August 30, 2022

“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:1)

Love this verse from Hebrews for 2 reasons. The first is the basic reminder to be kind to people. Sounds easy, but I find that kindness often gets drummed out by my focused agenda, or the undercurrent of societal division, or a sense of entitlement.

But Glen Campbell said it all in 1971 with his “Try a Little Kindness.”

Well, Glen, we try and we fail. Which is the second reason I like this Hebrews verse. It reminds us that cosmologically speaking, we are not alone. God’s angels (a created order – not people who have died and earned their wings - sorry Clarence!) are among us to help us.

Maybe keep your eyes open today, if you can?

“Everlasting God, you have ordained and constituted in a wonderful order the ministries of angels and mortals:Mercifully grant that, as your holy angels always serve and worship you in heaven, so by your appointment they may help and defend us here on earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (St. Michael and All Angels – BCP)

August 29, 2022

“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:12-13)

Isn’t that the way it works? Nose up and thumbs down on the abundant life that God lavishes on us, all the while scrambling to dig our own wells of pleasure, only to discover that they are fissured failures, leaking for all they are worth.

I love the description of the prodigal son when he ran dry of booze, cash, and friends: “He came to himself.” But the cracked cisterns clearly have their purpose. Drawing a cup that comes up empty helps us believe that Jesus is telling the truth when He says that whoever drinks the water that He gives them will never thirst.

“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)

August 26, 2022

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts.” (Ephesians 2:1-3)

William Inge, the Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London in the early 20th century, said, “He who marries the spirit of the age will soon find himself a widower.”  You can fill in the blank about which spirit of the age is au courant, but you can be sure it is a temporary placeholder in the revolving door of intellectual, cultural, societal, or spiritual fashion.

Fortunately, the church (aka – you and me) is the Bride of Christ, and therefore never to be widowed. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall, but you are saved by His grace and yoked to Him forever.

“Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Proper 8 – BCP)

August 25, 2022

Yesterday was the first day of school for much of Charlottesville. Last Sunday during our children’s sermon, the homilist talked about how we might feel nervous going into a new classroom for the first time. A little girl at the very end of the altar rail crowded with kids shot her hand straight up. She exclaimed “That’s how I feel!!”

Who doesn’t feel nervous when entering into new territory? That’s how I feel. That’s why I love this verse. “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

“Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favor, and further us with thy continual help; that in all ourworks begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name, and finally, by thy mercy, obtain everlasting
life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (For Guidance – BCP)

August 24, 2022

I know an extraordinary Border Collie with an even more extraordinary owner/mistress. Mollie – the dog – recently showed some aggression toward some neighbors. And, she – quite naturally – charged a warren of rabbits. Mollie seemed excited but agitated.

Her owner then worked with her; lovingly, yet with real authority. Soon Mollie ceded her own will/instincts over to her owner. Not only did she stop her aggressive behavior, she even learned to steer clear of the bunnies!

And – here’s the thing – Mollie is more relaxed, more at peace, more herself when she is under the loving care of her owner.

You know the famous Psalm. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.” (Psalm 23:1) And one more thing about our Shepherd – he loves and forgives us even when we bark at the neighbors and go after the rabbits!

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

August 23, 2022

“Therefore, because we have received The Kingdom that is not shaken, we shall receive grace by which we shall serve and please God in reverence and in awe.” (Hebrews 12:28)

I’ll go ahead and end the rancorous debate about what constitutes the perfect martini. The Bombay Sapphire gin should be kept in the freezer, as well as the martini glass. (A martini poured in any other vessel than the classic 1950’s high stemmed martini glass is NOT a martini.) The vermouth is important; although the martini must be dry, one needs to do more than wave the bottle toward Italy.

A 2 to 1 gin to vermouth admixture is to be added into the shaker packed with ice, then shaken vigorously for the sheer fun of it. The Nectar of the Gods is then lovingly poured into the frosted glass, nearly crystalline with icy film. A twist is preferable, but olives are, of course, acceptable.

The ground on which you stand is solid. Although sometimes you may feel shaken (not stirred) you are, in fact, as secure as a tightly swaddled newborn. After all, we have received (not earned or won) a Kingdom that cannot be shaken.

