Virtual Morning Prayer Week 2 Psalter Edits

This Sunday most of us will do Morning Prayer which includes Psalm 63. As is typical for the Revised Common Lectionary, the imprecatory verses are omitted. I have included them in parentheses so that you may grapple with them.

1 O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; *
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.

2 Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place, *
that I might behold your power and your glory.

3 For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; *
my lips shall give you praise.

4 So will I bless you as long as I live *
and lift up my hands in your Name.

5 My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness, *
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,

6 When I remember you upon my bed, *
and meditate on you in the night watches.

7 For you have been my helper, *
and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.

8 My soul clings to you; *
your right hand holds me fast.

(9 May those who seek my life to destroy it *
go down into the depths of the earth;

10 Let them fall upon the edge of the sword, *
and let them be food for jackals.

11 But the king will rejoice in God;
all those who swear by him will be glad; *
for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.)

"Onward" Bound... to Bomb

Who would invest 200 million dollars in an animated movie aimed at children that starred an openly homosexual character?

Disney, that's who.

From LifeSite,

"Animated Disney kids’ film ‘Onward’ with openly gay character bombs on opening weekend"

"The total take for Onward last weekend was $39 million, domestically, and $28 million from around the world. This is the lowest opening take for a Disney-Pixar movie, after accounting for inflation, and also, not coincidentally, the lowest sale of tickets..."

"Onward cost Disney somewhere between $175 million-$200 million..."

This week, Disney pulled the plug on reporting their box office take for "Onward" citing the closure of many theaters due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"A statement released by a company rep read, 'Given the current large number of theater shutdowns around the globe, Disney will suspend global weekend reporting for the time being.  Wishing you and your families the best during these testing times and please be safe'” (Deadline)

Note that Disney did not claim that their problems might be the result of "an act of God".

Yesterday, in an act of desperation, Disney announced the film will be available online next week.

"Whereas movies usually have a seven-month gap between airing in theaters and coming to streaming services, Onward will come to the Disney streaming service just under a month after its original cinema release." (Newsweek)

Disney is probably hoping to lure in children and parents who are stuck in their homes due to the coronavirus.

The flop of "Onward" means that the majority of parents are not all on board with the LGBT agenda, and they recognize the danger of this means of indoctrination.

I don't think that will stop Disney from pushing the LGBT agenda. Instead, look for them to be more subtle next time.

The Valley of Death's Shadow

This Sunday's Psalm for Eucharist (for anyone attending one) is Psalm 23, Dominus regit me. For those of us doing Morning Prayer at home due to the corona virus shutdown we will have Psalms 19 and 46. 

The 23rd psalm is my favorite. I remember how as a child I was comforted by its words.

1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.

3 He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.

4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.

6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Today we are reminded that the valley of the shadow of death is the very life that we walk through. We are reminded of our mortality as we see people die from this most recent pandemic. We pray for strength and comfort from above for those who are critically ill like our Bishop Steve Wood who is on a ventilator as I write this post. We pray that if we also fall ill that even as Death's shadow passes by, that we will rest assured that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

John Rutter's version is also a favorite to listen to and to perform. Enjoy, rejoice, and be glad that the
Lord is with you and will be always.

Mrs. Beamish Was Right!

The one good thing about the corona virus pandemic is that we no longer have to pass the peace during our worship services. For that reason, I bring back the immortal Mrs. Beamish who was the first to warn us of the dangers of passing the peace years ago. Enjoy!

Here are some of the lyrics for those of you who cannot play the video,

"Don't you dare shake hands with me, or offer signs of peace,You lay a finger on me and I'll call for the police.Don't whisper 'Peace be with You,' this is the C of E,so bend the knee, say thou and thee,and keep your hands off me..."

"Don't you dare shake hands with me, I don't know where you've been,You lay a finger on me and you'll feel this tambourine.Don't whisper 'Peace be with You,' this is the C of E,so bend the knee, say thou and thee,and keep your hands off me..."

"Don't you dare shake hands with me, Or turn to me and smile,You'll wake up spitting teeth out, face downwards in the aisle.Don't whisper 'Peace be with You,' this is the C of E,You'll go just one inch too far,You'll end up wearing that guitar,One false step in my direction,You'll need to believe in the resurrection,so bend the knee, say thou and thee,and keep your hands off me."

"The Well is Deep"

This Sunday's reading is from John 4:5-42 in which Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well and many Samaritans from the town of Sychar became believers.

So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon.
A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink”, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.’
  Jesus said to her, ‘Go, call your husband, and come back.’ The woman answered him, ‘I have no husband.’ Jesus said to her, ‘You are right in saying, “I have no husband”; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.’ The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming’ (who is called Christ). ‘When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am he, the one who is speaking to you.’
  Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, ‘What do you want?’ or, ‘Why are you speaking with her?’ Then the woman left her water-jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?’ They left the city and were on their way to him.
   Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, ‘Rabbi, eat something.’ But he said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Surely no one has brought him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, “Four months more, then comes the harvest”? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, “One sows and another reaps.” I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.’
   Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, ‘He told me everything I have ever done.’ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there for two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.’

