Giving thanks for the light, love and glory of God...

Last Sunday after the Epiphany/ Year A

February 19, 2023

Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9

Opening prayer: God our light, make us attentive to your Word as to a lamp shining in a dark place, that seeing your truth we may live faithful lives until that great day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts. Amen. (Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion)

Today we celebrate the last Sunday of the Epiphany Season…a season of the church year, in which we have spent time with the scriptures that have helped us to reflect on the identity of Jesus Christ, whose birth and coming into the world, as the long-awaited Savior…we celebrated on Christmas Day…

We celebrated the true light that came into being, which we believe is Jesus, whose presence among us came to scatter the darkness of the world...by bringing signs of love, joy, peace, and hope to God’s people, once again…. And throughout the season of Epiphany, our scriptures have focused on helping us to see that indeed Jesus is the light of all his people…a true light….who came into the world to enlighten all people… “What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.”  John 1:4...

This life, this light, this glorious light…was a gift from God, which revealed God’s incredible love for all of us….                                                         

It was only a seemingly few short weeks ago that we began the Epiphany Season…beginning with the visitation of the wise men, bringing gifts for this newborn king…And looking above us here in the church…the stars hanging above us, have been a weekly reminder and inspiration of the gift given for us…and a lasting gift to light the way for us…as we get ready to embark on a new season in the church year….

Reflecting back to the 1st Sunday after the Epiphany, we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordon River…in which the Spirit of God descending like a dove, alighted on Jesus, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

And here we are, several weeks later, and on the last Sunday after the Epiphany, ending with basically, the same words, that we began with on the 1st Sunday after the Epiphany, at the time of Jesus’ Baptism: “from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased”…

Only this time, these words are heard from the mountain top…with a few additional words: “listen to him!”

In our reading from 2nd Peter today…we heard an eyewitness account from Peter regarding the experience on the mountain, when he says, For he (Jesus) received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain…. So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. 

“listen to him!” You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Listen to him….in the voice of the Majestic Glory that is spoken from the mountain tops…Listen to him…as you look up to the mountains, or climb them….Stay there for awhile… listen for the Spirit of God’s word for you….Watch for the glory of Christ’s presence among you…be transformed by his glorious light and life….

But don’t stop there…stuck in the amazement of the glorious light that shines before you…perhaps in a life changing moment…when you realize that yes, I do believe….that Jesus is the Son of God…that he is the beloved one…that Jesus is the light of the world…that he is the one who we are called to follow and help transform the world from the nightmare it seems to be at times…(as presiding Bishop Michael Curry often says) to the dream of God’s beloved community…where all people know that they matter to God, and to one another…

And consider this… after you allow yourself to abide in that moment of awe and awakening to something more than you could adequately explain with words…the time comes when you must descend that mountain…you must return to your walk in the world…where you will seek to do God’s will…where you will strive to listen to him….and strive to keep your eyes open to be led by the light of Christ’s presence among us, always….

There are so many moments around us daily, where God is seeking to get our attention, calling out to us: “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” and calling us to return to Him…and to the center of our being….where Christ’s love is burning in our hearts…overflowing with the love that we are being called to share with the world…overflowing with the Good News of God, in Christ…that we are being called to proclaim by word and example to the world around us….

There are so many opportunities for each one of us to reveal the power of Christ’s transforming light and love to others…as we seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves; and strive for justice and peace among all people,  and respect the dignity of every human being….

But we have to take time, daily… to listen deeply…to hear what the Spirit of God is speaking to his people…so that we will respond from the center of our being, where Christ’s light and love will shine forth, through all of our words and in all of our actions…

Next Sunday, will be the first Sunday in Lent…we will return once again to Jesus’ baptism….to what begins immediately after his baptism…when he is led up by the Spirit into the wilderness…for 40 days…

We will be embarking on this journey with Jesus, as we enter this season of the church year in which we are invited to observe this season of Lent, as a time of introspection and self-reflection, and a time to be intentional about listening more deeply to God, ourselves, and others. (Living Well through Lent 2017: Listening With All Your heart, Souls, Strength, and Mind).

