papaloon's sermon thoughts

adam vollmer's poem for his uncle eric

2009-06-16T07:06:00.000-07:00

There are days where I think about the past,
Wishing I knew how to make those days last.
Listening to songs that remind me of you on blast.
Realizing that the memories of you can never be surpassed.
Seems like days like these are always overcast.
But I’m sitting here in the now.
I find myself wondering how.
How is it fair?
That I’m down here, and your God knows where.
I pray you're up there.
I send another prayer.
You went through so much pain and despair,
You deserve to breathe that heaven air.
So I'm shedding tears in remembrance, not grief.
Even though your time here was too brief.
But you lived life by your own belief.
It was your lifestyle’s answer I’ll never forget.
The diabetes to the Cola, and the cancer to cigarettes.
You lived life how you wanted and that’s what inspires me the most.
I feel a strong bond even if we weren’t so close.
I held your hand as you faded away, you felt so distant.
Now that you’re gone, a part of the world is missing.
I’m writing this crying wishing I could still hug you.
I know you loved me and I hope you know I still love you.

WHERE IS GOD

2009-05-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

WHERE IS GOD

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY

IN BIBLICAL TIMES
WHEN ABRAHAM LIVED
WHEN MOSES LIVED
WHEN JESUS LIVED
THE GODS WERE THOUGHT TO DWELL
IN HIGH PLACES
THESE PLACES WERE CALLED
MT OLYMPUS
OR HEAVEN
OR THE FIRMAMENT
OR PARADISE

SO SHRINES WERE BUILT
IN HIGH PLACES
TO WORSHIP THE GODS.

CONVERSELY
SOME OF THE GODS WERE THOUGHT
TO DWELL UNDERGROUND
IN THE WORLD OF THE DEAD
IN PLACES CALLED
HELL
OR HADES
OR THE UNDERWORLD

THE FIRST WORDS OF JESUS
TO SIMON PETER WERE
COME BE MY DISCIPLE
HIS LAST WORDS TO PETER WERE
COME FOLLOW ME.
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
BETWEEN THOSE TWO CHALLENGES
PETER NEVER FAILED TO FOLLOW
EVEN THOUGH HE OFTEN STUMBLED.

IN MATTHEW
WE SEE PETER
IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
BRAVE ENOUGH
TO WIELD A SWORD
AND CUT OFF
THE EAR OF THE HIGH PRIEST'S SERVANT'

BUT IN THE SAME GOSPEL
PETER
STANDING IN THE HIGH PRIEST'S COURTYARD
WITHERS UNDER THE SCORNING GAZE
OF A SERVANT GIRL
WITHERS TO THE POINT
THAT HE SWEARS
THAT HE DOES NOT KNOW THE MAN

A WHILE AGO
I WAS A WITNESS
TO A CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT.

I HAD COME TO HELP MY FRIEND
AND HIS SON--IN-LAW
CONSTRUCT A GARAGE.

THE SON-IN-LAW
WAS INSTALLING A STEEL BEAM
ABOUT A THOUSAND POUNDS
AND DIDN'T WANT ANYONE AROUND
PREFERRING TO WORK ALONE
SO HE SENT HIS FATHER-IN-LAW
AND ME FOR SUPPLIES
WHEN WE CAME BACK
THE STEEL BEAM HAD FALLEN ON HIM

QUICKLY WE CALLED 911
AND THEN TRIED TO LIFT THE BEAM.
IT WAS TOO HEAVY
WE COULDN'T DO IT
SO WHILE WE WAITED FOR THE RESCUE SQUAD
I WENT AND HELD HIS HAND
AND SAID THE LORD'S PRAYER
OUT LOUD IN TO HIS EAR.

I CONTINUED HOLDING HIS HAND
AND PRAYING OUT LOUD
UNTIL THE RESCUE SQUAD CAME

WHEN THEY CAME
THEY PRONOUNCED HIM DEAD

THEN THEY ASKED ME TO LEAVE

AND AS I LEFT A GREAT NUMBNESS
A QUIET AND EMPTINESS
DESCENDED UPON ME.

I SAID TO MY FRIEND
I FEEL NUMB.

HE SAID
SO DO I

AFTER THAT INCIDENT
I DISCUSSED THE EMPTY FEELING
WITH SEVERAL CLERGY FRIENDS OF MINE
THEY SAID IT WAS A COMMON FEELING
THAT THEY ALL HAD SHARED

LISTEN CLOSELY
AS I QUOTE
A PORTION
OF FIRST KINGS
ABOUT ELIJAH

THE WORD OF THE LORD SAID TO ME
GO OUT
AND STAND ON THE MOUNTAIN
BEFORE THE LORD,
FOR THE LORD IS ABOUT TO PASS BY.

NOW THERE WAS A GREAT WIND,
SO STRONG THAT IT WAS SPLITTING MOUNTAINS
AND BREAKING ROCKS IN PIECES
BEFORE THE LORD,
BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE WIND;

AND AFTER THE WIND AN EARTHQUAKE,
BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE EARTHQUAKE;

AND AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
A FIRE,
BUT THE LORD WAS NOT
IN THE FIRE;

AND AFTER THE FIRE
A SOUND OF SHEER SILENCE

WHEN ELIJAH HEARD IT,
HE WRAPPED HIS FACE IN HIS MANTLE

THE SHEER SILENCE THAT ELIJAH HEARD
AND THE NUMBING QUIET THAT I HAD FELT
WERE BOTH THE SAME THING

IN BOTH GOD WAS SPEAKING TO MAN
IN A VOICE LOUDER THAN THE WIND
LOUDER THAN THE EARTHQUAKE
LOUDER THAN THE FIRE

IT WAS GOD'S VOICE
YELLING IN MY EAR
LEAN ON ME
LEARN OF ME
I AM ALL YOU NEED RIGHT NOW
AND MY SILENCE AND MY LOVE SURROUND YOU
LEAN ON ME
LEARN OF ME
YOU ARE MY BELOVED

BUT GOD
IS TOO CLOSE TO US
THAT WAY
SO WE LOOK FOR GOD
IN OTHER PLACES
HIGH AND LOW

WE WANT TO BLAME GOD
FOR THE DEATH
WE ENVISION A GOD
WHO PLAYS DICE
WITH HIS CREATIONS

WE ENVISION A GOD
WHO IF HE WERE A REAL FATHER
WE WOULD HAVE HIM ARRESTED
FOR CHILD ABUSE

WE FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE IN A GOD
WHO LOVES US

WE WANT A GOD
WHO LOOKS,
ACTS
AND THINKS LIKE US.

WE FORGET
THAT WE ARE MADE IN HIS IMAGE
NOT HE IN OURS

SO WE LOOK PAST GOD
TO TRY TO FIND GOD
WE ARE NOT THE KIND OF PEOPLE
THAT PAUL WRITES ABOUT IN ROMANS
COUNTERING THE BELIEF
THAT GOD DWELT EXCLUSIVELY
IN HEAVEN
OR IN THE UNDERWORLD
WHEN HE SAYS

PEOPLE WHO HAVE FAITH
WILL NEVER ASK
WHO WILL GO UP TO HEAVEN
TO BRING CHRIST DOWN?”

NEITHER WILL THEY ASK
WHO WILL GO DOWN
INTO THE WORLD OF THE DEAD
TO RAISE HIM TO LIFE?”

ALL WHO ARE ACCEPTABLE
BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH
SIMPLY SAY, “
THE MESSAGE
IS AS NEAR
AS YOUR MOUTH
OR YOUR HEART.

THE MESSAGE THAT GOD
WALKS AMONG US
LAUGHS WITH US
CRIES WITH US
TRIES TO INSPIRE US
SO THAT THE WORLD
WE LIVE IN
MIGHT BE BETTER

THIS PETER KNEW
SIMPLE IMPULSIVE PETER
WHO AT THE VOICE OF JESUS
LEAPED FROM THE BOAT
TO WALK ON WATER
WHO WALKED ON WATER
UNTIL HE THOUGHT
HE WAS DOING IT HIMSELF
THEN HE SANK
AND CRIED
LORD SAVE ME

BUT JESUS REACHED DOWN
AS HE DID SO MANY TIMES WITH PETER

AS HE DOES SO MANY TIMES WITH US
AND SAVES US
AS HE SAVED PETER

AND WHEN HE SAVES US
HE SAYS TO US
WHAT I HAVE DONE
YOU MUST DO
I GIVE YOU A WORLD TO SAVE.
TO MAKE BETTER
TO ROOT OUT EVIL

EARLY MAN DISCOVERED FIRE.
IT MADE LIFE BETTER FOR HIM
I GIVE YOU LOVE
AND I ASK YOU
TO SHARE IT WITH ALL

BUT AS PAUL SAYS
IN ROMANS
BUT HOW ARE THEY TO CALL
ON ONE
IN WHOM THEY HAVE NOT BELIEVED?
AND HOW
ARE THEY TO BELIEVE
IN ONE
OF WHOM THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD?
AND HOW
ARE THEY TO HEAR
WITHOUT SOMEONE
TO PROCLAIM HIM?
AND HOW ARE THEY
TO PROCLAIM HIM
UNLESS THEY ARE SENT?

AS IT IS WRITTEN, “
HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET
OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS!

BUT I SAY
HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET
OF THOSE
WHO DARE TO LEAP FROM THE BOAT
AND WALK ON WATER FOLLOWING JESUS

WE ARE CHALLENGED
TO REMEMBER
THAT GOD DOES NOT LIVE
REMOTELY IN THE SKY
OR UNDER THE EARTH
BUT HERE WITH US.

WE ARE CHALLENGED
TO REMEMBER
THAT GOD SPEAKS TO US
IN THE SILENCE OF OUR HEARTS
AND WE NEED
TO BE QUIET
AND LISTEN

WHICH IS TO SAY
THAT WE MUST PRAY

AND FINALLY
WE ARE CHALLENGED
TO REMEMBER
THAT IF WE BRING LOVE
INTO THE WORLD
AND INTO OUR LIVES .
WE WILL ONCE MORE
HAVE GIVEN MAN FIRE

AND WE ARE ASKED
TO BE WILLING
TO LEAP
FROM THE BOAT IN FAITH
KNOWING GOD
WILL SUSTAIN US
AND BRING US
SAFELY HOME

THE PURSE

2009-05-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

THE PURSE

LET ME START BY TELLING YOU A FEW STORIES

THE WORD CALENDAR
COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD CALENDS
WHICH MEANS THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
SO A CALENDAR
IS A DEVICE
THAT HELPS PEOPLE
FIND THE FIRST OF THE MONTH

THE WORD CALENDS
ALSO MEANS
THE COIN PURSE OF THE MONEY LENDER
WHO WOULD COME BY
ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
WITH HIS PURSE OPEN
TO RECEIVE THE PAYMENTS DUE HIM

DURING THE ADVENT SEASON
THAT PRECEDED THE MILLENIUM
I WAS ASKED TO PREACH
ON THE MILLENIUM
THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF FEAR
IN THE COMMUNITY
ONE FEAR WAS THAT THE COMPUTERS WOULD FAIL
THE OTHER WAS A STRONG UNDERCURRENT
THAT GOD HAD PICKED THE YEAR 2000
AS A TIME TO COME
TO COLLECT OUR DEBT TO HIM
THAT HE WOULD COME WITH HIS OPEN PURSE
LIKE A MONEY LENDER DEMANDING PAYMENT
AND BECAUSE WE WERE IMPOVERISHED
AND COULDN'T PAY
WE WOULD BE PUNISHED

NOT A NEW IDEA
OUR FOUNDER
MARTIN LUTHER
LABORED MUCH OF HIS LIFE
UNDER THE IDEA
THAT TRY AS HE MIGHT
HE COULD NOT PLEASE GOD
AND AS A RESULT
AN ANGRY
MEAN SPIRITED GOD
WOULD PUNISH HIM

IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
NICODEMUS
COMES AT NIGHT
TO MEET WITH JESUS

HE WAS AN IMPORTANT RICH MAN
A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY
HE CAME AT NIGHT
HIS COMING AT NIGHT
DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN
HE WAS AFRAID TO BE SEEN
WITH JESUS

A JEWISH PROVERB OF THE TIMES
SAID
IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO A MAN DEEPLY
COME TO HIS HOUSE WHEN THE CHILDREN
WERE ASLEEP
AS THOSE OF US WHO ARE
OR WERE PARENTS KNOW
THAT USUALLY MEANS
LATE AT NIGHT
SO NICODEMUS
CAME TO JESUS AT NIGHT

WHO WAS THIS NICODEMUS
A PHARISEE
A LEADER OF THE PEOPLE
AN OBSERVER OF ALL THE LAWS
THAT MUST BE OBEYED
TO PLEASE GOD

JUDAISM HAD DISINTEGRATED
INTO A SERIES OF MAN MADE LAWS
CREATED BY A PROCESS CALLED PILPUL
WHICH WAS A STUDY OF THE LAW
TO DISCOVER ALL ITS SHADES AND MEANINGS
AND THE ONES WHO PROMOTED THIS STUDY
WERE THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES

SOME EXAMPLES OF THESE MAN MADE RULES
YOU COULDN'T WORK ON THE SABBATH
SO A MAN WITH A WOODEN LEG
COULD NOT WALK ON THE SABBATH
BECAUSE THE LEG WAS A BURDEN
AND THEREFORE WALKING WAS WORK

IF YOU WERE HURT
YOU COULD BANDAGE THE WOUND
BUT YOU COULDN'T PUT MEDICINE ON THE WOUND
BECAUSE THAT WAS WORK

ALSO IF A GENTILE WOMAN WAS HAVING A BABY
YOU COULDN'T HELP HER
BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT ONE OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE
TO WHOM THE LAW HAD BEEN GIVEN

THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES
WERE CONSTANTLY STUDYING THE LAW
ADDING SOME REQUIREMENTS
TO DAILY LIVING
OR FORBIDDING
SOME ACTIONS
IN DAILY LIVING
YOU REMEMBER THAT JESUS WAS ACCUSED
OF BAD CONDUCT
WHEN HE HEALED PEOPLE ON THE SABBATH DAY
BECAUSE HEALING WAS WORK

THEY OPPRESSED THE PEOPLE SO MUCH
WITH THESE LAWS
THAT JESUS CRIED OUT
YOU MAKE UP HEAVY BURDENS
FOR MEN TO CARRY
BUT DO NOTHING
TO HELP THEM CARRY
THEIR BURDENS

OR AGAIN JESUS CRIED OUT
THE LAW EXISTS FOR THE PEOPLE
NOT THE PEOPLE FOR THE LAW

SO NICODEMUS
A GOOD MAN
BURDENED DOWN BY LAWS
HE COULD NOT KEEP
OR FOUND IT DIFFICULT
TO KEEP
COMES IN THE NIGHT
TO FIND THE LIGHT
COMES IN THE NIGHT
TO HAVE HIS BURDEN LIGHTENED

AND JESUS SAYS TO HIM
JESUS SAYS TO HIM
BE BORN AGAIN

HOW MANY TIMES
HAVE WE SAID
IN OUR OWN LIFE
I AM TIRED OF THE WAY THINGS ARE
I AM GOING TO TRY TO CHANGE MY LIFE
I WILL BE REBORN

BUT HOW WE SAY
WITH NICODEMUS
HOW CAN WE BE REBORN
AND JESUS SAYS
BY THE WATER AND THE SPIRIT
OF YOUR OWN BAPTISM
BY THAT BAPTISM
YOU HAVE RECEIVED REBIRTH
YOU HAVE BEEN REBORN

BUT
HAVING BEEN GIVEN SUCH A GIFT
WE FEEL UNWORTHY
WE CANNOT MEASURE UP TO THE MARK
WE CANNOT FILL THE MONEY LENDER'S
PURSE
UNWORTHY OF THE GIFT OF REBIRTH
WE FEEL THAT WE WILL BE CRUSHED
BY ITS WEIGHT
BY ITS OBLIGATIONS

BUT JESUS SAYS
MY FATHER SO LOVED THE WORLD
HE SENT ME
HE SENT ME
TO SAVE IT
AND ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN ME
BELIEVES IN THE FATHER
AND WILL RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE

BUT THE GIFT IS TOO GREAT
TOO GREAT FOR US
TOO GREAT FOR US
WHO ARE TOO SMALL
HOW CAN WE EVER REPAY YOU
BELIEVE IN ME
IS ALL I ASK
BELIEVE
AND LET YOUR LIFE FLOW
FROM THAT BELIEF
BELIEVE IN ME

BUT WE SHALL STUMBLE
BELIEVE IN ME
BUT WE ARE WEAK
BELIEVE IN ME
BUT WE ARE UNWORTHY
BELIEVE IN ME
BUT WE ARE SINNERS
I HAVE FORGIVEN YOU

SO WHEN THE TEMPTER COMES
AS COME HE WILL
TO MAKE YOU DOUBT
YOUR BELIEFS
TO MAKE YOU FEEL
UNLOVED AND UNWANTED BY GOD
TELL THE TEMPTER
WITH HIS OPEN PURSE
TELL THE TEMPTER
MY DEBT HAS BEEN PAID
MY DEBT HAS BEEN PAID BY JESUS
WHO DID NOT PAY
THE GREAT PRICE HE PAID
SO THAT LATER HE COULD DESTROY ME
AS YOU ARE TRYING TO DESTROY ME

TELL THE TEMPTER
WHEN HE COMES
WITH HIS OPEN PURSE
TELL THE TEMPTER THE MONEY LENDER
TELL HIM

CLOSE YOUR PURSE
AND MARK MY BILL
PAID

CLOSE YOUR PURSE
AND MARK MY BILL
PAID IN FULL

CLOSE YOUR PURSE
AND MARK MY BILL
PAID IN FULL BY JESUS

THE PARADE

2009-05-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

THE PARADE

I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE
A FEW STORIES WITH YOU

IN ANCIENT ROME
AND IN OTHER CAPITAL CITIES
AROUND THE TIME THAT JESUS LIVED
WHEN A RULER WAS VICTORIOUS IN BATTLE
THEY WOULD RAISE A MONUMENT TO HIM.
ON IT THE RULER WAS OFTEN SHOWN
RIDING A MAGNIFICENT PRANCING HORSE.
BEHIND HIM WALKED HIS PRISONERS OF WAR,
ALWAYS CHAINED
SOMETIMES BY THE NECK.

THE POSE OF THE RULER WAS PROUD
AND ARROGANT,
THE POSE OF THE CAPTIVES
WAS ONE OF NO HOPE

WHEN I WAS COURTING MY WIFE BARBARA
I TOOK HER TO HER FIRST
THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE.
SHE WAS EXCITED AS A YOUNG CHILD
WHICH THOSE OF YOU
WHO KNOW HER
IS NO SURPRISE
YOU KNOW THAT SHE INTENSELY LOVES
AND LIVES LIFE.

THE PARADE HAD ALL THE NORMAL THINGS
THE BANDS, THE FLOATS, THE CLOWNS
ALL OF WHICH SHE ENJOYED
WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM.

AT THE END OF THE PARADE
SANTA CLAUS CAME BY
ON A MAGNIFICENT FLOAT
WITH ELVES, REINDEERS AND SLEIGH.
SANTA WAVED TO THE CROWD FIRST ONE SIDE
THEN THE OTHER.
AS HE PASSED US
BARBARA GRABBED MY ARM IN A DEATH GRIP
YELLING OUT LOUD
HE LOOKED AT ME
HE LOOKED AT ME
HE LOOKED AT ME PERSONALLY.

WHEN I WAS STILL WORKING IN INDUSTRY
EVERY SATURDAY WE WORKED,
DONUTS WERE BROUGHT IN.
ONE FOR EACH.
DURING THOSE TIMES
WHEN I WAS ACTIVELY BATTLING
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE.
I WOULD GO UP TO THE DONUT
AT 8 O'CLOCK AND SAY

I CANNOT, WILL NOT, SHOULD NOT EAT YOU.

AT NINE O'CLOCK THE DONUT CALLED TO ME
BECAUSE IT HAD MY NAME ON IT
AND I SAID TO IT
I CANNOT, WILL NOT, SHOULD NOT EAT YOU.

AT TEN AND ELEVEN O'CLOCK IT CALLED ME
AND I TOLD IT
I CANNOT, WILL NOT, SHOULD NOT EAT YOU.

AT TWELVE O'CLOCK
IT WAS PRACTICALLY CRYING,
IT WAS LONELY,
IT HAD MY NAME ON IT.

BUT I STRUGGLED AND RESISTED
AND SAID
I CANNOT, WILL NOT, SHOULD NOT EAT YOU.

AT ONE O'CLOCK,
THE TRUTH BE TOLD.
I ATE THE DONUT

LET US LOOK AT PAUL
WHERE HE WRITES IN ROMANS

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT I DO.
FOR WHAT I WANT TO DO
I DO NOT DO,
BUT WHAT I HATE TO DO
I DO.
FOR I HAVE THE DESIRE
TO DO WHAT IS GOOD,
BUT I CANNOT CARRY IT OUT.
FOR WHAT I DO
IS NOT THE GOOD
I WANT TO DO;
NO,
THE EVIL I DO NOT WANT TO DO-
THIS I KEEP ON DOING.
FOR I SEE ANOTHER LAW AT WORK
IN THE MEMBERS OF MY BODY,
WAGING WAR AGAINST THE LAW OF MY MIND,
AND MAKING ME A PRISONER,
OF THE LAW OF SIN,
AT WORK WITHIN BODY.
WHAT A WRETCHED MAN I AM!
WHO WILL RESCUE ME
FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH
LISTEN AGAIN TO WHAT HE SAYS
FOR WHAT I WANT TO DO
I DO NOT DO,
BUT WHAT I HATE TO DO
I DO.
FOR I HAVE THE DESIRE
TO DO WHAT IS GOOD,
BUT I CANNOT CARRY IT OUT.
FOR WHAT I DO
IS NOT THE GOOD
I WANT TO DO;
NO,
THE EVIL I DO NOT WANT TO DO-
THIS I KEEP ON DOING.
FOR I SEE ANOTHER LAW AT WORK
IN THE MEMBERS OF MY BODY,
WAGING WAR AGAINST THE LAW OF MY MIND,
AND MAKING ME A PRISONER,
OF THE LAW OF SIN,
AT WORK WITHIN BODY.
WHAT A WRETCHED MAN I AM!
WHO WILL RESCUE ME
FROM THIS BODY OF DEATH?

NOW PAUL IS A GREAT THEOLOGIAN
BUT HE GETS COMPLICATED
AND I MUST CONFESS
HE OFTEN CURES ME OF INSOMNIA.
HE COULD COMPLICATE A ONE CAR FUNERAL
TO MY SIMPLE WAY OF THINKING
PAUL COULD HAVE SAID
I ATE THE DONUT
AND I WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD.

BASICALLY WHAT PAUL IS SAYING
IS THAT WE ARE ALL FLAWED INDIVIDUALS.
AND WHEN HE CRIES OUT WHO WILL RESCUE ME,
HE KNOWS THE ANSWER.
IT IS JESUS CHRIST

WHO IS THIS JESUS
THAT PAUL TRUSTS SO IMPLICITLY
LET US LOOK AT THE GOSPEL MESSAGE
WHERE MATTHEW WRITES
THAT JESUS SAID TO THE CROWD
WHO WERE COMPARING HIM TO JOHN
AND FINDING FAULT IN THE DIFFERENCES

I COMPARE YOU
TO A GROUP OF CHILDREN
SINGING SILLY SONGS
WE PLAYED THE FLUTE
YOU WOULD NOT DANCE,
WE WAILED
YOU WOULD NOT MOURN

IS THIS NOT A SONG
WE OFTEN SING TO JESUS
IF YOU WERE MORE
LIKE
WE WANTED YOU TO BE
WE COULD FOLLOW YOU WITH EASE
BUT YOUR WAY
MEANS GIVING UP DONUTS
AND WE DON'T WANT TO

JOHN LIVED
LIKE A HERMIT IN THE DESERT
WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT
JESUS LIVED AN ORDINARY LIFE
AMONG SINNERS
WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT

AND SO WE SING OUR SILLY SONG IN A CIRCLE
UNTIL WE ARE DISTRACTED
BY THE SOUNDS OF A PARADE IN THE DISTANCE.
WE HEAR THE HURRAHS,
THE SINGING, THE JOYFUL SHOUTS
AND WE WAIT
FOR THE PROUD RULER
TO COME BY
FOLLOWED BY HIS SLAVES
BUT INSTEAD WE ARE GREETED
AS ZECHARIAH SAYS
BY THE SIGHT
OF A MAN RIDING A DONKEY
FOLLOWED BY LAUGHING SINGING CHILDREN
WE CRY STOP THE CHILDREN FROM SINGING
THIS IS NO VICTORIOUS RULER
THIS CARICATURE

WE DO NOT SEE A KING
ARROGANT AND SUPERIOR
RATHER WE FIND
A PERSON GENTLE AND HUMBLE
RIDING ON A DONKEY

WHERE IS HIS WAR HORSE
WHERE IS THE MOUNT SUITABLE FOR A KING
WHO..WHO WOULD FOLLOW HIM
THIS POOR EXCUSE FOR A RULER
THIS FLAWED PICTURE OF A RULER
WHO..
WHO WOULD FOLLOW HIM

BUT AS HE COMES PASSING BY
HE LOOKS EACH ONE OF US
IN THE EYE
AND SAYS

COME,
COME FOLLOW ME
DROP
DROP YOUR CHAINS
OF SLAVERY AND SIN
COME,
COME FOLLOW ME
FOR MY YOKE IS EASY
AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT

COME,
COME FOLLOW ME
WITH ME IS FORGIVENESS
FOR YOUR SINS
WITH ME IS A SAVIOR
WHO KNOWS
AND DELIGHTS
IN YOUR HUMANNESS

COME,
COME FOLLOW
LAY DOWN
YOUR HEAVY BURDENS

COME,
COME FOLLOW ME
AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST

MY BROTHERS
AND SISTERS
SHALL WE JOIN
THE PARADE
SHALL WE SAY
AMEN

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

2009-05-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

LET US BEGIN AS WE BEGIN ALL THINGS
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE FATHER
WHO CREATED US,
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE SON
WHO REDEEMED US,
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
WHO INSPIRES US.

LET US BEGIN IN THE NAME OF GOD,
MOTHER OF US ALL.

LET US TALK
ABOUT THE BAPTISM
OF JESUS

DURING WHICH GOD THE FATHER
SPEAKS FROM HEAVEN
DECLARING
THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON.

THE BAPTISM JESUS RECEIVED
WAS NOT THE SAME AS THAT BAPTISM
WE RECEIVED
WHEN MOST OF US WERE CHILDREN

BAPTISM WAS RESERVED
IN THE JEWISH FAITH
FOR THOSE
NOT BORN JEWS
THOSE SINFUL PEOPLE
NOT BORN A JEW

THE JEW BELIEVED
THAT BEING A SON OF ABRAHAM
HE WAS ASSURED OF GOD'S SALVATION

AS LONG AS HE FOLLOWED THE LAW
HE WAS ASSURED OF GOD'S SALVATION
THERE FOR HE HAD NO NEED FOR RITUAL CLEANING

BUT THERE WAS A MOVEMENT IN JUDEA
IN JESUS TIME
THAT THE NATION
HAD LOST THEIR PRIVILEGED STATUS
WITH GOD

THE NATION HAD BEEN CONQUERED BY ROME
THE PEOPLE
WERE DESPERATELY WAITING
FOR THE MESSIAH
TO FREE THE LAND
THEY FELT THAT GOD WAS ANGRY WITH THEM
ANGRY WITH THEM
BECAUSE OF THEIR LIFESTYLE
THEY FELT
THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR A CHANGE
THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR A CLEANSING
THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR REPENTING

SO THERE WENT OUT INTO THE LAND
THOSE CALLING FOR CHANGE
SOME WERE CALLING FOR POLITICAL CHANGE
OTHERS LIKE JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THE ESSENES
WERE CALLING FOR MORAL CHANGE
AND THE SYMBOL OF THAT CHANGE
WAS THE WHOLE BODY PLUNGING
OF A PERSON INTO A LAKE OR RIVER

BUT THE CANDIDATE HAD FIRST TO STATE
HE WAS SORRY FOR HIS SINS
AND WOULD TRY TO AMEND HIS LIFE

AND JOHN'S MESSAGE OF REPENT
AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE
WAS BEARING FRUIT
MANY WERE FLOCKING TO JOHN
FOR REPENTANCE AND BAPTISM

UNDERLYING THIS MOVEMENT
WAS THE THOUGHT
THAT IF THEY CHANGED THEIR LIVES
THE MESSIAH WOULD COME
BUT THEY WANTED A POLITICAL MESSIAH

WHAT THEY WOULD GET
WAS A SERVANT

THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SURPRISED
BECAUSE GOD HAD DESCRIBED THAT SERVANT
IN ISAIAH

LET ME REFRESH YOUR MEMORY

THE LORD'S SERVANT

THE LORD SAYS,
"HERE IS MY SERVANT,
WHOM I STRENGTHEN -
THE ONE I HAVE CHOSEN,
WITH WHOM I AM PLEASED.

I HAVE FILLED HIM WITH MY SPIRIT,
AND HE WILL BRING JUSTICE TO EVERY NATION.
HE WILL NOT SHOUT OR RAISE HIS VOICE
OR MAKE LOUD SPEECHES IN THE STREETS.

HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF A BENT REED
NOR PUT OUT A FLICKERING LAMP.
HE WILL BRING LASTING JUSTICE TO ALL.
HE WILL NOT LOSE HOPE OR COURAGE;
HE WILL ESTABLISH JUSTICE ON THE EARTH.
DISTANT LANDS EAGERLY WAIT FOR HIS TEACHING."

AND NOW
THE LORD GOD SAYS TO HIS SERVANT,
I, THE LORD, HAVE CALLED YOU
AND GIVEN YOU POWER
TO SEE THAT JUSTICE
IS DONE ON EARTH.
THROUGH YOU
I WILL MAKE A COVENANT
WITH ALL PEOPLES;
THROUGH YOU
I WILL BRING LIGHT
TO THE NATIONS.

YOU WILL OPEN THE EYES
OF THE BLIND
AND SET FREE THOSE
WHO SIT IN DARK PRISONS.

THE THINGS I PREDICTED
HAVE NOW COME TRUE.
NOW I WILL TELL YOU
OF NEW THINGS
EVEN BEFORE
THEY BEGIN TO HAPPEN."

THIS SERVANT
THIS GOD MADE MAN
WHO DID NOT CONSIDER EQUALITY WITH GOD
SOMETHING TO BE GRASPED,
TO BE CLUNG TO
BUT RATHER
EMPTIED HIMSELF OUT
TAKING ON THE FORM OF A SLAVE
A SERVANT
TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS

THIS GOD MAN WAS BORN IN A STABLE
WAS HUNGRY AT HIS MOTHER'S BREAST
WAS SENT TO SCHOOL
LEARNED TO TIE HIS SANDALS
WAS TRAINED TO BE A CARPENTER
TOOK CARE OF HIS MOTHER
STUDIED THE SCRIPTURES
LOOKED OUT AT THE WORLD
AND KNEW IT WAS NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE

SO HERE HE WAS
STANDING
LOOKING AT THE RIVER JORDAN
WHERE JOHN HIS COUSIN
WAS BAPTIZING
KNEW HE HAD TO MAKE A DECISION
KNEW HE HAD TO DECIDE
WHAT HE SHOULD DO WITH HIS LIFE
KNEW THAT IF STARTED PREACHING
THE WAY JOHN WAS PREACHING
THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY KILL HIM

BUT HE HAD HEARD
THE CALL OF HIS FATHER
TO MISSION
LIKE A BUGLE SOUNDING SOFTLY
IN THE DISTANCE

AND LIKE ALL MEN
BECAUSE HE WAS MAN
HE STRUGGLED WITH HIS DECISION
TRYING TO DETERMINE
HIS FATHER'S CALL
TRYING TO DETERMINE
HOW TO BECOME THE PERSON
PAUL WOULD DESCRIBE
IN HIS LETTERS

WHEN HE WROTE
HE DID NOT NEED BAPTISM
THERE WAS NO SIN IN HIM

WHAT WAS IN HIM
WAS A DESIRE
A NEED
TO SHARE HUMANITY'S PLIGHT
TO BE WITH SINNERS
WHERE THEY WERE
AND WHERE THEY WERE
WAS WITH JOHN
ENTERING THE WATER

SO HE JOINED THE LINE
BUT HIS COUSIN JOHN
FELT HE WAS UNWORTHY
BUT JESUS SAID
LET IT BE DONE

SO JOHN PLUNGED HIM INTO THE RIVER
AND HE CAME UP
GASPING FOR AIR
LIKE A NEWBORN BABY
LIKE A REBORN BABY
LIKE ALL THOSE IN LINE WITH HIM

AND FROM HEAVEN CAME A VOICE
THE VOICE OF A FATHER
PROUD OF HIS SON
FOR MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE
AND THE VOICE SAYS
THIS IS MY BELOVED SON
IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED

AND JESUS
LOOKING AT ALL
GATHERED AT THE RIVER

AND LOOKING DOWN
THE LONG RIVER OF HISTORY
COMES TO THIS ROOM
WHERE WE ARE GATHERED
AND SAYS
TO EACH ONE OF US
INDIVIDUALLY
YOU
YOU ALL
YOU ALL ARE MY BELOVED BROTHERS
YOU ALL ARE MY BELOVED SISTERS
IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED

TELL NO ONE

2009-05-09T08:21:00.000-07:00

TELL NO ONE

IMAGINE IF YOU WILL
THAT YOU ARE ATTENDING A PLAY
A DRAMA
A GREEK TRAGEDY
IN WHICH THE HERO GOES ABOUT
DOING GOOD DEEDS
AND AFTER EACH DEED
HE TELLS THE RECIPIENT
NOT TO TELL ANYONE
IT BECAME IN THE PLAY LIKE A CHANT

DO NOT TELL
DO NOT TELL
THE GOOD DEED DONE
DO NOT TELL

HIS DOING OF GOOD
AROUSED THE ANGER
OF THE LEADERS
WHOSE POOR EXAMPLE
AND BEHAVIOR
WERE SHOWN UP
BY THE HERO'S CONDUCT
SO THEY LABORED TO SILENCE HIM
WHEN THAT DIDN'T WORK
THEY KILLED HIM

WHEN THE PLAY CONTINUES
THE FRIENDS OF THE HERO'S MOTHER
COME TO TEND THE BODY
THEY FOUND THE GRAVE CHAMBER EMPTY
AGHAST
THEY RUN OFF STAGE
LEAVING IT EMPTY
GRADUALLY THE LIGHT FADES TO DARK
WHILE THE NARRATOR SPEAKS
SAYING
SO THEY RAN FROM THE TOMB
DISTRESSED AND TERRIFIED
THEY SAID NOTHING TO ANYONE
BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID

DO NOT TELL
DO NOT TELL
THE GOOD DEED DONE
DO NOT TELL

IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK
JESUS SAYS ELEVEN TIMES
IN VARIOUS FORMS

DO NOT TELL
DO NOT TELL
THE GOOD DEED DONE
DO NOT TELL

AND THE LAST LINES OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK ARE
SO THEY RAN FROM THE TOMB
DISTRESSED AND TERRIFIED
THEY SAID NOTHING TO ANYONE
BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID

DO NOT TELL
DO NOT TELL
THE GOOD DEED DONE
DO NOT TELL

A TRAGEDY OF HEROIC PROPORTIONS
THE DOER OF GOOD
OVERCOME BY EVIL
AND THE CURTAIN FALLS
ON THE WOMEN
WEEPING AND MOANING
AND MUCH AFRAID

IN OUR MIND'S EYE
WE SEE THE WOMEN
HURRYING THROUGH THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM
HURRYING TO THE COMFORT OF THEIR FRIENDS
AND WE WANT TO CRY ACROSS THE CHASM OF TIME
HE LIVES
HIS GREAT DEEDS HAVE BEEN TOLD
AND ARE BEING TOLD
BUT THEY MUST LIVE OUT THEIR TIME
THEY WILL EVENTUALLY KNOW
AND KNOWING THEY WILL TEACH US

BUT WE BEING MOVED BY THE DRAMA
HAVE THIS URGE TO TELL SOMEONE
AND THIS URGE IS WHAT JESUS INVITES
WHEN HE SAYS
GO
YOU ARE SENT
GO
INTO ALL THE WORLD
TELL THE PEOPLE
MY NAME
AND MY LIFE STORY

GO
TELL ALL THOSE PEOPLE
BEWAILING THE DEATH OF GOD
ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO WRESTLE WITH GOD
WHO FEEL THE LACK OF GOD
WHO KNOW THE LOSS OF GOD
THAT HE LIVES
THAT HE IS A KIND AND LOVING GOD
THAT HE WANTS ALL PEOPLE TO BE HIS FRIEND

WE MUST TELL THE WORLD
THAT EMPTY TOMB
IS NOT A SIGN OF DEFEAT
BUT A SIGN OF JOY
THAT THAT JOY SHOULD BE IN OUR LIVES
AND IN OUR BEHAVIOR
FOR WE ARE THE BIBLE
FOR THE SCRIPTURALLY ILLITERATE

THAT IS NOT TO SAY
THAT WE ARE PERFECT
FOR WE TOO WRESTLE WITH GOD
THIS IS NOT TO SAY
THAT THE WAY IS ALWAYS CLEAR

BUT WRESTLING WITH GOD IS NOT A SIN
BUT A TIME HONORED EVENT
AS THAT TIME WHEN A SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN
SAID TO JESUS

HEAL MY CHILD

HE SAID, BECAUSE SHE WAS A GENTILE AND A PAGAN
IT IS NOT RIGHT TO TAKE THE CHILDREN'S FOOD
AND THROW IT TO THE DOGS
SHE REBUFFED HIM SAYING
EVEN THE DOGS EAT THE CHILDREN'S CRUMBS

YOU CAN SEE HIM SMILING
HE'D BEEN BESTED IN AN ARGUMENT
AND HE REPLIED GENTLY
GO
YOUR CHILD IS HEALED

THE TOMB IS EMPTY
AND WE ARE IMPERFECT MESSENGERS
BUT WE ARE COMMISSIONED TO TELL THE STORY
EVEN THOUGH WE ARE AFRAID

WE MUST TELL
WE MUST TELL
THE GOOD DEED DONE
WE MUST TELL

SIGNS

2009-05-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

SIGNS

IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
WE HEAR THE PHARISEES
TELL JESUS
THAT HEROD THE RULER
WANTED TO KILL HIM

THEY DID THIS FOR TWO REASONS.
FIRST JESUS WAS PREACHING IN GALILEE
WHERE HEROD WAS RULER
AND HE WAS ATTRACTING CROWDS
WITH HIS TEACHINGS.

AND HIS TEACHINGS
WERE THREATENING
THE PRIVILEGED POSITION
OF THE PHARISEES
SO THEY WOULD LIKE HIM
TO GO ELSEWHERE
TO GO ANYWHERE AND PREACH
BUT LEAVE THEM ALONE.

SECOND THEY HOPED
THAT JESUS WOULD GO TO JERUSALEM
AND GET CAUGHT UP
IN THE POLITICAL INTRIGUE
THAT WAS RAMPANT IN THE CITY
AND AS A RESULT
THE ROMANS WOULD KILL HIM.

THE HEROD
THE PHARISEES WERE TALKING ABOUT
WAS THE SAME HEROD
THAT HAD PUT
JOHN THE BAPTIST TO DEATH.

SO THE THREAT OF DEATH WAS VERY REAL.

BUT JESUS ANSWERS
TELL THAT FOX
THAT I WILL CAST OUT DEMONS
AND WILL HEAL PEOPLE
TODAY,
TOMORROW
AND ON THE THIRD DAY.

WHICH IS THE HEBREW WAY
OF SAYING
I WILL STAY HERE
UNTIL I ACCOMPLISH MY PURPOSE.

IT IS ALMOST AN ECHO
OF LUTHER
SAYING HERE I STAND
I CANNOT BE ELSEWHERE.

WHAT JESUS
IS SAYING TO HEROD
AND TO ALL THE HERODS
OF THE WORLD
HERE I STAND
TO BRING SALVATION.
YOU CANNOT CHASE ME AWAY.
HERE I STAND
LIKE A SIGN.
POINTING THE WAY

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT SIGNS

A WOMAN DRIVES HER CAR
ALONG THE HIGHWAY.
SHE SEES THE MANY SIGNS
THAT EDGE OUR ROADS,
SCHOOL AHEAD
GO SLOW,
THE NEXT CITY - WEST OSSIPEE
THE MILEAGE, 12 MILES
LITTLE CAESAR'S PIZZA-PIZZA.

SHE SEES WASH
HANGING ON THE LINE,
SHE SEES OTHER CARS IN FRONT
OR IN THE CAR MIRROR.
OCCASIONALLY
WHEN THE LIGHT IS RIGHT

SHE SEES
HER OWN FACE
REFLECTED IN THE MIRROR.

SHE IS DRIVING BY A CLIFF,
SET BACK FROM THE ROAD.
IT IS A STEEP CLIFF.
SO STEEP
THAT WHEN SHE SEES THE SIGN,
SHE WONDERS
HOW ANYONE COULD CLIMB
THE CLIFF'S FACE
AND PUT IT THERE.

THE SIGN SAYS
JESUS SAVES
WRITTEN IN LARGE CLUMSY LETTERS
WITH WHITE PAINT,
THAT TRICKLES DOWN
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LETTERS
AS IF THE LETTERS
WERE FALLING APART
OR MELTING
OR MAYBE CRYING.

THE SIGN SAYS
JESUS SAVES
THAT'S ALL.
ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER SIGNS
OF THE HIGHWAY,
LIKE RIGHT TURN ONLY,
TOLL BOOTH AHEAD,
THE SPEED LIMIT
AND DESTINATIONS,
ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER SIGNS
WAS THIS SIGN "JESUS SAVES".

AND THE WOMAN
LIKE MOST OF US
FELT AWKWARD WITH THE SIGN,
FELT AN INTERNAL SQUIRM
AT THE MESSAGE.
EVEN THOUGH
LIKE MOST OF US
SHE KNEW IT TO BE TRUE,
SHE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE SIGN
AND ITS' PUBLIC MESSAGE.
LIKE SAYING GRACE IN PUBLIC

GOD ONLY KNOWS
WHAT KIND OF PERSON
MUST HAVE CLIMBED UP THERE,
WITH A BUCKET
AND A BRUSH
TO SPLASH THE MESSAGE ON THE CLIFF:
MAYBE MAN
MAYBE WOMAN,
MAYBE YOUNG OR OLD,
DRUNK OR SOBER,
IN DAYLIGHT OR IN THE DARK.

GOD ONLY KNOWS
WHAT DROVE THE PAINTER
TO PAINT THIS SIGN;
SIN OR REDEMPTION,
JOY OR REMORSE,
POSSIBLY A DARE,
POSSIBLY A PRAYER.

WHAT EVER THE REASON,
IN OUR STRANGE TIMES,
AMONG PEOPLE LIKE US
AMONG PEOPLE JUST LIKE US,
AMONG US,
THE EFFECT
0F THE MESSAGE ON THE HILLSIDE
THAT "JESUS SAVES"
MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE.
AND I THINK
WE ARE UNCOMFORTABLE
BECAUSE WE ARE EMBARRASSED.

AND WE ARE EMBARRASSED
FOR MANY REASONS.

EMBARRASSED
PERHAPS
BECAUSE THE WORDS
REMIND US OF OLD TIME RELIGION,
OF SHOUT AND HOLLER,
OF PULPIT POUNDING,
OF GOD'S GONNA GET YOU,
.
WE SQUIRM
BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING
IN THE NAME JESUS ITSELF
THAT EMBARRASSES US
WHEN IT STANDS NAKED
AND ALONE.

JUST JESUS
BY ITSELF
WITHOUT A TITLE
LIKE A FRIEND'S NAME.
IT MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE.

WE WOULD ACCEPT "
CHRIST SAVES"-
THAT'S HIS JOB.
BUT JESUS SAVES
AS IN JESUS SAVES FRANK
OR BARBARA OR ALICE
OR JOE OR FRED OR WADE
OR WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS,
IS LIKE A LOVER
CARVING HIS AND HIS LOVED ONE'S NAME
ON A TREE.
IT HAS AN AIR ABOUT IT
LIKE A LOVE SONG.

MAYBE "JESUS SAVES"
WRITTEN ON THE CLIFF
IS EMBARRASSING
BECAUSE RELIGION
IN SOME WAYS
HAS BECOME EMBARRASSING.
MAYBE OUR WINCING
IS A WAY
TO HIDE OUR EYES
TO STOP UP OUR EARS,
BECAUSE WE SOMEHOW KNOW
THAT IF THE MESSAGE GOT THROUGH,
IT WOULD SAY DIRECTLY,
CLEARLY,
UNMISTAKABLY
FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE
THAT WE,
YOU AND I,
NEED TO BE SAVED.
RICH MAN, POOR MAN,
YOUNG WOMAN, OLD WOMAN,
EDUCATED,
UNLETTERED,
RELIGIOUS, UNRELIGIOUS,

ALL OF US,
YOU AND I,
ALL OF US,
NEED TO BE SAVED.

AND THAT
IS OFFENSIVE. TO US.
FOR WHAT IT SAYS
IS
YOU HAVE NO PEACE
WITHIN YOUR SKIN-
YOU ARE NOT HAPPY,
YOU ARE NOT WHOLE
YOU ARE NOT SELF SUFFICIENT
IN YOUR LIFE

OUR HUMANITY
REACTS AGAINST THE THOUGHT,
THAT OUR SELF SUFFICIENT HUMANITY
WHICH CONTINUALLY
WANTS THE APPLE
MORE THAN IT WANTS THE GARDEN,
REACTS
AGAINST THE THOUGHT
THAT WE ARE INSUFFICIENT
BY OURSELVES.

WHAT FOOL
WOULD CLIMB THAT CLIFF
TO WRITE A MESSAGE
THAT OFFENDS ME.
WHAT FOOL DARES
TO GIVE ME SUCH ADVICE.
WHAT FOOL DARES
TO QUESTION
MY SELF-SUFFICIENCY.

IF YOU HAD SAID
GOD SAVES,
I COULD ARGUE WITH GOD.
BUT YOU SAID
JESUS
AS IF TO SAY
FRIEND.
AND I SEE THAT FRIEND
FOR WHAT THE WORLD
HAS MADE HIM,
A FOOL.
DESPISED AND REJECTED,
A LAUGHING STOCK AMONG THE NATIONS,
WITH HIS RIDICULOUS SLOGAN "
LOVE ONE ANOTHER".
AND I AM
EMBARRASSED BY HIM
AND THE SIGN ON THE CLIFF.

