TYS

Homosexual polygamy is here. Told you so. 

From LifeSite News, 

Exhibit A is a story out of California. Back in 2017, a “throuple” of men successfully petitioned a judge to put all three of them on the birth certificate of a little girl named Piper. Dr. Ian Jenkins and Alan Mayfield met in 2003, and added another partner to their relationship upon meeting Jeremy Hodges, a zoo-keeper, in 2012. They discussed having children—the media reports on this ignore the fact that obviously, men cannot create children without women. But children have been turned into a commodity, and our society has decided that gay men have more of a right to children than children have a right to mothers.

As The Daily Mail grotesquely put it: “They were offered embryos by a female friend, Meghan.” The men had been given children, and now they needed to rent a womb. As the Mail put it, “a different friend offered to be the surrogate for the embryos, and they paid for many lawyers, Piper was born, followed several years later by Parker.” Now, the three men just needed legal recognition for their arrangement and appealed to a San Diego judge to be recognized as three fathers.

I don't care what that judge says. The Judge of us all says that ain't the way it is supposed to be.

But who listens to Him anymore?

 

The world did not know him

 This Sunday's Gospel reading is from John 1:1-18 and verses 10-13 are, in my opinion, at the heart of John's Gospel.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ’) 16 From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.

In the next to last chapter of this Gospel, John reveals his strongest desire for those who read it in John 20:30,

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

The world did not know Jesus then, but thanks to the work of the apostles including the work of John, countless billions have come to believe in Jesus as Lord.

 

 

The Christmas "Stars"

Christmas is almost here, and this Christmas will be a quiet one for Pewsterspouse and I. Two of our neighbors who are in our "bubble" may come over to share a socially distanced Christmas dinner, and we may plan on an evening of stargazing under what are predicted to be cold and clear skies. Attached to our above ground observatory are the words "Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua" because we praise the Lord and admit that all of heaven and Earth are full of His glory. On such nights we musn't forget that the heavenly cathedral under which we walk is there thanks to God. Jupiter and Saturn are in close conjuction this week and are low in the west at sunset. You don't need a telescope to see what some believe may be what guided the Wisemen to the baby Jesus so long ago. Here are a couple of pictures I took of the two together and separately.

 

So, today I will be polishing up my eyepieces, charging my batteries, and checking my equipment, but if we experience any problems, we always have our eyeballs, binoculars, and lawnchairs to fall back on. We wish you all a very merry Christmas this year.

The Annunciation: Believe it or Not

 This Sunday's Gospel reading is Luke 1:26-38. In it, Mary is visited by an angel and told that she will bear the son of God. In the last sentence, Mary humbly consents. 

 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ Then Mary said, ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

There should be no need to expound on Luke's account of this event. You either believe it or you don't. 

Reasons I have heard to disbelieve the Annunciation include, 

• There are no such things as angels.
• There is no such thing as a virgin conception.
• The word translated as "virgin" just means young girl.

My simple response is to first ask if the person believes in God, and if they respond in the affirmative, then ask them if God's powers are limited in any way. If they say "No", then their inconsistency is easy to point out. If they say that God can't do such things, then we have to go into a deeper discussion because that answer essentially means that I have a John Shelby Spong on my hands and this is someone who is likely to deny many other things in the Gospels including the Resurrection of Jesus.

If you believe that all things are possible for God, then why can't he send an angel and permit a virgin to conceive His Son?  

Roman Catholic Bishops Weigh in on Communion for the President Elect

 Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., is the archbishop emeritus of Philadelphia, and he recently authored a piece at "First Things" titled, "Mr. Biden and the Matter of Scandal". It is less about the President Elect's sins and more about the sins of bishops and priests who provide Holy Eucharist to those in power who work to feed the abortion machine. Archbishop Chaput gives a theological and doctrinal rationale which you can read by following the link above. You can read his conclusion below, 

"When bishops publicly announce their willingness to give Communion to Mr. Biden, without clearly teaching the gravity of his facilitating the evil of abortion (and his approval of same-sex relationships), they do a serious disservice to their brother bishops and their people. The reason is obvious. By his actions during the course of his public life, Mr. Biden has demonstrated that he is not in full communion with the Catholic Church. To his credit, he has championed many causes and issues that do serve the common good. However, many of his actions and words have also supported or smoothed the way for grave moral evils in our public life that have resulted in the destruction of millions of innocent lives. Mr. Biden has said that he will continue to advance those same policies as president, and thus should not receive Holy Communion. His stated intention requires a strong and consistent response from Church leaders and faithful."  

"This is not a 'political' matter, and those who would describe it as such are either ignorant or willfully confusing the issue. This is a matter of bishops’ unique responsibility before the Lord for the integrity of the sacraments. Moreover, there is also the pressing matter of pastoral concern for a man’s salvation. At minimum, every bishop has the duty of privately discussing these vital moral issues and the destructive effect of receiving Communion unworthily with public figures who act contrary to Church teaching. Reception of Communion is not a right but a gift and privilege; and on the subject of 'rights', the believing community has a priority right to the integrity of its belief and practice."

Bishops and priests have been allowing Mr. Biden and other political figures who openly flaunt the Roman Catholic Church's teachings to receive the Eucharist. That brings "scandal" upon the Church. From my experience with the Episcopal organization, when clergy disregard or even deny the historic teachings of the "one holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church" that we claim to believe every Sunday as we recite the Nicene Creed, then the Church has no standing when it comes to any question about the Faith. 

A Church that has lost credibility is a scandal, but revisionists don't seem to care about the destruction of the very thing that they, like parasites, feed upon.  

More Missing Verses During Advent

This Sunday, the prophet Isaiah gets muzzled by the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) editors. Most churches will hear Isaiah 61:1-4,8-11 omitting verses 5-7. I present the whole Psalm with the expurgated verses highlighted in red. Once again, I have a theory as to why they got the ax.

1 The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,

   because the Lord has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

   to bind up the broken-hearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

   and release to the prisoners;

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour,

   and the day of vengeance of our God;

   to comfort all who mourn;

3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion—

   to give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

   the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

   the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

4 They shall build up the ancient ruins,

   they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

   the devastations of many generations.

5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks,

   foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines;

6 but you shall be called priests of the Lord,

   you shall be named ministers of our God;

you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,

   and in their riches you shall glory.

