Year B Proper 11 2024 Charisma

 Year B Proper 11, 21 July 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Charisma”

Collect: Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Mark 6:30-34, 53-56

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.

Jesus had something that people wanted. And I would argue, he had something that they desperately needed. They just did not know it yet.

Most of us don’t. Things have not changed. He drew throngs of folks, some not even knowing why. Some came with an intent and purpose. Healing of friends or family, stretching them along his path just for the chance of touching the hem of his garment. As they said of Ferris Bueller, he was a “righteous dude.”

No matter what our felt needs are, no matter what gets us out of our complacency and drives us to reach out and connect with Jesus, he gets to the real point very quickly. That’s what he does.

In the opening of today’s passage, we see him trying to give his disciples a much deserved and even more needed break. It says that they could not even get a chance to finish their meals, they were being pulled in so many directions. So Jesus got them in a boat and headed for a place apart, separated from their daily business, or should that be their “busy-ness.”

But even then, people saw where they were headed and ran ahead to meet them when they landed. They could not catch a break! But Jesus did not yell. He did not plead for them to give him and his disciples a breather. I love how the reading puts it:

As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

As tired as they were, his love for the people came first.

You may have noticed, our reading skips several verses, so today’s lectionary could focus on Jesus’ ministry to the people. What was skipped was two miracles in Mark 6, the Feeding of the 5,000 and Jesus’ walking on the water. Two big miracles which are next Sunday’s reading, just John’s version.

As we come to Jesus’ interactions with the people, never forget how charismatic he was. Never forget how people were drawn to him.

We don’t talk about that aspect of Jesus much, how he drew people in. One of my favorite descriptions of that indescribable quality of attraction some are gifted with, comes from the opening lines of Primary Colors by Anonymous, which was about Bill Clinton, sort of.

He was a big fellow, looking seriously pale on the streets of Harlem in deep summer. I am small and not so dark, not very threatening to Caucasians; I do not strut my stuff.

We shook hands. My inability to recall that particular moment more precisely is disappointing: the handshake is the threshold act, the beginning of politics. I've seen him do it two million times now, but I couldn't tell you how he does it, the right-handed part of it--the strength, quality, duration of it, the rudiments of pressing the flesh. I can, however, tell you a whole lot about what he does with his other hand. He is a genius with it. He might put it on your elbow, or up by your biceps: these are basic, reflexive moves. He is interested in you. He is honored to meet you. If he gets any higher up your shoulder--if he, say, drapes his left arm over your back, it is somehow less intimate, more casual. He'll share a laugh or a secret then--a light secret, not a real one– flattering you with the illusion of conspiracy. If he doesn't know you all that well and you've just told him something "important," something earnest or emotional, he will lock in and honor you with a two-hander, his left hand overwhelming your wrist and forearm. He'll flash that famous misty look of his. And he will mean it.

Anyway, as I recall it, he gave me a left-hand-just-above-the-elbow plus a vaguely curious "ah,

so you're the guy I've been hearing about" look, and a follow-me nod. I didn't have the time, or presence of mind, to send any message back at him. Slow emotional reflexes, I guess. His were lightning. He was six meaningful handshakes down the row before I caught up. And then I fell in, a step or two behind, classic staff position, as if I'd been doing it all my life. (I had, but not for anyone so good.)

And Jesus was 1,000 times better than that. Jesus actually had power, he was not seeking it. He actually had authority, it was not imposter syndrome.

Think of Zaccheus up in the tree, scared of his own shadow, but he could not let Jesus pass by without a glimpse. Or the Triumphal Entry on what we call Palm Sunday. 

Now as he was approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,

“Blessed is the king

    who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven,

    and glory in the highest heaven!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”

Or the good Jewish folks on this side of the lake, or the Gentile folks across the way in Gennesaret. No matter your stripe, people were just attracted to this one. He preached with authority. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He had a quality that drew people to him.

Charisma is the word we use for that strange attraction. Jesus had it. You might not know this, but from the Greek, charisma is from the word for “gift.” A good gift is a eu-charist. The same word we use for communion. And Charis by itself in the Greek is Grace, the greatest gift we can receive.

