Lent Madness

I invite you to participate in Lent Madness, a great way to learn about the saints of the church.

What is Lent Madness?  From their website...

Lent Madness began in 2010 as the brainchild of the Rev. Tim Schenck. In seeking a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the men and women comprising the Church’s Calendar of Saints, Tim came up with this unique Lenten devotion. Combining his love of sports with his passion for the lives of the saints, Lent Madness was born on his blog “Clergy Family Confidential.”

The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and people vote for their favorite saint. 16 saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Final Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as we offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch.

The major change from 2010 to 2011 was the introduction of four “celebrity bloggers” to champion particular saints through the Final Four. Meredith Gould, Scott Gunn, Penny Nash, and Neil Alan Willard dove into the spirit of Lent Madness with abandon adding even more intrigue to the proceedings.

This year we have partnered with Forward Movement and Executive Director Scott Gunn to create our own website and broaden the number of people involved in the selection and writing process. We hope this will make Lent Madness 2012 even more lively, allow more voices to be heard, and broaden the audience of this Lenten discipline. What won’t change is the essence of Lent Madness: allowing people to get to know some amazing people who have come before us in the faith and reminding one another that there’s no reason for a dreary Lenten discipline. If this helps people connect with the risen Christ during this season of penitence and renewal, and have a bit of fun in the process, then it continues to be worthwhile.

We hope you’ll participate fully this Lent and vote with reckless abandon! (Once — this isn’t Chicago).

I am reading the ebook from Forward Movement on the Saints.  Very helpful!

Join in the fun!  So I far picked 2 of the first 3 right.  Still can't understand how Lancelot Andrews lost to that harlot, er, I mean, St. Joan of Arc.

Lent Madness can be found here.

A Song of Penitence

#BCP #CEBTour

Prayer of Manasseh 1-2, 4, 6-7, 11-15 (BCP)

Especially suitable in Lent, and on other penitential occasions

O Lord and Ruler of the hosts of heaven, *
    God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
    and of all their righteous offspring:
You made the heavens and the earth, *
    with all their vast array.
All things quake with fear at your presence; *
    they tremble because of your power.
But your merciful promise is beyond all measure; *
    it surpasses all that our minds can fathom.
O Lord, you are full of compassion, *
    long-suffering, and abounding in mercy.
You hold back your hand; *
    you do not punish as we deserve.
In your great goodness, Lord,
you have promised forgiveness to sinners, *
    that they may repent of their sin and be saved.
And now, O Lord, I bend the knee of my heart, *
    and make my appeal, sure of your gracious goodness.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned, *
    and I know my wickedness only too well.
Therefore I make this prayer to you: *
    Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.
Do not let me perish in my sin, *
    nor condemn me to the depths of the earth.
For you, O Lord, are the God of those who repent, *
    and in me you will show forth your goodness.
Unworthy as I am, you will save me,
in accordance with your great mercy, *
    and I will praise you without ceasing all the days of my life.
For all the powers of heaven sing your praises, *
    and yours is the glory to ages of ages. Amen.

Prayer of Manasseh 1-2, 4, 6-7, 11-15 Common English Bible (CEB)

1 Lord Almighty, God of our ancestors,
      God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
      and their righteous children,
2 you made heaven and earth
      with all their beauty.
4 All things fear you and tremble
in your presence,
6 But your promised mercies
are beyond measure and imagination,
7 because you are the highest, Lord,
      kind, patient, and merciful,
and you feel sorry over human troubles.
You, Lord, according to
your gentle grace,
   promised forgiveness to those
   who are sorry for their sins.
In your great mercy,
   you allowed sinners to turn
   from their sins and find salvation.
11 Now I bow down before you
   from deep within my heart,
   begging for your kindness.
12 I have sinned, Lord, I have sinned,
   and I know the laws I’ve broken.
13 I’m praying, begging you:
   Forgive me, Lord, forgive me.
   Don’t destroy me along with my sins.
   Don’t keep my bad deeds
   in your memory forever.
   Don’t sentence me to the earth’s depths,
      for you, Lord, are the God
      of those who turn from their sins.
14 In me you’ll show how kind you are.
   Although I’m not worthy,
      you’ll save me according
      to your great mercy.
 15 I will praise you continuously
   all the days of my life,
   because all of heaven’s forces praise you,
   and the glory is yours
   forever and always. Amen.

