Serving Christ the King

Christ the King (Year A)

Matthew 25.31-46

St. Gregory's, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 18:30)

 

Even though we live in a non-monarchical society, we are certainly accustomed to hearing of Jesus Christ referred to in royal language. We hear him referred to as “Lord” on numerous occasions in Scripture. Shortly after his birth, the Magi referred to Jesus as “King of the Jews.” This same title was used mockingly at his crucifixion. We often refer to him as the Prince of Peace, particularly around Christmas time—a reference to a description by the Prophet Isaiah of a future messianic king.  And we sometimes refer to Jesus as the “King of Kings.” But emphasis on this royal imagery—and certainly devoting a whole day to the image of Christ as King—is actually a fairly recent occurrence. It all started in 1922 when Pope Pius XI, in his first encyclical, laments that while the hostilities of World War I had ceased, there was no true peace. Pope Pius expressed his concern over the rise of class division along with exploitative consumerism, as well as increased secularism and the rise of nationalism. Considering these developments, the Pope held that true peace could only be found under the Kingship of Christ as the Prince of Peace. As the Pope stated in his encyclical, “For Jesus Christ reigns over the minds of individuals by His teachings, in their hearts by His love, in each one's life by the living according to His law and the imitating of His example.”[i]

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Keeping Our Lamp Burning

Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 27 (Year A)

Joshua 24.1-3a, 14-25; 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18; Matthew 25.1-13

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 14:15)

 

The readings appointed for the Sundays in November deal with “endings”—as we move toward the conclusion of the liturgical year and prepare for the season of Advent in just a few weeks.

 

The Old Testament reading from Book of Joshua is part of Joshua’s farewell address to the people of Israel. Moses had led the Israelites through the wilderness to the Promise Land. He was not, however, the one to lead them into the Promised Land. That job fell to Joshua. It was Joshua who oversaw their efforts to take control of the land, as promised by God. Now someone else needs to lead them as they settle in and establish a new life for themselves. As he prepares for his own death, Joshua addresses the people, reminding them of what God has done for them over the last 40 plus years. Reminding them of their covenant with God. Reminding them that they need to keep going. Reminding them that to do that, they must continue to obey God.

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Following in the Path of the Saints

All Saints’ Day (Year A)

Matthew 5.1-12

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 15:00)

 

There is something about All Saints’ Day and our Gospel reading of the Beatitudes coming just two days before Election Day—particularly Election Day 2020—that is a bit ironic? Paradoxical? No, poetic. What we see going on in the Gospel account of the Sermon on the Mount has some parallels to what is happening on the campaign trail. But also, some very stark differences. Parallels in that Jesus, like candidates for political office, is traveling around the countryside delivering his message, trying to get people to follow him, to buy into his vision of what things can and should be like. The differences are in how we get to that envisioned future.

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Love God. Love Others. Everything Else Takes Care of Itself.

Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 25 (Year A)

Matthew 22.34-46

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 13:15)

 

The temple authorities are at it again. Setting up yet another test for Jesus. Another hoop for him to jump through in their attempt to prove that he is a heretic. In today’s Gospel we hear the third and final in a series of such tests. The first, which we heard last week, was devised by the Pharisees in league with the Herodians: “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?” (Mt 22.17). Then, in a section that our lectionary skips over, the Sadducees, who don’t believe in resurrection, ask Jesus a ridiculous question about marriage in the afterlife—the one about one bride for seven brothers. And then today, the Pharisees are back with “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” (Mt 22.36).

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Whose Image?

Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 24 (Year A)

Matthew 22.15-22

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 13:20)

 

Today’s Gospel reading finds Jesus between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Now, he’s been in sticky situations before. In fact, this whole section of Matthew’s Gospel finds Jesus in one sticky situation after another in his dealings with the temple authorities. Just to set the stage, at this point in the Gospel According to Matthew, Jesus is in Jerusalem mere days before his arrest, trial, and crucifixion. He had his triumphal entry just the day before and immediately went to the temple, where he proceeded to disrupt things by overturning the tables of the money changers and driving out those selling their goods in the temple complex. The next day, he returns to the temple to get into, or rather cause, what the late John Lewis called “Good Trouble.” He confronts the temple authorities and tells one parable after another that are clearly meant to condemn said authorities. The Pharisees are fed up, so they “went and plotted to entrap Jesus in what he said” (Mt 22.15). Only this time, they bring in reinforcements: the Herodians.

