Wednesday, July 25, 2018

A Prayer for the Summer

From the Book of Common Prayer:

For the Good Use of Leisure

O God, in the course of this busy life, give us times of refreshment and peace; and grant that we may so use our leisure to rebuild our bodies and renew our minds, that our spirits may be opened to the goodness of your creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

General Convention Part II #gc79


If you would like to delve a bit deeper into the General Convention, here are a two links to do just that:

https://agoodandjoyfulthing.com/2018/07/19/the-view-from-the-platform-general-convention-2018/

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/07/16/general-convention-wrap-up-following-the-way-of-jesus/

Sunday, July 15, 2018

General Convention Highlights #gc79 (Part I)


I was asked what are my top 5 resolutions that passed, here they are & the news articles that goes with them (in no particular order):

1) Updating our Lesser Feasts & Fasts - our saints calendar

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/07/13/lesser-feasts-and-fasts-a-step-closer-to-revision/

2) Re-admitting the Episcopal Church of Cuba as a diocese of the Episcopal Church.

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/both-houses-of-the-episcopal-churchs-79th-general-convention-vote-unanimously-to-admit-cuba-as-a-diocese/

3) Approval of compensation for house of deputies’ president


https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/07/06/general-convention-approves-compensation-for-deputies-president/

4) Holding on to our 1979 BCP and yet still moving forward

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/07/13/book-of-occasional-services-2018-approved-for-use-by-general-convention/

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/07/13/convention-lets-its-yes-be-yes-agreeing-to-give-church-full-access-to-trial-use-marriage-rites/

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/07/12/convention-approves-use-of-expansive-language-version-of-rite-ii-eucharistic-prayers/ 

https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/2018/07/11/deputies-agree-with-bishops-on-new-plan-for-liturgical-and-prayer-book-revision/

5) Our ongoing dialogues with the United Methodist Church and the Church of Sweden

There are no news reports about this but I think it is important to our ecumenical relations.

Sermon: July 15

What is your plumb line?

O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while he was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer for the sake of conscience; when they are accused, save them from speaking in hate; when they are rejected, save them from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them from despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their witness and to discern the truth, that our society may be cleansed and strengthened. This we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ, our merciful and righteous Judge. Amen.

When God called Amos & John did they understand how much opposition there would be?

Amaziah the Priest said to Amos, "O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy here at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom." 

John the Baptist had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against John, and wanted to kill him…

Those in power do not like to be judged for their deeds. They like the privilege, the spectacle of it all. But accountability? No.

God sends Amos, a sheep herder and farmer to the Northern Kingdom of Israel at a time of peace and prosperity. But all was not right, there was a general neglect of the commandments of God and the poor & needy were forgotten. So Amos brings divine judgement to the land of Israel.

John the Baptist preached from the river, a baptism of repentance. He heard what king Herod was doing, and brought God’s judgment against his leadership. The word of God that Amos & John proclaimed were not welcomed. John died for it. Amos persecuted.

In his last Sunday sermon before his assassination in 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., preached these words at Washington's National Cathedral:

"Cowardice asks the question, Is it safe? Expediency asks the question, Is it politic? And Vanity comes along and asks the question, Is it popular? But Conscience asks the question, Is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right."

Dr. King was speaking of the prophet's moment: that climactic point when the prophet proclaims the truth of God's word, for justice and peace, knowing full well the cost that will be exacted for proclaiming such a truth. Certainly both Amos & John the Baptizer realized that moment and embraced it, trusting in God's Word to triumph in the end.

And it’s easy for us to wag our finger at the powerful and say Ha! They will be judged, for they did not listen to them! And so they shall. But these words were also written for us to hear and to heed in our lives. No one is above reproach. We must listen to what the prophets are saying to us.

In his book Simple Truths: On Values, Civility, and Our Common Good, Stephen Bauman, senior minister at New York's Christ Methodist Church, tells of counseling a young parishioner:

"Elliott was on the horns of dilemma. A sophomore in high school, Elliot had knowledge that a certain classmate everyone detested had been falsely accused of stealing $150 from a teacher's purse. He was not the thief - Elliot saw his friend take the money. Was loyalty or truth more important? He didn't know what to do.

