April 28, 2022

Sanctification is the art of getting used to justification. In other words, growing closer to God means always returning to the starting point of cross – the forgiveness of sins. And just as your justification happened without your knowledge or consent, your sanctification is entirely in the able and expert hands of the Holy Spirit. 

Here’s how the Apostle Paul chimes in on the subject. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” (Philippians 1:6)

Amen!

“O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.” (Seventh Sunday of Easter – BCP)

April 27, 2022

Most of us – at least in our culture – put pressure on ourselves to be a certain way. That pressure sometimes has parental or societal origin, but usually it comes from within. I suppose this is not entirely a bad thing; it can stimulate change and production. 

But it mostly bad, and the change and production the pressure produce are usually short-lived. You certainly don’t enjoy the results as much as you expected to, because the pressure just moves on to different inner territory. As the saying goes, you are only as good as your last… fill in the blank. Whatever accomplishment momentarily appeases the pressure.

How does this sound? “For freedom Christ has set us free.” (Galatians 5:1) Sounds like freedom to me.

“O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting in your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries; through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Collect for Peace, page 99).”

April 26, 2022

The Eastern Phoebe will not be ignored. The Phoebe calls its own name over and over and over again: “Phoebe! Phoebe! Phoebe!”. Much like Hodor in Game of Thrones. 

No one wants to be ignored, overlooked, forgotten. We are like Phoebes – relentlessly calling attention to ourselves. We can pipe down, though, because God sees and loves you – no attention-getting antics necessary. “Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I’d never forget you—never. Look, I’ve written your names on the backs of my hands.” (Isaiah 49:15)

Your name was written by the hands that were pierced.

“We thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death and brought us into the kingdom of your Son; and we pray that, as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his love he may raise us to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Saturday in Easter Week – BCP)

April 25, 2022

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31)

I wonder what those other signs were. Signs = miracles in the Gospel of John. Healings? Other weather events, like the stilling of the storm? 

I can tell you one thing. Miracles still happen, because your life is a miracle. As Edgar tell his father, King Lear, after the blind King believes that he has leapt from a cliff, yet finds himself awake and alive: “Speak yet again, thy life is a miracle.” Your forgiveness, the taste of a strawberry, the privilege of watching a saucy robin strutting about in the rain, the sip of communion wine while you are kneeling, that anyone at all gives a hoot about you – it’s all a miracle.

“Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Second Sunday of Easter – BCP)

April 22, 2022

“For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:35)

Thinking about country music legend George Jones today. Here’s a NYT description of his music. “All the pleasures of a down-home Saturday night couldn’t free him from private pain. His up-tempo songs had undercurrents of solitude, and the ballads that became his specialty were suffused with stoic desolation.”

A 1999 drunken car crash was the long-awaited turning point for Jones. “In his final decades something unexpected happened: call it surrender. Jones more or less put his addictions aside, and his marriage to his fourth wife, Nancy Sepulvedo, was his longest and most nurturing. He’d gone from being a pariah in Nashville to a mascot who got respect.”

No matter what you are dealing with, surrender is always the right move.

“Almighty Father, who gave your only Son to die for our sins and to rise for our justification: Give us grace so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Friday in Easter Week – BCP)

April 21, 2022

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)

I met a recently appointed judge at our coffee hour the other day and I asked her where she was a judge. She responded,“Everywhere, all the time.” It’s astonishing how quickly and how thoroughly judgment springs into being.

I was behind a car with North Carolina plates at a stoplight, feeling quite peaceful, when the driver flicked his cigarette out the window onto the median. Immediately I judged all smokers (sorry smokers!), the state of North Carolina (sorry N.C. readers – I actually love your state – “a valley of humility between two mountains (VA and SC) of conceit”, people who drive the kind of car he was driving (not telling), and litterers (no apologies there, although, of course, I do my share of littering too, routinely putting things in the wrong bins – compost in the recycling, recycling in the trash, etc.)

For me, it’s hopeless. What do we make of Jesus’ command? We will be judged, but the Judge has taken my judgment onto Himself.  I really do pray the prayer below, but all my hope, and I mean ALL of it, is on Him and in Him.

“Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Thursday in Easter Week – BCP)

April 20, 2022

“Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant, holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss, Alleluia!”

It may seem obvious, but the resurrection is ALWAYS connected to the crucifixion. All the great Easter hymns, like the one above, make that clear.And vice versa. Good Friday is always connected to Easter Sunday.  As the Apostle Paul says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)

This means that with every bad thing that has happened, is happening, will happen in your life, there will always be a concomitant redemption. No exceptions!

“O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Wednesday in Easter Week – BCP)

April 19, 2022

“Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. Indeed, our heart rejoices in him, for in his holy Name we put our trust.” (Psalm 33:20-21)

Instead of “Don’t just stand there, do something”, the Gospel says, “Don’t just do something, stand there.”

God raised Jesus from the dead without help from anyone else. The resurrection is the ultimate answer to the question: “why should I trust God?” Because the tomb is empty, in His holy name we put our trust.

“O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be dominion and praise for ever and ever. Amen.” (Tuesday in Easter Week – BCP)

April 18, 2022

“But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.” (1 Cor 15:20)

This beauty from Robert Capon for your Easter Monday.

“Trust him. No matter how many waverings you may have, no matter how many suspicions, no matter how much heaviness and sadness your lapses, vices, indispositions, and bratty whining may cause you – you believe simply that Somebody Else, by his death and resurrection, has made it all right, and you just say thank you and shut up. 

The whole slop-closet full of mildewed performances (which is all you have to offer) is simply your death; it is Jesus who is your life. If he refused to condemn you because your works were rotten, he certainly isn’t going to flunk you because your faith isn’t so hot. You can fail utterly and still live the life of grace. You can fold up spiritually, morally, or intellectually and still be safe. Because at the very worst, all you can be is dead – and for him who is the Resurrection and the Life, that just makes you his cup of tea.”

“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)

April 15, 2022

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1)

Poet Christian Wiman once said that these words from Psalm 22 – spoken by Christ on the Good Friday cross – were the words that restored his faith in God. This moment showed him that Jesus relates to the deepest traumas and the most intractable quagmires of human need and pain.

Although, like Christ on the cross, you may feel alone, you are not alone. God did not forsake His Son. God has not forsaken you. Mavis Staples sings Jeff Tweedy’s song: “A broken home, a broken heart / Isolated and afraid / Open up this is a raid / I wanna get it through to you / You're not alone.”

I want to get it through to you, you’re not alone.

“Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Good Friday – BCP)

April 14, 2022

“I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Today is Maundy Thursday, the commemoration of Jesus’ last supper. Every time you take communion, you remember that Christ died for you. The cup is the “new” covenant in His blood. The old covenant required an endless cycle of sacrifice for our sin. The new covenant changed all that. Or, as our BCP says, Christ’s death “is a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world.”

The old has passed away. Think about this on this Maundy Thursday – everything you need has been accomplished already on the cross.

“Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Maundy Thursday – BCP)

April 13, 2022

“They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders.” (Matthew 23:4)

After reading about the war in Ukraine, the socio-political wars in our country and my city, and after praying about the various difficulties with our own aging parents, it was time to face the day. 

Picking up my Tom’s toothpaste tube I noticed the question in all caps: “ARE YOU MAKING A DIFFERENCE TODAY?”Already tired after one hour of consciousness, I threw the toothpaste in the trash and went to Christie’s bathroom to brush my teeth. Another Tom’s Tube. This one demanded: WAKE UP, BRUSH TEETH, MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I threw that tube in the trash too. Now we don’t have any toothpaste.

The law crushes. The gospel alone gives life. There is a song we used to sing that I still like to sing. “Come unto me all who are weak, weary and heavy laden. Gentle am I, humble of heart, and you shall find rest for your soul.”

“Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Fourth Sunday in Lent – BCP)

April 12, 2022

Sometimes the Lion of Judah takes on a much humbler form. Writer Anne Lamott recounts her conversion experience.

Gradually feeling the presence of Jesus around her, she says, “It would be like a little stray cat. You know, I would kind of nudge him with my feet and say, ‘No,’ because you can’t let him in, because once you let him in and give him milk, you have a little cat, and I didn’t want it. I lived on this tiny little houseboat at the time, and finally one day I just felt like: ‘Oh, whatever. You can come in.’”

