Thursday Thoughts on Thanks-living
Nov 14, 2019
On the church calendar today, we give thanks for the Consecration of Samuel Seabury: First American Bishop, 1784
Read a little about his story here...
http://satucket.com/lectionary/Consecration_Seabury.htm
Collect: We give you thanks, O Lord our God, for your goodness in bestowing upon this Church the gift of the episcopate, which we celebrate in this remembrance of the consecration of Samuel Seabury; and we pray that, joined together in unity with our bishops, and nourished by your holy Sacraments, we may proclaim the Gospel of redemption with apostolic zeal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
22 Pentecost/Year C
November 10, 2019
Haggai 1:15b-2:9; Psalm 145:1-5, 18-22;
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17; Luke 20:27-38
Our stewardship/pledge season for this year began just a few weeks ago. I’ve been reflecting on some of Bishop Mark’s 5 challenges to the churches this coming year that he introduced at the diocesan convention last month…Those 5 areas he lists are for the people of God, the children of God, to pray, study, serve, give and share…share the good news of God’s love with one another…
The challenges in these five areas encourage us to focus on growing and strengthening our relationship to God and one another instead of getting caught up in worrying or stressing about our average Sunday attendance numbers, or membership numbers or other statistics that keep us from focusing on the mission and purpose of the Church…which is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ. And in our Catechism section in the book of common prayer, we are reminded that the Church carries out this mission through all its members…through all of us…as we are each (uniquely) called in pursuing this mission, through prayer and worship, proclaiming the Gospel, and promoting justice, peace, and love. (BCP 855).
I use the word uniquely…but I think another word I am looking for here…is authentic…meaning…you, as a child of God…a child of the resurrection, as you are named and welcomed in baptism…You have a story to share, that is authentic to you…a story that proclaims the Gospel…the good news of God’s love, as you have experienced it, in your life…
A good news story…that says, Yes…I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and this is how He matters in my life now…and yes, I have a story worthy to share of a time in my life when I was changed and transformed by His love, from death into new life, resurrection life…
When I thought all hope was lost and I was searching for something to hold onto, another person shared a story that helped me find hope again…. when I thought I would never get over the death of a loved one, another person shared their story of grief, and their journey of moving through grief into a new and meaningful life, that helped me dare to take new steps forward…when I thought that I could not bear one more moment of suffering or fear of the unknown…the love of God, made known to me, through another angel of God, in the sharing of her story…touched my life…in a way that affirms in my heart what I may not always fully understand…that Yes…I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ…and yes, I believe He matters in my life now…and yes, I believe that His love and resurrection is for all people…and yes…I believe this is a story worth sharing…a story of God’s love for all God’s beloved children… a story of God’s love for the world, that matters today…and for all of eternity…
I can’t help but think of other kinds of stories that are shared every day…in our newspapers, across our tv screens, our computer screens, our phone screens…stories that can easily sway us to doubt and not believe in the resurrection…(just as the Sadducees into today’s gospel who say there is no resurrection)…There are those stories we see and hear over and over again that seek to distract us from the good news of God’s love active in our world today …stories that seek to bind us to fear…stories that seek to take away our brothers’ and sisters’ human dignity…stories that cause divisions in the human family…
…stories that lead to war with another, stories that rob people and countries of their peace, stories that promote hatred and injustices…
Are these the stories we want to be sharing with our children? Are these really the stories we want to keep telling ourselves and one another? Are these the stories we want to believe in? The stories that are dominating all of our news feeds?
Do we really want to keep spreading these types of stories that others try to use to “prove” or “trick” others into believing that there is no resurrection? That there is no God? That there is no Jesus that we should be following?
This is exactly what the Sadducees in today’s gospel were attempting to do…they were trying to trick Jesus and trap Jesus into somehow proving that there was no way resurrection could be true or possible.
They were perhaps trying to silence his message of the resurrection.
But the good news proclaimed through the resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be silenced. The love of God cannot be silenced.
And Jesus illustrates that today, when he responds to the Sadducees’ question about marriage and resurrection. Jesus doesn’t get caught up in their trick question and go round and round with them, buying into their runaway train of thought. He doesn’t try to “trick or trap them” to prove anything. He just responds with the Good News of God’s love and presence and evidence of the resurrection of the dead from the very beginning… as shown to them through the story of Moses and the burning bush…where Moses speaks of the Lord...as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.