“Most loving Father, whose will it is for us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on you who care for us: Preserve us from faithless fears and worldly anxieties, that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested to us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.”

August 22, 2022

Poet Ogden Nash once said, “Every New Year is the direct descendent, isn’t it, of a long line of proven criminals?”  Funny. True.

Sometimes it does feel like things just don’t change. And on the one hand that’s true. Sin is sin and humans are humans. And as we age, we learn we do not have the internal power to effect lasting change.

But, on the other hand, the world is filled with possibilities! That’s because God is God and He is hard at work in your life. Here is the best summary of life that I know: “Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” (Matthew 10:27)

“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)

August 19, 2022

A theological gem from The Wood Brothers (excellent in concert this past week in Charlottesville) called “Little Bit Broken”.

“The more I live the more I know / I should wear my scars like medals of gold / Every beat up heart's got more soul and Everybody is a little bit broken / Everybody is a little bit broken and it's alright / Everybody is a little bit broken and it's alright / It's alright to be broken.”

Here’s St. Paul’s spin on the subject. “That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

“O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany – BCP)

August 18, 2022

This from British poet Ted Hughes (who was married to Sylvia Plath when she committed suicide): "The inmost spirit of poetry, in other words, is at bottom, in every recorded case, the voice of pain — and the physical body, so to speak, of poetry, is the treatment by which the poet tries to reconcile that pain with the world."

Theology does much the same thing as poetry. It is an attempt to reconcile/understand the vagaries of life – my life – with the reality and presence of God. Clearly, pat theological answers always fall short in times of real suffering.

But Jesus’ words have the ring of authenticity. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

“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 theHoly Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany – BCP)

August 17, 2022

“Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD cares for me.” (Psalm 27:10)

I just met an incredibly sweet German Shepherd/Coon Dog 10 month old puppy named Lennie. He is calm, gentle with people, kind to other dogs. When he was born, his mother rejected him and his siblings. So, Lennie was lovingly bottle fed by his owner.

On the one hand, God’s love for you doesn’t magically undo the absence of human love. But on the other hand, His love for you fills every empty corner of your heart and soul.

As Bob Dylan sings, “I'd go hungry, I'd go black and blue / I'd go crawling down the avenue / No, there's nothing that I wouldn't do / To make you feel my love.” The cross proves that there is nothing God wouldn’t do or hasn’t done for you.

Today, I pray that you will feel His love.

“O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we mayshare the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Second Sunday After Christmas – BCP)

August 16, 2022

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)

Although it is still mid-August, you can smell College Football in the air. So many hopes yet unsullied by actual play. Writer Alan Jacob has an uncle named Bob. Bob lives for Alabama football. He cannot watch the games live. He records them, then when the game is over, he calls his sister and asks if he can watch the game. If the answer is “yes”, he watches. If the answer is “no”, he deletes the recording.

In Christ, we already know that the answer is “yes.” He has already redeemed us by his shed blood. And He has promised to come again to reconcile all that is broken and apparently meaningless. This means that you can watch your own game no matter what comes. For He has already secured the victory.

“O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred  mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Good Friday – BCP)

August 15, 2022

What do Virgil, Kafka, and Emily Dickinson have in common? On their death beds, all three writers requested that all their works should be destroyed. Imagine that! No Aeneid? No Gregor Samsa waking up one day as a giant cockroach? No “Hope is the Thing with Feathers”?

Maybe you are tempted to think what you have to offer the world isn’t worth keeping. Well, rewatch “It’s a Wonderful Life”. If you don’t have time for that or want to wait until Christmas, then hear this scripture. “As each of you has received a special gift from God, use it in serving one another as stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10)

Happy Monday!

“O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing; Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany – BCP)

August 12, 2022

“Draw the sword and bar the way against those who pursue me; say to my soul, ‘I am your salvation’.” (Psalm 35:3)

When I read the psalms, I understand all the talk about enemies as all that would seek to undo me – the devil, the forces of evil, my own sin. I want God to take up the sword against the enemy.

Oswald Chambers says, “Jesus Christ came to ‘bring a sword’ through every kind on peace that is not based on personal relationship with Him.” He cuts through the webs of the enemy to set us free; even as He surrendered Himself to the swords of His captors to be led to the cross in our stead.

