3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Nehemiah 89: 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
   
2. Psalms 19: 8, 9, 10, 15
3. 1 Corinthians 12: 12-30
   
4. Luke 1: 1-4, 4: 14-21
   

• Covenant people
  
• When the children of Israel returned to their land after the Babylonian captivity, I'm sure that many of them felt a great relief to be "home".  But home for them was more than a location, it was a covenant.
• What makes you feel "at home"?
• How long does that "at home" feeling take when you lose a job, have to move to a new place, pick up with a new circle of friends, get a paradigm that has served you for decades suddenly shifted out from under you?
• When was the last time that you had to leave "home" and move on?
• How did that change you?
  

• The Law of the Lord
  
• Just what all is included in the Law of the Lord?
• Is that Law completely fixed, never changing?
• Is that Law the last word on what makes for sin in our lives?
• Can any one of us ever know the whole Law?
• Should we ever know the whole Law?
  

• You are needed
  
• The culture that we find ourselves in tells us that our worth is strongly attached to what we are able to do, the tasks that we can perform.  When you meet a person for the first time, its one of the first questions that comes up: "what do you do?", rather than "who are you?"
• Do you think that God values any of us more than others?
• If so, what is the criteria that He uses for such valuation?
• If so, what does He use that assigned value for?
• Why do you think that He might make someone who is of lesser value?
  

• The power of the Spirit
  
• God calls us His children to continue the ongoing incarnation of Jesus to earth.  We can only achieve that through the Holy Spirit.  Easier said than done.
• When is a time when you really felt the Holy Spirit working with/in/through you?
• What was your contribution to that work of the Holy Spirit?
• What had you done to prepare for that?
• Was the work successful?
• How do you know?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where is home for me?
• Where does my sense of sin come from?
  
• Who am I becoming in God?
  
• Where might God be calling me to "let go and let God"?
  

A Land Ravaged

I remember when we were led away from here so many years ago.

This land had been our home for generations by then.

Every valley and hill like an old friend that you know you can trust.

I remember hearing the song of birds, the babbling of the streams,

The ewes and rams greeting one another in the morning stillness,

The whisper of the breezes through the olive trees.

All of creation was so ordered, and abundant.

But we lost our way without ever leaving home.

We forgot who we really were, and why we were here.

And now, the vineyards are ruins.  The irrigation ditches clogged.

Once beautiful farms are all but erased by time and neglect.

Fields once bursting with abundance produce nothing but thistles.

Yes, there is a great deal of work to be done here.

Work that is for younger hands and backs than mine.

But before that can truly begin, there is other work needed.

We need to find our soul.

Remind one another of who we are, and always have been.

Remind one another of the faithfulness of our Father.

That work of the prophets in our midst -

That is something that I can lay claim to.

Not just because I am old, and have memories.

But because I never forgot what it means to be God's child.

Shalom!

2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our readings for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time are:

1. Isaiah 62: 1-5
   
2. Psalms 96: 1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
3. 1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
   
4. John 2: 1-11
   

• Your land espoused
  
• While in Boy Scouts, my father & I went on a lot of hikes in the local mountains.  Our scout master, a devout Lutheran and student of ecology, would take time to point out to us the interconnected nature of nature, and marvel at God's creativity and our place in that ecology.
• What would you say is our responsibility as God's stewards of the planet?
• Does that necessarily mean that we leave behind manufacturing, farming, dense population centers in order to be more sustainable?
• Where can we as individuals make a difference in our world?
• Is that enough?
  

• Governing with equity
  
• We believe that God is ultimately in charge, that all rightful authority derives from Him and His will for His children.  But sometimes, connecting the dots between that concept and day to day living can be a little tough.
• Is God's kingdom strictly something that is revealed at the end of time, or is that revelation a process, one that it going on right now?
• God's kingdom is not like an earthly kingdom in many ways.  What are some of those differences?
• What are our responsibilities regarding bringing about God's kingdom in the meanwhile?
• Where can we start?
  

