19th Sunday in Ordinary Time -- August 10, 2014

             ²² Right away, Jesus made his disciples get into a boat and start back across the lake. But he stayed until 
                he had sent the crowds away. ²³ Then he went up on a mountain where he could be alone and pray.  
                  Later that evening, he was still there.


I like to look for the overlooked aspects of famous, well-known passages when I am preparing to teach or preach. I like to examine and wonder about the seemingly inconsequential parts that usually get skipped over for the BIG STORY, the MIRACLE, the LARGER THAN LIFE experience. Because that is where most of  us live. 

Jesus had set off to be alone after he heard the news about John the Baptist's beheading. Many believe that John was Jesus' cousin. But  the crowds found  him and the day ended with the feeding of the 5,000. Now Jesus goes off to be alone once more,  and we don't know who or what ended his time of solitude, but when it did end, he went to them far out on the sea and another great miracle occurs. 

          + Jesus withdraws often in scriptures for solitary prayer time with God. If he is God, why does he need this?
          +  Does the fact that Jesus does do this often, if not daily, inform us as to our true and deepest needs?
          + How would you respond to Martin Luther, who, when he had a particularly full day ahead of him was 
                known to say: I have so much to do today, I must pray twice as long!  


     
 

View of the northwestern portion of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) from the location of the miracle of the Feeding of the 5,000.

A small cave on the Eremos Heights, east of Capernaum, and below the location of the Feeding of the 5,000 and overlooking Peter's designated fishing area on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). Tradition has it that this is a place where Jesus went to be by himself and pray.

 

EASTER 6 - May 25, 2014

 I had the pleasure of supplying at the West Hempfield PC once again this week, and used the lectionary text from Acts 17:22-31 as the basis of my sermon. I particularly focused on:
            ²²Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are 
            in every way. ²³For as I went through the city and looked carefully at the objects of your worship, I found 
            among them an altar with the inscription, ‘To an unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, 
            this I proclaim to you.                                                                                    

Paul then delivered a strong witness to the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ to the people of the Areopogus, the business council of Athens. Though a few heard and believed, most could not get past their Hellenist belief that the body is just excess baggage, a drag on the spirit which yearns to be set free from it. The  idea  of  resurrection  - of  the body! -  was  too much to swallow. 

The  key point is that  Paul looked for 'where  the people were' and met them there. Just  as  God comes to us where we  are in Jesus Christ. And that is where we are  called  to begin our witness. AND the good  news for us is that we don't all have to gio out into streets like Paul. St. Francis of Assisi said so eloquently:
            "Preach  the gospel always; and when necessary, use words."


               + could you sit and simply breathe with a Native American as a way of  praying with him/her?
           + could you welcome without judgment someone seeking God's love who looked or acted in a way 
              foreign or even distasteful to you?
           + who do you know who might benefit from receiving God's love and grace enacted through you?  
               how ready are you to offer it to strangers you will never see again or know whether you had any 
               impact on them or not?            

My 'Visible and In visible' Class at Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu, NM displaying our 'prayer totems'

Prayer Flags made by the class and left outside the Agape Worship Center as a gift.

EASTER 4 - May 11, 2014

I had the opportunity to supply this past Sunday (Mother's Day in the secular world) since I am 'between calls' and was moved to speak about the I AM saying of John 10:1-10, particularly:
    ⁷So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 
      ⁸All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.  
      ⁹I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out 
          and find pasture.  
     ¹⁰The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, 
          and have it abundantly.

The Greek word for 'gate' can just as easily be translated 'door'. It is rendered 'gate' here because that is what a sheepfold has, not a door! 

But we think more in terms of doors in our everyday lives. One of our most common metaphors is 'when one door closes .... another door opens!' I personally envision this in seeking direction in my life (or a new call!) as looking for a door that is open just a crack and sticking my toes into it. If it opens, I go on through! But if it slams shut on them I howl for a moment and go in search of another door that is cracked open. 

