Rainy Day Thoughts
It has been raining this morning in Western North Carolina. As I spent some time with Common Prayer, these things popped out from the devotion:
The responsory-
Restore our fortunes, Lord : like a wash in the rainy season.
A quote-
Twelfth-century mystic Hildegard of Bingen wrote, “Rivers of living water are to be poured out over the whole world, to ensure that -people, like fishes caught in a net, can be restored to wholeness.”
A prayer-
Lord, to laugh in the midst of trial and to rejoice in the darkest valley is another way of saying, “Our hope is in you.” Fill us with laughter and joy while we work for peace and strive for justice. Amen.
A blessed day to all!
Practice resurrection
One of my favorite authors is Wendell Berry. Today in Common Prayer, they included one of his poems as a response to the scriptures. It is profound in its simplicity:
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motion of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.
Conversion of Paul
Today on the Anglican calendar there is the commemoration of the Conversion of Saint Paul. A week ago, it was the Confession of Peter.
We know from the lessons appointed for the day that Paul came later to the Christian faith. His conversion was swift and life changing. He says himself in his letters that he became as zealous for Christ as he once was at persecuting the Church.
Paul became a standard bearer for Christians over the centuries and we can trace much of church doctrine and polity to Paul’s influence in the first century.
Here are a couple of readings to keep you amused-
- From the Mission of St. Clare
- From the Catholic Encyclopedia
- From Famous People
Scriptures:
Acts 26:9-21
Galatians 1:11-24
Matthew 10:16-22
Psalm 67
Collect:
O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world: Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Morning Collect
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought
us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty
power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by
adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your
purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(this was the prayer included at the Mission St. Clare’s Devotions for Families and Individuals for the morning of January 23)
Sermon Notes- March 18, 2012
4th Sunday in Lent- Year B
Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Ephesians 2:1-10
John 3:14-21
The lessons for this week are all interesting. The Numbers passage is a pre-figuring of the cross also mentioned in the Gospel lesson. The psalm is complimentary to the OT text, and proclaims the steadfast love of God. The Ephesians text will preach for sure–”saved by grace through faith.” And you cannot overlook the Gospel lesson which includes that favorite verse-John 3:16. Luther called it the “The Gospel in miniature.” I am personally planning to preach the Gospel lesson using the Ephesian text as an example.
- The text from Numbers is a powerful story from the Exodus. The trials of the desert wandering included poisonous snakes. The people ask for deliverance, and Moses prays. God provides the solution. A pole with a bronze replica of a poisonous serpent attached could be lifted up, and if those who were bitten looked at it, they would live. There are some interesting parallels to ancient Egyptian serpent worship here. Notice John 3:14.
- I will use the Psalm as an act of worship, it retells the story of the Exodus and God’s faithfulness to Israel in a very poetic way.
- The Ephesians text is sometimes subtitled “From Death to Life.” It is one of the more definitive writings of Paul about how salvation by faith is a gift from God and how works are the result of God’s mercy not the cause. Paul is restating the Good News of Jesus Christ for the Church.
- The Gospel Lesson is always powerful. I think it is important for the preacher to emphasize the context of John 3:16 within the full text. So much of what society gets is a superficial reading of the the verse. When you can see it in every sports venue on a sign, and big sports stars with it written under their eyes in smudge, the Church deserves a more complete exegesis of the verse.
- With the image of the Numbers passage as the introduction, we get the idea that Jesus will be lifted up on a pole to bring life to those who believe. It is important to unpack the concept of “eternal life”–too much of the Christian world thinks of eternal life as only having significance after death. When Jesus speaks of eternity in the Gospels, he is ushering in a Kingdom of the here and now, and that which is to come. I think v.17 is too often left out of the conversation of v.16. Too often that key verse of the faith gets used for condemnatory purposes–while v. 17 says that is not why Jesus was sent into our midst. There is certainly judgement in the lesson, but the main precept is that God saves–God’s steadfast love endures forever. Those who choose to hide their evil deeds from the light are those who bring judgement on themselves.
- There are plenty of sermon resources out there to help you with these lessons, here are a few I will be using:
- Saturday Night Theologian
- Fred Craddock on Ephesians 2
- John Donahue’s Grace Abounding
Love interrupts
Irish rock star Bono has said, “Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.”
Today’s New Testament reading in Common Prayer is Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians. The first part of the prayer could be prayed for any congregation. The ending proclamation is a reminder of of our Christ-centered nature as the Church. May it be a prayer for us today.
Ephesians 1:15-23
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians
15 Since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, this is the reason that16 I don’t stop giving thanks to God for you when I remember you in my prayers.17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you.18 I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers,19 and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength.20 God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens,21 far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future.22 God put everything under Christ’s feet and made him head of everything in the church, 23 which is his body. His body, the church, is the fullness of Christ, who fills everything in every way.
(CEB)
