Year B Palm Sunday 2021 Contradictions

 Year B Palm Sunday, 28 March 2021

Video and In-Person at St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Contradictions”

Collect: Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Mark 14:1-15:47

It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”

While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.”

Then Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve, went to the chief priests in order to betray him to them. When they heard it, they were greatly pleased, and promised to give him money. So he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.

When it was evening, he came with the twelve. And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, “Surely, not I?” He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me. For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.”

While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters; for it is written,

‘I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.’

But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter said to him, “Even though all become deserters, I will not.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, this day, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” But he said vehemently, “Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And all of them said the same.

They went to a place called Gethsemane…

Friends, good morning. We have not been together in months for an outside service. We have not been together in OVER A YEAR for anything indoor. And yet we are still together, we are still a church, we are still a family. Thanks be to God!

Our God is bigger than COVID. Our God is bigger than the legitimate fears that kept us apart. Our love for each other and our love of our community made us make the hard choices, the decisions to remain apart for the safety of all. Thank you for your faithfulness and resilience. Your faith has kept me going during these hard, dark days. I can say that I love you all more now than when this started, and that is saying a lot.

Seeing this church empty has been hard. But this building, no matter how beautiful, is not the Church of Jesus Christ. We are the Church. The Church is the Bride of Christ, and the Body of Christ. “Now you are the Body of Christ, and individually members of it!” [I Cor. 12:27] Hold onto that as we must remain apart for just a little bit longer. We cannot stop playing halfway through the 4th Quarter. God will reward our faithfulness. 

I got permission from the bishop to do what we are doing today. It is Passion Sunday, when we remember the events of the week in their remarkable detail. And what always strikes me is the love behind these hard choices, especially the self-denying choices that Jesus’ makes. But behind that, this is a week of stark dichotomies, a week of glaring contradictions.

This morning we stopped the Gospel reading as they went out to Gethsemane. Gethsemane was, and still is, an olive orchard in the Kidron Valley separating Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. (Get it, mount of olives with an oil press at the bottom. These are not dumb people.) We will resume the Gospel at that point as we depart and go out into our Holy Week, hearing the story up to when they bury the crucified Jesus.

But as I mentioned, this is a week of huge contradictions. 

Here are just a few.

Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem was foretold, even the nature of his entry. Had he come in on a mighty stallion, the Romans would have seen him as a direct threat and quashed it immediately. But on a little donkey, he is no threat, he is a joke. But who is the joke on? Jesus on the donkey, or the Empire and its standard bearers that he mocks? He knows his power does not come from might and strength. His power comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. This is a contradiction the Romans and many others cannot comprehend.

Jesus lives in poverty. He only has the robe wears and the cloak he sleeps and wraps up in as his possessions when he is crucified. And yet, during this whole week he smells of expensive perfume. The alabaster jar of perfume so lavishly poured out would cover him for days, his final days, the only days he has left. The act of love that she did is still remembered and cherished, just as Jesus said it would be. But those whom he encountered that week would have smelled it and would have been confused how one so humble could reek of riches. As the Roman soldiers beat and mocked him did he have the air of a king? This on top of having the presence and majesty of one who was above what was happening to him? In his silence he showed his authority and majesty. More contradictions in so confusing a week.

Many of us have a cross, a piece of jewelry we cherish. But it is an instrument of torture and death which we now see as love divine all loves excelling. We see it as the symbol of Jesus the Christ, and wear it proudly. But executing people is a symbol of Empire, of Government using its power over the individual. Jesus was a threat to Empire. The religious authorities said as much when they demanded his execution openly and without any hesitation. He was so much of a threat they thought he had to die. Empire silenced this Silent One, thinking it could end something God had begun. But the Cross is a contradiction. We embrace a symbol of death. Do we hug a skull and crossbones? Think on it if Jesus were hung, or electrocuted. Think of how ridiculous it would seem to have a dangling noose from a necklace or an electric chair we see as ultimate love. Executions have always disturbed me deeply, Jesus’ and our government’s. I thank God for the actions Virginia has chosen to make this week. Contradictions abound from our reading today, and in our recent past.

