How did I get to be so lucky

 “How Did I Get to Be So Lucky?”

A Farewell Meditation by Fr Paul

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

How did I get to be so lucky to be your Anamchara? What were you thinking of when you picked the likes of me? You realize it has been 10 years this past Sunday. What a fun ride that was! And what a privilege to walk with you the Pilgrim’s Way. It was also 10 years ago that I underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost more than 100 lbs! And I’ve maintained that weight loss. Ain’t I lucky to have a medical team I have. And talk about luck. It has been 15 years since my prostatectomy and radiation treatments. There’s some of you know that story! Now I’m on two forms of hormone therapy to keep the cancer confused as to my gender identity. Talk about being non binary! How lucky am I.

And that’s just me. Imagine my ancestors survived the Great Hunger in the Old Country. Two thirds of the villagers died in my ancestral home. Another two thirds died aboard the coffin ships in the passage to America, and a bunch more got shipped back again when disease claimed their souls in quarantine. There was immigrant hostility in Yankee Boston; “Irish need not apply”. And here I am a priest in “the” Yankee church for 52 years this month. How did I get to be so lucky?

My dad and his shipmates played hit and miss games with German U-boats during WWII. His eyes would light up his head would rear back and he’d roar with laughter when he told me; “Hey kid, life is a crap shoot!” And now here we are each with a story to tell of how we come to be gathered together today. How did we get to be so lucky?

But it wasn’t by a roll the dice that we got to be here. I believe it is by the Grace of God that we are here, Grace upon Grace. As Peter tells us in today’s first lesson; “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” What a Joy to follow the Way of Jesus! I cannot begin to describe the love that’s in this room and online today. Do you have any idea how much I love you, have loved you will love you? But infinitely more is the love of God for us. Not only here and now, but when we leave this place and return to our homes, workplaces, churches for the Grace of which I speak fills us and carries us in ways we can hardly begin to fathom. As the Psalmist says; “Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; * so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.”

Which brings us to the intersection of this moment. We prepare our hearts now to pass the baton. The Abbot to the Abbess and the Anamchara to the Anamchara. Brother/Abbot John Brendon to Sr/Abbess Patricia Sarah and Fr Paul to Fr Jeff. What Grace!

But hold the phone…do you have any idea what you’re getting yourselves into? God has cast a holy eye upon you, Sr. Pat and Fr Jeff. I give thanks and praise for you, that you are willing to say yes. I’d like to say that your tenure will be uneventful. But if my experience is any indication; or if the experience of our founders and successors bear witness, life is not without its occasional challenge from time to time. 

No question we find ourselves tossed into the occasional maelstrom. Like Jesus in a storm on Lake Galilee or faced with impossible questions like whether to pay taxes to Caesar. In the former case he simply told the sea; “Peace, be still!” With the biblical literalists it was not so easy. Whatever the answer eventually they will catch him in his words and find a way to crucifixion. 

Thankfully, it never got that bad being Anamchara, Abbot, Abbess. But sure and its a wild ride we’re on from time to time.

So let me give you something to take hold of as you live into your calling, as we all live into our calling. What else do we have but the Grace of the Triune God? That’s all I’ve ever had all my life but I find its been more than enough. 

When I think of God I think of the Creator of all that is in Heaven and Earth. Jesus is my Savior and the Holy Spirit is the One who makes everyone and everything Holy. And we are the choir singing in harmony with the Host of Heaven.

We are partners with God in Creation. I think of you in your spare time engaged in the creative arts. Some of us are regaling one another with good stories and conviviality. Some seek a moment of quiet to pray or to write or read. But there’s hardly a moment goes by without our being one with God in Creation. We love to create and care for beautiful things. Art and music and literature and in ways to too many to number. Every spare moment of her life my grandmother would crochet. And her afghan still gathers me in the warmth of her love.

We are partners with Jesus in the business of salvation. God knows we’re always working to salvage what we can of the messes we make in life. This is exactly why God sent Jesus into this world. Quoth God; “Will you look at the mess! Go see what you can do to salvage what you can of the lives of those folks.” And look what he did for us. He touched our hearts and changed our lives.

Mind you we face some challenging times. There are wars and rumors of wars and climate change hastens its way towards us. And whatever happens in the election this November, America will never be the same again. But then read the history books. We’ve seen it all before. Vikings have laid waste to our sacred people and places long before this. Empires come and empires go and through it all we have endured and prevailed because only God remains Supreme. 

