Something I've never done before

I was off today and did something I've never done before--I wrote my sermon a week early!

Want to see it?

Here it is.

Jan. 22.’23 Sitting and waiting

        Okay, do me a favor.

        Close your eyes.

        Imagine you are in a totally dark place.

        Let the darkness fill your soul.

        Then notice, in the distance, like the Sun rising, a light begins to move away the darkness until you are sitting in a Great Light.

        Be present to the Light.

        Keep your eyes closed.

        Imagine you are on a hillside and three men are being crucified in front of you.

        It is a gruesome scene, but imagine as you look at the middle cross that every weight is lifted from you and you are looking into the eyes of God Almighty.

        Eyes still close, last request.

        Imagine you are by the seaside, waiting for what comes next, when a strange but magnetic man comes to you and tells you to follow him.

        Imagine walking down the beach, following his footsteps, calling others to join you in following him.

        Alright, thank you. Open your eyes if you wish.

        Those three experiments I asked you to imagine is what today is about.

        “Those who sat in darkness have seen a great light,” as Isaiah tells us twice today.

        “…the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,” first Corinthians tells us today,

“but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

        And finally, in Matthew, Jesus calls his first disciples on the seashore, telling them, ‘follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

        And today’s collect really sums it all up: listen again.

        “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.”

        Jesus’ call to Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow him comes to each of us as well.

        I don’t mean we have to evangelize—though inviting friends and neighbors to come to church with you is something you should consider.

        What I mean is that each of us is called to do the work Jesus did—to heal the sick and clothe the naked and feed those who hunger.

        I’m always impressed by how Trinity folks bring food and clothing to the back of the church and how you work in soup kitchens and reach out to those in need.

        That is doing the work of Jesus.

        That is following in his footsteps.

        The Psalm today tells us to seek his Face.

        Jesus’ face is the face of those in need.

        Let us take a few moments in silence to seek the Face of Jesus.

 

 

Amen and amen.

 

George Santos, snow/rain, and classified documents

     The George Santos saga has gone on long enough.

    The House should expel him, the Justice Department indict him and get it over with.

    We had just beyond a dusting of snow last night, but this afternoon it is raining and there won't be much snow left--though tomorrow could be pretty slick.

    What is it with classified documents?

    Why would you ever take them home?

    I'm clueless about the documents held by the former President and the current President.

    What's it all about?

    Leave documents where they belong....

 

The Moon! The Moon!

The moon has been glorious the last two nights.

Low in the sky to the north-east of our back deck, it has been full and colorful.

It makes me feel like I'm 'the man in the moon'.

I read an article on line about the 'hollow moon' theory.

Really crazy.

I love the moon.

It makes me want to howl....

 

"Old friends...book ends""

 I had lunch today with K., who was a seminarian who worked with me at St. John's, Waterbury 13 years ago.

It was wonderful, awesome and sweet.

Regaining old friends is a gift from beyond.

So many memories to talk about--sending us back in time to when we were younger.

Sweet memories to share.

Finding old friends again put exclamation marks around periods of our lives.

Our lives are like books on a shelf.

Years and decades in an order we understand and which gives us hope.

We will keep in touch--she's been far away but is now close.

How joyful to find our past in another person.

Remarkable.

Is democravy broken?

The chaos of the House of Representatives and the deep divisions in our country threaten our system of government.

I lay most of the blame at the feet of the former President. But he just nurtured and brought to fruition what was already there.

The way some people want to treat immigration means we should take down the statue of Liberty.

The way some people want to limit voting rights means we are not 'one nation under God with liberty and justice for all'.

Threats to Social Security leave the growing number of elders at risk of not having what they need.

Racial profiling comes into play every day.

Things that I have heard about supporting Russia against Ukraine leave me feeling like I don't know those people.

The Super Rich seem to think their wealth matters more than the well being of all Americans.

Democracy isn't broken.

We are--as a people.

And I don't know what can make us whole again.

