The Good Shepherd's Promise

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Psalm 23; John 10.11-18

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 23:30)

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

 

Here at the mid-point of Eastertide, we make a transition. Leaving behind the accounts of Christ’s post-resurrection appearances and shifting our focus to some of Jesus’ teachings about what the reality of his resurrection means to us in our relationship with him and with God. We start off these teachings with some of the best known and most beloved scripture readings depicting that relationship: images of Christ as the Good Shepherd. Primarily the 23^rd Psalm and a portion of Jesus’ declaration of himself as the Good Shepherd from the Gospel according to John.

 

The 23^rd Psalm is one of the most well-known, if not THE most well-known of the Psalms. We hear this Psalm several times a year in Sunday worship, as well as it being the most commonly used Psalm at funerals. Largely because it provides words of comfort, as well as assurance of the love, mercy, and goodness of our Lord who shepherds us in life, as well as in death. Of course, being written prior to the birth of Jesus, the Lord who is identified as shepherd in the 23^rd Psalm is a reference to God and not to Jesus Christ per se. Although, in our Christian tradition and with our understanding of the trinitarian nature of God, we are able to expand our interpretation of this image of the Old Testament God to include Jesus.

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Woundedness

Third Sunday of Easter (Year B)

Luke 24.36b-48

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 19:30)

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

 

We are not even halfway through the season of Easter, in which we celebrate our Lord’s resurrection, and yet today we hear the last of the post-resurrection appearances for the season. While there are seven weeks in Eastertide, we cannot really spend all our time focusing on Christ’s post-resurrection appearances. There are, after all, a limited number of these appearances and they are, for the most part, all the same—although each does have its own nuances. So, at some point, we have to move on. That being the case, the Gospel readings for the remaining Sundays in Eastertide will focus on Jesus’ teachings about our relationship with God, particularly in light of the mystery of the resurrection. Which makes this Sunday’s Gospel a bridge, of sorts. A bridge between Christ’s post-resurrection appearances and what the resurrection means for us—for those of us living post-resurrection. And something of how we experience this resurrected life.

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Invited Into New Life

Easter Day

Acts 10.34-43; 1 Corinthians 15.1-11; John 20.1-18

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 31:45)

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

 

On this Easter Day, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with others who, like us, rejoice at the good news of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. With others who, like us, have experienced the Risen Lord in our own lives, either directly or indirectly. I am not just talking about standing shoulder-to-shoulder with those who are in the pew next to us as we gather in this place. I am also talking about those across the ages who have experienced the Risen Lord. A broad array of individuals too numerous to count, with backgrounds and life experiences as varied as they were and are. A living demonstration of the opening statement Peter makes in our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality.” Expressing Peter’s new understanding that God’s salvation is not just for a select few, but is extended to all. Peter’s understanding, and this reality, is woven throughout our readings for this day. This understanding is an integral part of the tapestry our faith tradition. This understanding is an integral part of our individual and collective experiences of the Risen One.

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New Beginnings

Great Vigil of Easter

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 1:02:05)

 

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

 

New beginnings are often exciting. At least, I think they are. Of course, I grew up in a military family in which new beginnings were a way of life. We had new beginnings in the form of moving to a new duty station anywhere from every three months to every three years. Each bringing with it a new home, a new school, new friends, new experiences, and new opportunities. In some ways, it was a chance to start life anew, with a clean slate.

 

Admittedly, not all new beginnings are exciting. Especially when necessitated by a less-than-positive event such as the loss of a loved one, the ending of a relationship, or a tragic life-changing situation. But even then, new beginnings can and often do have a silver lining. Sometimes, in the midst of what life can unexpectedly throw at us, a new beginning can, in the fullness of time, prove to be just what is needed for us to move on. Providing an opportunity for a new life and change of pace that can ultimately be beneficial in the healing process. A way of resetting so as to put the past behind us and to chart a new course into the future.

 

Easter is the religious equivalent. The chance for a new start in our lives of faith. Hopefully one that has been shaped and informed by the Lenten disciplines we engaged in through the preceding 40 days. An opportunity to follow the new path that was charted during the Lenten season, leading to renewed and strengthened relationship with God.

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What is Truth?

Good Friday

John 18.1—19.42

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 31:15)

 

“What is truth?”

 

These words are Pontius Pilate’s response to Jesus during an exchange about whether Jesus is the King of the Jews. His response to Jesus’ comment: “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” It’s hard to know Pilate’s intent asking Jesus, “What is truth?” Was this merely a rhetorical question? Was it a genuine attempt to ascertain the truth? And if so, whose truth? Or was it a mocking inquiry designed not to further, but rather to shutdown, conversation? We cannot be entirely sure as to the truth surrounding this question, “What is truth?”

