Be Prepared

 In this Sunday's lesson from Matthew 25:1-13, we learn the value of being prepared for Christ's return.

‘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.

Are you prepared? 

Oh Canada! Offering MAiD to veterans with PTSD

On this our U.S. Veterans Day, I bring this horrible story about how Canadian war veterans are being encouraged to be killed by their own health care system when suffering from war injuries.

from the Daily Mail, 

It was two days before Christmas when David Baltzer, a physically healthy man in his 30s, was offered medically assisted death by a Veterans Affairs Canada caseworker.

A former soldier who had served two tours in Afghanistan, Baltzer had been receiving psychological treatment for PTSD and suicidal thoughts.

He relied on veterans' benefits to survive after struggling to reintegrate into civilian life, so he was shocked when he received a letter informing him that his benefits had been cut. 

Upset and looking for answers, he called Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC).

But rather than receiving the help he was seeking, Baltzer claims the caseworker instructed him to end the call and provided him with a different number to contact.

During that subsequent conversation, he says the caseworker reviewed his file and suggested he consider another option.

'He looked at my file and said, "I can see the therapy you've done. It doesn't seem like much has helped. I'd like you to keep an open mind and think about this."'

'"Have you ever given any thought to medical assistance in dying?"'

Baltzer is among several Canadian veterans who have told the Daily Mail they were offered euthanasia in connection with their mental health struggles and disabilities.

Some said they felt 'disposable' and 'abandoned' by the country they served for years, as one claimed a nurse had 'bragged' to him about how many people they had euthanised.

Another said it is easier to access legal marijuana than medical equipment, as they argue Canada is washing its hands of its servicemen.

The Daily Mail also spoke to Catherine Christensen, a lawyer representing several veterans who were offered medical assistance in dying (MAID) and is working on a proposed class-action lawsuit against the Canadian government.

'You've got physically healthy young men asking for help, and the help offered is death,' she said.

For Baltzer, the call came at a particularly vulnerable point. He was already struggling to adjust to civilian life, had been experiencing difficulties in his relationship and had been assigned several different therapists through Veterans Affairs.

Speaking to the Daily Mail from his home in Manitoba, he said: 'To me, [the suggestion of MAID] was a confirmation of, 'Oh, my life is worthless'.' 

He says the 2019 conversation became a turning point, sending him into a downward spiral.

'The last six years have been a gong show. I went off the rails pretty hard. I ruined a lot of stuff in my life. I just burned it all to the ground.'

The suggestion that his life was no longer worth living profoundly affected his sense of self-worth.

'[After the call] I started questioning my value. I had a really bad attitude and was engaging in anti-social behaviour. Not even thinking about consequences, but thinking about things in the moment and just doing them.'

His actions became increasingly destructive and he began abusing alcohol and other substances. 

Eventually, as part of an appeal to have his veterans' benefits reinstated, Baltzer raised the issue of the MAID suggestion with a pension advocate, but says nothing came of it.

'I said, "You didn't help me at all, and in fact, you offered me medically-assisted suicide." And it just went blank. No one said anything. It just got swept under the rug.'

The experience left him feeling betrayed by an institution he had once been proud to be a part of.

'I was a stand-up, moral, law-abiding citizen and prided myself on that for a very long time. And then I realised all I'm doing is fighting the system constantly after I honourably served them.'

Reflecting on his time in Afghanistan, Baltzer described the horrors of combat and the difficulty of returning to ordinary life after years spent in a violent environment where death was an ever-present possibility.

'You'd see the vehicle in front of you get blown up, see how much of the road it took out, and then you're picking up body parts off the ground. Or mush, or whatever was left.'

'Being in for as long as I was, you kind of forget who you were before. You forget the things that you enjoyed.

Although Baltzer remains proud of his military achievements, he says the way he was treated by Canada has left him with a bad taste in his mouth.

'After everything that's been done, if I could go back in time, I wouldn't have served Canada,' he said. 

And Baltzer is not the only veteran who regrets dedicating his life to Canada's Armed Forces.

Tony Jenkins, 52, from Nova Scotia, served in the military on and off for almost two-and-a-half decades as a weapons technician, and was offered MAID twice.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said serving his country was 'the worst decision of my life'. 

In 2015, Jenkins suffered a devastating brain injury after being struck on the head by an antenna attached to an armoured vehicle. 

In the years that followed, he developed chronic migraines, slurred speech and severe nerve damage, which left him with debilitating pain in his arms and shoulders.

He says the military repeatedly dismissed his condition, with one superior telling him he was 'full of s***' when he raised concerns about his brain injury.

Around two years after the accident, he visited a military doctor in distress after losing feeling in his arms. But rather than addressing his physical symptoms, he says she immediately asked whether he was suicidal.

'I was shocked. I'm like, no, I've never been suicidal. She kept saying, you know, "Are you sure? Are you sure you're not suicidal?" She's like, "Well, if you are, I can help you".'

Jenkins explained that he was already seeing a psychologist, but says the doctor repeated the question and offer. He came to understand that she was implying she could help him access medically assisted dying.

Jenkins left the military in January 2022. At the time, he was taking prescription medication to control his migraines, but after leaving the Armed Forces, he discovered that his repeat prescription had been sent to a pharmacy in another town.

Unable to access his medication, he was left suffering a debilitating migraine that lasted nine days.

'I was sitting on a toilet with a bucket between my legs for nine days. When I wasn't doing that, I was lying on the floor in the basement because I just needed something cold and dark,' he said, 'I lost 14 pounds in nine days from being sick.'

He tried unsuccessfully to obtain a replacement supply of medication from a nearby walk-in clinic and another hospital. Eventually, he called 811, Nova Scotia's health advice line, to speak to a nurse. 

Desperate and in excruciating pain, Jenkins asked about MAID. He says he was promptly transferred to another line, where a second nurse immediately discussed arranging an appointment, without first exploring other options for treating his condition.

'She said, "When you're ready, you call this number again, and we just book the slot, and that's it".'

'It was two phone calls, and then you could book a death appointment,' he said, 'It was as easy as ordering a pizza.'

Jenkins claimed he was told the procedure could be arranged within days, and said the nurse bragged about having carried out more than 400 such procedures.

'She was very nonchalant, as if she was discussing a dentist appointment,' he said. 

After speaking to his wife, Jenkins decided that MAID was not the route he wanted to take. 

And as the immediate distress subsided, he says he began to realise just how shocking it was that assisted dying had been presented to him as an option.

'When I realized it was so easy, literally two phone calls, and you could be killed the next day, I thought to myself, this isn't right,' he said. 

What made the experience even more disturbing was when he went to the local pharmacy the following day with his empty box of medication to see if they could help. The pharmacist immediately agreed to refill his prescription.

