God WITH Us

Christmas Eve

Isaiah 9.2-7; Titus 2.11-14; Luke 2.1-20

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

“I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Lk 2.10-11).

Wait a minute! There’s got to be some mistake! Something just doesn’t add up. The angels are proclaiming the birth of the Messiah. The Son of God. The King of Kings. But instead of being born in Rome, the most powerful city at the time, or even in Jerusalem, the capital of Judea, we are told that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. A small, backwater town. Is this a fitting place for the birth of a King? I think not.

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"Rejoice in the Lord Always"

Third Sunday of Advent (Year C)

Zephaniah 3.14-20; Canticle 9 (Isaiah 12.2-6); Philippians 4.4-7; Luke 3.7-18

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Today, the third Sunday of Advent, is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday, which derives its name from the Latin word Gaudete, meaning “Rejoice,” the first word of the traditional introit for this day's mass. The words that we hear in our Epistle reading: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (Phil 4.4). A call to rejoice in the Lord because he is near. Expressing the joy that we derive from being in the presence of Christ. And the accompanying “peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,” which guards our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus (Phil 4.7). Paul writes these words as a reminder to the Church in Philippi that Christ will soon come again, bringing a renewed joy when he returns to usher in the end of the ages. A reminder that, for Paul, joy supports and upholds those whose lives even now belong to Christ. Words of hope that encompass our own understanding of the meaning of Advent.

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Called to “Prepare the Way of the Lord”

Second Sunday of Advent (Year C)

Luke 3.1-6

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

In our readings for today, we see how salvation history builds from the ancient past to the present. Malachi foretells the coming a messenger to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. That messenger is John the Baptist, who himself points to the coming of Jesus. We then move on in time to Paul’s words of encouragement to the Church in Philippi, urging the early followers of Jesus in that place to continually move in faith into the future. We are that future. In so doing, these readings set us firmly in the arc of salvation history.

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"Be Alert at All Times"

First Sunday of Advent (Year C)

1 Thessalonians 3.9-13; Luke 21.25-36

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

“Be alert at all times.” As we begin our journey into Advent, these words of Jesus in today’s Gospel serve as a watchword for how we are to enter into this holy season. This command to “be alert at all times” carries with it a sense of expectation and anticipation that something is definitely going to happen. Maybe even something that calls for preparation on our part. But the question is, how to prepare?

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Christ, the King of Truth

Christ the King (Year B)

Daniel 7.9-10, 13-14; Revelation 1.4b-8; John 18.33-38

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Yes, Pilate, what IS truth? More on that in a few moments.

Today, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. The commemoration of Christ the King is a relatively new celebration in the Church calendar. It was established by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in response to the increasingly secular world and the growing number of non-Christian empires. This was an attempt by the Church to reinforce the fact that there was a true king who reigns over all Creation—even the secular, non-Christian governments of the world. That this world is indeed not theirs but Christ’s. Following the Second Vatican Council, the feast of Christ the King was moved to the last Sunday of the liturgical year, emphasizing the eschatological majesty of Christ as we head into Advent, with its themes of the coming of Christ, both at his birth and at the end of the ages. Some Protestant denominations, including our own Anglican tradition, have adopted the feast of Christ the King as a reminder that our allegiance is to our spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly powers.

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Birthpangs

26^th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 28 (Year B)

Hebrews 10.11-14, 19-25; Mark 13.1-8

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

“When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birthpangs” (Mk 13.7-8).

Why, then, do we even bother to come to church? We don’t come here for the foretelling of wars and rumors of wars, be they real wars or trade wars. We don’t come here to hear of conflict between nations or even within nations. We don’t come here for news of earthquakes and famines, not to mention mass shootings, uncontrollable wildfires, droughts, hurricanes, refugees fleeing their homes for a better life, acts of terrorism, racial conflict, and allegations of sexual harassment and abuse, to name just some of our social ills. If we want that, we can open the Long Beach Press-Telegram or the Los Angeles Times, or we can watch CNN or MSNBC or Fox News. Don’t we come to church to hear good news? After all, the term “Gospel” does literally mean “good news.” So where’s the good news in Jesus’ Gospel predictions of the end of the world? Then again, given the state of the world, maybe having it all come to an end might be considered good news by some.

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Soul Sisters in Faith

25^th Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 27 (Year B)

1 Kings 17.8-16; Mark 12.38-44

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

In our lectionary readings for today, we have the tale of two widows. Two women, separated by 900 years, 120 miles, and by cultural backgrounds and religious beliefs. The only similarities are that they are both widowed with extremely limited resources. Yet, despite all that separates these two woman, they are soul sisters.

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Saints Unbound

All Saints’ Sunday (Year B)

Isaiah 25.6-9; Revelation 21.1-6a; John 11.32-44

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

On this day we specifically gather to remember all those who have gone before us in the faith. But in actuality, this is just one of three days dedicated to remembering the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all faithful departed believers. These three days, Halloween, All Saints Day (November 1), and All Souls Day (November 2), are collectively known as Hallowmas. The major feast day of this period is All Saints Day (which we transfer to today). In the ancient Christian custom, the celebration of major feast days often began with a vigil the night before, on the eve of, the feast day. Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, was originally the vigil celebration for All Hallows or All Saints Day. It has since taken on a life of its own, evolving into our secular celebration of ghouls and goblins and things that go bump in the night. Then we have the main event on All Saints Day, followed by All Souls Day, also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.

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Called Not To Be Served, But To Serve

22^nd Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 24 (Year B)

Mark 10.35-45

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

When I was a kid, my father was sent overseas twice. When I was in first grade, he was sent to Vietnam, and when I was in fifth grade, he was sent to Okinawa. Whenever he was transferred overseas, my mother, sister, and I would move back to my parents’ home town in Kansas, where the grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins all lived. This way, we had an extensive support system during my father’s absence. What I particularly remember and cherish about this time were big family gatherings for Sunday dinners, as well as for holidays. At such events, like in many larger families, the adults had their own table in the dining room, with the nice dishes and silverware. And then there was the “kiddie table” – card tables in the kitchen or living room, generally set-up with the everyday dishes and silverware. When I was in first grade, this was fine. It was fun to hang out with my cousins at the kiddie table. But when I was in the fifth grade, I really didn’t want to be at the kiddie table. I was among the older of the cousins and didn’t want to be with the “little kids.” I wanted to be at the table with the grown-ups. I wanted to feel special. I just knew that when I finally made it to the grown-up table, it would be glorious!

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Transforming Relationships

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 22 (Year B)

Genesis 2.18-24; Mark 10.2-16

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

In today’s Gospel, Jesus comes out hitting pretty heavy on the subject of divorce. What he says may seem a little harsh from the perspective of 21^st century Americans. After all, in our time, divorce is pretty common. If not divorced ourselves, we all certainly know someone who has been divorced—family, friends, co-workers. While statistics vary, it is commonly cited that 50 percent of marriages in America end in divorce. And some say the rate in California could be even higher. Thank you, Kardashians.

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