I must keep it short today because of the length of the readings, but the last contradiction I will mention is the one that still stabs our hearts in its callousness. Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him, he even told him so as he departed the Passover Meal. Very likely, the dipping in the bowl was the bitter herb that is included in the meal. Think on that as Judas goes out, with that vile, bitter taste in his mouth. Such is the nature of what Jesus did. And when Judas returns, what does he do to point out Jesus to the officials? He kisses him. He kisses him. This story is so ubiquitous that the name Judas now means traitor or betrayer. A Judas’ Kiss is betrayal in motion. But of all the things he could have done to point Jesus out, that he chose a kiss is the most horrible, the most condemning, the most damning thing of all. A kiss should never be a Contradiction, but there it is.

In this week of Contradictions, may we remain true. Recognize and wrestle with the dichotomies. That is good for you. But be like Jesus, and keep your eyes on the prize. Keep the end in sight. Remember who has been with you the entire time. God is faithful to be with you in the end. And after the end as we enter into the beginning of Eternity. 

Blessings on your Holy Week, and thank you for the faithfulness you have shown since we were together last. Amen

The rest of the Gospel, as we go out into Holy Week:

Mark 14:32-15:47

They went to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be distressed and agitated. And he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and keep awake.” And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. He said, “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want.” He came and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep awake one hour? Keep awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And once more he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to say to him. He came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough! The hour has come; the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand.”

Immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.” So when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. Then they laid hands on him and arrested him. But one of those who stood near drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. But let the scriptures be fulfilled.” All of them deserted him and fled.

A certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth. They caught hold of him, but he left the linen cloth and ran off naked.

They took Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests, the elders, and the scribes were assembled. Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. For many gave false testimony against him, and their testimony did not agree. Some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” But even on this point their testimony did not agree. Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?” But he was silent and did not answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” Jesus said, “I am; and

‘you will see the Son of Man

seated at the right hand of the Power,’

and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”

Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy! What is your decision?” All of them condemned him as deserving death. Some began to spit on him, to blindfold him, and to strike him, saying to him, “Prophesy!” The guards also took him over and beat him.

While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.” But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.

As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “You say so.” Then the chief priests accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, “Have you no answer? See how many charges they bring against you.” But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed.

Now at the festival he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom. Then he answered them, “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate spoke to them again, “Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the King of the Jews?” They shouted back, “Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.

Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters); and they called together the whole cohort. And they clothed him in a purple cloak; and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him. And they began saluting him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him. After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.

They compelled a passer-by, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross; it was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his clothes among them, casting lots to decide what each should take.

It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two bandits, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!” In the same way the chief priests, along with the scribes, were also mocking him among themselves and saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down from the cross now, so that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also taunted him.

When it was noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. At three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “Listen, he is calling for Elijah.” And someone ran, filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. Now when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

There were also women looking on from a distance; among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. These used to follow him and provided for him when he was in Galilee; and there were many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid.

Year B Lent 5 2021High and Lifted Up

Year B Lent 5, 21 March 2021

Video Service from St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“High and Lifted Up”

Collect: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

John 12:20-33

Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

For something to be born, something else has to move on. To become a spouse, one’s single ways need to be released, for the marriage to last anyway. To become a parent, less responsible ways to need go by the wayside. The old must pass away. The new must come.

Jesus warns us today: “Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Now some of that change is slow, and some abrupt. I remember when I had a come to Jesus moment that changed forever the direction of my life.

Now in telling this, I have to let you know a few things. I grew up in the church, and never had a dramatic calling or radical conversion. Like the kids here, I grew up in the knowledge of God’s love and tried to live a godly life from my early days. But we all have moments when things become more real than the way they were just moments before.

I was in seminary, and Stephanie and I were poor as dirt.  We used to take on extra work sometimes where we could get a meal for free and get paid, too.  Babysitting Wednesday night prayer meetings and Bible studies were a big one for a few years.

Another one of my many part time jobs I strung together to make ends meet was at the Warner Bros. Store at Regency Mall.  Remember when Regency was the nice mall? It was like the Disney Store, but more snarky like Bugs Bunny.  With all the Warner Bros. properties, they had more than cartoons to hawk.  At the back of our store’s wall, we had a big video screen.  It was about 10 feet tall and about 15 wide.  This was when really big TVs were still a novelty. It ran videos all day long.  It was about an hour and half long, so it was not too bad during the shifts, enough change to not be annoying.  And a new video would come out every two months or so. 

During the normal routine of the store, one of the jobs was to be a greeter at the front of the store.  It was friendly and helped with loss prevention.  I was often assigned up front because, as one of my managers put it, “You sound like you actually like people.”  This was true, and I was glad she thought so. 