          +How do you seek guidance for the direction in your life? 
          +Do you have a strong sense of Jesus Christ's presence leading you to and through those choices? 

Entrance to Library at St. Andrew's University, Scotland

                                      

Entrance to the Chapel at St. Andrew's University, Scotland

Gated Entrance in St. Andrew's, Scotland

Turnstile for people at the entrance to the Heugh, Lindisfarne, England

 

ENTERING JERUSALEM ONE MORE TIME

This is the last of my daily re-posts of d365 with a personal addition. To continue using these daily devotions, visit and bookmark www.d365.org. Happy Easter to you all!

Presence of God
A quick look through the book of Psalms will reveal a theme that repeats itself again and again - the steadfast love of God.
When we look at Jesus we see the reflection of what God is like. In his life, in facing death, and in death itself, Jesus remained faithful in his love towards those he came to save.
As we journey through Holy Week, you will see the steadfast love of God again and again, fully revealed in the face of Jesus.

Word of God
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
    John 20:11-18

Devotion
Can you picture Mary, feeling her way in the dark to the last place she saw her Lord? But he isn’t there. The stone has been rolled away and his body is gone. She thinks someone has stolen it. It’s only later, as she is standing outside the tomb weeping, that she turns and sees a mysterious stranger standing there. She thinks he’s the gardener. She says, “If you’ve carried him off somewhere tell me and I will take him away.” And then Jesus calls her name, “Mary,” and in that moment she recognizes him for who he really is — the risen Lord.

Do you know how that is, how you can pick your mother’s voice out of a hundred other voices? This is the one who gave you life. This is the one who taught you love.

I think that’s how it was for Mary.
    Jim Somerville

Yes, I think for Mary it was the tone/timbre of Jesus’ voice as he spoke her name that was the giveaway .... just as it was the act of breaking the bread for the two who walked the Emmaus Road with him later that day.

It makes me wonder what ‘gives Jesus away’ to you, makes his presence distinct from others? There are probably several things, since we did not have the joy of actually walking and talking with the living human or pre-ascended physically on-earth Jesus as did these folks. But I think it is good to have identified what it is that usually prompts you to Jesus’ presence with you.

For me it centers on deep, spirit-filled music; direct eye contact with the one serving me the elements of Eucharist (and not just handing a plate of to me without a word!); settings of light and shadow in the natural world (especially when I have a camera); a whole hoard of symbols and ritual acts (lighting the advent candles, a Tenebrae, etc.) sunrises (and sunsets).

I pray you had a meeting with the risen Lord today, and will continue to throughout this Eastertide and beyond. He is always right there, speaking, singing, breaking, lighting, rising up — just waiting for us to hear or see or take notice.  Alleluia!
     Norma Prina Murphy

Conversation with God
Jesus. Teacher. Source of life and love. On this day I celebrate your resurrection, grateful beyond words that you are now and forever alive and well. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Benediction
O that you and I might be,
Like Jesus,
Faithful and true.

God grant us grace
That we might become,
Like Christ,
Steadfast in our love too.

In a dry gulch alongside the driveway loop of Ghost Ranch Conference Center, Abiquiu, New Mexico --- a falling leaf caught mid-air while shooting the beauty of the shadow's tracery on the already fallen leaves

 

A life and death battle at stake for this tree in a harsh, rocky yet vibrant setting in that same dry gulch

 

Seeing the awesome beauty of these back-lit leaf layers (still in that same dry gulch) is something that I consciously continue to attribute now to a creation spoken into being by one who was 'with God and ....was God.  In him was life and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it.' (see John 1:1-4)

The Lord is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! 

ENTERING JERUSALEM ONE MORE TIME

On this day of silence -- well, of course, I had to fill the void. So again, the daily devotion from d365 with my 'backtalk' added. 

