2nd Sunday after Epiphany/Year A - January 18, 2026

Reflection by Rev. Kathryn Snelling, Deacon

Scriptures: Isaiah 49:1-7; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42; Psalm 40:1-12

Well, I think it’s safe to say that we probably all noticed the strong thread running through our scriptures this morning.
And that is - of being known and being called and being named.

Being known - even before we physically existed.
Isaiah says it this way: The Lord called me before I was born. While I was in my mother’s womb, he named me.
We’ve heard similar words from the Psalmist - in Psalm 139 it states; You created my inmost parts, you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Being known — even more thoroughly than we know, or think we know, ourselves.
For we humans can be very good at masquerading.
But, as we prayed at the beginning of the service:
 “To you, all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid”

This intimate knowing offers that space where we can rest in knowing that God loves us right where we are, even when we are being gently nudged closer and closer.

And being called.
Now being “called” often carries some weighty expectations.
We usually refer to someone who is “called” as being called to an ordained ministry, whether to the diaconate or priesthood or to be a bishop.
But I think being called can be as simple as Jesus saying come, come and see.
Come and sit with me, come and spend time with me, come and learn from me.

Paul identifies himself as “Called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God”
And in a sense, we are all called as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.
For what is an apostle but; a witness, a messenger, a follower.
And I dare to say that more of Christ’s love has been manifested in the world by faithful followers through their witness and sharing of what Christ offers us, than through any given sermon on a Sunday morning.

And on mentioning sermons. I saw a cartoon a few days back. It pictured Jesus walking on a beach with another person. You are probably familiar with the poem about  Footprints in the Sand. And Jesus is saying, “when there were one set of prints is when I carried you. And that long groove over there, is when I dragged you, kicking and screaming.”
Today is the 20th anniversary of my ordination to the Diaconate. And as I prepared for the day, I adamantly told Fr. Dave that no way was I ever going to stand up here and give sermons.
Well, if you read today’s reflection in Forward Day by Day, you’ll recall the last sentence reads, “Sometimes the challenge is that God’s call isn’t the call we would choose for ourselves.”
So, Fr.Dave got the last laugh.

And finally, being named. Even when still in mother’s womb.

I suggest that we all have been given a name.
One we have had since before we were born.  One we share in common, And that is “Beloved”
Beloved insert name.   Beloved insert name
Beloved insert name
Beloved, even before I was Kathryn

And it is this name, Beloved, that we grow into when we accept Jesus’s invitation to come and see.
And be prepared to be taken by surprise.

Amen

1st Sunday after Epiphany/Year A - January 11, 2026

Scriptures: Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17; Psalm 29

Reflection by Nancy Jo Bleier.

It’s been a busy week not only in our world but in the church calendar. Christmas ended for us on the Gregorian calendar. The Epiphany was January 6 when the Magi came from the east following the star to

where Jesus lay. Bishop Mark wrote in the Diocesan News “Happy Epiphanytide”. His words of are brilliant of about Manifest. If you didn’t receive the email with the News go to episcopalak.org, tap on News and Publications to read.

The church has a tradition of marking outside the doors about the Epiphany, After our service today we will bless the church with writing in chalk this year and the initials of the Magi.

Today we celebrating the baptism of the adult Jesus. Your task today is joining me in a different way of finding meaning of this baptism of Jesus from the Gospel Matthew which I just read.

Lectio Divina, meaning "Divine Reading," is a traditional Christian practice that involves reading Scripture in a reflective and meditative way to deepen one's relationship with God. It typically consists of four steps: reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation, allowing individuals to listen for God's message in the text.

Today we are going to look at the Gospel reading from three different translations using three different questions. I am going to ask each question before reading each Gospel. After each reading I want you to answer out loud.. popcorn style your thoughts to each question.

1. What words, ideas or sentences stand out for you in the Gospel?

The Message

Jesus then appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize him. John objected, “I’m the one who needs to be baptized, not you!” 15 But Jesus insisted. “Do it. God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism.” So John did it. 16-17 The moment Jesus came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God’s Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life.”

2. What is the Gospel or Spirit saying to you?

Good News Translation GNT

13 At that time Jesus arrived from Galilee and came to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him.

14 But John tried to make him change his mind. "I ought to be baptized by you," John said, "and yet you have come to me!"

15 But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so for now. For in this way we shall do all that God requires." So John agreed.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the water. Then heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on him.