Jesus simply shares a story that points to the love of God’s presence and example of one’s personal experience regarding resurrection.
And then Jesus sums up the heart of the resurrection message in today’s gospel, with the good news of God’s life-giving love, when he says to them…Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive.
The Good News of believing in the resurrection, is the assurance for all Gods’ children, and for all the saints who have gone on before us, that in life and in death, for today and tomorrow, for all of eternity…we are never out of the reach of God’s love….we are alive in the presence and hands of God’s love and compassion…we are alive and united to one another in Christ through the love of God and all that is gracious in Him… and we are made a new creation every time, we are re-assured of God’s love through the witness and stories of resurrection shared by others…stories that remind us…that death does not have the final say…stories that remind us to hope…stories that remind us to begin again…to take heart…to be courageous…to be faithful…
Our mission, as a Church, as the body of Christ, the hands and feet of God in this world now…is to go and share this resurrection Good news with the world, through our stories, through prayer and worship, proclaiming the Gospel, and promoting justice, peace, and love….
And I also say to you… that we can do all of these well…when we take the time to sit down with one another…and simply share our own authentic selves, our own resurrection stories of how the love of God has transformed our lives…
There is a world out there, filled with people who are hungry for good news…There are people who are out there who are unsure of what or who to believe in and hope in anymore….and your story may be the very words of hope that one person needs to hear today…your resurrection story may be a matter of life or death for them…
Assure them…that God is all about love…that Jesus is the person who embodies this love and has walked among us, is walking with us, and will walk with us when he comes again…Assure them, that their lives truly matter…because of Jesus’ love for them: His life, death and resurrection matters today…and for all of eternity…
This is the story we are called to share…
Lift Every Voice and Sing II - #64 I Love To Tell the Story
I love to tell the story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story,
Because I know it's true;
It satisfies my longings
As nothing else would do.
I love to tell the story;
Twill be my theme in glory.
To tell the old, old story
Of Jesus and His love.
I love to tell the story,
For those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it, like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
'Twill be the old, old story
That I have loved so long.
Refrain
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska
Today we commemorate the faithful departed. On All Souls' Day, we remember those who have died and pray for those grieving loved ones.
https://twitter.com/churchofengland/status/1190562692601438208?s=21
19 Pentecost/Year C
October 20, 2019
Stewardship Season Kick-off Sunday
Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119: 97-104; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8
Jesus told his disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.
This isn’t the first time we hear Jesus talk about prayer and it surely will not be the last. Prayer was central and first and foremost in Jesus’ life… and throughout the scriptures we have seen many examples that point to the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life…
Today’s parable is the second one Jesus teaches in Luke’s Gospel on the necessity of prayer. Earlier Jesus told a parable about a man going to his friend in the middle of night to ask for bread and even though at first the friend may not want to get up if he persists his friend will get up and give him the bread (Luke 11:5-8). Next Sunday we will hear another parable on prayer, the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).
In Luke’s Gospel we see Jesus in prayer more often than in any of the other Gospels. The following examples of Jesus in prayer are only in Luke: Jesus was praying after his baptism when the heavens opened (Luke 3:21). After the cure of the leper Jesus withdrew to the wilderness and prayed (Luke 5:16). Jesus spent all night on the hills in prayer before he chose the Twelve (Luke 6:12-16).
Jesus was praying alone when he asked the disciples “Who do the people say I am?” (Luke 9:18-22).
Eight days later he took Peter, James and John and went up on the mountain to pray (Luke 9:28) and while praying he was transfigured (Luke 9:29). Jesus was praying when his disciples asked him to teach them to pray so he taught them the “Our Father”, the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4). Jesus prayed for Simon that his faith might not fail (Luke 22:32). Only Luke tells us that Jesus prayed for his crucifiers (Luke 23:34) and as he died committed his spirit into the hands of the Father (Luke 23:46). In the Acts of the Apostles, also attributed to Luke, we see the Church at prayer many times. The disciples in Acts are doing what Jesus has taught them and shown them in the Gospel.
