Nov 07, 2021 |
Jesus cries too
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulJesus cries too
This is one of those scenarios where, when I read the words
of the people who are skeptical, I like to distance myself from them and
pretend that they're the ones that are faithless, not me. I know what Jesus
will do. Not me. I know the power of God. And yet, when those who are skeptical
look at each other and say, this guy healed the blind, why couldn't he have
helped Lazarus? There is something so true in their skepticism. And this is not
new either for the church in the very first century of the Christian Church,
the first communities of people who call themselves Christian, who followed
Jesus. One of their primary concerns was, hey, wait a minute you said, if we
believed in this guy, we would have eternal life and people keep dying. What's
the deal? And it's a fair question...
Jesus doesn't explain why it happens, instead what Jesus does is cry too. In the story today, when the people are deeply troubled in their spirits when they grieve, Jesus grieves. And when the people cry, Jesus cries; weeps. I was so confused about that when I was growing up, I thought he knows what's going to happen next, why is he crying? Now I get it. He's crying because it's sad when people die. He's crying because when our friends and those we love suffer, we suffer too, and that's not wrong.
Jesus doesn't explain why it happens, instead what Jesus does is cry too. In the story today, when the people are deeply troubled in their spirits when they grieve, Jesus grieves. And when the people cry, Jesus cries; weeps. I was so confused about that when I was growing up, I thought he knows what's going to happen next, why is he crying? Now I get it. He's crying because it's sad when people die. He's crying because when our friends and those we love suffer, we suffer too, and that's not wrong.
Oct 31, 2021 |
Hocus Pocus
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneHocus Pocus
Allow me to shed some light on a spooky Halloween phrase
that has been deeply misunderstood. You all have heard the term Hocus Pocus,
right? Hocus Pocus. The phrase is most commonly associated with magic
and witches and bubbling cauldrons filled with mysterious liquids, right? Did
you know that this phrase Hocus Pocus is actually just a misunderstood
pronunciation of our Eucharistic prayer?
Allow me to explain. Hundreds of years ago and still in some places today, when the mass of our liturgy was set exclusively in Latin, the priest would go to the prayer and say, hoc est corpus meum, meaning this is my body hoc est corpus meum. And the wonder and unexplainable nature of transubstantiation, of turning bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. It led so many people to associate this prayer with something magical happening. And then the people who didn't experience it, but had heard about it said, oh, that's those words they say, when they do that magic. Hocus Pocus. After all something magical and transcendent was happening in that moment, something they did not fully understand, something we don't fully understand.
And years later, as it goes, it came to be associated with a phrase that reminds us of witches and dark magic. And misunderstanding gave way to fear of the unknown. But we who know the true meaning of this phrase, we know that its meaning and its intention is actually an act of love, not something to be feared, but something to be exalted and it might seem a little strange to be talking about fear on a day when the gospel reading is all about love, but actually I find it the most appropriate time to talk about fear because fear is actually the opposite of love. Most people think it's hate, but hate is just a symptom of fear.
Allow me to explain. Hundreds of years ago and still in some places today, when the mass of our liturgy was set exclusively in Latin, the priest would go to the prayer and say, hoc est corpus meum, meaning this is my body hoc est corpus meum. And the wonder and unexplainable nature of transubstantiation, of turning bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. It led so many people to associate this prayer with something magical happening. And then the people who didn't experience it, but had heard about it said, oh, that's those words they say, when they do that magic. Hocus Pocus. After all something magical and transcendent was happening in that moment, something they did not fully understand, something we don't fully understand.
And years later, as it goes, it came to be associated with a phrase that reminds us of witches and dark magic. And misunderstanding gave way to fear of the unknown. But we who know the true meaning of this phrase, we know that its meaning and its intention is actually an act of love, not something to be feared, but something to be exalted and it might seem a little strange to be talking about fear on a day when the gospel reading is all about love, but actually I find it the most appropriate time to talk about fear because fear is actually the opposite of love. Most people think it's hate, but hate is just a symptom of fear.
Oct 24, 2021 |
Jesus, Help Me!
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulJesus, Help Me!
"We worship self-reliance. We adore the idea of a
person who doesn't need anything. And we, in our own lives strive to be people
who don't need anything from others. Despite the fact that this is a complete
impossibility. We are built for one another. We are created as people in
relationship. And while we may have fleeting moments of independence and self-reliance, even those are, but shadows
that mask the true reality of our total and utter inter-dependence. That we
belong to one another, and that we need one another for life. We need one another
so that we can live in a way that actually means anything at all.