'It was as simple as that. If they just would have told me, "Take your empty box of medication and go to the pharmacy and get a refill." That's all they had to say. But nobody offered that to me. Nobody.'

Both Baltzer and Jenkins have said they want to leave Canada for good now.

'We're not worth anything to these people,' Jenkins said. 'I often say that I wasted my life serving my country, because they always say you're one big family. You're one big family until something happens to you.'

Catherine Christensen is a lawyer based in Alberta who has represented many veteran clients over the years. 

Although the veterans cited in this piece have agreed to have their names made public, she tells me there are many more out there who have been offered MAID but are afraid to speak out.

'They fear that if they dare complain, their Veterans Affairs benefits will be cut off. Or, at the very least, cut off long enough for it to hurt, and then all of a sudden they'll be reinstated.'

Christensen is currently representing several men who are suing the Canadian government for offering them MAID.  

One of these men is Corben McGown. The veteran is 26 now, but was offered euthanasia at just 22 years of age.

Speaking to the Daily Mail from Newbrunswick, he recounted: 'I was going through a pretty bad period mentally. I just wasn't doing well at the time, and I reached out to Veterans Affairs Canada [VAC] for help. I needed some support. I really didn't know what I was doing.'

McGown was at the time struggling with PTSD, depression, anxiety and had attempted to take his life several times. 

VAC had given him therapy, but the young man said he found the process dehumanising and difficult.

'Some therapists made me feel as though I was just a paycheck to them. Others couldn't even remember our previous sessions. It didn't feel like I mattered to them.'

He had been in therapy for a year and a half before he was abruptly offered MAID.

During a phone call with a caseworker, in which McGown was speaking about his mental health struggles, one of the first options he says he was given was euthanasia.

'It was brought up almost as though I qualified for it. They knew about my situation at the time because I had been quite open about my suicidal thoughts.

'When she brought it up, it was essentially presented as: "You qualify for it".'

McGown, who was accompanied by his wife during the phone call, said he turned to her in shock after hearing the offer. 

'I was stunned. It was a lot to take in. I was looking for help – not to die,' he said.

A few years later, McGown suffered another devastating loss when his father, also a military veteran, died by suicide.

In the aftermath, he began reflecting on his own experiences with Veterans Affairs, including the inadequate mental health support he had received and the shock of being offered MAID.

It was around this time that he met Catherine Christensen of Valour Law, who agreed to represent him. His case has since made its way through the courts.

In an amended statement of claim, seen by the Daily Mail and filed with the Federal Court, McGown alleges that, rather than offering him appropriate mental health treatment and support, a Veterans Affairs representative presented MAID as the preferred option for his psychological difficulties.

He claims the incident caused severe emotional distress, mental anguish and what he describes as moral injury, further worsening his mental health and leaving him unable to work.

However, the Canadian government has denied that MAID was ever discussed with McGown, maintaining that the phone call in question concerned his benefits and potential mental health treatment. 

It also says it has no records of any call corresponding to his allegations.

Christensen, who has represented numerous veterans over the years, says the apparent disappearance of records is a chronic problem within Veterans Affairs and the Canadian Armed Forces.

'When we ask for records, there are gaps. It's a very common thing,' she said.

'With Corben's call, they said it never happened. So we produced his phone records as evidence, because he had called them.'

McGown is now in full-time therapy with a psychologist of his choosing, and says his mental health has improved.

'[The therapist] remembers every session, and he treats me like a person. It's definitely a lot better than what they (VAC) offered me.'

His message to other veterans struggling with their mental health is: 'It does get better. There are a lot of better options than MAID.'

Christine Gauthier, a former Paralympian and veteran from Quebec, was offered MAID when she requested a wheelchair lift for her flat.

Gauthier became disabled after suffering an injury during military training in 1998, but went on to serve for over a decade as an artilleryman, with deployments to Israel and Cyprus.

Over the past three decades, her condition has deteriorated to the point that she is now wheelchair-bound and relies on government benefits and medical equipment to maintain her mobility. 

Speaking to me from her home in Montreal, she said it took five years of petitioning to get a wheelchair lift installed in her home.

'Throughout those five years, the Veterans Affairs agent supposedly handling my case would call every few months and tell me things were about to be sorted out. 

'Each time, I hoped that this would finally be the call when something happened. 

'In the meantime, I had to crawl up and down eight steps, holding and dragging my wheelchair behind me, just to get into my house.

'Then, one day, during one of those calls, I told him: "I really can't keep going on like this. This is ridiculous. I keep injuring myself. I just can't take it anymore".'

'And [the caseworker] blurted out: "Well, if you really feel you can't keep going on like this and you can't take it anymore, you know you have the right to die".'

Gauthier says the caseworker went on to explain that she had the right to medical assistance in dying because it had recently become available.

'I was shocked. I said, "I can't believe you're telling me I have the right to die, but you're not going to give me the equipment I need to live".'

Gauthier says the incident was the final straw after decades of what she describes as inadequate care from Veterans Affairs.

She says she has repeatedly had to fight for basic necessities, including incontinence pads, while being offered unlimited medical marijuana – which she believes was intended to keep her complacent.

'They called me to tell me I had reached the limit of the diapers I needed in a month. I mean, how low can you make someone feel as a human being?'

She says she has also had to fight five separate times to retain her medical insurance. 

On one occasion, a caseworker reportedly told her she should 'consider herself lucky' to have had coverage for so long.

'Lucky? I should consider myself lucky to be crippled and unable to get coverage anywhere else?' she said.

'They either want you gone and dead, or quiet like a plant. They don't want you to disturb anyone, be conscious or be able to respond and fight back,' she said.

'Sometimes I wonder whether the system has been designed this way because so many people eventually give up.'      

Gauthier says that when she mentioned the phone call offering her MAID to staff at her local hospital, they urged her to report it formally.

She subsequently wrote to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who she says sent a generic response explaining that he could not intervene because the matter fell outside his remit.

Veterans Affairs Canada later reviewed her case but said it could find no evidence to corroborate her account, finding no reference to MAID in her file. 

In 2023, following an internal investigation into allegations that Veterans Affairs Canada employees had inappropriately raised MAID with veterans, the department confirmed four incidents involving a single caseworker. 

VAC concluded that the incidents were isolated and found no evidence of a broader systemic problem. 

The employee was discharged from the department, and VAC issued instructions to frontline staff making clear that they must not provide advice or suggestions about MAID.

But Christensen says the problem persists, and she is currently representing one veteran who has allegedly been offered MAID as recently as the spring of this year. 

'The issue with MAID being offered to veterans is that veterans are an extremely vulnerable group,' she says.

Are governments doing enough to support veterans?

Yes, very much

Yes, but more could be done

No, not at all

'They're trained for the mission, and then themselves. When they're struggling, they think about their family and their mission to take care of their family.

