On Eagles' Wings

 On Eagle’s Wings 

Above; Stellar Sea Eagle

According to Mass Wildlife a Stellar sea eagle paid a recent visit to the Taunton River in Dighton, MA. Never before has such a raptor been sighted in these whereabouts. The bird must have thought he could do better than that so he winged his way to Bar Harbor, ME. That certainly is a cut above Dighton. Birders from near and far have flocked to see this amazing creature that is so far from its native home in Asia and yet has somehow arrived to visit us. 

Watching an eagle in flight is a magnificent experience especially this particular species which dwarfs the American Bald Eagle. Biologists tell us that every feather has a purpose for the flight of such an avian. Its eyesight is able to focus in on prey ten or twenty time the distance we can see. Its talons can lift a victim 4 or 5 times its weight while in flight!

Imagine what we could do as a nation if we were truly to act as one people. This is the essential message of Paul today in his letter to the Christian folk in Corinth. Not unlike many churches down through the ages, factions had developed. Some folks said that they liked Paul, others liked Apollos and so on. All this bickering drove Paul to distraction, and so in today’s epistle, the Apostle reminds his friends that we are all one body in Christ. Christ cannot be divided. Can you imagine if an eagle’s right wing, said to its left, I’ve decided I don’t need you. Or if its eagle eyes said to its talons, I don’t need you either. Duh! How well do you think that would work out for an eagle?

Can you imagine how we would soar if we could be but one?

In some ways we have forgotten what that might mean for us. Take the nation of Israel for instance. They had forgotten the Torah, the Law of God. So long had they been in exile in Babylon that they had no time to practice their faith. Faith itself was discouraged and they took up with foreign gods.

But then the day came when Ezra the priest gathered the people by the Water Gate and read to them from the Law of God. He explained it to them, and gave its sense so that they could understand it. So moved were they that they broke down in tears; tears of sorrow that they had forgotten how much they loved God and how dear they were to each other as a nation and as a people.

But Ezra the priest said to them; “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Then the people, remembering who they were and whose they were, soared like an Eagle. 

God restored them and their spirits rose to the heavens as the Psalmist says; 

“The heavens declare the glory of God, *
      and the firmament shows his handiwork.
One day tells its tale to another, *
     and one night imparts knowledge to another.
Although they have no words or language, *
     and their voices are not heard,
Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
     and their message to the ends of the world.
The law of the Lord is perfect
     and revives the soul; *

Is there a lesson in there somewhere for us as a people and for us as a nation?

Which brings us at last to the Gospel for the day. After his wilderness experience and temptation in the desert Jesus returned to Galilee filled with the Holy Spirit. His ministry was in its very beginnings and quite naturally he went to his home town and his own synagogue and there he read from Isaiah a passage he loved; 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus played to mixed reviews in his home town as we all know, yet still his spirit soared. There were so many things in store for him as he set his sites on the work ahead. He focus was on us, the poor, the sick, the outcast. His mission was to offer his life for our sake. His joy was in pouring his life out for the people he met along the way. And thus he began his journey.

His voice calls out to you by name and I know you hear it. You cannot help yourself. Day in and day out you reach out to those you love. That’s the call of Jesus. Family, friend and stranger alike; you let your light so shine before others that they may see the good you do and glorify God in heaven.

The collect puts it so succinctly; “Give us grace to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation”.

Back in seminary days we spoke often of our “call” to one another. Some of us had a clearer sense than others of what that meant. I knew early on that I wanted to be a priest, but I’ve told you that story many times before. Others were not so sure. My friend Gary once confessed to a bunch of us that he had no sense of whether God was calling him. He’d never “heard any voice speak to him”. We tried to explain to Gary that’s not how God works. Rather, we urged him to listen to the Silence in your heart of hearts. Gary was not satisfied. 

Being the kind of person I am I twinkled my eyes at another friend and he picked up immediately what I was up to. We went to another corner of the room and together we cupped our hands and whispered the name; “GARY”. I wheeled around, looked at Gary and said; “Oh my God, did you hear that!”

It didn’t really help much other than to give us all a good chuckle but Gary did go on to be ordained and he served a mission school in Puerto Rico for many years and was dearly loved and admired by his students. God does have a wonderful way with us when we answer readily his call to serve.

God has called us to this wonderful and sacred ministry. We are Baptized to it. We are nourished to continue it in the Eucharist. 

So may our spirits soar and exult with the Psalmist; 

“He will raise you up on eagles' wings

Bear you on the breath of dawn

Make you to shine like the sun

And hold you in the palm of His hand”

In the Name of God the Most Holy Undivided and Everlasting Trinity. Amen

Fr Paul

Below are the lections assigned to be read this Sunday with highlights of words, sentences and thought that resonate in my heart.