THE BAD THIEF,
THE ONE ON THE LEFT
SAID IN A TAUNT, "
IF YOU ARE THE CHRIST
SAVE YOURSELF
AND SAVE US."
HOW LIKE HIM WE ARE,
WHEN OUR LIFE'S ACTIONS
HANG US ON THE LEFT CROSS,
WE CRY "
SAVE YOURSELF
AND SAVE US.
NOT BECAUSE WE ARE SORRY FOR YOUR PAIN.
AFTER ALL
WE DO NOT ALWAYS NEED YOU,
ONLY WHEN ALL THE APPLES,
WE HAVE EATEN FROM THE TREE
MAKE US SICK
THEN WE NEED YOU.
THEN WE CRY
SAVE US, SAVE US
ME
MORE THAN YOU,
SAVE US.

BUT THE GOOD THIEF,
THE ONE ON THE RIGHT,
REBUKED THE BAD THIEF
FOR HIS ARROGANCE,
THEN SPOKE
WITH ALMOST THE SAME ARROGANCE,
WHEN HE SAID "
JESUS, REMEMBER ME
WHEN YOU COME IN TO YOUR KINGDOM".

TWO ARROGANT PETITIONS
BUT FROM DIFFERENT HEARTS,
ONE SPOKEN IN ANGER,
ONE SPOKEN IN TRUST
AND HOPE.

AND TO THE TRUSTING,
HOPEFUL HEART
HE SAID, "
TRULY,
TODAY
YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE."

I WONDER
WHAT THE GUARDS THOUGHT
WHEN THEY HEARD THIS CONVERSATION.
DID IT INTERRUPT THEIR DICE GAME,
WERE THEY PERHAPS EMBARRASSED
BY THE GOODNESS
OF THE MAN THEY WERE KILLING
OR DID THEY THINK
THAT THE PAIN
OF THEIR TORTURE
HAD ROBBED HIS MIND OF REASON.
HOW COULD THAT ONE
SAVE ANYONE,
NAILED TO THE TREE
WITH GOOD STOUT NAILS.
WITH THE SIGN ABOVE HIS HEAD
WHICH MOCKED HIM AS KING.
THEY'D BEEN WITH HIM,
WHEN THEY'D WHIPPED
AND CROWNED HIM,
AND THEY HAD HEARD
NEITHER CURSE NOR WHIMPER.
NO KING HE,
A LAMB MAYBE,
QUIET IN HIS SLAUGHTER,
BUT NO KING-

HOW RIDICULOUS A DEATH,
DYING ON A HILLSIDE
LIKE A NAME
PAINTED ON A CLIFF-

HOW RIDICULOUS A DEATH,
DYING ON A HILLSIDE
LIKE A NAME
CARVED ON A TREE BY LOVERS,
AND IN THIS NAME
THE NAME OF JESUS
WE ARE EMBARRASSED.
WHY?

PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE
WE THINK
THAT WE ARE UNLOVABLE.
WE DO NOT DOUBT
THAT GOD CAN SAVE US,
BUT WE DO DOUBT
THAT SOMEONE COULD LOVE US
SO MUCH
SO MUCH
AS TO DIE FOR US-
TO DIE FOR US
NOT FOOLISHLY,
BUT FULLY KNOWING
OUR UNWORTHINESS
AND STILL WANTING TO SAVE US.

I SUSPECT
THAT THE REAL REASON
WHY THE NAME "
JESUS'
MAY EMBARRASS US
WHEN IT STANDS NAKED BY ITSELF,
IS THAT IT PUTS US
ON A FIRST NAME BASIS.
IT REMINDS US
OF OUR OWN NEED FOR SALVATION,
OF OUR OWN NAKEDNESS,
OF OUR OWN NAMES
BY WHICH JESUS CALLS US.

FOR JESUS HAS COME
TO SAVE D-GUY,
SAVE JJ AND PAULA,
SAVE THERESA,
SAVE MARY,
SAVE KAREN AND PETER,
SAVE MARCIA,
SAVE ALL OF US-

NOT FOR OUR JOBS,
NOT FOR OUR TITLES,
NOT FOR OUR TITHING,
NOT BECAUSE WE ARE RETIRED
OR WORKING,
MARRIED,
SINGLE OR DIVORCED.
NOT FOR ANY REASON
EXCEPT HE LOVES US.
HE MADE US.
WE ARE THE WORK OF HIS HANDS
AND GOD DOESN'T MAKE JUNK.

HE LOVES US.
END OF SENTENCE.
HE LOVES
US.

THE MESSAGE ON THE CLIFFSIDE
CALLS US BY NAME,
CALLS ALL OF US, BY NAME.
IT SAYS "
UNCOVER YOUR EYES,
OPEN YOUR EARS,

I BRING TRUTH AND HOPE
FOR ALL THE NEEDING-TO-BE FILLED
PLACES IN YOUR LIVES.
BE LIKE THE GOOD THIEF
AND KNOW THE PAIN OF SURRENDER,
THE PAIN OF KNOWING
THE HELPLESSNESS
OF TRYING TO HELP YOURSELF.
CALL ON ME,
CALL ON ME,
LIKE THE GOOD THIEF
CALL ON ME
SAYING
JESUS, REMEMBER ME,
WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM".
REMEMBER ME,
REMEMBER ME,
REMEMBER ME.
EVEN THOUGH I DON'T ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU'

JESUS SAYS, "I WILL".
AND WHETHER IT SEEMS PREPOSTEROUS
IN OUR JUDGMENT
OR EMBARRASSING,
THE SAME GOD
THAT SAVED THIEVES
HANGING JUSTLY ON THE CROSS,
ALSO SAVES CLOWNS LIKE YOU
AND ME,
NOT FOR ANY OTHER REASON,
THAN THAT HE LOVES US.

SO WHEN
THE PHARISEES SAY TO HIM
LEAVE NOW
BEFORE THEY KILL YOU
HE REPLIES
I WILL STAY FAITHFUL
TO MY TASK
TODAY
TOMORROW
AND THE DAY AFTER
WHICH MEANS
ALWAYS.

FURTHER
JESUS SAYS
COME TO MY SHOP
WHERE THERE IS A SIGN
THAT SAYS
JESUS
CARPENTER
MAKER OF EASY YOKES.
WE MAKE YOUR BURDEN LIGHT.
COME IN
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
LET ME PROVE IT.

AND AS WE ENTER
HIS SHOP.
WE CATCH OUR IMAGE
IN THE WINDOW OF THE DOOR

AND WE ALSO SEE
THE REFLECTION OF THE CLIFF
BEHIND US
WITH THE SIGN "
JESUS SAVES".
AND WE KNOW THE MESSAGE
IS PERSONAL AND FOR US.

AMEN

MANNA - WHAT IS IT

2009-05-09T08:17:00.000-07:00

MANNA - WHAT IS IT

ONE CHRISTMAS
WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE YOUNG
TIME WERE TOUGH
MONEY WAS SCARCE
SO I TOOK A SECOND JOB
TO EARN ENOUGH MONEY
SO THAT THE CHILDREN
WOULD HAVE PRESENTS

CHRISTMAS CAME
AND OUR TRADITION WAS
THAT WE SAT IN A RING
AND EACH CHILD ONE AT A TIME
WOULD UNWRAP ONE PRESENT
WE WOULD KEEP GOING AROUND THE RING
UNTIL ALL THE PRESENTS WERE OPEN
WHEN WE WERE DONE
THERE WAS A MOUND OF GIFTS
IN FRONT OF EACH CHILD

IT WAS THEN THAT ONE OF MY CHILDREN
SAID TO ME
IS THIS ALL I GET DAD

I FELT HURT
I FELT ANGRY
I FELT SHAME
THAT I COULDN'T HAVE DONE BETTER
I FELT CRUSHED
BY WHAT I FELT
WAS MY CHILD'S INGRATITUDE

WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH INGRATITUDE

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN UNGRATEFUL TO US
IF WE ARE HONEST WITH OURSELVES
WE HAVE BEEN UNGRATEFUL TO OTHERS
PARENT TO CHILD
CHILD TO PARENT
FRIEND TO FRIEND
MAN TO GOD

MAN TO GOD INGRATITUDE
IS THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF PREACHING
ON THAT PART OF THE STORY OF THE EXODUS
WHERE THE ISRAELITES GRUMBLED AT HARD TIMES

THE ISRAELITES HAD BEEN RELEASED
FROM SLAVERY IN EGYPT
PHARAOH'S ARMY
SENT TO RECAPTURE THEM
HAD BEEN DESTROYED
THEY HAD ESCAPED
TO THE WILDERNESS
OF SINAI
THEY HAD PASSED THROUGH A DIVIDED SEA
TO A BARREN LAND
AND THEY WERE HUNGRY

SO THEY COMPLAINED TO GOD
THROUGH MOSES AND AARON
WERE THERE NOT ENOUGH GRAVEYARDS IN EGYPT
THAT WE HAD TO COME OUT HERE TO DIE
IN EGYPT WE HAD MEAT
AND OUR FILL OF BREAD
DID YOU BRING US HERE TO DIE OF HUNGER
THIS THEY SAID TO GOD THE FATHER
THROUGH MOSES AND AARON
THEY SAID
IS THAT ALL THERE IS DAD
IS THAT ALL THERE IS FATHER

WE MIGHT EXPECT A GOD
TO REACT ANGRILY
TO SUCH INGRATITUDE

BUT GOD THE FATHER SAYS TO US
BECAUSE HIS LOVE FOR US
IS GREATER THAN OUR INGRATITUDE TO HIM

GOD THE FATHER SAYS

I HAVE HEARD YOUR COMPLAINING
AND THEREFORE
AT TWILIGHT
YOU SHALL EAT MEAT
AND IN THE MORNING
YOU SHALL HAVE YOUR FILL OF BREAD

SO IN THE EVENING OF THAT DAY
QUAIL CAME
WERE CAUGHT AND EATEN
AND IN THE MORNING
A SUBSTANCE LIKE CORNFLAKES
APPEARED ON THE BUSHES

WHEN THE ISRAELITES SAW IT
THEY ASKED
WHAT IS IT
IN HEBREW
MANNA
AND MOSES REPLIED
IT IS THE BREAD
THAT THE LORD
HAS GIVEN YOU TO EAT

TO ME
THE MORAL OF THE STORY
IS NOT SO MUCH
THE ISRAELITES INGRATITUDE
BUT THAT GOD HEARD THEIR COMPLAINING
AND LISTENED

THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER
WHERE WE ARE IN GRATITUDE
OR INGRATITUDE TO GOD
NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE
HE IS LISTENING
AND ANSWERING OUR NEEDS

I DON'T WANT TO BE POLLYANNA
IN THAT STATEMENT
GOD'S LOVE FOR US
DOES NOT MEAN
THAT EVERY DAY WILL BE SUNNY
OR FREE OF PAIN
HE WILL NOT GIVE
THE ONE LEGGED MAN ANOTHER LEG
BUT HELP THE ONE LEGGED MAN TO LIVE
WITH HIS ONE LEGGEDNESS
FOR GOD ANSWERS OUR NEEDS
NOT OUR WANTS
AND SOMETIMES GOD WEEPS
WHEN EVIL OVERCOMES
HIS LOVE FOR US

WHEN WE
OR THE WORLD
SAY MANNA MANNA
WHAT IS THIS
WE WOULD RATHER LIVE WELL FED IN EGYPT
THAN HUNGRY IN THE DESERT

GIVE US BACK OUR SLAVERY
BECAUSE FREEDOM IS TOO HARD
BECAUSE EVEN
WHEN WE ARE GIVEN
EVERYTHING WE NEED
WE ARE LIKE ADAM IN THE GARDEN
WHO SAYS
IS THIS ALL I GET
AND THEN EATS THE FRUIT

AND IN AWFUL AWARENESS
SHOUTS OUT
MANNA MANNA
WHAT IS IT
AND KNOWS
THAT IT IS SIN

AND CRIES OUT
I HAVE LOST GOD
BECAUSE OF MY INGRATITUDE

BUT GOD HEARS US
IN OUR DEEPEST MOMENT
AND FEEDS US
AS HE DOES IN HOLY COMMUNION

WE CRY MANNA WHAT IS IT
AND GOD REPLIES
SIGNS AND PROOFS OF MY LOVE
FOR JESUS SAYS
I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
IF YOU COME TO ME
YOU WILL NEVER BE HUNGRY
IF YOU BELIEVE IN ME
YOU WILL NEVER BE THIRSTY

WE CRY MANNA WHAT IS IT
AND JESUS SAYS
I HAVE COME LIKE WHEAT
THAT IS BROKEN AND GROUND DOWN
BY YOUR SINS
BY YOUR INGRATITUDE
AND I SAY
THAT I AM BREAD
AND I LIVE IN THAT BREAD
TAKE
EAT
AND REMEMBER ME

AND JESUS SAYS
I HAVE COME LIKE GRAPES
BROKEN AND CRUSHED
BY YOUR INGRATITUDE
AND I SAY
THAT I AM WINE
AND I LIVE IN THAT WINE
TAKE
DRINK
AND REMEMBER ME

AND THIS GIFT
AMONG ALL THE GIFTS THAT GOD GIVES US
IS THE GREATEST GIFT
THIS GIFT OF BREAD AND WINE
THIS GIFT OF BODY AND BLOOD
THIS GIFT OF GOD HIMSELF

LET US BE GRATEFUL
AND SAY AMEN
LET US SAY AMEN
AND THANK YOU

JESUS' FIRST SERMON AT HOME

2009-05-09T08:15:00.000-07:00

JESUS' FIRST SERMON AT HOME

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY.
MOST OF IT IS TRUE.
THE REST IS A PARABLE.

JESUS TOLD PARABLES.
THEY WERE
AND ARE
STORIES TO TEACH A LESSON.

JESUS
FILLED WITH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT
WAS PREACHING IN GALILEE.
GOING FROM VILLAGE TO VILLAGE.
AND THE PEOPLE FELT HOPE
AND JOY
IN HIS MESSAGE

BUT THE RULERS OF THE SYNAGOGUE
AND THE WEALTHY
AND THE IMPORTANT
FELT THREATENED

HE WAS NOW IN NAZARETH
AND HE AND HIS MOTHER
WERE WALKING TO THE SYNAGOGUE.
AT THE DOOR THEY PARTED.
MARY WENT TO SIT WITH THE WOMEN
BECAUSE THE SYNAGOGUE WAS SEGREGATED.

AT THE CENTER OF THE SYNAGOGUE SAT
ALL THE IMPORTANT MEN OF THE VILLAGE.
AROUND THEM SAT
THE OTHER MEN OF THE VILLAGE.
THE WOMEN WERE IGNORED
THEY WERE NOT IMPORTANT.

IN FACT THE JEWISH LEADERS SAID
THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER
FOR THE BIBLE TO BE BURNED
RATHER THAN BE TAUGHT TO A WOMAN.

THIS WAS THE WORLD JESUS LIVED IN
AND HE DID NOT LIKE IT.
HE ALSO DID NOT LIKE THE PRAYER
THAT JEWISH MEN SAID DAILY.
THEY SAID
BLESSED BE GOD
THAT HE HAS NOT MADE ME
A GENTILE.
BLESSED BE GOD
THAT HE HAS NOT MADE ME
A WOMAN.
BLESSED BE GOD
THAT HE HAS NOT MADE ME
A SLAVE.
THIS ALSO BOTHERED JESUS.
IT WAS NOT THE WORLD
THAT HE
OR HIS FATHER WANTED.

LATER PAUL
IN GALATIANS
WOULD ANSWER THAT PRAYER
WITH A NEW ONE
THAT REFLECTED WHAT JESUS THOUGHT
WHEN HE WROTE

AS MANY OF YOU
AS WERE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST
HAVE CLOTHED YOURSELVES
WITH CHRIST.

THEREFORE
THERE IS NO LONGER
JEW OR GREEK,
THERE IS NO LONGER
SLAVE OR FREE,
THERE IS NO LONGER
MALE AND FEMALE;

FOR ALL OF YOU
ARE ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.

BUT THAT PRAYER WAS WRITTEN
AFTER JESUS HAD LIVED AND DIED.
BUT TODAY IN OUR STORY
JESUS IS BEGINNING HIS JOURNEY.
AS HE LOOKS AT THE ASSEMBLY
HE IS SADDENED
THAT THEY HAVE WANDERED
SO FAR FROM HIS FATHER'S DREAM.
HE OPENS THE SCRIPTURES
AND READING FROM ISAIAH
HE DECLARES IN A STRONG VOICE
THE NEW/OLD VISION OF THE FATHER
FOR HIS PEOPLE.

TODAY HE SAYS
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME.
HE HAS APPOINTED ME.
HE HAS APPOINTED ME
TO BRING GOOD NEWS
TO THE POOR.

HE HAS APPOINTED ME
TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO CAPTIVES

HE HAS APPOINTED ME
TO TELL THE BLIND
THAT THEY SHALL SEE.

TO TELL THE DOWNTRODDEN
THEIR BURDEN IS LIFTED

AND TO TELL
ALL PEOPLE
THAT THE TIME FOR GOD'S BLESSINGS
IS NOW.

JESUS CLOSES THE BOOK.
LOOKS AT ALL THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE,
LOOKS AT ALL THE NOT SO IMPORTANT PEOPLE
LOOKS AT HIS MOTHER
AND ALL THE OTHER WOMEN
WHO DID NOT COUNT
AND SAYS
TODAY
THIS SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN FULFILLED
IN YOUR HEARING
MEANING THAT THE TIME FOR CHANGE
WAS NOW
AND FOR THAT REASON
JESUS WAS PREACHING.
I HOPE MY SERMON
IS BETTER RECEIVED
THAN JESUS' WAS
BECAUSE WHEN JESUS WAS FINISHED
HE WAS CHASED OUT OF TOWN.
.

BUT THE RICH MEN
AND THE IMPORTANT MEN
AND THE LEADERS
OF THE SYNAGOGUE
THOUGHT
WHY WORRY ABOUT THOSE
WHO ARE WITHOUT.
ABOUT THOSE
WHO COUNT FOR NOTHING.
THE OTHER MEN WONDERED
WHY THE FUSS,
LIFE IS GOING ON OK FOR ME.

IT TOOK PAUL
AGAIN IN TODAY'S LESSON
TO PUT WORDS TO JESUS' DREAM
WHEN HE WRITES IN CORINTHIANS.
THAT THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
IS LIKE A BODY,
MANY PARTS
ONE BODY.

AND THAT THAT
BODY IS THE BODY OF CHRIST.

AS PAUL WRITES
FOR IN ONE SPIRIT
WE WERE ALL BAPTIZED
INTO ONE BODY.
NO MORE JEW OR GREEK,
SLAVE OR FREE
BUT ONE BODY.

AND IN THAT BODY
IF ONE PART SUFFERS
THE WHOLE BODY SUFFERS.
JUST AS IF
ONE PART OF THE BODY IS HONORED
THE WHOLE BODY IS HONORED.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR.
THIS IS JESUS' DREAM
THAT WE CARE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR
AS IF HE WERE CHRIST.
THAT WE CARE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR
BECAUSE HE IS ONE WITH US
IN CHRIST'S BODY.

SO JESUS LOOKING AT THE WORLD
THROUGH OUR EYES
AND SEEING
THAT IT IS NOT THE WORLD
THAT HIS FATHER
OR HE WANTS.
ASKS US TO SAY WITH HIM
AS HE SAID IN NAZARETH ON THAT DAY.

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON US.
HE HAS APPOINTED US.

HE HAS APPOINTED US
TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.

HE HAS APPOINTED US
TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY
TO CAPTIVES

HE HAS APPOINTED US
TO TELL THE BLIND
THAT THEY SHALL SEE.

TO TELL THE DOWNTRODDEN
THEIR BURDEN IS LIFTED

TO TELL ALL PEOPLE
THAT THE TIME
FOR GOD'S BLESSINGS
IS NOW.

SO I ASK YOU
(PUT IN NAMES)

WILL YOU HELP JESUS
TO MAKE THE WORLD
THE WAY HE WANTS IT

RESPONSE

I WILL AND I ASK GOD TO HELP ME.

FORGIVE

2009-05-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

FORGIVE

IMAGINE IF YOU WILL
THAT YOU ARE JESUS
STANDING ON TOP OF A HIGH MOUNTAIN
ON THE NORTH SIDE
OF THE SEA OF GALILEE
YOU ARE LOOKING DOWN
AT THE SEA OF GALILEE
THE MOUNTAIN IS IN GALILEE.

LOOKING SOUTH
YOU SEE THE KINGDOM OF JUDEA
AND THE CAPITAL
JERUSALEM.

LOOKING EAST YOU SEE PEREA
LOOKING WEST YOU SEE SAMARIA
AND YOU ARE SAD
BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH HATRED
IN THE LAND

THE PROMISED LAND
HAS BEEN CONQUERED BY ROME
AND DIVIDED INTO THE FOUR PARTS
OF GALILEE, JUDEA, SAMARIA AND PEREA

THE JEWS HATE THE ROMANS
WHO ARE EVERYWHERE
ACTING AS POLICEMEN

THE JEWS HATE THE SAMARITANS
AND THE PEREANS
BECAUSE THEY WORSHIP GOD
IN A NON JEWISH MANNER

JESUS LOOKS DOWN AT THE LAKE
AND AS HE DOES
HE LOOKS BACK IN TIME
AND REMEMBERS THE EVENTS
Of HIS STARTING MINISTRY

HE REMEMBERS
HIS BAPTISM BY JOHN
WHERE GOD THE FATHER
DECLARED THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON

THEN THE WEDDING AT CANA
WHERE HE CHANGED WATER INTO WINE

THEN HIS FIRST SERMON AT NAZARETH
AND HIS REJECTION BY HIS NEIGHBORS

THEN WE REMEMBERS THE MIRACLE OF THE FISHES
WHERE THE APOSTLES CAUGHT SO MANY
THE BOAT BEGAN TO SINK.

AND TODAY HE REMEMBERS
COMING DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN
AND PREACHING THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN
ALSO CALLED THE BEATITUDES

BUT BEFORE HE CAME DOWN OFF THE MOUNTAIN
JESUS LOOKED DOWN
AT THE DIVIDED KINGDOM
AND WAS SADDENED
THIS WAS NOT HIS FATHER’S DREAM
FOR THIS LAND
THIS PROMISED LAND
AND ITS PEOPLE.

RELIGION HAD BECOME
AN OBSERVANCE OF LAWS AND RITUALS
THE PRIESTS ARGUED
OVER SUCH THINGS AS
CAN A MAN WITH A WOODEN LEG
WALK ON THE SABBATH
BECAUSE THE WOODEN LEG
WAS A BURDEN
AND ONE COULD NOT
CARRY A BURDEN
ON THE SABBATH
BECAUSE CARRYING A BURDEN
WAS WORK

THE PERFORMANCE OF RITUAL
IN THE TEMPLE WAS SUCH
THAT
ON ANY PASSOVER
OVER 250,000 LAMBS WERE SOLD
AND SLAIN IN ONE DAY
MAKING GOD’S HOUSE
MORE A SLAUGHTER FACTORY
THAN A HOUSE OF GOD

THIS IS WHAT HIS FATHER’S RELIGION
HAD BECOME
AND HE IS SADDENED.

SO HE SLOWLY COMES DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
AND PREACHES THE BEATITUDES

LUKE HAS A SENTENCE
AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE BEATITUDES
THAT SAYS
THERE WERE PEOPLE
FROM SIDON AND TYRE
IN THE CROWD
HE DID THIS DELIBERATELY
BECAUSE THE JEWS ALSO HATED
THOSE FROM SIDON AND TYRE

SO JESUS LOOKS AT THE CROWD
THAT HAD SO MUCH HATE
AND PREACHES A SERMON
ON FORGIVENESS
A SERMON, WHICH SAYS
IF ANYONE HITS YOU,
TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.
EASY TO SAY
DIFFICULT TO DO

JESUS SAYS
FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES,
DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HURT YOU.
WHEN EVERY PART OF YOUR BEING
SAYS MAKE A FIST
AND HURT YOUR ENEMY
JESUS SAYS LOVE THEM.
JESUS HAS GOT TO BE KIDDING HERE
RIGHT

BUT ULTIMATELY
JESUS IS RIGHT.
FOR WITHOUT FORGIVENESS
NATIONS WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,

NEIGHBORS WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,

FAMILIES WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING

HUSBAND AND WIVES
WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,

BROTHERS AND SISTERS
YOUNG OR GROWN OLD
TILL NEAR DEATH
WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING.

WHEN WILL IT END
AS THE SONG SAYS
LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH
AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO DO
RIGHT NOW
AS A REACTION TO JESUS' SERMON
IS WRITE DOWN WITH YOUR FINGER
ON THE PALM OF YOUR HAND
THE NAME OF THAT PERSON
YOU FIND IT HARD TO FORGIVE.

THEN RUB YOUR HANDS TOGETHER
AND ERASE THEIR NAME.
THINKING AS YOU DO IT
THEY ARE FORGIVEN.
TRY IT

LET GO THOSE CHUNKS OF ICE
WHICH WE ALL CARRY
THOSE CHUNKS OF ICE OF HATRED
WHICH WE ALL CARRY
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY WE ARE CARRYING THEM

HARD YOU SAY.
TOO HARD
AND I AGREE.
BUT IT IS JESUS
NOT ME
WHO IS SPEAKING
WHEN HE SAYS
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES,
DO GOOD TO THEM,
LEND ACCORDING TO THEIR NEED
EXPECTING NOTHING BACK
BE MERCIFUL
AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS MERCIFUL
STILL TOO HARD

LET ME PAINT YOU A PICTURE.
THERE IS A MAN WHO IS DYING.
CONDEMNED TO DEATH
FOR A CRIME
HE DIDN’T COMMIT.

CONDEMNED TO DEATH
OUT OF JEALOUSY
AND FEAR OF LOSING POWER.

ALL HIS FRIENDS
HAVE DESERTED HIM
OUT OF FEAR

ONE OF HIS FRIENDS
HAS SOLD HIM FOR A PRICE

ONE OF HIS FRIENDS DENIED
HE EVER KNEW HIM.

HIS HEART
WHICH IS STRUGGLING
TO STAY ALIVE
IS STILL FILLED WITH LOVE
FOR ALL MANKIND

AND HE IS GIVING THINGS AWAY.
HE WILL DIE POOR.

HIS CLOTHES ARE GONE.
HE HAS GIVEN HIS MOTHER
TO THE CARE OF HIS FRIEND JOHN

NOW HE GIVES AWAY HIS ANGER.
STRUGGLING UPRIGHT ON THE NAILS
HE CRIES OUT
FATHER FORGIVE THEM
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.

FORGIVE THE RULERS
OF TEMPLE AND STATE,
FORGIVE THE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE CRUEL TO ME,
FORGIVE THE CROWD
GATHERED LIKE VULTURES
TO SEE ME DIE,
FORGIVE THE THIEF WHO CURSED ME
FORGIVE ALL
WHO HAVE DESERTED ME,
LIED ABOUT ME,
SOLD ME FOR A PRICE

JESUS
LOOKING DOWN FROM HIS HIGH PLACE
ON THE CROSS
LOOKING DOWN THE YEARS
FORGIVING ALL WHO HAD EVER LIVED,
WHO WERE LIVING THEN
WHO WOULD LIVE IN THE FUTURE

LOOKING DOWN FROM HIS HIGH PLACE
HE COMES HERE
AND CRIES OUT
FATHER FORGIVE FRANK
AND BARBARA,
JOE AND TOM,
ALICE AND JAN,
FATHER FORGIVE ALL

AND WE CRY IN RESPONSE
FATHER FORGIVE US
AND FORGIVE THE ONE
WE FIND IT HARD
TO FORGIVE
WE
AND THEY
KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO.

IN THE LIGHT OF OUR FORGIVENESS
CAN WE NOT TAKE
THE NAME OF THAT ONE PERSON
WE FIND IT HARD TO FORGIVE.
WRITE IT ON THE PALM OF OUR HAND.
RUB OUR HANDS TOGETHER
TO MAKE IT DISAPPEAR.

AND SAY TO THAT PERSON
THAT CHUNK OF ICE
THAT I HAVE CARRIED
WITH YOUR NAME ON IT
IS MELTED
I FORGIVE YOU

AND JESUS SAYS
WELL DONE MY BROTHERS
AND SISTERS
WELL DONE

IN YOU
I AM WELL PLEASED.
MAY IT BE SO AMEN

FISHERS OF MEN

2009-05-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

FISHERS OF MEN

WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE YOUNG
WE SPENT EACH SUMMER
CAMPING IN THE WOODS OF PENNSYLVANIA
OVER TIME
MY CHILDREN BECAME EXPERT FISHERMEN
EVEN TODAY
MY CHILDREN FISH IN PLACES
LIKE ALASKA, MEXICO, MAINE, JAPAN, PENNSYLVANIA AND CALIFORNIA
THEY ARE KIND OF ADDICTED TO FISHING

DAD DID NOT FISH
HE WAS TOO BUSY BAITING HOOKS
COULD EVERYBODY SAY POOOR DAD

SO ONE FATHER’S DAY
MY CHILDREN GAVE ME A POCKET FISHERMAN
WHICH WAS A FOLD UP FISHING POLE
WITH A SET OF HOOKS

SO THE NEXT DAY
EARLY IN THE MORNING
I PICKED UP
MY POCKET FISHERMAN
AND WALKED TO THE LAKE
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING
WITH FOG
LAYING ON THE GROUND
ABOUT FOUR FEET THICK
SO THAT ALL YOU COULD SEE
OF ME
OR ANYONE ELSE
WAS OUR HEADS

WHEN I GOT TO THE LAKE
I SAW A MAN FISHING
SO OUT OF COURTESY
I MOVE A HUNDRED FEET AWAY FROM HIM
I UNFOLDED MY FISHING POLE
BAITED MY HOOK
REACHED BACK WITH MY POLE
MADE A PERFECT CAST
AND CAUGHT THE TREE BEHIND ME

AFTER A TERRIFIC FIGHT WITH THE TREE
I FREED MY HOOK
BUT NOT BEFORE I HAD AWAKENED
EVERY BIRD IN THE FOREST
NOT TO MENTION
SEVERAL SCOLDING SQUIRRELS
AND SORRY TO SAY
MY FISHING COMPANION
WHO WAS A HUNDRED FEET AWAY
LEFT IN ABSOLUTE DISGUST
AT MY AMATEURISHNESS

IF AT THAT MOMENT
JESUS HAD WALKED THROUGH THE MIST
AND SAID TO ME
FRANK
I WILL MAKE YOU A FISHER OF MEN
I WOULD HAVE SAID
YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING

BUT IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
JESUS COMES UPON FOUR MEN
PETER, ANDREW, JAMES AND JOHN
WHO WHILE THEY WERE GOOD FISHERMEN
WERE NOT THE ONES
ANY OF US WOULD HAVE PICKED

IN FACT AN EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
ONCE REVIEWED
THE FOUR OF THEM
AND THE OTHER EIGHT
FOR THE JOB
OF APOSTLES
AND REJECTED THEM ALL EXCEPT JUDAS

OF THE FOUR
MENTIONED TO DAY
THE ONLY ONE I WOULD HAVE PICKED
WOULD HAVE BEEN
ANDREW
BECAUSE IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
ANDREW
ONCE HE WAS CONVINCED
THE JESUS WAS WHO HE CLAIMED TO BE
THAT JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH
ANDREW TOOK JESUS TO MEET PETER

THIS IS THE BASIC WORK OF AN APOSTLE
HELPING PEOPLE TO MEET JESUS

BUT PETER
WHO WOULD PICK PETER
FOR SUCH A SENSITIVE JOB

PETER WAS RASH AND IMPULSIVE
SPOKE WITHOUT THINKING
WE KNOW WHEN FACED WITH DANGER
HE TURNED COWARDLY

BUT JESUS SAW SOMETHING IN PETER
SOMETHING THAT MOVED HIM
TO GIVE PETER
A NEW NAME
FROM SIMON
TO ROCK
IN ENGLISH
PETER MEANS ROCK

THE FIRST WORDS OF JESUS TO PETER
WERE COME
BE MY DISCIPLE
HIS LAST WORDS TO PETER WERE
FOLLOW ME
EVERY STEP OF HIS LIFE
BETWEEN THESE TWO CHALLENGES
PETER NEVER FAILED TO FOLLOW
EVEN THOUGH
AS WE KNOW FROM OUR BIBLE STUDY
HE OFTEN STUMBLED

THE OTHER TWO MENTIONED
JAMES AND JOHN
SEEM TO HAVE JOINED UP
FOR THE WRONG REASONS
THEY SEEMED BE AFFLICTED
WITH SIBLING RIVALRY

JESUS NICK NAMED THEM
SONS OF THUNDER
THEY HAD A BAD TEMPER WHEN CROSSED
BOTH WANTED TO BE IN IMPORTANT PLACES
IN JESUS’ POLITICAL KINGDOM

WHAT DID JESUS SEE IN THEM

WHAT DOES JESUS SEE IN US
FOR WE ARE CALLED TO BE DISCIPLES
AND WE RESPOND WE HAVEN’T THE TALENT
WE ARE NOT WISE
WE HAVEN’T THE TEMPERAMENT
AND JESUS REPLIES
I TOOK A ROCK
AND MOLDED IT
AND PETER WAS THAT GREAT VOICE
WHO PROCLAIMED THE GOSPEL AT PENTECOST
AND KEPT PROCLAIMING IT
UP TO HIS DEATH FOR ME

JESUS HAD CHANGED HIM
AS JESUS WILL CHANGE US
IF WE LET HIM
JESUS DOESN’T WANT ROCKET SCIENTISTS
HE WANTS US AS HE MADE US
HE DOESN’T NEED ELOQUENCE
AS PAUL SAYS
I DO NOT PREACH WITH ELOQUENCE
FOR ELOQUENCE
WOULD TAKE AWAY
THE POWER OF THE CROSS

IT IS THE POWER OF THE CROSS
THAT WILL CHANGE US

SO JESUS SAYS
TO EACH ONE OF US
INVITING US TO BE HIS DISCIPLES
INVITING US
KNOWING WE ARE NOT UP TO THE JOB
INVITING US
KNOWING
THAT AS FISHERMEN
WE OFTEN CATCH TREES

BUT HIS MIGHT
WILL MAKE UP
FOR OUR LACK

HE INVITES US
BECAUSE A LONELY GOD
NEEDS US
FOR A FRIEND
AND CO-WORKER

SO TO EACH ONE OF US
HE SAYS
COME
COME MY BELOVED
COME
MY LITTLE CATCHER OF TREES
COME
I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN

COME
BE WITH ME
BECAUSE I LOVE YOU
COME
COME
AND BE MY FRIEND

CANA - SLAMMING DOOR

2009-05-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

CANA - THE SLAMMING DOOR

LET US THINK ABOUT THE WEDDING FEAST AT CANA

WHEN I WAS A CHILD
EVERY SUMMER
WOODEN SCREEN DOORS
WERE PLACED
ON ALL THE OUTSIDE DOORS
THERE WAS A LONG SPRING ATTACHED
WHICH WHEN YOU LET THE DOOR GO
SLAMMED THE DOOR LOUDLY
THIS WAS USUALLY FOLLOWED
BY YOUR MOTHER YELLING
DON'T SLAM THE DOOR.

GRADUALLY
DUE TO MY MOTHER'S INFLUENCE
I LEARNED
NOT TO SLAM THE DOOR.
IT WAS NOT AN EASY TASK
FOR MY MOTHER OR ME

SHE WOULD COME TO THE DOOR
AND IN FRONT OF ALL MY PLAYMATES
CALL FRANK ANTONY
GET OVER HERE.
WHEN I GOT OVER THERE
SHE WOULD SAY
FRANK ANTONY
OPEN AND CLOSE THAT DOOR
QUIETLY
I WOULD OPEN THE DOOR
AND CLOSE IT
QUIETLY
THEN SHE WOULD SAY
NOW FRANK MIBUY
YOU CAN GO AND PLAY

TO THIS DAY
IF I SLAM A DOOR
NO MATTER HOW OLD I AM
AND MY MOTHER IS NOT AROUND
I GO OPEN
AND
CLOSE THE DOOR
QUIETLY

ARE YOU PROUD OF ME MOM
ARE YOU PROUD OF FRANK ANTONY

IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
MARY IS AN IMPORTANT GUEST
AT THE WEDDING

LISTEN TO THE STORY AGAIN.
THERE WAS A WEDDING
AND THE MOTHER OF JESUS WAS THERE.
JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES
WERE ALSO INVITED

FOR THIS WEDDING
MARY WAS A MORE IMPORTANT GUEST
THAN JESUS

NOW WEDDINGS
IN THE TIME OF JESUS AND MARY
WERE WEEK LONG EVENTS
AND FOR THE WINE
OR THE FOOD TO RUN OUT
WAS A DISGRACE
TO THE FAMILIES INVOLVED.

SO MARY
WHEN SHE SEES THE WINE RUN OUT
IS CONCERNED FOR THE BRIDAL COUPLE
SHE IS CONCERNED THAT THEIR MARRIAGE
NOT BEGIN WITH DISGRACE.
SO SHE TURNS TO HER SON
AND SAYS
THEY HAVE NO WINE.

HE SAYS
IT IS NOT OUR PROBLEM,
IT IS NOT MY TIME TO BEGIN

MARY LOOKS AT JESUS
WITH THE TIME IMMEMORIAL LOOK
OF MOTHERS
WHO LOOK AT CHILDREN
WHO SLAM DOORS
AND SAYS TO THE SERVANTS
DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.

THE LEGEND
IS THAT THE WATER
LOOKED WITH LOVE AT ITS CREATOR
AND BLUSHED

BLUSHED AND BECAME WINE

BLUSHED AND BECAME WINE
FINER THAN THAT
WHICH WAS SERVED
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FEAST

DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU

AND WHAT DOES HE TELL US.
HE ASKS US TO BECOME WINE
TO BE DRINK TO THE WORLD
TO SAY TO THE WORLD
WHAT AN ANCIENT GREEK PRAYER
HAS HIM SAY

I AM YOUR GOD
WHO FOR YOUR SAKE
HAVE BECOME YOUR SON
OUT OF LOVE FOR YOU
AND FOR YOUR DESCENDANTS

I NOW
BY MY OWN AUTHORITY
SAY TO ALL
WHO ARE HELD IN THE BONDAGE OF SIN
TO THROW OFF YOUR CHAINS
I HAVE FREED YOU

TO ALL WHO ARE IN DARKNESS
BE ENLIGHTENED
FOR I AM THE LIGHT

TO ALL WHO ARE SLEEPING
AWAKE
IT IS TIME TO AWAKE

AND TO ALL IN DANGER OF HELL
COME BACK TO ME

I DID NOT MAKE YOU
TO BE A PRISONER OF HELL
BUT TO SIT AT MY TABLE
AND DRINK OF MY WINE

THIS IS THE MESSAGE
FOUND IN ISAIAH
AND IN PSALM 36

WHERE GOD SAYS
I WANT WHAT IS GOOD
FOR MY PEOPLE.

YOU AND I ARE ASKED
TO BECOME WINE TO THE WORLD
BUT WE SAY WE CANNOT DO IT.
WE HAVE NO SKILLS.

BUT PAUL REMINDS US IN CORINTHIANS
THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN SKILLS
BY THE SPIRIT

WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN WISDOM
KNOWLEDGE,
FAITH,
HEALING,
MIRACLE WORKING,
PROPHECY,
AND THE GIFT OF TONGUES
THAT ALLOW US TO SPEAK
TO ALL PEOPLE IN A LANGUAGE
THEY CAN UNDERSTAND.

WE ARE ASKED TO BE WINE FOR THE WORLD
WE ARE ASKED TO DO WHAT JESUS TELLS US
AND WHAT HE HAS TOLD US IS WRITTEN IN OUR HEARTS

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
WE ARE ASKED TO INVITE THE WHOLE WORLD
TO THE WEDDING FEAST

TO BE AT PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER
AND WHEN WE SLAM DOORS
TO GO BACK AND DO IT RIGHT

ARE YOU PROUD OF ME JESUS
ARE YOU PROUD OF ME
AND ALL MY FRIENDS
ARE YOU PROUD OF US JESUS

AND THE ANSWER COMES THUNDERING
FROM THE HEAVENS

YOU ARE MY BELOVED SONS
AND DAUGHTERS
IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED

MAY IT BE SO
AMEN
AMEN

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

2009-05-08T14:53:00.000-07:00

THERE'S AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
IT IS LARGE AND SQUATTING,
SO IT IS HARD TO GET AROUND IT.
YET WE SQUEEZE BY WITH,
"HOW ARE YOU?"
AND "I'M FINE,"
AND A THOUSAND OTHER
FORMS OF TRIVIAL CHATTER.
WE TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER.
WE TALK ABOUT WORK.
WE TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE,
EXCEPT THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.

THERE'S AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.
WE ALL KNOW IT'S THERE.
WE ARE THINKING ABOUT THE ELEPHANT
AS WE TALK TOGETHER.
IT IS CONSTANTLY ON OUR MINDS.
FOR, YOU SEE,
IT IS A VERY LARGE ELEPHANT.
IT HAS HURT US ALL.
BUT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THE ELEPHANT
IN THE ROOM.

OH, PLEASE SAY HIS (HER) NAME.
OH, PLEASE SAY HIS (HER) NAME AGAIN.
OH, PLEASE,
LET'S TALK ABOUT THE ELEPHANT
IN THE ROOM.
FOR IF WE TALK ABOUT
HIS (HER) DEATH,
PERHAPS WE CAN TALK A
BOUT HIS (HER) LIFE.

CAN I SAY HIS (HER) NAME TO YOU
AND NOT HAVE YOU LOOK AWAY?
FOR IF I CANNOT,
THEN YOU ARE LEAVING ME....
ALONE....
IN A ROOM....
WITH AN ELEPHANT.

MOM'S MEMORIAL

2009-05-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

MOM'S MEMORIAL SERVICE

OPENING MEDITATION: AMAZING GRACE

MY MOTHER KNEW HER GOD BY MANY NAMES
AND MANY FACES
THEY ALL TAUGHT HER THE SAME
BE KIND
BE GOOD
WALK GENTLY ON THE EARTH

DID MY MOTHER EVER LOSE HER TEMPER
WAS SHE EVER WRONG
CERTAINLY
TO DENY THAT
WOULD DENY HER THE JOY OF BEING HUMAN
OF BEING ONE WITH THE UNIVERSE
ASKING THE AGE OLD QUESTION
WHO AM I
WHY AM I HERE

MY MOTHER NOW KNOWS ALL THE ANSWERS
MY MOTHER NOW WALKS AMONG THE STARS

STRAIGHTENING UP MAYBE

HAVING TEA WITH THE ANGELS CERTAINLY

AND TELLING GOD HER LATEST CURE FOR THE COMMON COLD
WITHOUT DOUBT
AND HE BETTER LISTEN

AMONG THE FAMILY SHE WAS KNOWN AS THE GOOD WITCH
IF SOMEONE WAS SICK OR IN TROUBLE
AND SAID
I FELT GRANDMOM'S PRESENCE
IN FACT I SAW HER
NONE OF US WOULD BAT AN EYE
AFTER ALL THAT WAS OUR MOM
KEEPER OF THE UNIVERSE
AND PART TIME PROPHET

THE WORLD WILL BE A HOLLOW PLACE WITHOUT HER

WHEN I WAS IN JAPAN
I READ THE FOLLOWING POEM IN READER'S DIGEST
IT MADE ME SO HOMESICK FOR MY MOTHER
I CUT IT OUT AND SENT IT TO HER

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN I SHALL WEAR
PURPLE
WITH A RED HAT WHICH DOESN'T GO
AND DOESN'T SUIT ME.
AND I SHALL SPEND MY PENSION ON BRANDY
AND SUMMER GLOVES
AND SATIN SANDALS, AND SAY
WE'VE NO MONEY FOR BUTTER.
I SHALL SIT DOWN ON THE PAVEMENT
WHEN I'M TIRED
AND GOBBLE UP SAMPLES IN SHOPS
AND PRESS ALARM BELLS
AND RUN MY STICK
ALONG THE PUBLIC RAILINGS
AND MAKE UP FOR THE SOBRIETY
OF MY YOUTH.
I SHALL GO OUT
IN MY SLIPPERS
IN THE RAIN
AND PICK THE FLOWERS
IN OTHER PEOPLE'S GARDENS
AND LEARN TO SPIT
YOU CAN WEAR TERRIBLE SHIRTS
AND GROW MORE FAT
AND EAT THREE POUNDS OF SAUSAGES
AT A GO
OR ONLY BREAD AND A PICKLE
FOR A WEEK
AND HOARD PENS
AND PENCILS
AND BEERMATS
AND THINGS IN BOXES.
BUT NOW
WE MUST HAVE CLOTHES
THAT KEEP US DRY
AND PAY OUR RENT
AND NOT SWEAR IN THE STREET
AND SET A GOOD EXAMPLE
FOR THE CHILDREN.
WE WILL HAVE FRIENDS FOR DINNER
AND READ THE PAPERS.
BUT MAYBE I OUGHT TO PRACTICE A LITTLE NOW?
SO PEOPLE WHO KNOW ME
ARE NOT TOO SHOCKED
AND SURPRISED
WHEN SUDDENLY
I AM OLD AND START TO WEAR PURPLE.