Seminary’s struggles were no fun, and I knew the toll it was taking on Stephanie and our finances.  One day, the manager asked would I consider applying for one of the manager jobs that was coming open.  It had insurance, a full-time salary, and it was now. No delays. No piecemealing a living together. It was safe, and much easier than the life we were living. It was such an answer to so many of our worries that I seriously considered dropping out of seminary for a while to get our heads above water.

Soon after the offer I had a dream. Now remember, this was my dream, and in our dreams it is our mind’s way of working out in visuals and symbols what we are pondering. And sometimes, I believe, God can use those somnific imaginings to shape our days.  I was working the front of the store greeting, and it was during the holiday rush.  People were crowding in the store.  There were several oohs and aahs as people came into the festive store.  Several, pointing at the video wall said very clearly, “Look at that!  Wow!”  I remember thinking in the dream, “They’ve never seen a TV before?  Sheesh!”  But people kept pouring in, many exclaiming and pointing to the wall.

Finally in the dream, I turned around.  And there, in the store, there was no video wall.  People were streaming in and pointing, not at a TV, but to Jesus on the cross.  People were standing around in awe, with Jesus bruised and bloodied.  Some were astounded.  Some were amazed.  Some were horrified. But none of them could look away.  In my dream I remember saying, “What have I done?  I’ve sold out.”  And in a full body jerk, I jumped up, wide awake, calling out.  The power of the cross reached across time and into my dream reminding me of the who, and the why, and the how of my being in seminary.

The thought of jumping ship and leaving seminary behind was no longer a temptation.  The power of the cross had reached across time and space and jolted me back to what I was to be about and who I was to be.  My struggles were minor in comparison to this Son of Man, high and lifted up.  I looked on this vision of death, believed, and was saved. Just as Jesus promised.

I was hesitant to share this, and it is not something I share quickly.  That dream changed my life.  It was so personal and so real, I have been a different person since then.  But in my weakness and frailty, I point to the power and wisdom that saved me.

That Cross dream became a moment of choice, a moment of choice that all Christ followers had. Jesus had that choice, too. In this moment in today’s readings when the Voice of God affirms him. This was a precursor to Gethsemane, when he asked a last time if this was the only way. As Jesus so clearly said: 

“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say—‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.

Jesus chose us. Jesus chose the True Path, which never is the Easy Path. We are called to Christ like the little children he welcomed. We are also called to follow Christ in the way of the Cross. We are among those drawn to Jesus, high and lifted up. And in that symbol and in that name, we are given our purpose and our existence. Thanks be to God!

In all of our followings, may God be glorified. Jesus was lifted up to God’s honor and glory. In our choice to love all in every way, we are called to do the same, and God will be glorified in that as well. 

And in eternity, the sufferings of these moments will be so quickly forgotten. And we will be eternally thankful for the choices for Christ we make each day on this side of heaven. What we do here today, in the here and now, echoes through eternity. Amen.

Year B Lent 3 WED 2021 The How of Faith

Year B Lent 3 WEDNESDAY, 11 March 2021

A Video Service from St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

"The How of Faith"

Collect: Give ear to our prayers, O Lord, and direct the way of your servants in safety under your protection, that, amid all the changes of our earthly pilgrimage, we may be guarded by your mighty aid; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

John 8:12-20

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ Then the Pharisees said to him, ‘You are testifying on your own behalf; your testimony is not valid.’ Jesus answered, ‘Even if I testify on my own behalf, my testimony is valid because I know where I have come from and where I am going, but you do not know where I come from or where I am going. You judge by human standards; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgement is valid; for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me. In your law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is valid. I testify on my own behalf, and the Father who sent me testifies on my behalf.’ Then they said to him, ‘Where is your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’ He spoke these words while he was teaching in the treasury of the temple, but no one arrested him, because his hour had not yet come.

In my last few sermons I have looked at Why we do what we do, but this morning I want to look at the How.

Jesus is the Light, and because of that, we have been illuminated. In our Romans reading, Paul spells it out quite plainly.

1. through [Jesus Christ] we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; 

2. we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God

3. we also boast in our sufferings, 

4. knowing that suffering produces endurance, and 

5. endurance produces character, and 

6. character produces hope, and 

7. hope does not disappoint us, because 

8. God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

There is so much truth in that sequence. We are even here because of what Christ did for us, through the Grace of God in Christ we are even here.