Be advised I have no idea how “orthodox” this approach is to the Trinity. It may smack of “modalism” or some other heresy. But I’m not all that bright. What I do know is how God is at work in me and in those around me and that’s why I speak the way I do about the God I love. And by now you may sort of catch on as to how I’m living into my faith. I speak in terms I can understand. 

Because we are also partners with God the Holy Spirit: the Hagia Sophia, She who is the Holy Wisdom from on high. She’s so beautiful.

My grandmother comes to mind of course. She was my storyteller, the gift giver of my faith. I could flee to her for a hug, a healing touch, a moment’s refuge. There’s not a day goes by I don’t call on her; “Ma...” The Spirit that moves between us is always living and true and you can see it on my face even now. Or my darlin’ bride. Talk about lucky! How did I ever find her? Talk about Holy Wisdom, intelligence or just plain love. There’s not a moment I am not without her sacred presence. 

If ever I learned anything about the sanctification of life I learned about it from them. Which brings me up to the here and now of this sacred time. You. How beautiful you are. I hope you realize how beautiful you are. How much in the presence of the Holy I feel when I’m with you. What Wisdom there is in this place. What love and affection. What a gift you are to me to each other. The Holy Spirit is palpable among us. 

Therefore Sr Patricia Sarah and Fr Jeff. Do you mind standing up for just a moment? We would very much like to hold you up in prayer. And Abbot John Brendan let’s you and me stand up too. God knows this crowd holds us up in prayer. Now it is time for you in your turn to answer God’s call as we did in ours. God knows what you’ll be called to do and who you will be called to be for us but of one thing I am sure. “The Great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant will equip you with everything good that you my do God’s will working you that which I is well pleasing in sight, through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom be glory forever and forevermore. Amen” ~Hebrews 13:20-21.

Now I come to you with these concluding words as your Anamchara. There’s an old Portuguese folk saying. “Deus escrive certo por lignas tortas”. With apologies to my friends in Brazil for errors in pronunciation etc that means “God writes straight with crooked lines.” That is to say, as we walk the Labryinth of Life the Triune God is at work in us every step along the way, with every detour. No matter how far we wander or stray….God the Creator, God the Savior, and God the Holy Spirit is always writing straight into our hearts working out the particulars of our salvation with us. For with the triune God there is always forgiveness, reconciliation and love.

How did we get to be so lucky!

And now may the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen

Respectfully submitted,

Fr Paul Bresnahan, Companion to the Fellowship

Readings from which the above meditation stems.

2 Peter 3:11-18

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Final Exhortation and Doxology

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures. You therefore, beloved, since you are forewarned, beware that you are not carried away with the error of the lawless and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Psalm 90

• 1  O God, you have been our refuge * from one generation to another. 
• 2  Before the mountains were brought forth, or the land and the earth were born, *
  from age to age you are God. 
• 3  You turn us back to the dust and say, *
  “Go back, O child of earth.” 
• 4  For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past *
  and like a watch in the night. 
• 5  You sweep us away like a dream; *
  we fade away suddenly like the grass. 
• 6  In the morning it is green and flourishes; *
  in the evening it is dried up and withered. 
• 13  Return, O God; how long will you tarry? *
  Be gracious to your servants. 
• 14  Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; *
  so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life. 
• 15  Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us *
  and the years in which we suffered adversity. 
• 16  Show your servants your works *
  and your splendor to their children. 
• 17  May the graciousness of our God be upon us; *
  prosper the work of our hands; prosper our handiwork. 

Mark 12:13-17

The Question about Paying Taxes

Then they sent to him some Pharisees and some Herodians to trap him in what he said. And they came and said to him, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality, but teach the way of God in accordance with truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?’ But knowing their hypocrisy, he said to them, ‘Why are you putting me to the test? Bring me a denarius and let me see it.’ And they brought one. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ And they were utterly amazed at him.

"Consider the Lilies of the Field"

 “Consider the Lilies of the Field”

In Celebration of the Life of Bill Graham

A Meditation by Fr. Paul Bresnahan

Matthew 6:25-29 ~“Consider the Lilies of the Field”

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.

“Consider the Lilies of the Field”

“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow”.

This Gospel was written for an occasion like this.

Bill Graham spent a lifetime making things beautiful. He dedicated all that he had and all that he was so that he could scatter comfort and joy all around the North Shore well beyond anyone’s ability to calculate or measure. What a blessing he was to us. 

