility and peace. The way to discern Truth in any situation is by asking ourselves and each other, “Does this thought, position, decision or action lead to greater peace within and among us?  Or does it lead to agitation, fear and dissension?” The key to discerning, “What is Truth?” is peace.

Remember Jesus’ words just one chapter before John’s text? “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you… You heard me say to you, “I am going away, and I am coming to you.” (John 14:27-28) Although the person of Jesus goes away, the Spirit of Truth comes to us. This is what the Feast of Pentecost is about, remembering and celebrating the Spirit of Truth that fills all people. 

We know the presence of the Spirit of Truth by the peace it imparts within and among us. We know when the Spirit of Truth is upon us because it replaces fear, judgment, anger and troubled hearts with peace, peace that is nailed to the cross of every moment regardless of the circumstance. 

Even though we call the season after Pentecost Ordinary Time I believe it is rather extraordinary because this is our collective opportunity to consent to the Spirit of Truth and give birth to peace.

While trapped in arguments over “what is truth?” our world is imploding. On the way to church we fight over abortion, gun rights, health care, education and the climate and who to blame.  As long as we are bent on winning we are guaranteed to miss the mark, because on the way to church we lose the key that Jesus leaves us. Peace. 

So let your car key or house key or church key be a reminder to consent to the Spirit of Truth and ask yourself, “Does this thought, position, decision or action lead to greater peace within and around me?  Or does it lead to agitation, fear and dissension?” And then, choose peace.

*The Reader’s Companion to American History. Eric Foner and John A. Garraty, Editors. Houghton Mifflin Haracout Publishing Co., 1991.

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Gospel text for Sunday 22 May 2022

John 14:23-29        Jesus said to Judas (not Iscariot), "Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.

"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. You heard me say to you, `I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.”

Reflection        Can you picture Jesus dictating his Last Will and Testament?  I, Jesus, residing in the city of Nazareth in the state of Israel, being of sound mind and memory do make, publish and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. I give and bequeath all that I have, tangible and intangible to my friends, now and for all time.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives,” no baskets, bowls or blankets, no mud bricks nor oil lamps. Only “my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”  

This is good news, right? Peace is precisely what we need today. Healing our ailing body. Resolution of conflicts with family and friends. Cessation of shootings, riots and insurgencies. Conclusion of political brawling. Termination of war and threats of war. A conflict free happily ever after life. So Jesus, where is the peace that you leave with the disciples and us today? Not really feeling it!

Peace that the world gives is dependent on circumstances. We experience worldly peace when we and our loved ones are healthy, our friends are trustworthy and the stock market is stable. We enjoy worldly peace when the neighbor’s dog is quiet, our computers are working and no one or nothing is causing us disturbance or inconvenience. Of course, all of these circumstances are subject to change in a heartbeat. Then what happens to our peace?

Peace that Jesus gives is "not as the world gives." Jesus’ peace does not depend on the fickle tides of time nor does it remove us from trouble or tragedy. Jesus’ peace accompanies us as we sail life’s surly seas, from the heights of success to the depths of distress. Regardless of our shifting situation Jesus’ peace guards us as a durable stillness of our hearts and quiet equanimity of our minds. This peacefulness of heart and mind persists in spite of our temperamental status or erratic circumstance. 

And, Jesus’ peace comes with a cost. To receive our inheritance of peace we must put a leash on our leaping minds and harness our devouring emotions. How do we do that? By refusing the three enemies of divine consciousness; discontent, covetousness and envy. The price of peace is consent. Like it or not, Jesus’ peace demands we consent to our situation exactly as it is. Discontent, covetousness and envy are the enemies of peace.

“Peace comes of its own accord when we no longer covet.” (Tao Teh Ching) This bit of Taoist wisdom has served me well. To covet is to crave or begrudge, to strive for something that is not. Coveting is the opposite of what we watch Jesus do as he faces persecution, suffering  and death. “If I do not have to drink this cup it is alright with me. Still, “not my will, your will be done.”” Peace is the consort of consent. Consent dismisses the enemies of divine consciousness.

Writing from prison to the first church he established in Europe, the apostle Paul is at peace when he pens his letter to the Philippians. Paul wants the people of Philippi who have supported him from the beginning of his ministry to know that even if he is put to death, they should not be concerned. (Phil 2.17-18)  Paul implores them, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds.“(Phil 4.6-7)

Here is the bad news. If our peace depends upon our good health,  the resolution of conflicts with our family and friends,  the cessation of shootings, riots and insurgencies, the conclusion of political brawling and the termination of war and threats of war, our hearts and minds will always be troubled. We will always be afraid.