We are proud of that, boast in it even. We are loved and that love makes us proud.

That pride by association enables us to be with God through thick and thin, the glory and the suffering.

But that suffering, while hard, is not all bad. It produces in us the ability keep on keeping on, endurance, the long haul.

And when that long game takes its effect on us it produces Christlikeness in us, character for another word for it. 

And when we see what Christ can do in us, we see with the eyes of faith what God can do in the world. That gives us hope. Hope comes from this journey with God that God and God’s way will eventually win the day.

And that hope is sure, because the God who was true in the past, will be today, tomorrow, and always.

And even more, with the Holy Spirit on our side, we are unstoppable. 

Before this even started, before we even began, Christ loved us and did whatever he could to clear the way for us to be with him forever, and even more, for us to be active agents of grace for him in the world.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” May we make that so in our lives, and how we follow Jesus, in how we live in the light. Amen

Year B Lent 2 WEDNESDAY 2021 God is Working

Year B Lent 2, 3 March 2021 Video Service from St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA “God is Working” Collect: O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring them again with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth of your Word, Jesus Christ your Son; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. A Reading from John 5:1-18 After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Stand up, take your mat and walk.’ At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, ‘It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.’ But he answered them, ‘The man who made me well said to me, “Take up your mat and walk.” ’ They asked him, ‘Who is the man who said to you, “Take it up and walk”?’ Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.’ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’ For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God. There is no day off for doing good. We know from Mark that the “Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” But yes, there are some who have their priorities out of whack. A few weeks ago, Harrison and I were talking and pondering what is wrong with how we are able to communicate in our society now. I do not think we are enemies, and I think we share much that it is in common. However, we are in a place where our priorities are in competition, and because we are often blind to our assumptions we are not able to speak to our differences, much less communicate our differences and come to a common place. I was had an amazing experience. I was at a Camp Convention, which gathered camp leadership from all over the East Coast at the same place at the same time. It was amazing. Camp people are fun people, and the diversity was such a thrill to be a part of. I went to one workshop where the leader led us through a popular group dynamics exercise called Alligator River. You can google and read about it in detail, but the gist of it is that there is a woman trying to save her fiancé at the point of death, and to do so she has to get across Alligator River. She tries several ways, and finally the only way to get a ride is to sleep with a scumbag. Because it was life and death she agreed. She arrived to save her fiancé but when he learned how she got there he dumped her. Of the six characters in the story, we were then tasked with rating the best character to the worst. Now none were “pure.” But what the ranking that we each did separately showed was our underlying assumptions as to what was righteous and what was not. We then got into preset groups to come up with a common answer to this conundrum. I was in a group with many ethnic groups, and few different religions. There were Hasidic camp directors, Muslim camp directors, Catholic, Protestant, and secular camp directors. It was great. A few people almost came to blows arguing over who was worst. Looking at the interactions, some valued honesty most. Some purity. Some hospitality or caring for others. What their priorities were came out in their responses. And when people question what we hold most dear we are VERY THREATENED. Fish do not think about water unless something is wrong. We do not think about our values unless they are challenged. The healed man in today’s story was challenged about carrying his mat after he was healed. This very well may have been his ONLY possession. But for the religious authorities were challenged in their understanding of the Sabbath. And they took issue with the man, and then with Jesus. When we cannot have calm and rational discussions, maybe we can reach deep and ask what value of mine is being challenged or threatened. What is conflicting with something I treasure? Could it be we could find a middle place? Could we disagree on what we value most without dismissing the other person? Jesus chose to err on the side of God. He put it this way, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” May we always choose where God is going. It may go against some things we have always assumed and taken for granted. And when in doubt, we have each other where we can confront, wrestle with, and love one another to the right place. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Year B Ash Wednesday 2021 Boiling Off the Excess

 Year B Ash Wednesday, 17 February 2021

Video from St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Boiling Off the Excess”

Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,

"At an acceptable time I have listened to you,

and on a day of salvation I have helped you."

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-- we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The other day in this bleak midwinter I made a crockpot of chili. It had been cooking for a few hours. After a good stirring, I left the lid off. One of the kids came through and thought they were helping me out, and that dad had “just forgot” and left the lid off. They put it back on. I said, “Whoa, I was letting was letting it boil down, letting it cook some of the water off.”