17 Then a voice said from heaven, "This is my own dear Son, with whom I am pleased.”

3. What is the Gospel or Spirit calling you to do?

New Revised Standard Version NRSV

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 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. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

As we go forward this week I ask you to ponder what these words mean to you in this complex world we are living in.

Go with the blessings of the Son, Jesus who was chosen in love.

Now in our service we will read today the Renewal of Baptismal Vows on p. 292.

2nd Sunday after Christmas/Year A - January 4, 2026

Scriptures: Jeremiah 31:7-14; Psalm 84 or 84:1-8; Ephesians 1:3-6,15-19a; Matthew 2:1-12

Reflection by Kit Allgood-Mellema

Welcome to the eve of Twelfth Night, the day before the 12th day of the Christmas season. At twelve days, Christmas is the shortest season of our liturgical calendar; it’s also packed with more tradition, emotion, mystery, wonder, anticipation and joy than any of the others. There are many elements that contribute to our feelings about Christmas, but I think the most universal element is music, especially spiritual music like the tunes we find in our hymnal.

The music and lyrics of most of the carols we know today were written in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, although some come from earlier times and some from the 20th century. The oldest Christmas lyrics in our hymnal were written in the late 4th century! Many hymns were adapted from popular folk tunes and paired with sacred lyrics. They are easy to sing over a range of voices; they have pleasant harmonies and can be played on a variety of instruments. The lyrics are based on familiar gospel passages, stories and themes, and are easy to remember.

Why do Christmas hymns and carols appeal to so many people from cultures and faiths across time and space? For example, Silent Night has been translated into at least 330 languages. The tradition of singing special songs in winter dates to pre-Christian times, when it was used to help boost morale and community spirits during dark winter days. In Reformation England, hymn singing in public was banned at times from the late 16th century up to the early 19th century, so the practice of singing hymns went underground, which we now know is an excellent way to ensure the survival and growth of a tradition.

Many people hold to the belief that Christmas hymns should only be sung in the season of Christmas, which has led to the practice of carol singing in church services and gatherings on Twelfth Night before putting the music away until next year. So today, for the next 10 to 15 minutes, everyone here can choose the Christmas hymns you would like to sing one last time during this Christmas season. Listen to the music and feel it tug at you. Pause over the words and let them settle into your heart and soul and mind. A word of caution, however – you never know when a Christmas hymn might sneak its way into one of our services in another season of the year. That might be a way to keep the season of ‘Yes!’ alive and well at St. Peter’s.

Thanks be to God!

Enjoy listening to Ben Maton - The Salisbury Organist - performing the Greatest Christmas Carol Ever Written... Banned From Church!. Click on the link below for this YouTube video.

First Sunday after Christmas Day/Year A - December 28, 2025

Scriptures: Psalm 147 or 147:13-21; Isaiah 61:10-62:3; Canticle 9; Galatians 3:23-25; 4:4-7; Canticle 11; John 1:1-18

Sermon by Kit Allgood-Mellema

‘In the beginning . . . . ‘The short phrase that begins today’s gospel reading, written by St. John, the apostle and evangelist, is one of the best-known phrases in the Bible. These three words bring us into the opening of John’s profound account of the life of Jesus, and they also echo the phrase that opens nearly every translation of the first chapter of the first book of the Bible, the book of Genesis. They are familiar words,

comforting words, words full of mystery and wonder, and they are words that leave us longing for more. These three words beg us to ask questions, to imagine, to expand our horizons and open our minds to explore the possibilities to come. ‘In the beginning . . . ‘

John continues, ‘In the beginning was the Word . . .’ What follows is a concise and elegant summary of the Genesis creation story, which then carries the reader into the times and events of John’s gospel.

‘In the beginning . . .’ For millennia, humans have wondered about the beginning, searched for answers, and created stories to explain the origins of all they saw and experienced. There are probably thousands of creation stories, most with similar themes. It’s safe to say that many open with a similar phrase, and leave the listener longing for more.

In modern times, scientists, astronomers, thinkers and dreamers been able to answer many of the questions about the beginning of creation, of the universe. Those answers offer some satisfaction, but most of them lead to more questions, a desire to search and know more. How did creation begin? Where did it begin? Why? What did it look like? Feel like? Sound like? We now know the universe began not with a bang, but with a very low frequency hum undetectable by human ears, an ancient hum that with the

proper equipment can still be heard over the ever-increasing human-created cacophony of everyday life on earth.