40 Ideas for Lent

I have just come across a wonderful blog by Rachel Held Evans.  In it she blogged about 40 ideas for Lent.  She said:

As has become a tradition here on the blog, I’ve compiled a list of 40 ideas that I hope will help you make the most of this season of reflection, penitence, and preparation. Some ideas are repeated from last year, others are updated, and others are brand new. Please feel free to add your own ideas and plans to the comment section. 

10 Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. When I wake up on Resurrection Sunday morning, how will I be different? 
2. Is there a habit or sin in my life that repeatedly gets in the way of loving God with my whole heart or loving my neighbor as myself? How do I address that habit over the next 40 days?
3. Is there anyone in my life from whom I need to ask forgiveness or pursue reconciliation?
4. What practical steps can I take to carve out time for daily contemplation?
5. What spiritual discipline do I need to improve upon or want to try?
6. What are some things in my life that I tell myself I need but I don’t? Can I give one or two of them up for 40 days?
7. Why am I giving this particular thing up? How does giving it up draw me closer to God and prepare me for Easter?
8. What am I going to tell myself when self-denial gets hard?
9. Is it necessary/helpful for me to share the nature my fast with others or should I keep it private?
10. What do the ashes mean to me this year? What  does baptism mean to me this year? 

Great stuff to help you keep this Holy Lent!

You can read all 40 ideas here.

Ash Wednesday Sermon

Grant O Lord, that by the observance of this Holy Lent we may advance in the knowledge of the mystery of Christ, and show forth his mind - in conduct worthy of our calling; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Ash Wednesday begins our Lenten journey – 40 days. It is a journey that begins with a smudge – ashes on our foreheads and the words – remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.

We just don’t talk like that in our society. We don’t want to talk about death or mortality. But that is what we do this day and everyday as we walk towards the cross. If we are honest, we know that to live into the mystery of Christ, is to live into the mystery of the cross.

Crux omnia probat - The cross tests everything. (Martin Luther) It does test everything – our beliefs, our hope, our lives. For in that cross is death and life, pain and hope.

I think of… The Way of Pain by Wendell Berry, 1980

For parents, the only way
is hard. We who give life
give pain. There is no help.
Yet we who give pain
give love; by pain we learn
the extremity of love.

I read of Christ crucified,
the only begotten Son
sacrificed to flesh and time
and all our woe. He died
and rose, but who does not tremble
for his pain, his loneliness,
and the darkness of the sixth hour?
Unless we grieve like Mary
at His grave, giving Him up
as lost, no Easter morning comes.

Berry captures the mystery well and the notion that we too have to grieve, to stand by that cross, and know that desolation. It reminds me of a wisdom saying from the desert…

Abba Joseph related that Abba Isaac said, ‘I was sitting with Abba Poemen one day and I saw him in ecstasy and as I was on terms of great freedom of speech with him, I prostrated myself before him and begged him, saying, “Tell me where you were.” He was forced to answer and he said, “My thought was with St Mary, the Mother of God, as she wept by the cross of the Saviour. I wish I could always weep like that.” (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Abba Poemen 144)

So on this day, I want you to take a moment and think about the cross.

But not an empty cross. A cross with Jesus on it…

And you are there…

An excerpt from “The Crucifixion”
By James Weldon Johnson, 1927

On Calvary, on Calvary,
They crucified my Jesus.
They nailed him to the cruel tree,
And the hammer!
The hammer!
The hammer!
Rang through Jerusalem's streets.
The hammer!
The hammer!
The hammer!
Rang through Jerusalem's streets.

