"Keep watch over your Church, O Lord, with your unfailing love; and, since it is grounded in human weakness and cannot maintain itself without your aid, protect it from all danger, and keep it in the way of salvation; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
Psalm 95:6-11, Jeremiah 7:23-28, and Luke 11:14-23
I love the collect for today for a couple of reasons. Structurally, it's different from what we think a collect typically looks like. Secondly, there's a humble admittance that we as humans have been entrusted to care for something that we really have no business caring for. We're asking God to protect the Church from us and from our own desires to steer the Church in the direction we think it should go.
History shows us, too, that we are not the first to do this, and we won't be the last. The Church has, through the years, been broken and molded time and again for purposes that seem so human. Whether it's about how to worship or who can lead worship or who's in charge or where the person in charge should live, the Church has fought and fractured.
Jesus speaks in the Gospel for today about division and the weakness it causes. The weakness caused by division can lead to destruction. For Jesus it seems like that division is caused by a lack of faith and an unawareness of God's presence and actions. When we in the Church start to forget about God's presence and actions, and even God's call to us, we risk setting ourselves up for weakness and division.
The hope in the collect, though, comes in the portion of the petition that says of the Church, "...keep it in the way of Salvation." In other words, "Help us, Lord, to remember that our actions should point to you, showing the world your love for us all."
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent.
"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."
Psalm 78:1-6, Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 5-9, and Matthew 5:17-19
In our Tuesday morning Bible study for young adults we've been reading the letter to the Romans. The letter is, in many ways, one of the first works of theology that the Church has. In that letter Paul wrestles with the meaning of Jesus's death and resurrection, and he wrestles with the question of what all of that means to the covenant that was made between God and the people of Israel. His thoughts are incredibly interesting, and one can feel the struggle in his heart and mind as he works to make sense of it all.
One of my favorite arguments that he makes in the letter is the necessity of God's covenant with Israel for the actions of Christ. He states that because of the covenant that God has with Israel, God's Incarnation was possible. For that reason the Law remains valid even in a time of a new covenant. The gospel for today reminds of me this, and I'm always struck by the words from Jesus as he says in reference to the Law, "I have come not to abolish but to fulfill."
The covenant that God established with the people of Israel was intended to make them into a great people; if they would fulfill their end, God would fulfill his. Christ came to show us the fulness of that Law and what it means to be one of God's people: to love and serve each other as we love and serve God.
Psalm 78:1-6, Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 5-9, and Matthew 5:17-19
In our Tuesday morning Bible study for young adults we've been reading the letter to the Romans. The letter is, in many ways, one of the first works of theology that the Church has. In that letter Paul wrestles with the meaning of Jesus's death and resurrection, and he wrestles with the question of what all of that means to the covenant that was made between God and the people of Israel. His thoughts are incredibly interesting, and one can feel the struggle in his heart and mind as he works to make sense of it all.
One of my favorite arguments that he makes in the letter is the necessity of God's covenant with Israel for the actions of Christ. He states that because of the covenant that God has with Israel, God's Incarnation was possible. For that reason the Law remains valid even in a time of a new covenant. The gospel for today reminds of me this, and I'm always struck by the words from Jesus as he says in reference to the Law, "I have come not to abolish but to fulfill."
The covenant that God established with the people of Israel was intended to make them into a great people; if they would fulfill their end, God would fulfill his. Christ came to show us the fulness of that Law and what it means to be one of God's people: to love and serve each other as we love and serve God.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Tuesday in the Third Week of Lent.
"O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear us; and grant that we, to whom you have given a fervent desire to pray, may, by your mighty aid, be defended and comforted in all dangers and adversities; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
Psalm 25:3-10, Song of the Three Young Men 2-4, 11-20a, and Matthew 18:21-35
The gospel appointed for today is one that I typically use when doing the lower school chapel when forgiveness is a topic. I enjoy using it for them because they live in a world where they can recognize when things are fair and when things are unfair. They are able to recognize an injustice that might have simply become a part of our lives as adults, and they seem to really enjoy putting out what's fair and unfair here.
This story tells of a king who forgives the debts of one of his servants, setting him free from an obligation to return payment. As the narrative goes on, the man who is set free does not extend the same gratitude to someone who owes him. An arrest ensues, and when the king discovers that the kindness he extended to his slave was not exhibited to others, he had no choice but to punish the slave he had originally forgiven.
This is a story about the mercy of God and the duty that we have to extend to others the same mercy that is extended to us, to forgive others as we have been forgiven, to love others as God loves us. As I'm sure I've mentioned already, forgiveness is a difficult thing. It means making ourselves vulnerable and risking further hurt or embarrassment. Sometimes, our actions will not even be acknowledged, and we'll feel like it wasn't even worth our efforts to try. Hopefully, though, we're able to find some peace in the act of forgiveness, even if it's not reciprocated.