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ And I believe the Word that was in the beginning, the word we still hear echoing throughout the far reaches of the universe, even today on the First Sunday of Christmas in 2025 - that Word is Love. ‘In the beginning was Love, and Love was with God, and Love was God.’ The Word is Love. It always has been and always will be Love.

‘In the beginning . . . ‘

Thanks be to God!

Christmas Day/Year A - December 25, 2025

Scriptures: Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98; Hebrews 1:1-12; John 1:1-14

Sermon by Rev. Kathryn Snelling, Deacon

The service was recorded on Zoom, there were some technical issues. There is no written copy of the sermon. The link below is just the sermon for you to listen to.

Christmas Eve/Year A - December 24, 2025

Scripture: Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14-20

December 24, 2025 Sermon by Kit Allgood-Mellema

This service was recorded on Zoom, beginning after the Prelude. Here’s the link for viewing it: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/8T_FPMHqXMdboMHuiAs9K4qhngXeUuT_1EUEGes-Mn1L0PHacFuXaDdU2glddzO0.YFZyz7yjVGFrQ7ER 

Thank you all for being here tonight – it’s so good to see everyone! You may not know this, but

you are here because you said ‘yes’ to a special invitation. Did you realize you were invited here

tonight? We’ll come back to that in a moment.

The books of the Bible are filled with stories of people who said ‘yes.’ Our Advent and Christmas

traditions are no exception. Elizabeth, the mother of John, known as the Baptist, had long

prayed for a child, and in her elder years said ‘yes’ to bearing that child. Mary, mother of Jesus,

in her teen years, said an emphatic ‘yes’ to the angel in her prayer that we know as the

Magnificat. Joseph said ‘yes’ to an angel in a dream and took Mary as his wife. A group of

shepherds, surrounded by their flock, didn’t surrender to their fear – they said ‘yes!’ and with

their sheep, came trooping through the streets of Bethlehem looking for a baby. The people of

Bethlehem, crowded in together with family and friends, found a space for Mary and Joseph in a

home – because the manger would have been inside a family home to help keep the livestock

and the family warm together – as they said ‘yes!’ Midwives and experienced mothers said ‘yes,’

and showed up with their wisdom, knowledge and all that Mary would need for the birth,

including the swaddling cloth for the newborn. It was a resounding ‘yes!’ Even the angels of

heaven, sometimes rumored to be a rather unruly and mischievous group, said ‘yes’ as their

songs of praise echoed across the skies! And in less than two weeks, we will hear the story of

royal visitors who heard the voice of love and said ‘yes!’ They braved a perilous journey and

risked the displeasure of a vengeful king to find the source of that love.

Creation said ‘yes!’ and came alive with the joy of new life, new hope, new peace. The world

heard every ‘yes’ and began to listen as it journeyed toward the simple beauty of love and light

and hope and truth and peace. And then the world said ‘yes!’ Every yes was a holy ‘yes,’

responding to a holy, sacred invitation from God.

The ‘yes’ that brought you here tonight was a holy ‘yes,’ an answer to God inviting you to join

the journey of love that began centuries ago. God’s invitations to love don’t usually come with

angel choirs and brilliant stars. Most likely they show up in the most unlikely places and times,

and in ways we don’t expect – in the needs of a stranger; in a plea for help; in the tiny body of a

hungry child; in the fatigue of a person who doesn’t know where they will spend the night or

find their next meal or how they will stay warm; in the eyes of someone who is alone and lonely;

in the fear of someone who is the victim of injustice or violence; in the need to make our voices

heard.

In a world of uncertainty, pain, hunger, violence, oppression, disaster and fear – a world very

much like the one Jesus was born into - the sacred invitation to join the journey of love may feel

overwhelming. Please know that you are not alone. Every one of us has hesitated in the face of a

holy ‘yes,’ wondering if the invitation was really meant for us, questioning if God knew what God

was doing. Please know that every kindness, even the smallest one, is a holy ‘yes.’ Please know

the invitation may seem insignificant, but your ‘yes’ may change a life. Please know that the

invitation comes with God’s hand outstretched to take our hand, to guide us on the way, to

provide us with the help we need. And when we all answer with a holy ‘yes,’ we support and

carry each other.

In the quiet moments of this special season of ‘yes,’ as we immerse ourselves in the miracle,

wonder and love of Jesus’s birth, take some time to ponder the echoes of ‘yes’ from years and

centuries past. Then listen for God’s invitation to you to say a holy ‘yes.’

Merry Christmas! Thanks be to God! Amen!

3 Advent/Year A - December 14, 2025

Scriptures: Psalm 146:4-9; Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Canticle 15; Matthew 11:2-11

December 14, 2025 Reflection by Mim McConnell, Sr. Warden

While reading this week’s daily readings on generosity and hospitality, and the scriptures for today, I’ve been thinking about the tension that fills the space between opposing thoughts. How do we deal with it? Can we make it go away? Do we just give up in despair? No, I believe there is a place for the Christian in that space.

I remember in a bible study class Fr. Dave Elsensohn saying that there is always tension between good and evil in the world. This was a revelation for me. I think I was learning about “gray” areas. Life isn’t just black and white.

I think the Christian should be between those places, where these ideas meet, touching both sides, in the midst of the tension. There, we can hold the space open for coming together, where we can be a generous, welcoming host.

Let me give you an example of this tension. I’ve been studying the American Revolution these past few months by listening to books by Rich Atkinson, watching Ken Burns’s miniseries on the Revolution, and reading a special edition by The Atlantic magazine on the topic. I’ve learned things that weren’t taught in my high school American History class. It’s been a fascinating education. One of the things brought up is the fact that it was a civil war between Rebels and Loyalists. This was all about how people wanted to be governed. The Rebels, as we know, eventually won the war.

But the tension between opposing ideals of how government should operate continues until today. It will always be there, no matter how far the government, or cultural, pendulum swings to one side or the other. I remember this from being on the Assembly!

So, again, this is our opportunity to be the mediator, the place of comfort, the hospitable environment for all to come to and be free of judgment, to rest from the struggles of life. Here we can set aside our differences and meet on common ground, to look for ways to provide succor.

We don’t need to do this alone. We have the God of Jacob helping us, as is mentioned in today’s Psalm, “who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger.” We are God’s hands and God will provide, through us, all that is needed. We need to only ask.

1 Advent/Year A-November 30, 2025

Scriptures: Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44; Psalm 122
30 November 2025, 1st Sunday of Advent, Year A

The Rev. Deacon Kathryn Snelling, and Lisa Moore, Vestry member

We were blessed with two reflections yesterday.

The Rev. Kathryn Snelling, Deacon reflected on the day's scriptures. Many of the day's verses had to do with being prepared for the future. 

Lisa Moore, one of our Vestry members, read from the Advent booklet and commented on the reading.

Reflection from Living Well Through Advent 2025
Read by Lisa Moore

THE FIRST WEEK OF ADVENT

Thursday, December 4, 2025

God’s Generosity in Nature

You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between

the hills, … From your lofty abode you water the mountains;

the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

—Psalm 104:10, 13

Nature has been referred to as God’s first sacred text. Before the

sacred texts of the Bible, there was and continues to be the holy

text of God’s creation.

Remembering that the root of the word generosity means “to give birth”

or “to give life to,” we see in nature the ongoing life-giving generosity

of our Creator. One of the signs of how God is present in creation is

the response that almost all people have to spiritual experiences they

describe in nature. Creation pulsates with the generous energy of God.

Like fish who live in the ocean, we live and move and have our being in

the abundance of God’s self-giving love.

As with other acts of generosity—whether from God or others—it is all

too easy to take such generosity for granted. Stopping to pay attention to

the beauty of a butterfly, a bird’s song, a majestic mountain, or the smell

of the air after a recent rainfall are simple everyday spiritual practices

that reawaken us to the presence of the Divine surrounding us.

When we pause and truly pay attention, the ground we are standing on

is always holy ground. Nature’s generosity is constant and unconditional—

the sun shines on the just and the unjust, the rain falls on both

the grateful and the ungrateful.

Making it Personal: When have you felt close to God in nature? What

is something simple you might do or pay more attention to today that

will help you connect with God through nature? Consider spending at

least five minutes outdoors today (or by a window if necessary) simply

observing God’s generosity in creation, noticing what you see, hear,

smell, or feel.