 

Although there is something interesting about the placement of this exchange within John’s account of the Passion Narrative. Pilate’s interrogation of Jesus and his famous utterance of “What is truth?” comes virtually at the midpoint of the Passion Narrative. Mere coincidence, or intentional on John’s part? Again, we cannot know for sure. Although it was not uncommon for the authors of the Gospels to structure their writings so that central themes are positioned at the center of the written text. A literary device to further highlight the central point of the story.

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Palm/Passion Journeys

Palm/Passion Sunday (Year B)

Mark 11.1-11; Mark 14.1—15.47

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 38:45)

 

You may have noticed that during the season of Lent, I frequently use the term “Lenten journey” as a way of characterizing our experience. A reminder that as we move from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday, we are not just marking days off the calendar as a countdown to Easter. If we are doing Lent appropriately, we are making a journey as people of faith. This journey occurs on several levels. Symbolically, this journey is one we take with Jesus as he “turns his face toward Jerusalem.” As he shifts his focus from his public ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing, to beginning to make his way toward Jerusalem and the events and experiences we just heard in the Passion Narrative. But this 40 days is more than just recalling the story of Jesus’ journey as he draws closer and closer to Jerusalem. This is also a spiritual journey that we make, individually and as a community. A journey in which, through our own Lenten disciplines, we seek to draw closer to God. A journey in which we seek to strengthen and deepen our relationship with God and with Christ. Bringing us closer to the One who stands in solidarity with us. With the One who loves us so much he would do anything for us, including being willing to die for us.

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Drawing All People

Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year B)

John 12.20-33

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 21:55)

 

Throughout our Lenten journey, we have been traveling with Jesus as he makes his way toward Jerusalem and to his Passion. At this point in the journey—just one week before Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week—Jerusalem is on the horizon. Although in a bit of scriptural disconnect, Jesus is a week ahead of us. Our Gospel reading for today takes place immediately after Jesus has made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem—what we now refer to as Palm Sunday. As we join the scene, there is a flurry of activity on multiple fronts—much of it behind the scenes of the Gospel passage.

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God Loved the World in This Way

Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year B)

Numbers 21.4-9; John 3.14-21

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 21:50)

 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that every one who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” Undeniably one of the most well-known passages from all of scripture, at least in our own age. The mere mention of its citation—John 3.16—calling to mind the entirety of the passage for Christians and non-Christians alike. The passage that Martin Luther called “the gospel in miniature”—a summary of the entirety of the gospel in one verse. And yet, we actually got it wrong.

 

Now, I certainly don’t mean to imply that this passage is incorrect. God did indeed love the world. God did indeed give his only Son as a means of salvation. God did indeed give his only Son so that we might have eternal life. All that is most certainly true. It’s just not the entire truth. So, this passage is not so much wrong as it is incomplete. Partly because it is taken out of context—which I will get to in due course. And partly because many, upon hearing this verse, focus on and emphasize one part of the verse: the last phrase, which reads, “so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” For many, this has become a statement of exclusivity as opposed to inclusivity. In the mouths of many, this verse becomes more of a warning than an invitation. If you do not believe as I do, you will not be saved, you will not attain eternal life.

 

As we will see when we take a deeper dive into the context of Jesus’ statement, all this will be redeemed.

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Tearing Down Barriers

Third Sunday in Lent (Year B)

Exodus 20.1-17; John 2.13-22

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 23:40)

 

Our readings for today, particularly our Old Testament reading from Exodus and our Gospel reading from John, present the full arc of our relationship with God, particularly as represented in and manifest through religious institutions. This arc does not just represent the history of where we have been in our lives of faith and how our faith has been formed and influenced—maybe even manipulated—by the religious institution writ large. These stories represent and—with a little digging—reveal the arc of our faith development past, present, and future.

 

For purposes of exploring this arc, we will use the Gospel as the present moment—the moment which our faith history has been building toward, and the moment which dictates where we go from here, individually and as the people of God. For it is what happens here in the Temple in Jerusalem in roughly the year 27 that forever changes how God relates to his people and to how we relate to our God.

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Take Up Your Cross

Second Sunday in Lent (Year B)

Mark 8.31-38

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 24:10)

 

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Excuse me? You want me to . . . to do what?

 

These words of Jesus to his disciples, and to the entire assembled crowd, are admittedly a bit startling. Particularly to a group of Jews in first century Palestine. The image of taking up a cross would have naturally brought to mind crucifixion. The preferred form of torture and execution for the occupying Roman forces. Something Jesus’ audience rightly feared. And while we may not live in fear of the prospect of crucifixion in our own time, we still cringe—even if only slightly—at the prospect of having to 1) deny ourselves, and 2) to take up our cross. That does not sound like something any of us would willingly do. And yet, in this Lenten season, and indeed in our ongoing lives of faith, taking up our cross is precisely what we should be doing.