7 Because your shame was double,

   and dishonour was proclaimed as your lot,

therefore you shall possess a double portion;

   everlasting joy shall be yours.

8 For I the Lord love justice,

   I hate robbery and wrongdoing (Or robbery with a burnt offering)

I will faithfully give them their recompense,

   and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

9 Their descendants shall be known among the nations,

   and their offspring among the peoples;

all who see them shall acknowledge

   that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.

10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

   my whole being shall exult in my God;

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

   he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

   and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots,

   and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise

   to spring up before all the nations.

The "troublesome" verses hint at a future subjugation of foreigners by the Israelites and monetary compensation for what had been stolen from the people of Israel. 

Now, these verses are only troublesome to revisionists.

So, guess what kind of priest is in charge of what gets heard by Sunday pewsitters in a church that follows the RCL? 

Beating the Lockdown: The Pub Church

You may have read about the Staten Island bar owner who tried to beat the lockdown by proclaiming his establishment an "autonomous zone". In England, a couple of pubs thought outside the box and are trying to avoid being shut down by becoming churches.

"A Leicestershire pub has applied to become a church in an attempt to beat the Tier 3 Covid restrictions and stay open for business. The New Baron of Hinckley has said it would be renamed as 'The Church of New Baron' and would offer 'confession rooms' staffed by the owner, Nirad Solanki.

He told the Leicester Mercury that he was simply 'trying to think outside the box' and keep his punters coming together in the community.

'If churches and synagogues can open, why not do this?

On Facebook, the pub played on its prospective conversion to a religious premises. 'Bless you my children!' they wrote. 'Who's joining us for some Holy Ale and Niri Chicken!!!'"

"...This isn't the first time that a hospitality venue has attempted to convert to a church in order to beat the new regulations. A Nottingham tequila bar called 'The 400 Rabbits' is trying to do the same thing, by issuing a formal application to become 'The Church of 400 Rabbits'."

These new "churches" had better start publishing some creeds or other statements of doctrine if they hope to have a chance to gain the system. 

 

Missing Verses From an Advent Psalm

 This Sunday, Churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary will read Psalm 85:1-2,8-13 while ACNA churches get to read the whole thing. I have highlighted in red the verses that get left out in most Episcopal parishes. Feel free to speculate as to why those verses go unheard ( I have made it clear in the past my opinions on missing verses).

Benedixisti, Domine

1 You have been gracious to your land, O Lord, *

you have restored the good fortune of Jacob.

2 You have forgiven the iniquity of your people *

and blotted out all their sins.

3 You have withdrawn all your fury *

and turned yourself from your wrathful indignation.

4 Restore us then, O God our Savior; *

let your anger depart from us.

5 Will you be displeased with us for ever? *

will you prolong your anger from age to age?

6 Will you not give us life again, *

that your people may rejoice in you?

7 Show us your mercy, O Lord, *

and grant us your salvation.

8 I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, *

for he is speaking peace to his faithful people

and to those who turn their hearts to him.

9 Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, *

that his glory may dwell in our land.

10 Mercy and truth have met together; *

righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

11 Truth shall spring up from the earth, *

and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

12 The Lord will indeed grant prosperity, *

and our land will yield its increase.

13 Righteousness shall go before him, *

and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.

Burial in a Seed Pod?

In case you were wondering what your family should do with your body after you die, here is something that reminds me of a scene out of "The Wicker Man" where the policeman looking into a missing person report on an island full of pagans is told that her body has become a tree.

From the Journal of Soil Science and Plant Health,

"Capsula Mundi. Life never stops." 

"Capsula Mundi is a cultural and broad-based project, which envisions a different approach to the way we think about death. It's an egg-shaped pod, an ancient and perfect form, made of biodegradable material, where our departed loved ones are placed for burial. Ashes will be held in small egg-shaped biodegradable urns while bodies will be laid down in a fetal position in larger pods. The Capsula will then be buried as a seed in the earth. A tree, chosen in life by the deceased, will be planted on top of it and serve as a memorial for the departed and as a legacy for posterity and the future of our planet. Family and friends will continue to care for the tree as it grows. Cemeteries will acquire a new look and, instead of the cold grey landscape we see today, they will grow into vibrant woodlands."

The next time I have to cut down a tree, I might have to think about who I might be cutting. 
 

The Gathering of the Elect

This Sunday's reading is Mark 13:24-37, in which Jesus foretells his coming again and the gathering of the elect.

‘But in those days, after that suffering,

the sun will be darkened,

 and the moon will not give its light,

 and the stars will be falling from heaven,

 and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in clouds” with great power and glory. Then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

 ‘From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

 ‘But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Therefore, keep awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake.’

Jesus' words about the sun, moon, and stars pay tribute to several Old Testament books (from Knowing Jesus), 

Isaiah 13:10

For the stars of heaven and their constellations

Will not flash forth their light;

The sun will be dark when it rises

And the moon will not shed its light.

Job 9:7

Who commands the sun not to shine,

And sets a seal upon the stars;

Job 3:9

“Let the stars of its twilight be darkened;

Let it wait for light but have none,

And let it not see the breaking dawn;

Joel 2:10

Before them the earth quakes,

The heavens tremble,

The sun and the moon grow dark

And the stars lose their brightness.

Amos 8:9

“It will come about in that day,” declares the Lord God,

“That I will make the sun go down at noon

And make the earth dark in broad daylight.

Ecclesiastes 12:2

before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain;

Ezekiel 32:7

“And when I extinguish you,

I will cover the heavens and darken their stars;

I will cover the sun with a cloud

And the moon will not give its light.

Joel 3:15

The sun and moon grow dark

And the stars lose their brightness.

I doubt that any of my readers think that Jesus will return in our lifetimes. Most of us believe that we will die at some point, and that then and only then will we meet Jesus. 

Jesus tells us to be prepared for he may return at any time, just like we may meet our end unexpectedly. 

He also warns us not to listen to people who claim to know the day that He will return.

Thanksgiving 2020: Different Thanks to Give

 For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving Day means turkey dinner with family. I have missed a few over the years due to professional obligations, but was always able to enjoy leftovers the next day. For the past several years Pewsterspouse and I have made the 5 hour drive to the in-laws' house where we gathered with family members numbering up to fourteen. This year we are dutifully following the directions of the Centers for Disease Control and staying home. We have invited our neighbor to dine with us on the screen porch. There is one problem with this arrangement...