As we come to Lent, maybe we can think on that. We enter into a time of life where we boil off some of the excess off. We simmer down to what is essential. We concentrate till we are consecrated.

It feels like we have been in Lent a year. It has been a year of doing without, a year of fasting from. We were in week 2 of Lent when we stopped gathering due to the pandemic. That seems like a decade ago. And the thought of deprivation is hard, even for your priest. Instead of letting go, or giving up for Lent, maybe we can focus, simmer down, concentrate.

In his book, Eager to Love, Father Richard Rohr describes the heavenward call this way:

What you seek is what you are. The search for God and the search for the True Self (capital T capital S) is the same search. [p.8]

Our searching for the divine always ends in the interior. Father Rohr said, “What you seek is what you are.” Jesus said the same thing, just phrased it this way: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

St. Francis, in what was called his “all night” prayer, prayed thus:

Who are you, O God, and who am I? [p. 8]

Friends, I will keep it simple, as I believe we are called to be in this season. If you give alms, just give them. No fanfare. If you pray, do it so only God knows. If you fast, same thing. Store up your treasures in heaven not in gaining attention down here. 

I always found it a bit of a paradox that before we mark ourselves outwardly for all the world to see our piety on this day, that we read a passage on keeping our piety to ourselves.

But I mark myself with ashes this day, for me. For me to mark this season. For me to be intentional. For me to remember that when all is said and done, “I am put on earth but a little space to learn to bear the beams of love.” We are all terminal cases. Not a one of us make it out of here alive. We know this, and this knowledge can be a curse or an inspiration.

As the poet Mary Oliver penned in her poem The Summer Day, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Forty days, plus Sundays, is an eighth of a year. An eighth of our year to boil off some of the excess off. An eighth of our year to simmer down to what is essential. An eighth of our year to dedicate and concentrate so that we can be consecrated.

Blessings this year, this year of all years, and may we truly receive God’s attention as we devote ourselves to becoming and being our Truest Selves. To God’s honor and glory, and it the name of Christ. Amen

Year B 5th Epiphany WED 2021 Coronary Softening

 Year B 5th Sunday after Epiphany WEDNESDAY, 10 February 2021

Video Service from St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Coronary Softening”

Collect: Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Mark 10:1-16

He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.

Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, ‘Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?’ He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, “God made them male and female.” “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’

Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.’

People were bringing little children to him in order that he might touch them; and the disciples spoke sternly to them. But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.’ And he took them up in his arms, laid his hands on them, and blessed them.

This morning I am going to keep it simple. No need to do otherwise. 

I will not be speaking about divorce, not directly anyway. It comes up because that is the question that is brought to Jesus, not for an answer but to be a “Gotcha!” which we have talked about before. 

Jesus answers if divorce is legal, and he says yes. But then he says this, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you.”

And that is where I want to spend my time today. If hearts were hardened in Moses’ day, if hearts were hardened in Jesus’ day, what would be said of the hearts of our day?

Hardened does not even begin to describe it.

In all of our conflict, in all of our disagreements, in all of our divisions, the issues are not the issue. The hardness of our hearts is the issue. And Jesus’ followers need to NOT have hardened, jaded, embittered, calcified, obstinate hearts.

Jesus’ followers need to have supple, pliable, humble, approachable, teachable, inquisitive hearts. They need hearts like children. And that is included in our passage, too. As Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

We are called to be like children so that we might not have hardened hearts. We have divorce, and divisions of all kinds because we do not have the open hearts God calls us to have.

We are called to seek reconciliation, so our hearts can be like Jesus’.

We are called to seek unity, so our hearts can be like Jesus’.

We are called to live blamelessly, so our hearts can be like Jesus’.

We are called to forgive, so that our hearts can be like Jesus’.

When we harden our hearts we move away from Christ. As we begin a week from today to move toward Jerusalem and identify with Jesus and his death and his Easter, we need to focus on softening our heart, decalcifying our coronaries. We need to come like children, simple, honest, and pure. Amen

How to SEE these sermons preached...

Greetings! This is the blog for all of my sermons going back years. Currently I am the Rector of St. James the Less Episcopal, in Ashland, Virginia. I put all my sermons here for an archive for anyone who might be interested. I use it myself, to check that I am not repeating stories or main ideas at times. I hope these can and will be a blessing!