“Almighty Lord, You are a strong tower to all who put their trust in you, to whom all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth bow and obey: Be now and evermore our defense, and make us know and feel that the only Name under heaven given for health and salvation is the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.” (Ministration to the Sick – BCP)

August 11, 2022

Speaking of Wendall Berry (yesterday’s ADD), I was recently told that I was “no Wendall Berry.” That came as a relief, actually, as it deflated an image of myself that bore no reality to my actual self. Most of us labor under versions of ourselves (better, smarter, more put together, etc.) that bear little resemblance to the person that walks around in our skin and thinks with our brain and closes our eyelids at night.

The psalmist says, “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.” (Psalm 51:6) God is interested in the actual you. Because the actual you is the one that He sent His Son to die for.

“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)

August 10, 2022

Here’s a short one from Wendell Berry to make you smile. It’s called “The First”.

“The first man to whistle / thought he had a wren in his mouth. / He went around all day / his lips puckered / afraid to swallow.”

Bono calls Jesus “the first one of your kind” and St. Paul says that “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)

This is one way of saying that Jesus is one of a kind – there has never been and will never be anyone like Him. He alone identifies with your deepest trials and woes; He alone is sinless. He alone died for your sins. He alone defeated death so you will never die.

So, no need to be afraid to whistle, or do anything else!

“Everliving God, whose will it is that all should come to you through your Son Jesus Christ: Inspire our witness to him,that all may know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and theHoly Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (For the Mission of the Church – BCP)

August 9, 2022

Ever wonder if you are going down the right path? Making the right choices about your life? Heading in the right direction vis-à-vis a relationship, vocation, parenting, etc.?

The nearly too good to be true news is that God is in the guiding business. We read in the beloved 23rd psalm that “He guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3)

Really, God is in the reclamation and rescue business. The is no wrong path that is beyond God’s ability to right it. There is no wreck that He cannot repair, no injury that He cannot heal.

It’s all going to be okay! Way, way more than okay, in fact.

“Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you be enabled to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Proper 14 – BCP)

August 8, 2022

“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”  (Lamentations 3:25-26)

Hi there Almost Daily Readers! So glad to be back with you and grateful for all the Mockingbird contributors who showed up in your inboxes.

Treebeard, the ancient and wizened Ent in Tolkien’s LOTR, says, “Things will go as they will go. There is no hurry to meet them.” How often have you wanted some future moment to “hurry up and get here.” But things will go as they will go. And the One who makes them go at His own pace in none other than the God who loves you – the God whose timing is always perfect.

Amen. See you tomorrow!

“O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall beour strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Aug 5, 2022

The Almost Daily will be on Summer Vacation until August 8th. But fear not! You will receive a devotional each Monday through Friday from the excellent Mockingbird Devotional entitled Daily Grace. Enjoy! - Paul Walker

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13)

In my early twenties I spent a summer working as a cashier at a Dollar General. One day a heavily-bearded fellow in sunglasses looked straight at me as I was ringing him up and said, “Greater love has no man than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” Awkwardly, I mumbled back, “Uh...good quote, man.”

These are powerful words but not easy ones. In the preceding verse, Jesus had issued a version of his great love-commandment, synthesizing all the law and prophets. Here, we get a glimpse of what that love demands. The stories of martyred saints throughout history fill us with inspiration and conviction: We feel that some great power of love is at work in them, and instinctively seek to honor them, even as we hope never to have to emulate them. I think of the young couple who, in August 2019, died shielding their 2-month-old child in the El Paso Walmart shooting. If that’s not a powerful image of Christ-like love, I don’t know what is.

There is immense tragic beauty in someone dying for others, a beauty that inspires believers and nonbelievers alike. Think of all the self-sacrificial film heroes: Gandalf and Frodo, Harry Potter, Iron Man, Groot, John Coffey, Aslan, Neo, that racist dude from Gran Torino... Perhaps nothing is more compelling to the human soul than the image of someone giving up their life out of love for others, and that’s precisely the type of love that Christ establishes as the ideal in this verse. This is no mere affection between friends or lovers—this is agape, the expansion of the self to include the needs and concerns and desires of others as equal to our own. This is a call to love friends and enemies alike perhaps more than we love ourselves, even to the point of death. It’s an insanely high bar.