Here is the good news. Paul gives us the key to receiving our full inheritance from Jesus, “Be anxious for nothing.” When we consent to reality exactly as it is  the peace that is beyond our understanding, will of its own accord guard the stillness of our hearts and the presence of our minds.  So breath deeply and  "be anxious for nothing." Receive your inheritance.“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.”

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Gospel text for Sunday 6 March 2022

 Luke 4:1-13        After his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.’"

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, "To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours." Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'Worship the Lord  your God, and serve only him.’"

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’" Jesus answered him, "It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Reflection        If ever we needed to pause and ponder who we are and how we want to be in the midst of the current geopolitical crisis, now is the time. Now is the time to be brutally honest with ourselves and with each other, to hold ourselves to account for the ways we have individually and collectively succumbed to the devilish temptation to revere power as our principle motive for life. For as long as power is our passion and persuasion there will be no lasting peace. 

Mahatma Gandhi writes, “The day the power of love overrules the love of power the world will know peace.” For far too long, far too many of us have been seduced by the devil’s temptations to chase, accumulate and misuse power. Today we see the consequence erupting around the globe. What are we to do?

Immediately following his baptism, Jesus was praying, and “the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ (Luke 3.22) Jesus is praying when he experiences the Spirit coming upon him and a voice assuring him he is the beloved of God, he is chosen. This sets the stage for Jesus’ temptations.

This is an experience that could make some one like me be full of my self, feel powerful and chosen. I can imagine myself saying, “You will not believe what just happened. I heard God tell me, ’You are my beloved daughter. With you I am pleased!’” I must be very special.” There is little doubt that I would be tempted to think rather highly of myself, to fancy myself in some elevated position of power, prestige or spirit and if not that, then to second guess the experience. “Alright God, if that is really you would you please give me a sign to prove it?” 

Thankfully this story is not about me. It is about how Jesus’ dazzling religious experience is made concrete and unyielding as he handily foils the devil’s temptations.

The first temptation. “Jesus, if you are the son of God, prove it. Use your power for personal gain.”  That is what the emperors Tiberius and Augustus did. That is what we see graphically happening today in Ukraine and a bit more like a snake in the grass happening in these United States today.  Turning to scripture to be guided by wisdom greater than himself.  Jesus recalls the story of his hungry ancestors, wandering in the desert for forty years, complaining about their grievous situation and mysteriously fed manna. With God life trumps exceeds power used for personal gain.

The second temptation. “Jesus, if you sell your soul to the devil you can have power over the kingdoms of the world.” Jesus is neither duped nor seduced because he understands real power is with God and not executed over people. Again referring to wisdom revealed in scripture, Jesus silences the devil declaring, God is the only One to be worshipped. Humility trumps ill begotten power.

The third temptation is an interesting twist. This time the devil uses  scripture, cherry picking verses to cajole Jesus into testing God which has an ironic effect. Instead of confounding the devil with scripture this time Jesus claims his own authority, “It is said, 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’" Jesus stands firmly in his authority grounded in his unshakable faith in God. Faith in God’s faithfulness trumps barbarian power. 

All three temptations address the issue of power; misusing power for personal gain, selling our souls for access to power over others and failing to put our faith in the incontrovertible power of God. Jesus shows us the way to foil the devil’s temptations and do our part to change our culture from a politics of power to a politics of love so that we may look forward to “The day the power of love overrules the love of power…. and we will know peace.”

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Gospel text for Sunday 18 April 2021

Luke 24:36b-48        Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Reflection      I must make a confession. Something about the liturgical usage of the words “Peace BE with you,” in the Episcopal tradition has always left me unsatisfied. The risen Christ has already come and stood among us,  has already breathed on us ”Peace that is beyond understanding.” (Phil 4.7) The blessing of peace; of wholeness, completeness, well being and security IS already with us. In the gospel according to John we read Jesus’ words, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives…. (John 14. 27).   In other words, peace IS with us. We do not receive the gift of peace contingent upon who we are, where we come from, what we believe, who we vote for, or anything that we have done or that we have left undone. God’s Peace is present and available to everyone, right now, no matter what is happening inside or outside of us. 

This is startling, this is terrifying, this raises doubts in our hearts. Much like the disciples in Luke’s text,  we want to feel joy but we cannot believe it and we wonder, “How can this be?” We look for peace and instead we see unspeakable brutality, mass shootings and bloodshed. In lieu of completeness we suffer classism, agism, sexism, racism, and every form of partiality. Loss and disadvantage supplant our sense of equity and blessing. Confusion, suspicion and mistrust overthrow our freedom and security.  Peace? What Peace is there for us? 

Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.”… “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” “And he opened their minds to understand.” The Peace of the Lord IS always with you. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 11 April 2021

 John 20:19-31      When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Reflection        Oh Thomas, be careful what you ask for! Do you really want to see and feel Jesus’ wounds? Is having your own personal experience of Jesus’ suffering the only way you will believe? Thomas’ answer is “Yes.” And apparently many people on the planet today would also answer, “Yes.”

Hitting rock bottom is the familiar euphemism for reaching the lowest possible point in our life wherein suffering bears down like a hammer and we seek refuge in our rooms, lock the doors and lament. Then, with our bodies and minds buried in Jesus’ wounds, finally we see beyond seeing and know beyond knowing. We “come to believe.” By allowing ourselves to  experience the immediacy of our suffering we catch ourselves calling out, “My Lord and my God. Help me.” 

When we’ve lost our job, our home, our loved one, or our body is wracked with disease, when our family is falling apart or we simply cannot get out of bed, when we have fallen to the bottom of our personal rabbit hole, whatever that may be, this is when  in a most mysterious way  many of us “come to believe” that there is indeed something more. Pivoting on the head of a pin we see beyond the fallen bricks and mortar of our lives and shout into the darkness, “My Lord and my God.”

Much as the disciples, I have spent time locked inside my fear while locking the rest of the world out. Locked into fear. Locked out of relationships. Apparently this is an unacceptable situation for the risen Christ. By means we cannot wrap our minds around  Jesus breeches the locked door, stands among the terrified disciples and inconceivably delivers the gift of his presence saying, “Peace be with you…. receive the Holy Spirit.” 

When we hit our personal rock bottom, locked in fear with the world locked out, rising from the depths of our darkest wound comes the impossible promise. Peace. God’s Peace. The Holy Spirit of God arrives dispensing the opposite of fear, agitation, disharmony, worry, frustration, hatred and distress. Peace. 

“Peace be with you,” in the depths of your darkest nightmare. “Peace be with you,” in the wounds of your flesh. “Peace be with you,” in your tormented mind. “Peace be with you,” when your friends abandon you and you are locked in fear. “Peace be with you,” so that “you may have life.” The question is, “Do you choose to believe?”

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Gospel text for 8 December 2019

Matthew 3:1-12      In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,

“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 

‘Prepare the way of the Lord, 

make his paths straight.’”

Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Reflection      John the Baptist seems especially interested in confronting us religious folk who, like the Pharisees and Sadducees in Matthew’s text, have a tendency to feel entitled and presume upon tradition or inheritance to claim our status as the People of God. After all, “We are good, well bred, educated, faithful churchgoers. We follow the rules, we have worked hard and earned our privilege. We give to charities, we volunteer and even pledge to support our church.” But the snarly prophet John cajoles, “Don’t kid yourselves you religious folk. God is not interested in your six-hundred and thirteen rules, the order in which you light your candles, if the priest washes her hands before celebrating communion or how many Sundays per month you show up for church. Anything that interferes with you being in right relationship with God and acting decisively to fulfill God’s desire for peace and good will for all people on earth needs to be exposed and washed away. So, repent! Turn around, change your behavior.” This is the work of Advent.

As a first step to assist us with turning around and changing our behavior John offers a baptism by water. You may wonder, where did John learn this practice of baptism? John stands like a bridge between Hebrew and Christian Testament times repurposing the Jewish tradition of baptizing Gentile converts to Judaism when they were circumcised. But, in today’s gospel text we meet John at the River Jordan doing what would have been unheard of, baptizing Jews. 

We understand this to be a spiritual baptism intended to change the behavior of the coldhearted Jews to turn back to God and extend God’s peace and good will to all people. Turning Jews back to God is a dramatic change from converting Gentiles into Jews. But John counsels, “My baptism of repentance is not the end of the the game. ‘One more powerful than I is coming after me. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’” John’s baptism by water is completed with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Christ that is given for all, the Fire that refines and changes our behavior to restore us to right relationship with God and one another. 

Now we know who this “more powerful one” is. In the sentence immediately following Matthew’s gospel pericope Jesus arrives at the Jordan river and is baptized by John. What happens immediately following Jesus’ baptism? “…Jesus is led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted to misuse power for his personal gain. He fasts for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he is famished.” (Matt 4.1-2)  There the devil, the enemy of human consciousness, three times tempts Jesus to put his faith in his self rather than depend on his relationship with God. But Jesus keeps his mind turned toward God. The next thing we know Jesus leaves the wilderness and begins his ministry in Galilee. Jesus’ faith is fulfilled in action, his mind and his behavior are aligned in God’s desire for peace and good will for all people.

