Why is it that we work so hard at rejecting that which is good?

The Gospel appointed for the Daily Office is taken from the Gospel according to Luke where we read:

He began to tell the people this parable: ‘A man planted a vineyard, and leased it to tenants, and went to another country for a long time. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants in order that they might give him his share of the produce of the vineyard; but the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Next he sent another slave; that one also they beat and insulted and sent away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third; this one also they wounded and threw out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, “What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.” But when the tenants saw him, they discussed it among themselves and said, “This is the heir; let us kill him so that the inheritance may be ours.” So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.’ When they heard this, they said, ‘Heaven forbid!’ But he looked at them and said, ‘What then does this “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’  (Lk 20:9-18).

 

Why is it that we work so hard at rejecting that which is good?  Perhaps we are so caught up in our own agenda that we fail to see what God has planned for us.  We can become so concerned with what we desire that we do not accept what gives life.  During Advent we are reminded that we must look to what God has in store for us putting aside our selfish desires which only lead to unhappiness.

 
Let us pray:  Gracious God, send the grace of the Holy Spirit to open our minds and hearts to Your Son, Jesus Christ.  May we put aside those things which keep us from You, and may we move ever closer to You.  Amen.

The Most Vulnerable Among Us

The season of Advent is upon us.  It is the start of the liturgical year where we look to the past when Christ first came, we look forward to Christ’s coming again, and we look for him in the present. 

The reading appointed for Morning Prayer on this Monday in the first week of Advent reminds us:

Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah! What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt-offerings of rams and the fat of fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats. When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation— I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them. When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord; though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Is. 1: 10-20)
 

Isaiah tells us that God desires goodness and justice. As God’s image bearers, we are called to care for those made in His likeness and image.  We are called to care for those who cannot care for themselves, the weak and the vulnerable among us: the oppressed, the orphan, the sick, the child in the mother's womb, the elderly, and the widow. It is in their faces, the faces of the most vulnerable, that we see Jesus.

Let us pray: O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you; bring the nations into your fold; pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Be Thankful

Sometimes we are concerned with what we do not have.  There is always that something else that we want that we think will make our lives complete.  Sometimes we forget to be thankful for what we do have. Sometimes we forget to be thankful for who we have in our lives.

We live in a society that puts so much emphasis on things.  During this season there are a myriad of TV commercials where there are beautiful, sleek, shiny white cars in drive ways with red bows on top and happy families sublimely contented that Santa has brought them the latest in automotive engineering. Throw in Black Friday and Cyber Monday and the emphasis on things is complete.

Maybe, just maybe, Madison Avenue has a misplaced focus on what we are to be thankful for.

On this Thanksgiving Day, let us be thankful for what we do have even if it is a one room apartment. Let us be thankful for whatever mode of transportation we have, even if it is not the latest model. Let us be thankful for food on the table.  Let us be thankful for the ability to work.  Let us be grateful for what God has given us.  As I have heard pastors preach, “Let’s develop an attitude of gratitude.”

But more importantly, let us be thankful for those intangibles: the love of our families and friends.  Let us be thankful for those who are kind to us, for those who smile when they meet us.  Let us be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy even though they may not be perfect. Let us be thankful for our communities where we worship.  Most importantly, let us be thankful for Him who lived, died and rose for us, Jesus Christ.  Let us be thankful for the gift of salvation, and let us show our gratitude by telling everyone how thankful we are and what God has done for us.

Let us pray: Most gracious God, in you we live and move and have our being.  We thank you for the gifts of this earth, for the food which nourishes us and for those whose work made it possible.  We thank you for those who serve the public and protect us, the police, firefighters, medical professionals, all of those serving in the armed forces at home and abroad.  We thank you for the love of our families and friends.  We thank you for the gift of Jesus, Your Son, who gave His life to make us a new creation.  May the Holy Spirit sanctify us and transform us into a thankful people.  Amen.

St. Luke, Physician & Evangelist

 

Today the Church celebrates the feast day of St. Luke, the patron saint of the Episcopal Church in Livingston.

St. Luke is the author of two of the books in the New Testament: the Gospel according to Luke, which was written between 70 and 85 AD, and the first sequel in the New Testament, the Acts of the Apostles. He is the only Gentile Christian among the Gospel writers, and according to tradition, Luke was from Antioch.  St. Paul calls Luke as “our beloved physician.”

Luke refers to himself in the Acts if the Apostles during Paul’s second journey. Luke remained at Philippi for several years until Paul returned from his third journey, and Luke accompanied Paul to Jerusalem, and remained near him when Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea.

 

Although it is part of the “synoptic” Gospels, Luke is quite unique.  He has a tendency to show how God turns things upside down, the reverse of what the world expects.  In his Gospel, the women have a prominent role, the poor are raised up, and salvation is open to the Jewish people and the Gentiles alike.

Luke’s Gospel has been given a number of subtitles, including, the Gospel of Mercy; the Gospel of Universal Salvation; the Gospel of the Poor; the Gospel of Absolute Renunciation; the Gospel of Prayer and the Holy Spirit, and the Gospel of Joy.

 

Let us pray: Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Theophilus: Lover of God

I have accepted the call to serve as Rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Livingston, Texas, after serving as Vicar of St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church in Galveston, Texas for the last eight years.  It is the close of one chapter and the beginning of another.

I cannot help but be filled with great anticipation and excitement! At the same time, I know that to be a minister of the Good News of Jesus Christ is, to say the least, quite humbling. We feel inadequate; yet God provides for our inadequacies. At my ordination the preacher, the Rev. Samuel R. Todd, took the words from the ordination rite in the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and during his sermon reminded me of my charge as a priest: 

Have always therefore printed in your remembrance, how great a treasure is committed to your charge. For they are the sheep of Christ, which he bought with his death, and for whom he shed his blood. . . . And if it shall happen that the same Church, or any Member thereof, do take any hurt or hindrance by reason of your negligence, you know the greatness of the fault, and also the horrible punishment that will ensue. Wherefore consider with yourselves the end of the Ministry towards the children of God  …  and see that you never cease your labor, your care and diligence, until you have done all that lies in you, according to your bounden duty, to bring all such as are or shall be committed to your charge, unto that agreement in the faith and knowledge of God, and to that ripeness and perfectness of age in Christ, that there be no place left among you, either for error in religion, or for viciousness in life.

As I begin my new ministry, I am reminded by St. Luke of the task before me.  He opens his Gospel addressing “Theophilus,” meaning “Lover of God,” and St. Luke tells his reader, Theophilus: “Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.” Lk. 1:3-4. 

I have my charge from St. Luke in my new ministry at the parish named after him.  To care for the Lovers of God, to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who know him and to those who do not yet know him.  

Let us pray: 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 being 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.