Pray my friends, that we can find a way to come together again.

 

"Chaos!"

"Chaos!"

That's where the Republican Party is now.

Unless Kevin McCarthy gives the MAGA Republicans all they want he isn't becoming Speaker of the House.

And won't get the gavel.

Even in the majority in the House, Republicans are so splintered they can't choose a Speaker.

I'd tell the Democrats to offer to not vote or to vote for him if he'll be a 'moderate' in the House and work with them.

Any other solution doesn't seem possible.

We shall see.

And if the former President runs as a third party, the Republicans may not be able to recover.

Alas and alack, my father's party is in Chaos.

Chaos.....

 

 

 

This week's sermon

 

The Baptism of Jesus 1-8-23

        We go from Jesus’ circumcision at 8 days old last week all the way to his baptism by John this week.

        Epiphany was Friday—commemorating the visit of the Magi and the manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles.

Epiphany, along with Christmas and Easter, was one of the first three holy days of the church.

        But back to the baptism.

        Just before today’s gospel lesson in Matthew, John was proclaiming the one mightier than him was coming. (Remember, John leaped in his mother’s womb when the Virgin Mary visited their home. John knew who Jesus was.) And when John saw Jesus coming to him, he asked that Jesus baptize him. But Jesus convinces John that he should baptize him.

        And when he comes up out of the water, the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended on him like a dove and a voice from Heaven said, “This is my son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

        Then the Spirit led Jesus into the Wilderness for 40 days to be tempted by the Devil.

        On page 858 of the Book of Common Prayer, the Catechism tells us that the two great sacraments given to the church are Holy Baptism and the Holy Eucharist.

        That seems to make them equal sacraments—but for the most part, the Episcopal church says the Font leads to the Table. Baptism is admission to Communion.

        But I’ve always thought if the Font could lead to the altar, why couldn’t the Altar lead to the Font?

        So, I’ve always invited everyone to receive communion. Over my years as a priest, I’ve baptized several dozen people who wanted it after receiving communion before baptism.

        Some of them choose—and it is their choice—to stop receiving communion until they are baptized, but others don’t want to give up the bread and wine for any time.

        My own baptism was a strange trip.

        I grew up in a Mountain Methodist church—very evangelical. New England Methodists wouldn’t feel at home there.

        An Evangelist came to lead a revival when I was in the eighth grade. He scared me so bad, I went up to the altar to be ‘saved’!

        A few weeks later, Rev. Lafferty, our part time minister and full-time coal miner, took us all to a Baptist church 10 miles away that had an indoor baptismal pool.

There he baptized us by immersion. Thing was, I was the first one to go in and he hadn’t told me he’s dunk me three times—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—so I didn’t hold my breath after the first dunk and he darn near drowned me!

        Then the next day in my Math Class, my teacher, who was married to my father’s brother, announced to the class that “Jimmy has been saved and baptized”.

        It embarrassed me so badly, I dropped my pencil and when I bent over to pick it up, I looked up Donna Comber’s dress.

        Oh, no! I thought. It didn’t take!

        The Episcopal church recognizes the baptism of other churches, so when I joined the Episcopal Church in collage, I was not rebaptized. So, I guess it did “TAKE”!

        The English word “baptism” comes from the Greek “Bab-tis-mo”—which means, literally, ‘to dip’.

        It’s the word used to describe ‘dying a fabric’.

        You dip the fabric into the dye until it is the shade you want.

        After baptism, the priest anoints them with holy oil and says, “you are sealed by the holy Spirit in Baptism and ‘marked’ as Christ’s own forever.”

        So, the person has been ‘marked’, dipped and dyed their true color.

        Baptism is the most joyous thing I get to do as a priest.

        I love it when people of all ages come to the font.

        It gives me great satisfaction to cover their heads with water and smear them with oil.

        Spend a few moments with me in silence reflecting on your thoughts about baptism. (silence)

        God says to you, “you are my beloved, in whom I am well pleased”.  Amen and amen.