Where was Sychar and how deep was that well? Well, according to G. E. Wright in "Shechem, the Biography of a Biblical City" (1965) (h/t BibleGateway),

SYCHAR sī’ kär (Συχάρ, G5373). The one Biblical allusion to it describes it as “a city of Samaria,” near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave his son Joseph (John 4:5; cf. Gen 33:19). Jerome in his Onomasticon distinguishes Sychar from Shechem, though in his other works he identifies them as the same place, arguing that the form of spelling Sychar is a scribal error. The Old Syriac VS also reads Shechem. In the Itinerary of Jerusalem of a.d. 33 a Sechar is located one m. E of Nablus.

Recent debate still leaves the identity of Sychar open to question. W. F. Albright identified it with an ancient site near Shechem. There is an ancient site “askar” nearby, meaning in Arab. a military camp, and Dr. Albright argued that “askar” is a corruption for Sychar. This village of El-Askar is on the eastern slope of Mount Ebal about half a m. N of Jacob’s Well and just E of Shechem. There is confusion in such identity. First, it is unlikely that Sychar is to be identified with “askar,” as a textual corruption. Moreover, El-Askar is much further away from Jacob’s well than ancient Shechem. There is also the objection that at El-Askar there is a copious spring more than adequate to supply the water needs of the village. The narrative of John 4:15 suggests the woman of Sychar was in the habit of going to Jacob’s well for water. It seems therefore unlikely to identify Sychar with El-Askar.

Others have argued that Shechem is Sychar. But the recent excavations of G. E. Wright have revealed that the end of Shechem as a city occurred in 107 b.c. when Jews from Jerusalem under John Hyrcanus (134-104 b.c.) destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim in 128 b.c. and finally destroyed the city of Shechem in 107 b.c. However, at the site of these ruins, Tell Balatah, there is evidence of occupation from the period of the Samaritans to Rom. times. Jacob’s well, according to an unbroken tradition, lies about half a m. to the E of the village of Balatah. Historically, the well is one of the best attested sites in Pal., at least since NT times. It stands on the eastern edge of the valley which forms the pass between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. The watertable that feeds the well rests upon an impermeable layer of basalt some twenty meters below the valley floor. With the accumulation of town debris and older sites since Hyksos times, Shechem is twelve to twenty-five meters above the surrounding valley floor. The woman of Samaria was correct in asserting “the well is deep,” possibly thirty-two to fifty-five meters in depth (cf. John 4:11). The sacred associations of the well, and its quality of water, in contrast to the harder water from neighboring springs on the slopes of Mt. Gerizim, would form attractions for the popularity of the well throughout its history.

Will the Corona Virus Send You to the Virtual Church?

Because the Corona virus has hit our community, our little church has implemented elbow bumps in place of handshakes and hugs during the passing of the peace ( I am on record for eliminating the passing of the peace altogether), and enforcing intinction of the wafer during communion. 

After this week's news that an Episcopal priest may have infected hundreds of his parishioners, my rector asked if there was anything else to be added to our precautionary measures. He already uses hand sanitizer before handling the host. The only other suggestion I can make would be to live stream the service.

The idea of a virtual church is not new. Many years ago I was part of an online virtual church in which one's avatar could enter a cathedral, meet other avatar congregants, and participate in a service. It didn't work to well for me due to technical factors, but I wonder if something like that might get a boost from this new virus.

There are many "real" churches who claim to have a huge virtual presence. The list found at this link shows that membership can be in the tens of thousands.

1. Life.ChurchAverage weekly attendance: 70,000
Main campus location: Edmond, OK
Online campus: Church Online
Senior pastor: Craig Groeschel
How they got here: Groeschel started Life.Church in 1996 in a two-car garage with some second-hand projection equipment. Over the past 20 years it has grown into the largest church in America. Why? About 10 years ago, Life.Church unveiled its Internet Campus, opening its doors to visitors around the world. Life.Church also has a popular Bible app, called YouVersion, and even broadcasts sermons on Second Life. 

2. Church of the Highlands
Average weekly attendance: 40,000
Main campus location: Birmingham, AL
Online campus: Church of the Highlands Online
Senior pastor: Chris Hodges
How they got here: Hodges founded Church of the Highlands in 2001 with a little over 30 followers. It has since grown to 15 sprawling physical locations around Alabama. The online campus has a dedicated pastor, David Russell, and an online prayer team at the ready. 

3. North Point Community Church
Average weekly attendance: 39,000
Main campus location: Alpharetta, GA
Online campus: NorthPoint.Live
Senior pastor: Andy Stanley
How they got here: Stanley founded North Point in the suburbs of Atlanta in 1995, meeting biweekly in rented facilities until the late 1990s. In 1996, the church purchased an 80-acre site in Alpharetta and they haven’t stopped expanding since then. North Point now has 15 locations around Georgia and strategic partners in 15 different states and overseas. NorthPoint.Live ties all the campuses together with themed series, social media discussion, and related blog posts. 