Scaling down the food is not something we are doing.

This year I am thankful that the Lord helped me to lost ten pounds over the summer.

 

Jesus Preached Hell Fire and Damnation Long Before the Stereotypical Modern Day Street Preacher

I once watched as a pewsitter stood up in the middle of a revisionist priest's sermon and said, "You are wrong!" before walking out of the church, never to return. What did that priest say that so upset my friend? Well it was this, 

"We Episcopalians don't believe in a literal devil." 

 I think this Sunday's Gospel reading was the subject of our revisionist priest's sermon,

Matthew 25:31-46

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' 

Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 

for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 

And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

Jesus believed in the devil, hell fire, and damnation.

Some people don't.

How can they call themselves Christians if they don't believe Jesus?

That's One Way to Escape a Lockdown

Over in England, they have effectively shutdown the country for the month of November. Elective medical procedures must be postponed, unless you want to go to a suicide clinic.

From Ann Farmer at The Conservative Woman comes this report, 

"Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed that people may break lockdown to travel abroad for assisted dying, saying that flying to the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland would be considered a ‘reasonable excuse’...

...Even if Covid health policy was initially made on the hoof, it is now reprehensible to take such decisions in full knowledge of what they could be covering up. Most bizarrely, Matt Hancock’s decision was made for ‘health’ reasons, and indeed travelling abroad to die could be justified on health grounds, given that those who do so will no longer be ill, because they will no longer be alive. It is argued that such people are ‘going to die anyway’ – now that will be guaranteed. And the Government will be off the hook, having given those suffering under lockdown the false freedom of death."

 I could see this happening in the U.S.A. if we suffer from another government imposed lockdown.

One commenter did see a loophole that might give us a chance to escape a lockdown, 

"Someone could say they’re going off to kill themselves, have a bit of a holiday, then come back claiming that the discussion had made them change their mind."

We would probably get caught because our round trip ticket would be a dead giveaway as to our plan. 

Fear of Being the Lazy Slave

In this Sunday's Gospel reading from Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells us The Parable of the Talents,

 

‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

 I have always been afraid that I will be judged as the lazy slave, and I have often tried to justify my life as one in which I used the spiritual gifts or "talents" that God gave me and did not bury them away. For some reason I don't think that argument will get me very far because I could always have done more. 

Just what does God expect from you?

Over at Billy Graham Ministries, Pastor Ray Hollenbach looks at it this way,

"Is there a lesson for us from the third servant? Perhaps we should see that our view of God will determine the choices we make. Do we see Christ as 'a hard man' with unfair and unrealistic expectations of us? (Matthew 25: 24) If we do, it will cause us to live our current days in fear, with unprofitable results."

"Only those who eagerly look forward to the return of Christ can find the freedom to live with confidence now. The Apostle Paul understood the freedom we can experience through the grace of God when he recounted the words, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (II Corinthians 12: 9)

Christians should not fear the coming of the Lord, but that is no excuse for weakness and laziness in using the gifts that God has given you in a fruitful way.

 

Veterans

I grew up in the sixties when veterans and Veterans Day were not honored. My father was in Medical School during WWII, and the war was over by the time he had to serve, which he did as a ship's physician on a cutter on weather patrol in the Atlantic and as a Public Health physician. His father served in WWI and WWII as a Coast Guard officer, but Veterans Day was not honored in our house.

As a student of military history, I came to learn of the reasons why November 11 was chosen as a day to remember our vets, and after learning the horrors faced by our soldiers in WWI, WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, I developed far more respect and thankfulness for their service. 

The closest I got to military service was to register for the draft and to watch the draft be eliminated the same year. 

I did work in the VA hospital system for a short time taking care of our sick vets. 

Now I have a Father-in-law who retired after service during the Korean and Vietnam wars and a nephew who, after having served two tours in Iraq, is moving up the ranks in the Army. 

This weekend, Pewsterspouse and I went to several rural cemeteries and placed American Flags on the graves of veterans at the behest of a local garden club. The garden club ladies are all elderly, and none had ever ventured to these cemeteries in the past. Some of the cemeteries were well kept, but others were not. We cleared away some weeds and trash, but we really needed a weed eater in some places. 

Little flags over forgotten graves are all well and good, but we need to honor our service people while they are still alive. 

Thank them for their service if you have the chance.   

Be Prepared!

 In this Sunday's reading from Matthew 25:1-13, Jesus tells us the parable of the ten bridesmaids,

"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, 'Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.' And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I do not know you.' Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.'"

We do not know when Christ will come again, and we do not know the day or time when we will see Jesus face to face. We had better be prepared! 

And now for a little levity, 

Six Things I Know About The Election by Sarah Hey

My friend Sarah Hey wrote this wonderful piece, "Six Things I Know About The Election" and put it up on Election Day. It is the best thing I have read in the run up to this election. Sarah gave me permission to pass it along to you, my faithful readers.

1) We don’t *deserve* grace or any particular election win (no matter which side we want to win). God doesn't owe us any blessing or benefit, and particularly a comfortable political outcome. 

There’s nothing we can do to *earn* grace or mercy. It either arrives or it does not, and that ought to foster a great humility. 

Our country has a wonderful heritage — squandered in large part but still there — and that is a wonderful thing. 

But we still don’t deserve whatever we are given.

2) Politics is downstream of culture, as Andrew Breitbart pointed out so well. That is, our political context and division is a direct result of the larger over-arching culture. 

But the culture is downstream of the Church. And that is a very disturbing thing, as it shows just how destitute the Church has been in this country for some decades. 

To put this another way, the Church — from top to bottom, stem to stern, left to right, denomination to non-denomination — has failed comprehensively at influencing a broader culture for the better or even creating smaller, worthy mini-cultures that one might wish to join. I laugh a bit at the thought of church discipline as described in Scripture. The purpose of church discipline was to issue a warning to the notorious sinner that he or she could be expelled as a person who was bringing scandal for the Church and confusion to the outside watching world if he or she did not repent. In theory, a community warning might encourage repentance. 

These days, the Church doesn’t create a community that is interesting or valuable or worthy enough for people to be frightened by the threat of eviction.