Even now I imagine him in a field of flowers gathering up a bouquet for his beloved. But that’s the friend and the priest in me talking. I can’t imagine anything better, unless, of course it were a shop on Essex Street in Salem. That really was lovely.

“Beautiful Things”. That’s what he called the shop. And it was exactly that. You could stop by anytime and there he was out back, surrounded by a grand clutter of flowers and greens and vases and what not of every manner under heaven. And by some miracle he’d pull things from hither and yon and voilà: there was something very beautiful indeed; a bouquet for the eyes and the nose and something about it all moved us to love.

That’s because Bill loved us. And so does Phil. In our particular case, when Cindy and I fell in love and married, Bill prepared the flowers for the wedding. Those flowers adorned the altar at Christ Church, Hyde Park on October 13,1979. And Phil sang. It was a glorious and unforgettable day! Thank you both!

Day in and day out. Year in and year out, you could count on Bill to be there and Phil too ready to greet you with warmth and affection Whatever the occasion, all you had to do was call in and tell Bill what you needed and he would go straight to work, his hands a blur and out of a menagerie of living things he’d gather another bouquet and prepare something special just for you.

So it was for many unforgettable days and special occasions for so many people. It could be the birth of a child, a wedding or an anniversary, the illness of a fried, the death of a loved one, a gesture of kindness, an expression of love, a request for forgiveness. You could always stop by or call in, and Bill was on it. Before you knew it there they were, delivered by my friend Phil. My best friend Phil. What a delight it was to to open the door and see that smile and those flowers.

Talk about beautiful things!

Thank you Bill

Thank you Phil

What a precious thing is life, friendship, love!

And family. I feel like I know you all well. You included Bill in all those Holidays; Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter and so on. Phil described those days to me in detail. In infinite detail. He knows every name, every important day in your lives, every school and workplace, every joy and sorrow. He loves every single one of you and so did Bill.  You made Bill family to you. Your kindness and love meant everything to him.

Thank you all. 

And to all his friends too many to number. How often you would stop by in the store just to say hello. You are a tribute to him and thank you for being here. I know how much you cared for him because I know how much he cared for you. 

Every single flower and every single one of us he touched spoke of that love. Not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as even one of these.

And then there came the illness. Even then he resolutely continued making beautiful things for as long as he could at the shop, in public speaking engagements, then at home. Only weeks ago he was baking cookies, doing needlepoint. Always something to make this old world a little more beautiful. 

The day he died, I visited Bill one last time. He was in extremis so I stayed with him for some time and said some prayers from my Celtic Prayer Book. I recited some lines from Morning Prayer

“One thing have I asked of the Lord. This is what I seek. 

That I may dwell in House of the Lord all the days of my life.

To behold the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his Holy Temple."

I have no idea whether he heard me or not but it always puts me at ease to pray. And besides the words seemed fitting.

I got up to leave but just then my buddy Phil arrived with some flowers, naturally. We visited. A kindly woman stopped by with a Golden Retriever named Rosie. It was delightful. Finally, I asked one last blessing: “The Peace of God which passes all understanding” Later that night Phil posted a picture of the seashore; “Good night my handsome” it said.

What next my friends? The priest in me must now speak to our faith as well as to our skepticism in all honesty, in all truth, and with a note of authority. 

You know my story Phil. You know what my grandmother said about all this. When my dad died at Christmas in 1953 I was only 8 years old. I wanted to know if I’d ever see him again. The “christians” in the family said my dad couldn’t go to heaven because he didn’t go to church. Thank God my uncle was an atheist. He told me not to worry because he said my dad would get to heaven a whole lot sooner than anybody in that crowd would.

My grandmother was the authority in the family on all matters theological. After all, she was the one who sent me to church.

So I asked her

“Ma, is there a God?"

“Of course there is” she said

“Ma, is there a Heaven?”

“Of course there is” she said.

Then I said; “Ma, Is my daddy there?” 

Ah there was a moment’s hesitation. After all she was a Yankee from Downeast Maine and my dad was an Irishman from Butman St in Beverly. And there was that nasty divorce. The prospect of spending an eternity with that man must have given her pause.

A lot was riding on what she did next. 

I remember it like it was yesterday

She knelt down right there on the kitchen floor in Somerville and held me close and said;

“Of course he is”

Because of that here I am today to proclaim the power of love over death whether we believe it or not, understand it or not.

There is a special place in God’s heart for Bill.