We are showered with charisms, gifts, and Jesus exhibited it repeatedly. God is a god of Abundance. God is a gift giver. A few of you say I love you with gifts. It is one of the Love Languages. I was overwhelmed when I got back because a few of you ran to give me “welcome home” gifts.

And Jesus came to give his good gifts to those around him and down to us as well. Healing in his touch. The blessing and breaking of the bread. Love and Grace. A way to live a life of peace and sanity in the midst of a chaotic and insane world.

Jesus is the gift that keeps on giving. And he is even better when we give him away. We do not lose anything when we do that. We actually gain everything.

Think on that at the altar today. Think on that as we share fellowship in his name. Think on that when you are hurting and in need of healing. Think on that as we face death. Jesus is a gift to us. He is and was and always will be.

He is the quintessential human. The second Adam (see Romans 5:12-21), who gives us all a second chance. He is indescribable and unbelievable. My poor kids, I have made them watch World War II movies most of their life. If all I did was watch old and new World War II movies, it would be potentially never ending. New ones come about all the time. But Jesus is bigger than that. Every day I can learn something new, and I would never be done. As John finishes his Gospel:

This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

He is the author of creation and the judge of the universe. The Alpha and Omega. The standard by which we all fail and the door by which we all enter. Friends, take some time today to merely contemplate who Jesus is to you.

Is he who you say he is, or is he who he says he is. If you do not know the difference I invite you to explore that. Read the Gospels, get a red letter edition, and look at what he said. Read them again and make it a green letter edition, maybe underline what he did. And then you have the Hebrew Scriptures where you can look for what he would be like. And then we have the Christian Scriptures describing what it is like living fully into this new reality of Jesus in our lives.

Friends, Jesus was in the flesh. A man who was born, who lived a full and complete life, a man who died. Do not be tempted into making him an abstract idea. Do not allow yourself to put him on a pedestal separate from the hardships of the life you live. He was fully one of us, and yet more, full and completely one with the Father. As Paul says in Colossians 2:9-10: 

For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fullness in him…

We can be who we are, or better yet, who we are meant to be, because of who he was. We find our fullness in him.

If that does not draw you to him I do not know what would. 

Seek him. Embrace him. Celebrate him. Amen

Year B Proper 10 2024 Listen Closely & Speak Boldly

Year B Proper 10, 14 July 2024
St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA
“Listen Closely & Speak Boldly”

Collect: O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Gospel Mark 6:14-29
King Herod heard of Jesus and his disciples, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.” But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
For Herod himself had sent men who arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod had married her. For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and for the leaders of Galilee. When his daughter Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it.” And he solemnly swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” She went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” She replied, “The head of John the baptizer.” Immediately she rushed back to the king and requested, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” The king was deeply grieved; yet out of regard for his oaths and for the guests, he did not want to refuse her. Immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl. Then the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard about it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.



Good morning. I need to start with the events that happened last evening, and denounce violence in all its forms. We will pray today for former President Trump and his family, those killed and injured, and for our country. With so much rage and divisiveness, a solid, loving, Grace-filled witness is needed all the more. I wrote during this week and finished this sermon yesterday morning. The events of last night made it all the more relevant.

We have a harsh scene, nagging guilt, saving face, and righteous indignation. Herod was guilty of beheading an innocent man to save face in front of his guests, and he hears of someone very similar and his lackeys are hinting that it is John the Baptizer resurrected. Guilt has him thinking it might be true.

John had confronted the King for marrying his brother’s wife Herodius. And at a birthday party, probably a little under the influence, he made promises he had to keep.

Human nature has not changed much in 2000 years.

We still have big egos promising more than they can deliver. We still have crooked politicians. We still have personal squabbles affecting culture at large. Arrgh!