• You are gifted
  
• All and each of us are gifted in God.  Sadly, it's all too easy to think of that giftedness as though it is something that we need to publish on some sort of resume, some way that we have to sell ourselves in the Kingdom.  The good news is that God is totally sold on us from before we were ever born.
• What are some things that make you feel good about yourself?
• Do you think that God is proud of you, of the way that you have turned out (fact is, that process never ceases)?
• Can you imagine God pointing to you and saying "this is my beloved son/daughter in whom I am well pleased".
• Why do you think that is the case?
  

• Perfect trust
  
• I am always struck by the ways that God involves us in His movements.  The servers were probably grumbling to themselves at having to draw all of that water, one bucketful at a time, to uselessly fill the stone jars.  But if they had not done so, this lavish miracle would not have happened.
• What are some miracles that you have participated in?
• Why do you think that God asked you to get involved in the first place?
• How did that experience change you?
• Do you think that you are more or less likely to be trusting the next time God leads you?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where might God be calling me to be a better steward of His blessings?
• In this era of contentious politics, where might God be calling me to bring peace?
  
• Is God calling me to make different/more use of the gifts that He has given me?
  
• When I pray, do I look for ways that God might be calling me to be part of His answer to my prayer?
  

Do We Need to Fill All Six of Them?

Drawing water was no picnic in first century Palestine.

Most often, the wells were deep,

Each bucket of water slowly emerging from the cool depths of the earth,

Heavy and dripping at the end of a rope wound on a balky crank.

 

You have to wonder why Jesus chose to to gladden the feast at Cana this way.

He could have had them fill just one jar, and make it so that jar never ran empty.

That would have been just like the jug of oil that fed Elijah the prophet for three years.

But instead, Jesus asked for six jars to be filled, one after the other.

 

I'm glad that I wasn't there to present that water turned to wine to the steward.

Because I'd be wondering what it was going to taste like.

I'd wonder if I was going to look the fool for presenting common well water.

And then trying to explain why I had bothered the steward in the first place.

 

Maybe that's the whole point.

In order to receive a miracle, we have to be the miracle.

We are more than onlookers in this life,

More than merely passing through.

Instead, we are called, like Jesus,

To become immersed in the miracle,

Put some skin in the game,

And trust Him just enough to let His Kingdom come to earth.

Lord teach me to learn to trust You enough,

To do what you ask of me, no matter how small.

Knowing that is all that it takes

To usher in the miracle of your Presnce in our lives.

Shalom!

The Baptism of the Lord

Our readings for Baptism of the Lord Sunday are:

1. Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11
   
2. Psalms 104: 1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30
3. Titus 2: 11-14, 3: 4-7
   
4. Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22
   

• Finding comfort
  
• God offers His people comfort in the knowledge that He has forgiven us our many and various sins if we ask for and receive that forgiveness.  But that can be hard to do.
• How do you know when you have fallen into sin?
• How do you prepare yourself for that revelation, that is, what do you do to make yourself open to God's prompting?
• Once you've asked for forgiveness, do you ever have trouble really believing that you are forgiven?
  

• Give us this day
  
• Food insecurity is a terrible thing.  Long Beach State has a locally sponsored pantry for students suffering from food insecurity.  We all long to be secure, to know where our next meal is coming from, where we will sleep at night, how we will clothe ourselves, but sometimes, the pursuit of that security can become an end it itself.
• What are some things that you do because you trust in God to provide for you?
• What do you think the phrase: "The Lord helps those who help themselves" really means?
• How does that phrase square with trusting God in all things?
  

• Revelation
  
• The fact that the Baptism of our Lord is part of the Christmas season may be a bit counter-intuitive.  But this feast can be seen as an extension of Epiphany - Jesus's revelation to the Gentiles.  And the Baptism of our Lord points to a larger, ongoing epiphany that continues today, in and through all of us.
• Who is someone who has revealed God to you in some way?
• Is that revelation something that you necessarily can put into words?
• Have you ever shared with that person how they have changed your life?
• How might you be changing the lives of others?
  