Prayer, as we have seen and heard, not only in the gospel of Luke and in the Acts of the Apostles, was central in Jesus’ life and ought to be central in our lives also. (Fr. Tommy Lane)
Today, is our stewardship season kick-off for the coming year…And I invite all of us to begin with a renewed commitment to prayer…prayer ought to be central in our lives…in our hearts, minds, body, spirit, and in every action we take…prayer ought to be at the center of all we are…and all we do…
Each year, we as a body of Christ, the Church….gather to pray, engage in conversations, and discern the ways in which we will carry out the Mission of Christ: The Mission of the Church…here at St Peter’s and in the wider community…in the coming year.
From the Catechism in the book of common prayer:
Q. What is the mission of the Church?
A. The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.
Q. How does the Church pursue its mission?
A. The Church pursues its mission as it prays and worships, proclaims the Gospel, and promotes justice, peace, and love.
Q. Through whom does the Church carry out its mission?
A. The church carries out its mission through the ministry of all its members.
All of us…all of us have been blessed with God’s many and varied and wonderful gifts to be shared in carrying out the Mission of the Church….And here at St Peter’s…we are On a journey together: Seeking to walk the way of love…with God, one another, and all of creation…And in this coming year…we will embark on a journey that will be focused on Counting and Sharing our Blessings…And for this journey…and throughout all of our journeys here on earth…there’s one thing that we must always carry with us…Prayer…
As Jesus, has shown us, prayer needs to be central, and first and foremost in our lives…Prayer…individually and together, faithfully…and with the persistence of the widow in today’s parable …
Pray with your eyes open, pray with your eyes closed, pray in the morning, pray in the evening…pray over the pledge letter, pray before every decision you make, pray in the midst of every sorrow, pray in gratitude for every blessing…pray…count and share your blessings and see the fruits of God’s love grow in your relationship with God, and with one another…pray and worship together…proclaim the gospel…promote justice, peace and love…Pray for God’s kingdom to come here on earth…pray always…and do not lose heart…
Prayer: The Hymnal 1982 - #10 New every morning is the love
1 New every morning is the love our wakening and uprising prove;
through sleep and darkness safely brought,
restored to life and power and thought.
2 New mercies, each returning day, around us hover while we pray;
new perils past, new sins forgiven,
new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.
3 If on our daily course our mind be set to hallow all we find,
new treasures still, of countless price,
God will provide for sacrifice.
4 Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be, as more of heaven in each
we see; some softening gleam of love and prayer
shall dawn on every cross and care.
5 The trivial round, the common task, will furnish all we ought to
ask: room to deny ourselves; a road to bring us daily nearer God.
6 Only, O Lord, in thy dear love, fit us for perfect rest above;
and help us, this and every day, to live more nearly as we pray.
Rev. Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska
18 Pentecost/Year C
October 13, 2019
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7; Psalm 66:1-11; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17: 11-19
It is good to be home again and to be here with all of you again. I had the opportunity to travel to MA and NYC to be with family and old friends when I attended my high school reunion. It was good to visit new places and old places…. I attempted to recall what it was like growing up in Cape Cod, MA…trying so hard to re-capture the familiarity and comfort of growing up in a place where I was surely blessed by family, friends, a beautiful landscape of oceans, and endless opportunities that I was given throughout my life there. I am grateful for the people and this place that I called home for so many years. And in my heart, will always be home.
My time in NYC with my son and his wife, was also a blessed time, and at the same time there were those moments of uncomfortableness, and being overwhelmed by the sights and sounds of a city that is not familiar to me, in a city that I’m not sure I could ever call home. But my son, his wife, and millions of others…thrive in their city…love their city and call it home. And they are grateful.
I also had the opportunity to attend the diocesan convention in Anchorage, for a few days after my vacation. It is always a blessed time to gather with others from across the state, to hear about what’s going on in their homes, neighborhoods, and worshipping communities. It’s always a reminder to me, of the diversity of God’s people, and the places we call home, and the comfort we receive, in being welcomed into a circle and a community of love, that we had not yet intimately known.
Travelling is a joy, but it can also be a mix of joy and anxiety in not being in our usual place of comfort. We miss the comfort of our own beds, the foods we like, the familiar smells in the air we breathe, the places and people who give us joy in our neighborhoods, and our own routines that keep us grounded to this place we call home. We count ourselves blessed to have a place we call home. And we are thankful.