One thing I find fascinating is that the word going around is that Jesus was a reincarnated John the Baptizer. How was his ministry similar enough to draw that comparison? He was a popular preacher gathering throngs of hungry listeners, but Herod’s conscience was tender enough to worry. He was human enough to have it affect him. He said as much, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”

We get caught up in the way that we live our lives. If we live open and honest, we tend to see the world that way. If we are lying, sneaking crooks, we tend to see the world that way, too. As Jesus had said, “He who lives by the sword dies by the sword.” Whatever game you play is the rules you will expect.

So even though this is the game on the field, it does not mean we have to play it. Last week I spoke on Freedom of Conscience. It is that dangerous gift that God gave us from the beginning. We are not robots or automatons. We have a chance to make a choice, and we have the opportunity to go against the flow, small or huge, and do what is right and good and true.

In the moment, it can be hard to know what is the right path to choose. It can be confusing. An offhand comment can make a huge difference (good or bad) to someone who hears it. We need to be careful what we say.

This morning in our collect we prayed for God’s help, those of us who pray and are trying to do God’s work in this world. We asked “grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them.”

As James reminds us, “Faith, without works, is dead.” (2:17)

So where do we go with that?

Friends, we have the ability to make a difference in this world, and most of it begins with making a difference in ourselves. If you want to have more friends, you have to be friendly. If you want the world to be a better place, you have to get up and do good. We create around us the world we wish to see, and we make choices that echo. Think of it like dropping a stone in a pond. It may seem like a small splash when it goes in, but the ring of waves that begins goes on and on and on. Good stones equal good waves. Bad stones create bad waves. The lives we live are much like that. We make waves, good or bad. What we do echoes into the void, and we may never see the effects, but that does not mean that they are not there. As Jesus taught, we reap what we sow.

These may seem trite, but it does not make them any less true. You may be the only Bible someone may ever read, and you may be the only Jesus someone may ever meet. These brief encounters may give someone a glimpse of a different moment, which may lead to a different day, which may lead to a different life, which may lead to a different eternity. These “little things” may seem so small and insignificant, but they are everything.

As Gandalf told Bilbo in The Hobbit, “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” Or if Mother Teresa is more your speed, “Not all of us can do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”

I think that is what made John, and Jesus, so popular and attractive. They loved the people that were around them, day in and day out. Even when he was denouncing Herod, John was doing it with love at the base. He wanted what was best for him. Even when he was jailed, Herod brought him in to preach to him. As it said in today’s Gospel:

Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he protected him. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed; and yet he liked to listen to him.

Even when we perplex and frustrate people, they sense the way we feel about them. It seeps through the cracks whether we intend it to or not.

As my mother reminded me when I was a snotty teen, “Don’t look at me in that tone of voice!” People know our hearts.

Jesus’ ministry had that feel, as did John’s. And what of ours? What do our actions and choices say about our hearts, individually and collectively?

Do we dare take stands against grievous public wrongs? Do we dare let our voice be heard when we know it could cost us?

We live in a time when people are using our Lord and Savior as a weapon for hurting and not a scalpel for healing. We live in a time when the name of Jesus is being used in vain repeatedly and loudly instead of a blessing. We live in a time when the word Christian has become a slur because of its association with hate and not love. Never did I think I would live in such a time as this. But we are put in this time and in this place for such a time as this. John, while having to pay a price, the ultimate price, made a difference in his preaching and his actions.

It is not easy to stand up for what is right when everyone seems to be going the opposite direction. For me the litmus test is Grace. Does it promote health and healing and growth, or does it focus on the interests of a few at the cost of everyone. Is there a preferential bias for those with the least (the metaphorical widow and orphan) or the empowerment and privilege of the few? Does it lift up all of God’s Children or a few claiming God’s love as their own possession?

You probably have heard me say that the greatest need of a follower of Jesus these days is discernment, a testing of the spirit of the times, especially in times like these. It is often hard to know what to do. When there are fires blazing all around us, which one do we put out first? That is discernment. There are different hills on which all of us might choose to die. That is part of our discernment.

John chose Herod’s immoral relationship for himself. And I trust that the Holy Spirit led him to that choice.

When we are facing hard choices, know that we are promised that same gift.

