January 3, 2023

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:23-24)

What a lovely blessing as we begin this new year. New Year’s resolutions may suffer from an overestimation of our own will and capacity, but New Year’s hope is rooted squarely in God himself. His mercies are new every morning. There is always hope for change, because our hope is rooted – not in ourselves – but in the God of hope.

So, here’s to 2023!!!

“O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (A Collect for the Renewal of Life – BCP)

January 2, 2023

Author Anne Lamott says, “What I wanted my whole life was relief — from pressure, isolation, people’s suffering (including my own, which was mainly mental)… That is all I really want now.”

Who can’t relate? The New Year has come and Jesus Christ remains our steadfast source of relief and comfort. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

May you each experience God’s rest in 2023.

“Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.” (Holy Name – BCP)

December 27, 2022

And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.’  (Luke 2: 6-7)

From a 1626 John Donne Christmas sermon.

The life of Christ was a continual Passion; others die Martyrs, but Christ was born a Martyr. He found a Golgotha (where he was crucified) even in Bethlehem, where he was born; For, to his tenderness then, the straws were almost as sharp as the thorns after; and the Manger as uneasy at first, as his Cross at last. His birth and his death were but one continual act, and his Christmas-day and his Good Friday, are but the evening and morning of one and the same day. 

Can’t even begin to improve on that one.

‘O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Christmas Day – BCP)

December 23, 2022

“Child for us sinners / Poor and in the manger / We would embrace Thee / With love and awe; / Who would not love Thee / Loving us so dearly.”

That verse from “O Come, All Ye Faithful” cuts to the heart every time, over and over again, Christmas after Christmas after Christmas. For me, it is the essence of worship. Adoring the One who adores us.

Even deeper is this cut: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.” (John 1:11) And yet, He came. He came just the same.

“Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Fourth Sunday of Advent – BCP)

December 22, 2022

“For I've grown a little leaner, grown a little colder/ Grown a little sadder, grown a little older / And I need a little angel sitting on my shoulder / Need a little Christmas now.”

We need a little Christmas now. Jerry Herman wrote it in the 1960’s for a musical. You’ve heard the Johnny Mathis version. I think it accurately captures the desperation we have for Good News. We can’t wait. We need it now.

So here it is: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

“O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Christmas Day – BCP)

December 21, 2022

Among the Christmas decorations in my childhood home was a version of Mary and baby Jesus that appeared on our front door. It was shiny – and perhaps mod in the fashion of the 1960’s. It also frightened the pants off me as a 5 year old. I called it “The Monster Lady” and begged my mother to take it down. Thus, the early roots of my convinced Protestantism were on display.

However, where would we be without Mary? Her response to the inconceivable announcement of the angel about her conception is a wonder to behold. “And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:38)

Let it be to me according to your word. What a thing to say. What a thing I would wish to say to God in all things. How about you?

“Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Fourth Sunday of Advent – BCP)

December 20, 2022

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

Lady Macbeth claims (wrongly, as it turns out) that her husband is “too full of the milk of human kindness” to kill his rivals.

There is a special emphasis during Christmastime on the milk of human kindness. That is a good thing, even in its hackneyed expressions. I’m not above shedding a tear during a feel- good film. Paul tells us that the milk of human kindness finds its source in the atoning blood of Christ. Kindness flows from the kindness shown unto us.

“Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Fourth Sunday of Advent – BCP)

December 19, 2022

A good rule of thumb when deciding about whether to do a thing or not is to ask yourself if you really want to do the thing.  If you don’t, then you will likely do it with resentment, which will backfire on you and the people around you. Sometimes, however, you are actually called by God to do something that you don’t really want to do. God’s call has an ineluctable quality about it. Then you do the thing.

But really, the same motivational principle applies. You do the thing because you want to live your life in gratitude for what God has done for you. And you know, as an added bonus, that you will feel very good having done the thing.