As we talked together, Elliot said that it would be easiest to do nothing. There was nothing that associated him with knowledge of the crime. He could stay free and clear of the problem. M. Scott Peck has written, 'Problems are the cutting edge of what distinguishes between success and failure. Problems call forth our courage and our wisdom; indeed, they create courage and our wisdom.' I suggested to Elliot that the easy way out was often the worst way and that maybe he needed to live with his problem for a while. It would be uncomfortable, but I would help him hold it."

Ridicule, isolation, rejection - even death - can be required of every one and anyone - us included - for taking seriously God's call to be his prophets: to proclaim God's compassion, forgiveness, and justice in times and places that are in determined opposition to the very idea of those things. As Elliot is discovering, the easy way of doing nothing is not an option for the faithful disciple who takes their baptism seriously. But God promises that God will be with us as we struggle to speak God’s word of justice and righteousness, as we strive to live into God’s place.

And The Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” And I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “See, I am setting a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel…” 

A plumb line is a weight suspended from a string used as a vertical reference line to ensure a structure is centered. As the plumb line always find the vertical axis pointing to the center of gravity, they ensure everything is right, justified and centered. Is the object on the mark, is it plumb?

Israel was off the mark and God was showing them. Can this not also be said of us? What's our plumb line? How do we measure our lives and our community? What tells us that our lives are aligned, that life has the right center of balance?

I think as Christians, our plumb line has to do with Jesus. Are we centered on Jesus? Are we plumb or do we not hang right? Our plumb line, like God’s plumb line from Amos has a lot to do with righteousness that is living in right relationship with our God and our neighbors. It has a lot to do with justice for the poor and needy. It has a lot to do with love (Love is the way!). All of which Jesus lived and spoke about to which he calls us as his disciples to do the same.

In our own time and place, there are prophets living among us who give their lives for their witness to God's word of reconciliation, peace, and justice; there are prophets who speak not only in powerful oratory but also in the quiet simplicity of their selfless generosity and loving service to others. At some time in our lives, we will face our own prophetic moment. May we embrace it like Amos, John, Martin with the courage of God's wisdom/justice and the optimism of God's compassion/love and know that our plumb line hangs straight and true only with Jesus. Amen.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

A Vision for Immigrant Advocacy from the Commission on Hispanic Ministry

from the Episcopal Herald:
 
Becoming the Beloved Community and a Vision for Immigrant Advocacy - inspired by the words of The Rev. Nancy Frausto in the TEC Conversation on Racial Reconciliation. Let’s put those words into action through immigrant advocacy.
A Vision for Immigrant Advocacy from the Commission on Hispanic Ministry

“You and the stranger shall be alike before the Lord.” (Numbers 15:15)
Taking up the Presiding Bishop’s call to become the Beloved Community, we, the Commission on Hispanic Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, and we as fellow travelers in the Jesus Movement call upon all our brothers and sisters in the Episcopal Church to join with us, on behalf of our refugee immigrant brothers and sisters, in:

Telling the Truth – An Unacceptable Reality:

These are our truths historically and currently:
  • Immigrants who flee poverty and violence are refugees, not criminals.
  • Immigrants live in constant anxiety and fear of arrest, incarceration, and deportation and they often suffer labor and sexual exploitation.
  • The threat of arrest and deportation imperils family unity.
  • Youth and young adults brought into this country as children are treated as criminals and denied opportunities to study, work, and have hope for the future.
  • Immigrant children do not have equal access to quality education.
  • Our historic propensity towards anti-immigrant sentiment results in actions that rob minority communities of their human dignity.
  • The current immigration system does not resolve these injustices in a comprehensive or compassionate manner nor does it prioritize family unity.

Proclaiming the Dream – A Vision of a Just World:

In a just world:
  • people understand and are connected enough to the immigrant community to know that they are refugees and not criminals. 
  • there is relief from the threat of arrest, incarceration, and deportation.
  • there is legal recourse for those suffering labor and sexual exploitation.
  • policies do not threaten the integrity of the family.
  • legislation for persons brought into the country as children provides pathways to legal residency and citizenship.
  • educational opportunities for immigrant children are the same as those for all other children.
  • comprehensive and compassionate immigration reform fosters family unity and provides pathways to legal residency and citizenship.

Practicing the Way of Love – The Jesus Movement:

We urge churches to become the beloved community by:
  • learning about the factors affecting immigration and the experiences of immigrants both in their home countries and here.
  • inviting and including immigrants in their communities.
  • partnering with immigration advocacy groups.
  • developing missional partnerships for mutual prayer and ministry, advocacy, and resource-sharing with the communities that minister to immigrant communities.