And if the Church cannot create winsome communities of its own believers, filled with the fruit of the Spirit, it certainly will not influence for the larger culture made up of unbelievers.

The Church is, of course, *me*. And revival of the Church begins with my repentance.

From the standpoint of the election, one side will enjoy some slightly improved “comforts.” But from the larger perspective, nothing much will change at all. The culture will still be the culture. The politics will still be the politics. The two parties will continue to churn out candidates that by and large do not share even remotely the same values or worldview, and thus cannot share the same policy prescriptions. 

Change will occur first and primarily in the life of Christians, in the Church. And then, a long time from now, the culture. And then, another very long time later, politics.

We’ve got work to do, and it has absolutely nothing to do with who gets elected today, churned out in the great machine of today's political sphere.

3) Once a presidential candidate is elected, the other half of the electorate will begin a long tough nightmare. This was the case with Obama’s election and with Trump’s election and will be the case for whomever is elected in this election.

Why?

Well — because we are divided in our values. When a policy is implemented, one side of the voting chasm will find it wonderful and a fit with their values, and the other side will find it disastrous and antithetical to their values. Each week will be a grindingly depressing week (political policy wise) for the one side, and a really great week (political policy wise) for the other.

This is reality for all of us. 

4) One mistake I think the left made during Obama’s terms was the belief that a large portion of the culture had changed its mind regarding various policy choices, values, and political philosophy over an eight year period.  

This was inaccurate and some of us knew it was inaccurate. And I think it led in part to the great shock on the left in 2016. It’s always a surprise to discover that not nearly as many people agree with you as you had thought.

Hopefully none of us on either the left or right will make that mistake again, regardless of the results. There is an immense chasm of difference in values, political worldview, and policy goals in our country. Just because one side or the other is “quiet” or passive or moving on about their lives doesn’t mean they agree with the actions of the current leaders in charge. 

They are waiting and biding their time, not being persuaded.

5) Regardless of who wins, and despite the histrionic predictions of both sides should the other side win, we will not be carried away to Babylonian captivity by Nebuchadnezzar. 

You may recall the desperate sieges of Jerusalem by Babylonian forces — sieges that led to parents consuming their children during starvation, and, once victorious, Nebuchadnezzar’s ultimately slaughtering the king’s sons in front of his and the people’s eyes, *then* punching out the king's eyes, loading him and the remaining captives with chains, and dragging them across the desert to Babylon.

Imagine, for a moment, that scene, in Jerusalem, in front of its starving inhabitants. Imagine the slaughter of the sons, dying in the dirt of the city. Imagine watching your leader’s eyes gouged out — the blood, the screams, the unmitigated horror of that scene, while Nebuchadnezzar watches.

Imagine the long march across the desert, with your king blind. Who died on the way? Who was left behind? How much did the survivors, the children and the elderly, suffer?

There’s no possible calculation of such events from the comfortable rich (we’re all rich) Americans of the 21st century. We cannot fathom the suffering. It is incomprehensible to our minds. 

None of that will happen, given the victory of Trump or Biden, though admittedly there *will* be Bad Things that happen in the minds of those on the other side.

And yet — this is what God says to the desperate, impoverished, defeated and broken remaining Israelites:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

Those are stupendously hopeful, practical words.

And you know what?

If the Jewish people in Babylon with a wicked and cruel conquering king could cling to that fruitful and life-giving philosophy in the midst of captivity in a foreign land and culture, I can do the same. No matter who wins, I intend to follow exactly that philosophy. 

I intend to be creative and productive, to work, to enjoy the outdoors, to be as fruitful in my relationships as I can be. And I intend to “seek the welfare” of the communities I live in (though not everybody will agree on the definitions of "seeking the welfare.") Dogs, creation, trail running, orienteering, exploring, friends and family, marketing and branding and publicity, gym work, writing, reading, photography, and a relationship with the blessed Trinity are all great marvels and mysteries that can require all of my attention and absorption.

6) Someday, the true King will be known by all. Every knee will bow to Him, Jesus, the prince of Peace. We won’t be Republicans or Democrats or Independents. We’ll be His (or we’ll be gone).

Trump, Biden, Hillary and Bill, Reagan, Bush, Carter and Clinton, Caesar, Nero, Xi, Kim, Boris . . . none of them are in charge.

And I’m not in charge either.

Someday every single human on earth — past, present, and future — will recognize that right well.

Jesus is Lord.

For All The Saints and Sinners

 This Sunday is All Saints Sunday, and I have always admired the Saints, in fact my High School teams were called "Saints", but I have always regarded the "institution" of Sainthood with  some degree of skepticism. As children, we were taught that a Saint was a devout Christian who lived an exemplary life. We thought that a Saint must have been as close to sinless as a human could get. Needless to say, that would severely cut down on eligible candidates for sainthood. It was fun to sing the Hymn and pray, "God help me to be one too...", but none of us were so destined. As we grew older, we learned that all the Saints were at one time or another sinners like the rest of us. We also learned that fallible humans decided who could become a Saint, and that different denominations used different criteria to decide who made the grade. 

I am not one who prays to the Saints for divine intervention. 

Still, I believe we should publicly honor the Saints and educate our children on their stories. 

Do people do that anymore?  

Have Women Given Up on Men?

 From Life Site News ,

"A shocking new private poll shared by one of the country’s leading data scientists claims that 30% of American women under 25 identify as homosexual, bisexual, or transgender."

If true, that tells me that the sexual revolution's legacy is still growing. 

First came sex.

Then came the pill.

Then came more recreational sex.

Then came legal abortion.

Then came gay liberation.

Then came approval and support of single parenthood. 

Then came internet porn.

Then came same-sex marriage.

Who needs men anyway?

I suppose that once young men were no longer needed to raise a family, and after same sex marriage was made legal, and after the entertainment industry and porn industry made lesbianism a popular fad, it was inevitable that young girls and women who enjoy the company of other females might consider entering into a more physical type of relationship with their same-sex friends.

I suspect that the vast majority of the respondents to the survey would consider themselves potentially bisexual and have not completely given up on men.

Sad, sad, sad.

Any More Questions?

 This Sunday's Gospel selection is Matthew 22:34-46 in which Jesus shows the Pharisees that they just can't win when they put the Lord to the test,

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’ He said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: ‘What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand,   until I put your enemies under your feet’ ”? If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?’ No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions. 