Luke 12:11-12
“When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities, do not worry about how or what you will answer or what you are to say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”

The Holy Spirit can and does work with you in different ways.

The Holy Spirit is with you as you read and “inwardly digest” Scripture. It helps you know what God’s word says about today by taking the principles of the ancient narratives and putting God’s way into our day and time.

The Holy Spirit helps us determine the source of words and actions. Where is this coming from? Is there the serenity and calmness of God’s authority here, or is it coming from a swirling place of self-interest and lust for power?

The Holy Spirit invites us to be co-laboring with the Spirit, and with each other, to be at work in this world. God’s people will know each other by their trademark of love and grace, and like-minded and like-spirited folks will be at work together building the kingdom and opposing the power-mad empires of our world.

Friends, today’s Gospel is not a light one. Guilt, shame, and death, a swirling confusion. And when I lead people in discernment I remind them that God is not a God of confusion. Listen. Listen hard for that still, small voice. It is not in the fires, or the earthquakes, or the windstorms. It is in that quiet, intimate space where God finds you and you find God.

Go there, listen closely, and fear not. Amen.

Year B Proper 9 WED 2024 Grace for the Vipers

Year B Proper 9 WEDNESDAY, 10 July 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Grace for the Vipers”

Collect: O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your

Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus

Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Matthew 23:27-39

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside

they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you

are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,

and you say, “If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the

prophets.” Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the

measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?* Therefore I send you

prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from

town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood

of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.Truly I tell you, all this will come upon

this generation.

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your

children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate.*

For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’

Not a happy Jesus. Not a Jesus pulling punches. He is sick and tired of being sick and tired.

He knows they know better, and they are doing it anyway.

And yet, even then, his grace flows out. Snakes! Brood of vipers! Hypocrites! He lets all the

names fly. But, as I said, he still desires to love and honor them:

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to

it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood

under her wings…’

This is Jesus. He would not be doing his work if he did not warn and castigate the errant

souls. And even more, he would not be doing his job if he did not extend Grace.

Philip Yancey in his book What’s So Amazing About Grace? put it this way:

“Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a

hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group: I think he preferred

their company. Because the sinners were honest about themselves and had no pretense,

Jesus could deal with them. In contrast, the saints put on airs, judged him, and sought

to catch him in a moral trap. In the end it was the saints, not the sinners, who arrested

Jesus.”

Yep, be careful around those church-y types.

It was nice being in a different place where my reputation did not precede me and my collar

did not stick out like a sore thumb. In my time at the school I attended, in the first two weeks

I had four conversations with folks who all had left the church for whatever reason and I was

able to present to them a different way, a different view of faith than they had heard before

and encouraged them to check out their local Episcopal Church. Once people got beyond

their expectations and prejudices, we were able to have some rich and wonderful conversations.

It really made me pay attention.

I am thankful, as I said on Sunday, that I was able to choose to be a part of a church I believe

in, and part of God’s Kingdom preaching a gospel of Grace and Peace. People need to hear

that they do not need to Fear, and that they are loved and accepted for who they are. They do

not need to get right to get loved. Another Philip Yancey quote: 

“God loves people because of who God is, not because of who we are.” (WISAAG?)

It was in Jesus’ nature to be Grace filled, even when he was accurately identifying the Snakes!

The brood of Vipers! The hypocrites!

God help is in the days of name calling and belittling to come. God help us not to fear. But

most of all, God help us be Grace-filled especially when the Vipers are all around us, and the

last thing we want to do is love. Amen

Year B Independence Day Observed 2024

 Year B Independence Day (Observed), 7 July 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“A Nation of Faith”

Collect: 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.

Hebrews 11:8-16

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old-- and Sarah herself was barren-- because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, “as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.”

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them.

Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Good morning, friends. It is good to be home. It was a blink and an eternity, and it is done. I tried to learn some Spanish, and learned I do not learn as quickly as I used to when I was last in school. Alas. But I learned a different way of doing things and being, and for that I am thankful. My family and I relaxed and traveled together before college pushes us in different directions starting this fall, and for that I am immensely thankful. It was a privilege and a gift that I appreciate more than I can say. I will be sharing more in the coming days, and have another third of my sabbatical to go, coming up in 5 weeks. More to learn and more to see. 