Jesus, my lamb-like Jesus,
Shivering as the nails go through his hands;
Jesus, my lamb-like Jesus,
Shivering as the nails go through his feet.
Jesus, my darling Jesus,
Groaning as the Roman spear plunged in his side;
Jesus, my darling Jesus,
Groaning as the blood came spurting from his wound.
Oh, look how they done my Jesus.

Mary,
Weeping Mary,
Sees her poor little Jesus on the cross.
Mary,
Weeping Mary,
Sees her sweet, baby Jesus on the cruel cross,
Hanging between two thieves.

And Jesus, my lonesome Jesus,
Called out once more to his Father,
Saying:
My God,
My God,
Why hast thou forsaken me?
And he drooped his head and died.

And the veil of the temple was split in two,
The midday sun refused to shine,
The thunder rumbled and the lightning wrote
An unknown language in the sky.
What a day! Lord, what a day!
When my blessed Jesus died.

Oh, I tremble, yes, I tremble,
It causes me to tremble, tremble,
When I think how Jesus died;
Died on the steps of Calvary,
How Jesus died for sinners,
Sinners like you and me.

Ash Wednesday Mediations

The Way of Pain

by Wendell Berry, 1980

For parents, the only way

is hard. We who give life

give pain. There is no help.

Yet we who give pain

give love; by pain we learn

the extremity of love.

I read of Abraham's sacrifice

the Voice required of him,

so that he led to the altar

and the knife his only son.

The beloved life was spared

that time, but not the pain.

It was the pain that was required.

I read of Christ crucified,

the only begotten Son

sacrificed to flesh and time

and all our woe. He died

and rose, but who does not tremble

for his pain, his loneliness,

and the darkness of the sixth hour?

Unless we grieve like Mary

at His grave, giving Him up

as lost, no Easter morning comes.

And then I slept, and dreamed

the life of my only son

was required of me, and I

must bring him to the edge

of pain, not knowing why.

I woke, and yet that pain

was true. It brought his life

to the full in me. I bore him

suffering, with love like the sun,

too bright, unsparing, whole.

Abba Joseph related that Abba Isaac said, ‘I was sitting with Abba Poemen one day and I saw him in ecstasy and as I was on terms of great freedom of speech with him, I prostrated myself before him and begged him, saying, “Tell me where you were.” He was forced to answer and he said, “My thought was with St Mary, the Mother of God, as she wept by the cross of the Saviour. I wish I could always weep like that.” (The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Abba Poemen 144)

 An excerpt from “The Crucifixion”

By James Weldon Johnson, 1927

…Up Golgotha's rugged road

I see my Jesus go.

I see him sink beneath the load,

I see my drooping Jesus sink.

And then they laid hold on Simon,

Black Simon, yes, black Simon;

They put the cross on Simon,

And Simon bore the cross.

On Calvary, on Calvary,

They crucified my Jesus.

They nailed him to the cruel tree,

And the hammer!

The hammer!

The hammer!

Rang through Jerusalem's streets.

The hammer!

The hammer!

The hammer!

Rang through Jerusalem's streets.

Jesus, my lamb-like Jesus,

Shivering as the nails go through his hands;

Jesus, my lamb-like Jesus,

Shivering as the nails go through his feet.

Jesus, my darling Jesus,

Groaning as the Roman spear plunged in his side;

Jesus, my darling Jesus,

Groaning as the blood came spurting from his wound.

Oh, look how they done my Jesus.

Mary,

Weeping Mary,

Sees her poor little Jesus on the cross.

Mary,

Weeping Mary,

Sees her sweet, baby Jesus on the cruel cross,

Hanging between two thieves.

And Jesus, my lonesome Jesus,

Called out once more to his Father,

Saying:

My God,

My God,

Why hast thou forsaken me?

And he drooped his head and died.

And the veil of the temple was split in two,

The midday sun refused to shine,

The thunder rumbled and the lightning wrote

An unknown language in the sky.

What a day!  Lord, what a day!

When my blessed Jesus died.

