Invitation (May 3, 2012)

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…Opening To…

Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God. (Abraham Joshua Heschel)

…Listening In…

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

…Filling Up…

The prayer above in the “Listening In” section is called the “Collect for Purity,” and at a typical Episcopal worship service this is the first prayer of the day, following an opening greeting that varies with the season. A “collect” (pronounced with the stress on the first syllable) does just what you think it does. It collects (emphasis on the second syllable) the themes of the day into one prayer that acts as something of a thesis statement for that particular day’s worship. There is a “Collect of the Day” that changes every week, which comes a minute or two later in the service.

But this “Collect for Purity” doesn’t change. It is the same week in and week out. The Collect for Purity, then, is less about collecting the themes of the day and more about collecting ourselves to be ready to worship. With this collect, we open ourselves up to God’s action in our lives. We invite God into the space that God already inhabits, thus giving ourselves a better chance at noticing God’s presence.

The first line of the collect says three true things about God. By addressing God as the one to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid, we ready ourselves to open our hearts. The beginning of this prayer helps us take our masks off, helps us take our guard down so that we can let God in.

The second part of the prayer asks God to send the Holy Spirit to inspire our worship so that we can love more perfectly, thereby “magnifying” God’s holy name. When you magnify, you makes something bigger and thus clearer. That’s what our worship does. When God opens our hearts, we can discover just how big and how close God is to us.

That’s the Collect for Purity, our second moment of worship. So with that, let’s pray it again.

…Praying For…

Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, ready to order my life around your movement in it and hopeful that you will continue to show me the way.

Transformation (May 2, 2012)

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…Opening To…

Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God. (Abraham Joshua Heschel)

…Listening In…

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “ All who want to come after me must say no to themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. 25 All who want to save their lives will lose them. But all who lose their lives because of me will find them. (Matthew 16:24-25; context)

…Filling Up…

Today, we begin our worship series with the first of twelve “moments” that happen during a standard Episcopal communion service. We’ll look at them in order, and although we won’t have the space to hit every piece of the service, the twelve we will look at will help us order our lives. So without further ado, the first “moment” is pretty much the first thing we do when we enter the church.

At the head of the procession an acolyte carries the cross. Have you ever wondered why we do that? There are a couple of reasons and the most obvious one can keep us from seeing the less obvious one. The obvious one is that the cross is the most recognizable Christian symbol of all – and Jesus tells us to pick up our crosses and follow him. What better way to remember that command than to carry one during our church services?

But the less obvious reason for carrying the cross into and out of the service has to do with what the cross represents. The cross is a made specifically to kill someone in a very painful, very public way. The Romans would line the main streets leading to cities with crosses to remind those they had conquered about the consequences of going against Rome. Thus the cross was a means to induce fear, which led to domination and control.

But Jesus changed all that. While the Romans continued to put people to death using crosses after Jesus rose from the dead, the trajectory of the cross as a symbol has arced toward freedom, love, hope, salvation and the constancy of relationship. These are the utter opposites of the Roman definition of the cross. The keyword here is “transformation.” Jesus transformed the cross from an instrument of death into an instrument of life.

We carry the cross into and out of church services to remind ourselves that when we are in worship, we too are participating in a transformative action. Worshiping God changes us, transforms us into better lovers, better servants, better people. And the cross is a symbol of that transformation.

…Praying For…

Dear God, your Son died on the cross, but through his rising again he took the symbol of death and changed it into a symbol of life. Help me, in my walk with him, always to choose life, that I may live a full and abundant life in you. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, ready to order my life around your movement in it and hopeful that you will continue to show me the way.

Three Functions of Worship (May 1, 2012)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

Worship is a way of seeing the world in the light of God. (Abraham Joshua Heschel)

…Listening In…

The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. (Acts 2:42-44; context)

…Filling Up…

For the next two and a half weeks, we are going to look at what happens during a standard church service – well, at least a standard one in the Episcopal tradition, the one to which I belong. We are going to look at some of the whys behind our actions and our words. I think this is important because of the third function of our Sunday worship.