'You plant that idea in a veteran's head, and all of a sudden they're thinking that sacrificing themselves is for the betterment of their family.'  

In a statement to the Daily Mail, VAC said MAiD is not a service it provides and that employees have 'no role or mandate to recommend or raise it'. It added that staff are explicitly instructed not to raise or recommend MAID 'under any circumstances'.

The department said concerns first came to light in August 2022, prompting an investigation which reviewed more than 402,000 client files dating back to 2016. 

It said this uncovered four cases of inappropriate MAiD discussions, all involving the same employee, who is no longer with the department. 

VAC maintained that the findings showed the incidents were 'not a systemic issue, but an isolated case'. It said it had since introduced mandatory staff training and additional safeguards, adding that there had been no further reports of inappropriate discussions.

Oh Canada! Killing Nanas

In Canada, the elderly are being offered up for sacrifice through the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) law. Some of these cases are horrific examples of where such laws can lead to. This first one  from The Daily Mail might even qualify as murder,

Two days before her Christian grandmother’s assisted dying procedure in Ontario, Canada, Brigitte Kranendonk sat her down to make sure she knew exactly what was going to happen.

‘I used very frank terms. I said: “Do you know that you’re going to die on Friday?”'

The 83-year-old was in visible disbelief and began crying for 45 minutes. ‘I’ve made a mistake,’ Brigitte Stegemann, known affectionately to her family as ‘GG’ or ‘Oma’, wailed.

‘She was bawling. Inconsolable,’ Kranendonk, a real estate agent who shares the same first name with her late grandmother, tells the Daily Mail.

In a cognitive test, designed to ascertain whether she was sound of mind enough to consent to Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), Stegemann ‘got every question wrong’, believing her two living siblings to be dead, according to Kranendonk.

Yet 48 hours after she wept uncontrollably at the notion of MAiD, Stegemann is said to have died with her hands clasped in prayer, covered in her own blood due to a botched first attempt at connecting the IV, administered by a nurse allegedly not wearing gloves.

Kranendonk is currently in the process of desperately appealing to the Chief Coroner’s Office in Ontario, as well as the Patient Ombudsman and Belleville Police, in a bid to ascertain whether what happened the morning of July 10 at The Pearl care home in Cannifton was legal.

Bereaved and distraught, she claims MAiD practitioners took advantage of her grandmother’s vulnerability to perform the procedure, which she alleges was carried out without express consent.

 In another case from The Christian Post, we get a happier outcome from a MAiD near miss, 

A woman in her 70s who felt she no longer offered value to her family because she lost her cooking ability was reportedly approved for euthanasia in Canada, prompting doctors in Toronto to raise the alarm at the ease with which Canadians can undergo physician-assisted suicide...

"She sought and received approval for assisted dying after she lost the ability to cook. She felt she had lost her value to her family. Through counseling, she came to understand that her family valued who she was, not what she did for them. She decided not to go through with ending her life, at least for now. That Christmas, her family gathered and she sat proudly at the table, while others did the cooking and serving," they wrote. 

Why is Canada so hell bent on Nanas? Could it be that the winters are too long? Or is it that the health care system is using this to save money? Or maybe it is because they have no faith in God?

It is probably a combination of the three.

Heaven help us.

Room to grow

 This Sunday's reading from 1 John 3:1-3 reminds us that while we are children of God, we still have room to grow.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

What we will grow into has not yet been revealed. 

Where praying silently is a crime

This from Premier Christian News, 

A Christian woman who was originally charged last year with silently praying outside an abortion clinic in Birmingham is now facing five charges after prosecutors brought fresh allegations against her.

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce is accused of breaching an abortion clinic buffer zone on five separate occasions by standing and praying silently within 150 metres of the clinic.

The five charges were brought this week, replacing an earlier single charge which a judge said was not properly drafted.

Vaughan-Spruce has pleaded not guilty. She does not dispute that she was within the 150m buffer zone, but her lawyers argue that silently praying and being present did not amount to a criminal offence and that her prosecution breaches her freedom of thought and religion.

Vaughan-Spruce was previously acquitted in a separate case after being arrested twice over silent prayer, and received a £13,000 settlement from West Midlands Police.

The charity volunteer was the first person to be charged under national buffer zone legislation, which came into force in October 2024 and prohibits “influencing any person’s decision to access, provide or facilitate the provision of abortion services” within 150m of abortion facilities.

Responding to the new charges brought against her, she said: “Standing silently and holding certain beliefs in a public space should never be a crime. Yet, despite being vindicated of wrongdoing on multiple occasions and receiving a financial settlement after two wrongful arrests, I was once again charged last year for my mere presence within a “buffer zone”, and have today received fresh charges.

"I am deeply troubled by this violation of the basic right to my own thoughts and to my deeply-held Christian pro-life convictions. I pray that common sense and freedom will prevail, so that no one else has to face criminal treatment for what they believe.“

Her trial is expected to take place next January.

Her trial is expected to take place next January.

Don't ask any more questions!

This Sunday's reading is from Matthew 22:34-46,

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 neighbour 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.

Jesus quotes directly from Psalm 110 verse 1. Three verses later in that psalm we get, 

"The Lord hat sworn and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek."

I have always thought that Jewish scholars of Jesus' day had long speculated about Melchizedek and his brief appearance. Today we see him through the lens of the letter to the Hebrews in our Bibles. 

Jesus is telling us that it is he who sits at the right hand of God. 

The connection to Jesus becomes apparent now but would have been totally obscure to the Pharisees. 

 

I hope I don't receive any "Winter Cards" before Christmas

From the Telegraph, 

A primary school in Scotland has dropped the phrase “Christmas cards” in an attempt to be more inclusive.

Teachers at Kaimhill School in Aberdeen said they would instead be referred to as “winter cards”  to show “value and respect” towards different cultures, beliefs and traditions.

The email, first reported by The Press and Journal, said: “To reflect this inclusivity in our communications, we refer to seasonal cards as “winter cards” rather than “Christmas cards”.

“This terminology helps ensure that our language is welcoming and inclusive of all members of our school community.

“Of course, families are free to refer to these cards as Christmas cards if they wish.”

The emperor is not a god

This Sunday's reading from Matthew 22:15-22 always seems to come out around the time when churches are working on next year's budgets and want the pewsitters to reach into their pockets. Churches call it "stewardship" but it is really about money.

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.

The Pharisees had to be upset that they could not trap Jesus, but just think what the Romans would think when they found out that Jesus did not consider the emperor to be a god.

Oh, and by the way, it is ok to give your George Washingtons, Hamiltons, Franklins, or stocks and bonds to your church to keep the lights on as long as ya'll are working to spread the Gospel of Jesus. 

An Answer Too Far

The teacher in this case from the U.K. needs our prayers as a preliminary hearing is being held in 2 days.