For all of our Sunday and special services, this is the best place to find those, the YouTube channel for St. James the Less:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvkC8WOOd8Xle7xTniUbGBg

For all of our Wednesday services (plus Weekday Noonday and all others services), if you want to see me, preach these mini-sermons, they can be found in the Videos section of the church's Facebook Page:

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Year B 5th Sunday after Epiphany 2021 Playing Catch

 Year B 5th Sunday after Epiphany, 7 February 2021

Video Service from St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Playing Catch”

Collect: Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Mark 1:29-39

After Jesus and his disciples left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.

There is going to be a lot of people more focused on football today than any of the sermons preached, at least in the this country. Can Tom Brady do it? Or rather, can Tom Brady do it again? His record is beyond compare. An odd combination to be that good and that despised all in one. But I digress.

Gearing up, there will be a lot of kids and parents tossing around a pigskin before the abundance of snacks roll out. It is a fun, national diversion, number Fifty-five. All this fun has a price, though. Gambling goes up. Spousal abuse goes up. Calling in to work sick goes up. That is the price we pay for the fun. But I digress again.

Growing up, playing catch with my dad was a favorite way to spend the time. Now we were more apt to throw a baseball than a football, but play catch we did. And we would just be together, tossing the ball back and forth, back and forth. I can smell the grass, feel the leather of the glove and the ball. Smile remembering my dad.

Playing catch was a joy. Later in life I played first base, and all those times playing catch paid off. I never knew where the ball was going to come in from when someone wildly threw it to get the runner out. I was training myself, when a ball is thrown, my job was to catch it.

That was one of the big things I had to later unlearn in life. Saying no is a spiritual discipline. Let me put it to you bluntly: 

Just because someone throws a ball, it doesn’t mean you have to catch it.

In today’s Gospel reading, I see such an important action by Jesus that so many of us miss in the reading. We read of Simon Peter’s mother-in-law getting healed, and then the whole town streaming to be cured of their infirmities, and Jesus sneaking out early to get his devotional time in before the day. But people will not let up. It says:

And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, “Everyone is searching for you.” 

His disciples were HUNTING for him. Do not let that slip by. Beyond looking, searching, or seeking, they were determined and intentional to bag Jesus and get him back to where they wanted him. They had their minds set, and wanted Jesus to be about their agenda of getting Capernaum healed! But Jesus says this:

He answered, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”

Did he do what they wanted him to do? NO! He knew how easy it would be to get sidetracked and bogged down staying in Capernaum. He did not come to establish his Kingdom in that region of Galilee, his sights were set higher. He came to set the Kingdom of God that continues to this day. And to do that, he had to say NO to this. I remind you of today’s premise:

Just because someone throws a ball, it doesn’t mean you have to catch it.

Jesus did not play catch. We do not have to either.

I remember when this analogy first came to me. I had a church member upset. I have made a promise that someone else could do a task. The 1st member was perfectly capable of doing it, and I acknowledged that. But I said also that I had to keep my word. The 1st member got upset. And I said, “You can get as upset as you want, and you can toss all kinds of balls at me, but I will not catch them, and I will just let them go by. This is not about you. It is about my keeping my word. I am not giving this any more energy.” 

Now to their credit, they heard this. Pondered it for a bit, and even said they were sorry that they just had not seen it that way. It made sense after I explained it.

Sometimes NOT playing catch draws us even closer than getting pulled in and catching all those balls being thrown at us. Spiritual maturity dictates that we stay on the task at hand. Spiritual maturity requires discernment on our part. Spiritual maturity necessitates our saying NO even to some very fine things that might distract us and pull us off our intended course.

Saying NO is a big part of growing up. There are many things we say no to as we mature. And saying NO, is why God gave us so many “Thou Shalt Nots.” When we are first starting out we say NO out of fear. I don’t play with snakes because I might get bit. I do not play with fire because I might get burnt. I do not play ball with you, because you do not play in a game I want to be involved with.

But as we mature, saying NO to things, even relatively good things, is so that we can EMBRACE the YES. I say no to playing catch with this person over here, so I can play catch with God. 

I say no to my Snooze Button, so I can say YES to my devotional time with God.

I say no to a temptation, so I can say YES to a discipline.

I say no to people pulling at me asking for more, so that I can refill my cup. That is what Jesus did. He snuck off alone in the morning to pray. And his disciples hunted him down. When they threw him the ball of people needing him, he said NO so he could say YES to the thousands more who needed to hear from him, to be healed by him.

