Monday, 26 February 2018

The Second Sunday in Lent --- 25 February 2018

Mark 8:31-38
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." 34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38 Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me
·       Today we hear Jesus tell Peter to “get behind me!” while calling him a devil. He goes on to say that his disciples should and must follow him and take up their cross. It appears that, one way or the other, everyone ends up behind Jesus.
·       Those who follow him will follow after him, while those who do not follow him will be left behind by him. In either case, the person must give themselves over to something, must surrender to something. What they give themselves to makes quite a difference.
·       Jesus tells Peter you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things. Because of that, he can’t understand what Jesus is saying when he speaks of his coming Passion and death. These are not things that Peter wants to consider. Jesus is giving his disciples some strong and bitter words in speaking of his rejection, suffering, death, and resurrection. We receive those words as well, right here and right now.
·       The church has long interpreted the reaction of Peter and of the disciples as a misdirected understanding of Jesus as the Messiah. They expected a glorious and triumphant worldly kingdom to be found in the here and now. They would also have a role in it and a leading role, maybe with thrones and crown and everything. Rejection, suffering, and the cross could have no place in such a reign. It would be all sweetness and light, an eternal upward procession from glory to glory.
·       It would not be so for Jesus. We all know the story; we hear it every year, possibly twice a year. We’ve made it important to our lives. The symbol of Jesus’ suffering is found in our churches and often on a chain or cord around our necks. Jesus told his disciples that his life would have suffering and death.
·       He also told his disciples that their lives would have the same. John’s Gospel tells us of Jesus saying “Servants are not greater than their master.” The history of the church is full of people attempting to circumvent that, trading the cross for glory, and setting the mind not on divine things but on human things.
·       I think this will always be the internal struggle of the church. Arguments over creeds, prayers, worship services, and the like often occupy the mind of congregations and wider faith communities. We don’t argue about taking up the cross because we just might feel that we all do that anyway and it’s just too personal. Asking a question about taking up the cross could also lead to questions about whether or not we are doing that.
·       As we said earlier, denying ourselves is a matter of what we give ourselves to, not what little comforts we give up. It is possible to dedicate our lives to people living in poverty because Jesus is on the side of the poor and still enjoy Oreos every so often.
·       Denying ourselves is not a matter of giving up certain things as it is giving up ourselves, our pretentions of godhood, and our desire to control everyone around us. In many ways, it is accepting God as God and remembering that we are not god. As the British writer, C.S. Lewis said “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.”
·       One way or another, we all are behind Jesus, either as his followers who walk with him or as those who prefer ourselves to his way and who are left behind on his way.
·       The way of Jesus Christ leads ultimately to Calvary and the cross. However, it doesn’t end there. Good Friday precedes Easter every time. To focus on one without the other does damage to both and to those who focus on one or the other.

·       The denying of the self is not a simple thing nor is it the sort of thing that leaves us empty. If we are to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Jesus, we would find that it is Christ’s life that fills us. Who we are becomes fully joined to who Christ is. Then what Jesus told his disciple will be true for us as well:  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.

Thursday, 15 February 2018

Ash Wednesday ---- 14 February 2018


Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
1 "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. 2 "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. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

5 "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. 6 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.

16 "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. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 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.

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them
·        I’d like to tell you a brief story:
-         A man went to the Priest of his church and said, “I won't be attending Church anymore.”
-         Priest said, “May I ask why?”
-         Man said, “I see people on their cell phones texting and typing during the service, some are gossiping, some just aren’t living right, some are sleeping, some are staring at me, they are all just hypocrites.”
-         The Priest was silent. Then he said, “Can I ask you to do something for me before you make your final decision?”
-         Man said, “Sure, what's that?”
-         Priest said, “Take a glass of water and walk around the church two times and don't let any water fall out of the glass.”
-         Man said, “Yes I can do that!” He went and got the glass of water and walked around the church two times. He came back and said proudly, “It's done.”
-         The Priest asked him these questions; “Did you see anybody on their phone? Did you see anybody gossiping? Was anybody living wrong? Did you see anyone sleeping?”
-         Man said, “I didn't see anything because I was so focused on this glass, so the water wouldn't spill out”
-         Priest told him, “When you come to church, you should be just that focused on God, so that you don't fall. That’s why Jesus said, ‘Follow Me’, He did not say follow them.”
-         Don't let your relationship with God be determined by how others relate with God. Let it be determined by how focused you are with God.
·        Kenyon Mackey
·        Lent is not about losing weight, or seeing that we pray for those folks we’d forgotten, or contributing to the needs of the ‘less fortunate’ in our neighborhood. It is not about becoming a ‘better person’ for the sake of God. All those things are noble goals and they can and should be done; however they are not what Lent is about.
·        Lent is about discovering, acknowledging, and giving the distractions we all have in our lives over to the grace of God. Lent is about discovering and acknowledging God’s grace in our lives. Lent is about focusing our attention and our listening on God’s life with us. If this does nothing else, Lent will have prepared us to celebrate Easter.
·        It may seem strange to mention Easter at this first day of Lent, but the celebration of Easter is the goal of any Lenten observance. If our focus is on what Jesus has done for us and freely given to us, that focus draws us to Easter. Lent is the hallway, the journey, the pilgrimage that takes us to Easter.
·        Like Spring that is coming (believe it or not) after this Winter, the Easter celebration will come whether we make use of the preparations around us. This is our opportunity, our privilege, our focus, and ultimately our treasure.