Third Sunday after the Epiphany

January 23, 2022

The Collect:

Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

All the people gathered together into the square before the Water Gate. They told the scribe Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses, which the Lord had given to Israel. Accordingly, the priest Ezra brought the law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could hear with understanding. This was on the first day of the seventh month.He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law. And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord, the great God, and all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground. So they read from the book, from the law of God, with interpretation. They gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.

And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law. Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God, *
      and the firmament shows his handiwork.
One day tells its tale to another, *
     and one night imparts knowledge to another.
Although they have no words or language, *
     and their voices are not heard,
Their sound has gone out into all lands, *
     and their message to the ends of the world.
In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *
     it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;
     it rejoices like a champion to run its course.
It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens
   and runs about to the end of it again; *
     nothing is hidden from its burning heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect
                          and revives the soul; *
     the testimony of the Lord is sure
                          and gives wisdom to the innocent.
The statutes of the Lord are just
                          and rejoice the heart; *
     the commandment of the Lord is clear
                          and gives light to the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean
                          and endures for ever; *
     the judgments of the Lord are true
                          and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
                          more than much fine gold, *
       sweeter far than honey,
                          than honey in the comb.
By them also is your servant enlightened, *
       and in keeping them there is great reward.
Who can tell how often he offends? *
       cleanse me from my secret faults.
Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;
    let them not get dominion over me; *
       then shall I be whole and sound,
       and innocent of a great offense.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my
                                   heart be acceptable in your sight, *
       O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But strive for the greater gifts.

Gospel: Luke 4:14-21

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Falling in Love with God

 Second Sunday after the Epiphany

Of Weddings and Marriages

Above, Wedding in Cana by Hi Qi, 2013

A wedding is for a day; a marriage for a lifetime. A decision to follow Jesus takes a moment, becoming his disciple is forever thereafter.

In Christian Marriage we stand before God and among our family and friends, we declare our love for each other and then we exchange our vows. A snapshot of that day is forever etched in my heart. Not only did we become one with each other but so did our families, sort of, and our friends, kinda. That wedding day was an unforgettable celebration. All our days hence have been interesting. We haven’t had a dull day yet!

So it is with Jesus. In our Baptism we make a decision to follow him. Then comes the rest of our lives. In our prayer and service to him we become disciples. Week by week we are nourished by the Eucharist. There comes a time when the word disciple changes for many of us. We become his apostles. 

A disciple follows. An apostle is sent.

How do I know if I am one of his?

Look at the collect of the day. We pray that if Jesus is the light of the world, then may we be illumined by his Word and Sacraments and thus let our light shine. Notice that all Jesus asks of you is to let your light shine!

Look at the Lesson from Isaiah if you wonder where you stand with God. The prophet says; “I will not keep silent, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch.”  Again the theme of God’s radiant light emerges. It is no wonder that Christians and many other people of faith orient our gathering places toward the rising sun. 

Then toward that radiance we lift our spirits with the Psalmist; “God’s love, reaches to the heavens, How priceless is your love, O God!”

A mark of our discipleship is the presence of the Spirit. Paul reminds us that “there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone.” Like the folks in that factious church in Corinth you and I may look different, act different and think different but it is the same spirit that unites us as one. This is the most challenging of all the mysteries of weddings, marriages and human relationships. 

Not all marriages make it. I can remember one couple that didn’t make it two weeks. When I saw the bride, she told me; “He changed!” I thought to myself, “How much can one person change in two weeks?” I have found myself in the middle of some dicey situations as a parish priest. Especially when confronting physical abuse. I have been a party to finding safe housing for battered women and their families. In one especially memorable situation a woman came to my office in tears because her husband was engaged in an extra marital relationship. He was a postal employee, and disregarding the potential dangers, I confronted him and warned him that if he did not cease and desist from his behavior, I would advertise him as a sinner and deny him communion until he repented and returned to his wife. You can imagine how he felt about me after that. But, to my amazement, he did return to his wife and they are still married to this day! 

As Meryl Streep says of the whole business of love; “Its complicated!”

Some marriages end in divorce. My mom tried three times that we know of until she finally got it right.

As for us, we have fallen in love with God. We decided to follow Jesus. Then Jesus sent us out to do the work to the Holy Spirit. There is much to be forgiven, much to be reconciled, so very much to be loved. We are wed to the Risen Christ. Now  the rest of life is a marriage of service to the Living God!