4. Saddleback Church
Average weekly attendance: 25,000
Main campus location: Lake Forest, CA
Online campus: Saddleback Online Campus
Senior pastor: Rick Warren
How they got here: Opening with a Palm Sunday service at Laguna Hills High School in 1980, Saddleback has survived and flourished through the transition to the Internet Age under Warren, who has become internationally known for his book, The Purpose Driven Life. In addition to 14 physical locations around California, Saddleback also has campuses in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Hong Kong, and South Manila. Their online campus, led by Pastor Jay Kranda, allows visitors to watch live streams and join online groups or begin their own. 

5. Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale
Average weekly attendance: 25,000
Main campus location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Online campus: Calvary Chapel Web Campus
Senior pastor: Doug Sauder (Founder: Bob Coy)
How they got here: The second oldest church on this list, Calvary Chapel opened in 1985 under colorful founder Bob Coy. The church has expanded to nine locations around Florida and recently survived a widely publicized leadership change. Calvary Chapel’s ministries include one of the largest private schools in Florida. The web campus, led by Pastor Dan Hickling, broadcasts five live services throughout the week and exists to create an “online community, (where) you can connect with others, build relationships, grow in your faith, pray, and ask great questions.”

I am not going to go into the merits or problems with these churches, but I will suggest that if your church is "doing it right", why not go online?

Cost is a major concern to be sure.

Loss of the personal touch that you get with real people is another.

But, with a bad bug being passed along at church, it is something to think about.

Whole Denominations Must Be Born Again

(N.B. this was first posted three three years ago)

Sunday many churches will hear John 3:1-17 and the story of Nicodemus.

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, ‘Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.’ Jesus answered him, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, “You must be born from above.” The wind* blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ Nicodemus said to him, ‘How can these things be?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?

‘Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

 ‘Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Last Sunday we learned about the Pentecost which is often referred to as "the Church's birthday". This Sunday, we learn that individuals must have a second birthday in order to celebrate eternal life with God the three in one. Yes, we have to be born again. Born of water by baptism, and born of the Spirit which is the tricky part.

Not all of us experience a moment of religious conversion in which one is aware of the Holy Spirit washing over their soul, changing their lives forever. In fact, most of us who claim to have had such an experience are usually looked at as strange sort of ducks. I am guilty of sometimes thinking that when people say someone is full of the Spirit, they actually full of something else.

Similarly, when a denomination claims that the Holy Spirit is leading them to a new understanding of the Bible, how are we to know what they are full of?

I look around and see several denominations that are not going to have eternal life. Their numbers are falling, funerals outnumber baptisms, and their ministers are nothing more than attendants at a nursing home. These denominations hope for renewal, hold revivals, proclaim that they are the owners of the "Jesus Movement", but they refuse to admit that they have been baptized in the muddy waters of revisionism, and that they have been following an unholy spirit.

What do they need to do in order to "see the Kingdom of God" as Nicodemus desired?

Phony "Revivals" won't do it.

These denominations need to be born again. How is that possible?

Are they not teachers of Israel?

Yet they do not understand these things.

The Media Finally Shows The Real Mayor Pete

I couldn't help but notice that while he was an active candidate for the Democratic Party's Presidential nomination, Mayor Pete Buttigieg's homosexuality and same-sex marriage was barely mentioned by the mainstream media, at least as represented by what I saw as I watched the nightly news and as pewster spouse watched the morning shows.

But as soon as Buttigieg dropped out of the race, our television screens were flooded with images of him and his "husband" embracing and kissing, and commentators came out of the closet with words of praise for his "brave", "heroic", and "historic" run to be the first openly homosexual President of the United States of America.

It appears that the mainstream media was intentionally downplaying Mayor Pete's homosexuality, and I suspect this was done because to have played it up could have offended some of the voting public and diminished his chances of getting the nod in the primaries.

No one can deny that images of Mayor Pete and his "husband" exhibiting public displays of affection would have raised in many minds the specter of an endless cascade of similar or worse things to come if he were to be elected President.

Talk about trying to influence an election!

Thankfully, fewer and fewer people watch the network news these days, but my observations indicate that the American mainstream news media may be a far greater threat to our electoral process than the Chinese, Russians, and North Koreans combined.

Revised Common Lectionary Woes: The Creation of Woman Gets Cut Out

This Sunday's Old Testament reading was Genesis 2:15-17,3:1-7. Note that Genesis 18-25 gets cut out of the reading. First, let me present what most mainline church goers got to hear.

Genesis 215 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’Genesis 33 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God say, “You shall not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ 2 The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.” ’ 4 But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

It is always important for pewsitters to pay attention to what got cut out. In this case, it is the creation of Woman from Man's rib, and something we call the "complimentary" nature of the male/female relationship.

Genesis 2.18-2518 Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.’ 19 So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,‘This at last is bone of my bones   and flesh of my flesh;this one shall be called Woman,   for out of Man this one was taken.’24 Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed.

These verses are oh so problematic for revisionist preachers. It is far easier to preach when the lectionary editors have tidied things up by cutting out the parts which run contrary to contemporary social standards and politico/gender correctness.
It is far easier to accept and to practice same sex marriages in a church that does not wrestle with the entirety of the Bible.