This year’s new Living Well Through Lent Devotional focuses on Practicing Compassion with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind…and begins with setting aside time to be intentional about listening more deeply to God, ourselves and others…

I would like to encourage you to take one of the devotionals for yourself…maybe another one to give to someone else…or take one of the daily Way of Love Lent calendars…and during the next several weeks, through the start of Holy Week…take time to visit with others…in person, or by phone, as needed…spend some time just checking in with each other, and spend some of that time talking about what’s coming to light for you in your readings from the devotional, the way of love calendar…or some other Lenten practice you take on in the next several weeks…

Epiphany has been a season of light and glory and majesty and booming voices from heaven speaking to us…about life…about the meaning of life…what matters...and who matters…

But next week, beginning on Ash Wednesday, in which we are reminded of our mortality and death, we will enter a new season of the church year that will teach us another way that God speaks to his people about the meaning of life… through silence…

No matter the season of the church year we find ourselves in… it is always the time to “listen to him!” …the Spirit of God….we will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts.

As we come to end of this church season…

My heart is overflowing with gratitude for the beautiful stars that have been adorning the church these past several weeks…and my heart is full as we come to the end of this season after the Epiphany…full of the light, and the love, and the glory of God…that is with us now, and will be…forever….Amen

HYMN: How Great thou art

Rev. Julie Platson, Rector

St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, Alaska

Choices to make evey day

6 Epiphany/Year A

Feb 12, 2023

Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 119:1-8; Matthew 5:21-37

Our opening scriptures from Sirach today…invite us to consider the choices we face every day…

If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.

He has placed before you fire and water; stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.

Before each person are life and death, and whichever one chooses will be given.

Now, we all know…that making a choice about some things aren’t always as easy as the writer simply states… If you choose, you can keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.

Sure, we probably think it’s easy enough to say that we would stretch out our hand for water, and not fire…Sure, we would most likely say we would choose life over death…But, I wonder…as we go through life…do we really ever choose one over the other?

In baptism, we are baptized by water and sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever…The Holy Spirit, is the fire that ignites in us the ability to discern what’s right, and it’s the flame of hope, that can move us to act faithfully when we find ourselves in a moment of decision…

He has placed before you fire and water; stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.

In baptism, we are buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his resurrection. Through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit.

Our baptisms unite us to Christ and one another, in life and in death:

For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord,

and if we die, we die in the Lord.

So, then, whether we live or die,

we are the Lord's possession.

Before each person are life and death, and whichever one chooses will be given.

I wonder too about the words in our gospel reading today…Jesus is continuing with his sermon on the mount…and today his teachings are becoming a little more difficult to hear, digest and understand…in last week’s gospel, he assured those gathered that he didn’t come to abolish the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them.

So, today’s difficult teaching seems to be about moving hearts and minds and bodies even deeper beyond what’s on the surface of the law and commandments, and our spiritual practices and rituals, to consider what it means to make an intentional choice to love God and our neighbor, through following Jesus…and to see how the choices we make every day as a follower in the way of love that Jesus is advocating for…a love that is forgiving, merciful, just, kind, faithful in stretching out one’s hand to feed the hungry, release the prisoners, free the oppressed, welcome the immigrants, and care for one another…a way of love that can lead us to act faithfully, and help us strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being…

Jesus came among us to show us another way of what it truly means to love God, and one another…and how our every day choices have the power to transform this world into the beloved community that God created for all of us…

Let me close with an excerpt of the Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s opening remarks at the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church meeting this past week…

‘Jesus Shows Us Another Way’

“I remember a few years ago while I was bishop of North Carolina, I remember reading a book. I was getting ready for Holy Week and was just doing some background reading and trying to listen to scholars and hear what they had to say, and I remember coming across the writing of a couple of New Testament scholars who said something I had never thought about before.