Oh, I tremble, yes, I tremble,

It causes me to tremble, tremble,

When I think how Jesus died;

Died on the steps of Calvary,

How Jesus died for sinners,

Sinners like you and me.

February 19 Sermon

God of life, in a blaze of light on Mount Tabor you transfigured Jesus, revealing him as your Beloved Son and promising us a share in that destiny of glory. Let the beacon of that gospel pierce again the clouds enshrouding the earth, so that even in the darkness of times we may believe your day will dawn and your light will shine through us. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

If we were to become like so many other places in our society we could sell ad space…

Today’s sermon is brought to you by, Clorox, get your clothes almost as dazzling white as Jesus on Mount Tabor with Clorox.  Or maybe we would have the priest and deacon look like athletes in Nascar, Tennis or Golf and we would have our sponsors emblazoned on our vestments.

Nah! But maybe as we end this season of Epiphany, of God being made manifest to our world, what God wants from us is what happened to Elisha and to Peter, James & John so long ago.

For God calls them & calls us to faithfulness, calls us to remember what has happened in the past to know that God is still active in our world today, transforming our world into what God has created it to be despite the darkness & the sin that pervades our lives. For God calls on us to be the light today.

In two of our readings this morning, we hear about the end of Elijah’s prophetic role and it being passed on to his disciple Elisha, and the Gospel of Mark tell us of the transfiguration of Jesus on Mount Tabor to three of his disciples.

What is extraordinary about these events is not that the chariots that came to take Elijah away or that Jesus became dazzling white and Moses & Elijah were with him, its how these events propel the people onward.

Elisha doesn’t make a shrine at that spot, but takes on Elijah’s mantle and goes to be the prophet he was called to be.

Even though Peter wants to stay in the moment and build three dwellings on Mount Tabor, Jesus guides the disciples back down the mountain to continue their ministry.

It is as if God uses the moment to do something to catch the attention of the disciples so that they understand they too need to be transformed, to do what God calls them faithfully to do…

In Stephen Spielberg's movie War Horse, there is a great scene of transformation.

War Horse is a steed named Joey, raised by an English boy from a foal, he ends up on the desolate battlefields of France during World War I.

At one point in the film, a German artillery regiment has taken possession of Joey to haul the unit's heavy guns. During a shelling bombardment, Joey becomes free and immediately runs wildly across the scorched battlefield in a futile attempt to escape the shelling. In its panic, the horse gallops across No-Man's Land, becoming entangled and dragged down in the sharp barbed wire. The animal's flesh is cruelly torn and its leg hurt.

From his bunker, a British soldier sees the trapped and bleeding Joey. Waving a white flag, the Brit climbs over the top and bravely crosses the battle field to help Joey. On the other side of the field, a German soldier sees Joey and the Brit and comes to help with wire cutters. For a few minutes, the war seemingly stops as the two enemy soldiers work together to free Joey. The scene ends with the two men, who have developed an easy rapport and respect for one another, toss a coin to see who will take possession of Joey.

For a moment in the midst of the horrific battle, the plight of a brave, red bay brings together two enemies, who manage to shake off the animosities laid upon them and rediscover their humanity.

This scene from the movie War Horse is a moment of transformation. Despite the brutality surrounding them, two combatants are able to act out of the humanity the war has buried deep within them to save a helpless horse. We all possess that same kind of compassion within ourselves that can enable us to heal the deepest wounds and illuminate the darkest nights. Such love is the very life of God that the disciples see within the transfigured Jesus in today's Gospel. Such love is what Elisha experienced as Elijah returned to God.

Christ calls all of us who would be his disciples to let his love within us transform despair into hope, sadness into joy, anguish into peace, estrangement into community. The transfiguration reminds us that the light of God is still alive in the midst of darkness, that we are called to live into that light and transform our world. As Archbishop Desmond Tutu put it:

“God places us in the world as his fellow workers – agents of transformation [transfiguration]. We work with God so that injustice is transformed [transfigured] into justice, so that there will be more compassion and caring, that there will be more laughter and joy, that there will be more togetherness in God’s world.”