Forge on then as Martin Luther King might urge us on. Janet King and I decided that we few could not do justice to what many call the Negro National Anthem. But when I think of our Marriage to God, I think of our struggles to make God’s will known. Let me read the lyrics of this stirring hymn;

Lift every voice and sing

Till earth and heaven ring

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty

Let our rejoicing rise

High as the listening skies

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun

Let us march on till victory is won

Stony the road we trod

Bitter the chastening rod

Felt in the days when hope unborn had died

Yet with a steady beat

Have not our weary feet

Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?

We have come over a way that with tears has been watered

We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered

Out from the gloomy past

Till now we stand at last

Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast

God of our weary years

God of our silent tears

Thou who has brought us thus far on the way

Thou who has by Thy might Led us into the light

Keep us forever in the path, we pray

Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee

Lest, our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee

Shadowed beneath Thy hand

May we forever stand

True to our God

True to our native land

Our native land.

May we so live our lives that our Love of God shines in every dark and discouraging moment. May our love for one another lift our spirits that life itself becomes a torch of freedom. Moses freed us from slavery. Jesus freed us from the power of sin and death. Now be radiant in God’s Word and Sacrament! Amen.

In the Name of God; the Most Holy, Undivided, and Everlasting Trinity. Amen.

Fr Paul

Below are today’s assigned readings with words, phrases and thoughts highlighted that resonated within my heart.

The Collect:

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Isaiah 62:1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch. The nations shall see your vindication, and all the kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name that the mouth of the Lord will give. You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. You shall no more be termed Forsaken, and your land shall no more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land Married; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married. For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

Psalm: Psalm 36:5–10

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, *
       and your faithfulness to the clouds.
Your righteousness is like the strong mountains,
   your justice like the great deep; *
      you save both man and beast, O Lord.
How priceless is your love, O God! *
      your people take refuge under the
                              shadow of your wings.
They feast upon the abundance of your house; *
      you give them drink from the river of your delights.
For with you is the well of life, *
      and in your light we see light.
Continue your loving-kindness to those who know you, *
       and your favor to those who are true of heart.

Epistle: 1 Corinthians 12:1–11

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

Gospel: John 2:1–11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.” So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

A Complete Makeover

 First Sunday after the Epiphany

The Baptism of our Lord

“Time for a Complete Makeover”

Bob Vila made a name for himself fixing up “This Old House”.

My mom made sure I had something nice to wear for school, we always had an Easter outfit, and to this day when it comes to Sunday, I still like to dress up. My step father was an engineer, and he loved tinkering with his car, to make it “run like a top”. 

Now by God, it’s time to get our souls right with Jesus. It is time for a complete makeover as the TV shows put it. If we can do it for a house, a wardrobe or a car, surely we can do it for the sake of our spiritual wellness. We are in need of a complete makeover. 

It is the Feast Day of the Baptism of our Lord. 

Jesus comes to John down by the Riverside. It’s his turn. God has something in store of him. He is Baptized in the Jordan and “heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Oh, by the way I have news for you this morning; wonderful news; and I’m very excited about sharing this news with you. And here it is; you are forgiven. It doesn’t matter how big a mess you’ve made of things. If you are like me, you’ve done that more than once. Nevertheless you are forgiven. Perhaps there are still those bad habits you’re still working on. Forgiven. Maybe there are those annoying personality quirks that won’t go away. Jesus has wiped the slate clean. You are forgiven of it all.

This is the Mystery of the Cross. It is another way of saying that God loves you. Unconditionally. God loves you. Period. The First Lesson said it today in as many words; “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior”.

In response to this Good News and the abundance of God’s Grace the Church calls upon us to renew our Baptismal vows this day. Like the day when the apostles sought out the gift of the Holy Spirit, we also seek to be filled with that same kind of Spirit that allows us to know we are overflowing with God’s love. 

First and foremost our vocation is to affirm God’s love for us. Each and every one of us. For as the Scripture says; “you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you”. Imagine that; God honors us!

The love of God is more than abundant, it overflows from us and through us toward all. We are the agents now of God’s abundant love. We break all barriers between people. No race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, language or nationality can divide us now. We are all one in Jesus.

Again the Scripture vividly describes God’s gathering of all people. “I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

That’s you. God made you. Redeemed you. Sanctified and made you Holy! 