MY MOTHER WORE PURPLE ALL HER LIFE
NO MATTER HOW POOR WE WERE AS CHILDREN
MY MOTHER WORE PURPLE
WHO ELSE WOULD BUY GRAPEFRUIT
SO THE GARBAGE MAN
WOULD THINK WE ATE WELL

WHEN WE WERE SICK AS CHILDREN
MY MOTHER WOULD CURE US
WITH A MAGICAL POTION
OF TOAST ON A GREEN PLATE
AND TEA IN A YELLOW CUP
BETTER THAN PENICILLIN
BECAUSE IF THAT DIDN'T WORK
IT WAS CASTOR OIL
HIDDEN IN A GLASS OF ROOTBEER
BELIEVE ME THE TEA
WAS BETTER

I KNOW WE ALL HAVE FOUND MEMORIES OF MOM
OR THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SAY TO HER
I WOULD ASK YOU NOW
FRIEND OR FAMILY
TO SHARE THEM WITH US NOW

(TIME FOR SHARING)

MY MOTHER LOVED THE TWENTY-THIRD PSALM
IT GAVE HER GREAT PEACE
I CAN HEAR HER RECITING IT NOW
AS SHE LOOKS DOWN UPON US
WANTING TO TELL YOU
SHE IS AT PEACE
SHE WOULD SAY

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD
I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED
HE LETS ME REST IN FIELDS OF GREEN GRASS
AND LEADS ME TO QUIET POOLS OF FRESH WATER

HE GIVES ME NEW STRENGTH
HE GUIDES ME IN THE RIGHT PATHS AS HE HAS PROMISED

EVEN IF I GO THROUGH THE DEEPEST DARKNESS
I WILL NOT BE AFRAID
FOR MY LORD IS WITH ME
HIS SHEPHERD'S ROD AND STAFF PROTECT ME

HE PREPARED A BANQUET FOR ME
HE WELCOMED ME AS AN HONORED QUEST
HE FILLED MY CUP TO THE BRIM

I KNOW THAT HIS GOODNESS AND LOVE WILL BE WITH ME
ALL MY LIFE
AND HIS HOUSE WILL BE MY HOME AS LONG AS I SHALL LIVE

ONE FINAL THOUGHT TO MY MOM AN OLD IRISH POEM

MAY YOU ALWAYS WALK IN SUNSHINE
AND GOD'S LOVE AROUND YOU FLOW
FOR THE HAPPINESS YOU GAVE US
NO SIMPLE WORDS WILL SHOW
IT BROKE OUR HEARTS TO LOSE YOU
BUT YOU DID NOT GO ALONE
A PART OF US WENT WITH YOU
THE DAY GOD CALLED YOU HOME
A MILLION TIMES WE'VE NEEDED YOU
A MILLION TIMES WE CRIED
IF LOVE ALONE COULD HAVE SAVED YOU
YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE DIED

THE SPIRIT OF OUR MOTHER LIVES ON IN ALL OF US
IN LOVING KINDNESS OF HER MEMORY
LET US EXCHANGE WITH EACH OTHER
SOME SIGN OF PEACE

CLOSING MEDITATION: HOW GREAT THOU ART

MOM'S INTERNMENT

2009-05-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

INTERNMENT SERVICE

OPENING MEDITATION: IN THE GARDEN

REQUIESCAT MUM

IN NEWFOUNDLAND
WHERE MOM WAS BORN
THE CEMETERIES IN THE COUNTRY
ARE SURROUNDED BY FENCES

THE ANIMALS EAT THE GRASS
FLAT
AROUND THE FENCE

BUT THE CEMETERY ITSELF
IS ALLOWED TO GROW WILD

I THINK IT'S A NEWFIE WAY
OF TELLING US

WHAT IS IMPORTANT

WE BURIED THE BODY OF MIRIAM
BUT WE DID NOT BURY MIRIAM

SHE IS MORE ALIVE TODAY
THAN WHEN SHE DWELT IN HER BODY

WE HONOR THAT BODY
WHICH GAVE US BIRTH
NURSED AND CARED FOR US
TAUGHT AND ADMONISHED US
HUGGED US
SCOLDED US
LIFTED US UP
AND SET US FREE

WE HONOR THAT BODY

SHE IS MORE ALIVE TODAY
THAN SHE EVER WAS
ALL THE QUESTIONS OF HER QUESTING MIND
ARE ANSWERED

AND WE WOULD DISHONOR HER MEMORY
AND HER TEACHING
IF WE ALLOWED SORROW
TO OVERWHELM US COMPLETELY

MOM WOULD RATHER WE REMEMBER HER LAUGHING

AS HARD AS IT MAY BE FOR US NOW
MOM WOULD RATHER
WE REMEMBER HER LAUGHING

SO WE SEND MOM'S BODY TO THE ELEMENTS
TO BECOME
EARTH
AIR
FIRE AND WATER

AND WE SHALL LEAVE
SADDENED BY HER PASSING

BUT ON HER BIRTHDAY
BE AWARE
OF A CURTAIN
MOVING IN THE WIND
OR THE SUN
SHINING ON A CLOUDY DAY
AND HEAR A VOICE IN YOUR HEAD
SAYING

I AM AT PEACE
ALL IS WELL
TELL THE WORD

DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP

2009-05-08T14:47:00.002-07:00

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep...
Do not stand at my grave and weep.I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hushI am the swift, uplifting rushof quiet birds in circling flight.I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.I am not there. I do not sleep.
Anonymous

DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL

2009-05-08T14:47:00.001-07:00

DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL

I HAVE ONLY SLIPPED AWAY INTO THE NEXT ROOM I AM I AND YOU ARE YOU, WHATEVER WE WERE TO EACH OTHER THAT WE STILL ARE.CALL ME BY MY OLD FAMILIAR NAME; SPEAK TO ME IN THE EASY WAY, WHICH YOU ALWAYS USED. PUT NO DIFFERENCE INTO YOUR TONE; WEAR NO FORCED AIR OF SOLEMNITY OR SORROW.LAUGH AS WE ALWAYS LAUGHED AT THE LITTLE JOKES WE ENJOYED TOGETHER. PLAY, SMILE, THINK OF ME, AND PRAY FOR ME. LET MY NAME BE FOREVER THE SAME AS IT ALWAYS WAS, LET IT BE SPOKEN WITHOUT AN EFFORT, WITHOUT THE GHOST OF A SHADOW ON IT.LIFE MEANS ALL THAT IT EVER MEANT. IT IS THE SAME AS IT ALWAYS WAS; THERE IS ABSOLUTELY UNBROKEN CONTINUITY.I AM BUT WAITING FOR YOU, FOR AN INTERVAL, SOMEWHERE VERY NEAR, JUST AROUND THE CORNER. ··· ALL IS WELL.

CANON SCOTT HOLLAND

20TH PENTECOST

2009-05-08T14:44:00.001-07:00

TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

THERE IS A LEGEND ABOUT ST. PETER
THAT SAYS THAT THE FIRST TIME
HE WENT TO PREACH
AFTER THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS
THE SERVANT GIRL
WHO HAD QUESTIONED HIM IN THE COURTYARD
WAS IN THE AUDIENCE.

SHE BERATED HIM
SAYING
HOW DARE YOU PREACH TO US
HOW DARE YOU
ANSWER ME THE COURTYARD QUESTION
DO YOU KNOW THE MAN,
DO YOU KNOW THE MAN.

PETER WAS HORRIFIED
AND MUTE WITH GUILT.
HE MADE TO TURN AWAY,
TO BE SILENT.
UNTIL THE MEMORY OF CHRIST'S LOVE
FILLED HIM.
HE KNEW HE WAS FORGIVEN.
IN THE STRENGTH OF THAT FORGIVENESS
HE WENT AND PREACHED.

AND THEY SAY THAT THIRTY THOUSAND SOULS
WERE ADDED TO THE CHURCH
THAT DAY.

LET ME TELL YOU ANOTHER STORY
THERE WAS A MAN SENT BY HIS COMPANY
TO WORK IN A NEW CITY.
THIS MAN WAS DIVORCED
AND WAS ENGAGED TO MARRY A DIVORCED WOMAN
IT WAS LONELY WORKING IN THIS NEW CITY
AND HE LOOKED FOR A CHURCH TO JOIN,
RATHER HE LOOKED FOR A CHURCH
WHERE BOTH COULD JOIN.
.

HE WAS AWARE THAT BECAUSE OF HIS DIVORCE
SOME CHURCHES WOULD NOT BE HAPPY
TO HAVE HIM.

SO CHECKING THE YELLOW PAGES
HE CALLED THE LOCAL LUTHERAN CHURCH,
EXPLAINED HIS CONDITION,
AND ASKED IF HE AND HIS BRIDE-TO-BE
WOULD BE WELCOME.
HE WAS ASKED TO COME IN FOR A MEETING.
HE WENT.

THE FIRST WORDS OUT OF THE' MINISTER'S MOUTH WERE,

YOU HAVE SINNED,
THE SECOND WORDS WERE
YOU HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN
WELCOME TO WORSHIP
AND FELLOWSHIP WITH US.

YOU MAY HAVE ALREADY GUESSED
THAT THE PEOPLE IN THE STORY
ARE BARBARA AND I.
THOUGH I AM MORE HANDSOME
IN REAL LIFE
THAN I AM IN THE STORY.

IN A PERFECT WORLD
MAN AND WOMAN WOULD LIVE FOREVER
IN LOVE AND HARMONY.
THERE WOULD BE NO DIVORCE.

IN A PERFECT WORLD
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS WOULD NEVER BE BROKEN.
PEOPLE WOULD NEVER STEAL OR KILL
LIE OR COMMIT ADULTERY,
DISHONOR PARENTS
OR WORSHIP OTHER GODS.
IN A PERFECT WORLD
IT WOULD BE SO.
BUT IT IS AN IMPERFECT WORLD.
WE ARE SINNERS.

THE SERVANT GIRL CALLS OUT TO US
DO YOU KNOW THE MAN,
DO YOU KNOW THE MAN
AND WE ARE TEMPTED TO TURN AWAY
AND BE MUTE
TILL WE REMEMBER WE ARE FORGIVEN,
TILL WE REMEMBER
WE PREACH NOT OUR PERSONAL WORTHINESS
BUT CHRIST'S LOVE
FOR HIS BROTHERS
FOR HIS SISTERS.

THIS IS WHAT WE PREACH
CHRIST AND HIM CRUCIFIED.
THIS IS WHAT WE PREACH
THE CROSS AND OUR REDEMPTION
THIS IS WHAT WE PREACH.

THERE IS A PRINCIPAL IN SCIENCE
THAT STATES
THAT WATER CANNOT FLOW UPHILL.
IT MUST IN OBEDIENCE
TO THE LAWS OF GRAVITY
FLOW DOWN.

BY THAT PRINCIPAL
THE OCEANS ARE LOWER
THAN ALL THE RIVERS,
STREAMS AND BROOKS,
LAKES AND PONDS.
THE SNOWFLAKE THAT FALLS IN 'WINTER
ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP
MELTS
AND WITH NO EFFORT OF ITSELF
FLOWS DOWN TO THE SEA.

IN THE SAME WAY
JESUS LOWERED HIMSELF.

HE DID NOT CONSIDER
BEING EQUAL TO GOD
SOMETHING TO BE CLUNG TO.
BUT RATHER LOWERED HIMSELF,
TAKING THE FORM OF A MAN
AND WALKING THE WAY OF OBEDIENCE,
ALL THE WAY TO THE CROSS.

HE LOWERED HIMSELF
AND BECAME AN OCEAN
INTO WHICH WE CAN FLOW
NOT BY ANY EFFORT OF OURSELVES
BUT BY THE GRAVITY PULL
OF HIS LOVE.

AND HE SAYS TO US
I KNEW YOU WOULD BE SINNERS
WHEN I MADE YOU
BUT I MADE YOU STILL.

I WANT YOUR LOVE
NOT YOUR PUNISHMENT.

IF YOUR SINS ARE SCARLET
I WILL MAKE THEM WHITER THAN SNOW.

COME TO ME
ALL YOU WHO ARE HEAVY LADEN
AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
WHEN THE SERVANT GIRL
TAUNTS US
ASKING
DO YOU KNOW THE MAN.
ANSWER YES
I DO
AND HE LOVES ME.
ANSWER
YES I DO
I AM HIS CHILD
ANSWER
YES I DO
AND I AM FORGIVEN.
AMEN.

SERMON THOUGHTS

2009-05-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

PRAYER FOR THE SICK

SANCTIFY 0 LORD THE SICKNESS OF YOUR SERVANT THAT THE SENSE OF HIS WEAKNESS MAY ADD STRENGTH TO HIS FAITH AND SERIOUSNESS TO HIS REPENTANCE; AND GRANT THAT HE MAY LIVE WITH YOU IN EVERLASTING LIFE."' -
QUOTES

SELF DECEPTION

WE HAVE BEEN SO DISHONEST WITH OURSELVES ABOUT OURSELVES FOR
SO LONG THAT WE TAKE OUR DISHONESTY TO BE THE HONEST TRUTH.

FRED KEEFE

FIRE

THE DAY WILL COME
WHEN,
AFTER HARNESSING SPACE,
THE WINDS,
THE TIDES,
AND GRAVITATION,
WE SHALL HARNESS FOR GOD
THE ENERGIES OF LOVE.
AND ON THAT DAY,
FOR THE SECOND TINE
IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD,
WE SHALL HAVE DISCOVERED FIRE.

PIERRE TEILHARD DE CHARDIN

A BLESSING

NAY GOD BE IN OUR HEAD
AND IN OUR UNDERSTANDING
MAY GOD BE IN OUR EYES
AND IN OUR LOOKING
MAY GOD BE IN OUR MOUTH
AND IN OUR SPEAKING
MAY GOD BE IN OUR HEART
AND IN OUR SPIRIT
MAY GOD BE WITH US AT OUR END
AND IN THE HOUR OF OUR DEPARTING
MAY GOD BE WITH US
MORNING THROUGH DARKNESS
AND THROUGH THE NIGHT
MAY GOD BE ALWAYS WITH US
AND WITH OUR ABSENT BROTHERS AND SISTERS

ANGLICAN PRAYER

------ Galatians 3:27-28

22. Generally, women were deemed unworthy to study the Torah, Evans points out in her Woman in the Bible that the Talmud suggests, "let the Torah rather be destroyed by fire than imparted to woman and "whoever teaches his daughter Torah is as though he taught her obscenities" (qtd. 36.) Although one cannot fully assume practice from these kinds of statements, Jewish men prayed this prayer daily:

Blessed be God that he has not made me a Gentile. Blessed be God that he has not made me a woman. Blessed be God that he has not made me a boor.

Sometimes the word "slave" was substituted for "boor." Notice the contrast between this prayer and what is thought to be part of the baptismal service in the early church: "As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27-28).

What does seem to be clear is that women in first-century

Judaism had access to the sacred only in and through the patriarchal

family: "Women are sanctified through the deeds of men" Jacob

Neusner, Method and Meaning in AncientJudaism, Brown Judaic Studies to, Missoula, MT: Scholars Press, 1979, 100).
--------

"For Christians, the problem is not how to reconcile homosexuality with scriptural passages that condemn it, but how to reconcile the rejection and punishment of homosexuals with the love of Christ." - An Open Letter from Rev. William Sloane Coffin to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops 2000this delightful observation by Augustine, made near the end of his life when the doctrine of the incarnation was reshaping his views about human physicality: "Man's maker was made man that He, ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother's breast."

------------------------------------------------
POETRY

THE NIGHT IS NOT DARK

THEY TELL OF ADAM:
HOW FRIGHTENED HE MUST HAVE BEEN WHEN,
FOR THE FIRST TIME, HE SAW THE SUN DISAPPEAR,
ENDING THE LIGHT OF DAY.

IT WAS ADAM'S FIRST DARKNESS

HOW COULD HE ACCEPT THE NIGHT,
WHEN HE HAD NEVER SEEN A DAWN?

AFTER THE SPLENDOR OF THE SUN, HOW DARK THE DARKNESS
WAS FOR HIM; HOW DESPERATE THE LONG TERROR OF
THE FIRST FALL OF NIGHT... UNTIL ADAM LEARNED THAT DAWN WOULD
COME AGAIN; COULD SEE THAT THERE IS LIGHT AND ORDER
IN THE UNIVERSE.

AND THEN ADAM BEGAN TO SEE HOW MUCH LIGHT REMAINS
IN THE SKY AT NIGHT: THE STARS
AND THEIR ENDURING PROMISE OF THE SUN,
THE RETURNING STAR OF DAY.

ADAM LEARNED THAT THE NIGHT IS NEVER WHOLLY DARK,
AND THAT NO NIGHT IS ENDLESS.

EVEN AS EACH OF US MUST LEARN IT,
IN OUR OWN TIMES OF TROUBLE AND DARKNESS.

THE LIGHT IS NEVER FAR.

VICTOR RATNER AND RABBI BERNARD MENDELBAUM
POETRY

HOW TO PRAY

WE CANNOT MERELY PRAY TO YOU, 0 GOD, TO END WAR;
FOR WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE MADE THE WORLD IN A WAY
THAT MAN MUST FIND HIS OWN PATH TO PEACE
WITHIN HIMSELF AND WITH HIS NEIGHBOR.
WE CANNOT MERELY PRAY TO YOU, 0 GOD, TO END STARVATION;
FOR YOU HAVE ALREADY GIVEN US THE RESOURCES
WITH WHICH TO FEED THE ENTIRE WORLD
IF WE WOULD ONLY USE THEM WISELY.
WE CANNOT MERELY PRAY TO YOU, 0 GOD,
TO ROOT OUT PREJUDICE,
FOR YOU HAVE ALREADY GIVEN US EYES
WITH WHICH TO SEE THE GOOD IN ALL MEN
IF WE WOULD ONLY USE THEM RIGHTLY.
WE CANNOT MERELY PRAY TO YOU, 0 GOD, TO END DESPAIR,
FOR YOU HAVE ALREADY GIVEN US THE POWER
TO CLEAR AWAY SLUMS AND TO GIVE HOPE
IF WE WOULD ONLY USE OUR POWER JUSTLY.
WE CANNOT MERELY PRAY TO YOU, 0 GOD, TO END DISEASE,
FOR YOU HAVE ALREADY GIVEN US GREAT MINDS WITH WHICH
TO SEARCH OUT CURES AND HEALING,
IF WE WOULD ONLY USE THEM CONSTRUCTIVELY.
THEREFORE WE PRAY TO YOU INSTEAD, 0 GOD,
FOR STRENGTH, DETERMINATION, AND WILLPOWER
TO DO INSTEAD OF JUST TO PRAY,
TO BECOME INSTEAD OF MERELY TO WISH.

JACK RIEMER LIKRAT SHABBAT
SAYINGS OF BUDDHA

WE ARE WHAT WE THINK.
ALL THAT WE ARE ARISES WITH OUT THOUGHTS.
WITH OUR THOUGHTS WE MAKE THE WORLD.
SPEAK OR ACT WITH AN IMPURE MIND
AND TROUBLE WILL FOLLOW YOU
AS THE WHEEL FOLLOWS THE OX THAT DRAWS THE CART.

WE ARE WHAT WE THINK.
ALL THAT WE ARE ARISES WITH OUR THOUGHTS
WITH OUR THOUGHTS WE MAKE THE WORLD
SPEAK OR ACT WITH A PURE MIND
AND HAPPINESS WILL FOLLOW YOU
AS YOUR SHADOW, UNSHAKEABLE.

"LOOK HOW HE ABUSED ME AND BEAT ME,
HOW HE THREW ME DOWN AND ROBBED ME."
LIVE WITH SUCH THOUGHTS AND YOU LIVE IN HATE.

"LOOK HOW HE ABUSED ME AND BEAT ME,
HOW HE THREW ME DOWN AND ROBBED ME."
ABANDON SUCH THOUGHTS AND LIVE IN LOVE

IN THIS WORLD
HATE NEVER DISPELLED HATE,
ONLY LOVE DISPELS HATE.

POETRY

IN MEMORY OF THOSE LOVED

MAY YOU ALWAYS WALK IN SUNSHINE
AND GOD'S LOVE AROUND YOU FLOW;
FOR THE HAPPINESS YOU GAVE US,
NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW.
IT BROKE OUR HEART TO LOSE YOU,
BUT YOU DID NOT GO ALONE;
A PART OF US WENT WITH YOU
THE DAY GOD CALLED YOU HOME.
A MILLION TIMES WE'VE NEEDED YOU,
A MILLION TIMES WE'VE CRIED.
IF LOVE COULD ONLY HAVE SAVED YOU,
YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE DIED.

TRADITIONAL IRISH

BIBLE QUOTES

I HAVE LEARNED, IN WHATSOEVER STATE I AM,
THEREWITH TO BE CONTENT.

ST. PAUL, PHILIPPIANS 4:11
POETRY

THE OXEN

CHRISTMAS EVE, AND TWELVE OF THE CLOCK
"NOW THEY ARE ALL ON THEIR KNEES,"
AN ELDER SAID AS WE SAT IN A FLOCK
BY THE EMBERS IN HEARTHSIDE EASE.

WE PICTURED THE MEEK MILD CREATURES WHERE
THEY DWELT IN THEIR STRAWY PEN,
NOR DID IT OCCUR TO ONE OF US THERE
TO DOUBT THEY WERE KNEELING THEN.

SO FAIR A FANCY FEW WOULD WEAVE
IN THESE YEARS! YET, I FEEL
IF SOMEONE SAID ON CHRISTMAS EVE,
"COME; SEE THE OXEN KNEEL,

IN THE LONELY BARTON BY YONDER COOME
OUR CHILDHOOD USED TO KNOW,"
I SHOULD GO WITH HIM IN THE GLOOM,
HOPING IT MIGHT BE SO.

GEORGE HERBERT
POETRY

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN

WHEN I AM AN OLD WOMAN
I SHALL WEAR PURPLE
WITH A RED HAT
WHICH DOESN'T GO
AND DOESN'T SUIT ME.

AND I SHALL SPEND MY PENSION
ON BRANDY
AND SUMMER GLOVES
AND SATIN SANDALS,
AND SAY WE'VE NO MONEY FOR BUTTER.

I SHALL SIT DOWN
ON THE PAVEMENT
WHEN I AM TIRED
AND GOBBLE UP SAMPLES
IN SHOPS
AND PRESS ALARM BELLS
AND RUN MY STICK
ALONG THE PUBLIC RAILINGS
AND MAKE UP
FOR THE SOBRIETY
OF MY YOUTH.

I SHALL GO OUT IN MY SLIPPERS
IN THE RAIN
AND PICK THE FLOWERS
IN OTHER PEOPLE'S GARDENS
AND LEARN TO SPIT.

YOU CAN WEAR TERRIBLE SHIRTS
AND GROW MORE FAT
AND EAT THREE POUNDS OF SAUSAGES AT A GO
OR ONLY EAT BREAD AND A PICKLE FOR A WEEK
AND HOARD PENS
AND PENCILS
AND BEERMATS
AND THINGS IN BOXES.

BUT NOW WE MUST HAVE CLOTHES
THAT KEEP US DRY
AND PAY OUR RENT
AND NOT SWEAR IN THE STREET
AND SET A GOOD EXAMPLE
FOR THE CHILDREN

WE WILL HAVE FRIENDS TO DINNER
AND READ THE PAPERS

BUT MAYBE
I OUGHT TO PRACTICE A LITTLE
NOW
SO PEOPLE
WHO KNOW ME
ARE NOT TOO SHOCKED
AND SURPRISED
WHEN SUDDENLY
I AM OLD
AND START
TO WEAR PURPLE

EARTH PUSHING BACK

IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE
THAT EACH STEP WE TAKE
UPON THE EARTH
IS RESISTED BY THE EARTH
WITH PRESSURE EQUAL TO OUR WEIGHT
OR ELSE WE WOULD SINK
AS IF INTO A MUDDY PLACE

INTERESTING
THAT THE GOD OF NATURE
WHO MADE ALL THE RULES
PUSHES BACK
WHEN I WALK UPON THE EARTH

A CONTINUAL REMINDER
OF MY NEED FOR HIM
LEST I BE LOST IN A MUDDY PLACE

LEAN ON ME LORD
I NEED TO KNOW YOUR PRESENCE

LEAN ON ME LORD
I LIKE THE THOUGHT
OF HAVING YOU
AROUND

DANCE AS IF NOBODY IS WATCHING

YAHUDA BAUER - ISRAELI HISTORIAN

YOU SHALL NOT BE A VICTIM
YOU SHALL NOT BE A PERPETRATOR
ABOVE ALL
YOU SHALL NOT BE A BYSTANDER

----------------------------------

TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMASAUTHOR UNKNOWNTHE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS WAS WRITTEN IN ENGLAND MORETHAT 400 YRSAGO BYCATHOLICS WHO WERE TOLD BY THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND THEYCOULDN'TEXPRESSTHEIR RELIGIOUS BELIEFS. FEARFUL THAT THE CHILDRENMIGHT FORGETTHE IMPORTANTSYMBOLS...AN ALLEGORY WAS WRITTEN. HERE IS WHAT THE12 DAYS OFCHRISTMASMEANS.A PARTRIDGE IN A. PEAR TREEA PARTRIDGE WAS A VALIANT BIRD THAT WOULD FIGHT TOIT'S DEATHTO DEFEND IT'S YOUNG - SYMBOL OF CHRIST.A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE SIGNIFIES THE CRUCIFIXIONOF JESUSTWO TURTLEDOVESTHE OFFERING MARY AND JOSEPH BROUGHT WHEN HE WAS 40DAYS OLD.TWO TURTLEDOVES REPRESENT THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS.THREE FRENCH HENSSYMBOL OF THE RICH AND REPRESENTED THE THREE WISE MENWITH GOLD, FRANKINCENSE, AND MYRRH.THREE FRENCH HENS REPRESENT THE THINGS THAT WILL LAST-FAITH, HOPE AND CHARITY (LOVE).FOUR CALLING BIRDSFOUR GOSPELS - CALLING FOR PEOPLE TO BE SAVED.FOUR GOSPELS SING THE SONG OF SALVATION, REFERENCED BYTHE CALLINGBIRDS.FIVE GOLDEN RINGSFIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.THE GREATEST BOOKS TO THE JEWS - WORTH MORE THAN GOLD.FIVE GOLDEN RINGS ARE THE ORIGINAL BOOKS OF THE BIBLEGIVEN TOMOSES.SIX GEESE A LAYINGEGGS WERE A REMINDER OF NEW LIFE - 6 DAYS OF CREATION.SIX GEESE A-LAYING SYMBOLIZE THE SIX DAYS OF CREATION.SEVEN SWANS A SWIMMINGSEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT - CHANGING US FROM UGLYDUCKLINGTO SWANS - NEW LIFE IN CHRIST.SEVEN SWANS STAND FOR THE SEVEN GIFTS OF THE HOLYSPIRIT.EIGHT MAIDS A MILKINGEIGHT BEAUTIFUL TEACHINGS OF JESUS KNOWN AS THEBEATITUDES.EIGHT MAIDS A-MILKING ARE ACTUALLY THE EIGHTBEATITUDES FROM THEBIBLE.NINE LADIES DANCINGNINE FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.NINE FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (FROM GALATIANS 5) AREDANCINGLADIES.TEN LORDS A LEAPINGMEN WITH AUTHORITY - GOD'S TEN COMMANDMENTS.TEN LORDS A-LEAPING ARE THE TEN COMMANDMENTSELEVEN PIPERS PIPINGELEVEN APOSTLES WHO REMAINED FAITHFUL -PIPED HIS WORD - HE'S ALIVE.ELEVEN PIPERS PIPING REPRESENT JESUS' FAITHFULDISCIPLES.TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMINGREPRESENT THE 12 VITAL CHRISTIAN BELIEFS IN THEAPOSTLES CREED.FINALLY, 12 DRUMMERS DRUMMING ARE ACTUALLY THEAPOSTLES CREED.

LAZARUS

2009-05-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

WHEN JESUS FIRST HEARD THE WORD
THAT HIS FRIEND LAZARUS HAD DIED
HE CRIED

NO PLATITUDES
NO EASY SAYING OF HIS BEING IN A BETTER PLACE
NO REMINDERS OF ETERNAL LIFE

HE CRIED
AS ONLY ONE WHO LOVES
AS DEEPLY AS HE LOVES
COULD CRY
HE CRIED

HE FELT THE DEEP
AND EVER WIDENING CHASM
OF SEPARATION

HE FELT THAT THE SOUL OF HIS FRIEND
WAS LIKE A SHIP LEAVING THE SHORE
SENDING BACK RIPPLES OF REMEMBRANCE
SENDING BACK ECHOES OF OLD CONVERSATIONS
SENDING THEM BACK WITH NO WAY TO ANSWER

PEACE WOULD COME LATER
AND RESIGNATION

BUT FOR THE INSTANT
THERE WAS PAIN
TEARS
THE GREAT UNKNOWING
AND TO NEED TO WEEP.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST
KENNY IS NOT DEAD
HE DIED
HE LIVES IN GOD
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY FOR NOW
HE LIVES IN US

LET US PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF CONSOLATION
AS BARBARA READS FOR US PSALM 23
1
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
3
He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever

AS I SAID BEFORE
KENNY IS NOT DEAD
HE DIED

HE LIVES ON IN THE MEMORIES
EACH OF US HAVE OF HIM

I ASK HIS MOTHER
FRIENDS OR FAMILY
TO SHARE WITH US NOW THOSE MEMORIES

***********PAUSE FOR SHARING AND SOLO**********************

IN THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS
WE FEEL THAT WE ARE GUARANTEED
A CERTAIN NUMBER OF YEARS OF LIFE
SO THAT WHEN A MOTHER BURIES A CHILD
WE FEEL CHEATED

BUT LIFE HAS TAUGHT US
THAT THERE IS NO GUARANTEE OF DAYS OF LIFE
SO WHAT LESSON DO WE HAVE FROM KENNY'S LIFE
WHAT LESSON WOULD HE
ASK US TO LEARN
IF HE WERE HERE WITH US

THE LESSON WOULD BE
THAT LIFE IS PRECIOUS
AND UNPREDICTABLE
AND THAT WHILE WE HAVE OUR LOVED ONES NEAR US
WE SHOULD TELL THEM
WE LOVE THEM

WE SHOULD HOLD THEM CLOSE
WEEP WITH THEM
LAUGH WITH THEM
KISS THEM AND SAY
I LOVE YOU

WOULD YOU NOW IN KENNY'S NAME
EXCHANGE WITH EACH OTHER
A SIGN OF LOVE AND AFFECTION

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
WE WILL SCATTER KENNY'S REMAINS
OVER THIS PROPERTY WHICH HE LOVED
AND THEY WILL BE TAKEN UP AND BECOME LIVING THINGS

BUT FOR US THE LIVING
LET US LIVE IN PEACE
WITH THE SURE KNOWLEDGE
THAT GOD'S LOVE IS FAR GREATER
THAN OUR ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND IT

THAT KENNY LIVES IN OUR HEARTS
AND IN THE BOSOM OF GOD
THAT KENNY IS FINALLY AT REST

AMEN AMEN AMEN

20TH PENTECOST

2009-05-08T08:40:00.000-07:00

TWENTIETH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

TODAY’S GOSPEL IS A LITTLE GROWN UP
DO SINCE WE HAVE SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE HERE.
I’D WOULD LIKE TO EXPLAIN IT
BY TELLING YOU ANOTHER STORY
CALLED “LOVE YOU FOREVER”
BY ROBERT MUNSCH.

MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW IT.

READ STORY

TODAY’S GOSPEL
IN MANY WAYS PARALLELS
THE STORY WE HAVE JUST HEARD.
THE MOTHER’S LOVE IS OVERWHELMING.
SOMETIMES SILLY.
KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES.
THE SON REACTS TO HIS MOTHER’S LOVE
BY LOVING HIS MOTHER BACK
AND OUT OF THE FULLNESS HE HAS RECEIVED
IS ABLE TO LOVE HIS DAUGHTER.

THE VINEYARD
REPRESENTS ALL THAT GOD
DOES FOR HIS PEOPLE.

GOD MADE A VINEYARD ,
LET’S CALL IT A GARDEN
WHICH HAD EVERYTHING IN IT
TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
GOD THEN GAVE THE GARDEN
TO OTHERS TO MANAGE.

TO OTHERS
WHICH MEANS
HE GAVE IT TO YOU
AND ME
TO TAKE CARE OFF.

AND THIS GARDEN
WAS MEANT TO BE
FOR EVERYONE.
BUT WE CLOSED THE GARDEN.
WE WOULD NOT SHARE WITH ANYONE.

BUT GOD HAD GIVEN THE GARDEN TO US TO RUN.

SO IF THERE IS WAR,
WE HAVE ALLOWED IT
IF THERE IS HUNGER,
WE HAVE ALLOWED IT
IF THERE IS HATRED,
WE HAVE ALLOWED IT
IF THE WORLD IS NOT THE WAY
GOD WANTED HIS GARDEN TO BE
WE HAVE ALLOWED IT

THIS IS OUR FATHER’S WORLD
GIVEN TO US TO RUN

DON’T SAY WE CAN’T CHANGE IT.

JESUS SAID
HE WOULD BE WITH US
FOREVER,
WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
AT HIS SIDE
TO BRING CREATION
BACK TO THE FATHER’S DREAM.

AND TO THE CHILDREN
AT THIS SERVICE
WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION
TO TRY TO MAKE THE WORLD OPERATE
THE WAY GOD WANTS IT TO OPERATE

WE OWE IT TO THE CHILDREN
WE OWE IT TO OURSELVES AND EACH OTHER
WE OWE IT TO GOD
WHO CREATED A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN
DIED THAT THE GARDEN MIGHT FLOWER
DIED THAT THE VINEYARD MIGHT BE FRUITFUL
THAT GRACE MIGHT FLOW FROM THE VINEYARD
THAT GRACE MIGHT FLOW FROM THE GARDEN
LIKE GOD INTENDED IT
THAT GRACE MIGHT FLOW
LIKE GRAPES BEING CRUSHED
TO BE COME OUR DRINK
AND COMBINED WITH THE BREAD
TO BE COME OUR SAVIOR
WHEN WE RECEIVE COMMUNION
AT THIS SERVICE

AMEN

FEAST OF THE HOLY TRINITY

2009-05-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

FEAST OF THE HOLY TRINITY
LET US BEGIN
AS WE BEGIN ALL THINGSIN THE NAME OF THE FATHERAND THE SONAND THE HOLY SPIRITAMEN.
WEEKS AFTER MY BIRTH
I WAS BAPTIZED
AND GIVEN MY NAME

FRANK ANTHONY
I BAPTIZE YOU
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER
AND THE SON
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
AMEN
AND I AM A MEMBER OF A CHURCH
FOUNDED BY CHRIST
AND MANDATED BY HIM
TO GO OUT
INTO THE WHOLE WORLD
AND BRING THEM TO HIM
BY BAPTIZING THEM
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER
AND THE SON
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
AMEN

AND AT THE HOUR OF MY DEATH
MAY SOMEONE SAY TO ME
RETURN SOUL
TO THE LIVING GOD
TO GOD THE FATHER
WHO MADE YOU
TO GOD THE SON WHO SAVED YOU
AND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
WHO LED YOU
AMEN.
WE HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE TRINITY
ON THIS SUNDAYDEDICATED TO THE TRINITY
THE TRINITY AS WE KNOWIS A MYSTERY OF OUR FAITH.

THE FATHER IS GODAND EQUAL TO THE SONBUT IS NOT THE SON
THE SON IS GOD
AND EQUAL TO THE SPIRITBUT IS NOT THE SPIRIT
THE SPIRIT IS GOD
AND EQUAL TO THE FATHER
BUT IS NOT THE FATHER
I HAVE A BOOK ON THEOLOGY AT HOME
THE ARTICLE ON THE TRINITY
TAKES UP SIXTEEN PAGES
OF SMALL PRINT
TRYING TO EXPLAIN THE MYSTERY

BUT IT'S LIKE TRYING
TO COMPREHEND THE BEGINNING
OR ENDING OF ETERNITY.
IT USUALLY MAKES ME
GO TO SLEEP.
BUT WE BEGIN ALL THINGS IN THEIR NAMEWE ARE BAPTIZED IN THEIR NAMEWE ARE COMMISSIONEDTO BAPTIZE ALL NATIONSIN THEIR NAME.
I PUT IT TO YOU
WE SHOULD KNOW MORE ABOUT THE TRINITY.
IT IS A PRINCIPAL OF SCIENCE
THAT ONE CAN ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND A MYSTERY
BY STUDYING ITS EFFECTS
USING SUCH A PRINCIPAL
MAN DISCOVERED THE ATOM
LONG BEFORE HE COULD SEE IT
EXPLODE IT
OR USE IT TO MAKE ELECTRICITY
MAN USED SUCH A PRINCIPAL
TO DISCOVER PLANETS
OUT ON THE EDGE OF OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
BEFORE THERE WERE TELESCOPES
STRONG ENOUGH TO SEE THEM.

AND LONG BEFORE WE HAD ROCKETS
MAN KNEW
HOW HE WOULD TRAVEL
TO THE MOON AND BACK.
SO LET US EXPLORE THE TRINITY
THE FATHER LOVED US SO MUCHHE SENT HIS ONLY SONTO SUFFER AND DIEFOR US
THE SON OBEDIENT TO THE FATHER
WILLINGLY GOES TO THE CROSS
BUT THE SON TAKES NO GLORY TO HIMSELF
BUT RATHER SAYS
TO HAVE SEEN ME IS TO HAVE SEEN THE FATHER
THE SON SENDS THE COUNCILOR
THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH
WHO COMES
NOT TO DO HIS OWN WILL
BUT THAT OF THE CREATOR
AND THE SAVIOR
IF I WERE LOOKING AT A FAMILY
THAT ACTED THIS WAY
I WOULD SAY
SEE HOW THEY LOVE ONE ANOTHER
AND THAT IS WHAT THE TRINITY ISA LOVE RELATIONSHIP
AND TO THAT RELATIONSHIPWE HAVE BEEN CALLEDBY BAPTISM
AND WE HAVE BEEN COMMISSIONEDTO BRING ALL MEN TO THAT RELATIONSHIP
LOVE IS THE ANSWER
TO ALL OUR QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE TRINITY
AND HOW IT SHOULD INSPIRE US TO LIVE.
LOVE IS THE ANSWER

ON THIS WEEKEND
WE ALSO CELEBRATE A CIVIC HOLIDAY
CALLED MEMORIAL DAY
OR AS WE USED TO CALL IT
DECORATION DAY
IT WAS STARTED AFTER THE CIVIL WARTO COMMEMORATE ALL WHO DIED IN THAT WAR
GRAVES WERE VISITED
DECORATED WITH FLOWERS
AND FLAGS
EVENTUALLY MONUMENTS WERE RAISED
ENGRAVED WITH THESE WORDS
THAT THESE DEAD SHOULD NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN
THAT THEIR SACRIFICE
WOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN
THAT THERE WOULD BE A BETTER WORLD
AND THEN WE RAISED MONUMENTSTO THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR
AND THEN WE RAISED MONUMENTS
TO THE FIRST WORLD WAR
THE GREAT WAR
THE WAR TO END ALL WARS
AND THEN WE RAISED MONUMENTSTO THE SECOND WORLD WAR
AND THEN WE RAISED MONUMENTS
TO THE KOREAN WAR
AND BELATEDLY WE RAISED A MONUMENTTO THE VIETNAM WAR
AND MAYBE WE SHALL RAISE A MONUMENTTO KUWAIT AND SOMALIA
AND ON ALL THESE MONUMENTS
THE SAME WORDS
THOSE THESE DEAD
SHOULD NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN
I WOULD WITH ALL MY HEART PRAY
THAT THERE WOULD NEVER BEANOTHER DEAD SOLDIERBUT I KNOW IN MY HEARTI PRAY A FOOL'S PRAYERFOR I KNOW THERE ARE TIMESWHEN WE HAVE NO CHOICEBUT TO FIGHT
BUT WHERE THEN IS THE BETTER WORLDWE PROMISED ALL OUR DEAD
I SAY IT IS IN OUR HEARTSWHEN WE TURN TO ONE ANOTHERAND SAYI LOVE YOU
BETTER
WHEN WE TURN TO ONE ANOTHERAND ACT IN A LOVING MANNER
TO QUOTE A SIXTIES SONG
LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTHAND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME
SO I CHALLENGE YOUAS I CHALLENGE MYSELF
LET ALL HATRED GO
I KNOW OF NO PROBLEM
PERSONAL OR WORLDWIDE
THAT HAS BEEN SOLVED BY MORE HATRED
RATHER BE KIND AND LOVING
THIS IS THE MESSAGE OF THE TRINITY
KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES
WHEN YOU HAVE LOVEONE FOR ANOTHER
WE OWE IT TO GODWE OWE TO OUR DEAD
THE WORDS
THOSE THESE DEAD
SHOULD NOT HAVE DIED IN VAIN
SHOULD BE ENGRAVED UPON OUR HEARTS
THEN MAYBE ONE DAY
THERE WILL BE NO LONGER A NEED
FOR MONUMENTS
EACH MORNING IS A NEW DAYAND A NEW BEGINNING
LET US BEGIN
AS WE BEGIN ALL THINGS
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER
AND THE SON
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
AMEN

THE CREATION

2009-05-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

Creation
AND GOD STEPPED OUT ON SPACE,
AND HE LOOKED AROUND AND SAID:
I'M LONELY-I'LL MAKE ME A WORLD.

AND FAR AS THE EYE OF GOD COULD SEE
DARKNESS COVERED EVERYTHING,
BLACKER THAN A HUNDRED MIDNIGHTS
DOWN IN A CYPRESS SWAMP.

THEN GOD SMILED,
AND THE LIGHT BROKE,
AND THE DARKNESS ROLLED UP ON ONE SIDE,
AND THE LIGHT STOOD SHINING ON THE OTHER,
AND GOD SAID: THAT'S GOOD!

THEN GOD REACHED OUT
AND TOOK THE LIGHT IN HIS HANDS,
AND GOD ROLLED THE LIGHT AROUND IN HIS HANDS
UNTIL HE MADE THE SUN;
AND HE SET THAT SUN A- BLAZING IN THE HEAVENS.
AND THE LIGHT THAT WAS LEFT FROM MAKING THE SUN
GOD GATHERED UP IN A SHINING BALL
AND FLUNG AGAINST THE DARKNESS,
SPANGLING THE NIGHT WITH THE MOON AND STARS.
THEN DOWN BETWEEN
THE DARKNESS AND THE LIGHT
HE HURLED THE WORLD; AND GOD SAID: THAT'S GOOD!

THEN GOD HIMSELF STEPPED DOWN--
AND THE SUN WAS ON HIS RIGHT HAND,
AND THE MOON WAS ON HIS LEFT,
THE STARS WERE CLUSTERED ABOUT HIS HEAD,

AND THE EARTH WAS UNDER HIS FEET.
AND GOD WALKED, AND WHERE HE TROD
HIS FOOTSTEPS HOLLOWED THE VALLEYS OUT
AND BULGED THE MOUNTAINS UP.

THEN HE STOPPED AND LOOKED AND SAW
THAT THE EARTH WAS HOT AND BARREN.

SO GOD STEPPED OVER TO THE EDGE OF THE WORLD
AND HE SPAT OUT THE SEVEN SEAS--
HE BATTED HIS EYES, AND THE LIGHTNINGS FLASHED--
HE CLAPPED HIS HANDS, AND THE THUNDERS ROLLED--
AND THE WATERS ABOVE THE EARTH CAME DOWN,
THE COOLING WATERS CAME DOWN.

THEN THE GREEN GRASS SPROUTED,
AND THE LITTLE RED FLOWERS BLOSSOMED,
THE PINE TREE POINTED HIS FINGER TO THE SKY,
AND THE OAK SPREAD OUT HIS ARMS,
THE LAKES CUDDLED DOWN
IN THE HOLLOWS OF THE GROUND,
AND THE RIVERS RAN DOWN TO THE SEA;
AND GOD SMILED AGAIN,
AND THE RAINBOW APPEARED,
AND CURLED ITSELF AROUND HIS SHOULDER.

THEN GOD RAISED HIS ARM AND HE WAVED HIS HAND
OVER THE SEA AND OVER THE LAND,
AND HE SAID: BRING FORTH! BRING FORTH!
AND QUICKER THAN GOD COULD DROP HIS HAND,
FISHES AND FOWLS
AND BEASTS AND BIRDS
SWAM THE RIVERS AND THE SEAS,
ROAMED THE FORESTS AND THE WOODS,
AND SPLIT THE AIR WITH THEIR WINGS.
AND GOD SAID: THAT'S GOOD

THEN GOD WALKED AROUND,
AND GOD LOOKED AROUND
ON ALL THAT HE HAD MADE.
HE LOOKED ON HIS WORLD
WITH ALL ITS LIVING THINGS
AND GOD SAD: I'M LONELY STILL.

THEN GOD SAT DOWN-
ON THE SIDE OF A HILL WHERE HE COULD THINK;
BY A DEEP, WIDE RIVER HE SAT DOWN;
WITH HIS HEAD IN HIS HANDS,
GOD THOUGHT AND THOUGHT,
TILL HE THOUGHT: I'LL MAKE ME A MAN!

UP FROM THE BED OF THE RIVER
GOD SCOOPED THE CLAY;
AND BY THE BANK OF THE RIVER
HE KNEELED HIM DOWN;
AND THERE THE GREAT GOD ALMIGHTY
WHO LIT THE SUN AND FIXED IT IN THE SKY
WHO FLUNG THE STARS
TO THE MOST FAR CORNER OF THE NIGHT,
WHO ROUNDED THE EARTH I
N THE MIDDLE OF HIS HAND,
THIS GREAT GOD,
LIKE A MAMMY BENDING OVER HER BABY, I
KNEELED DOWN IN THE DUST
TOILING OVER A LUMP OF CLAY
TILL HE SHAPED IT IN HIS OWN IMAGE;

THEN INTO IT HE BLEW THE BREATH OF LIFE,
AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL.
AMEN. AMEN.

JAMES WELDON JOHNSON

SUMMER CAMP

2009-05-08T08:33:00.000-07:00

A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO
AT A CONFIRNATION CAMP
I WAS A COUNCILOR

WE HAD THIRTY CHILDREN
WE TOOK THEM TO MT. DESERT ISLAND FOR A WEEK

OUR THEME WAS THE CREED
THE ONE WE SAY EACH SUNDAY

WE BROKE IT DOWN
INTO THREE SECTIONS

FIRST I BELIEVE IN GOD THE FATHER
CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE

SECOND I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST
HIS ONLY SON
OUR LORD
WHO REDEEMED US

THIRD I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT
WHO SANCTIFIES AND GUIDES THE CHURCH IN THESE DAYS

WE ADDED ANOTHER DIMENSION HOWEVER
FOR OUR THEME WAS
I BELIEVE
SO WHAT

WHAT DOES MY BELIEF DO
HOW DOES IT
OR SHOULD IT
MAKE ME ACT
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF MY BELIEF
TO MYSELF
OR OTHERS

I WOULD LIKE TO REVIEW WITH YOU THAT WEEK
AT SUMMER CAMP

FIRST WHAT YOU WILL HEAR IS THE VOICES OF CHILDREBN
WITH ADULTS HELPING

THE ADULTS WERE ALL PASTORS OF LOCAL LUTHERAN CHURCHES EXCEPT MYSELF
AND MY TITLE IS AND WAS --JUST PLAIN FRANK

FIRST WE TALKED ABOUT CREATION
IN WHICH GOD FORMED MAN
IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND
LIKED HIS CREATION,
LOVED HIS CREATION,
BREATHED OUT A SIGH OF LOVE
AND MAN GASPING LIKE A NEW BORN CHILD
BREATHED IN GOD’S BREATH
AND MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL

. THE CHILDREN’S CONSENSUS
WAS THAT GOD HAD CREATED US
TO HAVE SOMEONE TO LOVE
AND TO HAVE SOMEONE
WHO WOULD LOVE HIM.