I knew that Palm Sunday and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and all of that was planned. I mean, he didn’t just happen to be hanging out in Jerusalem. It was targeted during the Passover season, depending on which versions, but basically probably during the Passover. That was intentional. It wasn’t an accident. Passover was the time when the conflict in faith was both you had the religion or the adoration or the fear of the empire and the hope for another kingdom, another way both met.

And so Jesus knew exactly what he was doing. Passover was and is a festival of freedom.

God made everyone to be free, everyone. And they knew that. And the Passover was that festival of that. And so Jesus was entering Jerusalem, in Jerusalem, at a particular time, a pregnant moment to send a message.

He didn’t have the option of satellite communication. Couldn’t send a text to send out the message. No email. Blessed days, no email. But he did have a pregnant moment to send a message that would last through time.

And so he entered Jerusalem at the beginning or near on the occasion of the Passover. All of that, I remembered from seminary, basically.

What I didn’t remember, I didn’t know, was that not only was the occasion of entering Jerusalem at the time of the freedom festival deliberate, but this happened probably at about the same time that Jesus would’ve known that Pontius Pilate, the governor of Rome, would be entering Jerusalem from the other side of the city, riding on a warhorse in front of cavalry and infantry, bearing the insignias of the empire, even the blasphemous title “Caesar is Lord.”

Jesus knew that was happening and entered Jerusalem from the other side. Not riding the warhorse, not in front of an infantry or cavalry, but entered Jerusalem on a donkey.

He knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew that he was outlining another way of being human, another way of following him, a way that is not complicit with domination of anybody by anybody else. A way of true humility, not humiliation, but humility that finds its strength deep within.

And he entered Jerusalem and faced the future. The rest of the week, you know the story.

I say all of that to say that one of the things I’m struggling to learn in my own life is that I am constantly making choices. How will I enter? On the warhorse of privilege, my privilege, power, on the warhorse of domination? Or will I enter on the donkey? Will I enter in humility? Will I enter in the humility?

 And the etymology of it is related to the word “human.” Will I enter by being human with you, and you with me, and us with each other?

Jesus has shown us the other way. And at our time here at this meeting, but, more importantly, not only here, but when we leave here, may we ride the donkey and follow Jesus. “

Let us pray

Hymn: God of freedom, God of justice – (VF) 90

1        God of freedom, God of justice,

          you whose love is strong as death,

          you who saw the dark of prison,

          you who knew the price of faith—

          touch our world of sad oppression

          with your Spirit’s healing breath.

3       Make in us a captive conscience

          quick to hear, to act, to plead;

          make us truly sisters, brothers,

          of whatever race or creed—

          teach us to be fully human,

          open to each other’s need.

Rev. Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

YOU...are the salt of the earth and the ljght of the world today

5 Epiphany/Year A/Feb 5, 2023

Isaiah 58:1-9a; Psalm 112: 1-9; Matthew 5:13-20

Last week’s gospel reading, took us up the mountain, to sit and listen to the beginning of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount…his teaching on the mountaintop, commonly referred to as the Beatitudes…Chip led us through a deeper look at each verse, it’s context and Greek translation…to help us understand more fully this teaching of Jesus…to help us see that they were not just a list of instructions to learn, and a checklist of things to do…and mark off, as complete…but as a way of life, practicing lovingkindness towards others, that leads to transforming our own lives, and the lives of others… We considered how this teaching gives us a glimpse of what the kingdom of God is like…what the beloved community looks like…what matters and who matters…And…I noted in last week’s sermon, that it wasn’t what the world would expect…just as Jesus was not the Messiah that many would have expected…But that was precisely the hope that Jesus proclaimed….A Hope that isn’t dependent on how the world defines how life “should be”…But, a hope that is built upon a foundation of God’s unconditional love for all people…most especially the vulnerable, the forgotten, the lost,  those whose voices are silenced, those who are searching for signs of God’s love and light and hope in the world around them…

We continue this week, with the words of Jesus’ sermon on the mount…and continue with that thread of the unexpected “good news” that Jesus is always wanting his listeners to grab hold of…and believe in…

Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

IN today’s gospel reading…I imagine Jesus looking directly into the eyes of all who are gathered…when he says to them…

You…You are the salt of the earth….