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Sunday, 11 February 2018

The Last Sunday after Epiphany/The Transfiguration --- 11 February 2018


Mark 9:2-9
2 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. 4 And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. 5 Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." 6 He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7 Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" 8 Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. 9 As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"
·       Here we go. It’s a short slide. The middle of this week will see both Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is also called “Mardi Gras” (“Fat Tuesday”), “Fastnacht” (“the Eve of Fasting”), Pancake Day, or in some places, Doughnut Day… anything to get the sugar and shortening out of the house. Ash Wednesday follows and whatever Lenten discipline we choose will start.
·       Just before we start our Lent, we hear of the special event called the Transfiguration, where Jesus was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. I wonder why this sort of thing doesn’t happen to me. Why can’t I see Jesus transfigured, in his dazzling form, conversing with the Law-Giver and the Prophet of prophets? Maybe I couldn’t handle it. Maybe there’s no “maybes” about it.
·       The Transfiguration is magnificent, terrifying, confusing, amazing, beyond imagining. (“ausgezeichnet”) It’s also not the main message of the event. Peter thought it was and wanted to build three “dwellings” on the mountain so Jesus, Moses, and Elijah could stay there all the time… and the disciples could see them all the time… and this great thing would never go away… and maybe they could charge admission… and everybody would believe.
·       The ‘main message’ is what follows. A cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" With that, only Jesus is left with Peter, James, and John.
·       "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" There it is, the command of the voice from the cloud, possibly more terrifying than the dazzle of Jesus transfigured and the presence of Moses and Elijah. All the flash and light of the Transfiguration might be what we expect to see. The meat of the matter is what we listen to here.
·       The voice from the cloud called the disciples to listen to Jesus, to really hear what he had to say. The voice also revealed who Jesus is and what his relationship with God is. He is the Father’s Son, he is the Beloved, and he is loved. Those words –so simple and powerful- also say much about the Father. John’s first letter tell us that God is love. We are glimpsing the very life of God here.
·       What then does listening have to do with love? Does the voice from the cloud tell us to listen because it’s important to Jesus to be heard? Is it important to the Speaker of the voice from the cloud to be listened to for the voice’s own agenda? I think the voice tells the disciples – and us for now we hear that voice passed down to us – to listen to Jesus because it is Good News to us. What we hear is the good word and new life to us. The voice speaks for our good, the good of all those who are listening.
·       Now hearing and listening are not the same thing. You can hear without listening. To listen, you have to be present, not just overhearing things, like you might overhear a conversation in a restaurant. Being present isn’t always easy. The Russian composer, Igor Stravinsky said, “To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also.”
·       When we ‘listen’, we take part in what we are listening to. Great music, inspiring words, the sound of rain, a conversation with a loved one – all of these call us to be part of them through our listening. Not just hearing; my dog hears thunder and hides from it. Listening, really listening, makes us part of what is going on.
·       I tell you what; I’m going to challenge myself this Lent. I’m going to challenge myself to listen and not simply hear. There are things and words and people and events worth listening to. Hearing is passive; listening is active and takes effort. Some days, I’ll be Stravinsky’s duck and just hear things because some things aren’t worth the effort to listen. But I want to listen, really listen to what our God and the people around me are saying in so many situations. I just might hear the Good News of the Gospel. Wouldn’t that be great? That’s what I want to do. Would you like to join me?

Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"

Thursday, 8 February 2018

Retreat at Carmel Niagara

Some of you know I've been away for a few days on retreat. For the first time in ten years, I was able to attend the Bishop's Spiritual Retreat for Clergy at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls, Ontario. I'd never been there and I didn't know what to expect. I drove down with Pr. Mike Lees from Windsor, ON and met up with about forty + clergy from the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Diocese of Niagara.

I'd have to say it was a good retreat and a tough one. I had to face some of my nastiest demons, primarily jealously and lack of confidence. By God's grace through the words of the preaching pastors, priests, and bishops, I came to a realization of what I can be... not what I think I SHOULD be. I won't go into detail and I will say at one point near the end of the retreat, I received the "gift of tears." A tough and good thing.

Anyway... the Carmelite community there (O.Carm. friars) were generous hosts and the chapel was striking.

A view of the "high altar" and the rose window of the chapel.