On this last Sunday before Lent, we remember how God has acted in the past and believe in a vision of hopeful things to come, and in that way, hear a call to help change the world around us now. To understand that glimpse of the heavenly family and our place under God's embrace is not something to be waited for in some distant future, but that we in our way need to build up the kingdom of heaven by bearing God’s light to our world today. Amen.

Psalm 51: A Psalm for Lent

#BCP #CEBTour (A Psalm in 2 Translations)

Psalm 51 (Book of Common Prayer)

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your  loving-kindness; *
in your great compassion blot out my offenses.

2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions, *
and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you only have I sinned *
and done what is evil in your sight.

5 And so you are justified when you speak *
and upright in your judgment

6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
a sinner from my mother's womb.

7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
and will make me understand wisdom secretly.

8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.

9 Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
that the body you have broken may rejoice.

10 Hide your face from my sins *
and blot out all my iniquities.

11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.

12 Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.

13 Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

14 I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
and sinners shall return to you.

15 Deliver me from death, O God, *
and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness, O God of my salvation.

16 Open my lips, O Lord, *
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

17 Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice; *
but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.

18 The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; *
a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

Psalm 51 (Common English Bible)

1 Have mercy on me, God, according to your faithful love!
 Wipe away my wrongdoings  according to your great compassion!

2 Wash me completely clean of my guilt;
purify me from my sin!

3 Because I know my wrongdoings,
my sin is always right in front of me.

4 I’ve sinned against you—you alone. I’ve committed evil in your sight.
That’s why you are justified when you render your verdict,
   completely correct when you issue your judgment.

5 Yes, I was born in guilt, in sin,
from the moment my mother conceived me.

6 And yes, you want truth in the most hidden places;
you teach me wisdom  in the most secret space.

7 Purify me with hyssop and I will be clean;
wash me and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and celebration again;
let the bones you crushed rejoice once more.

9 Hide your face from my sins;
wipe away all my guilty deeds!

10 Create a clean heart for me, God;
put a new, faithful spirit deep inside me!

11 Please don’t throw me out of your presence;
please don’t take your holy spirit away from me.

12 Return the joy of your salvation to me
and sustain me with a willing spirit.

13 Then I will teach wrongdoers your ways,
and sinners will come back to you.

14 Deliver me from violence, God, God of my salvation,
so that my tongue can sing of your righteousness.

15 Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

16 You don’t want sacrifices.
If I gave an entirely burned offering, you wouldn’t be pleased.

17 A broken spirit is my sacrifice, God.
You won’t despise a heart, God, that is broken and crushed.

Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is the day preceding Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Shrove Tuesday is observed mainly in English speaking countries, especially Ireland, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand but is also observed in Philippines and Germany. Shrove Tuesday is linked to Easter, so its date changes on an annual basis. In most traditions the day is known for the eating of pancakes before the start of Lent. Carnival is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnival typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party. People often dress up or masquerade during the celebrations, which mark an overturning of daily life. Carnival is a festival traditionally held in Catholic and, to a lesser extent, Eastern Orthodox societies. In the United States, Carnival is usually connected to Mardi Gras.

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Shrove Tuesday is commonly known as Pancake Day or Pancake Tuesday. Catholic and Protestant countries traditionally call the day before Ash Wednesday Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. The name predated the Reformation and referred to the common Christian tradition of eating special rich foods before the fasting season of Lent. Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foodstuffs such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: In many cultures, this means no meat, dairy, or eggs. (article from Wikipedia)

Shrove Tuesday will occur on the following dates:

2012 — 21 February
2013 — 12 February
2014 — 4 March
2015 — 17 February
2016 — 9 February

A Prayer for Shrove Tuesday (Palm Burning):
Often the palms from the previous Palm Sunday are burned on this day to be used at the Ash Wednesday services.