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Keep Calm and Carry On

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 23 (Year A)

Exodus 32.1-14; Matthew 22.1-14

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 16:00)

 

I’m sure most of us have seen signs and memes that say “Keep Calm and . . .” something or other. Keep Calm and Drink Tea. Keep Calm and Go Shopping. Keep Calm and Eat Bacon. You know what I’m talking about. Well, all of this stems from the original “Keep Calm and Carry On,” which was part of a series of signs created by the British Ministry of Information in 1939 to “rally and reassure [the] populace as World War II ramped up.”[1] Perhaps the Hebrews wandering in the wilderness following their escape from Egypt could have used some of those signs.

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Claiming a New Identity

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 22 (Year A)

Philippians 3.4b-14

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 14:40)

 

I have to chuckle when I read the opening verses of today’s Epistle reading. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul writes, “If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless” (Phil 3.4b-6).

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It's Not About Us (Individually); It's About Us (Collectively)

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 21 (Year A)

Exodus 17.1-7; Philippians 2.1-13; Matthew 21.23-32

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 14:15)

 

These days it seems like, no matter where you turn, you are going to find people pitted against each other. Each person, each group wanting things there way. We even see this in Scripture.

 

In our Old Testament reading, we hear part of a larger drama involving the Israelites. Finally free from the tyranny of their Egyptian overlords, they complain against Moses and even against God himself. Why? Because things are not going the way they would like. Things are not going the way they expect. They want to be to their final destination. They want the comforts they once had in Egypt. They want to have food. They want to have water. And they want it all now. They don’t recognize that there is a process. They don’t recognize that what is going on is ultimately for the greater good of the entire community. Being so wrapped up in their own wants and desires, perhaps they don’t want to recognize that it is not about them individually, but about what is best for them collectively.

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How Often Should I Forgive?

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 19 (Year A)

Matthew 18.21-35

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 14:45)

 

There is something about us humans that we want to know exactly what the limits are. For some, it’s because of concern about crossing that threshold into the unacceptable; so, knowing the limits helps avoid doing so. For some, it is about having as much leeway as possible; so, knowing the limits gives an idea of just how far one can push the envelope. And for some, its about not having to go one inch further than absolutely necessary; so, knowing the limits provides a line in the sand. Which of these is behind Peter wanting to know the limit for forgiving someone?

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Connectedness

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 18 (Year A)

Exodus 12.1-14; Romans 13.8-14; Matthew 18.15-20

St. Gregory's, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook Page (beginning at 12:00)

 

This past week I watched a panel discussion entitled “Policing and a Just Society,” produced by Washington National Cathedral. One of the speakers was Sharon Pratt, Mayor of Washington, D.C. from 1991 to 1995—the first African American woman to hold that position. Actually, the first African American woman to serve as mayor of any major American city. Mayor Pratt is an Episcopalian and a member of the Cathedral congregation. In response to a question about the role of the church in our current social conversation about issues of racial injustice, Mayor Pratt gave voice to something I had been thinking and feeling for the last few months—ever since the murder of George Floyd in May. She said, “You almost have to believe, as horrible as this virus is, it’s almost like the Lord is at work to get our attention.” And while her comment captured my attention, as I said, giving voice to some of my own thoughts, what particularly grabbed me was the lead-in. She said, “With one pathogen . . . suddenly we all recognized we were interconnected . . . what else could have done that?”[i] It is the concept of interconnectedness that spoke to me in Mayor Pratt’s comments. And one that undergirds all our readings for today. Readings in which God is trying to get our attention about what it means to be connected to God and one another.

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