Psalm 25:3-10, Song of the Three Young Men 2-4, 11-20a, and Matthew 18:21-35
The gospel appointed for today is one that I typically use when doing the lower school chapel when forgiveness is a topic. I enjoy using it for them because they live in a world where they can recognize when things are fair and when things are unfair. They are able to recognize an injustice that might have simply become a part of our lives as adults, and they seem to really enjoy putting out what's fair and unfair here.
This story tells of a king who forgives the debts of one of his servants, setting him free from an obligation to return payment. As the narrative goes on, the man who is set free does not extend the same gratitude to someone who owes him. An arrest ensues, and when the king discovers that the kindness he extended to his slave was not exhibited to others, he had no choice but to punish the slave he had originally forgiven.
This is a story about the mercy of God and the duty that we have to extend to others the same mercy that is extended to us, to forgive others as we have been forgiven, to love others as God loves us. As I'm sure I've mentioned already, forgiveness is a difficult thing. It means making ourselves vulnerable and risking further hurt or embarrassment. Sometimes, our actions will not even be acknowledged, and we'll feel like it wasn't even worth our efforts to try. Hopefully, though, we're able to find some peace in the act of forgiveness, even if it's not reciprocated.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday in the Third Week of Lent.
"Look upon the heart-felt desires of your humble servants, Almighty God, and stretch forth the right hand of your majesty to be our defense against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
Psalm 42:1-7, 2 Kings 5:1-15b, and Luke 4:23-30
The readings from 2 Kings today reminds me of the joke about the guy in the flood who was waiting for help from God. You can find the joke here. (I can't vouch for what other kind of jokes you might find there, but hopefully they're all clean when you check it out!)
Naaman went to the king of Israel seeking healing, and he was disappointed that he was passed off to a prophet and then to the messenger of a prophet. After all that, the messenger told him all he had to do was wash in the river, and then he'd be healed. After traveling so far to receive such news, Naaman thought he had been tricked and that the waters of his homeland should have been sufficient for his healing.
The truth in this story is that when we ask for something in prayer we're not always ready to accept what is given to us if it doesn't meet our expectations. The the man in the joke waited and waited for God to save him, and he stubbornly waited around too long, not seeing the offerings from others as offerings from God. For Naaman, he expected something complicated and extravagant to be asked of him, and he was ready to ignore Elisha's messenger until his own aide convinced him otherwise.
We can take from this story a reminder that sometimes God works in our life in ways that we don't expect. While Naaman's healing was life-changing, it didn't come about how he thought it would. For us this can be a call to see the ways God might be working in our in unexpected and subtle ways.
Psalm 42:1-7, 2 Kings 5:1-15b, and Luke 4:23-30
The readings from 2 Kings today reminds me of the joke about the guy in the flood who was waiting for help from God. You can find the joke here. (I can't vouch for what other kind of jokes you might find there, but hopefully they're all clean when you check it out!)
Naaman went to the king of Israel seeking healing, and he was disappointed that he was passed off to a prophet and then to the messenger of a prophet. After all that, the messenger told him all he had to do was wash in the river, and then he'd be healed. After traveling so far to receive such news, Naaman thought he had been tricked and that the waters of his homeland should have been sufficient for his healing.
The truth in this story is that when we ask for something in prayer we're not always ready to accept what is given to us if it doesn't meet our expectations. The the man in the joke waited and waited for God to save him, and he stubbornly waited around too long, not seeing the offerings from others as offerings from God. For Naaman, he expected something complicated and extravagant to be asked of him, and he was ready to ignore Elisha's messenger until his own aide convinced him otherwise.
We can take from this story a reminder that sometimes God works in our life in ways that we don't expect. While Naaman's healing was life-changing, it didn't come about how he thought it would. For us this can be a call to see the ways God might be working in our in unexpected and subtle ways.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday in the Second Week of Lent.
"Grant, most merciful Lord, to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
Psalm 103:1-12, Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, and Luke 15:11-32
As a firstborn child who has a terrible compulsion to be a rule-follower, I've always struggled with the story found in today's Gospel. I feel like I can relate to the anger and jealousy of the elder son, who always did what was expected of him. He dutifully tended the livestock and the fields of his father. He never missed a feeding for the animals, and he was always prepared when the time for the harvest arrived. If a son could be prepared to take over for his father at any moment, he was that son.