It is a bit surreal after having been out of the country almost three months to get home and be focused on our nation with the Independence Day festivities. The dichotomy is like throwing it in reverse on the interstate. But also, in a way it gives clarity.

I love our country and the privileges that it affords its citizens, freedoms and securities that are the envy of the world. Being somewhere many would risk everything to have makes it seem all the more precious.

In the days before my return I was aghast that some states have decided to require that the 10 Commandments are required to be posted in school classrooms. That is far from the separation of Church & State that Jefferson alluded to and has been the thought and practice of our country (mostly) since its inception.

I do not want to have the 10 commandments on classroom walls because I do not trust the state to train up my children and our children collectively in our beliefs, and our interpretation, our hermeneutic to use the fancy word. One reason we have so many churches and denominations is that each has its own slant and understanding on reading, learning, and sharing God’s word. I celebrate the 10 Commandments being posted. I love that they are right there. But this is a church. It is a part of our identity. And I heard one comedian bring up the fact that trying to explain “Thou Shalt Not Commit Adultery” hurts more than helps on a Kindergarten wall.

Our signers of the declaration of Independence which started this noble experiment we call the United States of America were an eclectic bunch, men of many different religious backgrounds and beliefs. Most were lawyers, merchants, and plantation owners. A couple were even ministers. The age that shaped these men was the Age of Enlightenment, and many were Deists or Unitarians. Deism is often described as seeing God as a Watchmaker who creates the Universe, winds it up, and lets it go. God pretty much follows a hands off policy. And Unitarianism dismisses the Trinitarian view of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit which is foundational to our creeds.

We are not and never have been a Christian nation, mostly in direct response to the United Kingdom where the monarch, be it King or Queen, is head of state and church both. We wanted to have a nation with Freedom of Religion. Freedom for Religion or Freedom from Religion. It was a freedom of conscience which they were fighting for, a freedom for the individual which they collectively fought for and were willing to die for.

But even here, while they did not agree on a religion to follow and swear their collective allegiance to, they were establishing and have handed on a nation based on faith.

Hear me closely, not a religious faith, but a common belief that Jefferson began his Declaration of Independence with these words:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Now I call it a statement of Faith for that last sentence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident.” That is a belief they commonly held, that white, male land-owners were able to proclaim. In the centuries since, thankfully, that understanding has expanded and grown to mean the fullness of those words. That “all people” were given three gifts, gifts which I argue from the teaching of Jesus Christ himself, that everyone has a right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. It is from his ethical and moral teachings which even the Deists and Universalists would affirm, that these ideas spread and grew.

One can affirm and agree with Jesus of Nazareth without seeing him as Savior and Lord.

And these ideas which the Founders agreed on and made the foundation of their argument for the Birth of this nation make this nation a nation built on this belief, which makes this a nation built on faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Our Founders could not see on this planet or in the states they represented this reality they could see in their mind. They wanted to, and they declared their independence and all of ours to do so. And for almost 250 years we have tried. And we continue to try.

In Costa Rica, where I have been the last three months, part of their constitution is that they are a Catholic nation. While having freedom of religion, they are committed in their founding documents to have an allegiance to the Roman Catholic church. That was always a looming spirit as I worshiped with our sister and brother Episcopalians. They have and always will maintain minority status in their country, a slight one at that.

I am glad that I have the Soul Liberty to choose to be what I choose to be. I am an Episcopalian by choice. I left the church of my youth because of Freedom of Conscience, and I choose to be in a church, specifically this church by a Freedom of Conscience.

I share in the Founders' understanding and statement of faith that all of us were made by God with the innate freedom to live, to have choice, and to have the ability to joyfully be who I was born to be. And I believe each and every one of us were given that same right and burden. Our responsibility is to live into these gifts, because we have been given these freedoms by a loving God and an accident of birth. Much of the world desires those things which we too often take for granted. Being out of the country has reminded me of that, if nothing else. Thanks be to God.