It hasn’t always been this way in America. When a man by the name of Homer Plessy tried to board a “Whites only” railroad car in 1892 he violated Louisiana law. He was of mixed race. His appeal went all the way to the Supreme Court where in 1894 “separate but equal” was ruled constitutional. This set the stage for a whole slew of laws in the United States allowing “Jim Crow” to be the law of the land. Vast swaths of America denied Justice and Freedom to people of color. Justice John Harland, the great Kentucky statesman, was the lone dissent on the court, and his brilliant legal mind set the stage for the overturn of the Plessy decision in Brown vs Board of Education at long last in 1954. 

Just this week Mr Homer Plessy was granted a posthumous pardon for his “crime” on the 125th anniversary of his “conviction” by John Bel Edwards, Governor of Louisiana. 

The long hard struggle for Liberty and Justice for all in America continues. Next week we will celebrate Martin Luther King Day and the work goes on. Civil Rights in America is in no way a done deal but in every way imaginable is always an ongoing battle. 

But God loves everybody without regard to race or any other category you or I may wish to pigeon hole someone. We are one flesh and blood. As my namesake Paul puts it; “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” ~Galatians 3:28

On a pilgrimage to the Holy Land I once heard an old Palestinian woman say; “And what is the color of God?” After a pause she answered her own question; “The color of God is the color of water!” Let that sink in for a few minutes. 

Now we come to the waters of Baptism. The waters over which a dove appeared in bodily form and “a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’.”

These are the same waters we drink day in and day out just because we are alive. They are the waters in which you and I are Baptized in Christ. Here we receive our total makeover. We die to sin. We rise to the newness of life in Jesus. 

The Catechism teaches us who you are now are by virtue of this total makeover:

1. A Child of God

2. A Member of Christ

3. An Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Therefore I call upon you to join me now as we renew our own Baptismal Covenant. 

The Renewal of Baptismal Vows

Celebrant: Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil and renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?
People: I do.

Celebrant: Do you believe in God the Father?
People: I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Celebrant: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God? People: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit
 and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
 was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
 and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Celebrant: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
People: I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

Celebrant: Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
People: I will, with God's help.

Celebrant: Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord
People: I will, with God's help.

Celebrant: Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
People: I will, with God's help.

Celebrant: Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
People: I will, with God's help.

Celebrant: Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
People: I will, with God's help.

Celebrant: Will you cherish the wondrous works of God, and protect and restore the beauty and integrity of all creation?

People: I will, with God’s help.

Celebrant: May Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins, keep us in eternal life by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

In the Name of God; the Most Holy, Undivided and Everlasting Trinity. Amen

Fr Paul

Above He Qi's Baptism of Jesus. For some background information on the artist's work check this link.

Below are the readings assigned of this Sunday with highlights indicating words, phrases and thoughts that resonate in my soul. 

The Collect:

Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

First Lesson: Isaiah 43:1-7

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you, I give people in return for you, nations in exchange for your life. Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth— everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Psalm: Psalm 29

Ascribe to the Lord, you gods, *
      ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his Name; *
     worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
   the God of glory thunders; *
     the Lord is upon the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
     the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *
     the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *
     and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
   the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *
     the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *
     and strips the forests bare.
And in the temple of the Lord *
     all are crying, “Glory!”
The Lord sits enthroned above the flood; *
      the Lord sits enthroned as King for evermore.
The Lord shall give strength to his people; *
      the Lord shall give his people the blessing of peace.

New Testament: Acts 8:14-17

Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit (for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Gospel: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Remembering Desmond Tutu

 Remembering Desmond Tutu

“Let Freedom Ring!”

(From The Washington Post 

January 1,2022)

The Bishops of the Diocese of Massachusetts asked us to ring the church bell in honor of Desmond Tutu last Friday at noon and I’m asking Tom to do that again right now. And as I do that let me say; 

Let Freedom Ring! Ringing of the Church bell!

It is a long hard road to freedom. Ask the children of Apartheid what it was like. Or the children of Slavery in America, perhaps we might listen to that story. Native Americans can tell you the story of what it was like to lose land and life. The Irish fled famine. Italians and Germans fled war. And so it goes. Here we are today. We are a people of conflict caught between a struggle for freedom while at the same time agents of oppression. The truth must be told. And I invite you to walk the way of Love. 

Yesterday, Desmond Tutu was laid to rest at St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa, may he Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory. 

I am no stranger to White Supremacy in America. When I became the Rector of Christ Church, Hyde Park in Boston the city was in the throes of Phase II Desegregation. On the eve of my first service I received a phone call from a woman I later learned was a parishioner. When I said “Christ Church rectory, good evening” she said; “You say one word about integration and we will kill you.” Click. And such was my welcome to that chapter in my ministry. 