But, after a time, once we are back home, we fall back into our routines and back into our circle of comfort….and perhaps forget….the uneasiness of what it felt like to be an “outsider” for a time…what it felt like…to be on the outside of a community, looking in…what it felt like to live with some uncertainty and uncomfortableness for a time… and perhaps, we forget…to give thanks to God… for the blessing of being in relationship with God, and others, who see us, invite us, welcome us and ground us in this place…we call home.
In today’s gospel reading…we hear about the 10 lepers, outsiders, untouchables, who approach Jesus when he comes into a village…but, they keep their distance…they are used to being on the outside…looking in…on the outside, perhaps…just waiting for someone to notice them, and invite them, to be part of the community gathered….
And they summon up the courage to call out to Jesus…I wonder why? What had they heard about him? Maybe they have been following Him, and watching him closely from a distance…from a perspective that others on the inside could not have known? Or perhaps from a perspective that others had forgotten…what it meant to be an outsider…
The 10 lepers call out to Jesus, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” Jesus sees them…he hears them…he understands them…he responds to them… “Go and show yourselves to the priests”. And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan.
He was not only a leper, but a Samaritan. He was a foreigner. He was made clean. He was healed. And he turned back to thank Jesus. No one else did. Just the Samaritan in this story.
In Jesus’ time, Samaritans were the natural foe of any story because they were considered as Gentiles. This Samaritan’s behavior is a reversal, where the outsider expected to behave poorly becomes the model disciple. (Helena L. Martin)
It is the outsider who reminds us of who it is that loves us, welcomes us, heals us, makes us whole, restores us, and reconciles us to God, and one another…into a community of love, God’s love…God’s home. It is the outsider, the leper, the Samaritan, who reminds us all…to return to God to give thanks for everything…and in doing so…our faith makes us whole and well…
It is by the Samaritan’s example…that we get a tiny glimpse of what God’s kingdom, God’s beloved community looks like…a home, a community for all God’s beloved children….where there are no more outsiders looking in…where there are invitations extended, welcomes celebrated, love shared among everyone…and when we remember to give thanks and praise to God, for welcoming us all into God’s forever home.
In Jesus’ time, and in this story, we know the outsiders as lepers…
What about in our time now…who does our society label and treat as outsiders now? The poor, the homeless, the addicted, those with behavioral health and mental health disorders, those with physical conditions that are hidden from our eyes, those who don’t act like us, or believe what we do, those who are in prison, those who are tucked away in facilities, the children who are caught up in a system of abuse and neglect, those who are foreigners and refugees…
We have a long list of people that live on the margins, and on the outskirts of a welcoming and loving community…
We’ve been on the outside, looking in, too…many times…and we’ve been called to return, many times, to give thanks to God, for welcoming us home once again…we know the comfort and joy in this…
Might we tap into that remembrance of being on the outside, looking in and tap into our thankfulness and gratitude for God’s blessing, often - and offer and share the same love, comfort and joy and assurance of our faith that has made us well…and invite others to know the same?
Might we reach out, not in fear, but with love…join hands with one another…and welcome someone home, once again….and with all of our hands joined together – lift them up, praising God together:
Song: My Tribute (the Purple Maranatha Praise Chorus Book)
To God be the glory, to God be the glory, to God be the glory for the things He has done!
With His hand He has saved us, with His pow’r He has raised us, to God be the glory for the things He has done!
Rev. Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska
Pentecost 16 Proper 21 September 29, 2019
I'll pray for each of you tonight. Blessings! Be bold! Be alive! Be honest - would you want to be doing anything else.
When I found out I’d be leading today’s service, I looked at the lectionary calendar and noticed there was a feast day that had been moved from today to tomorrow – the feast of Michael and All Angels. There are only a few feast days celebrated on the assigned date if that date happens to fall on a Sunday, and this was not one of them. The readings for both days intrigued me, but I focused on today’s readings.
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to shred the junk mail atop my shredder. I glanced through the return addresses and checked the thickness of the envelopes, then began to feed the mail into the machine – until I came to the last envelope, upside down in my hand. I paused, turned it over and looked at the return address again – Catholic Relief Services. Hmmm, how did they get my address? I wondered, as I bent over to place the envelope into the slot. Something made me pause again; I turned it over and in the lower right corner saw: Angel Medallion Inside – DO NOT SHRED. Sure enough, there was a medallion glued to a card inside. I remembered the upcoming feast day and saved the envelope and medallion.