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

“O God, by the passion of your blessed Son you made an instrument of shameful death to be for us the means of life: Grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ, that we may gladly suffer shame and loss for the sake of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Tuesday in Holy Week – BCP)

April 11, 2022

On this Monday in Holy Week, here’s a moving account of Lee’s surrender to Grant.

“Rather than imprison the Confederate men in their defeat, Grant acted magnanimously for the good of a newly reunited Union. He allowed the men to return home, sparing their pride by allowing them to keep their arms and their horses for their upcoming spring planting. He also offered 25,000 rations to the soldiers, who had been starving without rations for several days. When Grant’s men began celebrating Grant ordered them to stop. “The Confederates were now our countrymen,” he said, “and we did not want to exult over their downfall.” From that day forward Lee would never allow another man to speak unkindly of Grant in his presence.”

Puts me in mind of this passage. “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

“Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Monday in Holy Week – BCP)

April 8, 2022

Most everything has a direct consequence. For instance, a strong late afternoon espresso results in a skittery night’s sleep. Felonious assault leads to jail time.  The Law of Consequence is good and helpful; otherwise, self-will would run unchecked and rampant. Consequences make sense.

Here’s the counter-intuitive thing though: grace upends the law of consequence. We sin, yet Christ paid the price. He suffered the consequences of our actions. The prophet Isaiah tells us, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Does this make sense? No. Is it the Gospel? Thankfully, yes.

“Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Good Friday – BCP)

April 7, 2022

In U2’s Beautiful Day, Bono sings “what you don’t have you don’t need it now,” a line that is lyrically related to “I’ll give you everything you want, except the thing that you want” from Original of the Species.

How much time/energy/effort is spent clawing after the thing that you don’t have, the thing that you want? Is there another way? Is what you want, in fact, not what you need?

The Apostle Paul says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) What does that mean to you today?

“Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Proper 11 – BCP)

April 6, 2022

My father grew up in Bayford, Virginia on the Eastern Shore, where his family ran The Bayford Oyster Company. When my father was a small child, a man who worked for my grandfather took my dad down to the Bayford dock, tied a rope around him and tossed him in the water. That’s how my dad learned to swim!

Last week – roughly 85 years later - we spread my father’s ashes off that same dock, in that same water. The psalmist says, “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!” (Psalm 39:4) Trite but true: each day is a gift.

Also true: the greatest gift is your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

“Merciful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Resurrection and the Life: Raise us, we humbly pray, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; that when we depart this life we may rest in him, and at the resurrection receive the blessing which your well-beloved Son shall then pronounce: ‘Come, you blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.’ Grant this, O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.” (Burial Service – BCP p. 505)

April 5, 2022

 “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray.” (James 5:13)

After the Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscar moment, Denzel Washington and Tyler Perry stepped “into the gap,” as Washington said. He and Perry prayed with Smith. Said Washington, "Who are we to condemn? I don't know all the ins and outs of the situation, but I know the only solution was prayer."

Since there is no shortage of trouble on this side of paradise, there is ample opportunity to pray!

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

April 4, 2022

“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” (John 16:23)

Given the torrent of feedback I received from my April Fools Almost Daily (“This is all wrong!” “What has happened to you?!” and my personal favorite “I don’t know Paul Walker and I’m going to keep it that way!”) it is safe to say that theology matters. Theology isn’t just a head trip; God’s truth steadies and stabilizes us.

So fear not! Not one word of the April 1st Almost Daily is true!

“O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Fourth Sunday in Lent – BCP)

April 1, 2022

“God helps those who helps themselves.” (Jude 2:14)

In the end, we must rely on our own efforts in life. There is a reason you have bootstraps. Use them.

You have already been given so much – God naturally expects you to maximize your potential. If you do that, then you will be able to work your way into His favor. Make sure to do a rigorous moral inventory morning, noon, and night. If you keep yourself free of sin and wrong doing, you will be rewarded with prosperity and the absence of problems.

Pray if you must, as a last resort, but don’t show your weakness.

“God, I thank you that I am not like other people. I am upright and holy and deserving of your blessing. Thank you for helping me help myself. Amen.”