God's Promises to You

This Sunday's reading from Matthew 5:1-12 has always been one of my favorites,

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

 ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

 ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

 ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

 ‘Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

 ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

 ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

People have written volumes about the "Sermon on the Mount", but for me the words stand on their own.

Enjoy God's promises.

 

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber won't let them change the pronouns, but he is okay with a non-binary Jesus

I remember when the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar" first made the scene. I was attending an Episcopal school which had a couple of liberal priests on staff who made some of us uncomfortable. One assignment was to study the music and lyrics from "Jesus Christ Superstar" and discuss our opinions. I found both good and bad songs, and most of us realized that it left out the most important event: the Resurrection.

I am afraid that the musical is now being cast with a non-binary Jesus, non-male apostles, and God knows how that will show up on stage. All with the blessing of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber with one caveat about the pronouns.

From The Times UK,

 Jesus Christ Superstar has been prompting controversy and filling theatres since it was written by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sir Tim Rice more than half a century ago.

Now students from the Edinburgh University Savoy Opera Group will launch the world’s first gender-neutral production of the rock opera today.

In the adaptation, which has been approved and licensed by Lloyd Webber, Roza Stevenson — who uses the pronouns they/them — will play Jesus, while the 12 apostles will be portrayed by female or non-binary performers.

Lew Forman, the creative producer, said the production had adopted “gender-blind casting” to reinvent the story of Jesus’s final days for a modern audience. “Jesus is remembered as being a man, but who are we to decide?” he said. “None of us were around 2,000 years ago. It’s the same story and songs but the audience will view it from a different perspective.”

Lloyd Webber Licensing granted permission for the production but insisted that the lyrics and pronouns must not be changed. It means that Mary Magdalene, played by Sofia Pricolo, will sing I Don’t Know How to Love Him, about Jesus, rather than I Don’t Know How to Love Them.

I am surprised that Sir Andrew has not been decried as a "H8ter", doxed, shadow banned, chased out of restaurants, or had protestors outside his window all night long shouting "Change the pronouns, change the pronouns!".

How dare he not let non-binary Jesus use his/her/their preferred pronouns! 

King Charles should take away Webber's title.

Following His Footsteps

This Sunday's reading from Matthew 4:12-23 takes me back once again to our tour of the Holy Land.

Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,

 

so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:
 ‘Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,
   on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—
 the people who sat in darkness
   have seen a great light,
and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death
   light has dawned.’
From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’
 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter,

Ruins of Peter's House

 

and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And he said to them, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.’ Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat

2000 year old boat discovered in the lake

 

and their father, and followed him. Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

 

Coffee Hour vs Sunday Brunch

 I remember when the time after Sunday worship was a simple coffee hour. There were no snacks, just coffee in the parish hall for the adults and play time outside or in a classroom for the children. This was in my church in a distant time and place. 

Then somebody started bringing donuts.

Then it was a cheese puffs.

Then it became cookies, and little sandwiches.

Then it included a fruit or veggie tray.

And finally the aroma of breakfast casseroles, mini meatballs, or other temptations started wafting into the sanctuary about the time people were walking up to receive their communion wafer and sip (now intinction) of wine.

This past week it was chili and cornbread.

Yes, these days we find ourselves having a nice brunch on most Sundays depending on who is signed up for "coffee hour".

I don't mind, but it does create a certain level of competition between the cooks. 

When it is our turn, Pewsterspouse and I sometimes have a "debate" over what to prepare, we review what foods usually go uneaten, and on occasion we talk about what others have served. 

I sense the competitiveness when we are planning.

Of course if nobody signs up we get... 

Coffee!

Behold!

This Sunday's reading from John 1:29-42 reminded me of a short selection from Handel's "Messiah" that you should listen to while reading John 1.

 

The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

 

The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed). He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).

Sometimes people who do not listen to classical music complain that Handel is unnecessarily repetitive. In this case, the composer's method reinforces the absolute importance of John the Baptist's proclamation that Jesus is the sacrificial lamb, The Lamb of God. 

If only people today would listen.

 

Please appeal this ruling

This report from The Christian Post is disturbing,

 "A federal court ruled the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center broke the law by refusing to remove the uterus of a trans-identified patient due to the religious beliefs of the Institution, which is committed to Catholic principles while also being part of the public medical system.

U.S. District Court Judge Deborah K. Chasanow ruled Friday that the hospital violated the Affordable Care Act and discriminated against plaintiff Jesse Hammons, a biological female diagnosed with gender dysphoria, by refusing to conduct a planned hysterectomy (removal of the womb) because it doesn't conduct those procedures to address gender dysphoria. 

The ruling acknowledged that St. Joseph's policy is guided by the National Catholic Bioethics Center's interpretation of Ethical and Religious Directives, which prohibits such procedures because they do not 'conform to the true good of the human person, who is a body-soul union unalterably created male or female.'

Chasanow, a Clinton appointee, issued a summary judgment stating that the facility may not assert a defense based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act because it receives federal funds."

 Courts should not punish the hospital. The doctor willing to perform a hysterectomy on a physically healthy woman is the one who needs to be punished. He/she should lose his/her license.

Twice Baptized?

This Sunday's reading from Matthew 3:13-17 takes me back to our recent trip to the Jordan river.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

We visited a site on the Jordan river where there is easy access for baptisms. Gowns, towels and a changing room are available for people wanting to be baptized. We had two Baptist pastors in our group who dunked the large number who wanted to be submerged (see the picture below).

All these people had been baptized before they left the United States, and they all seemed like good Christian folks, but perhaps they hadn't been instructed in Baptismal theology.

And most likely they had not been baptized by a priest in apostolic succession.

Pewsterspouse and I repeat every Sunday that we believe in one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins, so we sat this one out. A sweet Roman Catholic couple bonded with us and also stayed dry.

That's Not Entertainment

People are not buying the main stream media's current direction as reported at the Christian Post, 

In 2022, “woke” didn’t work for some of Hollywood’s biggest studios.

The Walt Disney Company, Netflix, Comcast and other media giants lost more than a half-trillion dollars in market value last year, according to a report from the Financial Times.

In fact, the market value for the Dow Jones Media Titans (DJMT) index, a barometer of the financial health of 30 of the biggest media companies in the world, plunged from $1.35 trillion to $808 billion, a decline of about 40%.

As part of what one analyst called a “perfect storm of bad news,” shares of Disney sunk by about 45% — its steepest drop in nearly 50 years — after the studio’s Avatar sequel underperformed at the box office.

Disney and others have been trying to promote and cash in on the modern day craze of gender  uncertainty for many years. It looks like they are going to have to rethink things if they hope to make money from today's entertainment consumers.

I resolve to simply keep watching classic films (especially the old black and white ones), and I will not be paying for the trash Disney et al are pushing.