When I was young, I could never win a debate with my father. He was always right, and this irritated me to no end, and we children dared not dispute his lengthy sermons on whatever teaching or warning he wanted to share over dinner. This had the effect of silencing us during the family meal because if we brought up any subject, it would result in yet another sermon. As I got older, I found that I could challenge his facts when I was sure he had gotten them wrong and sometimes his assumptions, but once he got going, I still knew that it was best to keep my mouth shut.

Similarly, when we are children we usually accept the presence of God and his teachings, but when we become rebellious teenagers we often question those teachings, and we even try to argue with Him. God, however, is not like our earthly fathers. Our earthly fathers are fallible, sinful men. God on the other hand is sinless and has this nasty habit of always being right.

The fact that the world keeps fighting God's Word is proof that we are living in a fallen world.

This is another reason why we need a Savior. 

Lord forgive me when I question you.

The Pharisees should have learned their lesson in Matthew 22 that there is one person that you just shouldn't question.

I Have One Word For Old Rocker Stevie Nicks

And that word is...

Jesus!

See if you agree after reading this from The Guardian,

Women’s rights have been on Nicks’ mind since the death of her “hero”, the US supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, last month. “Abortion rights, that was really my generation’s fight. If President Trump wins this election and puts the judge he wants in, she will absolutely outlaw it and push women back into back-alley abortions.”

Nicks terminated a pregnancy in 1979, when Fleetwood Mac were at their height and she was dating the Eagles singer Don Henley. What did it mean to be able to make that choice? “If I had not had that abortion, I’m pretty sure there would have been no Fleetwood Mac. There’s just no way that I could have had a child then, working as hard as we worked constantly. And there were a lot of drugs, I was doing a lot of drugs … I would have had to walk away.” She pauses. “And I knew that the music we were going to bring to the world was going to heal so many people’s hearts and make people so happy. And I thought: you know what? That’s really important. There’s not another band in the world that has two lead women singers, two lead women writers. That was my world’s mission.”

She would have had to walk away? We would have gladly adopted her drug infused baby back then. 

Please Jesus, you know what she needs. 

Jesus' Judicial Committee Hearing

In this Sunday's reading from Matthew 22:15-22, Jesus has to fend off his questioners much like a nominee for the Supreme Court of the United States when he or she faces the Senate Judicial Committee.

Then the Pharisees went and plotted to entrap him in what he said. So they sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, ‘Teacher, we know that you are sincere, and teach the way of God in accordance with truth, and show deference to no one; for you do not regard people with partiality. Tell us, then, what you think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?’ But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, ‘Why are you putting me to the test, you hypocrites? Show me the coin used for the tax.’ And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, ‘Whose head is this, and whose title?’ They answered, ‘The emperor’s.’ Then he said to them, ‘Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ When they heard this, they were amazed; and they left him and went away.

I don't think one side of the aisle in the Judiciary Committee was amazed at our most recent Supreme Court nominee's answers, and I know they won't go away, but I sure was impressed. I remember looking out of my father's apartment down upon her  High School years ago wondering what those young girls would grow up to be never imagining this.

I am amazed. 

I wish her well. 

R. C. Priest Caught In Flagrante Delicto Filming Porn on the Church's Altar

From Big League Politics comes the revolting story,

"Father Travis Clark of the Archdiocese of New Orleans was arrested and charged with obscenity after a parishioner discovered him filming sexual acts with two women on the church altar of Sts. Peter and Paul. Court documents indicate that Clark had been utilizing a filming setup to record a pornographic film when a parishioner noticed church lights were in use, before notifying the police when observing his activities through a window."

"Mindy Dixon, 41, and Melissa Cheng, 23 were also arrested and charged under provisions of Louisiana law that criminalize sexual acts within public view."

"One of the women arrested for the act, a self-identifying satanist, had announced in a tweet that she was planning on 'defiling a house of God' the weekend before her arrest."

The Archbishop reacted swiftly, 

“'His desecration of the altar in Church was demonic. I am infuriated by his actions. When the details became clear, we had the altar removed and burned. I will consecrate a new altar tomorrow.' Archbishop Aymond promised that Clark would never again serve in Catholic ministry in any capacity. Clark has been immediately suspended from his duties, and has since posted a $25,000 bail bond from county jail."

I assume Fr. Clark's application to serve in the Episcopal organization is already on the way to 815. 

That King is Too Mean

In this Sunday's reading from Matthew 22:1-14 we hear the parable of the wedding banquet.  

Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, “Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.” But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, maltreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, “The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.” Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

 ‘But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, “Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?” And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, “Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” For many are called, but few are chosen.’

In all my years as an Episcopalian, I never heard a satisfactory expository sermon that tackled the second half of the parable in which the man without a wedding robe gets tossed out into a very bad place. An attempt to go there might mean mentioning the "H" word, and we know that place does not exist in the revisionist's vocabulary. In fact, the "H" word is not even in The Revisionist Dictionary. I checked. Help me come up with an entry.

When revisionists can't find a way to explain something, they usually simply ignore it.  

1979 BCP Thrown Under the Bus With Bishop Love

“Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed."- Richard Neuhaus 

Revisionists and progressives are jumping for joy after the Episcopal Bishop of Albany William Love was found guilty of violating the organization's canons when he forbade priests in his diocese to perform blessings of same-sex marriages. 

The decision may be found here. I present the summary opinion which basically throws the 1979 Book of Common Prayer under the bus.

The panel claims in a unanimous judgement that Bishop Love, 

" ...violated Canon IV.4.1(c) in that his November 10, 2015 Pastoral Directive violated the Discipline of the Church, as Resolution B012 was properly constituted and passed as an authorized revision to the BCP as expressly provided for in Constitution Article X (b), thus requiring that all Bishop Diocesans permit their clergy the option to utilize such rites. "

This is outrageous. A resolution becomes an "authorized revision to the BCP". The rules regarding Prayer Book revision are much stricter than that.  

TEC has further met its burden of establishing that Bishop Love’s Direction also violated the Discipline of the Church in that it violated Canon I.18. The canonical legitimacy of Resolution B012 rendered Canon I.18 mandatory, requiring adherence by Bishops Diocesan in permitting their Clergy the option to perform same-sex marriage rites.

Who needs bishops anyway? The General Convention rules now.