For you and me. For all. No exceptions. 

To prove it, here I am to embrace you with these words.

So consider the lilies of the field how they grow. From the dust of the earth they rise and live again. And not even Solomon in all his glory is arrayed as even one of these. That’s not just my uncle or my grandmother or me talking. That’s Jesus.

“Good night Bill”

“See you on the other side”

“Amen”.

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

Amen.

Toward a Vision for the Future of EDS

Toward a Vision for  The Future of  The Episcopal Divinity School

Historic Context

Throughout our history as The Episcopal Divinity School in Philadelphia, The Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge and the The Episcopal Divinity in Cambridge and then at Union in New York City, we were an educational institution located within the fabric of treasured buildings. The cost of maintaining these buildings as part of the cost of theological formation has become unsustainable. By some estimates the cost per student can be as much as $90,000 per year. A disproportionate amount of that cost is in the bricks and mortar and not in the formation and education. 

The sudden and catastrophic onset of the COVID epidemic taught us that it was not only possible to function without bricks and mortar, it was necessary. Other colleges and enterprises have learned the same lesson. Leslie College has now placed the buildings it brought from us in Cambridge on sale. It seems they too found the cost of these buildings prohibitive. 

Demographically we remain a predominantly white wealthy, upper middle and middle class institution while our church and the communities in which we serve are rapidly changing. We are called to serve a much more diverse and inclusive demographic. Without regard to race, gender identity, class, ethnicity, language or nationality (or any other human category we humans can invent), we need to be a faith community that values all without systemic bias.

The demographic fact is that we are a product of white middle and upper class white privilege. If we continue along this track then we are perpetuating structural racism within the institutional enterprise of theological formation.

We cannot rectify this situation unless we do so systemically and intentionally. 

Historic Opportunity

Many business enterprises such as Amazon have taught us that we can jettison bricks and mortar and become more nimble at redesigning and reimagining the theological enterprise. For the first time in our history we are free from the institutional boundaries of the overhead costs of many institutions. We have no buildings to pay for. We have very little overhead. We have an endowment of $80,000,000+ to provide for the  theological enterprise. We are as free and as creative as our imagination will allow to be.

For instance, imagine a theological enterprise where the cost of formation and education would be just that. We no longer operate under the constraint of the costs of bricks and mortar and other overhead. We are free to offer a theological education in which the cost is for education and education alone.

Nor are we constrained by geography. We need not require folks to come to a particular place for three years to earn an MDiv for instance. Nor do we need to have laity attend classes in a particular place for theological formation. Using the EFM model of education from Sewanee various satellite gatherings throughout the United States and elsewhere for that matter can gather in person or via Zoom to engage in theological formation. 

Purpose Statement

The School we seek to establish will exist to incarnate the struggle for Justice

        1. Based on the systemic dismantling of racism and white supremacy. 

2. Eliminating bias based on gender, sexual orientation and identity

3. Eliminating bias based Class and economic status, language, ethnicity and nationality

4. A renewed commitment to the care and stewardship of our God’s Creation through Environmental advocacy and service. 

Academics 

All members of the church are ministers. Most seminaries have effective programs like Sewanee with Education for Ministry. This program has taken root especially in the Diocese of Massachusetts. An effective and articulate laity is essential for the church to carry out our mission. 

Ordination Track: Before we became privileged white folks with sufficient wealth to build schools with bricks and mortar we were like plumbers and electricians. We learned our trade through apprenticeship programs. I imagine Bishops might assign what we used to call “postulants” to clergy in the diocese as approved by Standing Committees and Commissions on Ministry. Note: God’s call does not always conform to formal diocesan structures. Part of our responsibility as a school is to discern God’s call with those seeking to respond faithfully. The Scripture is full of examples in which human discernment is not always congruent with God’s. A good school will be watchful for the God’s activity outside of human structures.

Another example of effective ministry formation is the Bishop Kemper School for Ministry, “theological education for all people” 

https://www.bishopkemperschool.org/

Faculty: 

The faculty be a hybrid collaboration of full time and part-time academics in various settings

We will probably need a full time base staff of Dean and support staff. 

We will likely recruit Adjunct faculty. The church has many brilliant academics working in various settings throughout the church.

Faculty & Student Body:

Under the old model of education the faculty and student body were required to located geographically in one place composed of bricks and mortar. For students a professional MDiv degree required a three year period of study. The demographics of this model predisposed EDS to be predominantly white and upper middle class. Likewise the cost of providing a full time faculty in this model is prohibitively expensive. 