From Premier Christian News,

 A Christian teacher is taking legal action against a school in Sunderland after being sacked for telling students she is pro-life.

Anita Meston, who's been a teacher for 28 years, joined Biddick Academy in Washington in October 2024. During a Year 8 history lesson which focused on the bombing of Dresden in World War II, she asked whether similar moral questions surrounded the current conflict in Palestine. When asked by a pupil, Meston said that she was “pro-Israel” but lamented the deaths of innocent people in Gaza.

Later in the lesson, a different student asked if she was “pro-abortion”, to which she responded that she was “pro-life”.

When asked to elaborate on her position, Meston explained that she held this view because she is a Christian and that she knew women who had had abortions and regretted the decision. A student replied that she knew women who had had abortions and not regretted them, to which Meston responded, “fair enough”.

The following day she was called to a meeting with the school’s headteacher, who told her that a complaint had been made. Meston said she had only shared her personal views in response to a direct question, but following the meeting, her contract was terminated for “sharing personal opinions on political issues with pupils”.

The school’s headteacher said there was a “real concern” that Meston would continue to “cause harm or distress to pupils”.

Meston said that she was “profoundly shocked” at the decision and is suing the school for discriminating against her as a Christian, which she argues is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for 16 October 2026 at the Employment Tribunal. 

I can't tell if it was the pro life or the pro Israel answer or both that got her fired. Either way, some student in that classroom wanted her punished and reported the teacher to the thought police.

Imagine what would have happened if a kid had asked her if she thought that Mohammed was a prophet.

Brotherly advice

This Sunday's reading from Philippians 4:1-9 contains some brotherly advice. Note that I changed the gender neutral language of the NRSV used in many Episcopal parishes back to the original Greek gender specific terms..

Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, take account of these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Islamophilia

This from Mike Judge, Editor of Evangelical Times, and pastor of Chorlton Evangelical Church in Manchester cuts to the chase, 

...Why are liberal Christians so desperate to cuddle up to Islam? The problem is not that Christians speak to Muslims. We should. Muslims are our neighbours. We should love them, serve them, befriend them and tell them about Jesus Christ. The problem is what happens when so-called Christians lose confidence in the gospel.

Once you no longer believe that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour, that the Bible is the Word of God, and that humanity’s fundamental problem is sin and rebellion against God, you need something else to give your Christianity purpose. Enter the new gospel of social justice.

The language changes. Salvation becomes liberation. Sin becomes oppression. Evangelism becomes activism. The Great Commission gives way to liberal political campaigning. And the distinctive claims of Christianity become awkward because they get in the way of interfaith harmony.

Islam can then become strangely attractive. Not because liberal Christians have suddenly become convinced by the Qur’an. But because Islam can be enlisted as a partner in the causes they now regard as central: anti-racism, anti-colonialism, social justice and opposition to Israel.

And so theological differences are quietly pushed aside. Questions about Islamic teaching are deemed impolite. Difficulties concerning religious freedom or the treatment of women become awkward distractions. The Christian’s responsibility to proclaim Christ is replaced by the more fashionable task of demonstrating solidarity.

But this is not Christian love. Christian love tells the truth. We should love Muslims enough to tell them that Jesus is the Son of God. We should love Jews enough to tell them that Jesus is the Messiah. We should love atheists enough to tell them that they need reconciliation with their Creator. The desperate need of our world is not more interfaith photo opportunities. It is the gospel of Christ.

I would add that these so-called Christians are woefully ignorant of what the Qur'an actually says and what Islam really demands. Ignorance is a false bliss in this case. 

Ignorance is no excuse for a Christian.

Educate yourself. 

Go ahead, read the Qur'an. I guarantee that you will not rush to convert to Islam, and just maybe you will learn that we need to pray for Jesus to open their hearts and minds to the true Gospel.

Go forth and be fruitful!

 This Sunday's reading is from Matthew 21:33-43, and Jesus tells a parable that foretells his death.

‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

“The stone that the builders rejected

   has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

   and it is amazing in our eyes”?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.

Go forth and be fruitful! 

You can't fix "stupid"

 This photo depicts Dame Sarah Mullally, the first female Archbishop of Canterbury (AoC) in its 1400 year history, who was enthroned only in March, this year.

Last Friday on 9/11, the first female Archbishop presented Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi an award for Reconciliation and Interfaith Cooperation. He is the chairman of a body called Pakistan Ulema Council. 

Next to Ashrafi and totally hidden from sight is his wife. She is not allowed to lead anything.

On the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 Islamist terror attacks against the US no less!

Later, the AoC took the award back after learning of Ashrafi's history of praising Osama bin Laden.

Not because of the way he treats women. 

How stupid.

My father always said, "You can't fix 'stupid.'

I don't think anyone can fix the CofE.

How to make the priests and elders mad at you

 In this week's reading from Matthew 21:23-32, Jesus really must have made the chief priests and elders mad at him.

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

 ‘What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, “Son, go and work in the vineyard today.” He answered, “I will not”; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, “I go, sir”; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, the tax-collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax-collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.

What do you think? If you were a priest or elder would you be mad or would Jesus' words make you rethink if you are following God or not/ 

In the U.K., you may lose your auto insurance for that WWJD sticker

It wasn't a WWJD sticker, it was "Jesus loves you" on the side of the car, but I bet WWJD would result in the same action.

From Evangelical Times where you can see the picture,

A Christian motorist who was denied car insurance unless he removed his ‘Jesus Loves You’ stickers has said he will take legal action.

Simeon Chandra, 35, was told by insurance broker GoSkippy that unless he removed his handmade stickers from his vehicle, he would no longer have car insurance from them.

In written correspondence to Chandra, GoSkippy Insurance broker said its underwriting department had ‘declined the modification done on the vehicle as per stickers added on the vehicle’.

It also told him that, for the policy to continue, the stickers had to be removed and a dated photograph sent once they had been taken off.

Chandra, who is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre (CLC), said he had been told the stickers were permitted if photographs were sent to the insurer, but was then later informed the policy could not continue unless the stickers were removed.

He said his emails seeking clarification have gone unanswered, and the company has declined to offer a public statement to the press about the case.

What about all the cabbies with statues of Hindu gods on the dash or hanging from the mirror?

Who's next? 

 

It is never too late...

This Sunday's reading is from Matthew 20:1-16

‘For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers 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 laborers 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.’

It is never too late to go to work for Jesus. 

I am so confused

This story does not surprise me at all, but I am so confused about who or what is "married" to whom or what.

From Michael Gryboski at The Christian Post,

A Wisconsin cathedral has installed what is believed to be the first trans-identifying dean in the history of The Episcopal Church.

The Very Rev. Micah Cronin, a woman who identifies as a man, took the helm of All Saints' Cathedral in Milwaukee on Aug. 16, according to Episcopal News Service. The cathedral draws an average of just 70 worshippers on a given Sunday.