Holy God, your Son Jesus rode with pilgrims into Jerusalem, and excited crowds threw branches in his path. These palms have been to us a reminder of his reign all year. Now as we prepare for Lent, and recall, through the work of your Holy Spirit within us, that we have fallen short of your will for us, we burn these palms to make ashes that will mark us with the sign of mortality and repentance; and we remember that though “sorrow may spend the night, Joy comes in the morning”, and out of death comes resurrection, through our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.  (prayer by the Rev. Jennifer Phillips)

Ash Wednesday Services at St. Peter's Church
Holy Eucharist with the Imposition of Ashes
12 Noon & 7:30 PM

February 12 Sermon

In the 14th Century, Julian of Norwich, an anchoress and visionary wrote that “all shall be well, and all will be well, and every kind of thing will be well.”

That faithful statement is connected to the Hebrew word “shalom.” We often use that word for peace, but it has other meanings too, for the root of shalom means wholeness and wellness.

Peace & Health go together, because that is what God intends for creation. Wholeness and wellness are not just about our individual selves but our connection to each other, to the created order and to our God.

All shall be well is an understanding that God’s shalom, is meant for everyone, even the enemy.

Naaman – the commander of the army of the king of Aram, though a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy. (remember Leprosy in the bible is not the same as we understand Leprosy today as Hanson’s disease).

Naaman hears from his wife about an Israelite slave girl, the most powerless person around him, and she startles him with the revelation from the slave that a prophet in Samaria can cure him.

Outrageous! Samaria! The King of Israel doesn’t want him to come, he’s commander of the enemy’s army. But… He goes. When he approaches the prophet, Elisha doesn’t go to him. He sends a messenger instead to Naaman with his horses, his chariots, and his entourage with him. The messenger tells him to go wash in the Jordan, 7 times, and he will be made clean.

Naaman was furious, felt disrespected because the prophet didn’t come out to see him, didn’t call upon God and didn’t do anything. The rivers back home are just as good as the Jordan! Such impudence!

But…his servants approach him and remind him that if the prophet had given him a hard task to do, he would have done it. Why get upset about going to the Jordan to wash and get clean?

And for the second time, Naaman listens to a servant, listens to the least in his presence, and he goes and does as Elisha had said. And lo and behold, he is made clean, his leprosy is gone! And God’s shalom happens, even to the enemy, through the faith of others.

In John Drinkwater's play Abraham Lincoln, President Lincoln is talking with a Union woman, and an anti-Confederate zealot.

Lincoln tells her about the latest victory by Northern forces — the Confederate army lost 2700 men, while Union forces lost 800. The woman is ecstatic. "How splendid, Mr. President!"

Lincoln is stunned at her reaction. "But, madam, 3500 human lives lost ..."

"Oh, you must not talk like that, Mr. President. There were only 800 that mattered."

Lincoln's shoulders drop as he says: "Madam, the world is larger than your heart."

In Jesus, we have one whose heart is as big as the world. In the Gospel today, a leper comes begging, kneeling to Jesus, for he has heard of Jesus and what he has done for others.

“If you choose, you can make me clean…” Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I do choose. Be made clean!"

And the leper was made clean, he asked for it and Jesus did it. Now by touching him, Jesus became ritually unclean but all of that is meaningless to Jesus because Jesus is not interested in ritual purity but helping make the leper taste shalom, to be whole again so that he can be with his family.

Jesus then tells him to go, show the priest, offer what Moses commanded regarding the cleansing as a testimony against them. You can sense the frustration of Jesus with a system that kept people apart rather than bringing them back to wholeness and grace.

But it is the leper who came to Jesus wanting help who is made whole again by Jesus who desires that for everyone, because that is what God does, even with “the other,” the enemy.

Those are stories of faith, the leper cleansed by Jesus, & the slave girl and his servants who help Naaman find healing. This is faith rooted in shalom, in wholeness and wellbeing. That is what Jesus invites us to do in our lives and to all who need healing and wholeness which we can by love and compassion provide.

A story from a busy New York restaurant: After church one Sunday, some friends stopped for lunch at a busy neighborhood restaurant. As they were enjoying their meals, one of the friends noticed a man who had taken great care to make his tattered clothes look spiffy. He had finished his simple sandwich and coffee and was searching one pocket after another for enough dollar bills to pay for his lunch. He was becoming increasingly frantic as he came to realize that he did not have enough money to cover the check.