AND IN ORDER THAT IT WOULD BE A FREE OFFERING
HE GAVE US THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE.

OUR GIFT OF LOVE
WOULD BE OF OUR OWN CHOOSING.
AND THAT ACT OF CHOOSING CAME
WHEN ADAM AND EVE SYMBOLIZING ALL OF US.
CHOOSE OUR OWN DESIRES
OVER GOD.

WE CHOSE TO LOVE OURSELVES
RATHER THAN TO LOVE GOD.

AND FOR SUCH CHOSING
THE GARDEN OF EDEN WAS CLOSED TO US.

AND WE SLUNK FROM GOD’S SIGHT,
NAKED IN THE TRUTH
THAT WE HAD OFFENDED
OUR BEST FRIEND.

BUT GOD THE FATHER
SO LOVED THE WORLD
THAT HE SENT HIS ONLY BEGIOTTEN SON
TO REDEEM IT

WHICH IS THE SECOND PART OF OUR CREED

FOR I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD
WHO REDEEMED US

TO THE CHILDREN
CHRIST’S REDEMPTION
OPENED THE GATES OF THE GARDEN AGAIN

AND A MAN COULD GO HOME

SALVATION WAS FREE
HE ASKED ONLY OUR LOVE

AND IF WE WOULD NOT LOVE HIM
HE WOULD STILL FORGIVE US
HE WOULD STILL LOVE US
AND HE WOULD WAIT LIKE A LONELY MOTHER
STANDING AT THE WINDOW
LOOKING DOWN THE ROAD
FOR HER WAYWARD CHILD TO RETURN

I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

JUST BEFORE JESUS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN
HE TOLD HIS DISCIPLES TO WAIT IN JERUSALEM.
FOR HIS FATHER HAD PROMISED THEM A GIFT.

THEY WOULD BE BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.
AND WITH THAT BAPTISM
MEN WHO COWERING IN A ROOM
BECAME BOLD
AND WENT OUT AND PREACHED THE GOODNEWS.

IT IS WRITTEN THAT 3000 JOINED THE CHURCH
THAT DAY.

THEY WERE INFLAMED WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

AND A NEW SYMBOL WAS GIVEN TO THE CHURCH
AND THAT SYMBOL WAS
THAT EVERYMAN WHO HEARD THE APOSTLES SPEAK
COULD UNDERSTAND THEM
NO MATTER WHAT LANGUAGE THEY SPOKE.

BECAUSE GOD HAD HEALED THE WORLD AGAIN.

THE DIVISION OF LANGUAGES
THAT HAD OCCURRED
AT THE TOWER OF BABEL
WHEN MEN HAD CHALLENGED GOD AGAIN
WAS HEALED.
BECAUSE MAN WAS GIVEN A NEW LANQUAGE
AND THAT LANGUAGE WAS LOVE

AND HOW DO WE SPEAK THAT LANGUAGE,
HOW DO WE OBSERVE GOD’S COMMANDEMNT
TO LOVE.

NOT BY MAKING IT DIFFICULT.
LISTEN TO DEUTERONOMY
THE COMMAND THATN I AM GIVING YOU TODAY
IS NOT TOO DIFFICULT OR BEYOND YOUR REACH.

IT IS NOT UP IN THE SKY.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ASK.
WHO WILL GO UP
AND BRING IT DOWN FOR US
SO THAT WE CAN HEAR IT
AND OBEY IT.

NOR IS IT ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE OCEAN.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO ASK,
WHO WILL GO ACROSS THE OCEAN
AND BRING IT TO US
SO THAT WE MIGHT HEAR IT
AND OBEY IT.

NO IT IS HERE
WITH YOU.
YOU KNOW IT
AND CAN QUOTE IT,
SO THEN OBEY IT’.

AND WHAT IS THIS
THAT WE KNOW SO WELL
WE CAN QUOTE IT.

IT IS FOUND IN OUR GOSPEL READING.

A MAN WENT OFF ON A JOURNEY
AND FELL AMONG THIEVES.

LYING WOUNDED BY THE ROADSIDE
IMPORTANT MEN PASSED HIM BY.

UNTIL FINALLY
ONE OF THE LOWEST
OF THE SOCIETY
IN WHICH HE LIVED,

CAME BY,
BOUND UP HIS WOUNDS
TOOK HIM TO A INN TO RECUPERATE,
PAID FOR HIS LODGING.

AND JESUS ASKED

WHO WAS NEIGHBOR TO THE MAN
WHO FELL AMOMG THIEVES,
WHO WAS NEIGHBOR TO THE MAN

WHO SHOWED HIM LOVE

AND WE ANSWER
BECAUSE WE KNOW THE QUOTE

THE ONE WHO SHOWED MERCY WE ANSWER

AND JESUS SAYS
TO ALL OF US HERE GATHERED
GO
AND DO LIKEWISE

EASTER SERMON OF JOHN CHRYSOSTOM

2009-05-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Easter Sermon of St. John Chrysostom
Bishop of Constantinople
349-407 AD

WHOEVER IS DEVOUT
AND A LOVER OF GOD,
COME, ENJOY THIS BEAUTIFUL
AND RADIANT FEAST OF FEASTS.

WHOEVER IS A GOOD
AND FAITHFUL SERVANT,
REJOICE,
AND ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD.

WHOEVER IS WEARY OF FASTING,
RECEIVE NOW YOUR RECOMPENSE.

ALL WHO HAVE LABORED
FROM THE FIRST HOUR,
LET THEM TODAY
RECEIVE THEIR JUST REWARD.

THOSE WHO HAVE COME
AT THE THIRD HOUR,
WITH THANKSGIVING
LET THEM KEEP THE FEAST.

THOSE WHO HAVE ARRIVED
AT THE SIXTH HOUR,
LET THEM HAVE NO MISGIVINGS;
FOR THEY SHALL SUFFER NO LOSS.

THOSE WHO HAVE DELAYED
UNTIL THE NINTH HOUR,
LET THEM DRAW NEAR
WITHOUT HESITATION.

THOSE WHO HAVE ARRIVED
EVEN AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR,
LET THEM NOT FEAR
ON ACCOUNT OF THEIR DELAY

.

FOR THE LORD IS GRACIOUS,
AND RECEIVES THE LAST
EVEN AS THE FIRST;

GOD GIVES REST
TO THE ONE
WHO COMES
AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR,
JUST AS TO THE ONE
WHO HAS LABORED
FROM THE FIRST;

TO THE ONE
GOD IS JUST,
AND TO THE OTHER,
GOD IS GRACIOUS.

GOD BOTH HONORS
THE WORK
AND PRAISES
THE INTENTION.

ENTER,
ALL OF YOU,
THEREFORE,
INTO THE JOY OF OUR LORD,

AND
WHETHER FIRST
OR LAST,
RECEIVE YOUR REWARD.

0 RICH AND POOR,
ONE WITH ANOTHER,
DANCE FOR JOY!

0 YOU ZEALOUS
AND YOU NEGLIGENT,
CELEBRATE THE DAY!

YOU THAT HAVE FASTED
AND YOU
THAT HAVE DISREGARDED THE FAST,
REJOICE TODAY!

THE TABLE IS RICH-LADEN,
FEAST ROYALLY,
ALL OF YOU!

THE CALF IS FATTED,
LET NO ONE GO FORTH HUNGRY!

LET ALL
PARTAKE OF THE FEAST
OF FAITH.

LET ALL
RECEIVE
THE RICHES OF GOODNESS.

LET NONE LAMENT
THEIR POVERTY,
FOR THE UNIVERSAL KINGDOM
HAS BEEN REVEALED.

LET NONE MOURN
THEIR TRANSGRESSIONS,
FOR PARDON HAS DAWNED
FROM THE TOMB!

LET NO ONE FEAR DEATH,
FOR THE SAVIOR'S DEATH
HAS DAWNED FROM THE TOMB!

JESUS, WHO WAS TAKEN BY DEATH,
HAS ANNIHILATED IT!
JESUS DESCENDED INTO HELL,
AND TOOK HELL CAPTIVE!
JESUS EMBITTERED HELL
WHEN IT TASTED HIS FLESH!

AND ANTICIPATING THIS,
ISAIAH EXCLAIMED, "
HELL WAS EMBITTERED
WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED YOU
IN THE LOWER REGIONS."

HELL WAS EMBITTERED,
FOR IT WAS ABOLISHED!
HELL WAS EMBITTERED,
FOR IT WAS MOCKED!
HELL WAS EMBITTERED,
FOR IT WAS PURGED!
HELL WAS EMBITTERED,
FOR IT WAS DESPOILED!!
HELL WAS EMBITTERED,
FOR IT WAS BOUND IN CHAINS'!!

HELL LAID HOLD OF A MORTAL BODY,
AND FOUND
THAT IT HAD SEIZED GOD!

HELL LAID HOLD OF EARTH,
BUT CONFRONTED HEAVEN!!
HELL SEIZED WHAT IT SAW,
BUT CRUMBLED
BEFORE WHAT IT HAD NOT SEEN!!!

"0 DEATH,
WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?
0 HELL,
WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY?"

CHRIST IS RISEN,
AND HELL IS OVERTHROWN!
CHRIST IS RISEN,
AND THE DEMONS ARE FALLEN!

CHRIST IS RISEN,
AND THE ANGELS REJOICE..
CHRIST IS RISEN,
AND LIFE REIGNS!!!
CHRIST IS RISEN - -
AND NOT ONE DEAD REMAINS IN THE TOMB!!!

FOR CHRIST
BEING RAISED FROM THE DEAD,
HAS BECOME
THE FIRST FRUITS
OF THEM THAT SLEPT.

TO HIM BE GLORY
AND DOMINION
THROUGH THE AGES OF AGES!
C. AMEN.
P. CHRIST IS RISEN!
C. HE IS RISEN INDEED!
P. CHRIST IS RISEN!!
C. HE IS RISEN INDEED!!
P. CHRIST IS RISEN!!!
C. HE IS RISEN INDEED!!!

2ND EPIPHANY

2009-05-08T08:26:00.000-07:00

FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

LET US BEGIN AS WE BEGIN ALL THINGS
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE FATHER
WHO CREATED US,
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE SON
WHO REDEEMED US,
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
WHO INSPIRES US.

LET US BEGIN IN THE NAME OF GOD,
MOTHER OF US ALL.

THIS IS THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY.
EPIPHANY
WHICH IS THAT TIME OF THE CHURCH YEAR
BETWEEN CHRISTMAS
AND THE BEGINNING OF LENT.

THE WORD EPIPHANY MEANS
TO SHOW.
THE CHURCH USES THIS SEASON
TO COMMEMORATE
THE TIME WHEN JESUS
WAS BEGINNING HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY.
WAS BEGINNING
TO SHOW THE WORLD
WHO HE WAS.

SO LAST WEEK
WE HAD THE FEAST OF EPIPHANY ITSELF

WHEN THE WISEMAN CAME.
MEN DRAWN BY A STAR
HERALDING THE BIRTH OF A KING.
THAT KING BEING JESUS.

THIS SUNDAY WE HAVE
THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
DURING WHICH GOD THE FATHER
SPEAKS FROM HEAVEN
DECLARING
THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON.

THE BAPTISM JESUS RECEIVED
WAS NOT THE SAME AS THAT BAPTISM
WE RECEIVED
WHEN MOST OF US WERE CHILDREN

BAPTISM WAS RESERVED IN THE JEWISH FAITH
FOR THOSE
NOT BORN JEWS
THOSE SINFUL PEOPLE
NOT BORN A JEW

THE JEW BELIEVED
THAT BEING A SON OF ABRAHAM
HE WAS ASSURED OF GOD'S SALVATION

AS LONG AS HE FOLLOWED THE LAW
HE WAS ASSURED OF GOD'S SALVATION
THERE FOR HE HAD NO NEED FOR RITUAL CLEANING

BUT THERE WAS A MOVEMENT IN JUDEA
IN JESUS TIME
THAT THE NATION HAD LOST THEIR PRIVILEGED STATUS

THE NATION HAD BEEN CONQUERED BY ROME
THE PEOPLE
WERE DESPERATELY WAITING
FOR THE MESSIAH
TO FREE THE LAND
THEY FELT THAT GOD WAS ANGRY WITH THEM
ANGRY WITH THEM BECAUSE OF THEIR LIFESTYLE
THEY FELT
THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR A CHANGE
THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR A CLEANSING
THAT THERE WAS A NEED FOR REPENTING

SO THERE WENT OUT INTO THE LAND
THOSE CALLING FOR CHANGE
SOME WERE CALLING FOR POLITICAL CHANGE
OTHERS LIKE JOHN THE BAPTIST AND THE ESSENES
WERE CALLING FOR MORAL CHANGE
AND THE SYMBOL OF THAT CHANGE
WAS THE WHOLE BODY PLUNGING
OF A PERSON INTO A LAKE OR RIVER

BUT THE CANDIDATE HAD FIRST TO STATE
HE WAS SORRY FOR HIS SINS
AND WOULD TRY TO AMEND HIS LIFE

AND JOHN'S MESSAGE OF REPENT
AND CHANGE YOUR LIFE
WAS BEARING FRUIT
MANY WERE FLOCKING TO JOHN
FOR REPENTANCE AND BAPTISM

UNDERLYING THIS MOVEMENT
WAS THE THOUGHT
THAT IF THEY CHANGED THEIR LIVES
THE MESSIAH WOULD COME
BUT THEY WANTED A POLITICAL MESSIAH

WHAT THEY WOULD GET
WAS A SERVANT

THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SURPRISED
BECAUSE GOD HAD DESCRIBED THAT SERVANT
IN ISAIAH
OUR FIRST READING TODAY
LET ME REFRESH YOUR MEMORY

THE LORD'S SERVANT

THE LORD SAYS,
"HERE IS MY SERVANT,
WHOM I STRENGTHEN -
THE ONE I HAVE CHOSEN,
WITH WHOM I AM PLEASED.
I HAVE FILLED HIM WITH MY SPIRIT,
AND HE WILL BRING JUSTICE TO EVERY NATION.
HE WILL NOT SHOUT OR RAISE HIS VOICE
OR MAKE LOUD SPEECHES IN THE STREETS.

HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF A BENT REED
NOR PUT OUT A FLICKERING LAMP.
HE WILL BRING LASTING JUSTICE TO ALL.
HE WILL NOT LOSE HOPE OR COURAGE;
HE WILL ESTABLISH JUSTICE ON THE EARTH.
DISTANT LANDS EAGERLY WAIT FOR HIS TEACHING."

AND NOW
THE LORD GOD SAYS TO HIS SERVANT,
I, THE LORD, HAVE CALLED YOU
AND GIVEN YOU POWER
TO SEE THAT JUSTICE
IS DONE ON EARTH.
THROUGH YOU
I WILL MAKE A COVENANT
WITH ALL PEOPLES;
THROUGH YOU
I WILL BRING LIGHT
TO THE NATIONS.
YOU WILL OPEN THE EYES
OF THE BLIND
AND SET FREE THOSE
WHO SIT IN DARK PRISONS.

THE THINGS I PREDICTED
HAVE NOW COME TRUE.
NOW I WILL TELL YOU
OF NEW THINGS
EVEN BEFORE
THEY BEGIN TO HAPPEN."

THIS SERVANT
THIS GOD MADE MAN
WHO DID NOT CONSIDER EQUALITY WITH GOD
SOMETHING TO BE GRASPED,
TO BE CLUNG TO
BUT RATHER
EMPTIED HIMSELF OUT
TOOK ON THE FORM OF A SLAVE
A SERVANT
TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS

THIS GOD MAN WAS BORN IN A STABLE
WAS HUNGRY AT HIS MOTHER'S BREAST
WAS SENT TO SCHOOL
LEARNED TO TIE HIS SANDALS
WAS TRAINED TO BE A CARPENTER
TOOK CARE OF HIS MOTHER
STUDIED THE SCRIPTURES
LOOKED OUT AT THE WORLD
AND KNEW IT WAS NOT THE WAY IT SHOULD BE

SO HERE HE WAS
STANDING
LOOKING AT THE RIVER JORDAN
WHERE JOHN HIS COUSIN
WAS BAPTIZING
KNEW HE HAD TO MAKE A DECISION
KNEW HE HAD TO DECIDE
WHAT HE SHOULD DO WITH HIS LIFE
KNEW THAT IF STARTED PREACHING
THE WAY JOHN WAS PREACHING
THEY WOULD EVENTUALLY KILL HIM

BUT HE HAD HEARD
THE CALL OF HIS FATHER
TO MISSION
LIKE A BUGLE SOUNDING SOFTLY
IN THE DISTANCE

AND LIKE ALL MEN
BECAUSE HE WAS MAN
HE STRUGGLED WITH HIS DECISION
TRYING TO DETERMINE
HIS FATHER'S CALL
TRYING TO DETERMINE HOW TO BECOME THE PERSON PAUL WOULD DESCRIBE IN OUR SECOND READING

HE DID NOT NEED BAPTISM
THERE WAS NO SIN IN HIM
WHAT WAS IN HIM
WAS A DESIRE
A NEED
TO SHARE HUMANITY'S PLIGHT
TO BE WITH SINNERS
WHERE THEY WERE
AND WHERE THEY WERE
WAS WITH JOHN ENTERING THE WATER

SO HE JOINED THE LINE
BUT HIS COUSIN JOHN
FELT HE WAS UNWORTHY
BUT JESUS SAID
LET IT BE DONE

SO JOHN PLUNGED HIM INTO THE RIVER
AND HE CAME UP
GASPING FOR AIR
LIKE A NEWBORN BABY
LIKE A REBORN BABY
LIKE ALL THOSE IN LINE WITH HIM

AND FROM HEAVEN CAME A VOICE
THE VOICE OF A FATHER
PROUD OF HIS SON
FOR MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE
AND THE VOICE SAYS
THIS IS MY BELOVED SON
IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED

AND JESUS LOOKING AT ALL GATHERED AT THE RIVER
AND LOOKING DOWN THE LONG RIVER OF HISTORY
COMES TO THIS ROOM WHERE WE ARE GATHERED
AND SAYS
TO EACH ONE OF US INDIVIDUALLY
YOU
YOU ARE MY BELOVED BROTHERS
YOU ARE MY BELOVED SISTERS
IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED

2ND LENT

2009-05-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

SECOND SUNDAY LENT

TODAY AS YOU KNOW
IS THE SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT
IN TODAY'S GOSPEL
WE HEAR THE PHARISEES
TELL JESUS
THAT HEROD THE RULER
WANTED TO KILL JESUS

THEY DID THIS FOR TWO REASONS.
FIRST JESUS WAS PREACHING IN GALILEE
WHERE HEROD WAS RULER
AND HE WAS ATTRACTING CROWDS
WITH HIS TEACHINGS
AND HIS TEACHINGS
WERE THREATENING
THE PRIVILEGED POSITION
OF THE PHARISEES
SO THEY WOULD LIKE HIM
TO GO ELSEWHERE
TO GO ANYWHERE AND PREACH
BUT LEAVE THEM ALONE.

SECOND THEY HOPED
THAT JESUS WOULD GO TO JERUSALEM
AND GET CAUGHT UP
IN THE POLITICAL INTRIGUE
THAT WAS RAMPANT IN THE CITY
AND AS A RESULT
THE ROMANS WOULD KILL HIM.

THE HEROD
THE PHARISEES WERE TALKING ABOUT
WAS THE SAME HEROD
THAT HAD PUT
JOHN THE BAPTIST TO DEATH

SO THE THREAT OF DEATH WAS VERY REAL.

BUT JESUS ANSWERS
TELL THAT FOX
THAT I WILL CAST OUT DEMONS
AND WILL HEAL PEOPLE
TODAY,
TOMORROW
AND ON THE THIRD DAY

WHICH IS THE HEBREW WAY
OF SAYING
I WILL STAY HERE
UNTIL I ACCOMPLISH MY PURPOSE.

IT IS ALMOST AN ECHO
OF LUTHER
SAYING HERE I STAND
I CANNOT BE ELSEWHERE.

WHAT JESUS
IS SAYING TO HEROD
AND TO ALL THE HERODS
OF THE WORLD
HERE I STAND
TO BRING SALVATION
YOU CANNOT CHASE ME AWAY.
HERE I STAND
LIKE A SIGN.
POINTING THE WAY

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY ABOUT SIGNS

A WOMAN DRIVES HER CAR
ALONG THE HIGHWAY
SHE SEES THE MANY SIGNS
THAT EDGE OUR ROADS,
SCHOOL AHEAD
GO SLOW,
THE NEXT CITY - WEST OSSIPEE
THE MILEAGE, 12 MILES
LITTLE CAESAR'S PIZZA-PIZZA

SHE SEES WASH
HANGING ON THE LINE,
SHE SEES OTHER CARS IN FRONT
OR IN THE CAR MIRROR
OCCASIONALLY
WHEN THE LIGHT IS RIGHT
SHE SEES
HER OWN FACE
REFLECTED IN THE WINDSHIELD

SHE IS DRIVING BY A CLIFF,
SET BACK FROM THE ROAD.
IT IS A STEEP CLIFF.
SO STEEP
THAT WHEN SHE SEES THE SIGN,
SHE WONDERS
HOW ANYONE COULD CLIMB
THE CLIFF'S FACE
AND PUT IT THERE.

THE SIGN SAYS
JESUS SAVES
WRITTEN IN LARGE CLUMSY LETTERS
WITH WHITE PAINT,
THAT TRICKLES DOWN
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LETTERS
AS IF THE LETTERS
WERE FALLING APART
OR MELTING
OR MAYBE CRYING

THE SIGN SAYS
JESUS SAVES
THAT'S ALL.
ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER SIGNS
OF THE HIGHWAY,
LIKE RIGHT TURN ONLY,
TOLL BOOTH AHEAD,
THE SPEED LIMIT
AND DESTINATIONS,
ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER SIGNS
WAS THIS SIGN "JESUS SAVES"

AND THE WOMAN
LIKE MOST OF US
FELT AWKWARD WITH THE SIGN,
FELT AN INTERNAL SQUIRM
AT THE MESSAGE
EVEN THOUGH
LIKE MOST OF US
SHE KNEW IT TO BE TRUE,
SHE FELT UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THE SIGN
AND ITS' PUBLIC MESSAGE
LIKE SAYING GRACE IN PUBLIC

GOD ONLY KNOWS
WHAT KIND OF PERSON
MUST HAVE CLIMBED UP THERE,
WITH A BUCKET
AND A BRUSH
TO SPLASH THE MESSAGE ON THE CLIFF:
MAYBE MAN
MAYBE WOMAN,
MAYBE YOUNG OR OLD,
DRUNK OR SOBER,
IN DAYLIGHT OR IN THE DARK

GOD ONLY KNOWS
WHAT DROVE THE PAINTER
TO PAINT THIS SIGN;
SIN OR REDEMPTION,
JOY OR REMORSE,
POSSIBLY A DARE,
POSSIBLY A PRAYER

WHAT EVER THE REASON,
IN OUR STRANGE TIMES,
AMONG PEOPLE LIKE US
AMONG PEOPLE JUST LIKE US,
AMONG US,
THE EFFECT
0F THE MESSAGE ON THE HILLSIDE
THAT "JESUS SAVES"
MAKES US SQUIRM.
AND I THINK
WE SQUIRM
BECAUSE WE ARE EMBARRASSED
AND WE ARE EMBARRASSED
FOR MANY REASONS

EMBARRASSED
PERHAPS
BECAUSE THE WORDS
REMIND US OF OLD TIME RELIGION,
OF SHOUT AND HOLLER,
OF PULPIT POUNDING,
OF GOD'S GONNA GET YOU,
.
WE SQUIRM
BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING
IN THE NAME JESUS ITSELF
THAT EMBARRASSES US
WHEN IT STANDS NAKED
AND ALONE

JUST JESUS
BY ITSELF
WITHOUT A TITLE
LIKE A FRIEND'S NAME.
IT MAKES US UNCOMFORTABLE.

WE WOULD ACCEPT
CHRIST SAVES"-
THAT'S HIS JOB.
BUT JESUS SAVES
AS IN JESUS SAVES FRANK
OR BARBARA OR ALICE
OR JOE OR FRED OR WADE
OR WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS,
IS LIKE A LOVER
CARVING HIS AND HIS LOVED ONE'S NAME
ON A TREE
IT HAS AN AIR ABOUT IT
LIKE A LOVE SONG.

MAYBE "JESUS SAVES"
WRITTEN ON THE CLIFF
IS EMBARRASSING
BECAUSE RELIGION
IN SOME WAYS
HAS BECOME EMBARRASSING
MAYBE OUR WINCING
IS A WAY
TO HIDE OUR EYES
TO STOP UP OUR EARS,
BECAUSE WE SOMEHOW KNOW
THAT IF THE MESSAGE GOT THROUGH,
IT WOULD SAY DIRECTLY,
CLEARLY,
UNMISTAKABLY
FOR ALL THE WORLD TO SEE
THAT WE,
YOU AND I,
NEED TO BE SAVED.
RICH MAN, POOR MAN,
YOUNG WOMAN, OLD WOMAN,
EDUCATED,
UNLETTERED,
RELIGIOUS, UNRELIGIOUS,

ALL OF US,
YOU AND I,
ALL OF US,
NEED TO BE SAVED.

AND THAT
IS OFFENSIVE. TO US
FOR WHAT IT SAYS
IS
YOU HAVE NO PEACE
WITHIN YOUR SKIN-
YOU ARE NOT HAPPY,
YOU ARE NOT WHOLE"

OUR HUMANITY
REACTS AGAINST THE THOUGHT,
OUR SELF SUFFICIENT HUMANITY
WHICH CONTINUALLY
WANTS THE APPLE
MORE THAN IT WANTS THE GARDEN,
REACTS
AGAINST THE THOUGHT

WHAT FOOL
WOULD CLIMB THAT CLIFF
TO WRITE A MESSAGE
THAT OFFENDS ME.
WHAT FOOL DARES
TO GIVE ME SUCH ADVICE
WHAT FOOL DARES
TO QUESTION
MY SELF-SUFFICIENCY

IF YOU HAD SAID
GOD SAVES,
I COULD ARGUE WITH GOD.
BUT YOU SAID
JESUS
AS IF TO SAY
FRIEND
AND I SEE THAT FRIEND
FOR WHAT THE WORLD
HAS MADE HIM,
A FOOL
DESPISED AND REJECTED,
A LAUGHING STOCK AMONG THE NATIONS,
WITH HIS RIDICULOUS SLOGAN
LOVE ONE ANOTHER".
AND I AM
EMBARRASSED BY HIM
AND THE SIGN ON THE CLIFF

THE BAD THIEF,
THE ONE ON THE LEFT
SAID IN A TAUNT
IF YOU ARE THE CHRIST
SAVE YOURSELF
AND SAVE US."
HOW LIKE HIM WE ARE,
WHEN OUR LIFE'S ACTIONS
HANG US ON THE LEFT CROSS,
WE CRY
SAVE YOURSELF
AND SAVE US.
OH, WE ARE NOT SORRY FOR YOUR PAIN.
BECAUSE WE DO NOT ALWAYS NEED YOU,
ONLY WHEN ALL THE APPLES,
WE HAVE EATEN FROM THE TREE
MAKE US SICK
THEN WE NEED YOU.
SAVE US, SAVE US
ME MORE THAN YOU,
SAVE US.

BUT THE GOOD THIEF,
THE ONE ON THE RIGHT,
REBUKED THE BAD THIEF
FOR HIS ARROGANCE,
THEN SPOKE
WITH ALMOST THE SAME ARROGANCE,
WHEN HE SAID
JESUS, REMEMBER ME
WHEN YOU COME IN TO YOUR KINGDOM

TWO ARROGANT PETITIONS
BUT FROM DIFFERENT HEARTS,
ONE SPOKEN IN ANGER,
ONE SPOKEN IN TRUST
AND HOPE
AND TO THE TRUSTING,
HOPEFUL HEART
HE SAID
TRULY,
TODAY
YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE."

I WONDER
WHAT THE GUARDS THOUGHT
WHEN THEY HEARD THIS CONVERSATION
DID IT INTERRUPT THEIR DICE GAME,
WERE THEY PERHAPS EMBARRASSED
BY THE GOODNESS
OF THE MAN THEY WERE KILLING
OR DID THEY THINK
THAT THE PAIN
OF THEIR TORTURE
HAD ROBBED HIS MIND OF REASON
HOW COULD THAT ONE
SAVE ANYONE,
NAILED TO THE TREE
WITH GOOD STOUT NAILS
WITH THE SIGN ABOVE HIS HEAD
WHICH MOCKED HIM AS KING
THEY'D BEEN WITH HIM,
WHEN THEY'D WHIPPED
AND CROWNED HIM,
AND THEY HAD HEARD
NEITHER CURSE NOR WHIMPER.
NO KING HE,
A LAMB MAYBE,
QUIET IN HIS SLAUGHTER,
BUT NO KING-

HOW RIDICULOUS A DEATH,
DYING ON A HILLSIDE
LIKE A NAME
PAINTED ON A CLIFF-

HOW RIDICULOUS A DEATH,
DYING ON A HILLSIDE
LIKE A NAME
CARVED ON A TREE BY LOVERS,
AND IN THIS NAME
THE NAME OF JESUS
WE ARE EMBARRASSED.
WHY?

PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE
WE THINK
THAT WE ARE UNLOVABLE
WE DO NOT DOUBT
THAT GOD CAN SAVE US,
BUT WE DO DOUBT
THAT SOMEONE COULD LOVE US
SO MUCH
AS TO DIE FOR US-
TO DIE FOR US
NOT FOOLISHLY,
BUT FULLY KNOWING
OUR UNWORTHINESS
AND STILL WANTING TO SAVE US

I SUSPECT
THAT THE REAL REASON
WHY THE NAME
JESUS'
MAY EMBARRASS US
WHEN IT STANDS NAKED BY ITSELF,
IS THAT IT PUTS US
ON A FIRST NAME BASIS
IT REMINDS US
OF OUR OWN NEED FOR SALVATION,
OUR OWN NAKEDNESS,
OUR OWN NAMES

FOR JESUS HAS COME
TO SAVE D-GUY,
SAVE JJ AND PAULA,
SAVE THERESA,
SAVE MARY,
SAVE KAREN AND PETER,
SAVE MARCIA,
SAVE ALL OF US-

NOT FOR OUR JOBS,
NOT FOR OUR TITLES,
NOT FOR OUR TITHING,
NOT BECAUSE WE ARE RETIRED
OR WORKING,
MARRIED,
SINGLE OR DIVORCED.
NOT FOR ANY REASON
EXCEPT HE LOVES US
HE MADE US.
WE ARE THE WORK OF HIS HANDS
AND GOD DOESN'T MAKE JUNK.

HE LOVES US.
END OF SENTENCE
HE LOVES
US

THE MESSAGE ON THE CLIFFSIDE
CALLS US BY NAME,
CALLS ALL OF US, BY NAME
IT SAYS
UNCOVER YOUR EYES,
OPEN YOUR EARS,

I BRING TRUTH AND HOPE
FOR ALL THE NEEDING-TO-BE FILLED
PLACES IN YOUR LIVES.
BE LIKE THE GOOD THIEF
AND KNOW THE PAIN OF SURRENDER,
THE PAIN OF KNOWING
THE HELPLESSNESS
OF TRYING TO HELP YOURSELF
CALL ON ME,
CALL ON ME,
LIKE THE GOOD THIEF
CALL ON ME
SAYING
JESUS, REMEMBER ME,
WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM
REMEMBER ME,
REMEMBER ME,
REMEMBER ME.
EVEN THOUGH I DON'T ALWAYS REMEMBER YOU'

JESUS SAYS "I WILL".
AND WHETHER IT SEEMS PREPOSTEROUS
IN OUR JUDGMENT
OR EMBARRASSING,
THE SAME GOD
THAT SAVED THIEVES
HANGING JUSTLY ON THE CROSS,
ALSO SAVES CLOWNS LIKE YOU
AND ME,
NOT FOR ANY OTHER REASON,
THAN THAT HE LOVES US.

SO WHEN
THE PHARISEES SAY TO HIM
LEAVE NOW
BEFORE THEY KILL YOU
HE REPLIES
I WILL STAY FAITHFUL
TO MY TASK
TODAY
TOMORROW
AND THE DAY AFTER
WHICH MEANS
ALWAYS

FURTHER
JESUS SAYS
COME TO MY SHOP
WHERE THERE IS A SIGN
THAT SAYS
JESUS
CARPENTER
MAKER OF EASY YOKES
WE MAKE YOUR BURDEN LIGHT.
COME IN
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY
LET ME PROVE IT.

AND AS WE ENTER
WE CATCH OUR IMAGE
IN THE WINDOW
OF HIS SHOP
AND WE ALSO SEE
THE REFLECTION OF THE CLIFF
WITH THE SIGN
JESUS SAVES".
AND WE KNOW THE MESSAGE
IS PERSONAL AND FOR US.

AMEN

REFORMATION SUNDAY

2009-05-08T08:23:00.000-07:00

TODAY IS REFORMATION SUNDAY
ON THIS DAY
WE COMMEMORATE
LUTHER'S ACTION
OF POSTING HIS 95 THESES
ON THE CHURCH DOOR.

MUCH IS MADE OF THE DRAMA
OF THIS MOMENT
BUT REALLY
IN LUTHER'S MIND
AT THAT TIME
WAS HIS DESIRE
TO DEBATE WITH OTHER SCHOLARS
QUESTIONS OF THEOLOGY
AND CHURCH PRACTICE.

IN THOSE DAYS
POSTING A REQUEST FOR DEBATE
IN A COLLEGE TOWN
WAS AS COMMON
AS POSTING A BEAN SUPPER
ON A CHURCH BULLETIN BOARD.

THE ACTION WAS NOT DRAMATIC
BUT THE QUESTIONS WERE.
LET US REVIEW THE HISTORY
THAT BROUGHT LUTHER
TO THIS ACTION.

IN THE 14TH CENTURY
THE BUBONIC PLAGUE
HIT EUROPE.
TWO OUT OF THREE PEOPLE DIED.
YOU COULD BE WELL IN THE MORNING
AND DEAD BY NIGHT.
PARTS OF YOUR BODY WOULD TURN BLACK.
HENCE IT'S OTHER NAME
WAS THE BLACK DEATH.

IN THOSE DAYS
BEFORE MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE,
PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT GOD
WAS PUNISHING THEM
FOR THEIR SINS.

THERE EVOLVED A PICTURE,
NOT OF A LOVING GOD
BUT OF A SADISTIC GOD
WHO COULD NOT WAIT
TO DO HARM TO HIS PEOPLE
FOR EVEN THE SLIGHTEST INFRACTION.

BY THE TIME LUTHER
WAS BORN IN 1483,
THIS PICTURE OF A VENGEFUL GOD
WAS DOMINANT
IN CHRISTIAN THINKING.
IN FACT, A PLAYWRIGHT
HAS LUTHER SAY THIS
ABOUT HIMSELF.

WHEN I WAS A LAD
WHEN I WAS A LITTLE BOY
WHEN I WAS A CHILD LIKE YOU
I HAD BEEN TAUGHT
I HAD BEEN TOTALLY TAUGHT
BY THE LEARNED PEOPLE OF THAT TIME
PRIESTS IN THE PULPIT
PARENTS IN THE HOME
TEACHERS IN THE SCHOOL
BY THE TIME I WAS A YOUNG MAN
I HAD BEEN TAUGHT
THAT GOD HATED SIN
AND, THEREFORE, GOD HATED ME.

I WAS AFRAID OF GOD
I WAS TRAPPED LIKE AN ANIMAL
TRAPPED IN A ROOM WITH MOVABLE WALLS
TRAPPED IN A ROOM WHOSE WALLS HAD VOICES

ONE WALL CRIED OUT
CAN YOU BE FREE FROM SIN
NOOOOOOOOOOOO

ANOTHER WALL
IS THERE A DAY OF JUDGEMENT
YESSSSSSSSSSSSS

ANOTHER WALL
IS GOD INDIFFERENT TO SIN
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

THE FINAL WALL
WILL BE DAMNED FOR YOUR SINS
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

AND OVER MY HEAD LIKE THE SOUND OF THUNDER
WAS WHAT I WAS TOLD
WAS GOD'S VOICE
CRYING
VENGEANCE IS MINE
VENGEANCE IS MINE

THIS WAS LUTHER ON THE FIRST REFORMATION SUNDAY
A MAN AFRAID OF HIS GOD
UNTIL HE READ ROMANS AS IF FOR THE FIRST TIME
THAT HE WAS SAVED NOT BY WORKS
WHICH HE KNEW WERE NEVER ENOUGH
BUT BY GRACE
READING THAT,
LUTHER FINALLY REALIZED
THAT GOD WAS NOT HIS ENEMY
NOT A TORTURER
WANTING TO INFLICT PAIN
BUT A LOVER OF HIM
A LOVER OF HIM JUST THE WAY HE WAS.

THE REAL STORY OF REFORMATION SUNDAY
IS THAT A MAN AFRAID OF HIS GOD
FOUND OUT THAT GOD WAS HIS FRIEND
NOT HIS PUNISHER
AND IN THE PEACE OF THAT KNOWLEDGE
HE LIVED THE REST OF HIS LIFE.

MEDITATION OF MOTHER TERESA

2009-05-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother Teresa

PENTECOST

2009-05-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

June 11, 2000 - The Day of PentecostActs 2:1-21 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b Romans 8:22-27 John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

GOOD MORNING AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY
WHOSE BIRTHDAY YOU MIGHT ASK
IT’S ALL OF OURS
BECAUSE PENTECOST IS THE DAY THE CHURCH BEGAN

ON THE DAY THE CHURCH BEGAN
THE APOSTLES WERE GATHERED IN THE UPPER ROOM
TO CELEBRATE THE FEAST OF SHABUOT
IT WAS A HARVEST FESTIVAL
IT WAS THE EQUIVALENT OF OUR THANKSGIVING DAY
THEY FELT THEY HAD LITTLE TO CELEBRATE
JESUS HAD GONE HOME
LEAVING THEM FEELING LIKE ORPHANS
BUT THEY WERE LOYAL JEWS
THEY OBSERVED THE LAW
THE LAW SAID
THANK GOD GOOD TIMES AND BAD
ESPECIALLY ON THIS DAY
FIFTY DAYS AFTER PASSOVER
FOR IT COMMEMORATED THE FIRST HARVEST
THEY HAD AS FREE MEN

BUT PETER WAS PUZZLED
AS HE OFTEN WAS
AS THE OTHERS OFTEN WERE
FOR JESUS HAD SAID TO THEM BEFORE HE LEFT
JESUS HAD SAID
WHILE HE WAS EATING WITH THEM
I GIVE YOU THIS COMMAND
THAT YOU DO NOT LEAVE JERUSALEM
BUT WAIT FOR THE GIFT MY FATHER PROMISED
WHICH YOU HAVE HEARD ME SPEAK ABOUT
FOR JOHN BAPTIZEDYOU WITH WATER
BUT IN A FEW DAYS YOU WILL BE BAPTIZED
WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT

AND PETER THOUGHT
I AM WELL NAMED ROCK
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE MEANT
AFTER THREE YEARS AND HIS LEAVING
I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HE MEANT
AND SO THOUGHT ALL THE OTHER APOSTLES
GATHERED TOGETHER
IN THE UPPER ROOM
TO GIVE THANKS FOR THE HARVEST
WHICH WAS YET TO COME

WE ARE TWENTIETH CENTURY CHRISTIANS
AND YET WE ARE OFTEN NO MORE AWARE OF GOD’S PLAN
THAN THE APOSTLES WERE AT THIS TIME

LET US BEGIN OUR STUDY
AS WE BEGIN ALL THINGS
IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER
AND THE SON
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

LET US BEGIN
AS WE BEGIN ALL THING
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE FATHER
THE CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
WHO MADE TIME BEGIN
LET US LOOK AT GOD THE FATHER

WHEN I WANTED TO LEARN HOW TO DRIVE.
I STUDIED
PASSED A TEST
AND WAS GIVEN MY DRIVERS LICENSE

WHEN I WANTED TO BECOME AN ENGINEER
I STUDIED,
PASSED TESTS
AND WAS GIVEN MY DEGREE

WHEN I BECAME A PARENT
THE NURSE HANDED ME A BABY
AND SAID
HERE’S YOUR CHILD
NO OWNERS MANUAL
NO WEB SITE
NOTHING
ONLY HERE’S YOUR CHILD

IN JEWISH TRADITION
THE BOOK OF GENESIS
IS OFTEN READ
WITH THE THOUGHT
THAT GOD IS A NEW PARENT
LEARNING HOW TO HANDLE A CHILD

LET’S LOOK AT THE STORY OF GENESIS
IN THAT LIGHT

GOD MAKES ADAM
BUT ADAM IS MADE WITH A DESIGN FLAW
WHERE ALL THE OTHER ACTS OF GOD’S CREATION
LOVE GOD INSTINCTIVELY
ADAM GOD THINKS
I SHALL MAKES DIFFERENT
THIS CREATURE
THE PEAK OF MY CREATION
IS TO HAVE THE ABILITY
TO CHOOSE WHETHER TO LOVE ME
OR NOT.
BECAUSE I WANT TO HAVE
FROM HIM
THE LOVE OF A FREE PERSON
NOT THE SERVILE FEAR OF A SLAVE
OR THE UNTHINKING LOVE OF AN ANIMAL

GOD PUTS ADAM
IN THE BEAUTIFUL GARDEN
CALLED PARADISE
AND SAYS TO HIM.
EAT ANYTHING YOU WANT
EXCEPT FOR THE FRUIT OF THAT TREE.
IF YOU EAT THE FRUIT OF THAT TREE
SURELY YOU WILL DIE
WE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
ADAM ATE OF THAT TREE
AND INSTEAD OF INSTANT DEATH
LIVED 970 YEARS
SO MUCH FOR PARENTAL THREATENING

THEN GOD’S CHILDREN
CONTINUED TO DISOBEY GOD
SO HE SENT A FLOOD
TO PUNISH THEM ALL
EXCEPT FOR NOAH
WHEN THE FLOOD WAS OVER
GOD THOUGHT
THAT MAYBE
HE HADN’T MADE THE RIGHT DECISION
SO HE PUT A RAINBOW IN THE SKY
A WARRIOR’S BOW AIMED AT HEAVEN
TO REMIND HIM NEVER TO DO THAT AGAIN

BUT MAN KEPT DISOBEYING
HE TRIED TO BUILD A TOWER TO THE SKY
THINKING
IF I REACHED THE SKY
I WILL BE LIKE GOD
AND NEVER HAVE TO LISTEN TO HIM AGAIN
I WILL BE FREE OF GOD
SO GOD CONFUSED THEM
SO THAT EACH PERSON
SPOKE A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE
INSTEAD OF UNDERSTANDING EACH OTHER
THEY BABBLED
THEY COULD NOT FINISH THE TOWER
BUT INSTEAD THEY SCATTERED
OVER THE FACE OF THE EARTH
CARRYING THEIR NEW LANGUAGES WITH THEM

THEN GOD THOUGHT
MY SCOPE IS TOO LARGE
LET ME START OVER AGAIN
WITH ONE PERSON
SO HE PICKS ABRAHAM
AND SAYS OBEY ME
AND YOUR CHILDREN
WILL BE AS NUMEROUS
AS THE SANDS ON THE BEACH
AND AS A SIGN OF MY POWER
I SAY TO YOU 97 YEAR OLD MAN
THAT YOUR WIFE SARAH
BARREN IN HER OLD AGE
WILL HAVE A CHILD

HEARING THIS
ABRAHAM FELL ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING
AND SARAH
HIDING BEHIND A DOOR TO LISTEN
LAUGHED TOO
AND GOD
PLAYING WITH HIS CREATION
SAID TO HER
YOU LAUGHED
IN FEAR
BECAUSE SHE HAD BEEN STANDING BEHIND THE DOOR SARAH SAID
NO I DIDN’T
AND THEN FOLLOWS
THAT VERY HUMAN STORY
OF GOD AND SARAH TALKING LIKE THIS
YOU LAUGHED
NO I DIDN’T
YES YOU DID
UHUH
UNUH
UHUH
UNUH
AS FAR AS I KNOW
THEY COULD STILL BE HAVING
THIS CONVERSATION

BUT A CHILD WAS BORN TO SARAH AND ABRAHAM
AND THEY CALLED HIM LAUGHTER
A NICE NAME
IN HEBREW HE WAS CALLED ISAAC

THEN GOD SAID TO ABRAHAM
I REQUIRE A SACRIFICE
I REQUIRE THE LIFE OF ISAAC
AND ABRAHAM LOADED ISAAC
WITH THE WOOD FOR THE SACRIFICE
TOOK HIM UP A HIGH MOUNTAIN
ABRAHAM BOUND ISAAC
AND WAS READY TO SLAY HIM
THE KNIFE WAS IN THE AIR
THE SUNLIGHT GLISTENED ON IT
BUT GOD STAYED ABRAHAM’S ARM

FOR GOD HAD THOUGHT
IT IS NOT RIGHT FOR MAN TO SLAY EACH OTHER
NO I WILL SEND MY SON AS THAT SACRIFICE

LET US CONTINUE THEN
WITH GOD THE SON
WHOM WE CALL JESUS

HE LEAPED DOWN FROM HEAVEN
TO BE OUR SAVIOR
TAKING ON HUMAN FORM
AND AS A HUMAN
HE WAS BORN
LIVED
SUFFERED
DIED
AND WAS BURIED
AS PAYMENT FOR OUR SINS
HE ROSE TRIUMPHANT FROM THE GRAVE
AND LIVED WITH HIS APOSTLES
FORTY MORE DAYS

HE IS OUR REDEEMER
AND AS HE LEFT US
TO RETURN TO HEAVEN
HE SAID I WILL SEND THE HOLY SPIRIT
TO COMPLETE MY WORK

LET US CONTINUE THEN
WITH GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
WHO IS TASKED
WITH BRINGING TO HARVEST
ALL GOD’S PROMISES
WHO IS THE FULFILLER
THE ENABLER
THE INSPIRER
WHO IS CHARGED
WITH RECREATING GOD’S CREATION
TO BRING IT ONCE MORE TO GOD’S DREAM

HOW SHALL WE KNOW
WHEN THE SPIRIT IS AMONG US
WHEN WE SEE IN OUR SOCIETY
THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
WHICH ARE LOVE, JOY, PEACE,
PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS,
FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS AND SELF-CONTROL

WHEN WE SEE THAT IN OUR SOCIETY
WHETHER THAT SOCIETY BE TWO PEOPLE
TWENTY PEOPLE
TWO HUNDRED PEOPLE
TWO THOUSAND PEOPLE
TWO MILLION PEOPLE
CITIES
COUNTRIES
NATION
WORLD
TO THE EXTANT
THAT WE SEE THESE GIFTS IN OUR SOCIETY
THEN THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AT WORK
TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY ARE MISSING
THEN WE HAVE WORK TO DO TO BRING IT ABOUT
FOR WE ARE THE CHURCH
AND THAT CHURCH IS COMMISSIONED
THAT CHURCH IS COMMANDED
TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER

A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND MILES
BEGINS WITH ONE STEP
I WOULD LIKE TODAY
WITH YOUR HELP
TO MAKE THE WORLD BETTER
TO MAKE ONE SMALL STEP

REMEMBER THE TOWER OF BABEL
WHERE TONGUES WERE CONFUSED BECAUSE OF SIN
AND REMEMBER THE TONGUES OF FIRE
OF PENTECOST MORNING
WHICH SIGNIFY A NEW LANGUAGE
THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE

WELL IN OUR LIVES
THERE IS ALWAYS SOMEONE
WITH WHOM WE FIND IT HARD TO COMMUNICATE
SOMEONE IN OUR FAMILY
SOMEONE OUTSIDE OUR FAMILY
PERHAPS EVEN GOD

IN THE PRIVACY OF YOUR OWN MIND
IN THE PRIVACY OF YOUR DEEPEST HEART
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO SAY THESE WORDS
WITH ME
AS I SAY THEM TO THAT PERSON
I MYSELF FIND IT HARD TO LOVE

LET US BEGIN

WHOEVER YOU ARE
THAT I FIND IT HARD TO TALK TO
FOR WHATEVER REASON
I PROMISE THAT I SHALL TRY
TO ONLY SPEAK LOVE TO YOU
TO CURB HATRED AND ANGER
I PROMISE FURTHER
THAT WHEN I FAIL
I WILL TRY AND TRY AGAIN

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
WHAT WE HAVE PROMISED IS NOT EASY
CHRISTIANITY
PROPERLY LIVED
IS NOT EASY
BUT THEN I KNOW OF NO PROBLEM IN LIFE
CURED BY MORE HATE

WE ARE THE CHURCH
WE ARE COMMISSIONED TO SPEAK LOVE
LET US MAKE IT OUR NATIVE TONGUE

MY FRIEND NICK

2009-05-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

MY FRIEND NICK

I AM HERE BECAUSE NICK WAS MY FRIEND
I'VE KNOWN HIM FOR EIGHT YEARS

WE WERE DIFFERENT
HE WAS CONSERVATIVE
I AM LIBERAL

BUT WE WERE ACTIVE IN THE LORD'S VINEYARD
AND THAT BOUND US TOGETHER

I DID THE FLASHY JOBS
I PREACHED
SANG IN THE CHOIR
PRESIDED AT SERVICE

NICK DID THE QUIET JOBS
THE CAN BOXES OUT IN THE ENTRYWAY
ARE A TESTAMENT TO HIM
AND TO HIS WIFE BETTY
WHO DID THIS UNGLAMOROUS JOB
THEY GATHERED THE BOTTLES THE PEOPLE BROUGHT
TOOK THEM TO THE RECYCLING AGENCY
RECEIVED MONEY

AND WITH THAT MONEY
THE CHILDREN'S GYM OUTSIDE WAS BUILT
A VCR WAS PURCHASED
NOW THE MONEY IS GOING TO THE ALTAR SOCIETY
THEY HELPED WITH THE CLEANING
THEY HELPED IN THE KITCHEN
THEY KEPT THE KITCHEN AND CHURCH SUPPLIED

NICK WORKED QUIETLY AND DILIGENTLY IN THE LORD'S VINEYARD
AS A CONGREGATION I THINK WE CAN HONESTLY SAY TO HIM
WELL DONE GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT
WELL DONE

MILLENIUM

2009-05-08T08:13:00.000-07:00

MILLENNIUM

I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS WITH YOU
ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM

FIRST
THE WORD ITSELF
COMES FROM THE LATIN MILLE
WHICH MEANS ONE THOUSAND
AND ANNUS, WHICH MEANS YEAR
SO MILLENNIUM IS A THOUSAND YEARS.