Whether you believe angels move among us or are the things of myth, most of us have our own ideas about them. What do you think of when you hear the word ‘angel?’ Beautiful beings with shimmering wings and flowing tunics hovering overhead? Halfcovered cherubs with tiny wings? Adoring creatures gathered singing around heavenly beings? Maybe you think of your children or grandchildren in the Christmas pageant, or as tiny babies, sound asleep. Do you imagine little beings perched on your shoulders advising you to do one thing or another? Are angels generous patrons here on earth? Helpers? Loved ones? Guardians? Do you think of Roma Downey in Touched by an Angel - or John Travolta in Michael?
Scriptures speak of angels as created intelligences who worship God in heaven and act as God’s messengers and agents on earth. There are references to angels protecting and guiding humans, as well as carrying out tasks on God’s behalf. In today’s gospel, we heard a hint of that as we read that the angels carried the poor man away to be with Abraham after he died.
The parable in today’s gospel tells of a poor man lying hungry and dying at the gates of a rich man’s house, a man who ignored the poverty right outside his front door. When both men die, one was taken to be with Abraham while the other was buried and went to Hades where he suffered greatly, begging for mercy for himself and his family.
Today’s parable stands out among all the parables for one reason. When we read it, we heard the rich man described simply as ‘the rich man.’ Sometimes he is given the name ‘Dives,’ pronounced ‘dee-ways’ in Latin. This isn’t a name – it only means ‘very rich man’ in Latin. But there is a name in this parable - the only name I could find in all the parables. Jesus names the poor man ‘Lazarus,’ which means ‘God Has Helped.’ Naming is important – the act of naming creates an intimate relationship between the ‘namer’ and the named one. In giving the poor man a name, Jesus was letting his listeners know there was a deep connection between Jesus and Lazarus, a bond that demonstrated how people should relate to and treat others, no matter their social standing. Lazarus was not simply a beggar; he was a child of God, important and beloved.
As I thought about the words of the parable, I realized that even before he died, the rich man was, in effect, dead to the world around him. All that mattered was his wealth and feeding his hunger for more. He couldn’t see the need outside his gates because he was blind to all but his own needs. Not even the sight of starving Lazarus covered with sores could move him. As humans, we are hardwired to feel love and compassion; when we see others in need or suffering, it’s normal and natural for us to respond with emotion, with empathy, with a sense of sadness or a desire to make right whatever is wrong. It’s also part of our nature to share happiness and joy. When we deny ourselves those feelings and emotions, we are denying our own humanity - and dying to the world.
In this parable, Jesus reminds us there is so much more to life in this world than wealth. The world we inhabit has many similarities with the world of Jesus’ time. We, too, have war, hunger and disease. Many need shelter, clothing, medical care, help with addiction and mental illness. This parable reminds us that those who suffer have names. They are real. They exist in very real and horrifying conditions. Unless we open ourselves to see and feel the world outside our own existences, it will be as if we are dead to that world - and to our own humanness. With all the means we have at our hands to feed, clothe, shelter, protect and care for all who are named and loved by Jesus, there is no reason whatsoever for these conditions to exist. There is no reason for children to die of curable diseases, or for wars to rage on. We could fix these problems and right these wrongs.
So where do angels fit into the picture? If angels are God’s messengers and agents, is it possible for us to be those messengers of hope and agents of change? When our words and actions align with the words and actions we embrace in our baptismal vows, the answer is ‘absolutely yes!’ Ask yourself: When was the last time my words or actions changed the life of another for the better? When did I go out of my way to help someone in distress or need? Do my words build others up and offer hope? Have I smiled at a stranger or shared a giggle with a person standing near? What about the time I paid it forward at the coffee shop or restaurant?
When you were serving Christ in others and working for justice and peace, was there an angel guiding you? Were you an angel for someone else? How did you feel? Maybe a little more alive?
Let’s not forget that medallion. I wonder if an angel stopped me from shredding that envelope. Hmmm.