Repairing the Breach: A Call to Society, Congregations, and Institutions:

To heal a broken creation, we will:
  • Set aside budget funds (1) to assist immigrants with the legal costs associated with regularizing their immigration status, (2) for parishes to conduct “know your rights” seminars and to prepare Powers of Attorneys for the parents of children in case the parents are detained or deported, and (3) to assist immigrant students in achieving their higher education goals.
  • Advocate and work to overturn any laws and regulation, such as Texas SB4, that cause people to live in fear, especially minority communities.
  • Advocate and work for the regularization of the status of persons brought into the country as children so that they can continue to work, study, and have hope for the future.

This is just a beginning. How might you implement a strategic plan for immigrant advocacy? It starts with a vision, it becomes a reality through you.

General Convention News



What is happening at Convention?

Look here:

Episcopal News Service
https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/

Episcopal Herald (out of Texas)
https://episcopalherald.com/category/gc-2018/

Episcopal Cafe
https://www.episcopalcafe.com/category/thelead/ 

Practice the Way of Love

An Invitation from Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry to Practice the Way of Love

I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:17-19

In the first century Jesus of Nazareth inspired a movement. A community of people whose lives were centered on Jesus Christ and committed to living the way of God’s unconditional, unselfish, sacrificial, and redemptive love. Before they were called “church” or “Christian,” this Jesus Movement was simply called “the way.”

Today I believe our vocation is to live as the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement. But how can we together grow more deeply with Jesus Christ at the center of our lives, so we can bear witness to his way of love in and for the world?

The deep roots of our Christian tradition may offer just such a path. For centuries, monastic communities have shaped their lives around rhythms and disciplines for following Jesus together. Such a pattern is known as a “Rule of Life.” The framework you now hold – The Way of Love: Practices for Jesus-Centered Life – outlines a Rule for the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement.

It is designed to be spare and spacious, so that individuals, ministry groups, congregations, and networks can flesh it out in unique ways and build a church-wide treasure trove of stories and resources. There is no specific order you need to follow. If you already keep a Rule or spiritual disciplines, you might reflect and discover how that path intersects with this one. By entering into reflection, discernment and commitment around the practices of Turn - Learn - Pray - Worship - Bless - Go - Rest, I pray we will grow as communities following the loving, liberating, life-giving way of Jesus. His way has the power to change each of our lives and to change this world.


Your brother in the Way of Jesus,

+Michael
The Most Reverend Michael B. Curry,
Primate and Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church


(Come learn about this on Sunday, July 15.)

Monday, July 9, 2018

Sermon: July 8

O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light rises up from the shadows for the righteous: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what you would have us do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in your light we may see light, and in your path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Don’t be a cynic.

A cynic is “a person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest rather than acting for honorable or unselfish reasons.” (dictionary.com)

It’s too easy these days to be cynical, dismissing everything and everyone as selfish, in it for themselves. We are called through our baptism to have inquiring and discerning hearts and to follow Jesus in how he lived, how he ministered to all, in different ways, even in a world full of distrust and hate.

People, especially in his hometown, were suspicious of what Jesus was saying and doing.

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And Jesus could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And Jesus was amazed at their unbelief. He then continued his teaching in other villages and sent the disciples by two out to continue his ministry.

Jesus was amazed but he still went & ministered & sent the disciples out. Such cynicism is rampant today too, in how we so easily take offense but we are called to live into the hope that Jesus offers all. Jim Wallis in his best-selling book God's Politics says that the obstacle of our faith is the fundamental choice between cynicism and hope. He writes:

"First, let's be fair to the cynics. Cynicism is the place of retreat for the smart, critical, dissenting, and formerly idealistic people who are now trying to protect themselves. They are not naive. They tend to see things as they are, they know what is wrong, and they are generally opposed to what they see . . . They know what is going on, and at one point, they might even have tried for a time to change it. But they didn't succeed; things got worse, and they got weary. Their activism, and the commitments and hopes that implied, made them feel vulnerable. So they retreated to cynicism as the refuge from commitment . . .

"Cynicism does protect you in many ways. It protects you from seeming foolish to believe that things could and will change. It protects you from disappointment. It protects you from insecurity because now you are free to pursue your own security instead of sacrificing it for a social engagement that won't work anyway. Ultimately, cynicism protects you from commitment. If things are not really going to change, why try so hard to make a difference? Why become and stay so involved? Why take the risks, make the sacrifices, open yourself to the vulnerabilities?