THE THOUGHT OF MILLENNIUM
IS FOUND IN REVELATION, CHAPTER 20
IN WHICH JOHN WRITES.
"AND I SAW THE SOULS
OF THOSE WHO HAD NOT WORSHIPED THE BEAST
OR HIS STATUE,
NOR ACCEPTED HIS MARK ON THEIR FOREHEAD
OR THEIR HANDS
THEY CAME TO LIFE AGAIN,
AND THEY REIGNED WITH CHRIST
FOR A THOUSAND YEARS".

THE WORD CALENDAR
COMES FROM THE LATIN CALENDARIUM
WHICH MEANS A MONEYLENDERS ACCOUNT BOOK
THE LATIN WORD FOR THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
IS CALENDS

SO ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
(THE CALENDS)
YOUR DEBT WAS DUE TO THE MONEY LENDER
WHO KEPT HIS RECORDS OF YOUR PAYMENT
IN AN ACCOUNT BOOK
CALLED THE CALENDARIUM

A CALENDAR
IS A DEVICE FOR MEASURING TIME
BY DAY, WEEK, MONTH, YEAR, CENTURY
AND TEN CENTURIES IS A MILLENNIUM.

TO THE CHINESE WE ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 4396
TO THE JEWS WE ARE LIVING IN YEAR 5760
TO THE MOSLEMS WE ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 1377
AND TO THE CHRISTIAN WORLD WE ARE LIVING IN THE YEAR 1999

SO TO MUCH OF THE WORLD
IF IT WASN'T FOR THE Y2K COMPUTER PROBLEM
THERE WOULD BE NO MILLENNIUM PROBLEM.
AND FOR CHRISTIANS
IT IS NOT THE MILLENNIUM.
BECAUSE CHRIST WAS NOT BORN ON DEC 25
YEAR ONE AD, 2000 YEARS AGO

HE WAS BORN
MOST SCHOLARS BELIEVE
IN THE YEAR 6 BC
IN THE SPRING OR THE FALL

WHY DO WE SAY SPRING OR FALL.
BECAUSE THE BIBLE TELL US
THE SHEPHERDS WERE IN THE FIELDS ABIDING
AND IN PALESTINE
THAT MEANT SPRING OR FALL
IN THE WINTER IT WAS TO COLD TO LIVE OUTDOORS
IN THE SUMMER THE GRASS WAS GREEN
CLOSE TO THEIR HOME
AND THEY DID NOT HAVE TO PASTURE THEIR FLOCKS
AWAY FROM THE VILLAGE

SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN
NEXT NEW YEARS EVE
MOST LIKELY NOTHING
DICK CLARK WILL HOST THE TIME SQUARE PARTY.
WE WILL ALL COUNT DOWN THE LAST TEN SECONDS,
BLOW HORNS,
KISS OUR LOVED ONES,
MAKE RESOLUTIONS
AND WONDER
WHAT DOES GOD REQUIRE OF ME
AND ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE WORLD,
WHAT DOES HE REQUIRE OF A PEOPLE
WHO CANNOT EVEN GET HIS SON'S BIRTHDAY CORRECT

WHAT GOD REQUIRES OF US
IS TO REMEMBER
THAT BEFORE TIME BEGAN
WHEN ALL THAT EXISTED
WAS ONLY ETERNAL GOD
THAT, THAT SAME GOD
LOVED US BEFORE HE CREATED US,
LOVED US KNOWING WE WOULD FAIL HIM,
LOVED US KNOWING WE WOULD SLAY HIS SON,
LOVED US KNOWING HIS SON'S DEATH
WOULD AVENGE OUR GUILT

ALL HE ASKS IS OUR LOVE
THIS IS THE DEBT HE DEMANDS OF US
THIS IS THE DEBT
HE WILL MARK
IN HIS MONEY LENDERS BOOK,
HIS CALENDARIUM

AND IN RETURN FOR THIS DEBT
THAT WE OWE HIM
HE WILL BE OUR FATHER
LONG AFTER TIME IS ENDED,
HE WILL BE OUR SAVIOR
LONG AFTER TIME IS ENDED,
HE WILL BE OUR COMFORTER
LONG AFTER TIME IS ENDED.

FOR AS PAUL SAYS IN CORINTHIANS
NOW IS THE ACCEPTABLE TIME
NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION

OR AS IN THE PSALMS
THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE,
LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT

SO THE MILLENNIUM
SHOULD NOT BE
A TIME OF FEAR FOR US

FOR THE GOD WHO LOVED US
BEFORE TIME BEGAN,
WHO LOVES US NOW
AS DAYS BECOME WEEKS,
AS WEEKS BECOME MONTHS,
AS MONTHS BECOME YEARS,
AS YEARS BECOME CENTURIES,
AND AS CENTURIES BECOME MILLENNIUMS,
THIS GOD
THROUGH ALL THE CIRCLE OF ETERNITY
PAST THE POINT WHERE TIME SHALL CEASE
WILL LOVE US STILL

SO WE SHOULD EMBRACE GOD'S LOVE
NOT WITH FEAR
THAT GOD IS COMING TO PUNISH US
AT THE START OR END OF A MILLENNIUM
BUT RATHER WE SHOULD RECEIVE GOD'S LOVE
AS A FAVORED CHILD
WHO KNOWS THAT GODS HEART
AND CAPACITY FOR LOVE
IS GREATER THAN HIS OR HER ABILITY
TO COMPREHEND IT

SO ON Y2K
COMPUTERS MAY CRASH
BUT GOD'S LOVE
AND GOD'S WORD
WILL GO ON
AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED

FIRST LENT

2009-05-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

FIRST LENT

LAST WEDNESDAY
I
AND MANY OTHER CHRISTIANS
HAD ASHES
IN THE FORM OF A CROSS
PLACED ON OUR FOREHEAD
AS THE ASHES WERE BEING PLACED
THE MINISTER SAID THESE WORDS
REMEMBER
THAT YOU ARE DUST
AND BACK TO DUST
YOU SHALL RETURN

WE WERE PERFORMING A RITUAL
AS OLD
AS THE OLD TESTAMENT
WHENEVER
THERE WERE MOMENTS
OF GREAT SORROW
OR REPENTANCE FOR SIN
ASHES WERE PLACED
ON THE HEAD OF THE ONE
SEEKING FORGIVENESS

AS CHRISTIANS
WE HAVE STARTED LENT
WITH THIS GESTURE
A GESTURE
THE CHURCH USES
TO HELP US RECALL
WHO WE ARE
AND WHAT PRICE JESUS PAID
TO REDEEM US
WE ARE DUST
BUT PRECIOUS DUST

AS THE POET WROTE
AFTER SEEING THE WIND
SPIN DUST IN A CIRCLE

DOES THE WIND KNOW
THE VALUE OF THE DUST
IT WHIRLS INTO A COLUMN
IS IT TRYING TO MAKE A MAN
IF IT SUCCEEDED
WOULD IT BLOW ITS CREATION AWAY
ON A WHIM
WOULD IT LOVE ITS CREATION
WOULD IT DIE FOR HIM
WOULD IT HOVER OVER HIM
LIKE A MOTHER HEN
FUSSING FORGIVING
TIME AND AGAIN
FOLDING HIM TO HER BOSOM
OR WOULD IT
AS SO MANY GODS BUT ONE
FADE FALTER
AND GO AWAY

THE GOD WHO CALLS US
TO REPENTANCE
AND TO SORROW FOR OUR SINS
WILL NOT FORGET US
HE HAS PAID TOO HIGH A PRICE
FOR US
NOR IS HE INTERESTED
IN OUR CONDEMNATION
BUT IN OUR SALVATION

HE LOVES US SO MUCH
HE BECAME HUMAN.
THAT HE MIGHT EXPERIENCE
ALL THAT IT TAKES
TO BE HUMAN
AND PART OF THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE
IS FAILURE
OF NOT MEASURING UP TO THE MARK
OF MISSING THE MARK
AS THE ARCHER
MISSES THE MARK
WITH HIS ARROW

THE WORD FOR SIN IN THE BIBLE
MEANS MISSING THE MARK

SO JESUS LIKE US
WAS TEMPTED BY THE DEVIL
WAS TESTED BY THE DEVIL
AND HE PASSED.

HOLD ON TO THIS THOUGHT
JESUS BEAT THE DEVIL
BY USING THE BIBLE
WHEN THE DEVIL SAID
TO THE HUNGRY JESUS
MAKE BREAD OUT OF STONE
JESUS REPLIED
MAN DOES NOT LIVE
BY BREAD ALONE

WHEN THE DEVIL
OFFERED JESUS
UNLIMITED POWER
JESUS SAID
THE ONLY POWER IS GOD.

AND WHEN SATAN
SAID TO JESUS
MAKE MAGIC
JESUS REPLIED
THOSE WHO LOVE GOD
DO NOT NEED MAGIC.
ALL THESE ANSWERS
THAT JESUS GAVE SATAN
ARE FOUND IN THE SCRIPTURES

THE LAST LINE
OF OUR GOSPEL READING TODAY
SAYS
THAT WHEN THE DEVIL
HAD FINISHED
ALL HIS TEMPTING
ALL HIS TESTING OF JESUS
HE LEFT HIM
TILL THERE WOULD BE
A MORE OPPORTUNE TIME

AND TO THIS DAY
THE DEVIL GOES AROUND
LIKE A ROARING LION
SEEKING SOMEONE TO DEVOUR

PUTTING CHRIST TO THE TEST
IN THE FORM OF US
FOR WE ARE CHRIST
IN THE WORLD TODAY

TO US
IS GIVEN THE TASK
TO BE CHRIST-LIKE
IN THE WORLD
IN WHICH WE LIVE.

AND THAT'S
THE PURPOSE OF LENT
TO HELP US REMEMBER
WHY WE ARE HERE,
WHY AND HOW
WE WERE SAVED
WHY AND HOW
THE DUST
THAT THE WIND PLAYS WITH
IS SO PRECIOUS
AND TO DENY SATAN
HIS OPPORTUNE TIME
BY DOING
AND GIVING BACK TO GOD
OUR BEST

THIS GIVING OF THE BEST
IS WHAT IS CALLED FOR
IN OUR FIRST READING
FROM DEUTERONOMY
WHERE MOSES SAYS

GIVE GOD THE BEST
THE FRESHEST YIELD
FROM YOUR GARDEN

DO THIS
BECAUSE HE HAS RESCUED YOU
FROM SLAVERY
AND GIVEN YOU A NEW HOME

THAT IS WHY
WE ARE ASKED
AS PART OF LENT
TO GIVE GOD OUR BEST
BECAUSE HE HAS RESCUED US
FROM SLAVERY
AND GIVEN US
A NEW HOME- HEAVEN

WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR
WITH THE LENTEN CONCEPT
OF GIVING THINGS UP
LIKE CANDY, ICE CREAM, MOVIES
BUT I SUGGEST
WE DO
WHAT WE NORMALLY DO
BUT TRY TO DO IT BETTER.

SO WHATEVER
IS A SORE SPOT IN YOUR LIFE,
WHATEVER IN YOUR LIFE
DOES NOT LOOK LIKE
CHRIST IN ACTION
WHATEVER IS NOT YOUR BEST
IN WHATEVER WAY
YOU ARE MISSING THE MARK
STOP
PRAY
AND RE-AIM YOUR ARROW.

SUGGESTIONS
HUSBAND AND WIVES
REDUCE FRICTION.
CHILDREN DO YOUR SCHOOL WORK
AND CHORES WILLINGLY
OR LEAST WITHOUT GRUMBLING
ALL OF US EAT
WHAT WE'RE SERVED
WITHOUT GRUMBLING
ALL OF US
TURN OFF THE TELEVISION
AND TALK TO EACH OTHER.
ALL OF US MAKE TIME
FOR REGULAR PRAYER
ALL OF US
READ A CHAPTER OF THE BIBLE DAILY.

REMEMBER JESUS BESTED SATAN
WITH ANSWERS FROM THE BIBLE

IN ALL THINGS
BE GENTLE WITH EACH OTHER
AND WITH YOURSELVES
WE ARE PRECIOUS DUST
REDEEMED BY CHRIST
BECAUSE GOD LOVES HIS CREATION
AND WANTS WHAT IS BEST FOR US.
WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU,
WHAT IS BEST FOR ME

FINALLY
THESE FORTY DAYS OF LENT
REPRESENT
THE LAST DAYS AND WEEKS
OF LIFE OF JESUS
WHEN THE FORCES OF DARKNESS
WERE TRYING
TO FIRST SILENCE HIM
AND WHEN THAT FAILED
TO KILL HIM

THE CLOUDS ARE GATHERING
AROUND JESUS
AS THE ENEMY CIRCLES

MANY ARE LEAVING JESUS.
IT IS A LONELY TIME.

HE ASKS US
COULD YOU NOT
WALK
THESE LAST FEW DAYS
WITH ME
COULD YOU NOT
FOR THESE LAST FEW DAYS
THESE FORTY DAYS
GIVE ME YOUR BEST
NOT FOR PROFIT
NOT FOR GAIN
NOT FOR MERIT
BUT BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME

CAN WE SAY YES TO HIS PLEA

FAVORITES

2009-05-08T08:10:00.000-07:00

GOOD MORNING

I'D LIKE TO START
BY TELLING YOU A FEW STORIES

IN MY MOTHER'S COFFIN
WERE PLACED FOUR ROSES.
ATTACHED TO THEM WAS A CARD
THAT SAID
FROM YOUR FAVORITES.

A SEMI-SERIOUS GAME
MY THREE SISTERS
AND I HAVE PLAYED
MOST OF OUR LIVES
THE GAME OF
WHO WAS MOM'S FAVORITE.

I HAVE RECEIVED BIRTHDAY CARDS
FROM MY SISTERS
THAT SAID FOR MY BIRTHDAY
MOM GAVE ME FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS
WHAT DID SHE GIVE YOU.

OR HAS MOM TOLD YOU YET
THAT YOU WERE ADOPTED

IT WAS A SILLY GAME
IT WAS A FUN GAME
MOM ENJOYED IT.
THOUGH IN SECRET
SHE TOLD ME
THAT I WAS HER FAVORITE.

LATELY I'VE SUSPECTED
THAT SHE TOLD MY SISTERS THE SAME THING

MY SECOND STORY CONCERNS
LUTHER AS A YOUNG MAN.
AS A YOUNG MAN AND AS A YOUNG MONK
HE CERTAINLY DID NOT THINK HIMSELF
AS GODS FAVORITE.

LUTHER AS A RESULT
OF HOW HE WAS TAUGHT RELIGION
HAD EVOLVED A SET OF FOUR QUESTIONS
FROM WHICH HE COULD NOT ESCAPE
THEY WERE

CAN YOU BE FREE FROM SIN
NO HE ANSWERED

IS THERE A DAY OF JUDGMENT
YES HE ANSWERED

IS GOD INDIFFERENT TO SIN
NO HE ANSWERED

WILL YOU BE DAMMED FOR YOUR SINS
YES HE ANSWERED

LUTHER HAD NO TROUBLE
UNDERSTANDING TODAY'S LESSON
IN WHICH GOD IS QUOTED AS SAYING
BECAUSE YOU DAVID HAVE SINNED
YOUR CHILD MUST DIE.

THERE WAS NO LOVE IN LUTHER'S GOD
WHEN HE WAS A YOUNG MAN.

ANOTHER STORY
IS FROM THE LAST CHAPTER OF JOHN
IN WHICH JESUS SAYS TO PETER

PETER DO YOU LOVE ME
YES LORD I DO
PETER FEED MY LAMBS

AND AGAIN JESUS ASKED PETER
PETER DO YOU LOVE ME
LORD YOU KNOW I DO
FEED MY SHEEP

AND A THIRD TIME JESUS ASKED
PETER DO YOU LOVE ME
TO WHICH
IF PETER HAD GROWN UP IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD
HE WOULD HAVE SAID
YO JESUS I ALREADY TOLD YOU TWICE

BUT PETER SAID
LORD YOU KNOW EVERYTHING
YOU KNOW MY HEART,
YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU
AND JESUS SAID FEED MY LAMBS.

THIS SCENE TO ME
IS ONE OF THE TENDEREST SCENES
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

I VISION PETER
AS A BIG INARTICULATE BEAR OF A MAN.
GIVEN TO RASH ACTION.
STRIVING HARD TO FOLLOW THE LORD
SHOOTING HIMSELF IN THE FOOT AS HE GOES.
SUFFERING FROM FOOT IN MOUTH DISEASE
AS WITNESSED BY WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
FOR PETER TURNS AROUND
AND SPIES JOHN
RUMORED TO BE JESUS' FAVORITE
AND HE SAYS
WHAT ABOUT THAT MAN
AND JESUS SAYS
WHAT IS THAT TO YOU
IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

TOP TO BOTTOM IN ZERO SECONDS
GOES PETER.
GO PETER

EVERY MORNING WHEN I WASH MY FACE
I THINK I SEE PETER.

TOP TO BOTTOM IN ZERO SECONDS
GO PETER

MY LAST STORY
IS ONE WE ALL KNOW
THERE WAS A MAN
WHO HAD TWO SONS.
THE YOUNGER ONE SAID
FATHER GIVE ME ALL THAT IS MINE
I WANT TO LEAVE.

THE FATHER DID AS THE SON REQUESTED
AND THE YOUNG MAN WENT OFF
SPENT ALL HIS MONEY
ENDING UP EATING WITH THE PIGS.

HE SAID TO HIMSELF
MY FATHERS SERVANTS LIVE BETTER THAN THIS.
I WILL RISE AND GO TO MY FATHER
AND BEG HIM TO LET ME BE ONE OF HIS SERVANTS.

EVERY EVENING SINCE THE SON HAD LEFT
THE FATHER HAD CLIMBED A HILLSIDE
FOR A BETTER VIEW
AND HAD WATCHED
AND WAITED FOR HIS SON TO RETURN.

WHEN HE SAW HIM AT A DISTANCE
AT A LONG LONG DISTANCE
WHEN HE SAW HIM AT A DISTANCE
AND RECOGNIZED HIS WALK
AS ONLY A PARENT CAN KNOW A CHILD'S WALK.

WHEN HE SAW HIM AT A DISTANCE
AT A LONG LONG DISTANCE
HE RAN TO HIM LAUGHING
AND CRYING
AND SHOUTING
MY SON HAS RETURNED
THE ONE I THOUGHT WAS LOST
HAS RETURNED

AND HE RAN TO HIM
EMBRACED HIM
BEAR HUGGED HIM SO TIGHT
THAT THE SON'S MUMBLED
I WANT TO BE ONE OF YOUR SERVANTS
WAS NEVER HEARD

WAS NEVER HEARD
IN THE FATHER S EXUBERANT JOY

HIS COMING HOME
WAS MESSAGE ENOUGH

NOW COMES INTO THE STORY
YOU AND I
AT SOME TIME IN OUR LIVES
WE ARE THE OLDER BROTHER.
THE ONE WHO DID EVERY THING RIGHT.
WE SEE THE HAPPINESS OF THE FATHER
AND HOW THE FATHER HAS RESTORED
THE YOUNGER BROTHER
TO AT PLACE OF HONOR
AND WE ARE JEALOUS.

I THINK IF THIS WASN'T A BIBLE STORY
WE WOULD ALL THINK
THAT THE OLDER BROTHER
WAS POORLY TREATED

BUT THAT IS EXACTLY
WHAT JESUS WANTS US TO THINK
ABOUT THIS STORY.

LEFT TO OUR OWN JUDGMENTS
THE YOUNGER SON
WOULD HAVE BEEN BANISHED FROM THE FARM

AND ALL HONOR GIVEN TO THE OLDER SON
WHO HAD DONE NO WRONG.

WE WOULD HAVE BEEN WILLING
TO KILL THE BABY TOO
BECAUSE SIN NEEDS PUNISHMENT
IN OUR MIND

BUT JESUS WANTS US TO KNOW
THAT WHAT WAS
IS NO MORE

THAT BECAUSE OF HIS DEATH
AND RESURRECTION
THE LOVE OF GOD FOR HIS CREATURES
HAS BECOME IRRATIONAL,
DOES NOT GO BY RULES
BY WHICH WE FEEL COMFORTABLE
THAT WHEN GOD LOOKS AT US
THAT WE ARE ALL INDIVIDUALLY
GOD'S FAVORITE

THAT HIS FORGIVENESS IS THERE
BEFORE WE SIN
WHILE WE SIN
AND AFTER WE SIN.
THAT ALL WE HAVE TO DO
IS ASK FORGIVENESS
AND TRY TO SIN NO MORE

THIS IS THE LESSON MARTIN LUTHER LEARNED
WHILE STUDYING THE SCRIPTURES
WE READ TODAY
GALATIANS AND JOHN
THAT GOD LOVED HIM
INDIVIDUALLY AND TOTALLY.
THAT FORGIVENESS WAS FREE
AND FREELY GIVEN

THIS IS THE LESSON PETER LEARNED
THAT GOD LOVED HIM
GOOD TIMES AND BAD.
WHETHER STRONGLY DEFENDING JESUS
WITH A SWORD
OR COWERING BEFORE A SERVANT MAIDS GLANCE

HE WAS LOVED BEFORE
DURING
AND AFTER
HE WAS LOVED

THIS IS A LESSON MY MOTHER
TAUGHT MY SISTERS AND I
I WILL LOVE YOU TOTALLY
AND INDIVIDUALLY WITH ALL MY HEART.

AND THIS IS THE LESSON I DECLARE TO YOU TODAY.
I CAN DECLARE IT
BECAUSE GOD HAS DECLARED IT FIRST

AND THAT IS
THAT EACH OF US
INDIVIDUALLY
IS GODS FAVORITE
THAT WHEN HE LOOKS ON US
HIS CREATION
ALL IS FORGOTTEN
AND FORGIVEN
EXCEPT HIS LOVE FOR US

OUR GOD HAS CARVED OUR NAME
ON THE PALM OF HIS HAND
THAT OUR NAME MIGHT ALWAYS BE BEFORE HIM

THAT EACH OF US HAS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HIS HEART
AND OVER THE DOOR
OF THAT PLACE
IS A SIGN THAT SAYS
HOME OF MY FAVORITE

EVENING PRAYER

2009-05-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

EVENING PRAYER

OPENING MEDITATION

COME
COME TO THE RESTING PLACE
COME TO THE GARDEN
LEAVE ALL TROUBLES OUTSIDE
NO ONE WILL STEAL THEM
COME TO THE GARDEN
REST
BE AT PEACE
BE AT PEACE
COME TO THE GARDEN
AND SEE GOD’S FACE

PSALM 129

KEEP US SAFE, LORD, WHILE WE ARE AWAKE, AND GUARD US WHILE WE SLEEP, SO THAT WE MAY WATCH WITH CHRIST AND REST IN PEACE.
AMEN, ALLELUIA.

OUT OF THE DEPTHS
I HAVE CRIED TO YOU, OH LORD:
LORD, HEAR MY VOICE.LET YOUR EARS BE ATTENTIVE
TO THE SOUND OF MY PLEADING.

KEEP US SAFE, LORD, WHILE WE ARE AWAKE, AND GUARD US WHILE WE SLEEP, SO THAT WE MAY WATCH WITH CHRIST AND REST IN PEACE.
AMEN, ALLELUIA

IF YOU TAKE NOTICE OF OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, LORD –
LORD, WHO WOULD BE LEFT?BUT WITH YOU IS FORGIVENESS,
AND FOR THIS WE REVERE YOU.

KEEP US SAFE, LORD, WHILE WE ARE AWAKE, AND GUARD US WHILE WE SLEEP, SO THAT WE MAY WATCH WITH CHRIST AND REST IN PEACE.
AMEN, ALLELUIA
I RELY ON YOU, LORD,
MY SPIRIT RELIES ON YOUR PROMISE;MY SOUL HOPES IN THE LORD,
MORE THAN THE WATCHMAN WAITING FOR DAYBREAK.
KEEP US SAFE, LORD, WHILE WE ARE AWAKE, AND GUARD US WHILE WE SLEEP, SO THAT WE MAY WATCH WITH CHRIST AND REST IN PEACE.
AMEN, ALLELUIAMORE THAN THE WATCHMAN
WAITS FOR DAYBREAK,
LET ISRAEL HOPE IN THE LORD:

KEEP US SAFE, LORD, WHILE WE ARE AWAKE, AND GUARD US WHILE WE SLEEP, SO THAT WE MAY WATCH WITH CHRIST AND REST IN PEACE.
AMEN, ALLELUIA
FOR WITH THE LORD
THERE IS KINDNESS
AND ABUNDANT REDEMPTION.HE HIMSELF WILL REDEEM ISRAEL
FROM ALL ITS TRANSGRESSIONS.

KEEP US SAFE, LORD, WHILE WE ARE AWAKE, AND GUARD US WHILE WE SLEEP, SO THAT WE MAY WATCH WITH CHRIST AND REST IN PEACE.
AMEN, ALLELUIAGLORY BE TO THE FATHER
AND TO THE SON
AND TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING,
IS NOW, AND EVER SHALL BE, WORLD WITHOUT END. AMEN.

KEEP US SAFE, LORD, WHILE WE ARE AWAKE, AND GUARD US WHILE WE SLEEP, SO THAT WE MAY WATCH WITH CHRIST AND REST IN PEACE.
AMEN, ALLELUIA

SONG - SANCTUARY

ALMIGHTY AND EVERLASTING GOD,
YOU HATE NOTHING
YOU HAVE MADE
AND FORGIVE THE SINS
OF ALL WHO ARE PENITENT:
CREATE
AND MAKE IN US
NEW AND CONTRITE HEARTS,
THAT WE,
WORTHILY LAMENTING OUR SINS
AND ACKNOWLEDGING OUR WRETCHEDNESS,
MAY OBTAIN OF YOU,
THE GOD OF ALL MERCY, PERFECT REMISSION
AND FORGIVENESS;
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD,
WHO LIVES AND REIGNS WITH YOU
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, ONE GOD, FOR EVER AND EVER.
AMEN.

MEDITATION

WHEN YOU WASH YOUR FACE TONIGHT
REMEMBER YOUR BAPTISM
SLEEP WELL
KNOWING YOU ARE FORGIVEN
(SPRINKLE WITH WATER)

A READING - EZECHIEL 34

THIS IS WHAT THE SOVEREIGN LORD SAYS:
I MYSELF WILL SEARCH FOR MY SHEEP
AND LOOK AFTER THEM. 12
AS A SHEPHERD LOOKS AFTER HIS SCATTERED FLOCK
WHEN HE IS WITH THEM,
SO WILL I LOOK AFTER MY SHEEP.
I WILL RESCUE THEM FROM ALL THE PLACES
WHERE THEY WERE SCATTERED
ON A DAY OF CLOUDS AND DARKNESS. 13
I WILL BRING THEM OUT FROM THE NATIONS
AND GATHER THEM FROM THE COUNTRIES,
AND I WILL BRING THEM INTO THEIR OWN LAND.
I WILL PASTURE THEM ON THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL,
IN THE RAVINES
AND IN ALL THE SETTLEMENTS IN THE LAND. 14
I WILL TEND THEM IN A GOOD PASTURE,
AND THE MOUNTAIN HEIGHTS OF ISRAEL
WILL BE THEIR GRAZING LAND.
THERE THEY WILL LIE DOWN IN GOOD GRAZING LAND,
AND THERE THEY WILL FEED IN A RICH PASTURE
ON THE MOUNTAINS OF ISRAEL. 15

I MYSELF WILL TEND MY SHEEP
AND HAVE THEM LIE DOWN, DECLARES THE SOVEREIGN LORD . 16
I WILL SEARCH FOR THE LOST
AND BRING BACK THE STRAYS.
I WILL BIND UP THE INJURED
AND STRENGTHEN THE WEAK,
BUT THE SLEEK AND THE STRONG
I WILL DESTROY.
I WILL SHEPHERD THE FLOCK WITH JUSTICE.

SONG

LORDS PRAYER

WHEN YOU PRAY…

WHEN YOU PRAY
SAY
OUR FATHER
MOTHER
KEEPER OF THE DAWN
GATE OPENER FOR THE SUN
HE WHO WALKS BEFORE THE DAY BEGINS
HE WHO WATCHES THROUGH THE NIGHT
HE WHO DWELLS IN OUR HOME
FATHER
MOTHER
EVER THERE

TO WHOM OR WHAT
CAN WE GIVE GLORY
CAN ANYTHING WE DO
ADD TO YOU
YOU ARE SELF CONTAINED
WITHIN YOURSELF
BUT IN A SPECIAL WAY
YOU ARE INCOMPLETE
WITHOUT US
SO TO YOUR COMPLETENESS
WE ADD OUR LOVE
AND WE SING
HOLY HOLY HOLY
IS YOUR NAME

SHOW YOUR POWER
AND ESTABLISH YOUR KINGDOM
SHOW YOUR POWER
AND ESTABLISH YOUR WILL
BUT IT HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE
FOR IT HAS BEEN WRITTEN ON OUR HEARTS
THE MEANS TO ESTABLISH YOUR KINGDOM
THE MEANS TO ESTABLISH YOUR WILL
ON EARTH
AS IT IS IN HEAVEN

GIVE US TODAY
FOOD FOR TODAY
MINDFUL OF OTHER'S NEEDS
MINDFUL THAT EVERYMAN
IS OUR BROTHER
MINDFUL THAT FOOD STORED
MAY NOT LAST
MINDFUL THAT WE SHOULD SHARE OUR SURPLUS
THAT WE SHOULD TRUST YOU FOR TOMORROW
GIVE US TODAY
OUR DAILY BREAD

DO NOT PUT US TO THE TEST
FOR OFTEN WE HAVE FAILED THE TEST
LIKE MOSES WE TAP THE ROCK TWICE
UNLIKE MOSES WE TAPPED IT MORE THAN TWICE
WHEN WE REMEMBERED TO TAP IT AT ALL
UNLIKE JOB
WE OFTEN CURSE
AND QUESTION
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION

BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL
BUT ALSO WHERE WE FIND EVIL
LET US RESIST IT
FOLLOWING THE DICTATES
WRITTEN ON OUR HEARTS

TO ALL THE ABOVE
WE SAY AMEN

LET US PRAY THE PRAYER THAT JESUS TAUGHT US

OUR FATHER WHO ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME.
THY KINGDOM COME.
THY WILL BE DONE IN EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.
GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.
AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS,
AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.
AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION,
BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM,
AND THE POWER,
AND THE GLORY, FOR EVER. AMEN.

SONG - NOW THE DAY IS OVER

LET US PRAY.
LORD OUR GOD,
WE ARE TIRED BY THE WORK OF THE DAY.
REFRESH US WITH PEACEFUL SLEEP
AND, FOREVER RENEWED
BY THE HELP YOU GIVE,
LET US ALWAYS BE DEDICATED TO YOU
IN BODY AND MIND.THROUGH CHRIST OUR LORD, AMEN.

MAY THE ALMIGHTY LORD GRANT US A QUIET NIGHT
AND A PERFECT END.

AMEN

"KEEP WATCH, DEAR LORD,
WITH THOSE WHO WORK,
OR WATCH, OR WEEP THIS NIGHT,
AND GIVE YOUR ANGELS
CHARGE OVER THOSE WHO SLEEP.
TEND THE SICK, LORD CHRIST;
GIVE REST TO THE WEARY,
BLESS THE DYING,
SOOTHE THE SUFFERING,
PITY THE AFFLICTED,
SHIELD THE JOYOUS;
AND ALL FOR YOUR LOVE'S SAKE. AMEN."

THE ALMIGHTY AND MERCIFUL LORD
THE FATHER
THE SON
AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
BLESS US AND KEEP US
AMEN

DOUBTING THOMAS

2009-05-08T03:19:00.000-07:00

DOUBTING THOMAS

REFRAIN:

AMEN ALLELUIA
HE IS RISEN INDEED
RISEN INDEED
RISEN INDEED
AMEN ALLELUIA
HE IS RISEN INDEED
RISEN INDEED AMEN

MEDITATION:

I WOULD LIKE
TO SHARE WITH YOU
SOME THOUGHTS
ABOUT WHAT THIS SUNDAY MEANS TO ME.

IN SOME CULTURES
THIS SUNDAY
IS CALLED LOW SUNDAY.
FROM THE IDEA
THAT NO SUNDAY
COMING RIGHT AFTER EASTER,
CAME CAN COMPARE
TO EASTER.

IT IS LIKE A SECOND CHILD
THAT,
TRY AS HARD AS IT WILL,
CAN NEVER MEASURE UP
TO THE OLDER BROTHER.
OR SISTER

SO IF EASTER SUNDAY
IS THE LORD'S DAY,
OUR OLDER BROTHER'S DAY,

THEN LOW SUNDAY
IS FOR US,
THE ONES
WHO DO NOT QUITE MEASURE UP.

IN THE ROMAN RITE
THIS DAY IS CALLED
QUASIMODO SUNDAY
FROM THE FIRST WORD
OF THE LATIN ENTRANCE HYMN.

IN VICTOR HUGO'S NOVEL
"THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME"
THE HUNCHBACK'S NAME
IS QUASIMODO.
IN BOTH CASES
THE WORD TRANSLATES
AS ALMOST.

A FITTING TITLE
FOR A SUNDAY,
NAMED FOR US...
ALMOST.

I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU NOW,
THINGS ABOUT WHICH
I KNOW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

IN SCRIPTURE STUDY WE ARE TOLD
THAT ANYTHING WHICH WAS ORDINARY IN LIFE
LIKE EATING, DRINKING, WALKING, SLEEPING
WERE NOT MENTIONED
ONLY WHATEVER WAS CONSIDERED
BY THE SCRIPTURE WRITERS
AS EXTRAORDINARY WERE MENTIONED.

LET ME TELL YOU OF THINGS
I FEEL FROM THE HEART
ABOUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS
I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

FIRST MY HEART TELLS ME
THAT THE FIRST PERSON JESUS SAW
AFTER HIS RESURRECTION
WAS HIS MOTHER.
I SAY THIS
NOT FROM MY HEAD
BUT FROM MY HEART,
FROM OUT OF MY OWN EXPERIENCE.

I CALLED MY MOTHER
WHEN SHE WAS ALIVE
WEEKLY,
NOT SO MUCH TO ASK
HOW SHE WAS,
BUT TO TELL HER
THAT I WAS WELL.

SHE WORRIED ABOUT OUR WEATHER,
THE SNOW, THE STORMS,
WERE WE WARM,
WAS I HAPPY.

NO MATTER
THAT SHE HER SELF
WAS SICK,
SHE WANTED TO KNOW
THAT HER SON WAS SAFE.

SO I CALLED HER
AND TOLD HER
THAT I WAS MUCH LOVED
BY MY WIFE
AND BY THE MEMBERS
OF THE CHURCH
TO WHICH I BELONGED.
AND MY MOTHER RESTED EASY.
HER SON WAS SAFE.

MY HEART SAYS,
JESUS SAW HIS MOTHER
TO TELL HER HE WAS WELL.

SECOND MY HEART TELLS ME
WHAT JESUS SAID TO PETER
WHEN THEY FIRST MET
AFTER THE RESURRECTION.

IN MY HEART THE CONVERSATION
GOES LIKE THIS.

FORGIVE ME LORD.
PETER, FEED MY LAMBS.

I AM TRULY SORRY LORD.
PETER, FEED MY SHEEP.

HOW CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME LORD.
PETER I LOVE YOU.

I HAVE SHARED WITH YOU THOUGHTS
ABOUT WHICH I KNOW NOTHING.

I DO NOT KNOW WHEN JESUS MET HIS MOTHER,
OR WHAT JESUS SAID TO PETER.

BUT THIS I DO KNOW.
THAT THERE ARE THREE THINGS
OF WHICH I AM SURE OF.
THEY ARE.

THAT JESUS LOVED HIS MOTHER.

THAT JESUS LOVED PETER,
BEFORE,
DURING
AND EVER AFTER
HIS BETRAYAL.

AND THAT JESUS LOVES US,
NO MATTER WHAT SHAPE
OUR JOURNEY
HAS TAKEN
TO THIS MOMENT.

NO MATTER WHAT SHAPE
OUR JOURNEY
WILL TAKE
AS WE GO ON.

JESUS HAS,
DOES
AND ALWAYS WILL
LOVE US.

FINALLY
I WOULD LIKE
TO SHARE WITH YOU
SOME THOUGHTS
ABOUT THOMAS.

POOR THOMAS,
NO MATTER
HOW LONG HE WOULD LIVE
OR
HOW MUCH
HE WOULD ACCOMPLISH
HE WOULD BE KNOWN
AS DOUBTING THOMAS.

MY HEART SAYS
I WOULD HAVE LIKED
TO HAVE BEEN
LIKE MARY MAGDALENE
WHO LOVED JESUS WITHOUT QUESTION,
WHO RAN FROM THE TOMB
WITH SUCH EXCITEMENT
THE APOSTLES THOUGHT HER HYSTERICAL.
I WOULD HAVE
LIKED TO HAVE BEEN
LIKE MARY.

BUT MY ENGINEERS HEAD
SAYS I WOULD HAVE BEEN
LIKE THOMAS.

MY HEAD SAYS,
IT MUST BE PROVEN IN THE LAB,
IN THE WIND TUNNEL,
BY TEST FLYING THE AIRPLANE.

IT IS THE WAY OF MEN TO MEASURE.
THE BOOKKEEPER ADDS HIS NUMBERS,
THE SHOPPER FIGURES COST,
THE STOREKEEPER ADDS PROFIT,
THE LAWYER ASSESSES LOSS,
THE MOTHER COUNTS THE MEALS,
THE TRAVELER WONDERS HOW FAR.

WE MEASURE THINGS AS MEN.
EVEN ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL POEMS
IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
SPEAKS OF LOVE THIS WAY.

HOW DO I LOVE THEE?
LET ME COUNT THE WAYS.
I LOVE THEE TO THE DEPTH
AND BREADTH
AND HEIGHT
MY SOUL CAN REACH
WHEN FEELING OUT OF SIGHT
FOR THE ENDS OF BEING
AND IDEAL GRACE.

MEN MEASURE.
PERHAPS
IT'S BECAUSE,
BY SIN,
DEATH
CAME INTO THE WORLD.
AND THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE
ARE LIMITED.

SO WE MEASURE
EVERYTHING
AGAINST THE FINAL
NIGHTFALL.

I WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE THOMAS.

AND JESUS SAYS,
THAT'S ALL RIGHT
I LIKE YOU,
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.
I WOULD HAVE YOU BETTER,
BUT I LOVE YOU,
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.

I WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE THOMAS,
I WOULD HAVE LIKED
TO HAVE BEEN
LIKE MARY MAGDALENE
WHO LOVED JESUS PASSIONATELY,
WITHOUT QUESTIONS.

BUT LISTEN, TO WHAT HE SAYS TO HER,
IN HIS HASTE, TO BE WITH US.
HE SAYS TO HER
DO NOT CLING TO ME,
BUT GO TELL MY DISCIPLES,
I AM COMING".

HE WAS EAGER
TO BE WITH THE ONES
WHO NEEDED HIS LOVE,
THE EMPTY,
BROKEN,
HURTING PEOPLE.
MARY KNEW SHE WAS LOVED,
THE OTHERS STILL WERE IN DARKNESS.
HE HAD TO BE WITH THEM.

WITH PETER WHO BETRAYED HIM
WITH THOMAS WHO DOUBTED HIM
WITH ALL THOSE WHO HAD RUN AWAY.

GOD ALWAYS SEEMS TO PICK
BROKEN PEOPLE FOR HIS WORK.

HE PICKED MOSES WHO STUTTERED
DAVID AN ADULTERER AND MURDERER
JACOB WHO STOLE AND CHEATED
NOAH WHO DRANK AND GOT DRUNK

GOD'S ALMOST PEOPLE.

HE SAYS,
WITH YOU I WANT TO BE.
MY ALMOST PEOPLE.

WHY GOD,
WOULD YOU WANT TO BE WITH US.
WE ARE BETRAYERS,
DOUBTERS,
IMPERFECT,
ALMOST PEOPLE.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO BE WITH US.

BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, HE SAYS.

IN THE LANGUAGE OF CHILDREN WE SAY,
HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE US GOD
SHOW US HOW MUCH YOU LOVE US.

IN THE LANGUAGE OF CHILDREN
HE REPLIES, THIS MUCH. (EXTEND ARMS)

ALL SAINTS

2009-05-08T03:17:00.000-07:00

ALL SAINTS

WHEN I WAS IN JAPAN
THERE WAS A WEEK LONG FESTIVAL IN AUGUST
CALLED OBON

WHICH IS A FESTIVAL FOR THE DEAD

DURING THAT TIME
THE JAPANESE BELIEVED THE DEAD CAME BACK
TO VISIT THEIR FAMILIES

THERE WERE PLACES SET AT THE TABLE FOR THEM.

EACH NIGHT THERE WERE BONFIRES LIT

AND EVERYONE WHO LIVED IN THE VILLAGE
DANCED AROUND THEM
BUT IT WAS A SPECIAL DANCE

BECAUSE THE STEPS RESEMBLED THE MOTIONS
PEOPLE MADE WHILE WORKING

SO THERE WERE MOTIONS FOR FISHING
OR DIGGING OR SEWING OR COOKING

THESE MOTIONS IMITATED THE LIVES OF THE DEAD
WHEN THEY WERE LIVING

I LEARNED THE DANCES.
AND MY JAPANESE FRIENDS AND I
WOULD DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

THEY WERE HAPPY THAT I WAS WITH THEM

BUT MORE ESPECIALLY THEY WERE HAPPY
THAT THEIR BELOVED DEAD WERE VISITING THEM

AT THE END OF OBON
CANDLES WERE PLACED ON TINY RAFTS
AND FLOATED OUT TO SEA

THEY WERE TO SHOW THE DEAD
BACK TO THEIR RESTING PLACE

IT WAS A TENDER BEAUTIFUL MOMENT

TO FEEL THEIR LOVE
FOR THEIR ANCESTORS

AND TO SEE THE THOUSANDS OF CANDLES
MAKING THE RIVER A GOLDEN PATH

ANY READER
OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
KNOWS THAT FESTIVALS OF THE DEAD
ARE COMMON TO ALL CULTURES.