• When did Jesus' ministry start?
  
• Typically, we say that Jesus's public ministry started at His baptism.  Certainly the Synoptic Gospels recount His ministry in a way that supports that timeline.  But what of His growing up years?
• Do you think it is ever to early to be the Presence of God to others?
• Is it ever too late in life to be that Presence of God to others?
• What are some of the things that you did or participated in as a young person that prepared you for ministry later in life?
• If you had the chance to live your life over again, what might you have done differently during those early years?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• When was the last time that I turned to God for forgiveness?
• Where might God be calling me to greater trust?
• How might God be revealing Himself through me today?
• Where is God looking to build on the life that I have led in my life today?
  

What are You Doing Here?

I will never see these waters with the same eyes again.
This stretch of the Jordan has always called to me.
The sighing of the wind as it walks the ancient dunes,
The clear, uncluttered sunlight as it warms the air,
All speaks to me as no other place can.
This is truly one of the thin places on earth.
Where the veil between the earthly and the divine is so very sheer.

I feel their wandering, these children of Israel.
Looking, seeking, searching, longing for peace.
And not finding it, no matter where they look.
Until they come here, and share this grainy tabernacle,
Listen to the sermons of the wind and flowing water,
Turn their fevered gaze inward,
And find the God who made them, there all along.

They come looking for a new start.
They seek a way out of meaninglessness,
From the darkness into the light.
That their hearts may once again find their way home.
That they may find their true place in God's eternal orchestra.
That they may truly believe and live, and breathe
That their God loves them beyond all telling.

My Lord, what are you doing here?
John, my cousin, my herald, my inspiration, 
Let me ask the same question of you.
I am only here doing Your bidding, preparing Your way.
Helping Your people become ready for You.
Surely You have no need for a baptism of repentance.
Then, between us, let this be a baptism of consecration.

I come today to sum up my life to this moment
To thank our Father for all the graces that He has showered upon me
To ponder what my flesh has learned, and is teaching me
And from all of that, find my way forward to my unfolding destiny.
And I ask you, cousin, brother, and son
To be Abba's minister
And by this sacrament, make a sacrament of me for all generations.

 That I, Abba, and the Spirit might do the same for all of you.

Shalom!

Epiphany Sunday

Our readings for Epiphany Sunday are:

1. Isaiah 60: 1-6
   
2. Psalms 72: 1-2, 7-8, 109-11, 12-13
3. Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6
   
4. Matthew 2: 1-12
   

• Brother are you saved?
  
• Growing up in a Protestant Evangelical church as I did, we occasionally would foray out into the unsuspecting public to spread the Gospel.  Being an introvert made me ill-suited to such goings on, but I gave it the "old college try anyway".  One slogan that we would occasionally see was "Jesus is the answer!"
  
• If Jesus is the answer, what's the question?
• Who are some people in your life that you know would be happier if they were in relationship with Jesus?
• How do you think they might be drawn to Jesus?
• How do you think that Jesus might call you to be part of that call in their life?
  

• The art of the possible
  
• On occasion, you'll hear politics described as the art of the possible.  Or it's described as the second oldest profession.  Not sure which is a better description.
• As Christians, what should we expect from our governmental leaders?
• How can we hold them accountable for that?
• How are we called to participate in the governing process?
• How much justice can we expect to see in our lifetime?
  

• Just because you're saved, does that make you my brother?
  
• It's hard relating to other people when they are very different from us.  We can be judgemental, thinking to ourselves that they could easily enjoy a much better life if they just tried harder.  It's hard to remember that they are just as much God's children as we are.
• Think of someone who you know to be close to God, yet very different from you.
• How are the two of you different?
• How are you the same?
• How much do those differences matter?
• Do you think God cares?
  

• God, are you there?
  
• It's easy to envy the 12 disciples, Moses, anyone who has had a close encounter with God.  It would be so much easier if we were able to be face to face with Him, converse easily and naturally with Him, know what He wants in our lives without ambiguity or uncertainty.
• What are some of the ways that God speaks to you?
• Can His communication always be put into words?
• How successful have you been in finding god's will for your life?
• How do you know?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might God be calling me to bring His children home?
• How might God be calling me to partner with Him in bringing about justice?
• Where might God be calling me to be more inclusive?
• Am I open to God's communication to/with/through me?
  

The Life Well Pondered

We had guests today.
They were totally unexpected, at least to Joseph and me.
Jesus didn't have much to say on the matter.

Custom demanded that we extend hospitality to them.
Joseph washed their feet while I prepared some food.
I overheard them speaking to Joseph of their quest.

At first, I scarce knew who they were speaking of.
Our little boy, still a toddler, hardly seemed a king.
But they were sure that they were in the right place.

And I had to realize that Joseph and I were in the right place.
As chaotic as our lives have been, they led us here, together.
To fulfill a purpose that unfolds in its own patient way.

Revealing God's love for all of us
In ways that no one has ever seen before.
In a place and time no one would ever have believed.

We ate with our guests, and marveled
That they were just like us in many ways.
Hungry, travel-weary, unsure of what to think.

But all of us there, open to God's ongoing creation.
Taking our place in that eternal story.
And finding peace and joy along the way.

Soon, they left us.  And I wondered -
Whether they will forever be transformed by this encounter.
Whether we would be transformed as well.

And whether every encounter could be transformative in our lives.

Shalom!

Holy Family Sunday

Our readings for Holy Family Sunday of Advent are:

1. 1 Samuel 1: 20-22, 24-28
   
2. Psalms 84: 2-3, 5-6, 9-10
3. 1 John 3: 1-2, 21-24
   
4. Luke 2: 41-52
   

• We are all dedicated
  
• The Bible is full of people of great purpose, whose lives were dedicated to God's service:  Noah, Moses, Abraham, Samuel, David, Ruth, Deborah the prophet, Mary, ...  We all in some way benefit from their ministries, but they can be a little scary.  We wonder, just how disruptive to my current way of life might God be?
• When you meet someone new and start talking about yourself, what is the first thing that comes up?  Is it your job, where you're going to school, your dreams and aspirations, your faith?
• What does that tell you about your priorities?
• Do you expect to keep doing what you are doing until you cannot do it anymore, or do you think that there are changes ahead in your life?
• How will you know for sure?
  

• Where is everyone?
  
• Certainly a church standing empty can be a profound place for meditation.  The celebrations that have happened there through the years soak into the walls and woodwork in some mystical way, and faint echos of the loud hosannas through the decades can still be heard.  And yet ...
• Who do you miss that you no longer see?  They may have died, left the area, stormed out of the local church in protest, or stored out of Church period.  Maybe they are folks that God is calling today, and we have not met yet.
  
• How were you welcomed into your present church/Church?
• What parts of that original welcome are still with you today?
• How might you share that welcome and belonging with others?
  

• We don't belong here
  
• I have a friend, whose children are all grown and out of the house, and who has very few family nearby.  Each Thanksgiving, he & his wife invite folks to their home who have nowhere else to go for Thanksgiving, and give them a place to belong, even if only for one evening.
• Ultimately, where do you belong?
• What are some communities where you belong here in your life?
• What has your membership in those communities taught you?
• How might they have prepared you for heaven?
  

• Jesus has left the building
• God has a way of failing to match our expectations.  Hopefully, when that happens in our lives, we can learn from that.  And just maybe, the very act of seeking Him is, itself, a form of prayer.
• When you have sought God in your life, what were you seeking?  Was it a closer walk with God, a better relationship with your spouse, guidance for a tough decision?
• Where/when/who did you find God in that encounter?
• Is it always that way for you?  Is there just one place/time/person where we can find God?
• How has the act of seeking God in your life changed you?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might I become more in the image of God?
  
• Who in my life needs a warm welcome to the people of God, from me?
  
• Where is God drawing me into deeper community?
  
• Where is God in my life?
  

He's All Grown Up

 

I can still remember changing His swaddling clothes when He was an infant.

Feeling His warm breath on my cheek when I would hold Him after nursing Him.

Feeling His heart beating so close to mine, and knowing peace like no other.

 

When Joseph and I first realized that He had not left the Holy City with the caravan,

We panicked.  There was no one to go back to Jerusalem with us, no comforting companions.

We were on our own through those treacherous trails.  But we had no choice.

Jerusalem never looked so vast as it did when we were seeking our lost boy there.

Joseph and I so distraught that we could not speak to each other.

Each of us fearing the worst.

Finally, we sought Him in the Temple.  At least we could pray for him there.

And we heard His still new man voice among the learned teachers.

At first, I was horrified that He dared to disturb their sacred deliberations.

But we stopped, and listened to what was going on, and were amazed.

Each time that He spoke, there was silence, a pondering of what He said.

Not dismissal.

And I knew then that my boy had somehow, without asking permission, become a man of God.

And I knew that things between us would never be the same.

And I knew what I did not know: His future and mine.

The joy of finding Him mixed with the fear of losing Him.

My words were sharp and angry.

And I wondered that day why I had responded that way.

He was never really ours from the beginning.

His a life consecrated from the beginning.

So like my life, Joseph's and yours.

Welcome to our family.

Shalom!

3rd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the Third Sunday of Advent are:

1. Zephaniah 3: 14-18a
   
2. Psalms 12: 2-3, 4, 5-6
3. Philippians 1: 4-5, 8-11
   
4. Luke 3: 10-18
   

• Receiving God's love
  
• Unconditional love is oftentimes hard to accept.  We are so conditioned to receive the deserved promotion, the recognition that we have coming to us, the favored position at the table that we worked so hard for.  But we can never deserve the very best things in life, they come to us free from the hand of God.
• If you were to describe God's face as He looks at you, what expression do you think He is wearing?
• How does that make you feel?
• Why do you think that God feels that way about you?
• How does that make you feel about Him?
  

• Finding courage
  
• Courage is a virtue that all of us admire, but few of us feel that we have.
• When is a time that you needed courage to do/say the right thing?
• What were you afraid of would happen if things did not work out properly?
• How/where did you find the courage?
• Did you feel lonely, or did you feel supported?
• Where was God in all of that?
  

• Prayer seasons
  
• Prayer is a tough thing for many of us to find time for.  It is hard to quantify, the benefits are nearly impossible to measure, and it's oftentimes hard to do.  What's not to love about time in prayer?
• Where does the majority of your prayer time go?
• Do you have a list of things that you ask for?
• Or maybe events/outcomes that you long to see?
• Do you pray for God to change everyone else?
• Or do you pray for changes in/to your heart?
• Does God always answer your prayer that way that you were hoping for?
• Why is that?
  

• How then shall we live?
• John the Baptist was doubtless a rather obscure, fringe element to most of the established religious authorities of his day.  No seminary training, no lofty family background, no established credentials to convince anyone that he had any great insights.  Yet he was God's instrument to bring God's children to repentance.
• How do you come to the knowledge that you need to repent of something?
• Why do you think that God speaks to you/us in that way?
• If you had a choice, how would you rather that God spoke to you?
• Would you listen any better?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• How might I become more in the image of God?
  
• Where might God be calling me to take courage in the face of a difficulty?
  
• How is God calling me to deeper prayer?
  
• Where is God calling me to examine my actions and motives?
  