This is how Paul says it. “But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.  You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.” (Romans 6:17-18)

“Direct us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favor, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works 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)

December 16, 2022

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10)

The news is true. One way you know this is because the angel’s announcement, now over 2000 years in the telling, still has the power to move you to tears, or wonder, or awe, or top of the head to tip of the toes tingle.

Good news of great joy to all people. All People. Good News. Great Joy. There is a reason that the gospel is called the Greatest Story Ever Told.

“Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Fourth Sunday of Advent – BCP)

December 15, 2022

Speaking of the Dead, herein lies one of their many astute theological observations:

“It takes dynamite to get me up / Too much of everything is just enough /One more thing that I gotta say / I need a miracle every day.”

I need a miracle every day. That is theme song of low anthropology (i.e. reality), is it not? If you think you don’t, then, well, God has nothing to say to you. Except maybe something like this.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.” (Matthew 23:27)

Don’t forget the words spoken to once proud King Lear: “Thy life’s a miracle. Speak yet again.”

“Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Second Sunday of Advent – BCP)

December 14, 2022

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1)

I will never understand how the younger generation can believe that Phish is even in the same league as The Grateful Dead. I know I’m long in the tooth, but still. I get that younger people didn’t get to experience the Dead live. I have cousin who, after graduating from The University of Virginia in 1995, spent 3 years following Phish. This is still a topic of discussion at family get togethers. We’ve even had graduates of our Christ Church Fellows Program who still prefer Phish over the Dead; I feel we’ve failed them.

We haven’t experienced Jesus in the flesh during His incarnation. But we can still listen to His music.  He is still present – through His Word, through the sacrament, and through works of love wrought by the power of His Holy Spirit.

“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.” (Third Sunday of Easter – BCP)

December 13, 2022

“When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” (Matthew 11:2-6)

From Flaubert’s Madam Bovary. "Deep down in her heart, she was waiting and waiting for something to happen. Like a shipwrecked mariner, she gazed out wistfully over the wide solitude of her life, if so be she might catch the white gleam of a sail away on the dim horizon. She knew not what it would be, this longed-for barque; what wind would waft it to her, or to what shores it would bear her away. She knew not if it would be a shallop or a three-decker, burdened with anguish or freighted with joy. But every morning when she awoke she hoped it would come that day."

Has a distinct Advent ring to it, doesn’t it? You don’t know what a day will bring or which ship will (or won’t) appear on the horizon. But you do know the One who came will come again with the same encompassing grace. Good news will be brought to you once again.

“Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Fourth Sunday of Advent – BCP)

December 12, 2022

“Even at 85, I have never acquired much wisdom, other than perhaps the value of reticence and avoidance of judging others, lest I invite condemnation of myself.”  That is from a recent essay by author James Lee Burke.

The apostle James says it this way in this week’s lectionary reading. “Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged” (James 5:9)

Why not do yourself a favor, and just let it go? You would be obeying God and making things easier on yourself and, of course, the one you are judging.

“O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having 
done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (A Collect for the Renewal of Life – BCP)

December 9, 2022

“Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.” (Isaiah 35:3)

Here is some delving insight from Cormac McCarthy’s new novel, The Passenger. Make of it what you will.

“When smart people do dumb things it’s usually due to one of two things. The two things are greed and fear. They want something they are not supposed to have or they’ve done something they weren’t supposed to do. In any case, they’ve usually fastened on to a set of beliefs that are supportive of their state of mind but at odds with reality. It has become more important for them to believe than to know.”

That’s a version of confirmation bias, but also shows us how deeply affected we are by our emotional turbulence. We need saving.

“Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.” (Third Sunday of Advent – BCP)

December 8, 2022

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)

The man who started the recent protests in China has been called “the man who sparked the light in the darkness." Sadly, authorities took him into custody and his whereabouts are unknown. But the light continues to shine.