MANY OF THE FESTIVALS ARE KIND AND GENTLE
AS IN JAPAN
THE DEAD ARE NOT FEARED.
IN OTHER CULTURES
THE DEAD ARE THE GHOSTS
THE GOBLINS THE WITCHES
THE THINGS TO BE FEARED IN THE NIGHT

IN EUROPE
AS THE PAGANS THAT LIVED THERE
WERE CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY
THEY BROUGHT WITH THEM
THIS FEAR OF THE DEAD

THE CHURCH TO COUNTERACT THIS FEAR
INITIATED THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS
FOR NO ONE WHO HAS DIED IN CHRIST
SHOULD BE FEARED

THERE ALSO EVOLVED
THE CONCEPT
OF THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS
WHICH IS PART OF THE CREED
WE SAY ON SUNDAYS
SIMPLY PUT
THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS MEANS
THAT ALL PEOPLE SAVED BY CHRIST'S BLOOD
BELONG TO ONE BODY.

THOSE WHO REST IN HIS BOSOM
AND THOSE OF US
WHO ARE STILL PILGRIMS ON THE WAY

THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
ARE ONE BODY
ONE COMMUNION,
ONE COMMUNITY

REMNANTS OF FEAR OF THE DEAD
LINGER IN THE COSTUMES WE WEAR
ON HALLOWEEN
GHOSTS GOBLINS SATAN

HALLOWEEN MEANS ALL HALLOW'S EVE
OR THE NIGHT BEFORE ALL HALLOWS DAY

HALLOWED AS IN THE LORDS PRAYER
MEANS BLESSED
.
SO ANOTHER NAME
FOR THIS FEAST DAY
WOULD BE
ALL THE BLESSED ONE'S DAY

AND WHO ARE THESE BLESSED ONES.
THEY ARE OUR PARENTS
GRANDPARENTS, FRIENDS, RELATIVES,
SPOUSES,
SOMETIMES SADLY OUR CHILDREN

THEY ARE RULERS OF THE WORLD
THEY ARE THE POOR.
THEY ARE THE BRIGHT
THEY ARE THE ILLITERATE.
THEY ARE THE BOLD
THE BASHFUL
THE SAINT OCCASIONALLY
BUT MOST OFTEN THE SINNER
BUT THEY ARE ALL JOINED NOW
AND HELD SAFELY IN GOD'S HAND

THEY ARE YOU
AND I
WHEN OUR PILGRIMAGE ENDS

BUT BEFORE OUR PILGRIMAGE ENDS
WE MUST LIVE OUR LIFE.
WALK THE ROAD BEFORE US
IN SUNNY OR RAINY WEATHER,
ON FLAT GROUND OR UP A MOUNTAIN
OR EVEN DOWN INTO A DEEP VALLEY.

HOPEFULLY WE WILL WALK WITH FRIENDS
OR LOVED ONES

BUT EVEN WHEN WE WALK ALONE
THERE WILL BE TWO SETS OF FOOTPRINTS
BECAUSE JESUS IS WALKING THE ROAD WITH US,

AND JESUS GAVE US A CODE OF CONDUCT
FOR THAT ROAD
THEY ARE CALLED THE BEATITUDES.

AND THEY ARE

HOW HAPPY ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT
THE POOR IN SPIRIT
THOSE WHO DO NOT CRAVE
MONEY
POSSESSIONS
POWER
BUT USE
WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN THEM
GENEROUSLY

JESUS SAYS
HAPPY ARE THE POOR IN SPIRIT,
THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

HAPPY THE GENTLE
THEY SHALL HAVE THE EARTH
FOR THEIR HERITAGE

HAPPY
THOSE WHO MOURN
THEY SHALL BE COMFORTED

HAPPY THOSE WHO HUNGER
AND THIRST FOR WHAT IS RIGHT
THEY SHALL BE SATISFIED

HAPPY THE MERCIFUL
THEY SHALL HAVE MERCY SHOWN THEM

HAPPY THE PURE IN HEART
THEY SHALL SEE GOD

HAPPY THE PEACEMAKERS
THEY SHALL BE CALLED
CHILDREN OF GOD

HAPPY THOSE WHO ARE PERSECUTED
IN THE CAUSE OF RIGHT
THEIRS IS THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN

IN THIS SEASON
THE SEASON OF AUTUMN
AS THE DAYS GROW SHORTER
AS THE COLORS OF THE TREES
GO FROM GOLD TO BROWN TO BARE
AND THE WIND HAS A BITE TO IT
THAT GOES THROUGH US,
WE ARE REMINDED
OF THE FINALITY OF OUR LIVES

IN THIS SEASON
THE SEASON OF AUTUMN
WE ARE ALSO ASKED
TO REMEMBER OUR DEAD

IN THE TV. SHOW "ARCHIE BUNKER"
AFTER EDITH HIS WIFE DIED,
AFTER THE FUNERAL
ARCHIE SPIES HER SLIPPER
UNDER THEIR BED AND HE CRIES
I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

.
WE ARE GIVEN THAT OPPORTUNITY THIS DAY
TO DO THAT
TO SAY WE ARE GRATEFUL
FOR THE LOVE THEY GAVE US
FOR THE EXAMPLE THEY GAVE US
FOR THE LAUGHTER AND THE TEARS
THEY GAVE US.

NOT THAT THEY NEED TO HEAR IT.
THERE IS NO PAIN WHERE THEY ARE.
BUT WE
NEED TO SAY IT.

THANK YOU
FOR ALL YOU MEANT TO ME.
THANK YOU
FOR ALL YOU MEAN TO ME.
MAY I BE WORTHY OF YOUR LOVE.

AND IF THERE SHOULD BE SOMEONE
WITH WHOM
THERE WERE ANGRY WORDS
NEVER CALLED BACK
NOW IS THE TIME
FOR FORGIVENESS
AGAIN NOT THAT THE DEAD NEED IT
BUT WE NEED IT.

WE NEED TO SEND FORGIVENESS
IT WILL GO FROM US
LIKE A CANDLE
ON A RIVER
MAKING THE RIVER GOLD.

FINALLY
THERE IS IN MOST OF OUR LIVES
THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DIED
HAVING LIVED A LIFE
THAT WE FEEL
COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER
AND THAT THOUGHT
LIES UNEASY
ON OUR HEARTS

LET US REMEMBER
THAT GOD'S LOVE AND MERCY
IS FAR GREATER
THAN OUR ABILITY
TO COMPREHEND IT

ON THIS AUTUMN DAY
CLOSE TO WINTER
MAY GOD'S LOVE
KEEP US WARM.

AMEN

FRANK A VOLLMER

ADVENT SERVICE - FITST WEEK

2009-05-08T03:15:00.000-07:00

ADVENT SERVICE - FIRST WEEK

ISAIAH 9

THE PEOPLE THAT WALKED IN DARKNESS
HAVE SEEN A GREAT LIGHT
ON THOSE WHO DWELL IN A LAND OF DEEP SHADOW
A LIGHT HAS SHONE

LET US MEDITATE A MINUTE
ON ADAM'S FIRST NIGHT
OUTSIDE THE GARDEN

THEY TELL OF ADAM:
HOW FRIGHTENED
HE MUST HAVE BEEN
WHEN,
FOR THE FIRST TIME,
HE SAW THE SUN DISAPPEAR,
ENDING THE LIGHT OF DAY.

IT WAS ADAM'S FIRST DARKNESS

HOW COULD HE ACCEPT THE NIGHT,
WHEN HE HAD NEVER SEEN A DAWN?

AFTER THE SPLENDOR OF THE SUN,
HOW DARK THE DARKNESS
WAS FOR HIM

HOW DESPERATE
THE LONG TERROR
OF THE FIRST FALL OF NIGHT...

UNTIL ADAM LEARNED
THAT DAWN WOULD COME AGAIN
COULD SEE THAT THERE IS LIGHT
AND ORDER
IN THE UNIVERSE

AND THEN ADAM BEGAN TO SEE
HOW MUCH LIGHT REMAINS
IN THE SKY AT NIGHT:

THE STARS
AND THEIR ENDURING PROMISE OF THE SUN,

THE RETURNING STAR OF DAY

ADAM LEARNED
THAT THE NIGHT IS NEVER WHOLLY DARK,
AND THAT NO NIGHT IS ENDLESS.

EVEN AS EACH OF US MUST LEARN IT,
IN OUR OWN TIMES
OF TROUBLE
AND DARKNESS

THE LIGHT IS NEVER FAR

WE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DWELT IN DARKNESS
WE ARE THOSE WHO HAVE LOST OUR INNOCENCE
WE ARE THOSE WHO DWELL OUTSIDE THE GARDEN
WHO LIVE IN A LAND OF SHADOWS

AND YET
WE
ARE THE INHERITORS
OF THAT GREAT PROMISE

I WILL RESTORE THE SUN TO YOUR DARKENED LIVES
AND HIS NAME SHALL BE CALLED EMMANUEL.

ADVENT SERVICE - SECOND WEEK

PETER 2

BUT YOU ARE A CHOSEN PEOPLE
A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
A CONSECRATED NATION
A PEOPLE SET APART

SET APART TO SING THE PRAISES OF A GOD
WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS
INTO HIS WONDERFUL LIGHT

ONCE YOU WERE NOT A PEOPLE
NOW YOU ARE PEOPLE OF GOD
ONCE YOU WERE OUTSIDE THE MERCY
NOW YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN MERCY

WE ARE THE ONES FORCED FROM THE GARDEN
BECAUSE WE HAD REJECTED GOD
CHOOSING OURSELVES INSTEAD

WE HAVE BEEN DIGNIFIED
FAR BEYOND OUR WORTH

BY GOD'S LOVE HAVE WE BEEN RAISED UP
AND FORGIVEN
BY GOD'S LOVE
WE HAVE BEEN BROUGHT IN FROM THE DARKNESS
AND MADE TO DWELL IN LIGHT

BY GOD'S LOVE WE HAVE BEEN REBORN
AND AS REBORN CHILDREN
WE SHOULD FACE THE RISING SUN

FOR OUT OF THE EAST
LIKE THE SUN HE WILL COME
BRIGHT AS AN ARMY READY FOR BATTLE

STRONG BE HIS VOICE
FOR HIS VOICE WILL BE HEARD
HIGH O'ER THE SEA
AND THE SOUND OF ITS' THUNDER

NOW COMES THE WARRIOR
FOR AGES FORETOLD
TO BATTLE THE GODS
TO BRING MAN THE FIRE
TO DIE IN THE BATTLE
TO RETURN FROM THE SHADE
TO BUILD A NEW CITY

TO BUILD A NEW CITY
A RACE SET APART

AND WE BE THAT PEOPLE
THE WARRIOR'S CHILDREN
THE CHOSEN
THE HOLY
THE RACE SET APART

STRONG BE OUR VOICE
TO TELL OF HIS GLORY
TO TELL OF THE WONDERFUL THINGS HE WILL DO

PEOPLE LOOK EAST
AND BOW YOUR HEADS
FOR THE LORD HE WILL COME
AND HIS VOICE IS LIKE THUNDER

PEOPLE LOOK EAST
AND BOW YOUR HEAD
FOR THE LORD HE HAS PROMISED
AND THE LORD HE HAS COME

AND THE PEOPLE WHO DWELT IN DARKNESS
NOW SHINE AS A LIGHT UPON THE MOUNTAIN

NINETEENTH

2009-05-08T03:01:00.000-07:00

NINETEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

WHAT A WONDERFUL STORY TELLER JESUS IS
IN ONE SHORT PARAGRAPH
HE HAS CALLED TO MIND
SEVERAL LIFE SITUATIONS
THAT WERE IMPORTANT TO HIS LISTENERS
THAT WERE IMPORTANT TO THE LIVES
OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE IN THE FIRST CENTURY
THAT ARE IMPORTANT
IN DIFFERENT WAYS
TO THE PEOPLE OF THE TWENTY –FIRST CENTURY

THE ELEMENTS OF HIS STORY ARE
THAT THERE WERE TEN LEPERS
THAT ONE WAS A SAMARITAN
AND THAT THERE WAS
A LACK OF GRATITUDE SHOWN

FIRST HE MENTIONS LEPERS
WHO IN THE FIRST CENTURY
WERE TREATED
AS IF THEY WERE ALREADY DEAD

THE STORY SAYS
THAT THEY KEPT THEIR DISTANCE
BECAUSE A LEPER COULD NOT APPROACH
A HEALTH PERSON CLOSER THAN FIFTY FEET

SO FROM A DISTANCE OF FIFTY FEET OR MORE
THE TEN LEPERS
LIVING IN A COMMUNITY OF FELLOW LEPERS
ISOLATED FROM NORMAL SOCIETY
DISFIGURED HORRIBLY BY THEIR DISEASE
SEGREGATED FROM
SPOUSE
CHILDREN
FRIENDS

CALLED OUT FROM 50 FEET OR MORE
JESUS
MASTER
HAVE MERCY ON US

HE HEALS THEM
SENDING THEM TO THE PRIEST
WHO ALONE HAD THE AUTHORITY
TO ALLOW THEM TO RE-JOIN
NORMAL JEWISH SOCIETY
TO ONCE MORE
LIVE WITH SPOUSE
CHILDREN
FRIENDS

WHILE THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY
CERTAINLY REJOICING
ONE LOOKED AT HIS HEALED BODY
AND FILLED WITH GRATITUDE
HURRIED BACK TO JESUS TO THANK HIM

THEN JESUS MAKES MENTION
THAT THE ONE RETURNING
WAS A SAMARITAN
THAT HE WAS A SAMARITAN
A RACE OF PEOPLE THE JEWS HATED

THIS WAS A RECURRING THEME WITH JESUS
TO MAKE THE HERO OF HIS STORY
A SAMARITAN
OR SOME OTHER KIND OF PERSON
THAT THE JEWS HATED

HE WANTED TO IMPRESS UPON HIS AUDIENCE
AND UPON US

THAT IN GOD’S HOUSE
THERE IS NO RACIAL HATRED
OR ANY OTHER KIND OF HATRED
EXCEPT HATRED OF SIN
THAT WE ARE ALL GOD’S CHILDREN
IN ONE UNITED
FAMILY

THEN JESUS MAKES MENTION
OF SOMETHING
THAT TOUCHES US ALL

THAT TOUCHES ALL OF US
WHO TAKE THE MIRACLE
OF BEING HEALED
AND GO OFF
FORGETTING ABOUT JESUS
AND HIS GIFT OF HEALING

WE FORGET
THAT WE WERE ALL LEPERS
MARRED BY SIN
THAT WE ARE ALL LEPERS
HEALED BY JESUS
HEALED BY HIS SACRIFICE
ON THE CROSS

AND WE COME BACK TO HIM
ONLY WHEN WE ARE IN PAIN
WHEN WE ARE RE-INFECTED

AS WE ARE NOW
WITH THE EVENTS
OF SEPTEMBER ELEVENTH
AND WE CRY
AS WE SO OFTEN CRY

JESUS
MASTER
HAVE MERCY ON US

AND HE WILL
JESUS KEEPS HIS PROMISES

HOW LONG JESUS WAITED ON THE OTHER NINE
WE DO NOT KNOW

BUT LOOKING DOWN THE CENTURIES
HE SEES US
AND HE CRIES OUT
WILL YOU BE GRATEFUL
FOR ALL I HAVE DONE FOR YOU
HE CRIES OUT
WILL YOU BE GRATEFUL
WILL YOU COME BACK TO ME
WILL YOU COME BACK TO ME
REJOICING IN YOUR HEALING

SO I ASK YOU………………….
WILL YOU BE GRATEFUL
FOR ALL GOD HAS DONE FOR YOU

(RESPONSE)
I WILL AND I ASK GOD TO HELP ME

SEVENTEENTH PENTECOST

2009-05-08T02:57:00.000-07:00

September 15, 2002 -- SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 19) Genesis 50:15-21Psalm 103:[1-7] 8-13The LORD is full of compassion and mercy. (Ps. 103:8)Romans 14:1-12Matthew 18:21-35Color: Green

WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR
WITH THE QUOTATION
FROM THE BOOK OF PROVERBS
THAT READS
THE FEAR OF THE LORD
IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM.
IF YOU'RE AS OLD AS I AM
YOU'VE HEARD THIS PROVERB THUNDERED
FROM THE PULPIT,
REPEATED BY YOUR PARENTS
AND TAUGHT BY YOUR TEACHERS.

FEAR OF THE LORD
IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM.
WISDOM WASN'T STRESSEDBUT FEAR CERTAINLY WAS.
SO THAT GOD CAME TO BE FOR MOST OF USA KIND OF A CELESTIAL SCOREKEEPER.WHO COUNTED ALL OUR FAULTSAND COULDN'T WAIT TO PUNISH US.
IF SOMETHING BAD HAPPENED TO US
IT WAS THE RESULT OF OUR SINS.
ACCIDENTS WERE BLAMED ON GOD,
NATURAL CATASTROPHES
WERE BLAMED ON GOD.
THAT WAS IN MY YOUTH
BUT NOTHING MUCH HAS CHANGED.
INSTINCTIVELY IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG
WE FEEL THAT GOD IS PUNISHING US
FOR SOME FAULT REAL OR IMAGINED.
WHAT A HATEFUL GOD
HOW COULD ANYONE LOVE HIM.
HOW COULD WE EVER COME TO CONCEIVE
THAT THE GOD WHO CALLS HIMSELF LOVE
COULD ACT IN SUCH AN UNLOVING WAY.

IS GOD TELLING US A LIE
IS HE PLAYING GAMES WITH US
I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT OUR GOD
IS THAT SMALL
HERE ARE MY REASONS.
FIRST
THE EXPRESSION
FEAR OF THE LORD
IN HEBREW THOUGHTMEANT THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION.SO PROVERBS WOULD BETTER TRANSLATEFOR TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICANSAS THE PRACTICE OF RELIGIONIS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM.

AND WHAT IS THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION
IN GODS OWN WORDS
IT IS THE LOVING OF GOD
WITH ALL YOUR HEART
ALL YOUR MIND
ALL YOUR SOUL
AND THE LOVING OF YOUR NEIGHBOR
AS YOUR SELF.
THIS IS THE WHOLE LAW
BUT WE ARE CREATURES OF THE DUST
AND WHEN WE FAIL
WHEN WE BREAK GOD'S LAW
WHAT THEN.
ARE WE NOT GUILTY
AND WORTHY OF PUNISHMENT
YES THIS IS MOST CERTAINLY TRUE
WE WOULD BE WORTH OF PUNISHMENT
IF WE HAD NOT BEEN REDEEMED
BY JESUS' DEATH,
IT IS JESUS' DEATH
AND RESURRECTION
THAT SEPARATES CHRISTIANITY
FROM ALL OTHER RELIGIONS
BY HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION
WE ARE SAVED
WE ARE FORGIVEN.
DOES IT MAKE SENSE

NOT BY OUR HUMAN EXPERIENCE
WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US
WE WANT REVENGE
WHEN WE HURT GOD
HE FORGIVES.
THE CLOSEST WE HUMANS COME
TO THAT KIND OF FORGIVING LOVE
IS MOTHER LOVE.
TOO BAD WE PICTURE GOD AS FATHER.
FATHERS TRADITIONALLY
ARE THE LAWGIVERS
MOTHERS ARE THE FORGIVERS.
GOD AS A FORGIVING MOTHER
IS MUCH MORE UNDERSTANDABLE.
IN THE LESSONS TODAYGOD CALLS USTO BE A FORGIVINGLOVING PEOPLE.

FORGIVE HE SAYS
AS I HAVE FIRST FORGIVEN YOU
LOVE HE SAYS
AS I HAVE FIRST LOVED YOU
WE HAVE TROUBLEUNDERSTANDINGTHIS KIND OF LOVE.

IF YOU WERE A PSYCHIATRISTAND GOD WAS YOUR PATIENT.YOU'D TELL HIM
HE HAD TO STOP LETTING PEOPLEWALK ALL OVER HIM.
HIS LOVING AND FORGIVINGARE NOT NORMAL.
YET WE ARE ASKEDRATHER WE ARE TOLDRATHER WE ARE COMMANDEDTO FOLLOW HIS EXAMPLE
IN GENESIS
HE CALLS FOR US
TO FORGIVE FAMILY SQUABBLES.
MANY OF US KNOW HOW PAINFULAND HARD THAT CAN BE.GOD SAYS FORGIVE.
IN ROMANS
GOD SAYS
THAT DIFFERENCES
SHOULDN'T KEEP US APART
THAT MATTERS OF DIET
RELIGION
TASTE
POLITICS.
WHATEVER
SHOULD NOT CAUSE DISSENSION
BECAUSE WE ARE ALL HIS CHILDREN.
GOD LOVES ALL OF US
GOD SAYS TOLERATE THE DIFFERENCES
IN MATTHEWHE PUTS US TO THE CHALLENGE.
THE CHALLENGE IS THISIF I GOD HAVE FORGIVEN YOUWHY CANT YOU FORGIVE OTHERS.GOD SAYS FORGIVEAS I HAVE FIRST FORGIVEN YOU

BUT HOW MUCHDOES GOD LOVE USAND HOW MUCHDOES HE FORGIVE US
PSALM 103 SAYS
AS HIGH AS THE HEAVENS
ARE ABOVE THE EARTH
SO GREAT IS GOD'S LOVE FOR US
AND AS FAR AS THE EAST
IS FROM THE WEST
IS HOW FAR GOD
HAS REMOVED OUR SINS FROM US.
DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A GODTHAT KEEPS SCORE DOES IT
WE ARE TRULY FORGIVEN.WE ARE ASKED TO FORGIVE OTHERS.
I WOULD LIKE
TO PLAY A GAME WITH YOU
A GAME OF LET'S PRETEND
LET'S PRETEND
THAT YOU ARE HOLDING
AN INVISIBLE PENCIL
AND AN INVISIBLE PIECE OF PAPER.
WRITE ON THAT PIECE OF PAPER
ANY SIN IN YOUR LIFE
THAT YOU THINK
GOD HAS NOT FORGIVEN
AND FORGOTTEN.

OR WRITE ON THE PAPERANY LIFE SITUATIONANY WRONG DONE TO YOUTHAT YOU FINDHARD TO FORGIVE.
IF YOU'RE LIKE ME
YOU'LL HAVE SOME OF EACH.
WRITE THEM DOWN.
I'LL PASS THE COLLECTION BASKET
YOU PUT THEM IN.
FOLD THEM IF YOU WANT TO.
SO NOBODY CAN SEE

I AM GOING TO THROW THEM
OUT THE DOOR.
BY THE WORDS OF THE SCRIPTURE
I DECLARE
THEY ARE GONE
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.
THEY ARE GONE
LET THEM GO
AND LET US TRY AGAIN
AND IF WE FAIL TRY AGAIN
AND AGAIN
AND AGAIN
TILL WE HAVE TRIED
SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN TIMES

LET US TRY TO ACT
AS A LOVING
FORGIVING
PEOPLE.

AMEN

THIRTEENTH PENTECOST

2009-05-08T02:56:00.000-07:00

TELL NO ONE

IMAGINE IF YOU WILL
THAT YOU ARE ATTENDING A PLAY
A DRAMA
A GREEK TRAGEDY
IN WHICH THE HERO GOES ABOUT
DOING GOOD DEEDS
AND AFTER EACH DEED
HE TELLS THE RECIPIENT
NOT TO TELL ANYONE
IT BECAME IN THE PLAY LIKE A CHANT

DO NOT TELL
DO NOT TELL
THE GOOD DEED DONE
DO NOT TELL

HIS DOING OF GOOD
AROUSED THE ANGER
OF THE LEADERS
WHOSE POOR EXAMPLE
AND BEHAVIOR
WERE SHOWN UP
BY THE HERO'S CONDUCT
SO THEY LABORED TO SILENCE HIM
WHEN THAT DIDN'T WORK
THEY KILLED HIM

WHEN THE PLAY CONTINUES
THE FRIENDS OF THE HERO'S MOTHER
COME TO TEND THE BODY
THEY FOUND THE GRAVE CHAMBER EMPTY
AGHAST
THEY RUN OFF STAGE
LEAVING IT EMPTY
GRADUALLY THE LIGHT FADES TO DARK
WHILE THE NARRATOR SPEAKS
SAYING
SO THEY RAN FROM THE TOMB
DISTRESSED AND TERRIFIED
THEY SAID NOTHING TO ANYONE
BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID

DO NOT TELL
DO NOT TELL
THE GOOD DEED DONE
DO NOT TELL

IN THE GOSPEL OF MARK
JESUS SAYS ELEVEN TIMES
IN VARIOUS FORMS

DO NOT TELL
DO NOT TELL
THE GOOD DEED DONE
DO NOT TELL

AND THE LAST LINES OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK ARE
SO THEY RAN FROM THE TOMB
DISTRESSED AND TERRIFIED
THEY SAID NOTHING TO ANYONE
BECAUSE THEY WERE AFRAID

A TRAGEDY OF HEROIC PROPORTIONS
THE DOER OF GOOD
OVERCOME BY EVIL
AND THE CURTAIN FALLS
ON THE WOMEN
WEEPING AND MOANING
AND MUCH AFRAID

IN OUR MIND'S EYE
WE SEE THE WOMEN
HURRYING THROUGH THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM
HURRYING TO THE COMFORT OF THEIR FRIENDS
AND WE WANT TO CRY ACROSS THE CHASM OF TIME
HE LIVES
HIS GREAT DEEDS HAVE BEEN TOLD
AND ARE BEING TOLD
BUT THEY MUST LIVE OUT THEIR TIME
THEY WILL EVENTUALLY KNOW
AND KNOWING THEY WILL TEACH US

BUT WE BEING MOVED BY THE DRAMA
HAVE THIS URGE TO TELL SOMEONE
AND THIS URGE IS WHAT JESUS INVITES
WHEN HE SAYS
GO
YOU ARE SENT
GO
INTO ALL THE WORLD
TELL THE PEOPLE
MY NAME
AND MY LIFE STORY

GO
TELL ALL THOSE PEOPLE
BEWAILING THE DEATH OF GOD
ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO WRESTLE WITH GOD
WHO FEEL THE LACK OF GOD
WHO KNOW THE LOSS OF GOD
THAT HE LIVES
THAT HE IS A KIND AND LOVING GOD
THAT HE WANTS ALL PEOPLE TO BE HIS FRIEND

WE MUST TELL THE WORLD
THAT EMPTY TOMB
IS NOT A SIGN OF DEFEAT
BUT A SIGN OF JOY
THAT THAT JOY SHOULD BE IN OUR LIVES
AND IN OUR BEHAVIOR
FOR WE ARE THE BIBLE
FOR THE SCRIPTURALLY ILLITERATE

THAT IS NOT TO SAY
THAT WE ARE PERFECT
FOR WE TOO WRESTLE WITH GOD
THIS IS NOT TO SAY
THAT THE WAY IS ALWAYS CLEAR

BUT WRESTLING WITH GOD IS NOT A SIN
BUT A TIME HONORED EVENT
AS THAT TIME WHEN A SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN
SAID TO JESUS

HEAL MY CHILD

HE SAID, BECAUSE SHE WAS A GENTILE AND A PAGAN
IT IS NOT RIGHT TO TAKE THE CHILDREN'S FOOD
AND THROW IT TO THE DOGS
SHE REBUFFED HIM SAYING
EVEN THE DOGS EAT THE CHILDREN'S CRUMBS

YOU CAN SEE HIM SMILING
HE'D BEEN BESTED IN AN ARGUMENT
AND HE REPLIED GENTLY
GO
YOUR CHILD IS HEALED

THE TOMB IS EMPTY
AND WE ARE IMPERFECT MESSENGERS
BUT WE ARE COMMISSIONED TO TELL THE STORY
EVEN THOUGH WE ARE AFRAID

ELEVENTH PENTECOST

2009-05-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (SERIES A)

I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN
BY SHARING SOME OBSERVATIONS WITH YOU
AND THEN ATTEMPT
TO TIE THOSE OBSERVATIONS
TO THE SCRIPTURES
WE HAVE JUST HEARD

IN BIBLICAL TIMES
WHEN ABRAHAM LIVED
WHEN MOSES LIVED
WHEN JESUS LIVED
THE GODS WERE THOUGHT TO DWELL
IN HIGH PLACES
THESE PLACES WERE CALLED
MT OLYMPUS OR HEAVEN
OR THE FIRMAMENT OR PARADISE
SO SHRINES WERE BUILT IN HIGH PLACES
TO WORSHIP THE GODS.

CONVERSELY
SOME OF THE GODS WERE THOUGHT
TO DWELL UNDERGROUND
IN THE WORLD OF THE DEAD
IN PLACES CALLED HELL OR HADES
OR THE UNDERWORLD

THE FIRST WORDS OF JESUS
TO SIMON PETER WERE
COME BE MY DISCIPLE
HIS LAST WORDS TO PETER WERE
COME FOLLOW ME.
EVERY STEP OF THE WAY
BETWEEN THOSE TWO CHALLENGES
PETER NEVER FAILED TO FOLLOW
EVEN THOUGH HE OFTEN STUMBLED.

IN CHAPTER 26 OF MATTHEW
WE SEE PETER
IN THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE
BRAVE ENOUGH
TO WIELD A SWORD
AND CUT OFF
THE EAR OF THE HIGH PRIEST'S SERVANT'
BUT IN THE SAME CHAPTER
PETER
STANDING IN THE HIGH PRIEST'S COURTYARD
WITHERS UNDER THE SCORNING GAZE
OF A SERVANT GIRL
WITHERS TO THE POINT
THAT HE SWEARS
THAT HE DOES NOT KNOW THE MAN

ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO
I WAS A WITNESS
TO A CONSTRUCTION ACCIDENT.

I HAD COME TO HELP MY FRIEND
AND HIS SON--IN-LAW
CONSTRUCT A GARAGE.

THE SON-IN-LAW
WAS INSTALLING A STEEL BEAM
ABOUT A THOUSAND POUNDS
AND DIDN'T WANT ANYONE AROUND
PREFERRING TO WORK ALONE
SO HE SENT HIS FATHER-IN-LAW
AND ME FOR SUPPLIES
WHEN WE CAME BACK
THE STEEL BEAM HAD FALLEN ON HIM
QUICKLY WE CALLED 911
AND THEN TRIED TO LIFT THE BEAM.
IT WAS TOO HEAVY
WE COULDN'T DO IT
SO WHILE WE WAITED FOR THE RESCUE SQUAD
I WENT AND HELD HIS HAND
AND SAID THE LORD'S PRAYER
OUT LOUD IN TO HIS EAR.
I CONTINUED HOLDING HIS HAND
AND PRAYING OUT LOUD
UNTIL THE RESCUE SQUAD CAME
WHEN THEY CAME
THEY PRONOUNCED HIM DEAD

THEN THEY ASKED ME TO LEAVE
AND AS I LEFT A GREAT NUMBNESS
AND QUIET AND EMPTINESS
DESCENDED UPON ME.
I SAID TO MY FRIEND
I FEEL NUMB.
HE SAID
SO DO I

AFTER THAT INCIDENT
I DISCUSSED THE EMPTY FEELING
WITH SEVERAL CLERGY FRIENDS OF MINE
THEY SAID IT WAS A COMMON FEELING
THAT THEY ALL HAD SHARED

LISTEN CLOSELY
AS I RE-READ
A PORTION
OF OUR FIRST READING

THE WORD OF THE LORD SAID TO ME
GO OUT
AND STAND ON THE MOUNTAIN
BEFORE THE LORD,
FOR THE LORD IS ABOUT TO PASS BY.

NOW THERE WAS A GREAT WIND,
SO STRONG THAT IT WAS SPLITTING MOUNTAINS
AND BREAKING ROCKS
IN PIECES BEFORE THE LORD,
BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE WIND;
AND AFTER THE WIND AN EARTHQUAKE,
BUT THE LORD WAS NOT IN THE EARTHQUAKE;
AND AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE
A FIRE,
BUT THE LORD WAS NOT
IN THE FIRE;
AND AFTER THE FIRE
A SOUND OF SHEER SILENCE

WHEN ELIJAH HEARD IT,
HE WRAPPED HIS FACE IN HIS MANTLE

THE SHEER SILENCE THAT ELIJAH HEARD
AND THE NUMBING QUIET THAT I HAD FELT
WERE BOTH THE SAME THING
IN BOTH GOD WAS SPEAKING TO MAN
IN A VOICE LOUDER THAN THE WIND
LOUDER THAN THE EARTHQUAKE
LOUDER THAN THE FIRE

IT WAS GOD'S VOICE
YELLING IN MY EAR
LEAN ON ME
LEARN OF ME
I AM ALL YOU NEED RIGHT NOW
AND MY SILENCE AND MY LOVE SURROUND YOU
LEAN ON ME
LEARN OF ME
YOU ARE MY BELOVED

BUT GOD
IS TOO CLOSE TO US
THAT WAY
SO WE LOOK FOR GOD
IN OTHER PLACES
HIGH AND LOW
WE WANT TO BLAME GOD
FOR THE DEATH
WE ENVISION A GOD
WHO PLAYS DICE WITH HIS CREATIONS
WE ENVISION A GOD
WHO IF HE WERE A REAL FATHER
WE WOULD HAVE HIM ARRESTED
FOR CHILD ABUSE
WE FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE IN A GOD
WHO LOVES US
WE WANT A GOD
WHO LOOKS,
ACTS
AND THINKS LIKE US.
WE FORGET
THAT WE ARE MADE IN HIS IMAGE
NOT HE IN OURS
SO WE LOOK PAST GOD TO TRY TO FIND GOD
WE ARE NOT THE KIND OF PEOPLE
THAT PAUL WRITES ABOUT IN ROMANS
COUNTERING THE BELIEF
THAT GOD DWELT EXCLUSIVELY
IN HEAVEN
OR IN THE UNDERWORLD
WHEN HE SAYS

PEOPLE WHO HAVE FAITH
WILL NEVER ASK, “
WHO WILL GO UP TO HEAVEN
TO BRING CHRIST DOWN?”
NEITHER WILL THEY ASK, “
WHO WILL GO DOWN
INTO THE WORLD OF THE DEAD
TO RAISE HIM TO LIFE?”
ALL WHO ARE ACCEPTABLE
BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH
SIMPLY SAY, “
THE MESSAGE IS AS NEAR AS YOUR MOUTH
OR YOUR HEART.
THE MESSAGE THAT GOD WALKS AMONG US
LAUGHS WITH US
CRIES WITH US
TRIES TO INSPIRE US
SO THAT THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
MIGHT BE BETTER

THIS PETER KNEW
SIMPLE IMPULSIVE PETER
WHO AT THE VOICE OF JESUS
LEAPED FROM THE BOAT
TO WALK ON WATER
WHO WALKED ON WATER
UNTIL HE THOUGHT
HE WAS DOING IT HIMSELF
THEN HE SANK
AND CRIED
LORD SAVE ME
BUT JESUS REACHED DOWN
AS HE DID SO MANY TIMES WITH PETER
AS HE DOES SO MANY TIMES WITH US
AND SAVES US

AND WHEN HE SAVES US
HE SAYS TO US
WHAT I HAVE DONE
YOU MUST DO
I GIVE YOU A WORLD TO SAVE.
TO MAKE BETTER
TO ROOT OUT EVIL

EARLY MAN DISCOVERED FIRE.
IT MADE LIFE BETTER FOR HIM
I GIVE YOU LOVE
AND I ASK YOU TO SHARE IT WITH ALL

BUT AS PAUL SAYS IN OUR READING
BUT HOW ARE THEY TO CALL ON ONE
IN WHOM THEY HAVE NOT BELIEVED?
AND HOW ARE THEY TO BELIEVE
IN ONE OF WHOM THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD?
AND HOW ARE THEY TO HEAR
WITHOUT SOMEONE TO PROCLAIM HIM? 15
AND HOW ARE THEY TO PROCLAIM HIM
UNLESS THEY ARE SENT?
AS IT IS WRITTEN, “
HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET
OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS!

BUT I SAY
HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET
OF THOSE
WHO DARE TO LEAP FROM THE BOAT
AND WALK ON WATER FOLLOWING JESUS

WE ARE CHALLENGED
TO REMEMBER
THAT GOD DOES NOT LIVE
REMOTELY IN THE SKY
OR UNDER THE EARTH
BUT HERE WITH US.
WE ARE CHALLENGED TO REMEMBER
THAT GOD SPEAKS TO US
IN THE SILENCE OF OUR HEARTS
AND WE NEED TO BE QUIET AND LISTEN
WHICH IS TO SAY THAT WE MUST PRAY

AND FINALLY WE ARE CHALLENGED
TO REMEMBER
THAT IF WE BRING LOVE
INTO THE WORLD
AND INTO OUR LIVES .
WE WILL ONCE MORE HAVE GIVEN MAN FIRE

AND WE ARE ASKED
TO BE WILLING
TO LEAP FROM THE BOAT IN FAITH
KNOWING GOD WILL SUSTAIN US
AND BRING US SAFELY HOME

EIGHTH PENTECOST

2009-05-07T19:16:00.000-07:00

EIGHT SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

READINGS

EXODUS 16;2-4,9-15
PSALM 78;23-29
EPHESIANS 4;1-16
JOHN 6;24-35

ONE CHRISTMAS
WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE YOUNG
TIME WERE TOUGH
MONEY WAS SCARCE
SO I TOOK A SECOND JOB
TO EARN ENOUGH MONEY
SO THAT THE CHILDREN
WOULD HAVE PRESENTS

CHRISTMAS CAME
AND OUR TRADITION WAS
THAT WE SAT IN A RING
AND EACH CHILD ONE AT A TIME
WOULD UNWRAP ONE PRESENT
WE WOULD KEEP GOING AROUND THE RING
UNTIL ALL THE PRESENTS WERE OPEN
WHEN WE WERE DONE
THERE WAS A MOUND OF GIFTS
IN FRONT OF EACH CHILD

IT WAS THEN THAT ONE OF MY CHILDREN
SAID TO ME
IS THIS ALL I GET DAD

I FELT HURT
I FELT ANGRY
I FELT SHAME
THAT I COULDN'T HAVE DONE BETTER
I FELT CRUSHED
BY WHAT I FELT
WAS MY CHILD'S INGRATITUDE

WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH INGRATITUDE

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN UNGRATEFUL TO US
IF WE ARE HONEST WITH OURSELVES
WE HAVE BEN UNGRATEFUL TO OTHERS
PARENT TO CHILD
CHILD TO PARENT
FRIEND TO FRIEND
MAN TO GOD

MAN TO GOD INGRATITUDE
IS THE TRADITIONAL WAY OF PREACHING
ON TODAY'S FIRST LESSON
FROM EXODUS

THE ISRAELITES HAD BEEN RELEASED
FROM SLAVERY IN EGYPT
PHARAOH'S ARMY
SENT TO RECAPTURE THEM
HAD BEEN DESTROYED
THEY HAD ESCAPED
TO THE WILDERNESS
OF SINAI
THEY HAD PASSED THROUGH A DIVIDED SEA
TO A BARREN LAND
AND THEY WERE HUNGRY

SO THEY COMPLAINED TO GOD
THROUGH MOSES AND AARON
WERE THERE NOT ENOUGH GRAVEYARDS IN EGYPT
THAT WE HAD TO COME OUT HERE TO DIE
IN EGYPT WE HAD MEAT
AND OUR FILL OF BREAD
DID YOU BRING US HERE TO DIE OF HUNGER
THIS THEY SAID TO GOD THE FATHER
THROUGH MOSES AND AARON
THEY SAID
IS THAT ALL THERE IS DAD
IS THAT ALL THERE IS FATHER

WE MIGHT EXPECT A GOD
TO REACT ANGRILY
TO SUCH INGRATITUDE

BUT GOD THE FATHER SAYS TO US
BECAUSE HIS LOVE FOR US
IS GREATER THAN OUR INGRATITUDE TO HIM
GOD THE FATHER SAYS

I HAVE HEARD YOUR COMPLAINING
AND THEREFORE
AT TWILIGHT
YOU SHALL EAT MEAT
AND IN THE MORNING
YOU SHALL HAVE YOUR FILL OF BREAD
SO IN THE EVENING OF THAT DAY
QUAIL CAME
WERE CAUGHT AND EATEN
AND IN THE MORNING
A SUBSTANCE LIKE CORNFLAKES
APPEARED ON THE BUSHES

WHEN THE ISRAELITES SAW IT
THEY ASKED
WHAT IS IT
IN HEBREW MANNA
AND MOSES REPLIED
IT IS THE BREAD
THAT THE LORD
HAS GIVEN YOU TO EAT

TO ME
THE MORAL OF THE STORY
IS NOT SO MUCH
THE ISRAELITES INGRATITUDE
BUT THAT GOD HEARD THEIR COMPLAINING
AND LISTENED
THAT IT DOESN'T MATTER
WHERE WE ARE IN GRATITUDE
OR INGRATITUDE TO GOD
NO MATTER WHERE WE ARE
HE IS LISTENING
AND ANSWERING OUR NEEDS

I DON'T WANT TO BE POLLYANNA
IN THAT STATEMENT
GOD'S LOVE FOR US
DOES NOT MEAN
THAT EVERY DAY WILL BE SUNNY
OR FREE OF PAIN
HE WILL NOT GIVE
THE ONE LEGGED MAN ANOTHER LEG
BUT HELP THE ONE LEGGED MAN TO LIVE
WITH HIS ONE LEGGEDNESS
FOR GOD ANSWERS OUR NEEDS
NOT OUR WANTS
AND SOMETIMES GOD WEEPS
WHEN EVIL OVERCOMES
HIS LOVE FOR US

WHEN WE
OR THE WORLD
SAY MANNA MANNA
WHAT IS THIS
WE WOULD RATHER LIVE WELL FED IN EGYPT
THAN HUNGRY IN THE DESERT
GIVE US BACK OUR SLAVERY
BECAUSE FREEDOM IS TOO HARD
BECAUSE EVEN
WHEN WE ARE GIVEN
EVERYTHING WE NEED
WE ARE LIKE ADAM IN THE GARDEN
WHO SAYS
IS THIS ALL I GET
AND THEN EATS THE FRUIT

AND IN AWFUL AWARENESS
SHOUTS OUT
MANNA MANNA
WHAT IS IT
AND KNOWS
THAT IT IS SIN

AND CRIES OUT
I HAVE LOST GOD
BECAUSE OF MY INGRATITUDE
BUT GOD HEARS US
IN OUR DEEPEST MOMENT
AND FEEDS US
AS HE DOES IN HOLY COMMUNION

WE CRY MANNA WHAT IS IT
AND GOD REPLIES
SIGNS AND PROOFS OF MY LOVE
FOR JESUS SAYS
I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE
IF YOU COME TO ME
YOU WILL NEVER BE HUNGRY
IF YOU BELIEVE IN ME
YOU WILL NEVER BE THIRSTY

WE CRY MANNA WHAT IS IT

AND JESUS SAYS
I HAVE COME LIKE WHEAT
THAT IS BROKEN AND GROUND DOWN
BY YOUR SINS
BY YOUR INGRATITUDE
AND I SAY
THAT I AM BREAD
AND I LIVE IN THAT BREAD
TAKE
EAT
AND REMEMBER ME

AND JESUS SAYS
I HAVE COME LIKE GRAPES
BROKEN AND CRUSHED
BY YOUR INGRATITUDE
AND I SAY
THAT I AM WINE
AND I LIVE IN THAT WINE
TAKE
DRINK
AND REMEMBER ME

AND THIS GIFT
AMONG ALL THE GIFTS THAT GOD GIVES US
IS THE GREATEST GIFT
THIS GIFT OF BREAD AND WINE
THIS GIFT OF BODY AND BLOOD
THIS GIFT OF GOD HIMSELF
LET US BE GRATEFUL
AND SAY AMEN
LET US SAY AMEN
AND THANK YOU

SEVENTH PENTECOST

2009-05-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

I WOULD LIKE TO START
BY SHARING A FEW STORIES WITH YOU
AND THEN TRY TO MAKE THEM RELEVANT
TO TODAY'S READINGS

IN ANCIENT ROME
AND IN OTHER CAPITAL CITIES
AROUND THE TIME THAT JESUS LIVED
WHEN A RULER WAS VICTORIOUS IN BATTLE
THEY WOULD RAISE A MONUMENT TO HIM.
ON IT THE RULER WAS OFTEN SHOWN
RIDING A MAGNIFICENT PRANCING HORSE.
BEHIND HIM WALKED HIS PRISONERS OF WAR,
ALWAYS CHAINED
SOMETIMES BY THE NECK.

THE POSE OF THE RULER WAS PROUD
AND ARROGANT,
THE POSE OF THE CAPTIVES
WAS ONE OF NO HOPE

WHEN I WAS COURTING MY WIFE BARBARA
I TOOK HER TO HER FIRST
THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE.
SHE WAS EXCITED AS A YOUNG CHILD
WHICH THOSE OF YOU
WHO KNOW HER
IS NO SURPRISE
YOU KNOW THAT SHE INTENSELY LOVES
AND LIVES LIFE.

THE PARADE HAD ALL THE NORMAL THINGS
THE BANDS, THE FLOATS, THE CLOWNS
ALL OF WHICH SHE ENJOYED
WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM.

AT THE END OF THE PARADE
SANTA CLAUS CAME BY
ON A MAGNIFICENT FLOAT
WITH ELVES, REINDEERS AND SLEIGH.
SANTA WAVED TO THE CROWD FIRST ONE SIDE
THEN THE OTHER.
AS HE PASSED US

BARBARA
GRABBED MY ARM
IN A DEATH GRIP
YELLING OUT LOUD
HE LOOKED AT ME
HE LOOKED AT ME
HE LOOKED AT ME PERSONALLY.

WHEN I WAS STILL WORKING IN INDUSTRY
EVERY SATURDAY WE WORKED,
DONUTS WERE BROUGHT IN.
ONE FOR EACH.

DURING THOSE TIMES
WHEN I WAS ACTIVELY BATTLING
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE.
I WOULD GO UP TO THE DONUT
AT 8 O'CLOCK AND SAY
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT NINE O'CLOCK
THE DONUT CALLED TO ME
BECAUSE IT HAD MY NAME ON IT
AND I SAID TO IT
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT TEN
AND ELEVEN O'CLOCK
IT CALLED ME
AND I TOLD IT
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT TWELVE O'CLOCK
IT WAS PRACTICALLY CRYING,
IT WAS LONELY,
IT HAD MY NAME ON IT.
BUT I STRUGGLED AND RESISTED
AND SAID
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT ONE O'CLOCK,
THE TRUTH BE TOLD.
I ATE THE DONUT

LET US LOOK AT PAUL
IN OUR SECOND READING
FROM ROMANS
WHERE HE SAYS.
I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do
I do not do,
But what I hate to do
I do.
For I have the desire
To do what is good,
But I cannot carry it out.
For what I do
Is not the good
I want to do;
No,
The evil I do not want to do-
This I keep on doing.
For I see another law at work
In the members of my body,
Waging war against the law of my mind,
And making me a prisoner,
Of the law of sin,
At work within body.
What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?

NOW PAUL IS A GREAT THEOLOGIAN
BUT HE GETS COMPLICATED
AND I MUST CONFESS
HE OFTEN CURES ME OF INSOMNIA.

