01.02.08
Posted in Entries at 9:21 pm by Jim
John 6:15-27
Jesus, as he realised they were about to come and take him by force and make him king, fled back to the hills alone. That evening the disciples went down to the shore of the sea and got into a boat to make for Capernaum on the other side of the sea. It was getting dark by now and Jesus had still not rejoined them. The wind was strong, and the sea was getting rough. They had rowed three or four miles when they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming towards the boat. They were afraid, but he said, ‘It’s me. Don’t be afraid.’ They were ready to take him into the boat, and immediately it reached the shore at the place they were making for. Next day, the crowd that had stayed on the other side saw that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that the disciples had set off by themselves. Other boats, however, had put in from Tiberias, near the place where the bread had been eaten. When the people saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into those boats and crossed to Capernaum to look for Jesus. When they found him on the other side, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered: In all truth I tell you, you are looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread you wanted to eat. Do not work for food that goes bad, but work for food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of man will give you, for on him the Father, God himself, has set his seal. – The New Jerusalem Bible
All The Bread You Wanted
It is difficult for us to imagine a society in which one works all day to obtain money to buy that same day’s daily bread for one’s entire family.
A Reflection
We think of poverty as a condition in which we are forced to wear used clothing, live in poor rental apartments, drive old cars, and eat cheap food.
That is not poverty.
Palestine in the first century was a place where sick, old, disabled, or young people could starve to death if their begging skills weren’t up to snuff, or if they had alienated their fellow humans — and they suddenly had a run of bad luck in finding employment.
A good portion of the Law was intended to ensure that every Israelite could have a stake in food-producing land. That culture shows up even today in Israel’s relentless expansion of kibbutzim in the territory they occupied after the 1967 war with their neighbors.
Without land, a person is reduced to working for another in order to obtain daily bread. It is not to the hiring person’s advantage to pay his workers enough to be able to skip work if sick or lazy.
But the occupiers of Israel and Judea were not followers of the Law, and they were able to reduce about 95% of the population to day laborers through clever banking practices.
Those were the women and men and children who followed Jesus around the lake. They were looking for food. We have nothing like their situation in our country in terms of utter abject starvation-poverty.
Jesus wants us to take on that kind of poverty with Him. I don’t know how to do it except spiritually. Maybe that’s good enough. Maybe if I work hard and support my family and give charitably, that will be good enough. I really don’t think so, though.
I feel that I am too blessed, and in my riches cannot fathom the poverty that Jesus so often blessed. The poor require our attention in every way, as we can hear in Jesus’ commandment to us, to love one another as Jesus loves us.
Can you imagine Jesus turning away from a beggar?
A Collect
Lord Christ, we are unable to see the poverty in ourselves unless we see the poverty in others, reflecting your image of humility and dependence on others. Reach us through our fellow humans, we pray, and make us more like you every day. Amen.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Diocese of Abakaliki (Niger, Nigeria) and its bishop, the Rt Rev Benson C B Onyeibor.
The Lectionary for the morning office is: John 6:15-27; Ps 68; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Ephesians 4:17-32.
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12.24.07
Posted in Entries at 1:21 pm by Jim
Dear friends,
I have decided to devote the following few days to my family while both of our sons and their children are visiting us. With sixteen people in our home, my wife deserves my full-time assistance.
I wish you the blessings of our Lord during this time when we remember and celebrate our Creator’s Incarnation to walk among us and show us how we should live our lives after His model.
My daily posts will resume on January 3rd, 2008.
Faithfully, in Christ’s love,
jim
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Posted in Entries at 1:10 pm by Jim
Luke 2:1-14
Now it happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be made of the whole inhabited world. This census—the first—took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to be registered, each to his own town. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David’s town called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. Now it happened that, while they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the living-space. In the countryside close by there were shepherds out in the fields keeping guard over their sheep during the watches of the night. An angel of the Lord stood over them and the glory of the Lord shone round them. They were terrified, but the angel said, ‘Do not be afraid. Look, I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by the whole people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. And here is a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.’ And all at once with the angel there was a great throng of the hosts of heaven, praising God with the words: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace for those he favours. – The New Jerusalem Bible
Incarnate!
We hold our breath, knowing the great surprise that waits for us, tomorrow!
A Collect
Almighty Creator, as we end our longing to celebrate the birth of your Incarnate child as Son of Man, we give you great thanks for our present condition and the hope of all that is to come. Amen.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Diocese of Yokohama (Japan) and its bishop, the Rt Rev James Satoru Endo.
The Eucharistic Lectionary is: Luke 2:1-14; Ps 96; Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14.
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12.22.07
Posted in Entries at 9:56 pm by Jim
Matthew 1:18-25
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’. When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home; he had not had intercourse with her when she gave birth to a son; and he named him Jesus. – The New Jerusalem Bible
To His Home
Joseph was the first man to invite Jesus in.
A Reflection
And Joseph had to do it on faith, too, just like us.
Whether we choose to honor the nativity stories or not, the Incarnation was a very real event. We honor the Incarnation when we honor the Nativity Stories, so until I can rationally accept the Mary-Joseph-Bethlehem-Manger thing, I’m OK with an Incarnation.
God With Us!
Isn’t that what Jesus preached, all along, anyway, God with us? God knocking at the doors of our hearts through the ages, sending prophets to be murdered, honoring Israel, punishing Israel, and finally — finally — producing this Incarnation of the Creator among us? Immanu-el: God with us.
From now through Lent we will rush through the life of Immanu-el, and then gasp at the harsh cruelty of the Crucifixion and the miracle of Resurrection.
But for now, we can stop and appreciate the Incarnation of a loving God who seeks us still, daily loving us and knocking gently, asking to be allowed to enter in.
When Jesus shows Himself in others, He shows us the Creator who loves us so much that the Creator enters in to our lives as meekly and humbly and gently as the Creator has been with us since Creation.
Can we not open our hearts, and return the Creator’s love into the Creation, loving one another as Jesus showed us how?
The Collect
Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Diocese of Yirol (Sudan) and its bishop, the Rt Rev Benjamin Mangar Mamur.
The Eucharistic Lectionary is: Matthew 1:18-25; Ps 80:1-7, 16-18; Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-7.
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12.21.07
Posted in Entries at 8:25 pm by Jim
Matthew 25:31-46
‘When the Son of man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All nations will be assembled before him and he will separate people one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the upright will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, lacking clothes and clothe you? When did we find you sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food, I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink, I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, lacking clothes and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or lacking clothes, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.” And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the upright to eternal life.’ – The New Jerusalem Bible
Hungry
For what do we hunger?
A Reflection
I downloaded Krista Tippet’s Public Radio interview with Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche, after stumbling across it while looking for something else entirely. It was one of those coincidences that I’ve come to appreciate as not happenstance, but almost like some sort of direction.
In listening to Vanier, I was completely absorbed in the man’s gentleness. He and his family had been displaced from France when the Nazis invaded, and the family returned to Canada. Vanier joined the Royal Navy, and later left that occupation to study and teach philosophy. But he was always hungry for some real fulfillment in his life.
He was befriended by a Dominican priest and became aware of the desperate situations of the disabled — both physically and mentally — who are warehoused in institutions. In 1964 he invited two such persons into his home to live with him, as a response to his awareness.
In sixteen communities around the world, L’Arche is now what that one exploratory act has become.
Vanier quotes Ghandi and says, “I cannot change the world. But I can change.” L’Arche is about individual change, about one person feeding the hunger of another. The disabled are loved and cared for as individual persons, individual children of our God. Caretakers are loved by the disabled and appreciated as filling the hunger that their charges have not only for daily sustenance, but for being treated as full persons.
Vanier — and L’Arche — have discovered Jesus in others. Can we?
A Collect
Creator God, you give us freedom to love you and our neighbors; soften our hearts, we pray, to show forth your love in our lives. Amen.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for for the Diocese of Yewa (Lagos, Nigeria) and its bishop, the Rt Rev Simeon Adebola.
The Lectionary for the morning office is: Matthew 25:31-46; Ps 55; Zechariah 8:9-17; Revelation 6:1-17.
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12.20.07
Posted in Entries at 8:56 am by Jim
John 20:24-29
Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord,’ but he answered, ‘Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving any more but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him: You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe. – The New Jerusalem Bible
Unless
Is it not reasonable for humans to set rational conditions on which to base belief?
A Reflection
Once again, William Barclay speaks so well that I am not capable of doing more than repeating him, here:
“But Thomas had two great virtues. He absolutely refused to say that he understood what he did not understand, or that he believed what he did not believe. There is an uncompromising honesty about him. He would never still his doubts by pretending that they did not exist. He was not the kind of man who would rattle off a creed without understanding what it was all about. Thomas had to be sure—and he was quite right. Tennyson wrote:
“There lives more faith in honest doubt,
Believe me, than in half the creeds.”
“There is more ultimate faith in the man who insists on being sure than in the man who glibly repeats things which he has never thought out, and which he may not really believe. It is doubt like that which in the end arrives at certainty.
“… Thomas’s other great virtue was that when he was sure, he went the whole way. “My Lord and my God!” said he. There was no halfway house about Thomas. He was not airing his doubts just for the sake of mental acrobatics; he doubted in order to become sure; and when he did, his surrender to certainty was complete. And when a man fights his way through his doubts to the conviction that Jesus Christ is Lord, he has attained to a certainty that the man who unthinkingly accepts things can never reach.”
— The Gospel of John : Volume 2. 2000, c1975 (W. Barclay, lecturer in the University of Glasgow, Ed.). The Daily study Bible series, Rev. ed. (276). Philadelphia: The Westminster Press.
The Collect
Almighty and everliving God, who strengthened your apostle Thomas with sure and certain faith in your Son’s resurrection: Grant us so perfectly and without doubt to believe in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our God, that our faith may never be found wanting in your sight; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
THOMAS THE APOSTLE +=+ (21 DEC NT)
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Diocese of Yei (Sudan) and its bishop, the Rt Rev Hilary Luate Adeba.
The Eucharistic Lectionary is: John 20:24-29; Ps 126; Habakkuk 2:1-4; Hebrews 10:35-11:1.
Requiescat, Pearl Williams Sturges
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Posted in Entries at 8:52 am by Jim
Matthew 25:1-13
‘Then the kingdom of Heaven will be like this: Ten wedding attendants took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones, though they took their lamps, took no oil with them, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, “Look! The bridegroom! Go out and meet him.” Then all those wedding attendants woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, “Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out.” But they replied, “There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.” They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other attendants arrived later. “Lord, Lord,” they said, “open the door for us.” But he replied, “In truth I tell you, I do not know you.” So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour. — The New Jerusalem Bible
Took Their Lamps, Took No Oil
The wise attendants knew that the bridegroom was never on time to one of these occasions.
A Reflection
Not only did they know that the groom had to haggle with the bride’s family for her dowry, they knew that the longer the negotiations took, the more valuable the bride would appear to the wedding attendees.
We are in that period, now, between Resurrection and Return. We do not know in what hour He will return, or how. What we do know is that He expects us to work toward perfecting His love in us.
The evidence of that perfection is that we act towards one another as He commanded. In doing that, we will have achieved the kingdom.
A Collect
Prepare us, we pray, Lord God, to be faithful stewards of your Creation and all its creatures. Amen.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Church of the Province of Myanmar and Diocese of Yangon and its bishops, the Most Rev Samuel San Si Htay and the Rt Rev Joseph Than Pe.
The Lectionary for the morning office is: Matthew 25:1-13; Ps 50; Zechariah 4:1-14; Revelation 4:9-5:5.
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12.18.07
Posted in Entries at 10:00 pm by Jim
Matthew 24:45-51
‘Who, then, is the wise and trustworthy servant whom the master placed over his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed that servant if his master’s arrival finds him doing exactly that. In truth I tell you, he will put him in charge of everything he owns. But if the servant is dishonest and says to himself, “My master is taking his time,” and sets about beating his fellow-servants and eating and drinking with drunkards, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.’ -- The New Jerusalem Bible
The Trustworthy Servant
“The consensus that the parable is directed at religious leaders is based on the detail that the slave is set over the household to give the other slaves their food at the proper time. It appears likely that the allusion to food is intended as an allegorical reference to spiritual nourishment. The parable warns leaders not to grow slack in their ministry to other Christians simply because the day of reckoning seems to have been postponed.” — Hare, D. R. A. (1993). Matthew. Interpretation, a Bible commentary for teaching and preaching (283). Louisville: John Knox Press.
A Reflection
The easy thing to do is to say, “Yep, those religious leaders need to do their jobs better!”
But then, we probably need to be told to be on our toes, too — as followers.
I believe that the faith we have can be measured by the amount of time we are looking for Jesus in those with whom we spend our lives. In that way, each of us is a “religious leader,” charged by the parable in today’s text.
How are we nourishing those who need the warmth of human love? Those who seem most bent on spoiling our lives are really asking for our love, and doing so in the worst possible way. They seek attention from us, and we often give it to them in uncharitable ways. A sharp word from a spouse, a word that cuts to the quick, is a reaction to that lack of our attention, our love, our filling the need of the other. It hurts more from a loved one than from a work-friend, but the need is in both, and our task is to respond with charity, with love, with kindness.
Jesus is in those whom we love as well as those whom we consider strangers. How many of us complain of bad relationships with family members? Do we not, should we not consider ourselves as their religious leaders? Are we nourishing them with love and encouragement, or reacting badly to their viciously-formed cries for attention, for love?
I have found myself brought up short after thinking I was doing well, trying earnestly to reach out to those whom I don’t know, all the while ignoring those whom I have known from marriage, or from birth.
We must open ourselves to Spirit and ask for an indwelling that will allow contempt to be dissolved, and love to fill the emptiness. Jesus is in everyone, not just the stranger or the least among us.
A Collect
Holy Spirit, we open ourselves to your influence when we love one another; come into us and rule our lives, we pray. Amen.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Diocese of Yambio (Sudan) and its bishop, the Rt Rev Peter Munde Yacoub.
The Lectionary for the morning office is: Matthew 24:45-51; Ps 49, 119:49-72; Zechariah 3:1-10; Revelation 4:1-8.