The friend got up quietly as if going to the restroom. In passing the man's table, he leaned down, pretending to find a $10 bill on the floor. It was done so naturally that when he offered the bill to the distracted man, the man's whole body language changed. "Thank you, thank you," he said, "I was sure I had that bill." The poor man was beaming, the friend smiled warmly & walked away.

The others at the table were deeply moved by what they had witnessed. Their friend had done a great kindness, not because of the $10 gift, but because the poor man was treated with gentleness, caring and respect. [As told by Alice Allen, in "Metropolitan Diary," The New York Times, December 30, 2002.]

May we seek to bring God’s shalom to our world, knowing that God’s love is larger than our world, and that God has created us for wholeness and wellness. For then we shall know that, “all shall be well, and all will be well, and every kind of thing will be well.” Amen.

February 5 Sermon

O God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry; When I have work, help me to remember the jobless; When I have a warm home, help me to remember the homeless; When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer; And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency and bestir my compassion. Make me concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who cry out -- for what we take for granted. Amen. (Samuel. F. Pugh)

There is a desert wisdom saying from the 4th century that considers our help for those who are sick:

A brother questioned an old man, saying, "There were two brothers. One of them stayed in his cell fasting for six days and undergoing many labors, the other went out to tend the sick. Which is the more acceptable work in God's sight?" And the old man replied, "Even if that brother fasting for six days were to hang himself up by the nose he could not equal that brother going out to tend the sick."

Helping the sick is an important part of who we are as Christians. Consider what Jesus did in the Gospel today.

Jesus helped heal Simon's mother-in-law who was in bed with a fever. That evening, people brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons. After praying, he went to continue that ministry in Galilee.

Part of the ministry of Jesus was to bring healing to those in need. It is a ministry we continue…

Last year we raised on this Souper Bowl Sunday - $752 for the Global Fund to help fight AIDS, Malaria & TB (part of the MDG - #6 combat AIDS/TB/Malaria) None of those diseases we think about much, here in CT; but money for life saving drugs to those who cannot afford them is what Jesus would ask of us.

Bono from U2, UN ambassador for the MDGs, wrote this last December on World Aids Day –

“I’LL tell you the worst part about it, for me. It was the look in their eyes when the nurses gave them the diagnosis — H.I.V.-positive — then said there was no treatment. I saw no anger in their expression. No protest. If anything, just a sort of acquiescence. The anger came from the nurses, who knew there really was a treatment — just not for poor people in poor countries. They saw the absurdity in the fact that an accident of geography would deny their patients the two little pills a day that could save their lives.

This was less than a decade ago. And all of us who witnessed these dedicated African workers issuing death sentence after death sentence still feel fury and shame. AIDS forced us to ask ourselves the big, uncomfortable questions, like whether we were interested in charity or justice.

Yet today, here we are, talking seriously about the “end” of this global epidemic. There are now 6.6 million people on life-saving AIDS medicine. New research proves that we can slash the rate of new H.I.V. cases by up to 60 percent. This is the tipping point we have been campaigning for. We’re nearly there…” (from the NY Times – Op Ed - A Decade of Progress on AIDS, 11/30/11)

Instead of a death sentence, AIDS is becoming a chronic condition, managed by drugs – drugs we helped pay for through the Global Fund to those in developing countries. AIDS is still spreading but in more and more places, it is a fight that is no longer a losing battle because of the money to help fund the necessary drugs and campaigns against the disease.

Bono said, “I would like you to stop and consider what America has achieved in this war to defend lives lived far away and sacred principles held closer to home.”

Ever year, this weekend, we get a chance to stop and consider the lives we have affected through our gifts in these soup pots, we have given away $4,521.76 in 10 years and 837 food items to food pantries.

Money some years goes to the Global Fund helping us reach internationally. This year, we are looking closer to home, supporting the homeless ministry of the Chapel on the Green in New Haven.