Bartimaeus is an obvious case. They've set it up perfectly. He's blind and in his society, in his time, this means that he really can't contribute to the workforce. Which makes him useless, according to probably us, if we're being honest. And so, he just sits there, not being able to see, not being able to do for himself and begging for food, for help, for whatever comes his way. And I think it's important for us to stop right there and acknowledge in our hearts, whether we want to admit it or not, how shameful we find people who need and how deeply we desire, never to need, like that.
Bartimaeus doesn't feel shame. Bartimaeus is not embarrassed about the fact that he needs. It's one of the things he understands deeply in his heart; that he needs help. And so, he shouts out help me when he hears that this Jesus who heals people is nearby. He knows he needs healing. He shouts out Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! And the people around him, instead of saying, yeah, someone should help Bartimaeus, that’s a great idea. They go, shhh, don't embarrass yourself, and us."
Bartimaeus is an obvious case. They've set it up perfectly. He's blind and in his society, in his time, this means that he really can't contribute to the workforce. Which makes him useless, according to probably us, if we're being honest. And so, he just sits there, not being able to see, not being able to do for himself and begging for food, for help, for whatever comes his way. And I think it's important for us to stop right there and acknowledge in our hearts, whether we want to admit it or not, how shameful we find people who need and how deeply we desire, never to need, like that.
Bartimaeus doesn't feel shame. Bartimaeus is not embarrassed about the fact that he needs. It's one of the things he understands deeply in his heart; that he needs help. And so, he shouts out help me when he hears that this Jesus who heals people is nearby. He knows he needs healing. He shouts out Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! And the people around him, instead of saying, yeah, someone should help Bartimaeus, that’s a great idea. They go, shhh, don't embarrass yourself, and us."
Oct 17, 2021 |
What do we ask of Jesus and what does Jesus ask of us?
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinWhat do we ask of Jesus and what does Jesus ask of us?
So what do we ask of Jesus, and what does Jesus ask of us? Our gospel from Mark begins with James and John, the sons of Zebedee coming forward to Jesus and saying to him teacher, we want you to do for us, whatever we ask of you. It's kind of hard to get past that opening gambit. ..We might find ourselves in such a scenario as James and John are setting up with Jesus, but likely not too often, we learn, because the very framing of the statement to agree to whatever is asked before, knowing what is a sure sign that it may not be something we would readily agree to. And in all honesty, we may not just be on the receiving end of that. We may have done that to some other folks along the way, either in our youth or our adulthood, or even yesterday. We may pose that same question to people because we are very human and we can be pretty wily at times and Jesus is clearly wise to this. He responds with neither a yes nor a no, but simply asks James and John, the question, “What is it you want me to do for you?” James and John respond immediately, “Grant us to sit one at your right hand and one at your left in your glory.” What are these two disciples thinking?.. Have they lost sight of their ministry? James and John have witnessed so many miracles of Jesus, Jesus healing, the incurable, the feeding of thousands. Jesus walking on water. James and John were present with Peter at the transfiguration and witnessed Jesus in dazzling white with Elijah and Moses and heard the voice from the cloud.
Oct 10, 2021 |
Heaven is a life shared
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulHeaven is a life shared
Every time Jesus says follow me, he is not saying, “Hey, let's you and me go for a one on one walk, so that I can teach you how you can go to heaven.” Every time Jesus says follow me, he is inviting people into a community that is already begun and is growing and is drawing from the Holy Spirit to be filled with the love of God and participate with Jesus in the healing of the world. Follow me is not an individual command, but an invitation into a life shared not only with God but with one another. Follow me is a thing that Jesus says so that we will recognize that if we go with Jesus, we will be drawn outside of ourselves, outside of our own fears, outside of our own false security and into real life, love and relationship with the God made us.
Oct 03, 2021 |
Humans Are Meant to be Together
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneHumans Are Meant to be Together
Some Pharisees come to test Jesus and they asked, is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife? And Jesus basically says, sure, it's aloud. But from the very beginning of creation, from the very beginning way back in Genesis, people we're meant we're made to be together. Separating them in any way is going to be a very, very painful experience. And in Jesus' time, it was almost always the most painful for the woman, because the patriarchy made sure that a woman could barely survive without a man to provide for her the basic necessities of life. Now we are in a lot of ways in a very, very different time, but divorce is still a painful experience. And it's usually still the most painful for the most vulnerable one...Jesus is reminding us today that when we separate ourselves from other people, be it through divorce or racism or classism or sexism or any of the other isms: When we separate ourselves from other people for any reason, we are not living the way that God intended for us to live, which is in harmony.