Cronin is married to a woman who goes by the Rev. Elias Henry, also a trans-identified pastor, who serves at The Corner House, a Lutheran, LGBT-affirming campus ministry at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Cronin laid out her story in an introductory email to the congregation last month: raised Methodist, she joined TEC at 19, the same year she decided to self-identify as trans. 

“For clarification, this means that I was raised as a girl. For my whole adult life, I have been known and loved as myself — Micah,” wrote Cronin. “The churches I was raised in were not able to receive me as I am. But as a young person, I heard through the grapevine that the Episcopal Church would accept me.”

“I knew that no matter what I had to follow Jesus. The small Episcopal parish I walked into years ago made it possible for me to do that, through their kind, steadfast, gentle acceptance, and above all, their love.”

I am not even going to try to explain this.

 

There goes that "once saved" argument

 This Sunday's reading is from Matthew 18:21-35,

 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?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times.

 ‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 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. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 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.” Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. 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. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’

So the king forgave the debt, but after the slave did wrong, the king took back his forgiveness of the debt.

There goes that "once saved" argument.

A small town in SC and the decline of the PCUSA

 

This says it all.

From Jon Brown at The Christian Post,

A small church in South Carolina affiliated with the mainline Presbyterian Church (USA) recently hired a pastor who identifies as a transgender lesbian.

North Anderson Community Church Presbyterian (PCUSA) in Anderson, South Carolina, called the Rev. Laura Bethany Buchleiter last month to lead their congregation as its stated supply pastor, according to Qnotes Carolina. The LGBT outlet noted that the church averages 20 to 30 attendees each Sunday.

Buchleiter, who studied at Moody Bible Institute, previously made headlines in 2021 for becoming the first trans-identifying person to be ordained by a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-affiliated congregation, according to Baptist News Global. Buchleiter was ordained that year by University Baptist Church in Bloomington, Indiana.

During a 2021 interview with The Christian Post, Buchleiter pushed back against those who would argue that transgenderism is unacceptable for clergy and incompatible with Christianity in general.

"I believe that to accept the complex expressions of gender we have seen throughout human history is not an affront to God's sovereignty, but a testimony to God's immense creativity," Buchleiter said at the time.

"In my case, this was further demonstrated when I was diagnosed with an intersex condition, having been born with both male and some female organs," Buchleiter continued. "I either had to view my body as a mistake … or allow for the fact that God is truly the master Creator — operating outside the boundaries of gender binaries."

During an interview earlier this year on the "Gay With God" podcast, Buchleiter claimed his wife divorced him in part because of his trans identity, and discussed coming to terms with identifying as a lesbian because of continued attraction to women.

In the same interview, Buchleiter claimed to have chosen the name "Laura" in reference to its Latin etymology of the laurel wreath symbolizing victory. The name "Bethany" was chosen in reference to the town where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, which Buchleiter likened to transitioning.

"I was reading in the New Testament the story of Lazarus; Jesus calling Lazarus back from the grave. And it just says he came up to the town of Bethany, and that hit me," Buchleiter said. "So, yeah, Laura Bethany together is my victorious new life."

In April, the PCUSA's Facebook page posted a video featuring Buchleiter discussing "religious trauma."

"Our journeys to understand ourselves and who God created us to be are often winding with unexpected detours or sharp turns," the PCUSA's post said.

The PCUSA has grown increasingly liberal over recent decades, most recently making headlines for an internal debate over the morality of polyamory and affirming the castration of minors at its General Assembly in July.

Though still the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S., the PCUSA lost more than 26,000 members and 128 congregations in 2025, according to a report released in June. Its membership overall has cratered over the past quarter-century, dropping from more than 2.5 million in 2000 to just over 1 million as of last year.

Christian Conflict Resolution

This Sunday's reading from Matthew 18:15-20 spells out Christian conflict resolution,

 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.  But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.  If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.  Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.  For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” English Standard Version

 From what I have seen thus far, Bishop Edgar, who sinned mightily recently, has listened to Bishop Dobbs and will soon listen to a whole lot more bishops, and we shall see if further discipline is handed out. 

It's that time of year again!

 It's that time of year again. Here is the late Mickey Newberry and the 33rd of August, 

"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"

Take up your cross

 In this Sunday's reading from Matthew 16.21-28, Jesus teaches us the true cost of discipleship.

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.’

Is Jesus revealing to the disciples His death upon a cross when he tells them to take up their cross, or did he reveal it when he told them that he would be killed? 

A Chip (Edgar) Shot

 Mark Marshall posted some scary pictures and commentary about something that went down in the Anglican Diocese of South Carolina (click the link for the photos), 

You might have noticed there is quite a kerfuffle in the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA). Or you might not have noticed as it is not yet well publicized outside of X and a Facebook group or two. Or you might have noticed but do not think it should be a kerfuffle at all.

I refer to the controversy surrounding the participation of Chip Edgar, the ACNA Bishop of South Carolina (Yes, him again.), in a consecration of the new chapel of Porter-Gaud School alongside The Episcopal Church (TEC) Bishop of South Carolina, Ruth Woodliff-Stanley. To my knowledge the controversy became public with my X post of some photos from the event with the observation, “The ACNA Bishop of SC, Chip Edgar, has some explainin’ to do.” And he does...

...It would be more understandable if Woodliff-Stanley was one of the few remaining somewhat conservative TEC bishops. She is not. She is openly pro-abortion and openly for alphabet “pride.” She is typical of what many ACNA Anglicans fled, and she is typical of what faithful Christians deplore. But Bishop Chip was just fine being buddy-buddy with her at the altar.

...An additional issue is why ACNA should have any relationship with Porter-Gaud School. By its own admission, it is run as a rather woke institution [Emphasis mine.]:

Porter-Gaud School is committed to increasing the racial, ethnic, and religious diversity of our faculty and staff…. In accordance with law, Porter-Gaud School is an equal opportunity employer and hires without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, [which is odd because it identifies as “an Episcopal school”] gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, or disability.

There is yet a more important principle involved in this incident: Lex ordani lex credendi, the law of prayer is the law of belief. In other words, what one does during worship states what one believes. So when Bishop Chip Edgar processed alongside apostate fake bishop Woodliff-Stanley, when he held on to the crozier with her, when he prepared the altar with her, and when he distributed the sacrament with her, those are not empty acts. Those are not just being nice and polite. Those liturgical acts are tangible statements. Those are acts recognizing her as a legitimate bishop with whom he can be in communion.

Yes, that is in violation of 2nd John and a number of other scriptures.

(2 John 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we[a] have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.)

I hope that Bishop Edgar receives admonishment and correction from ACNA bishops and not just from the pewpeople.

Addendum: Bishop Edgar has issued a statement which details his involvement on the school's board. I am sorry but I cannot find a link yet. 