What if we dispense with the requirement of sustaining ourselves with the bricks and mortar. Perhaps a hybrid model for education could permit more direct and individual relational learning in which a student and a faculty member could form a more direct relationship. “Classwork” could be via Zoom. Some arrangement could be made to have face to face contact throughout an academic career in a way that would be more sustainable financially both for the institution and the student.  

Accreditation 

EDS at Union is still listed by the American Association of Theological Schools as fully accredited. 

How we provide for ongoing Accreditation has yet to be determined. 

We are not the only Theological school reimagining the enterprise of Theological Education and Formation. 

I imagine an ongoing conversation with the American Association of Theological Schools to determine what accreditation might look like under new models that are emerging

Courses of Study

I'd like to leave this to brighter minds than mine. One of the purposes for our year of listening is to imagine, dream and be creative. That's where all of you fine folks come in. Please feel free to speak as our EDS leadership folk listen. 

Board of Trustees

It might be helpful to the wider support and investment in the Theological enterprise if The Board of Trustees would issue an Annual Report to all Stakeholders; including Faculty, Students, and Alumni, congregations and dioceses who support the school.

To maintain a high degree of confidence and trust candor and transparency are necessary

Election of Trustees: Stakeholders shall have an opportunity to nominate and participate in the election of trustees much in the same way as stock holders in a corporation

Scholarship Funds 

Among the funds we may seek to establish might be as follows

    The Trustees Fund?

    The Alumi Fund?

    The Jonathan Daniels Fund?

Admissions

Lots of thought needs to go into this. Again we need to overcome our biases as a predominantly white middle class/upper middle class demographic. We need to recruit folks into ministry who reflect the fullness of our human diversity. 

Google Workspace for Education offers a technology that can be used very effectively for our purposes.

Each student needs access to high speed internet and a Google Chromebook at the very minimum.

Summary

The above represents a brainstorming of opportunities  of how we might about theological education and formation as we build toward a new future. 

So Many Baptisms

 First Sunday after the Epiphany

The Baptism of our Lord

So Many Baptisms!

What a joy it is to be here with the beloved of God. Jack, thank you so much for this invitation. 

Last Sunday you folks had 8 Baptisms. On "la dia de los reyes" there were 3 more. It is as though Jack Clark and Angela Soto and all the rest of you have become a kind of Pied Piper to the whole Merrimack Valley. It is fitting therefore that we have so many Baptisms because today we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. 

When Jesus came to the River Jordan to be Baptized, John objected; “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus recognizes the place of John in God’s Great Salvation Plan and said; “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” 

At that moment something happened to Jesus that defies human language to describe. As today’s Gospel says; “when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’”

Imagine being there. Well, here we are right now in the company of God in the Person of Jesus at this altar rail and in communion with one another. This is Jesus. Make no mistake, this is God’s Son. Right here. Right now. You and I are Jesus now. And what do I see when I encounter Jesus?

When I look at the manger, what do I see, I see the love of God made flesh and blood. When I see him heal the sick? Visit the poor and the outcast? Teach us on the hillsides of Galilee? When I look upon the cross. What do I see? I see the love of God made flesh and blood.

In today’s first lesson the Scripture describes who Jesus is for us; “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.”

And what did I see when I watched the Baptisms last Sunday? Or Friday evening? I saw a family’s love in getting all excited about going to church all dressed up for God. I can imagine the hastiness of all the preparations, just like when I was a lad and my grandmother fussed over me to get me ready for church; “Hurry you’re going to be late!” 

But there you all were, gathered around the Baptismal font. All beaming with joy, proud as punch, brim full with hope for your children, dressed to the 9’s. What do I see when I look at you, but the love of God made flesh and blood. In all of us who are blessed to be witnesses of the power of God who makes all things new. 

Who then are you in your Baptism? 

Class? Listen up. What does the Catechism say?

I am

A child of God

A member of Christ

An inheritor of the kingdom of heaven

God it? Repeat that with me

Who am I?

I am

A child of God 

A member of Christ

An inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.

And one more time;

I am

A child of God 

A member of Christ

An inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.

Because Jesus loves you. You receive new life. All your sins are forgiven and you receive eternal life.

When we live in Jesus we become truly free again. Because now we can live the life of Jesus. We can tend to the sick and to the poor like Jesus did. We can extend our arms of love to the outcast and the marginalized like Jesus did. We can work to set the prisoner free and bring freedom and justice to the oppressed just like Jesus did. Now we can proclaim the Gospel and tell the story.

