For Reflection – Being UnCertain

 

1)      Where do you see the dangers of certainty in your own life and faith?  Which of your certainties has begun to feel rigid and counter-productive?

 

2)      For millennia, Christians have understood Jesus death as a sacrifice to appease God, and assumed that some will be within the saving power of his death and others will be outside.  Where have you seen this theology expressed?  What are its implications for your own faith and that of the community where you see it lived out?

 

3)      In the film American Beauty, the protagonists are isolated and incapable of relying on other people for support, even when they are falling apart.  When have you experienced this challenge to need others and attempted to “pull yourself together” rather than reveal your struggle to others?

 

4)      In his poem “The Place Where We Are Right,” Yehuda Amichai presents the hope that we can draw near to God and each other via our pain, failure, and doubts.  Recall a time that you experienced failure but found yourself closer to God and others.

 

Prayer:

            Gracious God, save us from the hardness of heart that blocks our knowledge of you.  Open our eyes to the fullness of this world, and our hearts to the abundance of your love.  Amen

 

Sunday, March-22-2015
Fifth Sunday in Lent

The Collect

Fifth Sunday in Lent
O Almighty God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men: Grant unto thy people that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

Old Testament Reading

Jeremiah 31:31-34
³¹ "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, ³² not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. ³³ But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, `Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

Psalm

Psalm 51

Miserere mei, Deus
1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; *
     in your great compassion blot out my offences.
2Wash me through and through from my wickedness *
     and cleanse me from my sin.
3For I know my transgressions, *
     and my sin is ever before me.
4Against you only have I sinned *
     and done what is evil in your sight.
5And so you are justified when you speak *
     and upright in your judgment.
6Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, *
     a sinner from my mother's womb.
7For behold, you look for truth deep within me, *
     and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
8Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; *
     wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
9Make me hear of joy and gladness, *
     that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10Hide your face from my sins *
     and blot out all my iniquities.
11Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
     and renew a right spirit within me.
12Cast me not away from your presence *
     and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13Give me the joy of your saving help again *
     and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
14I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
     and sinners shall return to you.
15Deliver me from death, O God, *
     and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
     O God of my salvation.
16Open my lips, O Lord, *
     and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
17Had you desired it, I would have offered sacrifice, *
     but you take no delight in burnt-offerings.
18The sacrifice of God is a troubled spirit; *
     a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
19Be favorable and gracious to Zion, *
     and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
20Then you will be pleased with the appointed sacrifices,
     with burnt-offerings and oblations; *
     then shall they offer young bullocks upon your altar.

- OR -
Psalm 51:11-16

11Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
     and renew a right spirit within me.
12Cast me not away from your presence *
     and take not your holy Spirit from me.
13Give me the joy of your saving help again *
     and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.
14I shall teach your ways to the wicked, *
     and sinners shall return to you.
15Deliver me from death, O God, *
     and my tongue shall sing of your righteousness,
     O God of my salvation.
16Open my lips, O Lord, *
     and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

New Testament Reading

Hebrews 5:(1-4)5-10
(¹ For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. ² He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. ³ Because of this he is bound to offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. ⁴ And one does not take the honor upon himself, but he is called by God, just as Aaron was. )⁵ So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"; ⁶ as he says also in another place, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchiz'edek." ⁷ In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his godly fear. ⁸ Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; ⁹ and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, ¹⁰ being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchiz'edek.

Gospel Reading

John 12:20-33
²⁰ Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks. ²¹ So these came to Philip, who was from Beth-sa'ida in Galilee, and said to him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." ²² Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew went with Philip and they told Jesus. ²³ And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified. ²⁴ Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. ²⁵ He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him. ²⁷ "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? `Father, save me from this hour'? No, for this purpose I have come to this hour. ²⁸ Father, glorify thy name." Then a voice came from heaven, "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." ²⁹ The crowd standing by heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said, "An angel has spoken to him." ³⁰ Jesus answered, "This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. ³¹ Now is the judgment of this world, now shall the ruler of this world be cast out; ³² and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." ³³ He said this to show by what death he was to die.

For Reflection 

1)      What grievance do you wish you could forgive, but cannot?  What are the circumstances?  What holds you back?

      2)      Identify some practical ways that you could “give your hurts to God”. 

3)      Is there any situation in which you believe people should not forgive those who have harmed them?  Have you seen forgiveness backfire or not bring about healing?

4)      Have you ever hurt someone and not been forgiven?  What was the impact on you?

 

The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works.
St. Augustine -

Sunday, March-15-2015
Fourth Sunday in Lent

 

The Collect

Fourth Sunday in Lent
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which giveth life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Preface of Lent

Old Testament Reading

2 Chronicles 36:14-23
¹⁴ All the leading priests and the people likewise were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the LORD which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. ¹⁵ The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; ¹⁶ but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, till the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, till there was no remedy. ¹⁷ Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chalde'ans, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or virgin, old man or aged; he gave them all into his hand. ¹⁸ And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon. ¹⁹ And they burned the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. ²⁰ He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, ²¹ to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfil seventy years. ²² Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing: ²³ "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, `The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him. Let him go up.'"

Psalm

Psalm 122

Laetatus sum
1I was glad when they said to me, *
     "Let us go to the house of the LORD."
2Now our feet are standing *
     within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3Jerusalem is built as a city *
     that is at unity with itself;
4To which the tribes go up,
     the tribes of the LORD, *
     the assembly of Israel,
     to praise the Name of the LORD.
5For there are the thrones of judgment, *
     the thrones of the house of David.
6Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: *
     "May they prosper who love you.
7Peace be within your walls *
     and quietness within your towers.
8For my brethren and companions' sake, *
     I pray for your prosperity.
9Because of the house of the LORD our God, *
     I will seek to do you good."

New Testament Reading

Ephesians 2:4-10
⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷ that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God-- ⁹ not because of works, lest any man should boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Gospel Reading

John 6:4-15
⁴ Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. ⁵ Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" ⁶ This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. ⁷ Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." ⁸ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, ⁹ "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many?" ¹⁰ Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. ¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. ¹² And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, that nothing may be lost." ¹³ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. ¹⁴ When the people saw the sign which he had done, they said, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world!" ¹⁵ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.