TEC has also met its burden of establishing that the Direction violated the Worship of the Church in that Resolution B012 added canonically-authorized same-sex marriage rites to the Worship of the Church pursuant to the BCP. Therefore, Bishop Love’s argument that abiding by Resolution B012 would put him in violation of the Discipline, Doctrine and Worship of the Church fails in each assertion. Resolution B012 effectively added rites of worship to which paragraph one of “Concerning the Service” regarding “The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage” and “The Blessing of a Civil Marriage” (“commentary to Concerning the Service”) at 422 of the BCP, describing marriage “as between a man and a woman,” does not apply.

Wow! That is classic revisionism at work. 

Second, Resolution B012 does not create a conflict between the Discipline and Doctrine of the Church where a portion of the Catechism, BCP at 861 refers to marriage in which “the man and a woman enter into a life-long union. . .”. The Rubrics to the Catechism make plain it is merely “an outline for instruction” and is “not meant to be a complete statement of belief and practice.” BCP at 844.

More classic revisionism. 

Nor can Bishop Love defend his actions under the Albany Canons where Resolution B012 was canonically authorized and TEC’s accession clause provides that diocesan canons must accede to TEC canons.

"Must accede to TEC canons" but that does not mean one must accede to General Convention resolutions!  What a kangaroo court.

Finally, Bishop Love’s defense that he cannot violate the Worship of the Church where Resolution B012 was extra-canonical, fails because Resolution B012 was properly constituted to render marriage rites as canonically authorized revisions to the BCP.

Again, to revise the BCP is a much more complicated process than simply passing a resolution of the General Convention.

Episcopalians by the hundreds of thousands have seen this kind of thing coming and have left the denomination. 

Let's hope the people of the Diocese of Albany can escape from the tyranny of the Episcopal organization and find a faithful spiritual home where they can actually believe the words they read in their Bibles and teach them to the next generation. 

 

The Lectionary: Edits to God's Word

This Sunday's reading from Exodus 20:1-4,7-9,12-20 cuts out some of the words God spoke to the Hebrews (four chapters before Moses chisels the Ten Commandments). I have included the missing words and highlighted them in red. As you read them, ask yoursef, "Why would the lectionary editors strike them out?).

"Then God spoke all these words:

2 'I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3you shall have no other gods before me.

4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

8 Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9 For six days you shall labour and do all your work.

10 But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.

12 Honour your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

13 You shall not murder.

14 You shall not commit adultery.

15 You shall not steal.

16 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.

17 You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."

18 "When all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, they were afraid and trembled and stood at a distance, 19 and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, or we will die.’ 20 Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so that you do not sin.’"

To the modern ear, the red verses certainly sound offensive and would require an in depth exposition from a knowledgeable preacher in order for pewsitters to understand God's words. 

Oh, I just realized why the lectionary editors left those verses out.

There is a dearth of preachers with those qualifications who follow the Revised Common Lectionary.

 

Chinese Government Re-writes John 8:3-11

I got a sense of déjà vu after reading this article from The Christian Post,

A communist textbook that's being used in Chinese schools falsifies the biblical account found in John 8:3–11. The textbook claims that Jesus murdered the woman who was found in adultery and said He, too, is a sinner.

The textbook, published by the government-run University of Electronic Science and Technology Press, states: “The crowd wanted to stone the woman to death as per their law. But Jesus said, ‘Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone.’ Hearing this, they slipped away one by one. When the crowd disappeared, Jesus stoned the sinner to death, saying, ‘I too am a sinner. But if the law could only be executed by men without blemish, the law would be dead.’”

Blasphemy. 

Not since the times of Hitler's Reich Bishop, has there been an attempt to re-write the Bible in order to further the ideology of a totalitarian regime, but that was not the déjà vu I was talking about.

You see, I have listened to so many revisionist priests and bishops give false interpretations that I could have sworn that one of them must be writing for the University of Electronic Science and Technology Press. 

Find the Hymn

 This Sunday's reading from Philippians 2:1-13 contains words which would later be made into a hymn.  See if you can spot them.

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

 who, though he was in the form of God,

   did not regard equality with God

   as something to be exploited,

 but emptied himself,

   taking the form of a slave,

   being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

   he humbled himself

   and became obedient to the point of death—

   even death on a cross. 

 Therefore God also highly exalted him

   and gave him the name

   that is above every name,

 so that at the name of Jesus

   every knee should bend,

   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

 and every tongue should confess

   that Jesus Christ is Lord,

   to the glory of God the Father.

Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Okay here is the hymn by Vaughn Williams, 

 

UMC Minister's BLM Liturgy

Everybody should know by now that the United Methodist Church is in the process of splitting up. One of the prime reasons has to be the differences between revisionist clergy and those that reassert the traditional interpretations of Holy Scripture. A perfect example of the former is the Rev. Michael C. Johnson.

"Rev. Michael C. Johnson is a United Methodist Elder from the Baltimore Washington Conference, serving on extension ministry as a spiritual director in Pennsylvania. He is married to Bishop Peggy A. Johnson Bishop of the Philadelphia Area of The United Methodist Church. His passion for Holy Communion is the well-spring of his many creative 'Great Thanksgiving' liturgies found on this website."

Going to that website reveals his creative liturgy for Black Lives Matter. Here it is, 

Great Thanksgiving (Black Lives Matter) by Rev. Michael C. Johnson 

The Lord be with you.

And Also with you.

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Black lives matter to You, and always have.

Black lives matter.

Black male lives matter.

Black female lives matter.

Black female trans lives matter.

Black female trafficed lives matter.

Black gay lives matter.

Black uneducated as well as educated lives matter.

Black poor as well as rich lives matter.

Black homeless lives matter.

Black Christians and non-Christians matter.

Black lives with disabilities matter.

Black immigrants and refugees matter.

Black children matter.

Black teens matter.

Their lives are sacred.

Their lives are valuable.

Their lives are precious.

Their lives are important.

Their lives are necessary.

Their lives are integral to Your magnificent beloved family.

So we join with them and all the others who are just as sacred, valuable, precious, important, necessary and integral to Your plan of salvation to sing Your praises.

We join with all the angels and archangels, the great choir of saints before Your throne, from every nation, from every culture, who speak every language, worshiping endlessly before Your throne of grace saying:

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes to the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

You are holy, and so is your presence with us in Jesus Christ.