In our Hebrews reading we are in the midst of a litany of the faith of the patriarchs when the writer says this:

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country…

And there we have it. That is the outcome of Faith in whatever form it takes. We have to believe it, and be able to see it in our mind’s eye. And then we have to roll up our sleeves and make it a reality, even if we never live to see the promise fulfilled. Like Abraham, like Moses, like Jesus, we begin a process to fulfill that promised vision which may be beyond us in our lifetimes. Never forget, that wise ones plant trees under which they will never sit, or dig pools in which they will never swim.

This nation is a promised vision becoming, an unfinished symphony, a beacon pointing to a hungry and hurting world of what could be.

I claim these ideas in the freedom that Christ has given and generations of Americans have fought and died for me to have, for us all to have.

This year, of all years, our divisions have become a plague on both our houses. As we celebrate our Independence, let us also recognize and resolve our Interdependence. A story is told, perhaps apocryphally, that Benjamin Franklin joked after signing the Declaration of Independence, “We must all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.” And so it remains. As lovers of peace as Jesus has commended us to be, we must put the differences aside, and work and grow with all our brothers and sisters who “desire a better country.”

That is what is most important, that we all succeed and make it. God has blessed our nation, and may we continue to be a blessing to the world. Now will we? 

Amen

Year B Easter THURSDAY Living Life (for Westminster-Canterbury)

 Year B Easter Morning 2024, 4 April 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Living Life”

Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Mark 16:1-8

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

The Lord is Risen!

The Lord is Risen indeed!

Friends, it is Resurrection Day. It is a remembrance that Jesus lived, that Jesus died, that Jesus rose again.

Stay with me here. What if Jesus coming is not about death, and getting us a ticket to the Good Place? 

We can get sidetracked that the point of Jesus coming was to get us into heaven. That is only partly true. It is like saying you go to a restaurant for someone to hand you a bill. There is a lot of water that goes under that bridge before we get to that part, in fact, the whole point of the exercise is missed if we make it about the end.

What if Jesus came to bring heaven to earth, and earth to heaven?

Jesus came and taught us how to live, not how to die. He declared from the beginning of his ministry, according to Mark:

1: 14-15 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

The Kingdom is here, now. Not pie in the sky by and by. Now before we go any further, Jesus coming back means that there is somewhere he went. But that is not, was not the point.

He came to teach us and enable us how to LIVE.

“I have come that you might have life, and have it abundantly!!” John 10:10b

Friends, when Jesus talks about following him and obeying his commandments, he knows that it is a hard ask. He knows that we need to undo, unlearn, relearn from him because what he teaches and what he calls us to do goes against most everything that the world teaches us. 

If you want to know what a Jesus kind of life looks like, simply look at the Sermon on the Mount. It is either a single sermon, Jesus’ stump speech, as it were, or an encapsulation of his teachings. More and more I am convinced that this was his lessons on living that people flocked to hear, and he brought up the differences between the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and God-blessedness of Jesus’ way of Love. That is why it starts with the Beattitudes. “Blessed are…” You can read it in less than 10 minutes. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 of St. Matthew, and in it we see just how different Jesus’ way of life is. This is just the highlight summation: 

• Don’t let Anger get a foothold in you, that leads to murder.
• Don’t succumb to lust, which is the seed of cheating on your spouse.
• Don’t swear to heaven or anything else, speak plainly and truly.
• Don’t seek revenge, ever.
• In fact, love your enemies.
• Be generous.
• Lean on God for everything, and pray for that.
• Fast, in secret, and get a hold on your physical self.
• Treasure God, not anything else.
• Surround yourself with light, not darkness.
• Serve God alone.
• And don’t fret. Worry has no place with God in charge.
• Don’t judge others, those tables are easily turned back on you.
• Don’t profane the holy.
• Seek God, and you’ll find God.
• Treat others the way you want to be treated.
• In fact, the only thing that comes close to mentioning heaven are Chapter 7, verses 13-14, and I will read them verbatim so that we are clear. Even here, it is about living not heaven or hell:
• “Enter through the narrow gate, for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
• Even here, Jesus’ worry is about the life we are living and where it leads.
• He concludes with those who do what he says, some do and live, some are posers, and some really get it and bear fruit of a life lived that way. 
• Chapter 7 ends this way:
• Now when Jesus had finished saying these words, the crowds were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as their scribes. (vv. 28-29)

People ran to Jesus because he offered to them something that gave them Life and Hope, not misery and despair.