Who do you say Jesus is?

 This Sundays reading is from Matthew 16:13-20 where Simon gets a new name and the church gets a rock,

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’ Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

An important question for someone you are getting to know is, "Who do you say Jesus is?" 

 

 

Christophobia: Brighton, NY's not so bright Nativity ban

 From Todd Starnes,

A New York town is facing legal trouble after elected leaders said it was okay to display Islamic symbols in the public square, but not Christian symbols.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has filed a federal lawsuit accusing officials in Brighton, New York, of violating the First Amendment after refusing to allow a Christian resident to erect a traditional Nativity scene in the town’s public square—despite permitting other religious displays, including a prominent Ramadan banner celebrating the Muslim holy month...

...According to the complaint, Brighton officials have ignored repeated requests from a local physician for more than two years to display a life-size Nativity scene in the Twelve Corners public square during the Christmas season. Meanwhile, the town has allowed other private religious displays, including a large Ramadan banner and a Hanukkah menorah.

The lawsuit argues that the town has engaged in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination by welcoming some religious messages while effectively shutting the door on Christianity.

I  suspect the not so bright Brighton officials were hell bent on appeasing the Muslim minority and avoiding any of their angry backlash. 

The town officials deserve the name: "Christophobes." 

 

A Lesson in Humility

This Sunday's reading is from Matthew 15:21-28, "The Faith of a Canaanite Woman." In it we get a lesson in humility.

And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon.  And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.”  But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”  He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  But she came and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.”  And he answered, “It is not right to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs.”  She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.”  Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed instantly. -English Standard Version

Humility is a virtue that is not appreciated these days where pride in self reigns supreme. Let us come to Jesus begging on our knees like the Canaanite woman. 

Some more things you cannot discuss in Scotland

 How come nobody says the word "christophobia" when it clearly exists?

From LiveAction.org comes the story of a American substitute teacher working in Scotland being summarily fired after answering student's questions on the subject of abortion in America. 

 Sarah Morse was teaching at Arbroath High School when a group of older teenage students began asking her questions after noticing her American accent. Among questions about fast food and school buses arose one regarding the topic of abortion.

In turn, Sarah answered prudently (knowing that she was teaching in a secular school): “I’m a faithful Roman Catholic, so I don’t agree with it; I don’t support it.”

When a student broached the subject of rape, Sarah replied that she did not believe it was correct to penalize a child for the wrongdoing of a parent. Her aim, she maintained, was not to provoke an argument. 

“There was no back and forth,” she told Live Action News. “It was more like a hailstorm of arguments, but with replies answered in short sentences.”

Morse felt she was merely doing what a teacher had to do: answer students’ questions, keep order in the room, and move on to the next task at hand. 

Later that day, however, she was summoned into the school office and fired on the basis that she had discussed her “religion and abortion.”

,,,The school’s decision to fire her reveals a deep-seated problem: the misuse of “balance” and “impartiality” language to quash traditional Christian and pro-life voices. She said educators are increasingly being forced to implement one authorized ideological line.

“If you only ever hear one opinion, it’s not education, it’s indoctrination,” Morse told Live Action News. 

She believes that Christians are particularly susceptible to being singled out, even though many religious traditions have moral objections to abortion...

...If Morse has one message for other Christian and pro-life teachers, it is to be wise, faithful, and ready for persecution. She also cautioned that if teachers choose to remain in the classroom, they may still share their beliefs when appropriate, but also be prepared for the possible backlash that may ensue.

...All in all, Morse’s story is not solely an anecdote about her losing her job. It is about whether pro-life beliefs remain in their rightful place in the public sphere without consequences. In view of how so many people are tempted to hide their beliefs for fear of reprisal, Morse’s courage reminds us that sometimes, the most powerful witness is calm, principled, and unwavering. 

She is contesting this in court. Stay tuned. 

 

Water boarding

This Sundays reading is from Matthew 14:22-33,  "Jesus Walks on the Water."

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds.  And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,  but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.  And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea.  But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.  But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”  Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” -ESV

Do you believe it?

If not, do you believe in God, and what can He not do?

Sisters Act: By filing suit

 I sure hope they win.

From Paul Anagnostopoulos at The IRD,

On July 17, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, alongside several other groups, filed a complaint against the state of New York for the implementation of doctor-assisted suicide, known by its proponents as Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD). The sisters object to any forced participation in the MAiD program and filed suit arguing that the law, set to take effect this August, has not provided proper protections for their religious order.

Implementation of the new law comes with the expectation that healthcare providers and staff are required to inform patients about their option to end their own life through the new system. While the law doesn’t require nuns or religious sisters to directly assist in a suicide, opt-out requirements do not allow the nuns to refuse to inform a patient in their care about it. Failure to inform patients about the program under current regulations would mean that these groups would face heavy fines and sanctions.

Under the law passed in February, these organizations would be forced to compromise their beliefs. The law requires that a patient must “be able to self-administer the medication” and would compel Catholic ministries to inform patients of their eligibility to kill themselves, contrary to Catholic teaching...

...With the bill coming into effect August 6, the Catholic institutions seek to avoid legal punishment for their beliefs on the sanctity of human life.

“Christ the Divine Physician calls us to accompany the sick and dying with compassion, not abandon them to death,” Barres stated...

UPDATE [8/3/2026]: Becket has announced that, with agreement from the state of New York, a federal judge ordered the state not to enforce its assisted-suicide mandate against four orders of Catholic nuns and several Catholic healthcare ministries while their federal lawsuit proceeds. The temporary agreement protects the ministries from being forced to help terminally ill patients end their lives via suicide in direct violation of their faith.

I have visited New York once, stayed at the Waldorf  Astoria in the Presidential suite, and suffered through their airports several times. This and other stories about the horrors that the state and city governments (and voters) are allowing have convinced me to never go there again. 

Judeo-Christians fight back

 With the rise in antisemitism that we are seeing in the world it might be wise to look into our own backyards for signs of it encroaching into our lawns. I did not know this until recently, but the term "Judeo-Christian" is not liked by some who think of themselves as "Christian." Those who would throw out the tree to which we were engrafted are falling for the old heresy of Marcionism which rejected the Old Testament God. 

Educate yourself and see Bill Muehlenberg who has a long post on the topic titled, "On the Term ‘Judeo-Christian’".

If you encounter someone who does not accept the "Term", please don't jump on them and call them an antisemite even though they might be one. Armed with the Biblical facts, first ask them about how they reached that conclusion, and then practice your apologetics with them. 

Believe it, or what?

 This Sunday's reading from Matthew 14:13-21 tells the miracle of the loaves and fishes.

Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

A remarkable miracle retold in all four Gospels. I have heard a lot of revisionist preachers challenge the feeding of the thousands saying things like, "Oh, the people probably had food stashed away and brought out the leftovers at the end to put in the baskets" and other such attempts to explain away the miracle. I believe that those preaching the Gospel back in the early days went unchallenged because there were thousands of witnesses to back them up! So the story stuck. 