Presence of God
A quick look through the book of Psalms will reveal a theme that repeats itself again and again - the steadfast love of God.
When we look at Jesus we see the reflection of what God is like. In his life, in facing death, and in death itself, Jesus remained faithful in his love towards those he came to save.
As we journey through Holy Week, you will see the steadfast love of God again and again, fully revealed in the face of Jesus.

Word of God
After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
    John 19:38-42

Devotion
Today is “Holy Saturday,” and if you can think about it this way, ---- it’s the only day in history when Jesus wasn’t alive.

The Gospel of John says that Jesus was in the beginning with God, and that all things were made through him. He was the “Word” that was with God and was God. If that’s true, then he existed from the very beginning — he was alive and well even before he “became flesh and lived among us,” as John says. But on this day — the Saturday after Good Friday — he was dead.

Can you imagine how it would be if you couldn’t talk to Jesus? If you couldn’t count on him to be there when you needed him? Think how his disciples must have felt, and how grateful we can be that of all the days in history, this was the only one when Jesus wasn’t alive.
    Jim Somerville

I, myself, have for a long time used the name ‘Jesus’ to refer to the ‘fully human’ part of the incarnate God and ‘Christ’ to refer to the ‘fully God’ part. Which in Jesus Christ the God-human are intermingled and not truly distinct, and yet to me, somehow important to recognize. So it is a bit jarring for me to read that JESUS (as opposed to Christ or Logos/the Word) was alive for all of history except that one day.

But theological hair-splitting aside .... to answer his question, YES. And so can anyone who has buried someone beloved. I just wrote an email this past week to a friend who is losing her husband to dementia. I affirmed my dad’s statement that the hardest day-in, day-out point in surviving the death of a spouse was the loss of the trusted ‘sounding board,’ the person you could go to for insight or to just talk through a situation and clear your head about the choices before you.

Oh, God, how deeply grateful I am that I did not have to experience THAT silence, even for a day.
    Norma Prina Murphy
   
Conversation with God
Jesus, I don’t like to think of you cold and dead and lying in the tomb. I like to think of you alive and well and listening as I pray. On this day help me remember how much you mean to me, as I wait with hope for your resurrection. Amen.

Benediction
O that you and I might be,
Like Jesus,
Faithful and true.

God grant us grace
That we might become,
Like Christ,
Steadfast in our love too.

The day that creation held its breath ...

 

ENTERING JERUSALEM ONE MORE TIME

It was a very busy day with a triple confirmation class, then eating with them before heading across the street to the  community Good Friday service... and that after a morning proofing and finalizing Sunday's bulletin and finishing the prep for the kids .... and after worship I spent an hour cleaning up from confirmation and taking fresh pictures of the cross as it is set up THIS year ... and then finishing the worship assistant's  liturgy for Sunday. 

In other words, a typical day in the life of a small church pastor in Holy Week ... AND you should probably be surprised that there's a posting for Friday at all!

But I couldn't let GOOD Friday go by without a peep ....


 Presence of God
A quick look through the book of Psalms will reveal a theme that repeats itself again and again - the steadfast love of God.
When we look at Jesus we see the reflection of what God is like. In his life, in facing death, and in death itself, Jesus remained faithful in his love towards those he came to save.
As we journey through Holy Week, you will see the steadfast love of God again and again, fully revealed in the face of Jesus.

Word of God
From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor." When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge's bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, "Here is your King!" They cried out, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" Pilate asked them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but the emperor." Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
    John 19:12-20

Devotion
n John’s Gospel, Jesus’ crucifixion is a kind of coronation. Nobody takes his life from him; he lays it down of his own accord. And nobody carries his cross for him; he carries it on his own. And when they finally nail him to the cross and lift it up there he is in all his glory — the King of the Jews. It may be a crown of thorns on his head, but it is a crown nonetheless.

Pilate writes the inscription in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, as if he wanted everyone to know that Jesus was “The King of the Jews.” He seems to have become convinced.

What about you? Can you see in that tortured figure on the cross a king? And can you see in those twisted thorns on his head a crown? It’s not easy for some people to see it, but Pilate knew — it’s there.
    Jim Somerville

Merriam-Webster defines ‘king’ as:
1  a : a male monarch of a major territorial unit; esp: one whose position is hereditary and who rules for life
    b : a paramount chief
2  capitalized : god, christ
3  one that holds a preeminent position; especially : a chief among competitors

I find it most interesting that they identify the ‘capitalized’ King with the NOT capitalized ‘god, christ’ — most likely an attempt at political correctness, but let’s be real — if you’re going to allude to one as a proper noun, why not the others?

Maybe they have some trouble seeing it too .... or admitting it.

But in every single sense of the word as they have defined it (excluding game pieces, etc.) Jesus fit the bill. He met and exceeded all qualifications for all definitions of King.
 
No wonder Pilate knew. God might have just as well have shined a spotlight on him.

No wonder I can't get the majestic, soaring, dancing tune DIADEM out of my head ... and its most well known text: And cro-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-own him! Crown him! Crown him! Crown him!......

    Norma Prina Murphy

Conversation with God
Lord Jesus, even on this day when I find you hanging from a cruel cross, help me see in you the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Amen.

Benediction
O that you and I might be,
Like Jesus,
Faithful and true.

God grant us grace
That we might become,
Like Christ,
Steadfast in our love too.

And of course, since God didn't shine a spotlight...Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.

ENTERING JERUSALEM ONE MORE TIME

Maundy Thursday --- the first day of the great Triduum. The Upper Room, the Last Supper and Jesus washing his disciples' feet. Here is today's d365 devotion with my humble additions

Presence of God
A quick look through the book of Psalms will reveal a theme that repeats itself again and again - the steadfast love of God.
When we look at Jesus we see the reflection of what God is like. In his life, in facing death, and in death itself, Jesus remained faithful in his love towards those he came to save.
As we journey through Holy Week, you will see the steadfast love of God again and again, fully revealed in the face of Jesus.

Word of God
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand...."

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
    John 13:1-7, 34-35

Devotion
On Thursday of that week Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. When he was finished he said, “Do you know what I have done for you? I’ve set an example for you. If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” In other words, you ought to be willing to stoop down and do the dirtiest work there is for the sake of your brothers and sisters. This is what real love looks like, Jesus would say. Love doesn’t care how dirty it gets. Love doesn’t ask how much it might hurt. Love just does the loving thing. And then Jesus said, “I’m giving you a new commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you.”

Ouch.

Are any of us ready for that? Can we love our brothers and sisters the way Jesus has loved us?
    Jim Somerville

BIG ouch. This has nothing to do with how anyone has treated us, as in ‘I haven’t had a raise in x years, so why should you get one?!’ or ‘when did you ever lift a finger to help ME out? And you think I should be helping YOU?!’

This love has nothing to do with ‘quid pro quo’; in fact, it witnesses to God’s love for us even more when our normal human response is NOT that kind of  ‘payback’ but rather, an unrestricted, bottomless outpouring of love. For no other reason than that is how we have been treated by God and because Jesus told us to do it.

REALLY big ouch.
    Norma Prina Murphy

Conversation with God
Lord, fill me with the kind of love that lays itself down for its brothers and sisters. Somewhere right now there may be a brother or sister who needs my love, just as I need yours. Amen.

Benediction
O that you and I might be,
Like Jesus,
Faithful and true.

God grant us grace
That we might become,
Like Christ,
Steadfast in our love too. 

The command to love is for all who have been baptized. ALL. NO exceptions.

 The hardest part of  living out this command?  How do you love the pedophile?  The serial killer? The addict who is abusive to spouse and children? 

I guess that's why Jesus made it a commandment. Because he knew otherwise we would just toss it out without even a single thought.