Know who you choose to play ball with. That YES, or that NO, will determine so much in how we shape our days. Father Richard Rohr puts it like this: “Make room for the new by letting go of that which is tired and empty.” We can only play catch one ball at a time.

Tonight, as you see some amazing football, think on that. What are you receiving, and from whom? Is this game worth your while. If the game is no good, it could be the best commercial you have ever seen, but who is pitching to you? And what is the cost? They paid millions for your eyeballs for those thirty seconds. Can you be bought for so little?

I say it again because I know I need to hear it daily.

Just because someone throws a ball, it doesn’t mean you have to catch it. Amen.

Year B 4th Epiphany WED 2021 Unclear

 Year B 4th Sunday after Epiphany WEDNESDAY, 3 February 2021

Video Service from St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Unclear”

Collect:  Almighty and everlasting God, you govern all things both in heaven and on earth: Mercifully hear the supplications of your people, and in our time grant us your peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Mark 8:11-26

The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, asking him for a sign from heaven, to test him. And he sighed deeply in his spirit and said, ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.’ And he left them, and getting into the boat again, he went across to the other side.

Now the disciples had forgotten to bring any bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. And he cautioned them, saying, ‘Watch out—beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.’ They said to one another, ‘It is because we have no bread.’ And becoming aware of it, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ They said to him, ‘Twelve.’ ‘And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?’ And they said to him, ‘Seven.’ Then he said to them, ‘Do you not yet understand?’

They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ‘Can you see anything?’ And the man looked up and said, ‘I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.’ Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. Then he sent him away to his home, saying, ‘Do not even go into the village.’

We have three stories, pericopes is the fancy word for little Bible stories, that show what is all too often the case. In all three pericopes, those who are encountering Jesus are experiencing raving cases of Missing-the-Point-itis. They could not, for the life of them, see what was right in front of them. 

In the first story, people are demanding a sign. They want the magic-on-demand. Jesus, when he does perform miracles, responds to the faith of those in his midst. His is not an act, but a response to faith. They missed the point, looking for something more. They missed the point with the Mind. And because they could not conceive it, they could not see it.

The disciples, they saw such mighty things. And Jesus makes a metaphor about the “yeast of the Pharisees.” They take it literally, or apply it to something altogether other. Though there, right in Jesus’ presence, they cannot see what is plainly before them. And Jesus let’s them know it. They missed the point with their hearts.

And then there are sometimes external factors. In the blind man healed, the first time around he says people look like trees. 

(This one has always bothered me. If he was born blind, how would he know what trees look like? So probably, he was not born blind. My 2 cents.)

And when Jesus continues to work with him, the man “looks intently” and then he sees clearly. Of all the pericopes in today’s lesson, we finally get to someone who keeps at it and does not stop where they are stuck. He missed the point, but did not stay there. He would not settle for his delusions. Neither should we.

These days, when we live in a country where half of us believe the other half live in delusions, I pray for clarity. I pray for deliverance from delusions. I pray for all of us. 

I had a preacher friend go on a rant about socialism and racism and insanity. I was ashast. He is my friend. He has helped me greatly in the past. I know he knows better than what he spouted.

But we get like those that want more, more, more, when right before us is exactly what we have already received. And that is right before us.

We may start majoring in the minors, like how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, or what blasphemes the Holy Spirit, or which Collect or Lectionary reading is most appropriate. So many ways can miss the point by zooming in, or having our hearts in someplace other than asking, “Lord, show me what you would have me see.”

And when we miss the point, and this is so hard, hear that from me, THIS IS SO HARD, we need to approach things with an air of humility that we could be wrong. When we are blind to what is real, when we ride our assumptions, when we barge ahead despite the evidence all around us, then we need to stop and go back to Jesus, and ask for deliverance. This is humiliating for many. Especially wise and learned folks. Especially for people who sees themselves as having arrived. Especially for people who believe themselves to be exceptional. Especially for people like me, and maybe you.

We all can be blind. We all need healing. In closing today, I am reminded of an old hymn that was a favorite of my childhood. Just the first verse this morning...

Open my eyes that I may see

Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;

Place in my hands the wonderful key

That shall unclasp and set me free.

  Silently now I wait for Thee,

Ready, my God, Thy will to see;

Open my eyes, illumine me,

Spirit Divine!

Amen!