For a person who professes to be a Christian to deny that God can produce any miracle sounds decidedly unchristian to me.

"We better wake up fast, or we will lose it all"

 Bill Muehlenberg recently posted an excellent summary of Islamic terror plots and the West's inability to expound on the "M.I.T." words (Muslim, Islam, and Terrorist). Even the organizers of the Pride parade in Germany that probably inspired the most recent attacker won't connect the dots. 

Muehlenberg's conclusion is in his title, "Islam and the West Cannot Peacefully Coexist." 

Having studied the Koran (an English translation) after the attacks of 911, I agree. The only peace Islam leads to is peace through bloodshed. 

Compare that to the way of Christ.

Meanwhile, in Paris there was another attack, 

"The suspect subdued after allegedly stabbing three women in Paris on Monday uttered, 'it is Allah who commanded me' to a crowd that appeared to be holding him down after the apparent terror attack..."

"...A 31-year-old man, whose name was not immediately released, was seen on the ground after allegedly stabbing three women, one of whom was reportedly pregnant..."

"...Two victims were listed in 'absolute emergency' condition, while the third was listed in "relative emergency" condition, according to local press." -Fox News

As Muehlenberg wrote, "We better wake up fast, or we will lose it all."

Praying for the persecuted

 This Sundays reading is from Romans 8:26-39, and it reminds me that Christians are dying for the Faith every day somewhere in this world.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written,

‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;

   we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Travels with Päivi

We have followed the ongoing saga of  Päivi Räsänen of Finland for several years now. It seems that she has experienced more complications from writing the truth about God's plan for the sexes.

From Christian Today,

Päivi Räsänen, the Christian politician convicted in Finland for her views on marriage and sexuality, says her electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for the UK has been cancelled. 

The former Finnish Minister of the Interior said her application for an ETA was initially successful but she later received a notification informing her that it had been cancelled. 

ETAs are required for travellers who do not have a visa and need to pass through UK border control upon arrival in the country - including transits if they leave the secure area to change terminals or collect luggage.

Mrs Räsänen said she was not given any explanation for the cancellation of her ETA and that it has thrown into doubt her plans to travel to Northern Ireland next month. The 66 year old is due to visit the country in August to speak at a conference and visit the Parliament. She no longer knows if this trip will be possible. 

The impact of her cancelled ETA is already being felt in other ways - last week, returning from a conference in California, she scrapped plans to transit through Heathrow, choosing instead to fly via Dallas in order to avoid any problems passing through the UK.

The cancellation of her ETA comes just months after the Finnish Supreme Court found Mrs Räsänen guilty of “hate speech” over statements expressing biblical views on marriage and sexuality in a pamphlet she wrote in 2004. 

She was also convicted of "making and keeping available to the public a text that insults a group."

Commenting on the cancellation of her ETA, Mrs Räsänen said, "The Supreme Court’s closely divided ruling has had unexpected consequences. In addition to restricting freedom of expression, it has also created restrictions and difficulties related to travel and participation in meetings and conferences.

"My greatest concern is that this decision has left many people with uncertainty, confusion, and fear about the consequences of exercising their freedom of speech and religion in a peaceful manner, and about where the line lies between lawful and prohibited speech." 

She is not alone in being refused an ETA by the UK - Lutheran Bishop Juhana Pohjola, who was convicted alongside her in the "hate speech" case, has also been denied the travel authorisation.

Bishop Pohjola said a notification informing him of the decision on June 16 stated: "We are satisfied that you have been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas within the last 12 months."

The notification also said that he cannot appeal this decision or travel to the UK without a visa. 

He said he was "surprised" by the UK's decision, adding that the "hate speech" conviction was having "practical" consequences far beyond Finland.

"Last week I was denied eVisitor application to Australia. This not only causes practical difficulties to serve as bishop in my church body and as chairman of the International Lutheran Council, but it also labels me as a criminal whom many countries want to prevent from entering," he said. 

Christian author Rod Dreher, who was at the California conference with Mrs Räsänen, criticised the UK's actions: "The progressive bureaucratic order in European countries would rather attack faithful Christians as Enemies Of Society than deal with the actual problems they have.

"We can expect more of this. It’s a Finnish Lutheran lawmaker and grandmother today; it could easily be you tomorrow."

The Home Office has been contacted for comment.

Remind me to stay out of the U.K.  

 

For the sake of completeness

This Sunday's reading from Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 left out verses 31-35. For the sake of the Gospel and of completeness I added the missed verses and highlighted them in red.

He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, “Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?” He answered, “An enemy has done this.” The slaves said to him, “Then do you want us to go and gather them?” But he replied, “No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn."

 He put before them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.’

 He told them another parable: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened.’

 Jesus told the crowds all these things in parables; without a parable he told them nothing. This was to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet:

‘I will open my mouth to speak in parables;

   I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.’

 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.’ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!

Oh Canada: The evil potential of surrogacy

I was left terribly upset after reading the following from Faithwire,  

A homosexual couple in Canada has filed a lawsuit against a surrogate mother who refused to abort the baby after doctors detected a cleft lip and a possible heart defect.

Filed in the Ontario Supreme Court in May, the same-sex pair is claiming the surrogate did not keep them informed of the baby’s health, which, they argue, put the preborn child at risk, caused them emotional distress, and violated their confidentiality, according to a report from the National Post.

The lawsuit came two years after the couple asked the woman to terminate the pregnancy at 22 weeks, a demand she declined.

Both the mother and the surrogacy agency indicated the relationship between the surrogate and the couple deteriorated after the woman refused to abort the child.

“That’s when everything changed,” said Sally Rhoads-Heinrich, owner of Surrogacy in Canada Online. “They wanted a termination. What I find most difficult in this is they are suing the woman who brought their son to them. How is their son going to feel someday if he learns that?”

The surrogate purportedly had a fine relationship with the couple prior to the abortion dispute. The baby was conceived via in vitro fertilization with a donor egg and sperm from each of the intended fathers. The couple, after learning through an ultrasound about a cleft lip and possible cleft palate or minor heart issue, requested an abortion.

“Considering that medical tests indicate that the fetus has, or is likely to have, a genetic, chromosomal or other abnormality or defect, and in accordance with article 8.5 (a) of our surrogacy agreement … we want to inform you of our wish that the pregnancy be terminated,” the gay couple wrote. “Although very difficult, this decision is free and informed.”

The woman said she was “devastated” by the request and admitted she would have considered terminating the pregnancy if the preborn baby was determined by doctors to have no realistic chance of surviving after birth. However, medical personnel at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto later determined the baby was otherwise very healthy with the possible cleft lip as the only significant finding.