Sep 26, 2021 |
Being the Salt of the Earth
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulBeing the Salt of the Earth
Should we stop people who are outside of our understanding from bringing blessing and love into the world in Jesus' name and Jesus' response is, if you do that, you may as well go to hell. That's what Jesus says. That's what that whole second section of the gospel is about. When we get in the way of other people sharing the blessing, we are bringing hell to earth. When we get in the way of other people making the world more like God would have it because they're doing it in a way we don't understand, we are marring our own body: the body of Christ. We are cutting ourselves up. We are burning and bringing the fire here and we know how to do that, don't we? I know how to do that. I know how to confine my life so that it looks just enough like I want it to so that I can say, it's going okay. I can see love here and I can shut out love when it doesn't look like what I'd like it to, which really just means I can shut love out when it's going to push me and make me uncomfortable and challenge me and make me into something I wasn't expecting. This is exactly what Jesus does in our lives time and time again. Jesus pushes us to recognize God's blessing and power in places and in people we could never have imagined.
Sep 19, 2021 |
What really makes you the GOAT? (Greatest of All Time)
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinWhat really makes you the GOAT? (Greatest of All Time)
" We readily talk about who is the greatest. We want to know them or name them. Our culture is attuned to that, to power and influence, to excelling. There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to do our best, to encourage others, to excel, to use the gifts that we have. But in Bible study, the conversation immediately hit on the sports world and our longing to name or witness the prowess of the greatest of all our sports stars, the greatest of all time. Be it baseball, football, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, tennis...It's not the awards and the recognition, it’s how you
encourage others. It's not about accomplishments, it’s about humility and faith
and service to others. No one could be more worthy of the awards and
recognitions and accolades this man received. But for him, it was never ever
about any of that. It was always about service, about lifting up others to help
them create better lives for themselves and for the generations to come."
Sep 12, 2021 |
Get Behind Me Satan
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulGet Behind Me Satan
“ When we look at the people around us and we read about how
we're supposed to love everybody. And then we look at the people around us when
we hear Satan say, I mean everybody, but THAT person, we're not going to love
them. Or, I could love them if they would just think like I think. I would love them. I could love everybody if
they just got vaccinated. I could love
everybody if they would just get on board with how I am, to which Jesus himself
says, ‘Get behind me Satan.’ You are thinking about the world on your terms and
not on God's terms. And this is so important. Not only that Jesus says that you
are thinking about things on worldly terms and not on God's terms, because we
know that we do that. But what Jesus says about it; he calls us Satan, or he
recognizes Satan in our midst, and we got to hear that. We got to hear that we
are capable of being adversaries to God's will, to God's work in the world. We
have to see it, but also, we have to recognize that Jesus is saying, ‘get
behind me’, not get away from me, not go away forever, or be banished. Jesus
tells his disciple who has gotten out of line and says, do things my way,
Jesus. No, you get behind me, from
behind Jesus, You can follow. "
Sep 06, 2021 |
What really makes you the GOAT? (Greatest of All Time)
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinWhat really makes you the GOAT? (Greatest of All Time)
" We readily talk about who is the greatest. We want to know them or name them. Our culture is attuned to that, to power and influence, to excelling. There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to do our best, to encourage others, to excel, to use the gifts that we have. But in Bible study, the conversation immediately hit on the sports world and our longing to name or witness the prowess of the greatest of all our sports stars, the greatest of all time. Be it baseball, football, basketball, gymnastics, swimming, tennis.... It's not the awards and the recognition, it’s how you
encourage others. It's not about accomplishments, it’s about humility and faith
and service to others. No one could be more worthy of the awards and
recognitions and accolades this man received. But for him, it was never ever
about any of that. It was always about service, about lifting up others to help
them create better lives for themselves and for the generations to come. "
Sep 05, 2021 |
Who is Jesus in the Real World?
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulWho is Jesus in the Real World?
"Jesus wasn't a rich person who decided to like poor people. He was poor. Jesus was not a person in the middle of society who chose to hang out with the people who are marginalized. Jesus was marginalized. Jesus was not a person in the middle of great privilege and wealth who just decided that it was cool to hang out with people who were on the edges of society. Jesus belonged on the edge of society... Last year we did a book study by Howard Thurman and the book was called Jesus and the Disinherited. It was the second time I'd read the book and apparently the first time I'd read it, I still hadn't figured it out. It took me until the second time and it's in the very first chapter of the book. Howard Thurman says, 'Jesus, isn't hanging out among the disinherited of the world. Jesus is the disinherited of the world.'"
Aug 29, 2021 |
Beauty and Love Endure
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinBeauty and Love Endure
"Amid heartbreak there is light and love and deepest gratitude for the most precious earthly time we have. Whether it's at the time when life is ending. Or at the time life is beginning. Or at that unknown period in between. That gratitude for the life and the love that is at hand. Beauty and Love endure. So yes, there are evil forces in our world and evil thoughts and intentions born of pain, brokenness, separation from God and each other. There are those things that we can find in our own heart. There are those things. But let us bravely discern whenever we suspect evil, whenever we confront evil. Let us bravely encounter it. And especially when it's within us, let us call it out and let it go. Let us pray: Deliver us from evil. And also pray: Deliver the evil from us. Because it is only with God's help that we can find our way."
Aug 22, 2021 |
Talking About Evil
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneTalking About Evil
"We often avoid talking about the armor of God because it sounds just a little too militant. We rarely sing, “Onward Christian Soldiers” or “Stand up, stand up for Jesus” because they arouse this ugly association with a Crusader mentality. We don't talk like that anymore because it forces us to own the horrors done on our behalf, by faithful followers who obliterated our brothers and sisters of Abraham in Medieval Times; who annihilated native peoples in this land in the name of discovery; who enslaved our siblings of color and who denigrate them still. We don't acknowledge the discomfort of the association because we prefer to focus on the nice pretty parts instead. Instead of saying no. Being a Christian soldier is not about destruction. It's about life."
Aug 15, 2021 |
Make the Most of Our Time
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulMake the Most of Our Time
"To eat the flesh and to drink the blood of Jesus is language that helps us to understand our very nourishment. How we feed ourselves in our daily lives is meant to be centered in Jesus, in the God of love. Our very food and drink is love. Any wisdom we can get, it’s not by reading something or by going to all the right places. It is about constructing, building lives that are nourished, fed, the bread and wine of true and real unconditional love. How do we build our lives around the love that is unending? How do we make the most of our time? How do we make our life rooted and grounded in the love that creates all things?"
Aug 08, 2021 |
Strength for the Journey
| The Rev. Melanie W. J. SlaneStrength for the Journey
"This reading from First Kings to me is what Eucharist is like. We come and we receive a gift that we need. When we've had enough, when we give up, when we can't do it anymore. All of this. All of this that's going on in the world. We can't do it anymore. And we put out our hands. We receive a gift of grace. We come here to be what we see and to receive who we are. The body of Christ. We gain strength for the journey in a shared meal, in a communion feast."
Aug 01, 2021 |
Thrust Into Uncertainty
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulThrust Into Uncertainty
"The testimony we have before us today and the testimony of our faith is sure and certain and clear and consistent. We hear time and again, as we did today, you will be thrust into places of uncertainty, discomfort, fear, and change. And in all of those places you will find God. You are not alone. We are not alone. We are not left to our own devices right now. In the times of great uncertainty and fear and change God, the God of love, the God of all creation, the God who great gathers all things up into heaven, is with us right now. Sharing life with us. And drawing us into deeper communion and connection with one another."
Jul 25, 2021 |
That's A Miracle!
| The Rev. Joyce KeeshinThat's A Miracle!
The presence of Jesus in physical form, physical human form is a continuous miracle throughout the gospels. Jesus’ very being is a miracle, both transcendent and grounded all at once. And the path of love Jesus teaches us and invites us to enable us to bear witness, in our own days, to the miraculous nature of love.
Jul 11, 2021 |
The Voice of the Prophet
| The Rev. Philip DeVaulThe Voice of the Prophet
"There's something really wonderful about saying, 'Oh yeah, God is love isn't that nice.' Without acknowledging that that means that if God is love and God has called me into life, into living, into being in this world that I am made for love. And then I’m meant to live in this world as if that's true. Well, that might require me to look at myself differently"
Jul 04, 2021 |
Along the way of Love
| The Rev. Gary LubinAlong the way of Love
"Then along the way of Love, we hear in today’s Gospel
reading, Jesus sends out the 12 disciples to heal and teach like he had been
doing. Then later on, Jesus sends out 70 more disciples to do exactly the same
thing. So the Jesus love movement grew then and continues to grow even now because
Jesus’ followers say and do something in the name of love and for the sake of
love, even if it’s just a little thing. Just being grateful and faithful followers
of Jesus persuade us to speak on God’s behalf to becoming a beloved community."