I believe it is reasonable to compare our Advent season to Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness. Advent is a season to step out of our comfort zone and into the wilderness. This is a time for us to acknowledge that the world of cities wrapped in tinsel and  steeped in Hallmark card sentiment does not have the last word.  

In Advent, the season of self examination, we confess the ways we turn away from God, we take responsibility for our merciless actions, we experience remorse, express regret and by the grace of God change our behavior by looking for opportunities to extend peace and good will to all people. As Jesus teaches us a bit later in Matthew’s gospel, “ ‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord”, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only one who does the will of my Father.” (Matt 7.21) Actions speak louder than words. 

During the wilderness time of Advent we are invited to examine our selves and confess the ways in which we have turned away from God by being less than honest, civil and merciful. And we do not to stop there. Admitting our offenses, we step out of the river and turn around, fasten the belt of righteousness around our waist and take the words from our Hallmark Christmas cards and make them real in the world by extending peace and good will to every person we meet every single day, no exceptions. You see, as soon as we express regret by grace we are able to change our ways and reveal God’s love every day.

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Gospel Text for Pentecost 9 June 2019

John 14:8-17, 25-27        Philip said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, `Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."

Reflection        Jesus leaves his peace with us, peace intended to replace our fear of the dark and murky places, our fear of what we do not know and cannot control, our fear of people who look and think and believe differently than us.  When we say  “yes” to Jesus’ peace the Spirit of Truth blooms from the inside out, illumining  our minds, inflaming our hearts and inciting our courage to act in spite of the complexity and uncertainty of our time. I believe the Spirit of Truth is with Warren Scott.

Warren Scott is a thirty six year old humanitarian aid worker  who provided water, food and shelter to two suffering undocumented migrants . Scott is a volunteer with No More Deaths, a Tucson-based aid group that leaves supplies for migrants crossing the Southern border. The provisions left in the desert are considered lifesaving, as at least 3,000 migrants are believed to have died walking through the desolate expanse. This week Scott faces charges in Federal Court; one count of conspiring to transport and two counts of harboring two Central American men who crossed into the U.S. from Mexico.

In light of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan, what was Warren Scott to do? You recall the story Jesus told to a lawyer who wanted to test him and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ The lawyer countered, “who is my neighbor?” Whereupon Jesus tells the story of a Jewish man who is robbed, beaten and left half dead at the side of a road. A priest and a Levite, both Jews, pass him by but a foreigner, a Samaritan, moved with pity (the Spirit of Truth within him), breaks the law prohibiting Samaritans from touching Jews, stops and gives humanitarian aid to the dying stranger. The question Jesus poses to the lawyer and us is, “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man …” suffering at the side of the road?”  Clearly our answer must be, “the one who showed …mercy.” How then can we ignore Jesus’ instruction, ‘Go and do likewise?” (Luke 10.29-36)

There are Good Samaritan laws in this country, laws intended to protect people who give assistance to those who are or who they believe may be injured, ill or in peril. The laws are intended to reduce bystanders fear of being sued or prosecuted for helping, to mitigate our fear of uncertain outcomes. 

Yes, it can make us anxious to do what we know is the Truth in our hearts because we cannot control the consequence. Even Good Samaritan laws cannot insure a favorable result when we are moved to loving action by the Spirit of Truth within us. Nonetheless we are assured, “My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid.’ Now go, in the Spirt of Truth, and be merciful to those in need. 

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Gospel text for Sunday 18 November 2018

Mark 13:1-8        As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs.”

Reflection       Reading this text from Mark can be down right disturbing. Great buildings will fall flaming down. We will be misled, hear of wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, all manner of disaster. And this is only the beginning? This sounds too much like a summary of our current events. We want to run away and bury our heads in the sand. 

But if we pause and allow ourselves to rise to the 10,000 foot above the ground perspective we may catch a glimpse of something more. You see, although our minds cannot unravel the complexity of our circumstance and our emotions cannot resist being  swept up in the dramatic tide of news cycles, our hearts ‘know’ there is something more. The apostle Paul explains this in his second letter to the Corinthians, it is “because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.” (2Cor 4.16) 

Regardless of the explosive uncertainty of current events there is something deep within us that  insists there is more to life than meets the eye. And that is what allows us to “walk by faith, not by sight,” (2Cor 5.7)  especially in the midst of chaos. When Jesus instructs the disciples and us to “Beware…” I do not believe he is telling us to build bomb shelters and stock pile supplies to mitigate impending doom. No. Jesus is warning us not to ascribe inordinate value to things that are temporary, things that by definition have an expected ‘shelf-life.’  