Ultimately, the couple accepted the surrogate mother’s suggestion and agreed to move forward with the pregnancy. That, though, was not the end of the friction. The couple wanted a hospital birth over concerns there may be complications from the potential cleft lip. The surrogate, though, moved forward with a home birth monitored by midwives, as stipulated in the original contract.

The newborn did experience difficulty breathing at birth but recovered quickly after midwives administered oxygen and arranged ambulance transportation to the hospital.

After all was said and done, the surrogate mother sought repayment of about $10,000 for out-of-pocket expenses connected to the pregnancy and delivery, including lost income and missed pension contributions. While her complaint was first filed in small-claims court, her contract with the couple stated such disputes must go through arbitration.

At the same time, the couple filed a lawsuit for roughly $600,000 against the mother, a single woman. In their filing, the men claimed the surrogate failed “to follow the direction regarding decisions affecting the fetus’ medical care.” The surrogate said she believes the couple rejected the child for not meeting their expectations.

“You know I’m a single mom, you know I have a daughter, and you’re basically suing me for my house,” she told the Post. “[I]t’s just awful. I just feel used. … They didn’t get the perfect child they wanted and they threw me away.”

What evil men.  

Where is your mind set?

 This Sunday's reading is from Romans 8:1-11,

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God."

In other words, you are what you think. 

Which is pretty close to "Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi" or  "the law of what is prayed is what is believed and is the law of what is lived." 

"But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you."

Meanwhile In the Pennsylvania State House: Pride attire yes, Patriotic attire no

 I remember when American flag shirts first came out during the Vietnam war. They were considered disrespectful of our flag. Nowadays it is considered patriotic to wear all sorts of flag attire except in Pennsylvania's State House.

From Fox News,

A Republican lawmaker was booted from Pennsylvania’s Democrat-controlled State House chamber over his choice of patriotic attire celebrating the U.S. founding 250 years ago this week in the commonwealth.

The dispute comes as Americans prepare to celebrate the nation's semiquincentennial and as the Trump administration showcases the Great American State Fair while the Shapiro administration features America250PA concerts and fairs from Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre.

America’s most prominent swing state has long enjoyed closely-divided government, with Gov. Josh Shapiro controlling the executive, Democrats holding a one-seat House majority and Republicans holding a four-seat Senate majority – which has led to dustups like that involving state Rep. Eric Davanzo this week.

Davanzo, who represents a swath of Westmoreland County between Pittsburgh and Greensburg, said he was shocked by the reaction of House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Southwest Philadelphia, when he came to Tuesday’s session sporting a red, white and blue suit and tie.

Davanzo told Fox News Digital he walked around the chamber greeting colleagues and eventually stopped to chat with House Minority Whip Timothy O’Neal, R-Washington.

"We were talking, I turned around when a House photographer got a picture… and the next thing I know Whip O’Neal is gone."

Davanzo initially decided to stay on the floor despite Democratic leaders' wishes until a House security guard informed him McClinton was demanding he either remove his suit jacket or leave.

Davanzo said House leadership had previously endorsed thematic attire in the chamber.

"They were asked to dress in pride colors because they were going to do a House photo on the floor," Davanzo told Fox News Digital, noting June is Pride Month. "That's OK. We can take our photos for pride but we can't show up as a patriot and take a photo or even get on the House floor apparently," Davanzo said. He then read from a statement from McClinton about Pride Month and how it encourages people to be "authentic" and "love freely."

"You're only able to love freely because the brave men and women died for this flag," Davanzo said.

"They died for our country. This is complete hypocrisy. You're allowed to wear tennis shoes on the floor. You're allow to wear top hats. You can wear camo-jackets. Everything across the board, but don't show up with a patriotic outfit on because you're going to be asked to leave."

 

The National Hymn Controversy

 As most of our United States celebrate 250 years since the Declaration of Independence from British rule, I saw a little debate on-line about the appropriateness of singing "National Hymns" during church services on July 5, 2026. Most Anglican priests were opposed to the practice. I did find some support for my plan which is what I did last year, and that is to ask the congregation to stay and sing one or more after the service. I was kind of surprised that this seemed to be a novel idea to the on-line group. I didn't see any objections posted. 

I ran it by our worship committee (which pretty much consists of me and the rector), and that's the plan.

Now, if I only had a few singers like this guy.

Suicidal Liturgies for a Dying Denomination

From The European Conservative,

 The Anglican Church of Canada has taken a step that, until just a few years ago, would have been difficult to imagine even within the most progressive Christian denominations.

Its General Synod has authorized for “trial use” a specific liturgy intended to accompany people who have chosen euthanasia, known in Canada as Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). The document includes prayers to be read immediately before the fatal drugs are administered, as well as prayers after the patient’s death.

The 66-page text goes far beyond offering pastoral guidance for terminally ill patients. It establishes a complete set of religious rites adapted to the moments before and after euthanasia: confession, the laying on of hands, anointing with oil, Holy Communion, blessings, and specific prayers for those who have chosen to end their lives through medical intervention.

The introduction acknowledges that many Anglicans believe euthanasia “may indeed be against God’s wishes for humanity.” Yet rather than attempting to resolve that theological question, the stated purpose of the resource is to provide spiritual accompaniment to those who have made that decision.

The document repeatedly insists that it is not intended to bless the decision to seek euthanasia. Nevertheless, critics are likely to question whether surrounding an assisted death with Scripture, blessings, sacraments, and an official Church liturgy inevitably lends it moral legitimacy.

One of the most striking passages states that people who choose euthanasia “may indeed be ready to go” and that they wish to “die well, and with the grace and blessing of God and with the presence of the Church at their side.”

The ceremony includes a period of silence immediately before the medical procedure. The patient may then pray: “Father, I place myself in your hands. Holy God, I believe in you. I trust you. I love you.”

Following the administration of euthanasia, the liturgy provides prayers traditionally associated with the Christian accompaniment of the dying. Among them is the petition: “Welcome them now into paradise where there will be no more sorrow, no more weeping or pain, but only peace and joy.”

Another prayer states that the deceased has been “freed from all its cares” and asks God to grant them “happiness and peace forever.”

The text goes even further in some of its supplementary materials. One prayer gives thanks that family members were able to be with the deceased when they received the lethal injection and concludes that “their final gift to N was to see N safely home.”

The decision places the Anglican Church of Canada in an unprecedented position within historic Christianity.

The novelty does not lie in the Church accompanying a person in their final moments—something that has been part of Christian ministry for centuries—but in the creation of an official ritual for a practice that Christian tradition has long regarded as incompatible with the belief that human life is a gift from God and should not be deliberately ended by human hands.

The liturgy has been authorised for trial use while feedback is gathered from dioceses across Canada until May 2027. A revised version could then be presented to the Church’s General Synod in 2028 for possible permanent adoption.