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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"Playing Nice" in Ministry

Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 21 (Year B)

Numbers 11.4-6, 10-16, 24-29; Mark 9.38-50

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

I’m going to let you in on a little of the private life of your Rector. A key part of my morning routine is reading the Long Beach Press-Telegram on my tablet while I’m eating breakfast. I read all the headlines of the daily news, occasionally reading parts or all of articles that might interest me. And I finish up with the most important part of the paper—the comics. That is the part of the paper that I enjoy most. Some days, the only part I really enjoy. And the part that is most critical to my morning routine, other than my morning prayers. One of my favorite comics is “Baby Blues.” For those not familiar with this little gem, it is the story of the MacPherson family—parents Wanda and Darryl, and their three kids, Zoe, Hammie, and Wren. Zoe is the oldest girl, aged nine. Followed by the only boy, Hammie, aged six. And then there’s the baby girl, Wren, about a year and a half old. One of the ongoing themes of the comic is the interaction between Zoe and Hammie. Hammie is a typical boy for his age, always trying to find the perfect way to annoy his big sister. And Zoe is at that age where she tattles on virtually everything that Hammie does. Typical siblings. Not unlike the way my sister Lisa and I were when we were younger (and sometimes still are). Only I’m older than Lisa. But when we were younger, I would try to annoy her and she would tattle on me. Anyway, the parents, usually Wanda, has to deal with Hammie’s antics and Zoe’s tattling. Ah, family.

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Deny Yourself and Take Up Your Cross

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 19 (Year B)

Mark 8.27-38

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

We’ve got a lot going on in today’s Gospel reading. Before we jump in, it’s important to note that of Mark’s 16 chapters, this passage today falls at the end of the 8th chapter, putting it at the exact midpoint, the center, of Mark’s Gospel. This is not accidental. In writings of the day, the author often placed the most important information—the central theme of the document—at the midpoint of the document to indicate its significance. Critical analysis of Mark confirms that today’s reading is indeed the central theme or argument of Mark’s Gospel.

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Ephphatha! Be Opened!

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 18 (Year B)

Mark 7.24-37

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Maybe it’s because we are now into September and the time for vacations is essentially over, but I found myself wondering, “did Jesus ever took a vacation?” What we hear in today’s Gospel is actually, for all intents and purposes, Jesus’ attempt at a vacation.

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Body and Blood of Christ

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Proper 15 (Year B)

John 6.51-58

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

“Ooo, gross!” That is what the original audience was actually saying when they heard today’s portion of the Bread of Life Discourse. “The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’” (Jn 6.52). To which Jesus replies, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (Jn 6.53). In their minds, what Jesus has been saying goes from difficult to understand to impossible. He started off with “I am the bread of life.” Then he moved on to “I am the living bread that came down from heaven.” Which then became “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”

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