And today, Resurrection Day is when we knew for sure that Jesus had the Authority to say what he said, and that his way of Life, the Way of Love and Grace, was and is the way to Live. Don’t settle for anything less.

I am a Christian, a follower of Jesus, because I only get one ride on this Merry-Go-Round. I want to live each and every second of each and every day that I am given. Of all the philosophies, theories, concepts, or religions I have encountered, the Grace of Christ is the only thing I have ever found that makes sense of this life I have been given. And this choice has repeatedly been confirmed to me to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life that I must live. 

The more and more I let go of going my own way, and going Jesus’ way, I find that the things I cared so much about were so trivial and insignificant. The hours I spend caring about trivialities makes me sad. But thankfully I found a better way. St. Augustine said of living this life, “Love God, and do what you will.” It is not saying we can do anything! But rather, when we put God first then our will becomes more and more God’s will and we need not worry that we are doing things “right.”

We have been wandering the last few days of Lent through some of the hardest parts of living life. Betrayal by loved ones, abuse and condemnation, and even death. It happened to Jesus. It happens to us. If the cross had not killed Jesus, he could have died from a broken heart for all that happened to him in those last days. We all will continue to face this reality that bad things happen, to the good, the bad, to all of us. It is horrible, and yet part of making our way in this world. If we follow Jesus, it is not that we have an easier path, for the hardships still happen, but Jesus’ way gives us an approach to handle it differently. The universe is not harsh and cruel, God’s love and gifts are abundant. The universe is what we make it, and in Jesus’ way we are invited in to re-create the world into what God dreamed for it to be. “We are put on earth but a little space, to learn to bear the beams of love.” [William Blake] And as we do, to share them with all of God’s beloved, our family, our friends, our enemies. All.

Today, as you share that Love you have been given, it can make a difference in someone’s life. You may be the first, the only, Good News that they have received in a long time. You may be the only Bible they ever read, the only Jesus they ever meet.

Our two Marys and Salome, in our reading for the day, went to the tomb. And in their grief and confusion upon seeing the stone rolled back did not know what to do. A young man, all in white, gave them instructions and what to say. There was response was about as human as could be. It says they were terrified and amazed. And because their fear won out, they told no one. Thank goodness someone eventually did.

In the John version of the story, Mary sees Jesus, but thinks him the Gardner until he calls her by name. She then immediately calls him Rabbouni, Teacher. 

Friends, if I have one prayer for you this Resurrection Day, or if not today then sometime on this Merry-Go-Round we call life, I pray that you will hear God call you by name. Once you do, everything changes. Your eyes are opened. Your fears are gone. You move from what was to what could be, should be, can be, forever!

When Jesus calls her by name, she responds, “Rabbouni!” TEACHER! When we hear him call us by name we start the long journey, the pilgrimage toward wholeness and becoming our true selves. He teaches us, confronts us, corrects us, blesses us, to go and do his work in this world that needs his way more and more each day.

Another key difference in John’s account, is that she does tell the disciples that Jesus is risen, and says “I have seen the Lord.”

And as you share Jesus’ love, people may be able to say like Mary said to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”

May you hear the call of God, calling you by name. May you answer the call by not just letting Jesus be your Savior, but also you Teacher and Lord. And may it be said of you, as you follow God’s Way of Love, that people see Jesus in you, by what you say and how you say it, by what you do and how you do it. And when this life slips into the next, maybe someone will be able to say, “I have seen the Lord!” by the life you have lived.

Blessings this Resurrection Day! The Lord is Risen!

The Lord is Risen indeed! Amen