In other words you become the church; the Body of Christ. 

As Terese of Avila said in her prayer;

Christ has no body now but yours, no hands, no feet on earth but yours.

Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassionately on this world.

Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.

Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.

Yours are the hands.

Yours are the feet.

Yours are the eyes.

You are his body.

Christ has no body now but yours.

Amen.

Look at you! You are Christ’s Body, the Church. Behold God’s forgiven forgivers. God’s reconciled reconcilers. God’s beloved who love the world!

Is it easy to love the world? Is it easy to love everyone in it?  Good heavens, can you even get along with everyone in your family? Like your brothers and your sisters? It is not easy when you have brothers like I have!  Conflict, sometimes hatred and even warfare are all real human realities.

But so is the love of God made flesh and blood in Jesus. And that’s why Jesus was Baptized in the River Jordan by John on this day. And that’s why Jesus requires us to be Baptized. God seeks to make the whole world new again. 

And the message of the Gospel? Peter summed it up in his first Easter sermon.

“I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who loves God and does what is right is acceptable to him.” That means anyone. Whatever nationality, language, race; rich or poor, male or female or whatever gender description, whoever you are you are one with each other in Christ Jesus. Because “God shows no partiality.” 

Therefore take heart and be of good courage. It is the Great Feast Day of the Baptism of our Lord. In all the days of our Baptism may we pray with Teresa of Avila

“Let nothing disturb you, 

Let nothing frighten you, 

All things are passing away: 

God never changes. 

Patience obtains all things

Whoever has God lacks nothing; 

God alone suffices.”

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

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 42:1-9

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. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

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.

Second Lesson: Acts 10:34-43

Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Primer domingo después de la Epifanía

El Bautismo de nuestro Señor

¡Tantos Bautismos!

Qué alegría es estar aquí con los amados de Dios. Jack, muchas

gracias por esta invitación.

El domingo pasado ustedes tuvieron 8 bautismos. En el día de

los reyes había 3 más. Es como si Jack Clark y Angela Soto y

todos los demás se hubieran convertido en una especie de

flautistas de Hamelín para todo el valle de Merrimack. Conviene

pues que hayamos tenido tantos Bautismos porque hoy

celebramos el Bautismo de Jesús.

Cuando Jesús vino al río Jordán para ser bautizado, Juan objetó;

“Necesito ser bautizado por ti, ¿Y tú vienes a mí?” Pero Jesús

reconoce el lugar de Juan en el Gran Plan de Salvación de Dios

y dijo; “Que así sea ahora; porque nos conviene de esta manera

cumplir toda justicia.”

En ese momento algo le sucedió a Jesús que desafía el lenguaje

humano para describir. Como dice el evangelio de hoy; “Cuando

Jesús hubo sido bautizado, apenas subía del agua, de repente se

le abrieron los cielos y vio al Espíritu de Dios que descendía

como paloma y se posaba sobre él. Y una voz del cielo dijo:

“Este es mi Hijo, el Amado, en quien tengo complacencia.”

Imagina estar allí. Bueno, aquí estamos ahora mismo en la

compañía de Dios en la Persona de Jesús en este altar y en

comunión unos con otros. Este es Jesús. No se equivoquen, este

es el Hijo de Dios. Aquí mismo. Ahora mismo. Tú y yo somos

Jesús ahora. ¿Y qué veo cuando me encuentro con Jesús?

Cuando miro al pesebre, qué veo, veo el amor de Dios hecho

carne y sangre. ¿Cuando lo veo sanar a los enfermos? ¿Visitas a

los pobres y a los marginados? ¿Enseñarnos en las laderas de

Galilea? Cuando miro la cruz. ¿Que es lo que veo? Veo el amor

de Dios hecho carne y sangre.

En la primera lección de hoy, la Escritura describe quién es

Jesús para nosotros; “Aquí está mi siervo, a quien yo sostendré,

mi escogido, en quien mi alma se complace; he puesto mi

espíritu sobre él; traerá justicia a las naciones.”

¿Y qué vi cuando vi los Bautismos el domingo pasado? O el

viernes por la tarde? Vi el amor de una familia al emocionarse

por ir a la iglesia vestidos para Dios. Puedo imaginarme la prisa

de todos los preparativos, como cuando yo era niño y mi abuela

me mimaba para prepararme para ir a la iglesia; "¡Date prisa que

vas a llegar tarde!"