When we put our faith in the unborn, undying eternally all that is we are able to sit at the foot of a collapsing building and not flinch. It is not that we are unaffected by the looming loss. We understand that all things that are accessible to our temporary senses are temporary. At the same time we affirm, there is that which “cannot be seen,” and it is eternal. 

We are misled when we put our faith in things that we see because ultimately they will disintegrate and betray us. We rise with Jesus to the 10,000 foot perspective when we see beyond the tumult and rubble to the peace that eternally pervades the maelstrom of commotion. This is the peace Jesus leaves with us, the peace that we cannot see, the peace that is present even when the buildings collapse and “not one stone is left upon another.”

For an experience of 20 minutes of something more please listen to Benjamin Zander’s TED talk.

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Gospel text for 3rd Sunday of Easter 15 April 2018

Luke 24:36b-48        Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Reflection       The risen Christ stands among us, indeed, in and of and with each of us, saying “Peace be with you.” What better place than in Church to practice passing on the peace, the peace that dwells within each of us? the peace for which we all long? The risen Christ stands among the disciples who betrayed and abandoned him, who ran away when he was arrested, who hid when he was beaten, humiliated and died. The message is irrefutable, God’s peace of  wholeness and completeness, well being and security is present and available to everyone, no matter what.

When we stop think about it, the act of passing the peace is an act of radical resistance to everything within us and around us that promotes division and distrust, doubt and disillusion. As we pass the peace we are standing up against the forces of hatred in our world. We are looking into one another’s eyes and affirming a truth that is beyond our understanding. No matter what appears to be going on, God’s peace, God’s wholeness, completeness, well-being and security IS with us. 

Here I must make a confession. Something about our liturgical usage of the words “Peace BE with you,” has always left me unsatisfied. The risen Christ has already come and stood among us,  has already breathed on us ”the peace that is beyond understanding.” (Phil 4.7) The blessing of peace; of wholeness, completeness, well being and security IS already with us. In the gospel according to John we read Jesus’ words, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives…. (John 14. 27).   In other words, peace IS with us. We do not receive the gift of peace contingent upon who we are, where we come from, what we believe, who we vote for, or anything that we have done or that we have left undone. God’s peace is present and available to everyone, right now, no matter what. 

This is startling, this is terrifying, this raises doubts in our hearts. Much like the disciples,  we want to feel joy but we cannot believe it and we wonder, how can this be? We look for peace and instead we see brutality and bloodshed. In lieu of completeness we suffer patronage and partiality. Loss and disadvantage supplant our sense of well being. Confusion, suspicion and mistrust overthrow our security.  Peace? What peace is there for us? 

Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.”… “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” “And he opened their minds to understand.” The peace of the Lord IS always with you. This is good news indeed. 

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Gospel text for Pentecost 4 June 2017

John 20:19-23        When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Reflection      How can we possibly respond to Jesus’ challenging commission, “Peace I leave with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you?… Forgive the sins of any and they are forgive…” I do not know about you but I want to say, “Jesus, are you kidding me? You are sending me to bring peace and reconciliation to all people? to forgive the sins of anyone, really? Have you not been paying attention to the news? Have you any idea what is going on in our world? The very thought of me bringing peace and forgiveness makes my stomach leap into my throat. This is hard to swallow.” 

Then I remember. This is not about us individual persons making righteous judgments, fixing people or the world. It is about us remembering that everything that is, is already part of God. This is reality. God is reality. In the words of Philip K. Dick, "Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, does not go away."* All we need to do is sit still in reality, in  the middle of our storm tossed minds and emotionally fraught bodies and wait, wait for the peace that is evidence of God with us. Wait until we hear our hearts beating and the weighty, dependable peace rooted deep inside will rise to guide us to be the peace we desire for our world. 

When we stop struggling against reality as it is, we find ourselves steeped in the Reality of God, claim our place in the Mystery of the Holy Trinity and proclaim with our brother Jesus, “ I am in the Father, and you in me and I in you.” (John 14.20) We are One, all people and all of creation. Nothing is not part of God. God is Reality. This is spiritual freedom, freedom from identification with our thoughts, feelings and desires about God or Reality. This is freedom to be the peace we are sent to make known in all the world.   

For an interesting conversation about the relationship of Science, Religion and Reality please listen to Michael Dowd's Ted Talk by clicking on the top right of this page. 

* How to Build a Universe That Doesn't Fall Apart Two Days Later, 1978

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