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

Year B Easter WED 2024 In the Breaking

Year B Easter Week WEDNESDAY, 3 April 2024

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“In the Breaking”

Collect: O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Luke 24:13-35

Now on that same day, the first day of the week, two of the disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

I do not have a lot today. It is just that most of you all have heard me preach on this more than once. You can go in so many directions with this story, but we will limit it to this.

First: Most of us would have been clueless, too. His closest intimates did not know who he was. These two on the Road to Emmaus. Mary Magdalene at the Garden. How on earth would we think that our eyes would be any clearer, or that we would see what so many who knew him better could or did not?

So we are oblivious that the Lord is here.

Second: Once they see him break the bread, then, THEN they could perceive that it was Jesus. Not before. I find this illuminating as well. If there was something unique and new about this daily ritual, breaking the bread, they would have made the connection. Or if not new, then something uniquely personal to how Jesus did this must have come out. 

Either way, they knew it was Jesus through this act.

For me it is often the opposite. When I see the Christ, it is often after the Eucharist. Not so much during as I am very focused on the liturgy and performing the Rite. I am a little honed in to notice much, even Jesus. When I bless the Church post-communion, however, that is one of if not the highlight of my week. Together we are the Body of Christ, and that feeling is palpable for me.

This last weekend, as we finished the 10 am service, I said to a couple of people, “THAT was CHURCH!” It had it all, didn’t it? And even more, people were happy and joyous. We were a family, the Body of Christ, for one brief shining moment.

I am sacramental  in my understanding on how we relate to God, a big shift in my lifetime, so of course this is where my mind goes when I think of Jesus.

Third: One last note, in the last few years we have made quite the production of sanitizing our hands before serving the Eucharist. In an age of pandemic, that will be the norm. But Jesus’ wounded hands actually “sanitize” as it were by whose hands they are. Jesus’ hands are pierced for our transgressions. And with the same he welcomes us home.

What a gift and wonder. The most precious thing ever created, given for us and to us. If that does not wake us up from our obliviousness, nothing else will. Amen

Year B Easter Morning 2024 Living Life

Year B Easter Morning 2024, 31 March 2024 St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA “Living Life” Collect: Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. John 20:1-18 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her. 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, like God is.
  
• 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. Mary, in our reading for the day, went to the tomb. And she, in her grief and confusion, thought the Resurrected Jesus was the Gardener. She was looking for a dead body. But the Lord of Life was there. And she knew him at once when he called her by name. 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. And as you share his 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