The second born child, though, is the one who did everything wrong, at least in the eyes of his brother. He took his inheritance early and spent it all on food, women, and material goods. He lost his whole fortune, a famine hit, and he was made to grovel for work. He thought he had brought shame upon himself and his father, and he went back to his father with his hat in his hand, prepared to ask for forgiveness and expected to receive a rebuke.
We know how this ends. The second-born is received back, and his arrival is celebrated. The firstborn child is jealous of his brother for being able to squander all that he was given and STILL be welcomed back into the arms of his father. Instead of sharing in his father's joy that his brother had returned home safely, the firstborn son was stuck with feelings of anger and bitterness. He was sure that all that he had ever done for his father was worth nothing if his brother could so easily be welcomed back.
What saddens me in this story is that the brother did all of his work so dutifully and out of a perceived obligation, and it was not until his brother came home that he realized how much his father appreciated all he had done. His needs to be right, dutiful, and dependable made it so that he was always unable to graciously receive the gifts that were already present in his life.
This story challenges our understandings of God and how we should live. If the person who spends and loses everything can be welcomed back into the arms of God just as easily as the person who has always done what is right and good, what's the point of living a right and good life if life lived otherwise can be excused with a simple, "I'm sorry"?
Not all of us are good at being like the prodigal son, and not all of us are good at being like the firstborn son. Either way we go, though, we can receive God's grace if we open ourselves up to it.
Psalm 103:1-12, Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, and Luke 15:11-32
As a firstborn child who has a terrible compulsion to be a rule-follower, I've always struggled with the story found in today's Gospel. I feel like I can relate to the anger and jealousy of the elder son, who always did what was expected of him. He dutifully tended the livestock and the fields of his father. He never missed a feeding for the animals, and he was always prepared when the time for the harvest arrived. If a son could be prepared to take over for his father at any moment, he was that son.
The second born child, though, is the one who did everything wrong, at least in the eyes of his brother. He took his inheritance early and spent it all on food, women, and material goods. He lost his whole fortune, a famine hit, and he was made to grovel for work. He thought he had brought shame upon himself and his father, and he went back to his father with his hat in his hand, prepared to ask for forgiveness and expected to receive a rebuke.
We know how this ends. The second-born is received back, and his arrival is celebrated. The firstborn child is jealous of his brother for being able to squander all that he was given and STILL be welcomed back into the arms of his father. Instead of sharing in his father's joy that his brother had returned home safely, the firstborn son was stuck with feelings of anger and bitterness. He was sure that all that he had ever done for his father was worth nothing if his brother could so easily be welcomed back.
What saddens me in this story is that the brother did all of his work so dutifully and out of a perceived obligation, and it was not until his brother came home that he realized how much his father appreciated all he had done. His needs to be right, dutiful, and dependable made it so that he was always unable to graciously receive the gifts that were already present in his life.
This story challenges our understandings of God and how we should live. If the person who spends and loses everything can be welcomed back into the arms of God just as easily as the person who has always done what is right and good, what's the point of living a right and good life if life lived otherwise can be excused with a simple, "I'm sorry"?
Not all of us are good at being like the prodigal son, and not all of us are good at being like the firstborn son. Either way we go, though, we can receive God's grace if we open ourselves up to it.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday in the Second Week of Lent.
"Grant, O Lord, that as your Son Jesus Christ prayed for his enemies on the cross, so we may have grace to forgive those who wrongfully or scornfully use us, that we ourselves may be able to receive your forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
Psalm 105:16-22, Genesis 37:3-4, 12-28, and Matthew 21:33-43
The idea of being used is a terrible one, and when we feel like we've been manipulated for someone else's motives we might fill up with anger and embarrassment: at ourselves, at others, and at the situation. Even if this happens just once we might be filled with an uncertainty of the motives and objectives of others, especially if we don't know the others very well.
As with most things that can happen in our lives, something like this isn't isolated to one part of our life. We can be manipulated at work, by our family, or even by strangers. Sadly, this can also happen in the Church. This happens when a gift or an overture turns into an ultimatum or a demand. Sometimes this can happen when someone asks for assistance from one of us here, and we find out later that this same person asked another one of us just a week or two prior. When the situation gets this far we realize we're in a tight spot, and we have trouble getting out. We want to be helpful, but we also don't want to be manipulated or enabling.
In this morning's Gospel Jesus tells the story of a vineyard tended by "wicked tenants." These tenants use the landlord, taking advantage of the landlord's absence and killing the landlord's servants when they come to collect the fruit for harvest. The tenants are so abusive that they end up killing the son of the landlord, the heir to the fortunes of the landlord. Jesus says, "The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom."