The Jordan is Muddy

My friends had told me that John the Baptist was changing lives in the desert.
And mine certainly needed changing.

Cynical, angry, bitter, and just plain tired.
I hadn't shown kindness to anyone in ages.

Everyone around me had long ago lapsed into silence.
It was easier that way.

Otherwise, I was likely to give them a baleful stare.
Or a cutting remark about how little they knew.

My friends told me that I'd find peace with John.
But when I asked them to come with me, they said this as a journey alone.

Sand got into my shoes, my shirt, scoured my feet.
Soon I was looking for shade from the burning sun.

As I got closer to the head of the throng, I could hear him.
Giving each a word to get them started on the right path.

And I wondered what mine would be.
And then I heard him say to me:

"Walk along the riverbank, alone, uncharted.
Until you learn to treasure this moment, and then the one after that, and the one after that.

Forget about tomorrow, it will come when it comes."
"Should I forget the sand in my shoes?" I asked mockingly.

"Rejoice in the sand, exult in the heat, accept it all as gift.
Then come back again for the gift of baptism.

For then you will have learned how to be grateful for what you have -
And who you are.

Shalom!

2nd Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the Second Sunday of Advent are:

1. Baruch 5: 1-9
   
2. Psalms 126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
3. Philippians 1: 4-5, 8-11
   
4. Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36
   

• Looking forward
  
• This time of year is all about arrivals, blessings that God has been preparing for us for a long time, and which are now about to come to fruition.  God asks His people to accept His blessings in faith before we can see them.
• What are some unexpected blessings that have come in your life from God's hand?
• When did you understand that God was going to give those blessings to you?
• How did God prepare you to receive them?

• Finding joy, even when you don't expect it
• You could define the joy of the lord as "the gladness of heart that comes of knowing God, abiding in Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit."
• Can you think of a time when you have felt that sort of joy?
• What was the occasion that made you feel that way?
• What has to be present in your life in order to find such joy?
• Do you feel that such joy is in God's plan for all of us?
  

• Partners in the Gospel
  
• None of us ministers alone.  Often we find partners in unexpected places and times, performing services that we never knew were needed.
• Who are some of the partners in your ministries through the years?
• How have they transformed you in your work together?
• Do you think that you have been transformative to anyone else?
• Why?
  

• How is Jesus coming today?
  
• God moves without a great deal of fanfare.  By contrast, sports figures, entertainers, politicians each make quite a stir when they arrive at a scene.  Anything that they do is newsworthy.  Everyone wants to know everything about these famous ones.  And yet, beneath the surface, where only the humble have the eyes to see, God is at work.
• In these times of turmoil, where do you see God moving?  Maybe its a relationship that is finding healing, or someone who was on the margins gradually being recognized and being invited into the community.  Maybe God moving shows Himself in a deepening prayer life, or a growing sense of joy.
• Where would you like to see God moving?  Where is healing needed in your life or the life of your family, our parish?
• What must we do to prepare for that advent?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• Where do I need to be more open to God's movement in my life?
  
• Is God offering me joy that I'm unaware of?
  
• How is God asking me to partner with others in ministry?
  
• Where is God moving in my life today?
  

God's Midwife

I never thought much about the life of a midwife.

Ushering new life into this world, yet having nothing to do with its beginning.

Ready to press a cold compress to a worried brow.

Ready to hold the hand of a mother in anguish.

Ready to give the brooding father something to do so that he feels useful.

 

My God is looking for another sort of birth:

A birth of hope in the breast of His children.

Hope that, despite their captivity, they can be free.

Despite their despair they can step into their true destiny.

Despite their cold, cynical heart, they can deeply experience God's infinite love.

 

God of my fathers

Kindle in me the fires of your passion -

For all of your beloved that you bring into my life.

Help me to accept them as you do.

And set aside my fear of those who are different from me.

That I might find your joy of heart in their celebration of your Advent.

Shalom!