Last Sunday After Pentecost/Christ the King Sunday/Year C

Scriptures: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 46; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43

November 23, 2025
Kit Allgood-Mellema

23 November 2025, Last Sunday after Pentecost, Christ the King Sunday Year C

We have a lot to celebrate on our liturgical calendar today! First, this is the 24th Sunday after the Day of Pentecost. The season of Pentecost, also known as Ordinary Time (because we count off the weeks on the calendar, not because there is anything ordinary about this season!) is that long season when the vestments are green and the readings guide us along the paths Jesus took during his time on earth with the disciples. Think of that – 24 weeks! That means we’ve spent almost half the liturgical year walking side-by-side with Jesus, listening to his teachings and stories, as we’ve heard him interact with the people he met and loved on his travels. During this time, have you felt comforted, or have you been challenged by what you’ve heard? Maybe you’ve felt fatigued, confused and dusty, as if you’ve been on a road for a very long time? Or perhaps you’ve been lifted up, given hope? Maybe your eyes have been opened as the ears of your heart have heard familiar words in a new way?

But that’s not all we commemorate today. Today is also the Last Sunday after Pentecost. That means next Saturday night, we will softly turn the liturgical calendar page from Year C to the first Sunday in Advent, Year A – a new year, a new way of hearing the story of Jesus’s time on earth, a new opportunity to focus ourselves and our lives on the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

If that’s not enough, today is also Christ the King Sunday, a feast day first proposed by Pope Pius XI in 1925, as a counter to the post-World War I tensions brought about by social and political unrest and change world-wide. As Bishop Mark Lattime noted in his weekly dispatch, it was a reminder to ‘Christians that our deepest allegiance is to Christ – His way of Love; His example of a selfless life of servanthood; His Kingdom of peace and love for ALL human beings.’ Our gospel reading today reminds us that Jesus was an unlikely king; it also shows us that Jesus is one full of compassion and love and hope. Bishop Mark also noted, ‘Jesus is no king. He does not seek subjects like the kings of this world. Rather, Jesus is the absolute reality of the love and will of God for all people.’

This week, as I prepared my reflection, my mind pulled me back to last Sunday – to Deacon Kathryn’s wonderful sermon about the scriptures being God’s love letter to all of humanity and all of creation, but also to the words of a hymn we sang during the service. That hymn is one that rests deeply in me, with a tune and lyrics that began settling in my soul as a youngster in Sunday School and later as a member of St. Cecelia’s Choir, beginning as a 10 year old. It was the first hymn I remember using as a prayer. The tune of the hymn is called Munich; its origins probably date to the late 1500’s; it was adapted by Felix Mendelssohn probably in the 1830’s or 1840’s. The lyrics were written in 1866 by William Walsham How, an English Anglican bishop who was a prolific hymn writer. A few of the lyrics were lightly revised in the transition from the 1940 hymnal to the one we use now, but I love and celebrate those changes.

The words of the first verse of Hymn 632 came to me as I pondered our transition from the end of our 6-month journey through Pentecost into the new year, and as we acknowledge that Christ is the one guiding us to God’s Kingdom on Earth. The hymn begins, ‘O Christ, the Word Incarnate, O Wisdom from on high,’ as we acknowledge that Jesus is the very Word of God who has come down to earth in human form to bring us the knowledge and love of God. The next line – ‘O Truth, unchanged, unchanging, O Light of our dark sky;’ reminds us that God – and Jesus – are always present and ready to help us, to guide us, to love and protect us, even in the darkest times of our lives. The verse closes with, ‘we praise thee for the radiance that from the scripture’s page, a lantern to our footsteps, shines on from age to age.’ – a reassurance that the light we seek, the help we need, the love we want to share can be found in the words that Jesus shared with his disciples two thousand years ago, words still waiting to shine for us.

However you wish to remember this day – the last steps of a months’ long journey, a transition to a new year, a celebration of a king who is not the kind of king the world expects, or as a day like any other, remember that this day is a gift of Love from God to us and to all creation, a gift that asks us to shine the light of God and the way of Love throughout the world – this Kingdom of God - in as many ways as we possibly can.

Thanks be to God! Amen!

23 Pentecost/Year C - November 16, 2025

Scriptures: Malachi 4:1-2a; Psalm 98; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19

23 Pentecost November 16, 2025

The Rev Kathryn Snelling, Deacon

I just finished reading a novel. It’s by Jan Karon and it’s one of the Mitford novels.

The latest in a long series of novels about Fr. Timothy Kavanaugh.

And this one is titled MY BELOVED

The book begins in November and Fr. Tim is putting together his Christmas list. 

He asks his wife, Cynthia, what she would like for Christmas and she answers him. I want a letter. She wants a love letter —- or a cardigan with pockets.