"Perhaps the only people who view the world realistically are the cynics and the saints. Everybody else may be living in some kind of denial about what is really going on and how things really are. And the only difference between the cynics and the saints is the presence, power, and possibility of hope . . .

"More than just a moral issue, hope is a spiritual and even religious choice. Hope is not a feeling; it is a decision. And the decision for hope is based on what you believe at the deepest levels - what your most basic convictions are about the world and what the future holds - all based on your faith. You choose hope, not as a naive wish, but as a choice, with your eyes wide open to the reality of the world - just like the cynics who have not made the decision for hope."

Don’t be a cynic. Make the decision to live and practice hope. So what does this hope look like in real life? In April 2002, Shifa al-Qudsi was hours away from death.

A Palestinian living on the occupied West Bank, Shifa was the 25-year-old single mother of a six-year-old daughter. She worked as a hairdresser; she had little interest in politics. But after the intifada - the "uprising" - she found herself in the midst of the conflict. Family members and friends were shot; the mother of her daughter's best friend was killed; the constant sound of explosions gave her young daughter nightmares. Finally, she could take no more of it and volunteered to be a suicide bomber. She didn't care that she would die and leave her daughter without a parent; she had no sense that her death would only continue the cycle of violence. She just wanted to kill Israeli soldiers. But Israeli security forces, tipped to the plan, burst into her house the night before the attack and arrested her. She was convicted of conspiracy.

While in prison, Shifa rethought her life, especially her anger and response to that anger. She began reading the writings of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela. But what turned her around was a female Israeli prison guard who treated her with respect.

Today, after six years in an Israeli prison, Shifa is now part of a group called Combatants for Peace, a group of Palestinians and Israelis who have come together to work for an end to hostilities among the two peoples/nations. "That's what made me feel that not every Israeli is the same," she remembers. "Now my jihad is to send out a message to the world . . . We are a people who want peace, just peace." [The New York Times, October 28, 2016.]

The guard whom Shifa met in prison possessed an authority that was centered not in her position but in the virtue of her character and the respect she offered, not cynicism or hatred. Shifa chose to live in hope. In today's Gospel, Jesus' hearers cannot believe that such wisdom can exist in their midst, that the justice and peace Jesus envisions are simply not possible. They are isolated by their cynicism; hope is beyond their reach, and so they reject Jesus with scorn and ridicule. Jesus calls us - dares us – as his disciples, to embrace his prophetic hope: to change our perspective, our belief systems, and ourselves in order to realize the possibilities we have for creating God's kingdom of peace and compassion for all God’s children in this time and place of ours. Amen.

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

4th of July (Independence Day)

On July 4th, The Episcopal Church joins the United States in celebrating Independence Day, marking the day the country declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776.

This is an op-ed by a fellow Episcopalian:

Let me take this opportunity to remind Episcopalians in the United States that many of us do not consider the words -- "the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us" -- in the Independence Day collect to be accurate. Look around your congregations and reflect if all the ancestors of the "us" got their liberty then. Listen to the words of Collect (BCP, p. 242) for Independence Day July 4th:

Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This phrase is only possible because slavery was forgotten—or the “us” was not meant to include me.  A better and approved BCP collect for the 4th is "For the Nation" (p.258 or p.207):

Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Also the Canadians’ Canada Day collect (July 1) also works for us in the USA and all the other countries in which The Episcopal Church is.

Almighty God, whose wisdom and whose love are over all, accept the prayers we offer for our nation. Give integrity to its citizens and wisdom to those in authority, that harmony and justice may be secured in obedience to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

--Byron Rushing, Vice-President of the House of Deputies

A prayer I like for “Our Country” is #18 on page 820 of our BCP:


Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly pray that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

#gc79 - The General Convention of the Episcopal Church


Starts Thursday, July 5 (ends July 13)!


Pray for those attending our General Convention:

Almighty and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of your faithful people is governed and sanctified: Receive our supplications and prayers which we offer before you for all members of your holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and devoutly serve you; through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting Father, who hast given the Holy Spirit to abide with us for ever: Bless, we beseech thee, with his grace and presence, the bishops and the other clergy and the laity in Austin, TX assembled in thy Name, that thy Church, being preserved in true faith and godly discipline, may fulfill all the mind of him who loved it and gave himself for it, thy Son Jesus Christ our Savior; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

Almighty and everliving God, source of all wisdom and understanding, be present with those who take counsel in Austin, TX (for General Convention) for the renewal and mission of your Church. Teach us in all things to seek first your honor and glory. Guide us to perceive what is right, and grant us both the courage to pursue it and the grace to accomplish it; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
 
Main Page:

http://www.generalconvention.org/

ECCT Page:

https://www.episcopalct.org/gc79/

Media Hub (to stay connected):

https://www.episcopalchurch.org/general-convention-2018-media-hub


Worship:


https://www.generalconvention.org/worship-gc2018/

Interesting commentary (look at GC2018):

https://episcopalherald.com/

(also here: https://www.sevenwholedays.org/category/general-convention/ )


How does the legislation work?



A Theology of Bread


Bread is Life: The beginning of a theology of baking bread (by meghan-murphy-gill)

“Let me bring a little bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on–since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of choice flour, knead it, and make cakes.” – Gen. 18:5-6

This passage is often used as a reflection on how Abraham shows us what it means to offer hospitality or what it means to invite God into your life, but my mind always goes to Sarah. I want to climb into the tent with her, offer my assistance as she dips measuring cups into the soft flour and kneads the dough with her strong hands and arms. And of course, I think about what it might smell like as she puts the bread over the fire to bake. The yeasty aromas coupled with the smokiness of the fire were probably mouthwatering. And the cakes would certainly make a tell-tale crackling sound as they cooled. Sarah probably made an extra cake for taste testing before offering the the loaves to their guests. Without commercial yeast, Sarah would have relied on a starter made of wild yeasts in the air. The bread was probably tangy thanks to the mature starter. The taste of honey also comes to mind.

I love to bake bread, because it’s a simple process that relies on fermentation, an ancient, possibly billions-of-years-old process common to all bacteria – perhaps one of the processes responsible for the origin of life on earth, and certainly a process shared among cultures across the globe to preserve the and, dare I say, even sometimes improve the flavor of earth’s bounty. Beer, wine, kefir, pickles, and krauts are all created thanks to fermentation.

Traditionally, four ingredients create what we call bread: water, yeast, salt, and flour, usually wheat.

Read the fascinating Article here.

Families Belong Together


From Bishop Michael Curry:

The screams of children being taken from their mothers and fathers at our border, under our flag, haunts the nation. Across political and religious divides, the nation – and the world – is aghast and Americans are refusing complicity in all the ways they can. Millions of people are crying, protesting and praying in our houses of worship and in the public square. In a moment of national shame, huge swaths of people are acting in love.

The families making treacherous and often dangerous journeys to seek refuge in the US are desperate. They face extreme violence, persecution and poverty in their home countries. You cannot deter people who are fleeing for their lives, even with policies as cruel as taking children away from their parents. People who come to our borders only hope to give their children a chance. We should be meeting these people with compassion.

Christians have recoiled against the notion that ripping children from their parents – euphemistically called “family separation” – in any way comports with the teachings of Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, Mary, and Joseph were refugees who fled persecution and emigrated to Egypt. Love thy neighbour is the Christian way. There is no biblical mandate or warrant for what is occurring on our borders. Christianity must never be confused with cruelty.

While the president has rightly declared families will no longer be separated at the border, he wrongly continues to promote a hurtful immigration policy greatly devoid of human compassion. Even with the new executive order, immigration officers will keep families who are legally seeking asylum in detention.

Read his whole article here.

At our General Convention: Prayer Service Set at Detention Center During General Convention

CT Bishops' Letter on the Immigration of Families

July 1 Sermon

This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.

This prayer is in our BCP on page 461 under Prayers for use by a Sick Person. It is one of my favorite prayers from our tradition. It is a prayer for when we are sick & in need of God’s spirit to guide us but I think it is a prayer for us every day too, asking God’s help to make us ready for whatever this day will bring forth.

The prayer helps me realize that my health rests in God’s hand and the Spirit of Jesus will help me on my journey in whatever may come my way.

Our First Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon reminds us that “God did not make death and he does not delight in the death of the living. For he created all things so that they might exist; the generative forces of the world are wholesome…”

We are made to live, created in God’s own image. Death is the aberration. Wholeness is what God desires.

That is the default setting – wholeness & life. Keeping this in mind, let’s turn to the Gospel for today and the two healing stories, one imbedded in another.

Jairus a wealthy, well-connected religious leader comes to Jesus to have him heal his sick daughter. An extraordinary story of a named religious leader coming to Jesus for help! He must have been desperate. He had the means to help her but she was not getting better…he kneels before Jesus.

Their journey to his house is interrupted by an unnamed woman who is ill, impoverished, and looking for help.

That woman had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years, who endured much under many physicians, spent all that she had; and was no better, but worse. She was also ritually unclean, such bleeding would have separated her from others including her family. Poor, sick, on the margins…

She too must have been desperate for help. And she thought if she just touched Jesus…and after being discovered, she kneels before him. Jesus said to her after she touched his garment: "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease." Wholeness and life.

An elderly woman, despondent over the recent death of her husband of 60 years, was moved into a nursing home. She didn't speak to any one; she never made any requests of the staff. All she would do is sit in an old rocking chair in the day room and rock.

The old woman didn't have many visitors, and the few family members who came stayed only after a few awkwardly quiet minutes.

But every couple of mornings, a young nurse would go into the day room. She didn't try to engage her in conversation or ask questions. She simply pulled up another rocking chair beside the woman and rocked with her. After a few minutes, the nurse would continue her rounds. Before leaving, she would touch the old woman on the arm, squeeze her hand, or offer her a tissue.

Many weeks later, the old woman finally spoke. She turned to the nurse and took the young woman's hand and smiled. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you for rocking with me." [Adapted from InspirationPeak.com]

The story of the sick woman in today's Gospel is told as an afterthought, wedged in between another healing story - indeed, her whole life is an afterthought. She counts for little in the social structure of her time; her problems and illness elicit neither concern nor care from those around her. Her hemorrhages, in fact, mark her as unclean, someone to be avoided.

But like the kindness of the nurse who does not let the widow's despondency mark her, the power of Jesus transcends the woman's isolation & brings healing. May we readily pull up our own rocking chairs to care for those who are estranged or forgotten because of grief or illness; may the power of Jesus' compassion and peace enable us to seek out the needy, the lost and despairing in our midst.

But Jesus wasn’t done yet, for Mark’s story continues with Jairus, one of the leaders of the synagogue, who is told his daughter is dead, but after hearing of his daughter’s death, Jesus said to him: "Do not fear, only believe." And Jesus raises his daughter up and she is healed.

Illness and death. They were then and still are two of the great scourges of life. So much so that we fear illness & death. Think of all the superstitions built up around each of these, don’t talk about them or they might just happen to you. Hogwash. The more we talk about them, the more we bring them out into the light, the less we have to fear. We need not be slaves to the twin fears of illness and death. Jesus in his ministry tore down their power and lifted up life, everyone’s life, and refused to let death replace life. Jesus brought love and comfort.

A true story, recounted in the weekly "Metropolitan Diary" column of The New York Times [March 2, 2009]:

In Dunkin' Donuts an old lady wearing a tattered watch cap started speaking to no one in particular.

"I can't sleep at night. I have pains in my chest all the time. My leg hurts and my children do not love me."

People waiting in line hid in their cell phones, looked away or stared straight ahead.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know where to turn. My husband died two years ago on the 27th."

Everyone pretended she wasn't there. The girls behind the counter took the next customers. The line inched forward.

At a side table, a beautiful young woman with matching purple scarf and hat looked at the old woman and said, simply, "Honey, please sit down with me and tell me your story."

It's possible, you see, for one person to save the world.

Life can be so much easier and peaceful when we have nothing to do with others - Don't get involved, walk away, mind your own business, are much safer approaches to life. But in today's Gospel, Jesus is not afraid to wade into the messiness of life in order to transform, heal and restore. In the two miracles we hear today, Jesus ignores custom and taboo in a way that modern readers may miss: In taking the dead girl by the hand, in allowing the sick woman to touch him, Jesus became ceremoniously unclean and not permitted to enter the synagogue or temple. But to respond compassionately to the plight of these families becomes more important, more sacred, than the "safety" of convention and tradition. We are made to live and be whole.

May we come to imitate that same compassion of the healing Christ, risking our own sense of safety and satisfaction in order to bring that love into the lives of others, so they too can feel more whole, more alive in the fullness of God’s beautiful creation. Amen.