No matter where it goes, it is part of our ministry to the sick, ministry to those in need, helping us move beyond just remembering those in need, but bestirring our compassion and making us concerned enough to help, by word and deed, for those who cry out -- for what we take for granted.

As Kahlil Gibran put it, “The coin that you place in the hand that inspires pity is the only chain of gold that links the humanity within you to the heart of the divine.” (The Eye of the Prophet)

The money that you give today in those soup pots, to the ones in need, links the humanity within you to the heart of God. Amen.

Same Sex Marriage

After our brief discussion on Sunday, for those who want to continue thinking about this subject, I invite you to read these two articles... (plus an update, see below)

The Power Of Marriage by David Brooks (NY Times):

Anybody who has several sexual partners in a year is committing spiritual suicide. He or she is ripping the veil from all that is private and delicate in oneself, and pulverizing it in an assembly line of selfish sensations.

But marriage is the opposite. Marriage joins two people in a sacred bond. It demands that they make an exclusive commitment to each other and thereby takes two discrete individuals and turns them into kin.

Same-sex complementarity: A theology of marriage by Eugene F. Rogers Jr. (Christian Century):

A year ago the bishops of the Episcopal Church received a 95-page report by eight theologians to provide the church with a "theology of same-sex relationships." (The report was published in the Winter 2011 issue of the Anglican Theological Review.) As you might expect, the panel split into two parties, "traditionalist" and "liberal."

What you might not expect—if you follow such debates in mainline Protestant bodies—was how the sides began to meet. Certain familiar arguments disappeared. New arguments took their place. And some of the new arguments converged in ways their authors perhaps had not intended.

This just in...

In 2011, majorities of most religious groups favored allowing gay and lesbian couple to marry legally, illustrating that the old narrative of battle lines between secular supporters and religious opponents no longer serves as an accurate characterization of the landscape of the same-sex marriage debate. In the general population, 2011 was also the first year on record in which supporting same-sex marriage was not a minority position.

Where did that come from?  Look here:  Beyond Secular vs. Religious: Religious Divides in Support for Same-Sex Marriage

Candlemas

Today is the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple aka Candlemas - it is not Groundhog Day - that is a movie by Bill Murry.  :)

There is a wikipedia article here.

 "Traditionally the Western term "Candlemas" (or Candle Mass) referred to the practice whereby a priest on 2 February blessed beeswax candles for use throughout the year, some of which were distributed to the faithful for use in the home."

Prayer:

Almighty and everliving God, we humbly pray that, as your only-begotten Son was this day presented in the temple, so we may be presented to you with pure and clean hearts by Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Reading:  Luke 2:22-40 ~ Common English Bible (CEB)

22 When the time came for their ritual cleansing, in accordance with the Law of Moses, they brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. 23 (It’s written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male will be dedicated to the Lord.”) 24 They offered a sacrifice in keeping with what’s stated in the Law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

 25 A man named Simeon was in Jerusalem. He was righteous and devout. He eagerly anticipated the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. 26 The Holy Spirit revealed to him that he wouldn’t die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 Led by the Spirit, he went into the temple area. Meanwhile, Jesus’ parents brought the child to the temple so that they could do what was customary under the Law. 28 Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God. He said,

 29 “Now, master, let your servant go in peace according to your word,
 30 because my eyes have seen your salvation.
31 You prepared this salvation in the presence of all peoples.
32 It’s a light for revelation to the Gentiles
   and a glory for your people Israel.”

 33 His father and mother were amazed by what was said about him. 34 Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “This boy is assigned to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that generates opposition 35 so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your innermost being too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, who belonged to the tribe of Asher. She was very old. After she married, she lived with her husband for seven years. 37 She was now an eighty-four-year-old widow. She never left the temple area but worshipped God with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 She approached at that very moment and began to praise God and to speak about Jesus to everyone who was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When Mary and Joseph had completed everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to their hometown, Nazareth in Galilee. 40 The child grew up and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.