At first, he’s not really sure she’s serious about this letter but finds out that, yes, that is what she really has her heart set on.

So he gets inspired and writes a letter —- pours his heart into it, and puts it in an envelope, seals it, and on the envelope addresses it to, Beloved.

Now the two of them love poetry, and one of their favorite authors has a brand new book out. So Fr. Tim goes to the local bookstore and they happen to have a copy and so he buys it, takes it home and tucks the letter inside the book. Then he wraps it in his favorite green wrapping paper, but no bow and no tag; planning to add it later.

He sets it on his little antique desk. But,  then he’s called away for an emergency visit to someone in the hospital and hurries off.

Meantime, his housekeeper, Puny, comes to do the cleaning and brings with her, her twin boys, Timmy and Tommy

When she’s ready to go, she asked Tommy to pick up her cleaning gear that she left sitting on the desk

Unbeknownst to her, Tommy blindfold his twin brother Timmy,  and has him clear off the desk,  which he does, sweeping the cleaning gear and the book off into a toilet paper box.

The box gets delivered to Puny’s mother Esther, who discovers the book, takes it out and in puzzlement opens it, and the letter falls out and so she opens it, but when she starts reading, realizes this wasn’t written for her as Ray, her husband, would never write like this. So she tucks it all back together very carefully and stuffs it in another box and this box gets delivered to someone else in the community and so it goes around, and round in community to a variety of folks, each being a little or a lot transformed and getting them thinking about who is their “beloved” and who loves them and family and relationships…. And that’s all I want to say in case you want to read it for yourself.

And as I was reading I kept thinking about our scriptures, and not  just the ones that we have appointed for today, but all the scriptures—-  how they have been circulating the world for thousands of years touching and transforming people's lives.

For  they too are a love letter - from God, to all humanity and all of creation

And not just the warm fuzzy scriptures, but the tough ones too

Like some of the writings in the Old Testament, recording the history of a people, struggling to become a nation called apart to be a light to the world. And God, calling them back, time and time again through the prophets. To love as God loves them.

And the letters that we have from Paul, James, John, Peter —-  leaders writing to the young church, encouraging,guiding, even sounding a bit scolding at times, but always with the goal of leading the church to a fuller understanding of God’s love for them and to help them live in the world as disciples of Jesus.

The Gospel writers show us Jesus, real and human, living in the world but not swayed or changed by the world. Living out his mission: to proclaim good news to the poor, release prisoners, restore sight to the blind and set the oppressed free. 

And I liked what Bishop Mark wrote in his reflection in the Diocesian news. And since he said we can use his words anytime I shall. He writes:

“Jesus doesn’t always paint a serene portrait of what it means to live a faithful life committed to his way of love, his way of service, his way of justice and his way of self sacrifice for the life of the world.

In the passage from the gospel of Luke we heard today, Jesus tells it like it is: a life lived faithfully committed to Jesus,  can put a person way out of sync with the rest of the world and out of favor with those who would prefer to live life as usual.

He keeps it real, but the core of the gospel is hope. The good news of Jesus is always hope. Yes, Jesus’ way of love is also the way of the cross. Yes, the way of Jesus can be hard; there is suffering, there is loss, there is sacrifice, there is death. BUT, there is hope, always hope.  Jesus’s way of love, the way of the cross, is also the way of the resurrection.

 There is an abiding narrative of loss, fear and helplessness in our churches these days. It is a narrative of shrinking numbers and a loss of resources, dying community. There is also a narrative of fear, conflict and helplessness in our nation and even in our world.  While it is important for us to name the struggles, the challenges, the losses, and the fears that confront us - it is important to be honest and truthful about the narrative of life in this world. It is even more important that we remember that a narrative of grief and loss will not move us forward. For that we need a narrative of hope, and hope is the church's business.”

When Jesus says to consider times of crisis as an opportunity to testify, I believe that that is what he is talking about. We may never be asked to stand in front of those in seats of power and speak, but our actions testify to the hope of the Gospel.

In the recent crisis caused by the storms in western Alaska, the loss of income for federal employees, and resources for those in most need, crises in the past and those yet to come; the church, Jesus’s body in this world, meets them in a spirit of hope.

Finishing with Bishop Mark’s words:

“Hope is the narrative that moves the church forward, that moves life forward, that moves us forward. Let us set our hope on Christ and we shall never hope in vain.”

Amen