Thanks be to God.
Written by Kit Allgood-Mellema
Sept 20, 2019
Climate Change
Dear Editor: Kathryn Hayhoe, a climate scientist, a professor in the department of political science at Texas Tech University, director of the Climate Center and evangelical Christian, was just named Climate Champion of the Earth by the United Nations. Here’s what she said yesterday. “The award offers real encouragement to those of us working every day to spread the message that climate change is real and that we need to act now to deal with it. Together, keeping up the pressure, we can prevail, because we already have the technology and knowledge to make the necessary changes; all we’re missing is the will,” Hayhoe said. (https://youtu.be/CptBBAxd928)
I had the opportunity to hear Kathryn twice last week while attending the ONE PLANET, ONE FAMILY conference sponsored by Alaska Interfaith Power & Light.
She spoke at UAS to an audience of community members, faculty and students and then again at Chapel by the Lake to people of faith wooing both packed facilities. I had listened to her before on a Citizens Climate Lobby education call, and I wasn’t disappointed. She’s a powerful advocate for the planet and a force to be reckoned with. She persuasively used the metaphor of our planet as a human body when addressing what’s the big deal of a 2 degree increase in temperature on the planet. Well for us humans, it’s the difference of a 98.6 and 100.6 temperature. It clearly indicates that we are sick; it’s not different for our planet. The planet has a fever, it’s going up and she’s getting sicker the longer we go without enacting policies that effectively bring down carbon emissions and sequester carbon from the atmosphere.
Kathryn also talked about the Genesis passage (NRSV verse 1:28) in the Bible which reads ... God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” Kathryn pointed out that the word dominion comes from the Greek word, radah. It means to be responsible for; it’s a ruling or rule. The words, abad – to cultivate and shamar – to protect, keep, guard – also come up in the passage depending on the version you are reading. So basically, the Maker is directing humanity to take responsibility for, to cultivate and care for the Creation. We’ve fallen terribly, terribly short and now, planetary health and human health are in jeopardy. As she so eloquently said, “It’s climate changed not climate change.”
So what to do? We’ll here’s a short list:
Support youths striking for the climate today and on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Sitka High School at 11:30 a.m.
Call Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and ask them to join the newly forming Climate Solutions Caucus in the Senate that Sen. Coons (Democrat from Delaware) and Sen. Braun (Republican from Indiana) created.
Call Rep. Don Young and ask him to sign on to the bipartisan, HR 763 – The Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act – the best first step to curb carbon emissions.
If you are a business owner or congregation, endorse HR 763 at https://citizensclimatelobby.org/energy-innovation-and-carbon-dividend-act/.
Look at your own carbon footprint at www.footprintcalculator.org. What changes can you make? Collectively, all our actions add up.
For the love of Creation,
Lisa Sadleir-Hart, Sitka
(In the Sitka Sentinel today Sept 20, 2019)
14 Pentecost/Year C
September 15, 2019
Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28; Psalm 14;1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10
I came across a very old gospel hymn this past week in the hymnbook we use at the Pioneers’ home for the Wednesday morning communion service. I’ve been spending some extra time there the past couple of months due to a couple of their regular pianists being out on medical leave. They usually play every week for the Wednesday morning service, and the gospel music time afterwards, and on Thursday nights.
When I was looking through the hymnbook to choose the 2 hymns to sing this past week at the Wed service, the title of a hymn, The Ninety and the Nine caught my eye. When I returned to my church office, I looked up the hymn to check out the lyrics and music, and I listened to a few recordings of it. And as music almost always does for me, it brought home the message of today’s gospel for me, reminding me, yet again, of God’s never-ending and relentless, outpouring of love, compassion, and mercy for me, and for all of his beloved people.
I was reminded while reading the lyrics of this old, old hymn, written in 1868 and put to music in 1874, that no matter how many times I have messed up, sinned, and wandered far away from trusting in the love and mercy of God, God never gives up on me. He never gives up on us. He will do whatever it takes to find any of his flock who have wandered off from the Shepherd’s care and find themselves lost for a time… He will keep looking and searching for those who are lost, and when he finds them, he will bring them back home, rejoicing, “I have found my sheep!”