Wait. The “third” function, you say. Oh, right, now I have to tell you numbers One and Two. Well, the first function of our worship is to give glory to God. The actual act of worshiping our creator is central to our…well…worship. I know I’ve mentioned this before, but one of my favorite Greek words is the word for “worship.” It literally translates as “to bend toward.” When we worship God, we are like trees that bend toward the light in order more fully to drink in their nourishment. We praise God because God draws praise out of us, not because God needs the adoration. We praise because God’s very presence causes us to bend towards God.

The second function is the gathering of the community for support and building up of one another in the power of the Spirit. Again, I know you’ve heard this before, but it always bears repeating. “Church” is not a building. It’s a gathering of people who come together to worship God.

These first two functions of weekly worship are wonderful, but this third function of our liturgy is quite important, too. The third function is that the week in week out service gives us something around which to structure our lives. Each moment in the Eucharistic liturgy points to a way in which can live out each day. Over the next twelve days, we’ll look at these moments and see how they inform our daily walks with Christ.

…Praying For…

Dear God, we are unworthy to praise you, but, even as our praise falls short, you lift it up and sanctify by your grace. Help me to continue to worship you all the days of my life, in both my words and deeds. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, ready to order my life around your movement in it and hopeful that you will continue to show me the way.

 

*I have integrated into my ministry much of the content of the following three weeks from a wonderful little book by my seminary dean, the Rev. Ian S. Markham, called Liturgical Life Principles, which I recommend to you.

Therefore, Go (April 30, 2012)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

This is the final Devo of the 10 part series from the last few weeks. It got pushed to today because I had a glitch last Monday that through everything off by one day. We’ll be back on track tomorrow. –Adam

…Opening To…

A marvelous and mighty paradox has thus occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonor and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat. (St. Athanasius)

…Listening In…

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him, but some doubted. Jesus came near and spoke to them, “I’ve received all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you. Look, I myself will be with you every day until the end of this present age.” (Matthew 28:16-20; context)

…Filling Up…

Today is the last day of our ten day look at Jesus’ Resurrection appearances. We close as Matthew does, with Jesus’ final words in the Gospel. Notice that his very last words: “I will be with you every day,” echo the name that the angel Gabriel gives to him: Immanuel, which mean “God with us.” Thus, God’s presence bookends the Gospel – that’s pretty cool.

But leaving that tidbit, let’s talk about the word “therefore.”

Matthew’s account of the Gospel comes to a close, Jesus says the above words to the disciples. By the power, by the authority of Jesus, the disciples are sent out. And by the work of the disciples down through the centuries empowered by Christ, we too hear these words, we too are sent out. Jesus’ authority spurs us to go, make, and baptize. Indeed, Jesus is the author, the source of our going, our making, and our baptizing.

Scholars call this the “Great Commission,” and within this commission is also great warning. Jesus says, “Therefore, go.” The therefore makes our commissioning contingent on recognizing that everything we do because of God’s call in our lives generates from the authority given to Jesus. The day, the hour, the minute we start to think that we are ministering to people by our own authority is the time we need to take a step back, fall to our knees, and ask God for forgiveness. Paradoxically, the better we get at following Jesus, the easier we fall into the trap of failing to recognize the authority of Jesus prompting and empowering our actions.

But when we come to God in prayer or when we come to the table to receive communion, we come with empty hands and dry mouths. We come reminded that our gifts, like the gifts of bread and wine, have their source in God alone. We come not trusting in our own righteousness, but in God’s manifold and great mercies. As the body and blood of Christ nourish us, the power and authority of Christ compel us to go, make, and baptize; to trust, hope, and believe; to love, serve, and proclaim.

So go out and by your love and your loving witness, make disciples – and remember that Jesus is with you always, to the end of the ages.

…Praying For…

Dear God, I was with you while I was still in my mother’s womb and I will be with you when I pass through death into new life. Help me to remember that your presence abides in my life, and help me act out of that knowledge every day. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, rejoicing that you raised your Son from the dead and showed me that nothing in all of creation can separate me from your love.