Many years later, while serving as Rector at St. Mark’s Church in Saint Albans, WV a black teen age boy asked a white teen age girl to go out on a date. That night there was a cross burning on the black family’s front lawn. The next morning after our services I went to St. Paul’s Missionary Baptist Church. I wanted the black community to hear the news from me. I promised as God is my judge to do what I could. Pastor Mike Poke and I organized a march for the following Friday evening to go from one church to another to denounce this evil in the strongest terms possible. Hand in hand we marched. We carried the cross of Jesus right down Main St. Local officials and even Joe Manchin, then governor of the state of West Virginia joined in prayer with the whole community to renounce this and all wickedness having to do with racism.

The struggle for equality continues. 

Even as a child I learned early on about gender inequality. I used to love hanging around the kitchen table or when shooed off to bed to hang by the upstairs bannister and listen in to all the family gossip. I vividly recall my mother telling the story of her pay scale at the First National Bank of Boston. She worked data processing in payroll and because of her position she learned that she was being paid at a different rate than a man working exactly the same job in the very same office. When she confronted the boss, he said that the man had a family to support. My divorced mother said; “What am I, sliced liverwurst! I have two boys at home and I’m the breadwinner for my family”. That argument made no difference whatsoever and to this day the pay scales between men and women remains unequal and unjust. If being a feminist means, “equal pay for equal work”, among other things, then I am a feminist. 

Desmond Tutu was also a leader in LGBTQ rights and equality. I was no stranger to the fact of same sex relationships at a very young age. After my dad died my uncle and his “friend” Jimmy let me tag along with them on day trips all over the state of Massachusetts. On special occasions they took me to Frank Guiffrida’s Hilltop Steak House up on Route #1. Many of you will remember the plastic cows who kept us company while waiting to get to get a table. 

My uncle was gay, but I never thought of him that way. He was just my uncle, Jimmy was Jimmy and they were both good friends. But when I went to seminary our relationship began to change. Al did not hold back his feelings about the church which he considered a safe harbor for superstition and bigotry. My uncle freely and vigorously expressed his opinions. I learned some vocabulary from him which I found useful when I drove taxi in New York City and Boston; which I did to help pay my way through seminary. My grandmother took exception to much of my uncle’s vivid and colorful idiomatic epithets. She often said, that man swears like a stevedore. I had to look that word up too when I first heard it. 

Not long before I graduated from Seminary and prepared for Ordination, my uncle confronted me. This was way back in 1972, by the way, long before the church came around to deal with many of the issues of inclusivity which many of us take for granted now. He summoned me front and center as only my uncle could; “You with the turned around collar” he said, dripping with sarcasm, “I don’t give a good blankety blankety blank about what that church of yours thinks, I want to know about what you think of me.”  Immediately, I said; “Geez Al, you’re just fine with me.” “Then stand up for me and Jimmy in that blankety blankety blank church of yours some day!” And I did just that. And many more did just that. And Desmond Tutu did just that and together we moved the embrace of Jesus in ever widening circles of love to include all people by whatever color, gender, orientation, language and so on. 

Not that Jesus didn’t embrace us all in unconditional love from before time, now and forever, but it takes humankind so long to learn the way of love. 

Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu land many others led South Africa from Apartheid to Freedom and Justice. He led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission which required confession, forgiveness and restitution, where possible.

Today we remember the time when the Three Kings bring their gifts to the Christ Child. We celebrate the gifts of Desmond Tutu and the Freedom he brings to our souls. It was a privilege to meet him in person, just once, but it was an unforgettable moment. I think of the great gift he was to this world. Martin Luther King was a great gift. And I think of your family and mine as a gift, as I do each and every one of you. 

So let the church bell ring as our lives lead us to embrace Freedom with Justice for All. This is not just an American Dream. This, as Desmond Tutu so often said is the Dream of God. 

Amen.

Fr Paul

Below, the readings appointed to be read on the Second Sunday of Christmas, January 2,2022.

The Collect:

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share 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.

First Lesson: Jeremiah 31:7-14

For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, “Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.” See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.” For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.

Psalm: Psalm 84:1-8

How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! *
       My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of
                                the Lord;
       my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
The sparrow has found her a house
   and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; *
       by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts,
       my King and my God.
Happy are they who dwell in your house! *
       they will always be praising you.
Happy are the people whose strength is in you! *
       whose hearts are set on the pilgrims’ way.
Those who go through the desolate valley will find
                                it a place of springs, *
       for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.
They will climb from height to height, *
       and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.
Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; *
       hearken, O God of Jacob.
Behold our defender, O God; *
       and look upon the face of your Anointed.

Epistle: Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.