Sometimes, we, ourselves may not even know we are lost…it’s often easier to point out others who appear to be lost, and label someone else as a sinner…but we are not so ready to admit to ourselves, our own sin, our own shortcomings, our own failure to fully trust and believe that God calls us beloved.
When we repent, we free ourselves to be loved by God, and we free ourselves to go out into the world to seek those who are lost, or feeling alone, …those who God sends us out to love, and welcome them home….our family, our friends, our neighbors, our enemies, and strangers….
God will not give up on any of us: He will keep looking and searching for those who are lost, and when he finds them, he will bring them back home, rejoicing, “I have found my sheep!”
This is good news, indeed! Good News that has been proclaimed for over 2000 years in the scriptures, and in the lives of those who believe in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ… In Jesus, we have a Shepherd who has shown us what it means to be relentless in love, compassion and mercy…In Jesus, we have a Shepherd, who has given us hope and strength to follow him, in seeking out ways to love and care for one another…never giving up hope, never giving up on someone else’s worthiness, never giving up, on listening for their voice, never giving up on the dream of God’s beloved community….where all will know the love and power of God’s love, to bring healing and hope in all of our lives again, uniting us and reconciling us to one another…as a community, a family…where all are loved and welcomed home, where we will all rejoice together, in the presence of the angels of God, in this life, and in the life, yet to come.
By our Baptism, as followers of the Way of Christ, The Way of Love, we are being called to be part of the search party now…
"How many of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?
In God’s kingdom, in God’s family…every person is loved and valued and of worth. Never give up, in remembering that about yourself….and never give up, in searching for his beloved and bring them home.
God will not give up on any of us: He will keep looking and searching for those who are lost, and when he finds them, he will bring them back home, rejoicing, “I have found my sheep!”
Hymn: The Ninety and Nine (words by Elizabeth C Clephane, 1868; Music by Ira D Sankey, 1874)
1 There were ninety and nine that safely lay in the shelter of the fold,
but one was out on the hills away, far off from the gates of gold —
away on the mountains wild and bare,
away from the tender Shepherd's care, away from the tender Shepherd's care.
2 "Lord, thou hast here thy ninety and nine; are they not enough for thee?"
But the Shepherd made answer: "This of mine has wandered away from me,
and although the road be rough and steep,
I go to the desert to find my sheep, I go to the desert to find my sheep."
3 But none of the ransomed ever knew how deep were the waters crossed;
nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed thro' ere he found his sheep that was lost.
Out in the desert he heard its cry —
sick and helpless, and ready to die, sick and helpless, and ready to die.
4 "Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way that mark out the mountain's track?" "They were shed for one who had gone astray ere the Shepherd could bring him back."
"Lord, whence are thy hands so rent and torn?"
"They're pierced tonight by many a thorn, they're pierced tonight by many a thorn."
5 But all thro' the mountains, thunder-riv'n, and up from the rocky steep,
there arose a glad cry to the gate of heav'n, "Rejoice! I have found my sheep!"
And the angels echoed around the throne,
"Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own! Rejoice, for the Lord brings back his own!"
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska
13 Pentecost/Year C
Sept 8, 2019
Jeremiah 18:1-11; Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33
Opening prayer: Loving God, as we come before you this morning, give us open hearts and open hands. Make us eager to hear your voice and seek your guidance. Open our minds to your ever-present spirit that is always moving within and around us. Open our spirits to your nudging and open our lives to your love.
. ~ posted on The Minor Keys. theminorkeys.blogspot.ca
Sometimes Jesus’ words come off sounding quite beautiful and lovely…nudging us gently to follow him….Other times…not so gentle…and beautiful sounding…
Today’s gospel reading…is one of those “not so gentle” messages about what it means to follow him. Jesus has some harsh words for those who say they want to follow him, and be his disciple. "Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. …none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions."