Two Witnesses (April 27, 2012)

Published on by Adam Thomas1 Comment

…Opening To…

A marvelous and mighty paradox has thus occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonor and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat. (St. Athanasius)

…Listening In…

With great fear and excitement, they hurried away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. But Jesus met them and greeted them. They came and grabbed his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers that I am going into Galilee. They will see me there.” (Matthew 28:8-10; context)

…Filling Up…

Today is the second to last day of our celebration of Jesus’ post-Resurrection appearances, and today we move to the Gospel according to Matthew to wrap up. Right before the verses above, the women have gone to the tomb and found the stone rolled away. An angel tells them: “Don’t be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here, because he’s been raised from the dead, just as he said. Come, see the place where they laid him. Now hurry, go and tell his disciples, ‘He’s been raised from the dead. He’s going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.’ I’ve given the message to you.”

And then the women hurry away to tell the disciples, but they run into Jesus instead. And he says almost the exact same thing the angel did a minute before. So, why the repeat dialogue? Why have the angel’s monologue and Jesus’ repetition so close together? Could it possibly be because what they told the women is so incredulous that they needed to hear it twice? Perhaps, the readers of the Gospel needed a “come again” moment. Didn’t quite catch that the first time. Come again?

Or perhaps Matthew is playing by the rules that he sets on Jesus’ lips ten chapters before. Jesus says, “If your brother or sister sins against you, go and correct them when you are alone together. If they listen to you, then you’ve won over your brother or sister. But if they won’t listen, take with you one or two others so that every word may be established by the mouth of two or three witnesses” (Matthew 18:16-17).

Matthew uses the angel’s and Jesus’ testimony as proof of the Resurrection that would essentially hold up in court (the two witnesses thing). The thing is – they might have been the first to declare the Resurrection, but they certainly weren’t the last. God calls us to be witnesses to the Resurrection even now.

…Praying For…

Dear God, your Son rose from the dead to show us that death would never again have power over us. Help me to proclaim the grace of the eternal relationship that you yearn to have with each of us through the power of the Resurrection. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, rejoicing that you raised your Son from the dead and showed me that nothing in all of creation can separate me from your love.

The Hinge (April 26, 2012)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

A marvelous and mighty paradox has thus occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonor and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat. (St. Athanasius)

…Listening In…

Jesus said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law from Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. He said to them, “This is what is written: the Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and a change of heart and life for the forgiveness of sins must be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Look, I’m sending to you what my Father promised, but you are to stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power.” (Luke 24:44-49; context)

…Filling Up…

Day eight of ten of our celebration of the Resurrection and our last day with Luke’s account of the Gospel. The verses above are the hinges that link the Gospel according to Luke with the Acts of the Apostles, which is Luke’s sequel. (This gets confusing when looking at the way the Bible is laid out because John interrupts Luke’s story.)

Notice here that Jesus links the past with the future through his words. He reminds the disciples that he let them know what would happen way back before any of it went down. But they didn’t understand then, so he makes sure they understand now. In the Gospel’s version of the Vulcan mindmeld,* Jesus opens their minds to all the stuff about him (just as he had down with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus).

Then he gives them a charge to preach forgiveness to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem. He echoes this charge at the beginning of Acts (since the last chapter of Luke and first chapter of Acts overlap). This charge happens in the present.

Then he moves to the future: “Look, I’m sending to you what my Father promised, but you are to stay in the city until you have been furnished with heavenly power.” With these words, Jesus lets them know that the Holy Spirit is coming to empower their lives – but not until after Jesus ascends to heaven.

With this passage, Luke links his two books, which are really just one long story. There’s the past, the present, and the future. And then there’s us – followers of Jesus spiritually descended from those first followers. We, too, are Jesus’ witnesses. We, too, have the “heavenly power” within us. We, too, are called to preach forgiveness and reconciliation. So let’s get out there and go.

…Praying For…

Dear God, your Son gave us a mission and the power to fulfill it. Help me to live everyday of my life with your call pulling my heart where you would lead. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, rejoicing that you raised your Son from the dead and showed me that nothing in all of creation can separate me from your love.

* Mindmeld. Sorry, non-Trek fans for throwing that bit of vocab at you.

Really Human (April 25, 2012)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

…Opening To…

A marvelous and mighty paradox has thus occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonor and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat. (St. Athanasius)

…Listening In…

While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” They were terrified and afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you startled? Why are doubts arising in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet. It’s really me! Touch me and see, for a ghost doesn’t have flesh and bones like you see I have.” As he said this, he showed them his hands and feet. Because they were wondering and questioning in the midst of their happiness, he said to them, “Do you have anything to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish. Taking it, he ate it in front of them. (Luke 24:36-43; context)

…Filling Up…

Today is day seven of ten with the Resurrection appearances. Notice how similar the scene above is to its analog in the Gospel according to John. Jesus stands among the disciples, declares peace to them, then shows them his wounds because they need just a little more before they trust that it’s really him.

But Luke takes the scene one step further – to prove that he really does have internal organs, especially an esophagus, stomach, and intestines, Jesus eats some fish in their presence. (Jesus roasts fish on the beach in John’s account, so there’s a bit of a parallel there, too). I can just see the disciples walking around Jesus, examining him, perhaps seeing if they could put their hands through his ghostly immateriality. But, he’s not a ghost, of course. He’s really there – a physical being and yet more than a physical being because he’s also a resurrected being. Maybe that’s why they had trouble believing it was really him – because in the Resurrection, Jesus was more than himself.

Or to put it another way, in the Resurrected Jesus, the disciples could see more clearly the kingdom of God made known on earth. No wonder they had trouble deciding if he was really human. He was really human – fully human in a way no human had ever been. In seeing him in the power of the Resurrection, they realized how far they still had to go on the path, how much more they could be, how much more growing God had in store for them.

When we meet Jesus in our lives, how often does the encounter end without us desiring to change for the better? I think the safe answer is never. That’s because the power of the Resurrection pulls us closer to the God who makes us better than ourselves just by bringing us into God’s presence.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you sent your Son to earth to show us what you dreamed for humanity. Help me to live as part of that dream, drawing on the riches of Christ’s grace to be the best version of myself I can be every day of my life. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, rejoicing that you raised your Son from the dead and showed me that nothing in all of creation can separate me from your love.

Unsung (April 24, 2012)

Published on by Adam ThomasLeave a comment

My apologies for missing the Devo yesterday. There was a glitch that I didn’t catch until late (actually, my mother caught it when she texted me wondering if I was okay.) So here is yesterday’s Devo today — this week will all be pushed back one day and the final Devo of the series will run next Monday. Again, sorry about yesterday. –Adam

…Opening To…

A marvelous and mighty paradox has thus occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonor and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat. (St. Athanasius)

…Listening In…

Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about. Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then he interpreted for them the things written about himself in all the scriptures, starting with Moses and going through all the Prophets. (Luke 24:25-27; context)

…Filling Up…

Week two of our celebration of the Resurrection, `cause one week just isn’t enough. (At church, it takes seven.) Last week we were in John all week because John has the most fully realized resurrection appearances. This week we’ll touch on Luke and Matthew. (Mark doesn’t have any.) So, without further ado, what you read a moment ago is from Luke’s wonderful, amazing, fantastic, and other-words-that-mean-really-great story about Jesus meeting two of his followers on the road to Emmaus.

Many, many things make this one of the loveliest stories in the Gospel, not the least of which is Jesus appearing to these two people – Cleopas and an unnamed companion – who are essentially nobodies in the Gospel. This is their one and only appearance. They have followed Jesus; they even number themselves as members of the “group” to whom the women who went to the tomb belong. And yet they never take center stage until now.

And it is to these unsung disciples that Jesus opens up the scriptures. He tells them all about himself using the words of the prophets of old. And still they don’t recognize him. Not until he breaks bread with them at the table that evening. Then their eyes see him and they realize how their hearts had been burning within them when he was teaching them on the road.

Sometimes, we don’t realize that we’ve had encounters with Jesus until later, until something jostles our faith into the right spiritual alignment to notice Christ on the road with us. But the truth is that Jesus is always on the road with us, always speaking truth into our hearts, always making us burn with fire. We just need to have the eyes the disciples had when they communed with him.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are always walking the way with me. Help me to follow where your footsteps lead and always along the paths that lead to life and light. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, rejoicing that you raised your Son from the dead and showed me that nothing in all of creation can separate me from your love.