Pero allí estabais todos, reunidos alrededor de la pila bautismal.

Todos radiantes de alegría, orgullosos como un puñetazo,

rebosantes de esperanza para sus hijos, vestidos formales. Qué

veo cuando los miro, sino el amor de Dios hecho carne y sangre.

En todos los que somos bendecidos por ser testigos del poder de

Dios que hace nuevas todas las cosas.

¿Quién eres entonces en tu Bautismo?

¿Clase? Escuchen. ¿Qué dice el Catecismo?

soy

un hijo de Dios

Un miembro de Cristo

Un heredero del reino de los cielos

Dios eso? repite eso conmigo

¿Quién soy?

soy

un hijo de Dios

Un miembro de Cristo

Un heredero del reino de los cielos.

Y una vez más;

soy

un hijo de Dios

Un miembro de Cristo

Un heredero del reino de los cielos.

Porque Jesús te ama. Recibes nueva vida. Todos tus pecados son

perdonados y recibes la vida eterna.

Cuando vivimos en Jesús, volvemos a ser verdaderamente libres.

Porque ahora podemos vivir la vida de Jesús. Podemos atender a

los enfermos ya los pobres como lo hizo Jesús. Podemos

extender nuestros brazos de amor a los marginados y

marginados como lo hizo Jesús. Podemos trabajar para liberar al

prisionero y traer libertad y justicia a los oprimidos tal como lo

hizo Jesús. Ahora podemos proclamar el Evangelio y contar la

historia.

En otras palabras, te conviertes en la iglesia; El cuerpo de

Cristo.

Como decía Teresa de Ávila en su oración;

Cristo no tiene cuerpo ahora sino el tuyo, ni manos, ni pies en la

tierra sino los tuyos.

Tuyos son los ojos con los que mira compasivo este mundo.

Tuyos son los pies con que camina para hacer el bien.

Tuyas son las manos con que bendice al mundo entero.

Tuyas son las manos.

Tuyos son los pies.

Tuyos son los ojos.

Eres su cuerpo.

Cristo no tiene cuerpo ahora sino el tuyo.

Amén.

¡Mírate! Vosotros sois el Cuerpo de Cristo, la Iglesia. He aquí a

los perdonadores perdonados de Dios. Los reconciliadores

reconciliados de Dios. ¡Amados de Dios que aman al mundo!

¿Es fácil amar al mundo? ¿Es fácil amar a todos en ella? Santo

cielo, ¿Puedes siquiera llevarte bien con todos en tu familia?

¿Como tus hermanos y tus hermanas? ¡No es fácil cuando tienes

hermanos como yo! El conflicto, a veces el odio e incluso la

guerra son todas realidades humanas reales.

Pero así es el amor de Dios hecho carne y sangre en Jesús. Y es

por eso que Jesús fue bautizado en el río Jordán por Juan en este

día. Y es por eso que Jesús requiere que seamos bautizados.

Dios busca hacer que todo el mundo sea nuevo otra vez.

¿Y el mensaje del Evangelio? Peter lo resumió en su primer

sermón de Pascua.

Realmente entiendo que Dios no hace excepción de personas,

sino que en toda nación cualquiera que ama a Dios y hace lo

correcto le es aceptable”. Eso significa cualquiera. Cualquiera

que sea la nacionalidad, idioma, raza; rico o pobre, hombre o

mujer o de cualquier género, seas quien seas, sois uno con el

otro en Cristo Jesús. Porque “Dios no hace excepción de

personas”.

Por tanto, anímense y sean valientes. Es la Gran Fiesta del

Bautismo de Nuestro Señor. Que en todos los días de nuestro

Bautismo oremos con Teresa de Ávila

“Que nada te turbe,

Que nada te asuste,

Todas las cosas pasan:

Dios nunca cambia.

La paciencia todo lo consigue

Quien tiene a Dios nada le falta;

Solo Dios basta.”

En el Nombre de Dios, Santísima Trinidad Indivisa y Eterna.

Amén.

La colecta:

Padre que estás en los cielos, que en el bautismo de Jesús en el

río Jordán lo proclamaste tu Hijo amado y lo ungiste con el

Espíritu Santo: Concede que todos los que son bautizados en su

Nombre guarden el pacto que han hecho, y lo confiesen

valientemente como Señor y Salvador; que contigo y el Espíritu

Santo vive y reina, un solo Dios, en la gloria eterna. Amén.