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Lenten Renewal

First Sunday in Lent

Genesis 9.8-17; Mark 1.9-15

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 30:00)

 

With a smudge of ashes on our foreheads and the recitation of a litany for penitence, we began our Lenten journey this past Wednesday. As noted in the Invitation to the Observance of a Holy Lent, by these acts, “the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.” While there are many images from scripture and the unique prayers for Ash Wednesday that help frame what Lent is about, these words, as well as any, serve as a statement of purpose for our annual commemoration of Lent.

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Our Valentine Gift to God

Ash Wednesday

Matthew 6.1-6, 16-21

St. Thomas of Canterbury, Long Beach (8:00 AM) and 

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach (7:00 PM)

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 18:20)

 

Because of the way that the date for Ash Wednesday is calculated (determined by the variable date of Easter), there are 36 possible dates for Ash Wednesday—February 4^th through March 10^th. With that many possible dates, it’s pretty rare that Ash Wednesday falls on any given date, let alone on February 14^th—Valentine’s Day. In fact, it only happened three times during the 20^th century; and will only happen three times this century. It already happened once in 2018; it is happening this year; and will happen again in 2029.

 

This confluence of Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day creates a bit of a disconnect as we try to hold the two in our hearts and minds; as some try to find a place for both in their lives. Ash Wednesday being a religious commemoration focused on the sorrow at our sinfulness, with the need for penance. Valentine’s Day being a secular celebration focused on the joys of love. The practices associated with Ash Wednesday (and the Lenten season that follows) being almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. The practices associated with Valentine’s Day being the giving of flowers, cards, and chocolates. Ash Wednesday being viewed as a time of abstinence in many forms, and Valentine’s Day being associated with extravagance in many forms.

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The Transfiguration Transition

Last Sunday after the Epiphany (Year B)

Mark 9.2-9

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 14:10)

 

Here we are at what is designated as “the Last Sunday after the Epiphany.” A name that I have always thought rather odd. Probably because I am one of those people who delights in picking apart grammatical oddities and errors—a result of having prepared technical reports for a living in my previous career, plus having a sister who was an English major in college. I find the designation of this day as the Last Sunday after the Epiphany odd because, at least to me, it sounds as if this is the last Sunday ever. That there should be no more Sundays after this. Which obviously is not the case. Unless the world happens to end sometime between now and next Saturday. No, we know there are more Sundays to follow. Now, I get why this Sunday is named as it is, due to the variable number of potential Sundays in the season after Epiphany, which can be anywhere from four to nine, depending on when Easter falls. So, alas, we are stuck with this seemingly odd designation.

 

But in some ways, it is the last. As we move from the last Sunday after the feast of the Epiphany and prepare for the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, there is a profound shift in the tone of what we have experienced over the last six weeks, to what we will experience over the next six weeks. That this is a point of transition—a pivot point, if you will—in our liturgical calendar to be sure, but also in our faith journey.

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Model for Ministry

Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany (Year B)

Mark 1.29-39

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 23:55)

 

Throughout our Epiphanytide journey, we have focused on the various ways that Jesus is manifest as the Son of God. This is primarily accomplished through the actions at the beginning of his public ministry. We first looked at the calling of his disciples to be partners in ministry, and those who will be charged with taking up this ministry after his death and resurrection. Exploring two accounts of this calling, each of which revealed something of who Jesus is as the Son of God, but also what it means to be a follower of Christ. And then last week, exploring Jesus’ first day on the job—the first day of his public ministry. Again, these actions of teaching, healing, and casting out demons in the synagogue providing greater insight into who Jesus is as the Son of God; to what his public ministry will be about, and what it means for us to be his companions in his ministry. In today’s Gospel reading, we continue with Jesus’ first day of public ministry, with what happens after the events at the synagogue. Here again, what we see continues to provide glimpses into how Jesus will more fully be revealed as the Son of God.

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Casting Out Demons

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (Year B)

Mark 1.21-28

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 22:45)

 

As we’ve journeyed thus far through Epiphanytide, we have witnessed—and will continue to witness—the progression of and the variety of ways in which, Jesus has been revealed to us as the Son of God. That is what the feast of the Epiphany and the season that follows is about. Witnessing the ways in which Jesus is revealed to be the Son of God and, in turn, exploring what that means for us in our lives of faith. Exploring how God and Christ are manifest, are shown forth, in our lives as those who are the Body of Christ in the world.