Do You Love Me? (April 20, 2012)

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…Opening To…

Jesus’s resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. (N.T. Wright)

…Listening In…

He asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love me?” He replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:17; context)

…Filling Up…

Day five of our celebration of the Resurrection brings us to one of the most stirring conversations in the whole Gospel. Jesus and Peter sit on the beach following a nice breakfast of roasted fish. And Jesus asks Peter a question: “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter respond, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus says, “Feed my lambs.” With small variations, Jesus and Peter repeat this dialogue two more times. A total of three times Jesus asks Peter if Peter loves him. And Peter responds in the affirmative each time. And then Jesus commands him to feed and take care of Jesus’ sheep.

Upon first reading, this is quite the odd passage. Why the threefold question and answer session? Why does Jesus ask Peter such a thing? By the end of the questioning, Peter is hurt because Jesus knows that Peter loves him. Why isn’t Jesus getting it through his head, I head Peter wondering.

What Jesus is doing is slowly sucking poison from a wound. With the threefold question and answer, Jesus renews his relationship with Peter, which Peter had forsaken on the night before the crucifixion. Three times Peter had denied being one of Jesus’ followers. He even went so far as to say, “I am not,” which is the exact opposite thing that Jesus says over and over again in the Gospel: “I am.”

With this dialogue, Jesus washes away the poison that Peter’s denial had sent coursing through Peter’s veins. I can’t imagine how guilty Peter felt about abandoned the one person whom he swore never to abandon. By allowing Peter the chance to say three times how much he loves him, Jesus gives Peter the forgiveness and reconciliation that Peter seeks. And then Jesus gives Peter a mission.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are always ready to forgive my sins and welcome me with open arms into your fold. Help me to accept your openness as a sign that you are always more ready to reconcile than I am to be reconciled to you. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, rejoicing that you raised your Son from the dead and showed me that nothing in all of creation can separate me from your love.

Words Outside of Time (April 19, 2012)

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…Opening To…

Jesus’s resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. (N.T. Wright)

…Listening In…

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!” Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.” (John 20:27-29; context)

…Filling Up…

Day four of celebrating the Resurrection with statements from the Risen Christ. Today we fall to our knees with the disciple Thomas who, upon seeing the Risen Jesus, makes the most extraordinary statement of Jesus’ divinity in the entire New Testament: “My Lord and my God!”

This happens following Jesus telling him to believe. I love this. Jesus invites Thomas to fulfill the criteria for belief that Thomas had set out to the other disciples (the finger and hand stuff), but the text never says that Thomas goes through with the examination. Rather, it seems that Jesus’s command that Thomas believe is enough to bring out Thomas’s exclamation of Jesus’s divinity.

“No more disbelief. Believe!” So says Jesus – and Thomas obeys. This immediate, face-to-face encounters contrasts with the next words that Jesus says: “Do you believe because you have seen me? [Blessed*] are those who don’t see and yet believe.”

Here Jesus is no longer talking to the people in the room. He is talking to the readers of the Gospel – back when it was written and today. Jesus is not taking Thomas to task for his need for physical proof; rather, Jesus – through the pen of the writer of the Gospel – is encouraging all those who believe in him and yet have never seen him. This is dialogue that takes place outside of time and speaks to people of all times.

We who have never seen Jesus might think that his first followers are the blessed ones because they got to walk around with him, hear him teach, see him perform miracles. But Jesus says the opposite. He says that we are the blessed ones (not that they weren’t – Jesus just makes a point to say that we are). This encouragement to believe with no proof is the basis for the life of faith. Jesus commands Thomas to let go of his disbelief and believe. Jesus says the same thing to us. And he blesses us to actually be able to do it.

…Praying For…

Dear God, in the quiet of the night you knit your faith into my very being. Help me to hold onto your promises when I feel myself slipping away from you, that I may hear Jesus calling me once again to believe, and in hearing him, follow his voice. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, rejoicing that you raised your Son from the dead and showed me that nothing in all of creation can separate me from your love.

* I put the word “Blessed” here instead of “Happy” as it is above because, while I love the CEB translation, I think “happy” is a poor choice here. “Happiness” in today’s context is just too shallow for what Jesus is really talking about.