Making Things New

Great Vigil of Easter (Year A)

Genesis 1.1—2.4a; Exodus 14.10-31, 15.20-21; Ezekiel 37.1-14;

Romans 6.3-11; Matthew 21.1-11

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

The Great Vigil of Easter is, from start to finish, the story of things being made new. Or making new things. Consider how we started the service—in the courtyard with the lighting of what is called the “New Fire.” A symbol of what is to come. The unfolding of the story of how Christ, through his resurrection, is the light of life who has been victorious in overcoming the darkness of sin and death. By the light of this New Fire we processed into the darkened church, as into a darkened and empty tomb. The light of this New Fire dispelling the darkness, just as the glory of Christ’s resurrection would have dispelled the darkness of his three-days’ tomb. But this story of new life made possible, made real, by the Risen Lord is not the beginning. Rather, this new life we celebrate this night is the culmination thus far of a series of things being made new. A mere sampling of which provide the scriptural framework that undergirds not only our Great Vigil celebration, but our very existence as God’s Creation.

Read more!

Truth

Good Friday

John 18.1—19.42

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

On the evening before he was arrested and brought to trial before Pontius Pilate, Jesus shared a meal with his disciples. In John’s account of that Last Supper, Jesus gives a lengthy speech, his final words to his disciples. Their final instructions, as it were. A speech that is known as the Farewell Discourse. Within the first few moments of that discourse, Jesus makes the well-known statement, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” A statement of how Jesus reveals God to this particular faith community. To the faith community that would grow to be the Christian Church.

 

For the most part, I get what Jesus means by being “the way, the truth, and the life.” He is the way by which we encounter and come to know God in our own lives. Through his life and ministry, through his death and resurrection, he is the means that we obtain new and eternal life. The very things we will celebrate in just a few days. His being the Way. His being the Life. What I find a bit challenging is the part about him being “the truth.” Not that I question it. It’s just that, to me, saying “I am the truth” is a bit nebulous. What does it mean that Jesus is the truth? How is Jesus the truth? As with so many things when it comes to Jesus, there are a variety of interpretations, a variety of answers. Dare I say, a variety of truths?

Read more!

Redefining Love

Maundy Thursday

John 13.1-17, 31b-35

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Here we are. Maundy Thursday. So named because of one particular verse in our Gospel reading for this evening. The term “Maundy” derives from the Latin mandatum, meaning “commandment,” reflecting Jesus’ words to his disciples that we just heard: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.” Jesus goes on to further clarify this simple yet oh so difficult commandment by adding, “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

Two thousand years later, we might be tempted to look at Jesus’ statement and think this is a no-brainer. Of course we should love one another. After all, the greatest commandments, according to Jesus himself are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mt 22.37, 39). Although, he did not make this up on his own. His statement is a blending of commandments contained in the Old Testament books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus. So, this is nothing new. It has been around for thousands of years. Why then, did Jesus feel a need to give an allegedly new commandment that was really a reiteration of ancient ones? Ancient commandments his disciples, as devout Jews, would have already known.

Read more!

Hosanna!

Palm Sunday (Year A)

Matthew 21.1-11

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Today we begin the final leg of our Lenten quest on this, the day that is known as both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. Or, as officially designated in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, “The Sunday of the Passion: [colon] Palm Sunday.” A day that is sure to give us liturgical whiplash. Beginning, as we did today with the blessing of palms, celebrating Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with shouts of “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” And then, within a matter of minutes, launching into the Passion Narrative, with the story of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples, his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, his trial before Pontius Pilate with calls of “Let him be crucified,” his being sentenced to death, and ultimately, his crucifixion. The events of six days being compressed into an hour. And, in so doing, leaving us no time to linger, to fully absorb the meaning, the ramifications, of each component event.

Read more!

Awaiting the Glory of God

Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year A)

John 11.1-45

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Throughout the last four weeks of our Lenten quest, we have met and been guided by four very different individuals who have themselves been on their own quests—on their own journeys of discovery—whether they knew it or not. Beginning with Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, where Jesus himself served as our guide as we explored what it means to be tried and tempted in our own lives. On to the encounter with Nicodemus, a high-ranking temple official who was a secret follower of Jesus, who overcame his fears and associated need to compartmentalize his faith to “go public” in the demonstration of that faith. Then to Photini, a Samaritan woman of questionable repute, who through Jesus’ compassion was able to break down the barriers that inhibited her ability to see herself, and for others to see her, as a beloved child of God. And then last week to the man born blind, who not only gained his physical sight, but also gained spiritual sight, demonstrating that God’s work can indeed be revealed even in and through seemingly unfortunate, even tragic, circumstances. We express our gratitude to each of these guides for leading us to this point, and for the lessons that they have taught us about ourselves and our relationship with God and with one another.

 

On this fifth Sunday in Lent, we are nearing the end of our Lenten quest. Today, we find ourselves in Bethany, a mere two miles from Jerusalem, and a week away from Jesus’ triumphal entry into that holy city on what we variously call Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. This close to our destination and the end of our Lenten journey, the role and purpose of our Lenten guide changes somewhat. Today’s guide will help prepare us for the final leg of our journey: the emotional and spiritual rollercoaster that is Holy Week, where Jesus himself will again take over as guide, as we follow him from his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, to his last meal with his disciples on Maundy Thursday, to his arrest, trial, and execution on Good Friday.

Read more!