Jesus certainly has a way with words sometimes…words that always manage to catch one’s attention…he has a way about him…that brings us uncomfortably close to the truth…his words can be pretty shocking at times, sound pretty radical, sound impossible, and pretty much turn upside down, anything we thought we understood about him, and what we really think we are doing, when we say yes…to following him…
Jesus always seemed to have a large crowd gathering around him…There seemed to be plenty of people who were travelling with him from place to place…eager to hear what he had to say…
But every once in awhile…he stopped what he was doing…turned around and looked directly at those who were following him…and questioned them…
He wanted to know, if they realized fully who it was they were following…where they thought he might be leading them…
He wanted to know, if they realized…that following him…meant going all the way to the cross with him…he told them more than once…that the Son of Man would be killed, and on the third day He would rise again. But the disciples…didn’t seem to understand these words…or perhaps they didn’t want to hear what he was saying… when he began to talk about his death…
They couldn’t get past the harsh words. They seem to stop there. And then go back to their own version of what it is they were doing, in following Jesus. And perhaps, just brush it off.
But Jesus’ invitation to follow him, and be a disciple means that we trust in Him enough…to follow him all the way to the cross…and stay there with him, face the hard stuff, acknowledge the death, be there in the quiet and unknowing of what’s next…Trust in his hard words of truth…because as we have the benefit of knowing now…death does not have the final say…because Jesus did rise to life again on the third day…so that all of us…could also be transformed into new life with him.
Following Jesus is hard…but, in considering the cost and the value of all of God’s beloved children…striving to love one another as Christ has loved us….every step with Jesus, with our brothers and sisters is so worth it…
I am particularly thinking of our brothers and sisters who are struggling with mental health and substance use disorders….it can often be a long and difficult road to recovery…but with the support of people along the way…hard and difficult is not impossible…
September is National Recovery Month. It is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is a national observance held every September to educate the general public that substance use treatment and mental health services can enable those with mental and substance use disorders to live healthy and rewarding lives. This observance celebrates the millions of people who are in recovery from mental and substance use disorders, reminding us that treatment is effective and that people can and do recover.
It also serves to help reduce the stigma and misconceptions that cloud public understanding of mental and substance use disorders, potentially discouraging others from seeking help.
The 2019 Recovery month theme: “Join the Voices for Recovery: Together We Are Stronger,” emphasizes the need to share resources and build networks across the country to support recovery. It reminds us that mental and substance use disorders affect us all, and that we are all part of the solution.
https://recoverymonth.gov/about-recovery-month
There are several things happening in Sitka as part of recovery month. This past weekend, was a walk in recognition of suicide prevention efforts…and many people walked, to remember a loved one who has died by suicide.
Next weekend, Sitka counseling is inviting the community to come out and walk for recovery…a chance to celebrate those in recovery from mental health and substance use related issues…and to spread the message that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover. (SCPS)
St Peter’s will hold a special prayer service on Sept 18, in recognition of Recovery month.
At the end of the month, there will be a community Recovery Month Potlatch…
Every day, here in Sitka, there are AA/NA groups, and other support groups available to those in recovery and for their families and circle of support…
Those in recovery need support from the whole community. (not from just the counselors, the medical establishments, the mental health practitioners). They can’t do it themselves, their family cannot support them all on their own…it takes all of us to seek to be educated, and seek ways that we can walk with people on the long road to recovery.
Following Jesus is all about community. It’s all about finding ways to walk with each other through the hard times, and the joyful times. It’s all about trusting Jesus to know, that when he walk with him, he will not only lead us to face the difficult issues in our lives, but he will lead us beyond that into a new life…transformed by the love of God into a new creation
I could imagine Jesus walking right alongside with all those on the road to recovery as they face the very hard stuff…and go through the difficult period of transition and transformation to a new life ….
And as brothers and sisters in Christ…I imagine Jesus is inviting us to follow him…to really think about what it means to be a disciple of Christ…trusting in Him, going wherever he leads us…going all the way with him….doing whatever it takes…to love one another, as Christ as loved us….but not only following Christ alone, but in community with one another.
That’s where the fullness of life begins and ends and begins again…in following Jesus, all the way….walking together with our brothers and sisters…all the way….trusting in the way Jesus is leading us…into newness of life…and God’s everlasting grace and glory….
Lift Every Voice and Sing II - #144 Where He Leads Me
1 I can hear my Savior calling, (x3)
"Take thy cross and follow, follow me."
Refrain Where He leads me I will follow,(x3)
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way.
2 I'll go with Him through the garden, (x3)
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way. Refrain
3 I'll go with Him through the judgement, (x3)
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way. Refrain
4 He will give me grace and glory, (x3)
And go with me, with me all the way. Refrain
Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK
