Month: January 2023

Fourth Sunday of Epiphany, January 29, 2023: Micah 6:1-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31: Matthew 5:1-12; Psalm 15

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

The prophet Micah distilled all the commandments and teachings into this one sentence. It seems so simple. It’s a popular inspirational saying, with many versions available as posters, necklaces, and coffee mugs. It makes us feel good.

I was excited when I saw that this passage from Micah was in the readings today: it’s one of my favorites. But the more I looked at it, the more I thought it was difficult. It’s that last bit, “walk humbly with your God”. We are not taught how to walk humbly; the more important and successful we are, the less humbly we know how to walk. This is not unique to the 21st century US: it is pretty clear that Micah knew that some of his listeners were not interested in walking humbly with anyone, not even the Lord. We like to think we know what we are doing; we like to feel in control.

This week is one of the weeks where the lectionary reminds us that God’s way and that of the world are not the same. Paul tells us that “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” He reminds his readers that they are not important to the world, but they are to God.

Jesus too, in Matthew’s version of the Sermon on the Mount, tells us not to trust worldly values. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”: this may have been comforting and reassuring to oppressed Jews in Roman Palestine, but it does not do much for anyone in power. We are not encouraged to be meek, any more than we are encouraged to be humble.

Meekness and humility involve accepting that we do not always know what is right. For all our confidence, sometimes we get it wrong. We have to listen to others, particularly those we find challenging. And we have to listen.

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” That’s it, Micah tells us. The only challenge is actually doing it.

Third Sunday after Epiphany, January 22, 2023: Isaiah 9:1-4; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23; Psalm 27:1, 5-13

The Gospels, we know, are not historical texts. They are the stories people recorded fifty or more years after the events happened. Each Gospel tells not just slightly different stories, but when they tell the same stories, they tell them differently. In last week’s reading from John’s Gospel, John tells his followers that Jesus is the real deal, and some of them go to follow him. Andrew calls his brother Simon to join him and they follow Jesus. Jesus is not looking for followers: they come, and they enable his ministry.

Matthew tells a slightly different version of this event. In Matthew, John has been arrested. Jesus is calling people to repent. He sees Simon Peter and Andrew fishing, and calls them to him: “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people”. Likewise, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, are called from their boat.

Does it matter whether Jesus’ disciples followed with an invitation or without one? Not really. Ultimately, Jesus had disciples who not just followed him, but provided companionship and support, even if that was sometimes flawed. Jesus did his work with a group who became close friends who were with him almost all the time. His ministry was supported by a community.

At times I would rather, like Andrew and Simon Peter in John’s Gospel, make the choice myself. But when I’m tired, and lack energy, I think of how nice it would be to have an invitation to respond to. In either case, it is a remarkable story: these men dropped what they were doing to follow Jesus. It was literally a life-changing event. I have heard, over the years, many sermons about how we should become fishers of people. That is, after all, what Jesus asks his first followers to be.

I am stuck, however, on what came before that. Do we go grab our friends to hear this amazing person? Or when this man calls our name, do we follow? Or do we pretend we didn’t hear someone calling, and just stick with what we’re doing? One of the aspects of Matthew’s story that never ceases to amaze me (not always in positive ways) is that the four men Jesus calls just GO. They don’t say goodbye to anyone, they don’t pack anything, they just leave.

In his sermon today, Bishop David spoke about the call to live a Jesus-centered life. Whether we have heard that there’s something exciting happening, or we are called, today’s gospel asks us how we are joining Jesus. How do we want to be part of this community?

Second Sunday of Epiphany, January 15, 2023: Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42; Psalm 40:1-12

Imagine my surprise when I looked at the readings for this week, and realized that the Gospel was another version of the story of Jesus’ baptism by John that we had read last week. In that passage, Matthew records John as recognizing Jesus before he was baptized, but the spirit descending from heaven is presented as a personal revelation to Jesus. This week, John recognizes Jesus, but also tells others that he saw the spirit descend on Jesus. In today’s gospel reading, the emphasis moves from Jesus being blessed by God to Jesus being seen by others. The contrast between the two mirrors experiences all of us have had: there are times when we are able to see ourselves in a new way, but that is often shaped by how people respond to us.

In John’s gospel, Jesus’ baptism by John is not the end of the story, but the beginning. Jesus’ ministry begins with his baptism. John recognizes Jesus and tells his followers; some of them follow him. Where are you staying? Andrew goes to get his brother Simon Peter. They hang around him for the rest of the day. You get a sense of the buzz, as when someone first listens to a good new band: you have to hear this!

We often tell people to trust their gut. But in our lives, we regularly look for advice or affirmation from others. We consult with friends and family when we are falling in love. We take advice when thinking about a new job, or moving to a new place. We recognize that those who know us and care about us can help us see our way forward. As friends and family, we listen to those we care for and try to help them discern what is best for them and their life. Lives play out in community.