I Was Blind, Now I See

Fourth Sunday in Lent (Year A)

John 9.1-41

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

We are roughly halfway through this year’s Lenten quest. Each Sunday during this quest providing us with a Gospel account of an individual who has a life-changing encounter with Jesus. These individuals, transformed, become our guides on our own Lenten quest, as we, like them, seek to discern and to live more fully into who we are created and called to be as beloved children of God. Each guide providing insights and lessons that will, hopefully, transform us not just for the forty days of this current Lenten season, but for our entire lives. So far, our guides have been somewhat unlikely choices: Nicodemus, a high-ranking Jewish official who is also a secret follower of Jesus; and Photini, a Samaritan woman of questionable repute. Each, thus far, providing us with lessons about living more fully and more boldly into our lives of faith and to embrace more fully what it means to be children of God and members of the Body of Christ.

 

Today, we meet another unlikely guide: a man born blind. Although, unlike our previous guides, this guide is not alone. His role as our guide is informed by awkward dialogue, both metaphorical and actual, with Jesus’ own disciples and a group of Pharisees. The man born blind serving as a guide in his own right, but that role being further highlighted and informed by how his transformation is in opposition to, is in defiance of, the prevailing attitudes and ideas of both the disciples and the Pharisees. Attitudes and ideas regarding sin. Attitudes and ideas that are ultimately misplaced and misguided. A classic match-up of an outsider bumping up against insiders—in this case, of two competing camps. With the outsider coming out ahead as the only one of the lot qualified to serve as our guide.

Read more!

Breaking Down Barriers

Third Sunday in Lent (Year A)

John 4.5-42

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Thus far on our Lenten quest, we have met and been led by several guides. The first week, our guide was none other than Jesus himself. And, as I noted last week, in each of the following weeks in Lent, we meet an additional guide. People who, through their encounter with Jesus, learn something about themselves and about their relationship with God. Lessons that, in turn, can help guide us in our own quest to discern, realize, and more fully live into who we are created and called to be—not just in this Lenten season, but in our lives moving forward. Of course, Jesus is the ultimate guide in each encounter we examine, as he guides the one encountered, who, in turn, becomes a guide for us.

 

Last week, our guide was Nicodemus, an unlikely guide, primarily because of his high-ranking position as a powerful Jewish leader. Despite being a Temple authority, one who because of his encounter with Jesus was able to overcome some limited and rigid perspectives; who out of necessity had to compartmentalize his faith in Jesus, but in time found the courage to ultimately “go public” in his support of Jesus. Today, Nicodemus passes the torch to another, perhaps even more unlikely guide—one who is the polar opposite to Nicodemus in every way: a Samaritan woman.

Read more!

Going Public

Second Sunday in Lent (Year A)

John 3.1-17

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

Last week, we began a Lenten quest, symbolized by Jesus being tempted in the wilderness for forty days. A time in which he sought to discern who he was as the Son of God and how that identity would shape his life and his public ministry. This forty-day wilderness quest being a model, of sorts, for our own forty-day Lenten season. A time in which we intentionally seek to discern how we, as members of the Body of Christ in the world, can deepen our relationship with God and with Christ; how we can live more fully into who God has created and calls us to be. Our Lenten quest began with Jesus as our guide. In the remaining weeks of Lent, we meet additional guides who, through their own encounters with Jesus, will provide additional insight into what this Lenten quest is about, what our life’s quest is about, and help guide us as we move ever closer to Jerusalem and to Easter.

 

Today, Jesus passes the baton to an unlikely guide: Nicodemus. As we are told, Nicodemus is a Pharisee and “a leader of the Jews.” Based on other statements elsewhere in the Gospels, we can glean that he was a member of the Sanhedrin: the primary judicial and legislative body in ancient Israel. A sort of a blending of Congress and the Supreme Court. So Nicodemus is a high-powered and influential leader, charged with upholding secular and religious law.

Read more!

Lenten Quest

First Sunday in Lent (Year A)

Matthew 4.1-11

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

My friends, today we begin a great quest.

 

Before we begin, we need to understand what a quest entails. You actually already know; you just may not realize it. Every culture throughout the ages has its own version of what is often referred to as the “hero quest.” Classic stories that follow the same basic structure. The protagonist, the hero of the story, leaves their ordinary world, sometimes on their own volition, or sometimes compelled to do so. They embark on a journey during which they face a variety of trials and temptations. Along the way, they often meet a mentor who travels with them and guides them through these trials. Through these trials, they gain wisdom, often about themself, and return home transformed in some profound way. There are a variety of well-known examples. One of the oldest being the Epic of Gilgamesh. Other ancient examples include The Odyssey by Homer; the story of Jason and the Argonauts; the Arthurian Legends, with the most well-known being the quest for the Holy Grail. More modern examples include The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien; the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis; and the Star Wars series, particularly the original trilogy focusing on Luke Skywalker.

Read more!

"Is Not This the Fast That I Choose?"

Ash Wednesday

Isaiah 58.1-12; Matthew 6.1-6, 16-21

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

 

As we begin our Lenten journey, we once again hear the standard Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday: Jesus’ commentary regarding three common spiritual practices. The three—almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—forming the foundation for righteous living in the Jewish tradition. Three practices which likewise form the foundation for righteous living in our own Christian tradition. These three practices forming the foundation, the structure, which many Christians identify with the season of Lent. Practices we intentionally engage in during the six-week penitential season of preparation for Easter. Emphasis on the word “penitential.”

 

Before we go too much farther, it is probably prudent to define our terms, just so we are all on the same page. What do we mean when we talk about almsgiving, prayer, and fasting?

Read more!