Jesus was not white.

Jesus did not speak English.

Jesus was not a Christian.

Jesus lived as the citizen of an occupied nation.

Jesus was part of an oppressed people.

Jesus was a refugee who found protection on the Continent of Africa.

Jesus experienced mob violence.

Jesus experienced police brutality.

Jesus was lynched.

Jesus gave up his own divine privilege,

and chose to live as a slave and to live a life of service.

These acts defined his greatness,

and defines our discipleship.

Giving up his own divine privilege,

Jesus took the bread used as a call to compassion for the oppressed.

Gave thanks for it, broke it and shared it with the whole community, saying:

“Take and eat, this is my body broken and given freely for you.”

Remember how this act defined his greatness and defines our discipleship.

Giving up his own divine privilege,

Jesus took the cup used as a call to hope for Divine deliverance.

Gave thanks for it, and shared it with the whole community, saying:

“Drink from my cup, each of you;

this is my blood that I shed to testify to God’s eternal covenant,

poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Remember how this act defined his greatness and defines our discipleship.

Christ’s life mattered.

Christ’s abuse by religious authorities mattered.

Christ’s murder mattered.

Christ’s resurrection mattered.

And so do our lives, and so we choose to follow Christ

and choose to live according to this divine mystery, we now declare:

Christ has died;

Christ is risen;

Christ will come again.

Life, Meaning, Giver of Sacred Worth,

cause these gifts of bread and wine

to become for us the body and blood of Christ,

the reason our lives matter.

Life, Meaning, Giver of Sacred Worth,

cause the gift of our lives

to become for our neighbors, Your church,

the living presence and beloved bride of Christ,

a reason for their lives matter.

Life, Meaning, Giver of Sacred Worth,

touch the lives of any who feel that their lives don’t matter;

who feel they are not valued,

who are treated with disrespect

and fear that their precious lives will be thrown away.

Change us, so others might have hope.

Change us, so other might be valued.

Change us, so that no one will have to stand before their oppressors alone.

Change us, so Christ’s life will matter.

Change us, so the Holy Spirit’s life will matter.

Change us, so our Creator’s life will matter,

and that we might more fully give Them the honor, glory, and praise, due Their holy name, today, tomorrow, and always.

Amen.

Now as those who recognize the value of the oppressed and abused, let us pray with Christ who walks this path with them and us.

Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against him.

And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

(Prayer after Communion)

Thank you for sharing with us this holy mystery found in Jesus Christ.  It has changed us: the way we think, the way we feel, what we understand, how we desire to live, and the value we see in the lives of others whom we have harmed through our sin of racism.  Now send us out to demand that others be treated with the value they hold within Your heart.  May Your love become more visible in us, that we not bring shame upon the name of Jesus, now or ever.  Amen.

While I believe that all lives matter,  I would run from any minister who used this "liturgy" in church.

When I read words like, 

"Life, Meaning, Giver of Sacred Worth,

cause these gifts of bread and wine

to become for us the body and blood of Christ,

the reason our lives matter."

I want to run. 

His wife the Bishop should correct him. Isn't that what bishops are supposed to do?

Is This Any Way To Run a Business?

 In this Sunday's reading from Matthew 20:1-16 tells the parable of the generous landowner,

‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the market-place; and he said to them, “You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.” So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why are you standing here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You also go into the vineyard.” When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, “Call the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.” When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.” But he replied to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?” So the last will be first, and the first will be last.’

 "But real landowners would never do that!", you say.

Exactly!

California Approves of Non-consensual Anal or Oral Sex With Minors (if you are LGBT)

 This is sick folks. In California, a 24 year old man or woman or transexual or other can seduce a 14 year old boy or girl into a sexual act and get away with it if a judge so rules.

I first heard about this from The Blaze, 

"The California General Assembly — comprised of a Democratic supermajority — has advanced legislation that could ease the criminal punishment for LGBT adults who have sex with underage teenagers.

The bill — SB 145 — was introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D), an openly gay man, and seeks to prevent gay adults who sodomize or perform oral sex with underage teenagers from being automatically assigned to California's sex offender registry.

The bill was then signed into law by Gavin Newsom the Governor of California (Christian Post),

"Under the new standard, individuals who are no more than 10 years older than a minor, with the minor not being younger than 14, would not automatically be added to the registry, though they would still be guilty of a crime. LGBT advocates argued that the old policy discriminated against homosexual men. Now, on a case-by-case basis, the change allows judges to apply the same discretion when it involves voluntary oral or anal sex, according to ABC7-Los Angeles."

I seem to recall that God's wrath tends to come down on great cities where this kind of thing goes on.  

 

Seventy times or seventy times seven?

 In this Sunday's reading from Matthew 18:21-35 as Jesus teaches us about forgiveness, I heard something different in verse 22 than what I had learned as a child,

21 Then Peter came and said to him, ‘Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?’ 22 Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven* times.

23 ‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” 29 Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’ NRSV

Bible Hub presents the ways other translations have interpreted Matthew 18:22, and most commonly it comes across as the familiar (to me) "seventy times seven" rather than "seventy seven" times.

The Greek seems to favor the former over the latter.

ἑβδομηκοντάκις (hebdomēkontakis)

Adverb

Strong's Greek 1441: Seventy times. Multiple adverb from hebdomekonta; seventy times.

ἑπτά (hepta)

Adjective - Genitive Neuter Plural

Strong's Greek 2033: Seven. A primary number; seven.

I think Jesus would in practice favor the higher number, 490, but 77 seems more like a number that a first century Jew would consider symbolic. 

In the commentaries quoted at Bible Hub we get this, 

"Seventy times seven. No specific number, but practically unlimited. There is no measure to forgiveness; it must be practised whenever occasion arises. Some translate, 'seventy-seven times,' making an allusion to the retribution exacted from Lamech: 'If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold' (Genesis 4:24). Christian forgiveness must be extended as far as old-world vengeance. Mercy rejoices against judgment. But the genius of the language supports the rendering of the Authorized Version. St. Paul has caught the spirit of his Master when he writes, "Forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32). In the Mosaic dispensation there was some foreshadowing of the doctrine of forgiveness in the enactments which enjoined tender treatment of debtors, and in the terms of the jubilee law; but there were no rules concerning the pardon of personal injuries; the tendency of many prominent injunctions was to encourage retaliation. Herein is seen an important distinction between the Law and the gospel, the institutions antecedent to the death and atonement of Christ, and those subsequent thereto."

Matthew 18:22 Commentaries

I don't remember anyone asking me for forgiveness more than a couple of times, probably because I avoided them after that, so the number 77 is probably adequate. Anyway, we live in the Blame Age in which people don't ask for forgiveness much. 

Amazon: Cancelling Useful Medical Data on the Dangers of Homosexual Activity

From LifeSite News comes the story about Amazon banning a book on the health hazards of active gay lifestyle.

August 24, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Amazon banned a 600-page book on the danger of homosexuality for being “offensive” after selling copies for more than three years.

MassResistance, the pro-family activist organization responsible for the creation of The Health Hazards of Homosexuality, wrote that “Amazon has suddenly notified us that it has banned it from being printed or sold on its site. Amazon is also refusing to allow us to print any more copies for our own use and has even blocked us from accessing our account records.”

The book was not printed and published independently, but through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing platform, which allows users to cheaply publish e-books and paperbacks, while having access to Amazon’s unparalleled marketplace.

According to MassResistance, “In 2017, we worked with the Amazon staff that helped independent publishers … For over three years they unquestionably knew what the book was about and what it contained. They had no problem with its content – until a month ago.”

“On July 17, we were notified that they have determined that the book violates their ‘content guidelines’ and they have thus taken it down completely,” the article explained. “They closed our account and will not allow us to open another account.”

I hope they come out with a new edition and self-publish it.

Maybe we should cancel Amazon as well.

 

Three Ways to Deal With SIn

This Sunday's readings present the preacher three ways to deal with sin. I wonder how many will avoid the subject altogether. 

First we have Ezekiel 33:7-11 in which God says, "Fess up and turn back from sin",

So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked ones, you shall surely die’, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but their blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from their ways, and they do not turn from their ways, the wicked shall die in their iniquity, but you will have saved your life.
Now you, mortal, say to the house of Israel, Thus you have said: ‘Our transgressions and our sins weigh upon us, and we waste away because of them; how then can we live?’ Say to them, As I live, says the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from their ways and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel?

Then we have Romans 13:8-14 in which Paul tells us to give up our evil ways and wear the armor of Christ,

Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day, not in revelling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Lastly, Jesus in Matthew 18: 15-20 gives us a strategy on how to point out the sin of a fellow Christian so that they might be restored to the Church, 

‘If another member of the church sins, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax-collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.’

I am willing to bet that the last sentence of the passage from Matthew will be the basis of most sermons given by revisionist preachers as their small congregations check in on their virtual services.  

Its The 33rd of August Lord

Here in South Carolina, it has been a long, hot and humid August, and we are ready to be through with it. But, it could be worse, as the late Mickey Newbury sang all those years ago,



For those of you at work who can't listen, here are the lyrics,

"Lord today there's no salvation
The bands packed up and gone
Left me standing with my pennies in my hand
There's a big crowd at the station where the blind man sings his songs
But he can see what they can't understand

Its the thirty-third of August, and I'm finally touchin' down
Eight days from Sunday finds me Saturday bound

Once I stumbled through the darkness, tumbled to my knees
A thousand voices screamin' through my brain
Woke up in a squad car busted down for vagrancy
Outside my cell as sure as hell it looked like rain

Its the thirty-third of August, and I'm finally touchin' down
Eight days from Sunday Lord I'm Saturday bound 

But now I put my dangerous feelings under lock and chain
 Killed my violent nature with a smile
Though the demons danced and sing their songs within my fevered brain
Not all my God-like thoughts Lord are defiled

Its the thirty-third of August, and I'm finally touchin' down
Eight days from Sunday find me Saturday bound"

If you want to play it on your guitar and sing along, here is a page with the chords.

"Take up their cross"

In this reading from Matthew 16:21-28 Jesus states that his followers must "take up their cross" in order to follow him. Since he had not yet been condemned to crucifixion, I have to wonder if he told his disciples details about how he would be killed.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?
‘For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done. Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’

Just wondering. 

Euthanasia: “With every limit we set ourselves, there is the possibility to cross it."

The quotation in the title to this post comes from the Netherlands top euthanasia doctor. I think it is applicable to any number of progressive ideologies, and it gives you a good idea of how they worm their way into the mainstream of modern culture. It should also give you an indication of the limitless nature of such ideologies.

From Mercator comes the witness of Dr. Keizer who runs an euthanasia clinic in the Netherlands where, 

"...one out of 25 people are killed by doctors in the Netherlands. And those are just the official figures."

Per Dr Keizer,

“With every limit we set ourselves, there is the possibility to cross it. This also applies in the peripheral areas of ethical conduct. Abortion was once not allowed, then hardly, then until 12 weeks and now even up to 20 weeks. That ‘even’ says it all. Something similar is now underway in the field of human embryo research, where we are starting to leave the ‘never’ stage.”

Well, the abortion limit of 20 weeks has certainly been crossed in the minds of many of our politicians who reject any limits on abortion.

“And so it was with euthanasia. Every time a line was drawn, it was also pushed back. We started with the terminally ill, but also among the chronically ill it turned out to be hopeless and unbearable suffering. Subsequently, people with incipient dementia, psychiatric patients, people with advanced dementia, (high) elderly who struggled with an accumulation of old-age complaints and finally (high) elderly who, although not suffering from a disabling or limiting disease, still find that their life no longer has content. The unfortunate term ‘completed life’ was used for the problem of the latter group.”

Remind your physician to not tell his/her depressed patients to take a trip to the Netherlands to see the tulips or they'll be pushing up the daisies..

“In retrospect, it is true that we now provide euthanasia to people to whom we had said, a little indignantly, 20 years ago, ‘Come on, that is really impossible’. And looking ahead, there is no reason to believe that this process will stop in case of incapacitated dementia. What about the prisoner who has a life sentence and desperately longs for death? Or doubly disabled children who, although institutionalized, suffer unbearably and hopelessly according to their parents as a result of self-harm? I don’t believe we are on a slippery slope, in the sense of heading for disaster. Rather, it is a shift that is not catastrophic, but it does require that we continue to get involved as a community.”

To Dr. Keizer, the faster one rides the slippery slope, the better.

The road to Hell has no speed limits.