 

Thus far, we have witnessed Jesus’ baptism, where God explicitly states and confirms who Jesus is: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (Mk 1.11). Opening the way for exploration of how we, through our own baptisms, are similarly brought into the family of God as his beloved children. We have then seen over the last two weeks how Jesus called his disciples to follow him in preparation for his public ministry. In so doing, exploring how we, too, are called by Jesus to follow him in our own unique ministries. Today we witness the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry—his first public act of ministry. Setting the tone for the shape and trajectory of Jesus’ life and ministry over the next three years. In the process, beginning to get an idea of the shape of our own ministries, as the Church and as individuals. And it all begins with demons.

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Responding to God’s Call Part 2: Discernment

Third Sunday after the Epiphany (Year B)

Jonah 3.1-5, 10; Mark 1.14-20

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 19:05)

 

As I noted in my sermon last week, the key Scripture readings for both last Sunday and today focus on how God and Christ reveal themselves to us through “call narratives.” Stories that focus on someone being invited or called into God’s service. In actuality, when you go back to the Sunday before last, to the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, the Gospel for that Sunday is also essentially a call narrative. Although, rather than focus on our response to call, it is really the story of Jesus’ de facto call to public ministry—the event that began his public ministry. So, we really have the first three Sundays in the season after Epiphany in which the focus is on call to ministry. Sending a pretty clear message that one of the key ways that God is manifest in Christ, that God is manifest in our own lives, is through being called into his service.

 

As you may recall, our readings for last Sunday contained essential three call narratives. The call of Samuel in our Old Testament reading and the calls of Philip and Nathanael in our Gospel reading. From these, we were able to glean some key characteristics of how God calls and how we respond. In terms of how God calls, we saw that God is, if anything, persistent; as he was with Samuel and Nathanael. We also saw that the way we are called into God’s service is as unique as we are. God meets us where we are in our own lives. He came to Samuel in the middle of the night in the tabernacle. Jesus ran into Philip on the road. God worked through Philip to invite Nathanael. And then we saw that there are differences in how individuals respond. Some are able to respond immediately, as did Samuel and Philip. And some need a little time or information, as did Nathanael.

 

This week in our Old Testament and Gospel readings we have more call narratives. While it may be harder to pin down a central theme for these narratives, one that could be made has more to do with the inner machinations that occur within the individual from the time they receive a call from God to the time they respond—be that responding “yes” or “no.” What we today refer to as the discernment process—exploring all the facets of the call as related to our own lives, and only then making an informed decision as to how to respond. But to get there, we need to dig a little more into the stories, as the discernment is not readily apparent on first reading. And as with last week, the two call narratives—the call of Jonah in our Old Testament reading and the call of Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John in our Gospel reading—really couldn’t be more opposite.

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Responding to God's Call

Second Sunday after the Epiphany (Year B)

1 Samuel 3.1-10; John 1.43-51

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

A week ago yesterday, we celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany. The word “epiphany” means manifestation or appearance. At the Feast of the Epiphany, we celebrate the manifestation of God in the person of Jesus, and therefore, his appearance to us, in three ways. First is through the recognition of the Christ Child by the Magi, which also represents Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles. Second is the revealing of Jesus as God's beloved Son at his baptism in the River Jordan. And third is the first of Jesus’ signs (or miracles) at the wedding feast at Cana. For good measure, and because it is of particular importance, we also celebrate the second of these, the baptism of Jesus, on the Sunday after the Epiphany, which was last Sunday. But we don’t stop there. Through the remainder of the season after the Epiphany, what we refer to as Epiphanytide, we explore other ways in which God is revealed through Jesus. Ways in which Jesus is revealed to us in more subtle and more personal ways.

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Origin Stories

First Sunday after the Epiphany – Baptism of Our Lord (Year B)

Genesis 1.1-5; Mark 1.4-11

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 19:35)

 

All of the Gospels begin with an origin story about Jesus. Three of the four place this origin story more in the context of Jesus’ birth. The most famous of these, of course, is the Gospel according to Luke, which contains the birth narrative that we hear on Christmas Eve. The Gospel according to Matthew starts off with the story of the birth of Jesus, although does not convey the actual event of the birth, but rather on the lead up to it, and then, perhaps more importantly, what immediately follows. Particularly with the coming of the Wise Men from the east—an important image for Epiphany, which we celebrated yesterday; an image that sends the message that Jesus was born to save all people, not just the Jews. And the Gospel according to John, which we heard on Christmas Day and again last Sunday places the coming of Jesus in the broader, more cosmic context as being the Word made flesh; as God come among us in the flesh.

 

But what does the Gospel according to Mark have to offer by way of an origin story about Jesus? The oldest of the Gospels completely skips Jesus’ birth or the events that immediately surround it. Rather, Mark’s Gospel begins with John the Baptist and how he is the fulfillment of ancient prophecies of one who prepares the way of the Lord. The first we even hear of Jesus is with him as an adult, coming to be baptized by John. The passage we heard today. So, for all intents and purposes, this is Mark’s version of Jesus’ origin story. The story of his baptism.

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