September 23, 2021

A comedian (can’t remember who) talks about our morning selves vs our afternoon selves. Our morning selves begin the day with a kale smoothie and resolve to have a kale salad for lunch and one piece of baked chicken for dinner, along with some brown rice. Our afternoon selves have long since given up on our morning selves and are eating a cheeseburger at 3pm. 

Resolutions have a way of quickly dissolving under the pressure of desire. The good thing about out bound will is that it binds us to Jesus Christ and his mercy. As the old hymn says, “I need Thee every hour / Most gracious Lord / No tender voice like Thine / Can peace afford.”

When that hymn was first published in 1873, this scripture was included beneath its title: “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

“O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Proper 19 – BCP

September 22, 2021

I get the “Hate has no home here” signs in people’s yards. The signs, no doubt, are meant as a welcome to all. However, the signs, like all placards, are surface level, naïve about the actual human condition. As much as we hate to admit it, we all hate – it is part of our fallen nature. If hate has no home, then we are all homeless.

For a gospel take on the subject go have a listen to the 1989 James hit called Sit Down. The words may have been spoken by Jesus. 

“Those who feel the breath of sadness / Sit down next to me / Those who find they're touched by madness / Sit down next to me / Those who find themselves ridiculous / Sit down next to me / In love, in fear, in hate, in tears / In love, in fear, in hate, in tears / In love, in fear, in hate, in tears / In love, in fear, in hate.”

All who are weary and heavy laden, sit down next to Me. Jesus (and James singer Tim Booth?) this verse from Jeremiah in mind: “For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” (Jeremiah 31:25)

“O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.” (The Collect at the Prayers – BCP p. 395)

September 21, 2021

Loping on a horse is one of the great pleasures in life, especially for a neophyte rider like me. You are borne on the back of a great animal, knifing through the air at what feels like great speed. There is a pleasant tingle of danger, while also a sense of rootedness on the solid saddle of your horse.

Being carried along by the Holy Spirit is akin to loping. You can go where you cannot go yourself. You do not know exactly what is around the next bend, but you do know that you can trust the One who carries you.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

“O God, who on this day taught the hearts of your faithful people by sending to them the light of your Holy Spirit: Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Day of Pentecost – BCP)

September 20, 2021

“For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy.” (James 3:13-14)

That’s from yesterday’s epistle reading from the book of James. It reminds me of Warren Zevon’s Disorder in the House, released in 2003 right before he died of cancer.

“Disorder in the house / Reptile wisdom / Zombies on the lawn staggering around

Disorder in the house / There's a flaw in the system / And the fly in the ointment's gonna bring the whole thing down.”

We know the flaw in the system that brings the whole thing down. Fortunately, we also know the One who took the disorder of the whole world into His being. He went down, but rose again. And swept us all up in his train.

“Grant us, Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Proper 17 – BCP)

September 17, 2021

Isn’t it alarming how an anger or resentment that you had thought was completely doused can flame up in an instant? A surprise trigger – maybe the make and model of the car that he used to drive zooms by. Then all the sudden, you are ablaze with rage and indignation. You are obviously not “over” what you thought you were over.

Everyone knows that anger eats away at you from the inside out. Not everyone knows (or believes) that the only one capable of truly righteous anger is Jesus. No matter how just the cause or how innocent you are, your anger is nowhere near righteous. That’s because the bible says that there are none that are righteous, not even one.

But every seemingly never-ending conflagration is the met with the waters of grace and forgiveness.  St. John says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:8-9)

“Let your continual mercy, O Lord, cleanse and defend us; and, because we cannot continue in safety without your help, protect and govern us always by your goodness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Proper 13 – BCP)

September 16, 2021

“The meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in an abundance of peace.” (Psalm 37:11)

The prevailing wisdom is to the victor goes the spoils. But the countervailing message of the gospel is just the opposite. It is the meek who “win”, even in loss. The victorious strong take the land by force. But the meek inherit the land. That means that they are given the land.

The enjoyment of spoils won by force is fleeting at best. But the peace of surrender is profound and long lasting. How does this relate to you today? Where are you more than ready to unfurl the white flag? Delight and abundance await.

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. (Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany – BCP)

September 15, 2021

The mental health crisis is no secret. The number of people who struggle with anxiety and depression is staggering – especially younger people. The pandemic has just made more plain the fault lines that already exist in all of us. We need help.

Prayer is not a replacement for excellent therapy (and or drugs!), but it is a major player when it comes to the help we need in our deepest places. Paul says “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)

To be honest, sometimes we feel God’s guarding peace, and sometimes we don’t. We can be sure, however, that our prayers are heard and that God is right there.

“Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, ‘Peace I give to you; my own peace I leave with you:’ Regard not our sins but the faith of your Church, and give to us the peace and unity of that heavenly City, where with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, now and for ever. Amen.”  (Collect at the Prayers – BCP p. 395) 

September 14, 2021

“It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.” (Psalm 92: 1-2)

Morning and night. In the morning you might be raring to go, optimistic about the day ahead. You also might be sluggish, anxious about what the day holds. Either way, declaring God’s steadfast love is the way to begin.

At night, you might have a feeling of accomplishment, having discharged the duties of the day. You also might be swimming in regret for things done and left undone. Either way, declaring God’s faithfulness covers all your bases.

God is with you today – morning, noon, and night.

“O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of live is over, and our work is done. Then in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen.” (In the Evening – BCP p. 833)

September 13, 2021

My aunt and uncle live in a house called Winona on Hungars Creek on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Winona was built in 1680, just a few generations after the first English settlers arrived across the Bay at Jamestown. How many feet have gone up and down Winona’s stairs in the intervening centuries? I picture my father, who died last October, there as a toddler. And yet he is a relative newcomer to the parade of lives Winona has seen.

Sometimes the ephemerality of our lives on earth takes center stage. Here today, gone tomorrow. I love life and the people in it; the one and doneness of it all would be too much to bear without the great hope we have in Christ Jesus.

After Lazarus died, Jesus consoled Martha. Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

Do you believe this? As we say each week in the Creed: “We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

“Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Easter Day – BCP)

September 10, 2021

My friend Dave got a Seinfeld Lego’s Set. I really want to play with it. I want to make Kramer barge in. I want to shut the Lego door in Newman’s face. I want to have George sit on the Lego sofa and do nothing, like he does so well.

Seinfeld is a self-proclaimed show about nothing, which is its genius. Because it really is about everything in life, from parking to puffy shirts. The gospel is like that. It isn’t tucked away in a “spirituality drawer”, or trotted out at Christmas and Easter. The grace of God is about everything.

“From Christ’s fullness we have all receive grace upon grace.” (John 1:16)

“Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Proper 23 – BCP)

September 9, 2021

I asked two friends to help me move a wood stove. This wood stove weighs 485 pounds. These friends immediately agreed to help. Now they are former friends, because nobody should ask anybody to move a wood stove, especially not someone you consider a friend.

One of Jesus’ most startling teachings (and there are SO many!) is that we are not just supposed to love our friends – we are to love our enemies too. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5: 43-44)

Do you love your enemies? I didn’t think so. Me, neither. If that doesn’t drive you to your knees, I don’t know what will. Let us pray.

“O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”

(Proper 19 – BCP p. 233)

September 8, 2021

With a smile on her face, my wife “gently” accused me of gasconading. Don’t look it up – I’ll tell you. A gasconade is confident talk or behavior that is intended to impress others. Dang it.

Oh well. You have foibles too, ones you wish to overcome or keep hidden. And yet like an Achilles’ heel, your weaknesses remain. Theologians call this “original sin”. We all join the club – a club which includes everyone who has ever lived.

Which is why Jesus Christ is for everyone! He is our Mediator and Advocate. “This is a true saying and worthy of all to be received, that Christ Jesus came in to the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)

Let’s stick with the collect assigned for the week. You just can’t do any better.

“Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Proper 18 – BCP)

September 7, 2021

“Dear Abby, dear Abby / My feet are too long / My hair's falling out and my rights are all wrong / My friends they all tell me that I've no friends at all / Won't you write me a letter, won't you give me a call / Signed bewildered”

That’s from the late, great John Prine’s Dear Abby. Abby’s response? “You are what you are and you ain’t what you ain’t.” If this is you writing this letter, I suppose you could go out and buy this year’s model of How to Win Friends and Influence People. Or buy Mr. Ray’s Hair Weave. 

Or you could sit back and listen to Abby. Your hair will still fall out, but you might realize that bald is sexy. And when you stop trying to win friends, you will have a least a few pals over to watch Monday Night Football.

You are what you are and you aint what you aint. (Fortunately or unfortunately, that goes for him/her too.) Humor sure helps. And so does the Bible, which encourages to offload the whole self-scrutiny project onto God. “But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.” (Jeremiah 17:7)

“Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Proper 18 – BCP)

September 6, 2021

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:17)

Today is Labor Day, a day when many cease to labor. The prayer we will pray reminds us that deliverance from the service of self is, ironically, what brings true rest and true joy.

 In the scripture we just read, Paul tells us to do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. I take that to mean that all we do is in response to grace. As Jesus says, our “work” is only to trust in Him!