Jesus tells this story to show that God does not punish all of humanity because of the actions of a few. If we are to be "perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect", we, too, are called to not punish those around us for the actions of a few. This is a call to be trusting of others and trying not to be cynical about the needs and actions of people just because we've been tricked before. This is about not falling out of relationship with the world around us because of the actions of a few. Hopefully this can also help us to be aware of the way we are with the world around us and be aware of those times when our actions and overtures are not completely pure.
Psalm 105:16-22, Genesis 37:3-4, 12-28, and Matthew 21:33-43
The idea of being used is a terrible one, and when we feel like we've been manipulated for someone else's motives we might fill up with anger and embarrassment: at ourselves, at others, and at the situation. Even if this happens just once we might be filled with an uncertainty of the motives and objectives of others, especially if we don't know the others very well.
As with most things that can happen in our lives, something like this isn't isolated to one part of our life. We can be manipulated at work, by our family, or even by strangers. Sadly, this can also happen in the Church. This happens when a gift or an overture turns into an ultimatum or a demand. Sometimes this can happen when someone asks for assistance from one of us here, and we find out later that this same person asked another one of us just a week or two prior. When the situation gets this far we realize we're in a tight spot, and we have trouble getting out. We want to be helpful, but we also don't want to be manipulated or enabling.
In this morning's Gospel Jesus tells the story of a vineyard tended by "wicked tenants." These tenants use the landlord, taking advantage of the landlord's absence and killing the landlord's servants when they come to collect the fruit for harvest. The tenants are so abusive that they end up killing the son of the landlord, the heir to the fortunes of the landlord. Jesus says, "The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom."
Jesus tells this story to show that God does not punish all of humanity because of the actions of a few. If we are to be "perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect", we, too, are called to not punish those around us for the actions of a few. This is a call to be trusting of others and trying not to be cynical about the needs and actions of people just because we've been tricked before. This is about not falling out of relationship with the world around us because of the actions of a few. Hopefully this can also help us to be aware of the way we are with the world around us and be aware of those times when our actions and overtures are not completely pure.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Thursday in the Second Week of Lent.
"O Lord, strong and mighty, Lord of hosts and King of Glory: Cleanse our hearts from sin, keep our hands pure, and turn our minds from what is passing away; so that at the last we may stand in your holy place and receive your blessing; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
Psalm 1, Jeremiah 17:5-10, and Luke 16:19-31
Growing up as an acolyte in the Church, I was always intrigued by the actions that took place around the table. The priest at my church while I was growing up was always very precise and exact in his manual actions during the prayers. He was so precise and exact that he appeared to be in the midst of a well-choreographer liturgical prayer. Helping him set the table for communion was so easy because we always knew how he prepared the table, and to this day I think I could serve with him and not miss a beat because of his exactness and my familiarity with his way of celebrating the Eucharist.
As he began to prepare the table he would wash his hands with the water provided. As the alter server poured water over his fingertips, Fr. Gene would always pray a prayer that went like this (if my memory is serving me correctly): "Lord, wash me of my sins and cleanse me of my iniquities so that I may be made whiter than snow." He said this prayer as he set the table for communion, and part of me wouldn't be surprised if he said this prayer every time he washed his hands. An adaptation of Psalm 51, this was a beautiful prayer to hear as he whispered it to himself in preparation for communion.
I think of this in light of today's collect. I'm reminded again that as Christians all things that we do should be for good and to glorify God. We can all get caught up in things that are "passing away", and maybe we could find a way to make even these things into something that can reveal God's grace.
Psalm 1, Jeremiah 17:5-10, and Luke 16:19-31
Growing up as an acolyte in the Church, I was always intrigued by the actions that took place around the table. The priest at my church while I was growing up was always very precise and exact in his manual actions during the prayers. He was so precise and exact that he appeared to be in the midst of a well-choreographer liturgical prayer. Helping him set the table for communion was so easy because we always knew how he prepared the table, and to this day I think I could serve with him and not miss a beat because of his exactness and my familiarity with his way of celebrating the Eucharist.
As he began to prepare the table he would wash his hands with the water provided. As the alter server poured water over his fingertips, Fr. Gene would always pray a prayer that went like this (if my memory is serving me correctly): "Lord, wash me of my sins and cleanse me of my iniquities so that I may be made whiter than snow." He said this prayer as he set the table for communion, and part of me wouldn't be surprised if he said this prayer every time he washed his hands. An adaptation of Psalm 51, this was a beautiful prayer to hear as he whispered it to himself in preparation for communion.
I think of this in light of today's collect. I'm reminded again that as Christians all things that we do should be for good and to glorify God. We can all get caught up in things that are "passing away", and maybe we could find a way to make even these things into something that can reveal God's grace.
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