HE COULD COMPLICATE A ONE CAR FUNERAL

TO MY SIMPLE WAY OF THINKING
PAUL COULD HAVE SAID
I ATE THE DONUT
AND I WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD.

BASICALLY WHAT PAUL IS SAYING
IS THAT WE ARE ALL FLAWED INDIVIDUALS.
AND WHEN WE CRY OUT
WHO WILL RESCUE ME,
WE KNOWS THE ANSWER.
IT IS JESUS CHRIST

WHO IS THIS JESUS
THAT PAUL TRUSTS SO IMPLICITLY
LET US LOOK AT OUR GOSPEL MESSAGE
WHERE MATTHEW WRITES
THAT JESUS SAID TO THE CROWD
I COMPARE YOU
TO A GROUP OF CHILDREN SINGING SILLY SONGS

WE PLAYED THE FLUTE
YOU WOULD NOT DANCE,
WE WAILED
YOU WOULD NOT MOURN
IS THIS NOT A SONG
WE OFTEN SING TO JESUS
IF YOU WERE MORE
LIKE WE WANTED YOU TO BE
WE COULD FOLLOW YOU WITH EASE
BUT YOUR WAY
MEANS GIVING UP DONUTS
AND WE DON'T WANT TO

JOHN LIVED
LIKE A HERMIT IN THE DESERT
WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT

JESUS LIVED AN ORDINARY LIFE
AMONG SINNERS
WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT

AND SO WE SING OUR SILLY SONG IN A CIRCLE
UNTIL WE ARE DISTRACTED
BY THE SOUNDS OF A PARADE IN THE DISTANCE.
WE HEAR THE HURRAHS,
THE SINGING, THE JOYFUL SHOUTS
AND WE WAIT FOR THE PROUD RULER TO COME BY
FOLLOWED BY HIS SLAVES
BUT INSTEAD WE ARE GREETED
AS ZECHARIAH SAYS
BY THE SIGHT
OF A MAN RIDING A DONKEY
FOLLOWED BY LAUGHING SINGING CHILDREN
WE CRY STOP THE CHILDREN FROM SINGING
THIS IS NO VICTORIOUS RULER
THIS CARICATURE

WE DO NOT SEE A KING
ARROGANT AND SUPERIOR
RATHER WE FIND A PERSON GENTLE AND HUMBLE
RIDING ON A DONKEY
WHERE IS HIS WAR HORSE
WHERE IS THE MOUNT SUITABLE FOR A KING
WHO..WHO WOULD FOLLOW HIM
THIS POOR EXCUSE FOR A RULER
THIS FLAWED PICTURE OF A RULER
WHO..WHO WOULD FOLLOW HIM

BUT AS HE COMES PASSING BY
HE LOOKS EACH ONE OF US IN THE EYE
AND SAYS
COME, COME FOLLOW ME
DROP DROP YOUR CHAINS OF SLAVERY AND SIN
COME, COME FOLLOW ME
FOR MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT

COME, COME FOLLOW ME
WITH ME IS FORGIVENESS FOR YOUR SINS
WITH ME IS A SAVIOR WHO KNOWS
AND DELIGHTS IN YOUR HUMANNESS

COME, COME FOLLOW
LAY DOWN YOUR HEAVY BURDENS

COME, COME FOLLOW ME
AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
SHALL WE JOIN THE PARADE
SHALL WE SAY AMEN

SEVENTH EPIPHANY

2009-05-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

IMAGINE IF YOU WILL
THAT YOU ARE JESUS
STANDING ON TOP OF A HIGH MOUNTAIN
ON THE NORTH SIDE
OF THE SEA OF GALILEE..
YOU ARE LOOKING DOWN
AT THE SEA OF GALILEE.
THE MOUNTAIN IS IN GALILEE.

LOOKING SOUTH
YOU SEE THE KINGDOM OF JUDEA
AND THE CAPITAL
JERUSALEM.

LOOKING EAST YOU SEE PEREA.
LOOKING WEST YOU SEE SAMARIA.
AND YOU ARE SAD
BECAUSE THERE IS MUCH HATRED
IN THE LAND.

THE PROMISED LAND
HAS BEEN CONQUERED BY ROME
AND DIVIDED INTO THE FOUR PARTS
OF GALILEE, JUDEA, SAMARIA AND PEREA.

THE JEWS HATE THE ROMANS
WHO ARE EVERYWHERE
ACTING AS POLICEMEN.

THE JEWS HATE THE SAMARITANS
AND THE PEREANS
BECAUSE THEY WORSHIP GOD
IN A NON JEWISH MANNER.

WE HAVE IN THIS SEASON OF EPIPHANY
FOLLOWED JESUS
AS HE BEGINS HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY.
JESUS LOOKS DOWN AT THE LAKE
AND AS HE DOES
HE LOOKS BACK IN TIME
AND REMEMBERS THE EVENTS
THAT WE REMEMBERED
AS THE SUNDAYS OF EPIPHANY
CAME AND WENT

THE READINGS FOR THE YEAR 2001
EPIPHANY SEASON
COME MOSTLY FROM LUKE.
THE SEQUENCE OF READINGS THIS YEAR
HAVE VISITED THESE SCENES
FROM THE LIFE OF JESUS.

FIRST WE VISITED EPIPHANY,
THE VISIT OF THE THREE WISE MEN.
THEN THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
WHERE GOD THE FATHER
DECLARED THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON.
THEN THE WEDDING AT CANA
WHERE HE CHANGED WATER INTO WINE.
THEN HIS FIRST SERMON AT NAZARETH
AND HIS REJECTION BY HIS NEIGHBORS.
THEN WE HAD THE MIRACLE OF THE FISHES
WHERE THE APOSTLES CAUGHT SO MANY
THE BOAT BEGAN TO SINK.
AND LAST WEEK
JESUS CAME DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN
AND PREACHED THE SERMON ON THE PLAIN
ALSO CALLED THE BEATITUDES.

LAST WEEK JESUS LOOKED DOWN
AT THE DIVIDED KINGDOM
AND WAS SADDENED.
THIS WAS NOT HIS FATHER’S DREAM
FOR THIS LAND
THIS PROMISED LAND
AND ITS PEOPLE.

RELIGION HAD BECOME
AN OBSERVANCE OF LAWS AND RITUALS.
THE PRIESTS ARGUED
OVER SUCH THINGS AS
CAN A MAN WITH A WOODEN LEG
WALK ON THE SABBATH
BECAUSE THE WOODEN LEG
WAS A BURDEN
AND ONE COULD NOT
CARRY A BURDEN
ON THE SABBATH
BECAUSE CARRYING A BURDEN
WAS WORK.

THE PERFORMANCE OF RITUAL
IN THE TEMPLE WAS SUCH
THAT
ON ANY PASSOVER
OVER 250,000 LAMBS WERE SOLD
AND SLAIN IN ONE DAY
MAKING GOD’S HOUSE
MORE A SLAUGHTER FACTORY
THAN A HOUSE OF GOD.

THIS IS WHAT HIS FATHER’S RELIGION
HAD BECOME
AND HE IS SADDENED.
SO LAST WEEK
HE SLOWLY COMEDOWN THE MOUNTAIN
AND PREACHED THE BEATITUDES.

LUKE HAS A SENTENCE
AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE BEATITUDES
THAT SAYS
THERE WERE PEOPLE
FROM SIDON AND TYRE
IN THE CROWD.
HE DID THIS DELIBERATELY
BECAUSE THE JEWS ALSO HATED
THOSE FROM SIDON AND TYRE

SO JESUS LOOKED AT THE CROWD
THAT HAD SO MUCH HATE
AND PREACHED A SERMON ON FORGIVENESS.
A SERMON, WHICH SAYS
IF ANYONE HITS YOU,
TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.
EASY TO SAY DIFFICULT TO DO.

JESUS SAYS
FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES,
DO GOOD TO THOSE WHO HURT YOU.
WHEN EVERY PART OF YOUR BEING
SAYS MAKE A FIST
AND HURT YOUR ENEMY
JESUS SAYS LOVE THEM.
JESUS HAS GOT TO BE KIDDING HERE
RIGHT

BUT ULTIMATELY
JESUS IS RIGHT.
FOR WITHOUT FORGIVENESS
NATIONS WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,

NEIGHBORS WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,

FAMILIES WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING

HUSBAND AND WIVES
WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING,

BROTHERS AND SISTERS
YOUNG OR GROWN OLD
TILL NEAR DEATH
WILL FIGHT
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY THEY ARE FIGHTING.

WHEN WILL IT END.
AS THE SONG SAYS
LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH
AND LET IT BEGIN WITH ME.

WHAT I WOULD LIKE YOU TO DO
RIGHT NOW
AS A REACTION TO JESUS' SERMON
IS WRITE DOWN WITH YOUR FINGER
ON THE PALM OF YOUR HAND
THE NAME OF THAT PERSON
YOU FIND IT HARD TO FORGIVE.

THEN RUB YOUR HANDS TOGETHER
AND ERASE THEIR NAME.
THINKING AS YOU DO IT
THEY ARE FORGIVEN.
TRY IT

LET GO THOSE CHUNKS OF ICE
WHICH WE ALL CARRY
THOSE CHUNKS OF ICE OF HATRED
WHICH WE ALL CARRY
LONG PAST REMEMBERING
WHY WE ARE CARRYING THEM

HARD YOU SAY.
TOO HARD.
AND I AGREE.
BUT IT IS JESUS
NOT ME
WHOM IS SPEAKING
WHEN HE SAYS
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES,
DO GOOD TO THEM,
LEND ACCORDING TO THEIR NEED
EXPECTING NOTHING BACK.
BE MERCIFUL
AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS MERCIFUL.
STILL TOO HARD.

LET ME PAINT YOU A PICTURE.
THERE IS A MAN WHO IS DYING.
CONDEMNED TO DEATH
FOR A CRIME
HE DIDN’T COMMIT.

CONDEMNED TO DEATH
OUT OF JEALOUSY
AND FEAR OF LOSING POWER.

ALL HIS FRIENDS
HAVE DESERTED HIM
OUT OF FEAR.

ONE OF HIS FRIENDS
HAS SOLD HIM FOR A PRICE.
ONE OF HIS FRIENDS DENIED
HE EVER KNEW HIM.

HIS HEART
WHICH IS STRUGGLING
TO STAY ALIVE
IS STILL FILLED WITH LOVE
FOR ALL MANKIND.

AND HE IS GIVING THINGS AWAY.
HE WILL DIE POOR.

HIS CLOTHES ARE GONE.
HE HAS GIVEN HIS MOTHER
TO THE CARE OF HIS FRIEND JOHN.

NOW HE GIVES AWAY HIS ANGER.
STRUGGLING UPRIGHT ON THE NAILS
HE CRIES OUT
FATHER FORGIVE THEM
THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.

FORGIVE THE RULERS
OF TEMPLE AND STATE,
FORGIVE THE SOLDIERS
WHO WERE CRUEL TO ME,
FORGIVE THE CROWD
GATHERED LIKE VULTURES
TO SEE ME DIE,
FORGIVE THE THIEF WHO CURSED ME
FORGIVE ALL
WHO HAVE DESERTED ME,
LIED ABOUT ME,
SOLD ME FOR A PRICE

JESUS
LOOKING DOWN FROM HIS HIGH PLACE
ON THE CROSS
LOOKING DOWN THE YEARS
FORGIVING ALL WHO HAD EVER LIVED,
WHO WERE LIVING THEN
WHO WOULD LIVE IN THE FUTURE.

LOOKING DOWN FROM HIS HIGH PLACE
HE COMES TO THIS ROOM
AND CRIES OUT
FATHER FORGIVE FRANK
AND BARBARA,
JOE AND TOM,
ALICE AND JAN,
FATHER FORGIVE ALL
FROM EMANUEL IN WARWICK,
FATHER FORGIVE ALL
FROM FIRST LUTHERAN
IN BROCKTON,
FATHER FORGIVE ALL
FROM ST JOHN’S
IN PEABODY,

AND WE CRY IN RESPONSE
FATHER FORGIVE US
AND FORGIVE THE ONE
WE FIND IT HARD
TO FORGIVE
WE
AND THEY
KNOW NOT WHAT WE DO.

IN THE LIGHT OF OUR FORGIVENESS
CAN WE NOT TAKE
THE NAME OF THAT ONE PERSON
WE FIND IT HARD TO FORGIVE.
WRITE IT ON THE PALM OF OUR HAND.
RUB OUR HANDS TOGETHER
TO MAKE IT DISAPPEAR.

AND SAY TO THAT PERSON
THAT CHUNK OF ICE
THAT I HAVE CARRIED
WITH YOUR NAME ON IT
IS MELTED.
I FORGIVE YOU

AND JESUS SAYS
WELL DONE MY BROTHERS
AND SISTERS
WELL DONE

IN YOU
I AM WELL PLEASED.
MAY IT BE SO AMEN

Frank A Vollmer

SIXTH PENTECOST

2009-05-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

I WOULD LIKE TO START
BY SHARING A FEW STORIES WITH YOU
AND THEN TRY TO MAKE THEM RELEVANT
TO TODAY'S READINGS

IN ANCIENT ROME
AND IN OTHER CAPITAL CITIES
AROUND THE TIME THAT JESUS LIVED
WHEN A RULER WAS VICTORIOUS IN BATTLE
THEY WOULD RAISE A MONUMENT TO HIM.
ON IT THE RULER WAS OFTEN SHOWN
RIDING A MAGNIFICENT PRANCING HORSE.
BEHIND HIM WALKED HIS PRISONERS OF WAR,
ALWAYS CHAINED
SOMETIMES BY THE NECK.

THE POSE OF THE RULER WAS PROUD
AND ARROGANT,
THE POSE OF THE CAPTIVES
WAS ONE OF NO HOPE

WHEN I WAS COURTING MY WIFE BARBARA
I TOOK HER TO HER FIRST
THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE.
SHE WAS EXCITED AS A YOUNG CHILD
WHICH THOSE OF YOU
WHO KNOW HER
IS NO SURPRISE
YOU KNOW THAT SHE INTENSELY LOVES
AND LIVES LIFE.

THE PARADE HAD ALL THE NORMAL THINGS
THE BANDS, THE FLOATS, THE CLOWNS
ALL OF WHICH SHE ENJOYED
WITH GREAT ENTHUSIASM.

AT THE END OF THE PARADE
SANTA CLAUS CAME BY
ON A MAGNIFICENT FLOAT
WITH ELVES, REINDEERS AND SLEIGH.
SANTA WAVED TO THE CROWD FIRST ONE SIDE
THEN THE OTHER.
AS HE PASSED US

BARBARA
GRABBED MY ARM
IN A DEATH GRIP
YELLING OUT LOUD
HE LOOKED AT ME
HE LOOKED AT ME
HE LOOKED AT ME PERSONALLY.

WHEN I WAS STILL WORKING IN INDUSTRY
EVERY SATURDAY WE WORKED,
DONUTS WERE BROUGHT IN.
ONE FOR EACH.

DURING THOSE TIMES
WHEN I WAS ACTIVELY BATTLING
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE.
I WOULD GO UP TO THE DONUT
AT 8 O'CLOCK AND SAY
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT NINE O'CLOCK
THE DONUT CALLED TO ME
BECAUSE IT HAD MY NAME ON IT
AND I SAID TO IT
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT TEN
AND ELEVEN O'CLOCK
IT CALLED ME
AND I TOLD IT
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT TWELVE O'CLOCK
IT WAS PRACTICALLY CRYING,
IT WAS LONELY,
IT HAD MY NAME ON IT.
BUT I STRUGGLED AND RESISTED
AND SAID
I CANNOT,
WILL NOT,
SHOULD NOT
EAT YOU.

AT ONE O'CLOCK,
THE TRUTH BE TOLD.
I ATE THE DONUT

LET US LOOK AT PAUL
IN OUR SECOND READING
FROM ROMANS
WHERE HE SAYS.
I do not understand what I do.
For what I want to do
I do not do,
But what I hate to do
I do.
For I have the desire
To do what is good,
But I cannot carry it out.
For what I do
Is not the good
I want to do;
No,
The evil I do not want to do-
This I keep on doing.
For I see another law at work
In the members of my body,
Waging war against the law of my mind,
And making me a prisoner,
Of the law of sin,
At work within body.
What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death?

NOW PAUL IS A GREAT THEOLOGIAN
BUT HE GETS COMPLICATED
AND I MUST CONFESS
HE OFTEN CURES ME OF INSOMNIA.

HE COULD COMPLICATE A ONE CAR FUNERAL

TO MY SIMPLE WAY OF THINKING
PAUL COULD HAVE SAID
I ATE THE DONUT
AND I WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD.

BASICALLY WHAT PAUL IS SAYING
IS THAT WE ARE ALL FLAWED INDIVIDUALS.
AND WHEN WE CRY OUT
WHO WILL RESCUE ME,
WE KNOWS THE ANSWER.
IT IS JESUS CHRIST

WHO IS THIS JESUS
THAT PAUL TRUSTS SO IMPLICITLY
LET US LOOK AT OUR GOSPEL MESSAGE
WHERE MATTHEW WRITES
THAT JESUS SAID TO THE CROWD
I COMPARE YOU
TO A GROUP OF CHILDREN SINGING SILLY SONGS

WE PLAYED THE FLUTE
YOU WOULD NOT DANCE,
WE WAILED
YOU WOULD NOT MOURN
IS THIS NOT A SONG
WE OFTEN SING TO JESUS
IF YOU WERE MORE
LIKE WE WANTED YOU TO BE
WE COULD FOLLOW YOU WITH EASE
BUT YOUR WAY
MEANS GIVING UP DONUTS
AND WE DON'T WANT TO

JOHN LIVED
LIKE A HERMIT IN THE DESERT
WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT

JESUS LIVED AN ORDINARY LIFE
AMONG SINNERS
WE DIDN'T LIKE THAT

AND SO WE SING OUR SILLY SONG IN A CIRCLE
UNTIL WE ARE DISTRACTED
BY THE SOUNDS OF A PARADE IN THE DISTANCE.
WE HEAR THE HURRAHS,
THE SINGING, THE JOYFUL SHOUTS
AND WE WAIT FOR THE PROUD RULER TO COME BY
FOLLOWED BY HIS SLAVES
BUT INSTEAD WE ARE GREETED
AS ZECHARIAH SAYS
BY THE SIGHT
OF A MAN RIDING A DONKEY
FOLLOWED BY LAUGHING SINGING CHILDREN
WE CRY STOP THE CHILDREN FROM SINGING
THIS IS NO VICTORIOUS RULER
THIS CARICATURE

WE DO NOT SEE A KING
ARROGANT AND SUPERIOR
RATHER WE FIND A PERSON GENTLE AND HUMBLE
RIDING ON A DONKEY
WHERE IS HIS WAR HORSE
WHERE IS THE MOUNT SUITABLE FOR A KING
WHO..WHO WOULD FOLLOW HIM
THIS POOR EXCUSE FOR A RULER
THIS FLAWED PICTURE OF A RULER
WHO..WHO WOULD FOLLOW HIM

BUT AS HE COMES PASSING BY
HE LOOKS EACH ONE OF US IN THE EYE
AND SAYS
COME, COME FOLLOW ME
DROP DROP YOUR CHAINS OF SLAVERY AND SIN
COME, COME FOLLOW ME
FOR MY YOKE IS EASY AND MY BURDEN IS LIGHT

COME, COME FOLLOW ME
WITH ME IS FORGIVENESS FOR YOUR SINS
WITH ME IS A SAVIOR WHO KNOWS
AND DELIGHTS IN YOUR HUMANNESS

COME, COME FOLLOW
LAY DOWN YOUR HEAVY BURDENS

COME, COME FOLLOW ME
AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
SHALL WE JOIN THE PARADE
SHALL WE SAY AMEN

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

2009-05-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
ACTS 7; 55-60
PS 311-5,15-16
1 PETER 2; 2-10
JOHN 14; 1-14

THERE IS A CHILDHOOD POEM ABOUT CHRISTMAS
THAT SAYS

THERE WAS A KNIGHT OF BETHLEHEM
WHOSE WEALTH WAS TEARS AND SORROWS;
HIS MEN AT ARMS WERE LITTLE LAMBS,
HIS TRUMPETERS WERE SPARROWS

IN JOHN'S GOSPEL
THE FIRST TWELVE CHAPTERS
HAVE JESUS PREACHING
IN WORD AND ACTION
LARGELY TO UNBELIEVERS
BOTH JEW AND GENTILE

IN CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THERE IS A CHANGE
JESUS HAS SUMMONED HIS DISCIPLES
TO GATHER WITH HIM
FOR THE PASSOVER
FOR A MEAL
A MEAL
THAT WE HAVE COME TO CALL
THE LAST SUPPER

IN CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JESUS HAS WASHED THEIR FEET
JUDAS HAS LEFT TO BETRAY HIM
PETER
HAS DECLARED HIS LOYALTY
EVEN ONTO DEATH
AND JESUS HAS TOLD HIM
THAT BEFORE THE ROOSTER CROWS
TO BEGIN THE DAY
HE WILL HAVE DENIED HIM THREE TIMES

THERE WAS A KNIGHT OF BETHLEHEM
WHOSE WEALTH WAS TEARS AND SORROWS;
HIS MEN AT ARMS WERE LITTLE LAMBS,
HIS TRUMPETERS WERE SPARROWS

IN CHAPTER FOURTEEN
BEGINS THE LAST DISCOURSE
THE LAST SERMON
THE LAST CHANCE
BEFORE HIS DEATH
FOR JESUS
TO CONVINCE HIS FOLLOWERS
WHO HE WAS
AND WHAT HIS MESSAGE WAS

LOOKING BACK THROUGH HISTORY
WE MARVEL
HOW DUMB THEY WERE
HOW DENSE THEY WERE
LOOKING FORWARD TO NOW
WE WONDER
HOW DUMB WE ARE
HOW DENSE WE ARE

ENTER NOW IN JOHN'S PORTRAYAL
OF THE LAST SUPPER
ENTER NOW
THOMAS AND PHILIP
THE QUESTIONERS
THE DIALOGUE GOES LIKE THIS

THOMAS SAID TO HIM, "
LORD,
WE DON'T KNOW
WHERE YOU ARE GOING,
SO HOW CAN WE KNOW THE WAY?"
JESUS ANSWERED, "
I AM THE WAY
AND THE TRUTH
AND THE LIFE.

NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER
EXCEPT THROUGH ME.
IF YOU REALLY KNEW ME,
YOU WOULD KNOW MY FATHER AS WELL.

FROM NOW ON,
YOU DO KNOW HIM
AND HAVE SEEN HIM."
PHILIP SAID, "
LORD,
SHOW US THE FATHER
AND THAT WILL BE ENOUGH FOR US."
JESUS ANSWERED:
PHILIP
DON'T YOU KNOW ME,

EVEN AFTER
I HAVE BEEN WITH YOU
SUCH A LONG TIME?

PHILIP
ANYONE WHO HAS SEEN ME
HAS SEEN THE FATHER

NOW JOHN
USES THOMAS AND PHILIP
TO BE A VOICE
TO SHOW
WHAT THE MIND OF THE PEOPLE WAS
WHEN JESUS WAS TEACHING

TO BE A VOICE FOR ALL THOSE
WHO FOUND HIS TEACHING HARD THEN

TO BE A VOICE FOR ALL THOSE
WHO FIND HIS TEACHING HARD NOW
.

THERE WAS A KNIGHT OF BETHLEHEM
WHOSE WEALTH WAS TEARS AND SORROWS;
HIS MEN AT ARMS WERE LITTLE LAMBS,
HIS TRUMPETERS WERE SPARROWS

WHAT WAS THAT HARD MESSAGE

IT WAS
THAT WHEN YOU LOOKED AT JESUS
YOU WERE LOOKING AT GOD

AND IN THE TIME OF JESUS
TO LOOK AT GOD
WAS INVITING DESTRUCTION

REMEMBER WHAT GOD
TOLD MOSES ON THE MOUNTAIN
YOU SHALL SEE MY BACK
BUT MY FACE YOU SHALL NOT SEE

WHAT JESUS WAS SAYING
WAS THAT GOD
WAS NOT TO BE FOUND
ON SOME MYSTIC MOUNTAIN
OR TRAPPED IN A TEMPLE
TO BE APPEASED BY SACRIFICE

WHAT JESUS WAS SAYING
WAS THAT GOD
HAD BECOME DOMESTICATED
HE WAS LIVING AN ORDINARY LIFE
AMONG MEN.

IT IS JESUS WORKING
WHO GIVES WORK DIGNITY

IT IS JESUS WEEPING
OVER LAZARUS
THAT GIVES GRIEF
JOY
FRIENDS
AND FAMILY MEANING

IT IS JESUS DIPPING BREAD IN OIL
AND FEEDING JUDAS
THAT SHOWS A GOD
THAT KNOWS PAIN AND SORROW
AND WHAT BETRAYAL FEELS LIKE

IT IS JESUS
LABORING TIME AND AGAIN
TO EDUCATE HIS FOLLOWERS
WITH LITTLE SUCCESS
THAT GIVES MOTHERS OF FAMILIES MEANING

IT MEANS TAKING CARE OF THE WORLD
BECAUSE GOD LIVES HERE

IT MEANS TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER
BECAUSE WE ARE IMPORTANT
BECAUSE GOD MADE US IMPORTANT
WHEN HE BECAME
ONE OF US

THERE WAS A KNIGHT OF BETHLEHEM
WHOSE WEALTH WAS TEARS AND SORROWS;
HIS MEN AT ARMS WERE LITTLE LAMBS,
HIS TRUMPETERS WERE SPARROWS

AND HE COMES WITH A MESSAGE
HE GIVES TO EACH OF US TO TEACH
THE MESSAGE
THAT GOD IS
HE LOVES
HE CARES
AND WALKS AMONG US
THAT THERE ARE NO CASTAWAY PEOPLE

THIS IS WHAT PETER MEANS
WHEN HE WRITES IN OUR LESSON

BUT YOU ARE A CHOSEN PEOPLE,
A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD,
A HOLY NATION,
A PEOPLE BELONGING TO GOD,
THAT YOU MAY DECLARE
THE PRAISES OF HIM
WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS
INTO HIS WONDERFUL LIGHT.

ONCE
YOU WERE NOT A PEOPLE,
BUT NOW
YOU ARE THE PEOPLE OF GOD;
ONCE
YOU HAD NOT RECEIVED MERCY,
BUT NOW YOU HAVE RECEIVED MERCY.

AND THAT MERCY
THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED
WE ARE ASKED TO PASS ON.
EVEN IN SUCH AN EXTREME CASE
AS STEPHEN
WHO WHILE THEY WERE STONING HIM,
PRAYED, "
LORD JESUS, RECEIVE MY SPIRIT

AND FALLING ON HIS KNEES
CRIED OUT, "
LORD,
DO NOT HOLD
THIS SIN
AGAINST THEM."

AND WHEN HE HAD SAID THIS,
HE DIED.

WE ARE TASKED
TO MAKE THIS WORLD BETTER
BETTER THAN HOW WE FOUND IT.
WE ARE ASKED TO FORGIVE
BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN

WE ARE ASKED
TO DO THIS BECAUSE
JESUS
LOVED THIS WORLD
SO MUCH HE CAME TO LIVE HERE
AND TO DIE FOR IT

SO JESUS IS ASKING US
AND IS ALWAYS ASKING US

LITTLE LAMBS
WILL YOU HELP ME

LITTLE SPARROWS
WILL YOU HELP ME

WILL YOU HELP ME
BUILD A BETTER WORLD

AND I SHALL BE THE CORNER STONE
THE STONE THAT THE BUILDERS REJECTEDAMEN

FOURTH LENT

2009-05-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

(JESUS SAID)
JUST AS MOSES
LIFTED UP THE SNAKE IN THE DESERT,
SO THE SON OF MAN
MUST BE LIFTED UP,
THAT EVERYONE
WHO BELIEVES IN HIM
MAY HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
FOR GOD
SO LOVED THE WORLD
THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE
AND ONLY SON,
THAT WHOEVER
BELIEVES IN HIM
SHALL NOT PERISH
BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

FOR GOD
DID NOT SEND HIS SON
INTO THE WORLD
TO CONDEMN THE WORLD,
BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD
THROUGH HIM.

WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM
IS NOT CONDEMNED,
BUT WHOEVER DOES NOT BELIEVE
STANDS CONDEMNED ALREADY
BECAUSE HE HAS NOT BELIEVED
IN THE NAME OF GOD'S ONE
AND ONLY SON.

THIS IS THE VERDICT:
LIGHT HAS COME
INTO THE WORLD,
BUT MEN LOVED DARKNESS
INSTEAD OF LIGHT
BECAUSE THEIR DEEDS WERE EVIL.

EVERYONE WHO DOES EVIL
HATES THE LIGHT,
AND WILL NOT COME
INTO THE LIGHT
FOR FEAR
THAT HIS DEEDS WILL BE EXPOSED.
BUT WHOEVER LIVES BY THE TRUTH
COMES INTO THE LIGHT,
SO THAT IT MAY BE SEEN PLAINLY
THAT WHAT HE HAS DONE
HAS BEEN DONE THROUGH GOD

(SONG)
IF I KNEW YOU WERE COMING
I'D HAVE BAKED A CAKE
BAKED A CAKE
BAKED A CAKE
IF I KNEW YOU WERE COMING
I'D HAVE BAKED A CAKE
YES I WOULD
YES I WOULD
YES I WOULD

ODD WAY TO BEGIN A SERMON
ISN'T IT
BUT IT'S TRUE
YOU INDIVIDUALLY
ARE SO IMPORTANT
IN GOD'S PLAN FOR THE WORLD
THAT THERE SHOULD BE A CAKE
IN YOUR HONOR

IN FACT
SINCE WE KNEW YOU WERE COMING
THE STAFF BAKED A CAKE

(SONG)
SINCE WE KNEW YOU WERE COMING
WELL WE BAKED A CAKE
BAKED A CAKE
BAKED A CAKE
SINCE WE KNEW YOU WERE COMING
WELL WE BAKED A CAKE
YES WE DID
YES WE DID
YES WE DID

(CAKE BROUGHT IN
PLACED ON ALTAR)

THE CAKE SITS ON THE ALTAR
A SIGN OF GOD'S LOVE FOR YOU
ANOTHER GIFT FROM GOD FOR YOU
YOU MIGHT SAY
WHY ALL THE FUSS
WE DID NOTHING TO DESERVE A CAKE
AND THAT'S TRUE
WE DO OR HAVE DONE NOTHING
TO DESERVE
CREATION AND SALVATION
WE ARE PRODUCTS OF GOD'S LOVE
AND THAT LOVE
GIVES US WORTH
AND ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE A CAKE
WE ARE PRODUCTS OF GOD'S LOVE
HOLD ON TO THAT THOUGHT

IMAGINE IF YOU WILL
NICODEMUS
HEARING THESE WORDS FOR THE FIRST TIME

FOR GOD
SO LOVED THE WORLD
THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE
AND ONLY SON,
THAT WHOEVER
BELIEVES IN HIM
SHALL NOT PERISH
BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.

FOR GOD
DID NOT SEND HIS SON
INTO THE WORLD
TO CONDEMN THE WORLD,
BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD
THROUGH HIM

TODAY'S GOSPEL STORY
IS PART OF THE LARGER STORY
WHERE NICODEMUS COMES AT NIGHT
TO QUESTION AND LISTEN TO JESUS

NICODEMUS HAS BEEN RAISED
IN THE JEWISH CONCEPT OF GOD
WHERE GOD MAKES THE RULES
AND PUNISHES THOSE WHO BREAK THEM

IN CONTRAST TO THAT THOUGHT
NICODEMUS HEARS
THAT GOD DID NOT SEND HIS SON
TO CONDEMN THE WORLD
BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD THROUGH HIM

OR AS A POET HAS SAID
FROM THE DEEPEST RECESSES OF ETERNITY
GOD CALLS OUT
I'M LONELY
I'LL MAKE ME A MAN
A WOMAN
A WORLD
AND I SHALL LOVE THEM
FAR PAST
ALL THEIR IMPERFECTIONS
FOR I CREATE THEM OUT OF LOVE
AND THAT LOVE IS A REFLECTION OF ME
AND THAT LOVE IS A FREE GIFT FROM ME

NICODEMUS DIDN'T UNDERSTAND
A GOD WHO DIDN'T KEEP SCORE
DIDN'T MAKE SENSE
CHRISTIANS OFTEN DO NOT UNDERSTAND
THE FREENESS OF GOD'S LOVE

AS PERHAPS ALL MEN AND WOMEN
FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE IN A GOD OF LOVE
THERE IS A STRONG FEELING AMONG US
THAT GOD MUST BE PACIFIED
THAT HIS ANGER MUST BE CONTAINED

BUT GOD DID NOT MAKE US TO TORTURE US
BUT TO SIT AT HIS TABLE
AND DRINK OF HIS WINE
AND BE HIS FRIEND FOREVER

WE FIND THAT HARD TO BELIEVE
MARTIN LUTHER FOUND IT HARD TO BELIEVE
HE ALWAYS THOUGHT
THAT GOD WAS HIS ENEMY
A FATHER HE COULDN'T PLEASE

UNTIL GOD BROKE THROUGH TO HIM
SAYING IN EFFECT
I
GOD
MADE THE WORLD
NOT TO BE A CONQUERING HERO
NOT TO BE A DISAPPROVING FATHER
BUT A LOVING FRIEND

AND I ASK
THAT IN RESPONSE
TO THIS GIFT I GIVE YOU
THAT YOU LOVE
ALL MEN
WOMEN
WORLD

THAT YOU LOVE THEM
AS I HAVE LOVED YOU
FOR I HAVE LOVED YOU INDIVIDUALLY
AS IF THERE WAS ONLY ONE OF YOU TO LOVE

INDIVIDUALLY
YOU HAVE MY FULL ATTENTION

EACH ONE OF YOU
IS SO IMPORTANT
INDIVIDUALLY

THAT I GOD CREATED A WORLD
AND SAVED IT
THROUGH THE ACTIONS OF MY SON

WHEN YOU EAT THE CAKE
AND TASTE ITS SWEETNESS
AND THE CAKE BECOMES PART OF YOU

REMEMBER
REMEMBER
THAT I GOD LOVE YOU
AND I ASK
THAT YOU SHARE THAT LOVE
WITH ALL YOU MEET

AMEN

THIRD EPIPHANY - SERIES A

2009-05-06T17:59:00.000-07:00

THIRD EPIPHANY

WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE YOUNG
WE SPENT EACH SUMMER
CAMPING IN THE WOODS OF PENNSYLVANIA
OVER TIME
MY CHILDREN BECAME EXPERT FISHERMEN
EVEN TODAY
MY CHILDREN FISH IN PLACES
LIKE ALASKA, MEXICO, MAINE, JAPAN, PENNSYLVANIA AND CALIFORNIA
THEY ARE KIND OF ADDICTED TO FISHING

DAD DID NOT FISH
HE WAS TOO BUSY BAITING HOOKS
COULD EVERYBODY SAY POOOR DAD

SO ONE FATHER’S DAY
MY CHILDREN GAVE ME A POCKET FISHERMAN
WHICH WAS A FOLD UP FISHING POLE WITH A SET OF HOOKS

SO THE NEXT DAY
EARLY IN THE MORNING
I PICKED UP
MY POCKET FISHERMAN
AND WALKED TO THE LAKE
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL MORNING
WITH FOG
LAYING ON THE GROUND
ABOUT FOUR FEET THICK
SO THAT ALL YOU COULD SEE
OF ME
OR ANYONE ELSE
WAS OUR HEADS

WHEN I GOT TO THE LAKE
I SAW A MAN FISHING
SO OUT OF COURTESY
I MOVE A HUNDRED FEET AWAY FROM HIM
I UNFOLDED MY FISHING POLE
BAITED MY HOOK
REACHED BACK WITH MY POLE
MADE A PERFECT CAST
AND CAUGHT THE TREE BEHIND ME

AFTER A TERRIFIC FIGHT WITH THE TREE
I FREED MY HOOK
BUT NOT BEFORE I HAD AWAKENED
EVERY BIRD IN THE FOREST
NOT TO MENTION
SEVERAL SCOLDING SQUIRRELS
AND SORRY TO SAY
MY FISHING COMPANION
WHO WAS A HUNDRED FEET AWAY
LEFT IN ABSOLUTE DISGUST
AT MY AMATEURISHNESS

IF AT THAT MOMENT
JESUS HAD WALKED THROUGH THE MIST
AND SAID TO ME
FRANK
I WILL MAKE YOU A FISHER OF MEN
I WOULD HAVE SAID
YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING

BUT IN OUR GOSPEL TODAY
JESUS COMES TO FOUR MEN
WHO WHILE THEY WERE GOOD FISHERMEN
WERE NOT THE ONES
ANY OF US WOULD HAVE PICKED

IN FACT AN EMPLOYMENT AGENCY
ONCE REVIEWED
THE FOUR APOSTLES
FOR THE JOB
OF APOSTLES
AND REJECTED THEM ALL EXCEPT JUDAS

OF THE FOUR
MENTIONED TO DAY
THE ONLY ONE I WOULD HAVE PICKED
WOULD HAVE BEEN
ANDREW
BECAUSE IN THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
ANDREW
ONCE HE WAS CONVINCED
THE JESUS WAS WHO HE CLAIMED TO BE
THAT JESUS WAS THE MESSIAH

ANDREW TOOK JESUS TO MEET PETER
THIS IS THE BASIC WORK OF AN APOSTLE
HELPING PEOPLE TO MEET JESUS

BUT PETER
WHO WOULD PICK PETER
FOR SUCH A SENSITIVE JOB

PETER WAS RASH AND IMPULSIVE
SPOKE WITHOUT THINKING
WE KNOW WHEN FACED WITH DANGER
HE TURNED COWARDLY

BUT JESUS SAW SOMETHING IN PETER
SOMETHING THAT MOVED HIM
TO GIVE PETER
A NEW NAME
FROM SIMON
TO ROCK
IN ENGLISH
PETER

THE FIRST WORDS OF JESUS TO PETER
WERE COME
BE MY DISCIPLE
HIS LAST WORDS TO PETER WERE
FOLLOW ME
EVERY STEP OF HIS LIFE
BETWEEN THESE TWO CHALLENGES
PETER NEVER FAILED TO FOLLOW
EVEN THOUGH
AS WE KNOW FROM OUR BIBLE STUDY
HE OFTEN STUMBLED

THE OTHER TWO MENTIONED
JAMES AND JOHN
SEEM TO HAVE JOINED UP FOR THE WRONG REASONS
THEY SEEMED BE AFFLICTED WITH SIBLING RIVALRY
JESUS NICK NAMED THEM
SONS OF THUNDER
THEY HAD A BAD TEMPER WHEN CROSSED
BOTH WANTED TO BE IN IMPORTANT PLACES
IN JESUS’ POLITICAL KINGDOM

WHAT DID JESUS SEE IN THEM
WHAT DOES JESUS SEE IN US
FOR WE ARE CALLED TO BE DISCIPLES
AND WE RESPOND WE HAVEN’T THE TALENT
WE ARE NOT WISE
WE HAVEN’T THE TEMPERAMENT
AND JESUS REPLIES
I TOOK A ROCK
AND MOLDED IT
AND PETER WAS THAT GREAT VOICE
WHO PROCLAIMED THE GOSPEL AT PENTECOST
AND KEPT PROCLAIMING IT
UP TO HIS DEATH FOR ME

JESUS HAD CHANGED HIM
AS JESUS WILL CHANGE US
IF WE LET HIM
JESUS DOESN’T WANT ROCKET SCIENTISTS
HE WANTS US AS HE MADE US
HE DOESN’T NEED ELOQUENCE
AS PAUL SAYS IN OUR SECOND LESSON
I DO NOT PREACH WITH ELOQUENCE
FOR ELOQUENCE
WOULD TAKE AWAY
THE POWER OF THE CROSS

IT IS THE POWER OF THE CROSS
THAT WILL CHANGE US

SO JESUS SAYS
TO EACH ONE OF US
INVITING US TO BE HIS DISCIPLES
INVITING US
KNOWING WE ARE NOT UP TO THE JOB
INVITING US
KNOWING
THAT AS FISHERMEN
WE OFTEN CATCH TREES

BUT HIS MIGHT
WILL MAKE UP
FOR OUR LACK

HE INVITES US
BECAUSE A LONELY GOD
NEEDS US
FOR A FRIEND
AND CO-WORKER

SO TO EACH ONE OF US
HE SAYS
COME
COME MY BELOVED
COME
MY LITTLE CATCHER OF TREES
COME
I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN
COME
BE WITH ME
BECAUSE I LOVE YOU
COME
COME
AND BE MY FRIEND

THIRD EPIPHANY

2009-05-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

TODAY
IS THE THIRD SUNDAY
AFTER THE EPIPHANY.
EPIPHANY IS A GREEK WORD,
WHICH AT ITS ROOT
MEANS TO SHOW.

EPIPHANY IS ALSO
THAT TIME IN THE CHURCH YEAR
FROM CHRISTMAS
TO BEGINNING OF LENT.

AS IT APPLIES TO THE LIFE OF JESUS
IT TREATS OF THOSE EVENTS
WHEN CHRIST
WAS BEGINNING TO SHOW
HIS KINGSHIP
AND HIS DIVINITY.

ON JANUARY SIXTH
WE HAD THE FEAST
OF THE EPIPHANY ITSELF
WHEN THE WISEMEN
FOLLOWING A STAR
CAME TO SEE HIM.

ON JANUARY SEVENTH
WE HAD THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
WHEN GOD THE FATHER
DECLARED
THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON.

ON JANUARY FOURTEENTH
WE HAD THE WEDDING AT CANA
WHERE JESUS TURNED WATER INTO WINE.

AND TODAY WE REMEMBER
WHEN JESUS
PREACHED FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN HIS HOMETOWN NAZARETH.

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY.
MOST OF IT IS TRUE.
THE REST IS A PARABLE.
JESUS TOLD PARABLES.
THEY WERE
AND ARE
STORIES TO TEACH A LESSON.

JESUS
FILLED WITH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT
WAS PREACHING IN GALILEE.
GOING FROM VILLAGE TO VILLAGE.
AND THE PEOPLE FELT HOPE
AND JOY
IN HIS MESSAGE
BUT THE RULERS OF THE SYNAGOGUE
AND THE WEALTHY AND IMPORTANT
FELT THREATENED

HE WAS NOW IN NAZARETH
AND HE AND HIS MOTHER
WERE WALKING TO THE SYNAGOGUE.
AT THE DOOR THEY PARTED.
MARY WENT TO SIT WITH THE WOMEN
BECAUSE THE SYNAGOGUE WAS SEGREGATED.

AT THE CENTER OF THE SYNAGOGUE SAT
ALL THE IMPORTANT MEN OF THE VILLAGE.
AROUND THEM SAT
THE OTHER MEN OF THE VILLAGE.
THE WOMEN WERE IGNORED
THEY WERE NOT IMPORTANT.
IN FACT THE JEWISH LEADERS SAID
THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER
FOR THE BIBLE TO BE BURNED
RATHER THAN BE TAUGHT TO A WOMAN.

THIS WAS THE WORLD JESUS LIVED IN
AND HE DID NOT LIKE IT.
HE ALSO DID NOT LIKE THE PRAYER
THAT JEWISH MEN SAID DAILY.
THEY SAID
BLESSED BE GOD
THAT HE HAS NOT MADE ME
A GENTILE.
BLESSED BE GOD
THAT HE HAS NOT MADE ME
A WOMAN.
BLESSED BE GOD
THAT HE HAS NOT MADE ME
A SLAVE.
THIS ALSO BOTHERED JESUS.
IT WAS NOT THE WORLD
THAT HE
OR HIS FATHER WANTED.

LATER PAUL
IN GALATIANS
WOULD ANSWER THAT PRAYER
WITH A NEW ONE
THAT REFLECTED WHAT JESUS THOUGHT
WHEN HE WROTE

AS MANY OF YOU
AS WERE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST
HAVE CLOTHED YOURSELVES
WITH CHRIST.

THEREFORE
THERE IS NO LONGER
JEW OR GREEK,
THERE IS NO LONGER
SLAVE OR FREE,
THERE IS NO LONGER
MALE AND FEMALE;

FOR ALL OF YOU
ARE ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.

BUT THAT PRAYER WAS WRITTEN
AFTER JESUS HAD LIVED AND DIED.
BUT TODAY IN OUR STORY
JESUS IS BEGINNING HIS JOURNEY.
AS HE LOOKS AT THE ASSEMBLY
HE IS SADDENED
THAT THEY HAVE WANDERED
SO FAR FROM HIS FATHER'S DREAM.
HE OPENS THE SCRIPTURES
AND READING FROM ISAIAH
HE DECLARES IN A STRONG VOICE
THE NEW/OLD VISION OF THE FATHER
FOR HIS PEOPLE.

TODAY HE SAYS
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME.
HE HAS APPOINTED ME.
HE HAS APPOINTED ME
TO BRING GOOD NEWS
TO THE POOR.
HE HAS APPOINTED ME
TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO CAPTIVES
HE HAS APPOINTED ME
TO TELL THE BLIND
THAT THEY SHALL SEE.
TO TELL THE DOWNTRODDEN
THEIR BURDEN IS LIFTED
AND TO TELL
ALL PEOPLE
THAT THE TIME FOR GOD'S BLESSINGS
IS NOW.

JESUS CLOSES THE BOOK.
LOOKS AT ALL THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE,
LOOKS AT ALL THE NOT SO IMPORTANT PEOPLE
LOOKS AT HIS MOTHER
AND ALL THE OTHER WOMEN
WHO DID NOT COUNT
AND SAYS
TODAY
THIS SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN FULFILLED
IN YOUR HEARING
MEANING THAT THE TIME FOR CHANGE
WAS NOW
AND FOR THAT REASON
JESUS WAS PREACHING.
I HOPE MY SERMON
IS BETTER RECEIVED
THAN JESUS' WAS
BECAUSE WHEN JESUS WAS FINISHED
HE WAS CHASED OUT OF TOWN.
BUT THAT'S NEXT WEEK SERMON
SO TUNE IN.

BUT THE RICH MEN AND THE IMPORTANT MEN
AND THE LEADERS OF THE SYNAGOGUE
THOUGHT
WHY WORRY ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE WITHOUT.
ABOUT THOSE WHO COUNT FOR NOTHING.
THE OTHER MEN WONDERED
WHY THE FUSS,
LIFE IS GOING ON OK FOR ME.

IT TOOK PAUL
AGAIN IN TODAY'S LESSON
TO PUT WORDS TO JESUS' DREAM
WHEN HE WRITES IN CORINTHIANS.
THAT THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
IS LIKE A BODY,
MANY PARTS
ONE BODY.

AND THAT THAT
BODY IS THE BODY OF CHRIST.

AS PAUL WRITES
FOR IN ONE SPIRIT
WE WERE ALL BAPTIZED
INTO ONE BODY.
NO MORE JEW OR GREEK,
SLAVE OR FREE
BUT ONE BODY.

AND IN THAT BODY
IF ONE PART SUFFERS
THE WHOLE BODY SUFFERS.
JUST AS IF
ONE PART OF THE BODY IS HONORED
THE WHOLE BODY IS HONORED.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR.
THIS IS JESUS' DREAM
THAT WE CARE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR
AS IF HE WERE CHRIST.
THAT WE CARE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR
BECAUSE HE IS ONE WITH US
IN CHRIST'S BODY.

SO JESUS LOOKING AT THE WORLD
THROUGH OUR EYES
AND SEEING
THAT IT IS NOT THE WORLD
THAT HIS FATHER
OR HE WANTS.
ASKS US TO SAY WITH HIM
AS HE SAID IN NAZARETH ON THAT DAY.

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON US.
HE HAS APPOINTED US.
HE HAS APPOINTED US
TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.
HE HAS APPOINTED US
TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY
TO CAPTIVES
HE HAS APPOINTED US
TO TELL THE BLIND
THAT THEY SHALL SEE.
TO TELL THE DOWNTRODDEN
THEIR BURDEN IS LIFTED
TO TELL ALL PEOPLE
THAT THE TIME
FOR GOD'S BLESSINGS
IS NOW. SO I ASK YOU
(PUT IN NAME)
WILL YOU HELP JESUS
TO MAKE THE WORLD
THE WAY HE WANTS IT

RESPONSE
I WILL AND I ASK GOD TO HELP ME.

SECOND LENT - SERIES A

2009-05-06T17:50:00.000-07:00

SECOND LENT

SERIES A

LET ME START BY TELLING YOU A FEW STORIES

THE WORD CALENDAR
COMES FROM THE LATIN WORD CALENDS
WHICH MEANS THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
SO A CALENDAR
IS A DEVICE
THAT HELPS PEOPLE
FIND THE FIRST OF THE MONTH

THE WORD CALENDS
ALSO MEANS
THE COIN PURSE OF THE MONEY LENDER
WHO WOULD COME BY
ON THE FIRST OF THE MONTH
WITH HIS PURSE OPEN
TO RECEIVE THE PAYMENTS DUE HIM

DURING THE ADVENT SEASON
THAT PRECEDED THE MILLENIUM
I WAS ASKED TO PREACH
ON THE MILLENIUM
THERE WAS A GREAT DEAL OF FEAR
IN THE COMMUNITY
ONE FEAR WAS THAT THE COMPUTERS WOULD FAIL
THE OTHER WAS A STRONG UNDERCURRENT
THAT GOD HAD PICKED THE YEAR 2000
AS A TIME TO COME
TO COLLECT OUR DEBT TO HIM
THAT HE WOULD COME WITH HIS OPEN PURSE
LIKE A MONEY LENDER DEMANDING PAYMENT
AND BECAUSE WE WERE IMPOVERISHED
AND COULDN'T PAY
WE WOULD BE PUNISHED
NOT A NEW IDEA
OUR FOUNDER
MARTIN LUTHER
LABORED MUCH OF HIS LIFE
UNDER THE IDEA
THAT TRY AS HE MIGHT
HE COULD NOT PLEASE GOD
AND AS A RESULT
AN ANGRY
MEAN SPIRITED GOD
WOULD PUNISH HIM

IN TODAY'S GOSPEL
NICODEMUS
COMES AT NIGHT
TO MEET WITH JESUS

HE WAS AN IMPORTANT RICH MAN
A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY
HE CAME AT NIGHT
HIS COMING AT NIGHT
DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN
HE WAS AFRAID TO BE SEEN
WITH JESUS
A JEWISH PROVERB OF THE TIMES
SAID
IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO A MAN DEEPLY
COME TO HIS HOUSE WHEN THE CHILDREN
WERE ASLEEP
AS THOSE OF US WHO ARE
OR WERE PARENTS KNOW
THAT USUALLY MEANS
LATE AT NIGHT
SO NICODEMUS
CAME TO JESUS AT NIGHT

WHO WAS THIS NICODEMUS
A PHARISEE
A LEADER OF THE PEOPLE
AN OBSERVER OF ALL THE LAWS
THAT MUST BE OBEYED
TO PLEASE GOD

JUDAISM HAD DISINTEGRATED
INTO A SERIES OF MAN MADE LAWS
CREATED BY A PROCESS CALLED PILPUL
WHICH WAS A STUDY OF THE LAW
TO DISCOVER ALL ITS SHADES AND MEANINGS
AND THE ONES WHO PROMOTED THIS STUDY
WERE THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES

SOME EXAMPLES
YOU COULDN'T WORK ON THE SABBATH
SO A MAN WITH A WOODEN LEG
COULD NOT WALK ON THE SABBATH
BECAUSE THE LEG WAS A BURDEN
AND THEREFORE WALKING WAS WORK

IF YOU WERE HURT
YOU COULD BANDAGE THE WOUND
BUT YOU COULDN'T PUT MEDICINE ON THE WOUND
BECAUSE THAT WAS WORK

ALSO IF A GENTILE WOMAN WAS HAVING A BABY
YOU COULDN'T HELP HER
BECAUSE SHE WAS NOT ONE OF THE CHOSEN PEOPLE
TO WHOM THE LAW HAD BEEN GIVEN

THE SCRIBES AND THE PHARISEES
WERE CONSTANTLY STUDYING THE LAW
ADDING SOME REQUIREMENTS
TO DAILY LIVING
OR FORBIDDING
SOME ACTIONS
IN DAILY LIVING
YOU REMEMBER THAT JESUS WAS ACCUSED
OF BAD CONDUCT
WHEN HE HEALED PEOPLE ON THE SABBATH DAY
BECAUSE HEALING WAS WORK

THEY OPPRESSED THE PEOPLE SO MUCH
WITH THESE LAWS
THAT JESUS CRIED OUT
YOU MAKE UP HEAVY BURDENS
FOR MEN TO CARRY
BUT DO NOTHING
TO HELP THEM CARRY
THEIR BURDENS

OR AGAIN JESUS CRIED OUT
THE LAW EXISTS FOR THE PEOPLE
NOT THE PEOPLE FOR THE LAW

SO NICODEMUS
A GOOD MAN
BURDENED DOWN
HE COULD NOT KEEP
OR FOUND IT DIFFICULT
COMES IN THE NIGHT
TO FIND THE LIGHT
WHO COMES IN THE NIGHT
TO HAVE HIS BURDEN LIGHTENED

AND JESUS SAYS TO HIM
JESUS SAYS TO HIM
BE BORN AGAIN

HOW MANY TIMES
HAVE WE SAID
IN OUR OWN LIFE
I AM TIRED OF THE WAY THINGS ARE
I AM GOING TO TRY TO CHANGE MY LIFE
I WILL BE REBORN

BUT HOW WE SAY
WITH NICODEMUS
HOW CAN WE BE REBORN
AND JESUS SAYS
BY THE WATER AND THE SPIRIT
OF YOUR OWN BAPTISM
BY THAT BAPTISM
YOU HAVE RECEIVED REBIRTH
YOU HAVE BEEN REBORN

BUT
HAVING BEEN GIVEN SUCH A GIFT
WE FEEL UNWORTHY
WE CANNOT MEASURE UP TO THE MARK
WE CANNOT FILL THE MONEY LENDER'S
PURSE
UNWORTHY OF THE GIFT OF REBIRTH
WE FEEL THAT WE WILL BE CRUSHED
BY ITS WEIGHT
BY ITS OBLIGATIONS

BUT JESUS SAYS
MY FATHER SO LOVED THE WORLD
HE SENT ME
HE SENT ME
TO SAVE IT
AND ANYONE WHO BELIEVES IN ME
BELIEVES IN THE FATHER
AND WILL RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE

BUT THE GIFT IS TOO GREAT
TOO GREAT FOR US
WHO ARE TOO SMALL
HOW CAN WE EVER REPAY YOU
BELIEVE IN ME
IS ALL I ASK
BELIEVE
AND LET YOUR LIFE FLOW
FROM THAT BELIEF
BELIEVE IN ME

BUT WE SHALL STUMBLE
BELIEVE IN ME
BUT WE ARE WEAK
BELIEVE IN ME
BUT WE ARE UNWORTHY
BELIEVE IN ME
BUT WE ARE SINNERS
I HAVE FORGIVEN YOU

SO WHEN THE TEMPTER COMES
AS COME HE WILL
TO MAKE YOU DOUBT
YOUR BELIEFS
TO MAKE YOU FEEL
UNLOVED AND UNWANTED BY GOD
TELL THE TEMPTER
WITH HIS OPEN PURSE
TELL THE TEMPTER
MY DEBT HAS BEEN PAID
MY DEBT HAS BEEN PAID BY JESUS
WHO DID NOT PAY
THE GREAT PRICE HE PAID
SO THAT LATER HE COULD DESTROY ME
AS YOU ARE TRYING TO DESTROY ME

TELL THE TEMPTER
WHEN HE COMES
TELL THE MONEY LENDER
WITH HIS OPEN PURSE

CLOSE YOUR PURSE
AND MARK MY BILL
PAID IN FULL BY JESUS

SECOND EPIPHANY

2009-05-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

LET US BEGIN AS WE BEGIN ALL THINGS
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE FATHER
WHO CREATED US,
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE SON
WHO REDEEMED US,
IN THE NAME OF GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT
WHO INSPIRES US.

LET US BEGIN IN THE NAME OF GOD,
MOTHER OF US ALL.

THIS IS THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY.
THAT TIME OF THE CHURCH YEAR
BETWEEN CHRISTMAS
AND THE BEGINNING OF LENT.

THE WORD EPIPHANY MEANS
TO SHOW.
THE CHURCH USES THIS TIME
TO COMMEMORATE
THE TIME WHEN JESUS
WAS BEGINNING HIS MINISTRY.
WAS BEGINNING
TO SHOW THE WORLD
WHO HE WAS.

SO WE HAVE THE FEAST OF EPIPHANY ITSELF
WHEN THE WISEMAN CAME.
MEN DRAWN BY A STAR
HERALDING THE BIRTH OF A KING.
THAT KING BEING JESUS.

THEN LAST SUNDAY WE HAD
THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
DURING WHICH GOD THE FATHER
SPOKE FROM HEAVEN
DECLARING
THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON.

THIS SUNDAY WE HAVE THE WEDDING FEAST AT CANA

LET TELL YOU A STORY

WHEN I WAS A CHILD
EVERY SUMMER
WOODEN SCREEN DOORS
WERE PLACED
ON ALL THE OUTSIDE DOORS.
THERE WAS A LONG SPRING ATTACHED
WHICH WHEN YOU LET THE DOOR GO
SLAMMED THE DOOR LOUDLY.
THIS WAS USUALLY FOLLOWED
BY YOUR MOTHER YELLING
DON'T SLAM THE DOOR.

GRADUALLY
DUE TO MY MOTHER'S INFLUENCE
I LEARNED
NOT TO SLAM THE DOOR.
IT WAS NOT AN EASY TASK
FOR MY MOTHER OR I.

SHE WOULD COME TO THE DOOR
AND IN FRONT OF ALL MY PLAYMATES
CALL FRANK ANTONY
GET OVER HERE.
WHEN I GOT OVER THERE
SHE WOULD SAY
FRANK ANTONY
OPEN AND CLOSE THE DOOR
QUIETLY.
I WOULD OPEN THE DOOR
AND CLOSE IT
QUIETLY.
THEN SHE WOULD SAY
NOW FRANK MIBUY
YOU CAN GO AND PLAY.

TO THIS DAY
IF I SLAM A DOOR
NO MATTER HOW OLD I AM
AND MY MOTHER IS NOT AROUND
I GO OPEN AND
CLOSE THE DOOR
QUIETLY.

ARE YOU PROUD OF ME MOM.
ARE YOU PROUD OF FRANK ANTONY

IN TODAY'S GOSPEL
MARY IS AN IMPORTANT GUEST
AT THE WEDDING.

LISTEN TO THE GOSPEL AGAIN.
THERE WAS A WEDDING
AND THE MOTHER OF JESUS WAS THERE.
JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES
WERE ALSO INVITED.

FOR THIS WEDDING
MARY WAS A MORE IMPORTANT GUEST
THAN JESUS.

NOW WEDDINGS
IN THE TIME OF JESUS AND MARY
WERE WEEK LONG EVENTS
AND FOR THE WINE
OR THE FOOD TO RUN OUT
WAS A DISGRACE
TO THE FAMILIES INVOLVED.

SO MARY
WHEN SHE SEES THE WINE RUN OUT
IS CONCERNED FOR THE BRIDAL COUPLE.
SHE IS CONCERNED THAT THEIR MARRIAGE
NOT BEGIN WITH DISGRACE.
SO SHE TURNS TO HER SON
AND SAYS
THEY HAVE NO WINE.

HE SAYS
IT IS NOT OUR PROBLEM,
IT IS NOT MY TIME TO BEGIN.

MARY LOOKS AT JESUS
WITH THE TIME IMMEMORIAL LOOK
OF MOTHERS
WHO LOOK AT CHILDREN
WHO SLAM DOORS
AND SAYS TO THE SERVANTS
DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU.

THE LEGEND
IS THAT THE WATER
LOOKED WITH LOVE AT IT'S CREATOR
AND BLUSHED.
BLUSHED AND BECAME WINE.
BLUSHED AND BECAME WINE
FINER THAN THAT
WHICH WAS SERVED
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FEAST

DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU
AND WHAT DOES HE TELL US.
HE ASKS US TO BECOME WINE
TO BE DRINK TO THE WORLD
TO SAY TO THE WORLD
WHAT AN ANCIENT GREEK PRAYER
HAS HIM SAY

I AM YOUR GOD
WHO FOR YOUR SAKE
HAVE BECOME YOUR SON
OUT OF LOVE FOR YOU
AND FOR YOUR DESCENDANTS

I NOW
BY MY OWN AUTHORITY
SAY TO ALL
WHO ARE HELD IN THE BONDAGE OF SIN
TO THROW OFF YOUR CHAINS
I HAVE FREED YOU

TO ALL WHO ARE IN DARKNESS
BE ENLIGHTENED
FOR I AM THE LIGHT

TO ALL WHO ARE SLEEPING
AWAKE
IT IS TIME TO AWAKE

AND TO ALL IN DANGER OF HELL
COME BACK TO ME

I DID NOT MAKE YOU
TO BE A PRISONER OF HELL
BUT TO SIT AT MY TABLE
AND DRINK OF MY WINE

THIS IS THE MESSAGE
FOUND IN OUR READINGS FROM ISAIAH
AND IN PSALM 36.
I GOD
WANT WHAT IS GOOD FOR MY PEOPLE.

YOU AND I ARE ASKED
TO BECOME WINE TO THE WORLD
BUT WE SAY WE CANNOT DO IT.
WE HAVE NO SKILLS.

BUT PAUL REMINDS US IN CORINTHIANS
THAT WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN SKILLS
BY THE SPIRIT.

WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN WISDOM
KNOWLEDGE,
FAITH,
HEALING,
MIRACLE WORKING,
PROPHECY,
AND THE GIFT OF TONGUES
THAT ALLOW US TO SPEAK
TO ALL PEOPLE IN A LANGUAGE
THEY CAN UNDERSTAND.

WE ARE ASKED TO BE WINE FOR THE WORLD
WE ARE ASKED TO DO WHAT JESUS TELLS US
AND WHAT HE HAS TOLD US IS WRITTEN IN OUR HEARTS

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS
WE ARE ASKED TO INVITE THE WHOLE WORLD
TO THE WEDDING FEAST

TO BE AT PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER
AND WHEN WE SLAM DOORS
TO GO BACK AND DO IT RIGHT

ARE YOU PROUD OF ME JESUS
ARE YOU PROUD OF ME AND ALL MY FRIENDS
ARE YOU PROUD OF US JESUS

AND THE ANSWER COMES THUNDERING FROM THE HEAVENS

YOU ARE MY BELOVED SONS AND DAUGHTERS
IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED

MAY IT BE SO
AMEN
AMEN

FIRST EPIPHANY

2009-05-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

MORE JEREMIAH WRIGHT

2008-05-05T09:24:00.000-07:00

The following is excerpted from the speech given by Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, at an NAACP dinner in Detroit on April 27.
Throughout its 99-year history, the NAACP has been built by people of all races, all nationalities, and all faiths on one primary premise, which is that all men and women are created equal. The nation's oldest civil rights organization has changed America's history. Despite violence, intimidation and hostile government policies, the NAACP and its grassroots membership have persevered.
Now, somebody please tell the Oakland county executive that that sentence starting with the words "despite violence, intimidation, and hostile government policies" is a direct quote from the NAACP's profile in courage. It didn't come from Jeremiah Wright.
Otherwise, he will attribute the quote to me and continue to say that I am one of the most divisive people he has ever heard speak. When he has never heard me speak. And just to help him out, I am not one of the most divisive. Tell him the word is descriptive.

I describe the conditions in this country. Conditions divide, not my descriptions. ...
One of your cities' political analysts says in print that first just my appearance here in Detroit will be polarizing. Well, I'm not here for political reasons. I am not a politician. I know that fact will surprise many of you because many in the corporate-owned media have made it seem as if I had announced that I'm running to for the Oval Office. I am not running for the Oval Office. I've been running for Jesus a long, long time, and I'm not tired yet.
I am sorry your local political analysts and your neighboring county executives think my being here is polarizing and my sermons are divisive, but I'm not here to address an analyst's opinion or a county executive's point of view. I am here to address your 2008 theme, and I stand here as one representative of the African American religious tradition which works in concert with other faith traditions, believing as we work together that a change is going to come. ... The support of the Jewish community, the Muslim community, and the Christian community, Protestant and Catholic, is in concert with the credo of the NAACP and a definite sign that a change is definitely going to come. ...
I believe that a change is going to come because many of us are committing to changing how we see others who are different.
In the past, we were taught to see others who are different as somehow being deficient. Christians saw Jews as being deficient. Catholics saw Protestants as being deficient. Presbyterians saw Pentecostals as being deficient. Folks who like to holler in worship saw folk who like to be quiet as deficient. And vice versa. ...
Whites saw black as being deficient. ... Europeans saw Africans as deficient. Lovers of George Friedrich Handel and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart saw lovers of B.B. King and Frankie Beverly and Maze as deficient. Lovers of Marian Anderson saw lovers of Lady Day and Anita Baker as deficient. ...
In the past, we were taught to see others who are different as being deficient. We established arbitrary norms and then determined that anybody not like us was abnormal. But a change is coming because we no longer see others who are different as being deficient. We just see them as different. Over the past 50 years, thanks to the scholarship of dozens of expert in many different disciplines, we have come to see just how skewed, prejudiced and dangerous our miseducation has been.
Miseducation. Miseducation incidentally is not a Jeremiah Wright term. It's a word coined by Dr. Carter G. Woodson over 80 years ago. Sounds like he talked a hate speech, doesn't it? ...
Turn to your neighbor and say different does not mean deficient. It simply means different. In fact, Dr. Janice Hale was the first writer whom I read who used that phrase. Different does not mean deficient. ... Dr. Hale showed us that in comparing African-American children and European-American children in the field of education, we were comparing apples and rocks. And in so doing, we kept coming up with meaningless labels like EMH, educable mentally handicapped, TMH, trainable mentally handicapped, ADD, attention deficit disorder.
And we were coming up with more meaningless solutions like reading, writing and Ritalin. Dr. Hale's research led her to stop comparing African-American children with European-American children. ... She discovered that the two different worlds have two different ways of learning. European and European-American children have a left-brained cognitive-object oriented learning style, and the entire educational learning system in the United States of America - back in the early '70s, when Dr. Hale did her research - was based on left-brained cognitive-object oriented learning style. ...
African and African-American children have a different way of learning. ... Those same children who have difficulty reading from an object and who are labeled EMH, DMH and ADD. Those children can say every word from every song on every hip-hop radio station half of whose words the average adult here tonight cannot understand. Why? Because they come from a right-brained creative oral culture like the (greos) in Africa ...
What Dr. Janice Hale did in the field of education, Dr. Geneva Smitherman did in the field of linguistics. ... Linguists have known since the mid 20th century that number one, nobody in Detroit, with the exception of citizens born and raised in the United Kingdom, nobody in Detroit speaks English. We all speak different varieties of American. ... Linguists knew that nobody in here speaks English, but only black children 50 years ago were singled out as speaking bad English.
John Kennedy could stand at the inauguration in January and say, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." ... Nobody ever said to John Kennedy that's not English. ... Only to a black child would they say you speak bad English. ... Ed Kennedy today cannot pronounce cluster consonants. Very few people from Boston can. They pronounce park like it's p-o-c-k. Where did you "pock" the car? They pronounce f-o-r-t like it's f-o-u-g-h-t. ... And nobody says to a Kennedy you speak bad English. Only to a black child was that said. ...
Different does not mean deficient. Tell your neighbor one more time. ... (This) is also true in ... biblical studies, black sacred music and black worship. We just do it different, and some of our haters can't get their heads around that. I come from a religious tradition that does not divorce the world we live in from the world we are heading to. I come from a religious tradition that does not separate the kingdom of heaven that we pray for from the devious kingdoms of humans that keep people in bondage on Earth.
... I also come from a religious tradition that say if you feel excited about something, be excited about it. ... Listen to how bombastic he is. Isn't he bombastic? He's stirring up hate. ... I come from a religious tradition where we shout in the sanctuary and march on the picket line. I come from a religious tradition where we give God the glory and we give the devil the blues. The black religious tradition is different. We do it a different way. ...
I believe a change is going to come because many of us here tonight, at least 11,900 out of 12,000, many of us are committed to changing how we see others who are different. Number one, many of us are committed to changing how we see ourselves. Number two, not inferior or superior to, just different from others. Embracing our own histories. Embracing our own cultures. Embracing our own languages as we embrace others who are also made in the image of God. ... When we see ourselves as members of the human race, I believe a change is on the way. When we see ourselves as people of faith who shared this planet with people of other faiths, I believe a change is on the way. ... Many of us are committed to changing, number three, the way we treat each other. The way black men treat black women. The way black parents treat black children. The way black youth treat black elders and the way black elders treat black youth. We are committed to changing the way we treat each other. ... The way the have and have-mores treat the have nots. The way the educated treat the uneducated. The way those with degrees treat those who never made it through high school. The way those of us who never got caught treat those of us who are incarcerated. ...
We are committed to changing the way we treat each other. ... It's going to take people of all faiths including the nation of Islam, but we can do it. It's going to take people of all races, but we can do it. It's going to take Republicans and Democrats, but we can do it. It's going to take the wisdom of the old and the energy of the young, but we can do it. It's going to take politicians and preachers ... but we can do it. It's going to take educators and legislatures, but we can do it. If I were in a Christian Church, I would say we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. If I were in a Jewish synagogue, I would say is anything too hard for Elohim? If I were in a Muslim mosque, I would say Sha Allah we can do it. If I were pushing one particular candidate, I would say yes, we can. ...

JEREMIAH WRIGHT'S 911 SERMON

2008-05-04T19:43:00.000-07:00

Editor’s note: CNN Contributor Roland Martin has listened to several of theÂ sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright from Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.Â Portions of theÂ sermons have been excerpted in recent stories.
As this whole sordid episode regarding the sermons of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has played out over the last week, I wanted to understand what he ACTUALLY said in this speech. I’ve been saying all week on CNN that context is important, and I just wanted to know what the heck is going on.
I have now actually listened to the sermon Rev. Wright gave after September 11 titled, “The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall.” It was delivered on Sept. 16, 2001.
One of the most controversial statements in this sermon was when he mentioned “chickens coming home to roost.” He was actually quoting Edward Peck, former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and deputy director of President Reagan’s terrorism task force, who was speaking on FOX News. That’s what he told the congregation.
He was quoting Peck as saying that America’s foreign policy has put the nation in peril:
“I heard Ambassador Peck on an interview yesterday did anybody else see or hear him? He was on FOX News, this is a white man, and he was upsetting the FOX News commentators to no end, he pointed out, a white man, an ambassador, he pointed out that what Malcolm X said when he was silenced by Elijah Mohammad was in fact true, he said Americas chickens, are coming home to roost.â€
“We took this country by terror away from the Sioux, the Apache, Arikara, the Comanche, the Arapaho, the Navajo. Terrorism.
“We took Africans away from their country to build our way of ease and kept them enslaved and living in fear. Terrorism.
“We bombed Grenada and killed innocent civilians, babies, non-military personnel.
“We bombed the black civilian community of Panama with stealth bombers and killed unarmed teenage and toddlers, pregnant mothers and hard working fathers.
“We bombed Qaddafi’s home, and killed his child. Blessed are they who bash your children’s head against the rock.
“We bombed Iraq. We killed unarmed civilians trying to make a living. We bombed a plant in Sudan to pay back for the attack on our embassy, killed hundreds of hard working people, mothers and fathers who left home to go that day not knowing that they’d never get back home.
“We bombed Hiroshima. We bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon and we never batted an eye.
“Kids playing in the playground. Mothers picking up children after school. Civilians, not soldiers, people just trying to make it day by day.
“We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff that we have done overseas is now brought right back into our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.
“Violence begets violence. Hatred begets hatred. And terrorism begets terrorism. A white ambassador said that y’all, not a black militant. Not a reverend who preaches about racism. An ambassador whose eyes are wide open and who is trying to get us to wake up and move away from this dangerous precipice upon which we are now poised. The ambassador said the people we have wounded don’t have the military capability we have. But they do have individuals who are willing to die and take thousands with them. And we need to come to grips with that.”
He went on to describe seeing the photos of the aftermath of 9/11 because he was in Newark, N.J., when the planes struck. After turning on the TV and seeing the second plane slam into one of the twin towers, he spoke passionately about what if you never got a chance to say hello to your family again.
“What is the state of your family?” he asked.
And then he told his congregation that he loved them and asked the church to tell each other they loved themselves.
His sermon thesis:
1. This is a time for self-examination of ourselves and our families.
2. This is a time for social transformation (then he went on to say they won’t put me on PBS or national cable for what I’m about to say. Talk about prophetic!)
“We have got to change the way we have been doing things as a society,” he said.
Wright then said we can’t stop messing over people and thinking they can’t touch us. He said we may need to declare war on racism, injustice, and greed, instead of war on other countries.
“Maybe we need to declare war on AIDS. In five minutes the Congress found $40 billion to rebuild New York and the families that died in sudden death, do you think we can find the money to make medicine available for people who are dying a slow death? Maybe we need to declare war on the nation’s healthcare system that leaves the nation’s poor with no health coverage? Maybe we need to declare war on the mishandled educational system and provide quality education for everybody, every citizen, based on their ability to learn, not their ability to pay. This is a time for social transformation.”
3. This is time to tell God thank you for all that he has provided and that he gave him and others another chance to do His will.
By the way, nowhere in this sermon did he said “God damn America.” I’m not sure which sermon that came from.
This doesn’t explain anything away, nor does it absolve Wright of using the N-word, but what it does do is add an accurate perspective to this conversation.
The point that I have always made as a journalist is that our job is to seek the truth, and not the partial truth.
I am also listening to the other sermons delivered by Rev. Wright that have been the subject of controversy.
And let me be clear: Where I believe he was wrong and not justified in what he said based upon the facts, I will say so. But where the facts support his argument, that will also be said.
So stay tuned.
- Roland S. Martin, CNN Contributorwww.rolandsmartin.com

AUGUSTINE

2008-04-30T08:02:00.000-07:00

Ask the loveliness of the earth, ask the loveliness of the sea, ask the loveliness of the wide airy spaces, ask the loveliness of the sky, ask the order of the stars, ask the sun, making daylight with its beams, ask the moon tempering the darkness of the night that follows, ask the living things which move in the waters, which tarry on the land, which fly in the air; ask the souls that are hidden, the bodies that are perceptive; the visible things which most be governed, the invisible things that govern—ask these things, and they will all answer you, Yes, see we are lovely. Their loveliness is their confession. And all these lovely but mutable things, who has made them, but Beauty immutable?- Augustine Sermons 214.2

MOTHER'S AGAINST THE WAR

2008-04-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

He will leave again.
Again, I'll be broken, a relic
of that young woman I was when
I stood over his bassinet and
hoped his rash would heal
if I changed to cloth.
……………………………………………………………………………………

He left it out
of sight, as if recalling
my refusal,
when he was a boy,
to buy him one.
The only evidence
it existed, a small
brown square of paper,
slightly buckled,
three holes shot
through at the heart,
lying on the table
by his will.
…………………………………………………………………………….

His head was freshly shaved.
A blue square bandage
on his shoulder covered
the small pox shot they all get
before they ship out to Iraq.
In days he'd be cargo on some army plane,
and I'd be in New York City listening
to his message on my machine.
I save all his messages.

………………………………………………………………………………………….

Last Mother's Day,
when he was incommunicado,
nothing came.
Three days later, a message
in my box; a package,
the mail room closed.
I went out into the lobby,
banged my fist against
the desk. When they
gave it to me, I clutched it
to my chest, sobbing
like an animal.
I spoke to no one,
did not apologize.
I didn't care about the gift.
It was the note I wanted,
the salt from his hand,
the words.
……………………………………………………………………..

Frances Richey
....................................................

OSCAR A ROMERO

2008-04-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Those who have created the evil are those who have made possible the hideous social injustice our people live in. Thus, the poor have shown the church the true way to go. A church that does not join the poor in order to speak out from the side of the poor against the injustices committed against them is not the true church of Jesus Christ.- Oscar A. RomeroThe Violence of Love

Had it been me...

2008-03-28T07:43:00.000-07:00

As easy as it is for those of us who are white to look back and say, "That's a terrible statement," I grew up in a very segregated South, and I think that you have to cut some slack. And I'm going to be probably the only conservative in America who's going to say something like this, but I'm just telling you: We've got to cut some slack to people who grew up being called names, being told, "You have to sit in the balcony when you go to the movie. You have to go to the back door to go into the restaurant. And you can't sit out there with everyone else. There's a separate waiting room in the doctor's office. Here's where you sit on the bus." And you know what? Sometimes people do have a chip on their shoulder and resentment. And you have to just say, I probably would too. I probably would too. In fact, I may have had ... More of a chip on my shoulder had it been me.
- Mike Huckabee, offering his perspective on the preaching of Rev. Jeremiah Wright. (Source: MSNBC)

TAN FU

2008-03-15T08:40:00.000-07:00

YANGISTS LIKED TO QUOTE THE EXAMPLE OF TAN FU,
AN ANCESTOR OF THE ZHOU KINGS,
WHO HAD RENOUNCED THE THRONE
RATHER THAN FIGHT AN INVADING ARMY:
" TO SEND TO THEIR DEATHS THE SONS
AND YOUNGER BROTHERS
OF THOSE WITH WHOM I DWELL
IS MORE THAN I COULD BEAR,"
HE EXPLAINED IN HIS ABDICATION SPEECH' .

PISTIS

2008-02-16T07:51:00.000-08:00

Faith
(Pistis, fides). In the Old Testament, the Hebrew means essentially steadfastness, cf. Exod., xvii, 12, where it is used to describe the strengthening of Moses' hands; hence it comes to meanfaithfulness, whether of God towards man (Deuteronomy 32:4) or of man towards God (ps. cxviii, 30). As signifying man's attitude towards God it means trustfulness or fiducia. It would, however, be illogical to conclude that the word cannot, and does not, mean belief or faith in the Old Testament for it is clear that we cannot put trust in a person's promises without previously assenting to or believing in that person's claim to such confidence.
It seems a surprising way to begin talking about happiness by Saying, .. Blessed are the poor in spirit." there are two ways m Which we can come at the meaning of this word poor.
As we have them the beatitudes are in Greek, and the word
That is used for poor is the word ptochos. In Greek there are two Words for poor. There is the word penes. Penes describes a man Who has to work for his living; it is defined by the Greeks as Describing the man who is autodiakonos, that is, the man who Serves his own needs with his own hands. Penes describes the Working man, the man who has nothing superfluous, the man Who is not rich, but who is not destitute either. But, as we have Seen, it is not penes that is used in this beatitude, it is ptochos, Which describes absolute and abject poverty. It is connected With the root ptossein, which means to crouch or to cower; and It describes the poverty which is beaten to its knees. As it has Been said, penes describes the man who has nothing superfluous; Ptochos describes the man who has nothing. At all. So
This beatitude becomes even more surprising. Blessed is the man Who is abjectly and completely poverty-stricken. Blessed is the Man who is absolutely destitute.
As we have also seen the beatitudes were not originally
Spoken in Greek, but in Aramaic. Now the Jews had a special Way of using the word poor. In Hebrew the word is 'alii or Ebion. These words in Hebrew underwent a four-stage develop Ment of meaning. (l) they began by meaning simply poor. (2) They went on to mean, because poor, therefore having no Influence or power, or help, or prestige. (3) they went on to Mean, because having no influence, therefore down-trodden and
Oppressed by men. (4) finally, they came to describe the man Who, because he has no earthly resources whatever, puts his Whole trust in god.
So in Hebrew the word poor was used to describe the humble And the helpless man who put his whole trust in god. It is thus That the psalmist uses the word, when he writes, " this poor Man cried, and the lord heard him, and saved him out of all his Troubles" (psalm 34: 6). It is in fact true that in the psalms the' Poor man, in this sense of the term, is the good man who is dear To god. "the hope of the poor shall not perish for ever"
(psalm 9: 18). God delivers the poor (psalm 35: 10). "in thy Goodness, 0 god, thou didst provide for the needy" (psalm 68: 10). "he shall defend the cause of the poor of the people"
(psalm 72: 4). " he raises up the needy out of affliction, and Makes their families like flocks" (psalm 107: 41). " i will satisfy Her poor with bread"(psalm 132: 15). In all these cases the poor Man is the humble, helpless man who has put his trust in god,
Let us now take the two sides, the Greek and the Aramaic,
And put them together. Ptochos describes the man who is Absolutely destitute, the man who has nothing at all; 'ani and Ebion describe the poor, and humble, and helpless man who has Put his whole trust in god. Therefore, " blessed are the poor in Spirit" means
Blessed is the man who has realized his own utter helplessness. And who has put his whole trust in god.
If a man has realized his own utter helplessness, and has put His whole trust in god, there will enter into his life two things Which are opposite sides of the same thing. He will become Completely detached from things, for he will know that things Have not got it in them to bring happiness or security; and he Will become completely attached to god, for he will know that God alone can bring him help, and hope, and strength. The man Who is poor in spirit is the man who has realized that things Mean nothing, and that god means everything.
We must. be careful not to think that this beatitude calls Actual material poverty a good thing. Poverty is not a good Thing. Jesus would never have called blessed a state where People live in slums and have not enough to eat, and where Health rots. Because conditions are all against it. That kind of Poverty it is the aim of the Christian gospel to remove. The Poverty which is blessed is the poverty of spirit, when a man
Realizes his own utter lack of resources to meet life and finds His help and strength in god.
I
Jesus says that to such a poverty belongs the kingdom of Heaven: ,why should that be so? If we take the two petitions of The lord s prayer and set them together:
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven,
We get the definition: the kingdom of god is a society where God's will is as perfectly done in earth as it is in heaven. That Means that only he who does god's will is a citizen of the Kingdom; and we can only do god's will when we realize our
Own. Utter helplessness, our own utter ignorance, our own utter inability to cope With life, and when we put our whole trust in
God .. Obedience is always founded on trust. The kingdom of God is the possession of the poor in spirit, because the poor in Spirit have realized their own utter helplessness without god And have learned to trust and obey. '
o the bliss of the man who has realized his own utter Helplessness and who has put his whole trust in god For thus alone he can render to god that perfect
Obedience which will make him a citizen of the kingdom of Heaven!
Abraham had now become not merely the father of the Jewish people but the ancestor of all the faithful. His 'faith' (Greek: pistis, a word which, it is important to note, should be translated as 'trust' rather than 'belief) had made him a model Christian, centuries before the coming of the messiah. When scripture praised Abraham's faith it was referring 'to us as well': 'Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago, when Abraham was told: In you all the pagans will be blessed.' 41 When God commanded Abraham to abandon his concubine Hagar and their son Ishmael in the wilderness, this had been an allegory: Hagar represented the Sinai covenant, which had enslaved Jews to the Law, while Sarah, Abraham's free-born wife, corresponded to the new covenant, which had liberated gentiles from Torah obligations.
The author of the epistle to the Hebrews, who was probably writing at about the same time, was even more radical. He was trying to console a community of Jewish Christians
We should also recognize the changes in the meaning of our English verb, "to believe." Its use in mediaeval and Elizabethan times conveyed the sense of trust in a person, loyalty or commitment to a person. That is the sense in which Paul and all other biblical authors used its Greek equivalent, pisteuo when speaking of believing in God or in Jesus Christ. Since the time of Hobbes, Locke and Mills in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, it has gradually taken on the force of a proposition, "to believe that .... " In the 1959 edition of Chambers Encyclopedia, the article on "Belief" states, "what we actually believe, in the strictness of the language, is always a proposition or set of propositions. Of these, creeds are composed." (Quoted in Smith, Wilfrid Cantwell, History and Belief. Charlottesville, VA. Virginia University Press, 1977, p. 49; n. 30, p.109.)
Faith is the noun corresponding to the verb "believe," for which the Hebrew is heemin, the hiphil form of aman, and the Greek (LXX and NT) pisteuo. The latter is a key word in the NT, being the term regularly used to denote the many sided religious relationship into which the gospel calls men and women, that of trust in God through Christ. The complexity of this idea is reflected in the variety of constructions used with the verb (a hoti clause, or accusative and infinitive, expressing truth believed; en and epi with the dative, denoting restful reliance on that to which, or him to whom, credit is given; eis
and, occasionally, epi with the accusative, the most common, characteristic, and original NT usage, scarcely present in the LXX and not at all in classical Greek, conveying the thought of a move - ment of trust going out to, and laying hold of, the object of its confidence). The Hebrew noun corresponding to aman (emuna, rendered pistis in the LXX), regularly denotes faithfulness in the sense of trustworthiness, and pistis occasionally bears this sense in the NT (Rom. 3:3, of God; Matt. 23:23; Gal. 5:22; Titus 2: 1 0, of man).
A further argument for free will is that God's commandments carry a divine "ought" for man, implying that man can and should respond positively to his commands. The responsibility to obey God's commands entails the ability to respond to them, by God's enabling grace. Furthermore, if man is not free, but all his acts are determined by God, then God is directly responsible for evil, a conclusion that is clearly contradicted by Scripture (Hab. 1:13; James 1:13 - 17).
Therefore, it seems that some form of self determinism is the most compatible with the biblical view of God's sovereignty and man's responsibility.
who were beginning to lose heart by arguing forcefully that Christ had superseded the Torah, was more exalted than Moses I and that the sacrificial cult had simply foreshadowed Jesus' priestly act in giving his life for humanity. In an extraordinary passage, the author saw the entire history of Israel as exemplifying the virtue of pistis, trust in 'realities that at present remain unseen'." Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets had all exhibited this 'faith': that had been their greatest, indeed their sole achievement." But, the author concluded, 'they did not receive what was promised, since God made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to reach perfection except with us.'
In this exegetical tour de force, the whole of Israelite history had been redefined, but in the process the old stories, which had been about far more than pistis, lost much of their rich complexity. Torah, temple and cult simply pointed to a future reality because God had always had something better in mind. Paul and the author of Hebrews showed future generations of Christians how to interpret the Hebrew Bible and make it their own. The other New Testament Writers would develop this pesher and make it very difficult for Christians to see Jewish scripture as anything more than a prelude to Christianity.
Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before.

SHITTY SHEPHERDS

2007-10-23T17:57:00.000-07:00

Sister Escalera says the most hurtful part of the proposed sale of her convent is that the proceeds will be used to pay for the misdeeds of pedophile priests.

SHITTY SHEPHERDS

SHITTY SHEPHERDS
SHEPHERDING
CLEAN SHEEP

SO SAYS THE NOBLE POET
CHAUCER

HOW APT AN IMAGE

A ROLE PLAYED WELL
BY PRIESTS
MINISTERS
RABBIS
POLITICIANS
RULERS

ALL CLOTHED
IN SUNDAY FINERY
WITH THE BEST MANNERS

UNWORTHY SHEPHERDS
OF INNOCENT FLOCKS

TO QUESTION THEM
IS TO QUESTION
THEIR GOD LIKE STANCE
UNHOLY TO DO SO

BUT LATELY
THE SMELL OF THE SHEPHERDS
HAS BECOME TOO GREAT

THEY’VE MADE FRIENDS
WITH THE WOLVES
AND NO LONGER CARE FOR THE SHEEP

AND THE SHEEP
NO LONGER
LISTEN TO THE SHEPHERDS
AND THEIR CALL
TO FOLLOW

FRANK A VOLLMER

When God Paints

2007-10-04T09:18:00.000-07:00

When God Paints: "When God Paints... We live in an awesome world people. Make it an awesome day. Peace To All and May God Bless You -Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply, Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. "

RIGOBERTA MENCHUI

2007-09-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

We feel it is the duty of Christians to create the kingdom of God on Earth among our brothers. This kingdom will exist only when we all have enough to eat, when our children, brothers, parents don’t have to die from hunger and malnutrition. That will be the "Glory," a Kingdom for we who have never known it.- Rigoberta MenchuI, Rigoberta: An Indian Woman in Guatemala

Rigoberta Menchu

2007-08-31T08:26:00.000-07:00

But our reality teaches us that, as Christians, we must create a Church of the poor, that we don’t need a Church imposed from outside which knows nothing of hunger.
- Rigoberta Menchu
I, Rigoberta: An Indian Woman in Guatemala

Frederick Douglass

2007-07-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation, are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand; it never has and it never will.
- Frederick Douglass

RAMBLINGS ON IMMIGRATION

2007-06-06T05:38:00.000-07:00

RAMBLINGS ON IMMIGRATION

FIRST LET ME SAY I AM NO EXPERT ON IMMIGRATION
BUT I HAVE SOME OPINIONS
WHICH CERTAINLY ARE OPEN TO CRITIQUING

MY CREDENTIALS AS SUCH
ARE
MY MOTHER WAS AN IMMIGRANT
WHO AFTER THE FIRST WORLD WAR
FOUND NO FUTURE OR JOB
IN NEWFOUNDLAND
EVEN THOUGH HER FATHER WAS A SEA CAPTAIN

SO SHE CAME TO AMERICA
STAYING WITH AUNT POLLY
THE ENGLISH ARE VERY PROPER

MY FATHER’S PEOPLE
WERE GERMAN
WHO CAME OVER
BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR
AND BECAME RICH FARMERS
I’VE SEEN THEIR ELABORATE TOMBS
AND DONATED STAINED GLASS WINDOWS
IN TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
IN PHILADELPHIA

UNFORTUNATELY
MY GRANDFATHER
WANTED TO BE AN ACTOR
AND WAS CUT OFF FROM THE FAMILY FORTUNE

OUR BRANCH OF THE FAMILY CONTINUES TO BE SLIGHTLY WEIRD

BEING AN ACTOR WAS NOT CONSIDERED A SUITABLE VOCATION
FOR A DISTINGUISHED LUTHERAN FAMILY

THE EIGHTEEN HUNDREDS WERE A VOLATILE TIME IN GERMANY
AND MANY FLED THE COUNTRY
FOR RELIGIOUS AND ECONOMIC REASONS

THEY WEREN’T HAPPY
WITH THE THINGS WERE
IN THE OLD LAND

AMERICA
AND ESPECIALLY PENNSYLVANIA
LOOMED ON THEIR HORIZON
LIKE A LIGHTHOUSE FLASHING

SO I LIKE OTHER NON-NATIVE AMERICANS
AM AN IMMIGRANT’S CHILD

MY PEOPLE CAME OVER FOR THE SAME REASONS
THAT TODAY’S IMMIGRANTS
(BOTH LEGAL AND ILLEGAL) DO

NOW I AGREE THAT NEWCOMERS
SHOULD NOT LIVE OFF THE DOLE
OR ENGAGE IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES

I REMEMBER
THEOLOGICAL ARGUMENTS
AS TO WHETHER A HUNGRY MAN
CAN STEAL A LOAF OF BREAD

IS A MAN NOT VALUED MORE THAN A LOAF

HOWEVER THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED
WE NEED TO REMEMBER TWO DICTUMS

REMEMBER THAT YOU WERE ALIENS IN EGYPT

AND

WHATSOEVER YOU DO TO THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS
THAT YOU DO UNTO ME

THE CRY AGAINST AMNESTY
IS
A CRY FOR JUSTICE AND NOT FOR LOVE

THEY’RE HERE
DEAL WITH IT

THERE’S NOT ENOUGH BOATS OR TRUCKS
FOR DEPORTATION
NOT TO MENTION
THE PAIN OF FAMILY SEPARATION

THEY’RE
DOING THE JOBS NOBODY WANTS
MORE TROUBLE IS INDUSTRY
MOVING JOBS
OUT OF THE COUNTRY
AND NOT PAYING A LIVING WAGE

WHEN ALL THE JOBS ARE GONE
WHO WILL BUY THE PRODUCT

IF MY THOUGHTS GO AGAINST LOGIC
SO BE IT
I’D RATHER LEAD WITH MY HEART
THAN MY HEAD
WHEN LEADING WITH MY HEAD SEEMS UNCHRISTIAN

FRANK A VOLLMER

FATHER'S DAY

2007-06-04T04:53:00.000-07:00

A GIFT FOR A KING

2007-04-26T05:21:00.000-07:00

Today I received a gift of a quilt made by my co-editor Nancy Stevens. It is beautiful. It has a special meaning to me, when you receive chemo they give you a quilt to stay warm. It's soothing and comforting and helps you through the rough spots. Now I have my own.

BEING LIBERAL

2007-02-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

“Liberals got women the right to vote. Liberals got African-Americans the right to vote. Liberals created Social Security and lifted millions of elderly people out of poverty. Liberals ended segregation. Liberals passed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act. Liberals created Medicare. Liberals passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act. What didConservatives do? They opposed them on every one of those things – every one. So when you try to hurl that label at my feet, ‘Liberal,’ as if it were something to be ashamed of, something dirty, something to run away from, it won’t work, Senator, because I will pick up that label and I will wear it as a badge of honor." -- Matt Santos, The West Wing

LAST SUNDAY OF EPIPHANY

2007-02-03T18:28:00.000-08:00