Don’t feel up to it? Neither do I. It’s one thing to say, as Peter did, that we will gladly lay down our lives. It’s quite another, as Peter found out, to actually do it.

But the good news is that Christ provides the initiative. At several points in this long sermon from John, Jesus makes that explicit, saying “I have loved you... I have called you... I chose you... I appointed you...” He speaks of sending an “Advocate”. I used to believe that love was some coldly rational decision we make, day-in and day-out, but no. Love is not something we control. It involves difficult choices and sacrifices, to be sure, but the strength to love is most of all a gift of the Spirit, who is with us today and for all time.

[Benjamin Self, Daily Grace - Mockingbird Devotional Vol. 2]

Aug 4, 2022

The Almost Daily will be on Summer Vacation until August 8th. But fear not! You will receive a devotional each Monday through Friday from the excellent Mockingbird Devotional entitled Daily Grace. Enjoy! - Paul Walker

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” (John 21:9-12)

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have breakfast with Jesus. Would I serve Him or would He serve me? Would He lead the conversation or would He want me to? Would He be proud of me or a little disappointed? These are just a few of my questions. Then I read the passage at hand, and my heart leaps with joy.

Let me set the scene for you. After the death of Jesus a few days earlier, Peter finds himself depressed, especially since he disowned Jesus at his darkest hour. So he goes back to what’s comfortable: fishing! Peter is good at it, and being out on the open water seems to relax him. Yet he and his fellow fishermen haven’t caught one fish, and all he can think about is his denial of Jesus.

As they make their way back to dry land, the fishermen see a man on the beach and exchange a few words with him. As they draw near, John, the youngest of them all, realizes who it is and yells out, “It is the Lord!” (v. 7). Now this is when the story gets interesting. Peter rushes to meet Jesus on the seashore, but before he can even get a word out, Jesus says, in verse 12, “Come and have breakfast.” No rebuke, no stern look, not even a wagging figure. Just an invitation to a meal. Now, we don’t know all of what they chatted about around that campfire that morning, but “it’s a safe bet” that Peter repented and Jesus forgave (cf. vv. 15-19).

Ah, what good news for sinners. “Come and have breakfast.” Friends, the same good news is for you today. No matter what yesterday looked like (or didn’t), we repent, believe the gospel, and listen to this sweet invitation from Jesus. As it says in Revelation, “Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me” (3:20).

[Jonathan Adams, Daily Grace - Mockingbird Devotional Vol. 2]

Aug 3, 2022

The Almost Daily will be on Summer Vacation until August 8th. But fear not! You will receive a devotional each Monday through Friday from the excellent Mockingbird Devotional entitled Daily Grace. Enjoy! - Paul Walker

Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame. (Psalm 22:3-5)

Have you ever watched a movie for the hundredth time and wished for a different ending, even though you knew it would end the same way it did the other 99 times? This is how I feel whenever I read about the Israelites in the Old Testament. I get my hopes up and think, “Okay, now they’re following what God told them to do!” But no, they always go astray. It is frustrating to see them constantly shooting themselves in the foot. I wish I could grab them by the shoulders and shake some sense into them! “Don’t you see? It would go so much better for you if you would just do what God says!”

It is easy to pick on ancient Israel, but whenever I find myself making the same mistake for the millionth time, I realize I am no different. I am very good at ignoring my own pep talks, not to mention God’s word. I know what’s best for me, but I am not able to do it.

These verses, attributed to David, are about Israel trusting and crying out to God. It’s interesting that in the middle of his suffering, David looks to his ancestors. But how does looking to the people of the past bring hope in our current suffering? Is it exemplary behavior that we can imitate? No: Their hope, and ours, is in the way God pulled them out of despair over and over again. Hope was and is in the Deliverer, who never fails to keep his promises.

Though the curse of sin seems never-ending in Israel’s history and in our own lives, it does not have the final word. These verses are preceded by the words which Jesus will repeat from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46). And the final word in this psalm is the final word for us and for the Israelites—simply, “he has done it” (v.31). It is finished. God has delivered you, saved you, and will never let you be put to shame. He did what he promised through Jesus Christ, who bore the sin of the world: past, present, and future.

[Juliette Alvey, Daily Grace - Mockingbird Devotional Vol. 2]