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12.17.07
Posted in Entries at 8:08 pm by Jim
Matthew 24:32-44
‘Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. So with you when you see all these things: know that he is near, right at the gates. In truth I tell you, before this generation has passed away, all these things will have taken place. Sky and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But as for that day and hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, no one but the Father alone. ‘As it was in Noah’s day, so will it be when the Son of man comes. For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes. Then of two men in the fields, one is taken, one left; of two women grinding at the mill, one is taken, one left. ‘So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming. You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house. Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. — The New Jerusalem Bible
One Is Left
Is being left good, or being taken?
A Reflection
I don’t think Jesus intends that those who refuse Him will be taken into Him.
It is that way, today, as He said: “before this generation passes away.” When we aren’t expecting Him to be for us, at our side, loving us and holding us, we won’t find Him.
When we don’t look for the kingdom of heaven, we won’t find it, although it’s right here, right now, but not hiding in plain sight — not hiding, at all. Our eyes, blinded by pride and hubris and self-centeredness, are unable to see. We harden our own hearts because we are not willing to allow the kingdom to appear, to feel Jesus next to us.
Psychologists can demonstrate that our brains cannot see what they don’t expect to, even though our optic nerves are sending all the right signals to the brain’s visual cortex. In the cortex, only the neurons that correspond to seeing what we expect — only those neurons are ready to fire. All the rest are standing around at parade rest.
Our spiritual hearts seem to be wired the same way. When we are waiting to see Jesus around the next corner, Jesus will be there. He may look like a bag lady or a tricked-out drug dealer. But that’s Jesus.
How will we greet Him, if this is the time He’s coming to take us with him?
A Collect
Lord Christ, we pray that your Holy Spirit will so kindle our hearts that our love for you makes us always ready to receive you. Amen.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Diocese of Wyoming and its bishop, the Rt Rev Bruce Edward Caldwell.
The Lectionary for the morning office is: Matthew 24:32-44; Ps 45; Zechariah 2:1-13; Revelation 3:14-22.
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12.16.07
Posted in Entries at 8:21 pm by Jim
Matthew 24:15-31
‘So when you see the appalling abomination, of which the prophet Daniel spoke, set up in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains; if anyone is on the housetop, he must not come down to collect his belongings from the house; if anyone is in the fields, he must not turn back to fetch his cloak. Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come! Pray that you will not have to make your escape in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unparalleled since the world began, and such as will never be again. And if that time had not been shortened, no human being would have survived; but shortened that time shall be, for the sake of those who are chosen. ‘If anyone says to you then, “Look, here is the Christ,” or “Over here,” do not believe it; for false Christs and false prophets will arise and provide great signs and portents, enough to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. Look! I have given you warning. ‘If, then, they say to you, “Look, he is in the desert,” do not go there; “Look, he is in some hiding place,” do not believe it; because the coming of the Son of man will be like lightning striking in the east and flashing far into the west. Wherever the corpse is, that is where the vultures will gather. ‘Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven; then, too, all the peoples of the earth will beat their breasts; and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet to gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. – The New Jerusalem Bible
Look!
This somewhat confusing text tells us first to disregard signs, and then to await them.
A Reflection
Scholars remain puzzled by what the evangelists are trying to tell us in this text, similar among the three non-Johanine sets of authors. The lay reader attempting to squeeze some meaning from it has either to throw up her or his hands after repeated re-reading — or to go hand-in-hand with someone who claims to know. All of the scholars that I respect either throw this in with the nightmares of revelation or say that they just don’t understand it.
I share their major difficulties with this text.
It doesn’t sound (to me) like Jesus’ preaching. Jesus spoke almost constantly about loving one another. There is none of that here.
Jesus always spoke about the Creator. None of that.
Jesus always spoke about life. None of that here, either.
I have always to consider that the early Church — who wrote it down — made up its mind about what Jesus meant, not necessarily Jesus, himself. Jesus, Son of man, was an honest, humble, and fervent Jew, always obedient to the Creator. When Jesus spoke authoritatively, it was always about beginnings, not about endings.
When Jesus said that some would not taste death before the coming of the kingdom, I think Jesus was speaking about the new covenant that Jesus, the firstborn of all Creation, signified between all of Creation and its Creator.
That covenant is what we ought to be about, not fretting about whether we are “elect” or not. Jesus said that He came for all of us. Let us all respond, “Come, Lord Jesus!”
A Collect
Lord, we wait your coming again with great trust and patience. Amen.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for the Diocese of Wusasa (Kaduna, Nigeria)and its bishop, the Rt Rev Ali Buba Lamido.
The Lectionary for the morning office is: Matthew 24:15-31; Ps 41, 52; Zechariah 1:7-17; Revelation 3:7-13.
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