Primera Lección: Isaías 42:1-9

He aquí mi siervo, a quien yo sostendré, mi escogido, en quien

mi alma se complace; he puesto mi espíritu sobre él; traerá

justicia a las naciones. No clamará, ni alzará su voz, ni la hará

oír en la calle; no quebrará la caña cascada, ni apagará la mecha

que arde débilmente; fielmente traerá justicia. No se fatigará ni

será aplastado hasta que haya establecido la justicia en la tierra;

y las costas esperan su enseñanza.

Así dice Dios, el Señor, que creó los cielos y los extendió, que

extendió la tierra y lo que de ella brota, que da aliento al pueblo

que sobre ella y espíritu a los que andan por ella: Yo soy el

Señor, yo en justicia te he llamado, te he tomado de la mano y te

he guardado; Te he dado por pacto al pueblo, por luz a las

naciones, para que abras los ojos de los ciegos, para sacar de la

cárcel a los presos, y de la cárcel a los que moran en tinieblas.

Yo soy el Señor, ese es mi nombre; a ningún otro doy mi gloria,

ni mi alabanza a los ídolos. He aquí, las cosas primeras se han

cumplido, y ahora anuncio cosas nuevas; antes de que broten, os

las hablo.

Salmo: Salmo 29

Atribuid al Señor, sus dioses, *

atribuid al Señor la gloria y el poder.

Atribuid al Señor la gloria debida a su Nombre; *

adorar al Señor en la hermosura de la santidad.

La voz del Señor está sobre las aguas;

truena el Dios de la gloria; *

el Señor está sobre las aguas impetuosas.

La voz del Señor es una voz potente; *

la voz del Señor es una voz de esplendor.

La voz del Señor quebranta los cedros; *

el Señor quebranta los cedros del Líbano;

Hace saltar al Líbano como un becerro, *

y el monte Hermón como un joven buey salvaje.

La voz del Señor parte las llamas del fuego;

la voz del Señor hace temblar el desierto; *

Jehová hace temblar el desierto de Cades.

La voz del Señor hace temblar las encinas *

y desnuda los bosques.

Y en el templo del Señor *

todos están clamando, “¡Gloria!”

El Señor se sienta en su trono sobre el diluvio; *

el Señor se sienta entronizado como Rey para siempre.

El Señor dará fuerza a su pueblo; *

el Señor dará a su pueblo la bendición de la paz.

Segunda Lección: Hechos 10:34-43

Entonces Pedro comenzó a hablarles: “En verdad comprendo

que Dios no hace aexcepción de personas, sino que en toda

nación, cualquiera que le teme y hace lo correcto, le es grato.

Vosotros conocéis el mensaje que envió al pueblo de Israel,

predicando la paz por medio de Jesucristo, que es el Señor de

todos. Ese mensaje se difundió por toda Judea, comenzando en

Galilea después del bautismo que Juan anunció: cómo Dios

ungió a Jesús de Nazaret con el Espíritu Santo y con poder;

cómo anduvo haciendo bienes y sanando a todos los oprimidos

por el diablo, porque Dios estaba con él. Somos testigos de todo

lo que hizo tanto en Judea como en Jerusalén. Lo mataron

colgándolo de un árbol; pero Dios lo resucitó al tercer día y lo

dejó aparecer, no a todo el pueblo, sino a nosotros, que fuimos

escogidos por Dios como testigos, y que comimos y bebimos

con él después que resucitó de entre los muertos. Él nos mandó a

predicar al pueblo y a dar testimonio de que él es el que Dios ha

puesto como juez de vivos y muertos. Todos los profetas dan

testimonio de él, de que todo el que cree en él recibe el perdón

de los pecados por medio de su nombre”.

Evangelio: Mateo 3:13-17

Jesús fue de Galilea al río Jordán, donde estaba Juan, para que éste lo bautizara. Al principio Juan quería impedírselo, y le dijo: —Yo debería ser bautizado por ti, ¿y tú vienes a mí?

Jesús le contestó: —Déjalo así por ahora, pues es conveniente que cumplamos todo lo que es justo ante Dios.

Entonces Juan consintió. En cuanto Jesús fue bautizado y salió del agua, el cielo se le abrió y vio que el Espíritu de Dios bajaba sobre él como una paloma. Se oyó entonces una voz del cielo, que decía: «Éste es mi Hijo amado, a quien he elegido.»