A wider view showing the side altars and the choir stalls.
Very monastic, in my opinion.
I thought to myself "We never had anything like this when I was a Franciscan."
A retired Anglican bishop replied "That's as it should be!"
The sanctuary from the choir stall I camped out in.
For Roman Catholic Christians, the church's "sanctuary" is the area around the altar.
For "Protestant" Christians, the entire church is the sanctuary.
Choose for yourselves.

Choir stalls... roughly enough for 72 people.
The building was a seminary at one time for the local diocese as well as the Carmelites.

the side altar with the statue of  St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
Side altars used to be a fixture in Roman Catholic Churches, but
not so much any more. 
Some of the very impressive stained glass in the chapel.
The upper panels depict incidents from the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The lower panels depict incidents found mostly in the Scriptures of the life of Elijah, the prophet.

Some of the Elijahan incidents.
Elijah and the spirituality of Elijah are very important to the Camelites.
Remember, Elijah hid on Mount Carmel when he was under persecution.
(I owe any knowledge of this to a dear, old friend who is a Carmelite sister.)
("Old" in the sense of known-for-a-long-time, not old as in aged.)
The rear of the church and the entrance with extra seating and a grand piano on the far right.
It was  good retreat and a challenging one. Will I go again? Next year is next year. The place should still be there, despite offers from developers. (The retreat house, friary, and vineyards sit right above the Canadian side of Niagara Falls and would be prime property for hotels and casinos.) In any event, the retreat house is already taking reservations for 2026! Yeah, the Carmelites will be giving witness to the Gospel right in the middle of some really fancy and expensive places.

God is good.

Sunday, 4 February 2018

The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany ---- 4 February 2018


Mark 1:29-39

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 30 Now Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. 31 He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them. 32 That evening, at sundown, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. 33 And the whole city was gathered around the door. 34 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. 35 In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. 36 And Simon and his companions hunted for him. 37 When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." 38 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." 39 And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.
·       There are two very interesting incidents in our reading from Mark today. The first is right up front and gets a lot of attention; this is the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and the curing of the many sick and possessed from the neighborhood. His ministry of healing and exorcism is very important because it shows the presence of the kingdom of God in a very tangible way.
·       What I’m talking about is the healing of the woman known as Peter’s mother-in-law. I only know of one way to get a mother-in-law; Peter was married at some point. His wife is never mentioned nor are any children noted. Still Peter had a living mother-in-law and she lived with Peter and Andrew, his brother.
·       The second and less noted is Jesus going out to pray. We all know that Jesus prayed. He gave us the prayer we recall as “the Lord’s Prayer.” He prayed before raising Lazarus from the dead. According to John, Jesus prays at the Last Supper; that’s called the Priestly Prayer which is the entire 17th chapter of the Gospel of John.
·       The Gospels note a number of times that Jesus prayed alone in deserted places. What Jesus’ prayer was like during the times he went off to “a deserted place” is something we don’t know. He was sometimes disturbed by his disciples coming to find him since his presence and his ministry were very much in demand by so many people.
·       Why would Jesus go off by himself to pray? The first time he did this was right after his baptism by John. Mark says the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness where he stayed for forty days with wild beasts, the devil who tempted him, and the angels who waited on him.
·       One goes to the deserted places to be alone and to avoid distraction. Our cities are busy places and in the past (and even today) people go to calmer places to get away from distractions. In his book, Walden, Henry David Thoreau wrote “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately… and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” However, it is good to remember that “calmer” does not necessarily mean “safer.” After all, other things already make their homes in the deserted places.
·       The deserted places are Biblical reminders of Israel’s time of wandering in the desert. As horrible as that sounds, the people of Israel looked back at that time as something special. During that wandering, they were totally dependant on God for everything – food, water, and direction. In short, the desert was a place of encountering God on God’s terms.
·       How does one pray in a place like that? It appears that there are very few rules when it comes to prayer. Specific words or postures are not needed. A quiet heart is needed and that’s harder than we might think, since when we go to pray, it’s very much like clearing sand from a flat place; every sweep allows more sand to cascade in. A quiet space in the heart seems to dare every concern from every space in our lives to surface and demand attention.
·       Over the years, I have had questions on prayer… and I received some answers. Here are a few things I have learned:
·         Pray as you can and not as you can’t. It may seem silly, but we can waste a lot of time and effort trying to pray in ways that don’t suit us. Listen to your heart and the Holy Spirit.
·         Make your prayers “brief, frequent, and intense.” Those aren’t my words, but Martin Luther’s.
·         I asked a pastor I trusted how to pray. He responded “Want to.” No matter where we are, what words we use, or even if we don’t use words, when we want to pray, we are praying. At times the simple awareness of God’s presence is prayer.
·         Never doubt that God hears our prayers and that God is pleased to have us pray. God wants us to pray; that’s how we remain in contact with God, even if we should fall asleep while praying.
·     If Jesus felt he had to pray and would go to such lengths to pray, like early rising and going to deserted places, we have a real example of the importance of praying. He needed to and he wanted to. If that’s good enough for Jesus, well, why not us?
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.