Jesus came not just to spark the light, but to be the light for us.  As the Grateful Dead tell us, “sometimes the light’s all shining on me, other times I can barely see.”  But whether the Light is all shining on you, or you feel lost in a fog, that doesn’t change this irrevocable truth: the Light shines in the darkness and the darkness shall not overcome it.

“Be our light in the darkness, O Lord, and in your great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.” (A Collect for Aid Against Perils – BCP)

December 7, 2022

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)

If you ever hear someone say that the primary reason Jesus came was to show us how to love each other, then you know you have heard something that is at least heresy adjacent.  Or maybe a heresy sandwich, because that claim abuts two legit heresies.

The first is Gnosticism, which tells us that special knowledge will save us. In this case, if we just study how Jesus lived and what He taught, then we will have the key to being one big happy human family. And the second is Pelagianism, which assumes that humans are always improving and progressively capable of using that Gnostic key.  (See Dave Zahl’s Low Anthropology for more on that topic.)

The reason God sent His Son to be born in a manger(hello, it’s Christmastime) is to die for our sins and be raised for our justification and eternal life.  Don’t settle for anything less.

“Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.” (Third Sunday of Advent – BCP)

December 6, 2022

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” (1 John 3:1)

Nathaniel Hawthorne found himself alone with his 5 year old son for 3 weeks in the Berkshires. The writer was nearly 50 at the time. His wife took their older daughter and their newborn to Boston for 3 weeks, leaving their son Julian in his father’s care. This was a novel experience for the deeply introverted writer. The boy peppered his father with questions and babbled all day long. They were constant playmates outdoors. Hawthorne was both exasperated and delighted by his son.

Hawthorne kept a diary, recording their days together.  The barrage of queries and musings, pelting the helpless father from dawn until dusk, made it impossible “to write, read, think, or even to sleep (in the daytime).”  Still, Hawthorne delighted in the “genial and good-humored little man” — “the old gentleman”.  Julian was “felicitating himself continually on the license of making what noise he pleased… He enjoys his freedom so greatly, that I do not mean to restrain him.”

This speaks of our Heavenly Father’s love for us. We babble to, exasperate, and yet, delight God!

“Watch over thy child, O Lord, as his days increase; bless and guide him wherever he may be. Strengthen him when he stands; comfort him when discouraged or sorrowful; raise him up if he fall; and in his heart may thy peace which passeth understanding abide all the days of his life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” (For a Birthday – BCP)

December 5, 2022

There is a New Yorker cartoon of a pie chart titled “The Wheel of No”.  Divided up in the chart are various responses. “Absolutely! But, first let me check with my roommate/ partner/ middle school friend/ dry cleaner….”.  And “Huh!” There is also, “Interesting!” As well as, “Can I get back to you?” and “Let me think about it.”

All responses in the pie chart = NO. Funny, but true. Jesus, on the other hand, is God’s YES to the world. “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

“Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (Second Sunday in Advent – BCP)

December 2, 2022

“He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” (Revelation 22:20)

Here is one of the many Mark Twain witticisms. "Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination. No sane man can be happy, for to him life is real, and he sees what a fearful thing it is. Only the mad can be happy, and not many of those."

Witty, and true to an extent. But that is without Jesus Christ in the equation. Or Advent. We can look at life without rose colored glasses, feel the pain of reality, and yet experience the Joy of knowing the One who has come to take away the sin of the world and who will come again when the wait is over.

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

“Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.” (First Sunday of Advent – BCP)

December 1, 2022

“If anyone sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for oursins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2)

The quiddity of the gospel (i.e. – it’s essence) is the forgiveness of sin. The prayer prayed at communion is worth savoring.

“All glory be to thee, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, for that thou, of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption; who made there, by his one oblation of himself once offered, a full,
perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for the sins of the whole world….”

Remember the REM classic? “Stand in the place where you live.” No reason to ever stray from the gospel’s quiddity. It’s where you live.

“Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.” (Third Sunday of Advent – BCP)