“Almighty God our heavenly Father, you declare your glory and show forth your handiwork in the heavens and in the earth: Deliver us in our various occupations from the service of self alone, that we may do the work you give us to do in truth and beauty and for the common good; for the sake of him who came among us as one who serves, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (For Vocation in Daily Work – BCP p. 261)

September 3, 2021

It’s fun to mow the grass in April, but by September it gets tiresome. The quotidian tasks of life still need to get done, fun or not. Some will say that our “spiritual disciplines” are the same: read your bible, pray your prayers whether you want to or not. Develop your “spiritual muscles.”

This is nonsense. And it often leads to a kind of spiritual burnout and resentment toward God.  Healthy engagement with God, through scripture or prayer, comes from genuine desire. And most times that desire is fueled by need. God, please help my child because I cannot help him anymore. Lord, please help me because I can’t seem to help myself.  I have nowhere else to turn.

Here is what the Bible says on the matter. “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

“O Lord our God, accept the fervent prayers of your people; in the multitude of your mercies, look with compassion upon us and all who turn to you for help; for you are gracious, O lover of souls, and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.” (The Collect at the Prayers – BCP p. 395)

September 2, 2021

A baked chicken is one of the best culinary delights: easy, inexpensive, delicious, nutritious. (For all the vegan/vegetarians on the Almost Daily list, I grant you that a baked chicken is neither easy nor inexpensive for the chicken.) Just rub the bird with olive oil, apply a generous sprinkling of ground pepper and kosher salt, pop it in the oven for an hour and voila – dinner! A salad, some cous-cous, and a glass of pinot grigio and you are dining in the catbird seat.

Many people want to make religion complicated. And maybe religion is complicated, but the gospel couldn’t be any simpler or easier or cheaper. The prophet cries out, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1)

And talk about nutritious? Eat this bread and never be hungry again.

“Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.” (Proper 17 – BCP)

September 1, 2021

This soliloquy from Portia in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice is worth your time.

The quality of mercy is not strained;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice blest,—
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:
‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The thronèd monarch better than his crown:
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,—
It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s,
When mercy seasons justice.

Here’s Jesus, who simply says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)

“O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen” (Proper 28 – BCP)

August 31, 2021

Still hot as blazes in Virginia, Hurricane Ida down south, and fires and smoke out west. After catastrophic flooding in Europe this summer, a German official said that it never occurred to him that modern people could actually die from a weather event.

The prophet Jeremiah said, ‘They do not say in their heart, “Let us now fear the Lord our God, who gives rain in its season, Both the autumn rain and the spring rain, who keeps for us the appointed weeks of the harvest.” (Jeremiah 5:24)

We are all living by the mercy of God all the time. The Original Flood was the last retribution storm God had up His sleeve, but the overwhelming power of the elements are always ready to enter the stage. But don’t forget this - Jesus has power over the winds and the waves in this world and the next.

“Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications and prayers, and dispose the way of thy servants towards the attainment of everlasting salvation; that, among the changes and chances of this mortal life, we may ever be defended by thy gracious and ready help; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (For Protection – BCP p. 832)

August 30, 2021

In the Rite I Confession of Sin, we describe the “burden” of our sin as “intolerable.” That may sound melodramatic, but there is wisdom in those old words. Haven’t you ever experienced cringing remorse for a deep wrong done to another? Haven’t you wished to be delivered from the guilt that feels, well, intolerable?

A supple heart, one prone to that kind of emotion, is in a profoundly good place, spiritually speaking. On one’s knees, one can clearly hear the clarion call of the gospel: “If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2: 1-2)

“Almighty God, who hast given thy only Son to be unto us a sacrifice for sin and also an example of a godly life: Give us grace that we may always most thankfully receive that his inestimable benefit, and also daily endeavor ourselves to follow the blessed steps of his most holy life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Proper 15 – BCP p. 180)

August 27, 2021

The heart tends to ossify over time. Exposure to too many tragedies – especially in an age of instant global access – can numb and harden us. One can only absorb but so much. Wealth can further isolate, and pride is always a threat to buttress one away from the concerns of others.

It seems to me that God is a heartbreaker. (I never liked that Pat Benatar song.) Yet, God is clearly in the business of breaking hearts, for a broken heart is an open heart, a receiving heart, a dependent heart. The psalmist says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)

Let’s stick with Neil Young instead. “Only love can break your heart.” And only Love can put it back together too.

“O God, you have taught us to keep all your commandments by loving you and our neighbor: Grant us the grace of your Holy Spirit, that we may be devoted to you with our whole heart, and united to one another with pure affection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Proper 9 – BCP)