In the church, when someone experiences a call to ministry, we pay attention to their feeling. But we also test it: we have a discernment committee which meets with them over time to help them think through their call. Sometimes a discernment committee will affirm where someone thinks they are going, but it might also help them see more clearly the direction they are really called to. In other words, the Church assumes that one’s ministry is created in dialogue with the community.

We think of Jesus as always knowing what the story of his ministry would be. But maybe he didn’t know what would happen with his call: maybe he knew he was called to something, but wasn’t sure what. We know that later in his ministry, he wanted to know how he was seen. Maybe the way he was followed by some of John’s disciples shaped how his ministry developed. It mattered that they addressed him as “Rabbi”.

As we listen to where God is calling us, it is also worth listening to where those around us are calling us. What are the gifts they call out? God may be speaking to us through them.

First Sunday after Epiphany, The Baptism of our Lord, January 8, 2023: Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17; Psalm 29

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42:1)

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. In Matthew’s gospel we hear that Jesus came to where John was baptizing. John offered a baptism of repentance to those who came. According to Matthew, he recognized Jesus, and almost refused to baptize him. But Jesus pushes back, and says this is the proper sequence. And so Jesus is baptized.

Baptism is the way we become members of the Church. In baptism, we say, “you are marked as Christ’s own forever”. When we are baptized we, or if we are infants, our parents and godparents, make promises. According the current Book of Common Prayer, we promise in two directions. First we turn away: we renounce the spiritual forces that fight against God, the evil powers of this world “which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God”, as well as sinful desires “that draw us from the love of God”.

When we turn away, we always simultaneously turn towards something. In this case, we turn towards God, accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We affirm the creeds of the church, and make promises: to “continue in the apostles teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers”; to “persevere in resisting evil”; to “proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ”; to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as yourself”; and “strive for justice and peace” and to “respect the dignity of every human being.” Like the person or people Isaiah describes, we are to bring justice and peace to the nations.

These are important promises. They are also powerful. And we do not just make them once. We reaffirm them every time there is a baptism; we also reaffirm them at the Easter Vigil. The repetition of these promises has had a profound effect on my faith, my understanding of how I should live in the world.

There is another part of the story of Jesus baptism, however. As Jesus comes out of the water, he sees the Spirit of God descending on him. Isaiah tells us that this gives one power: power to do justice, to be a light to the nations. Jesus hears a voice from heaven saying “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased”. As in Isaiah, the spirit of the Lord gives power. Baptism is not a one way street.

Baptism does not just make us members of the church: it gives us power. We do not just make promises to do things. We are marked as belonging to Christ, and as a result, have the spirit working with us. Because of baptism, we are never alone as we seek to bring justice to the nations. As we remind ourselves in the words of Ephesians at the end of Evening Prayer each week, “God’s power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine”.

1st Sunday of Christmas: The Holy Name of Jesus, January 1, 2023: Numbers 6:22-27; Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11; Luke 2:15-21; Psalm 8

Names are important. Names mark us as members of communities large and small. Parents think hard about the names they give their children: do they carry a family name? Or that of a friend? We may have a family nickname, or one among our friends. Lovers often have private names for eachother. The stories behind our names, public and private, are stories of our communities.

Today’s reading from the book of Numbers raises the question: why and how do names matter? First the Lord gives Moses the words of a blessing that frequently closes a service: “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.” But then he says, “So they shall put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” The Israelites now carry the Lord’s name, and it carries a blessing.

There are more names. The Psalmist starts by addressing the Lord: “Oh Lord our Governor, how exalted is your Name in all the world!” We have two choices of Epistle: in Galatians, Paul tells us that because we are adopted as children of God, we now address him by a new name, “Abba, Father”. In Philippians, Paul tells us that God gave Jesus his name, one to which “every knee should bend”.

The Gospel begins with the familiar story of the shepherds visiting Mary and Joseph and the baby, as well as whoever else is there. They tell those they see at the manger about the message of the angels: clearly there are others present, because Mary and Joseph already know that this baby is special!

After eight days, Luke tells us, they hold a bris. At a bris, held on the eighth day of a Jewish boy’s life, he is circumcised and given his name. And so Jesus is given his name, the name Mary and Joseph had been told to give him. But a bris is not a private event, but a communal one: these days there is often a big party, but at the time of Jesus birth, one would expect neighbors to be there as witnesses and helpers. They need to know the baby’s name.

Names, both what we are called and what we call others, mark our places in the world. So did Jesus’ name. The shepherds, along with the ritual circumcision, remind us that Jesus was born into a community, even if it was a temporary one created by an order from the emperor. Through baptism, Paul reminds us, we become part not just of a community, but a family.

From time to time, you can read a story of someone who as a result of illness or injury cannot remember their name. The effort to find out their name is a reminder that names create connections. Like Jesus, from the moment we are named, we are part of a community. Thanks be to God.