You…You are the light of the world…

You, gathered here today…are the salt of the earth and the light of the world…

You, are the ones that are necessary today, to show up…to be the living, breathing signs of God’s love and light and hope in a world that wonders at times… “where is this God of love, and mercy and compassion in the midst of so much suffering, anxiety, and uncertainty”…

The signs, Jesus teaches us, are not found in the ritual sacrifices, or on the altar, or following the commandments and checking off the boxes, or in the private prayers of the people…They are revealed most fully in the lives of the people among us now, and those who have gone on before us, who embrace Jesus’ invitation to live authentically as a child of God, as salt of the earth people, as light of the world people…

And Jesus encourages us to embody the Good News of God’s love and light and hope…by becoming agents of God’s healing and re-building of a world where the bonds of injustice are loosed, the oppressed are set free, bread is shared generously with the hungry, the homeless and poor all have access to safe and warm shelter, and all have the resources that they need…

You…You are the salt of the earth….

You…You are the light of the world…

You, are the ones that are necessary today, to show up…to be the living, breathing signs of God’s love and light and hope in a world that wonders at times… “where is this God of love, and mercy and compassion in the midst of so much suffering, anxiety, and uncertainty”…

These past few years have dulled our abilities, at times, to be surprised by unexpected signs of God’s love and light and hope in our day to day lives…we have been collectively affected by so much illness, grief, and disruption in our daily lives…we’ve mostly been living in survival mode…trying to hold on to the time when everything will get back to normal again…

Jesus invites us to begin again, right here and now…look around us, at the signs of hope and light and love of God, embodied in the people of God among us…that remind us that we have all that we need in this moment, to live life fully, abundantly, generously…right now… and with hope for what is possible and yet to come, in the days ahead…

We can trust and believe that we have the assurance of God’s love made known to us, in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, and through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

And we have each other.

Every one of us, Jesus tells us, is the salt of the earth…the light of the world…

You…You are the salt of the earth….

You…You are the light of the world…

You, are the ones that are necessary today, to show up…to be the living, breathing signs of God’s love and light and hope in a world that wonders at times… “where is this God of love, and mercy and compassion in the midst of so much suffering, anxiety, and uncertainty”…

You are the one called to share the good news that God is here, among us now…and that sometimes a light surprises us…and will most assuredly restore our Hope that God, indeed, is with us always…

Let us pray:

Hymn: Sometimes a light surprises – (H) 667

1        Sometimes a light surprises the Christian while she sings;

          it is the Lord who rises with healing in his wings:

          when comforts are declining, he grants the soul again

          a season of clear shining, to cheer it after rain.

2        In holy contemplation we sweetly then pursue

          the theme of God’s salvation, and find it ever new;

          set free from present sorrow, we cheerfully can say,

          let the unknown tomorrow bring with it what it may.

3        It can bring with it nothing but he will bear us through:

          who gives the lilies clothing will clothe his people, too:

          beneath the spreading heavens no creature but is fed;

          and he who feeds the ravens will give his children bread.

4        Though vine nor fig tree neither their wonted fruit should bear,

          though all the fields should wither, nor flocks nor herds be there;

          yet, God the same abiding, his praise shall tune my voice;

          for, while in him confiding, I cannot but rejoice.

Rev. Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

2 Sunday Sermons for Jan 29

4 Epiphany/Year A

Readings: Micah 6:1-8; Psalm 15; [I Corinthians 1:18-31]; Matthew 5:1-12

Here are 2 Sunday sermons to reflect on during the coming week…

Following the Light of Christ…

3 Epiphany  Year A/Jan 22 2023 

Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27: 1, 5-13; Matthew 4:12-23

Following the Light of Christ…

We are journeying through the season of Epiphany…the season that sheds light on Jesus and who he is…and the season that sheds light on the experiences of his first followers, who chose to leave the darkness, and step unto the path of light…

This third Sunday in Epiphany…extends an invitation to all of us…once again…to join in that long procession of those who left all they knew and loved…to follow Jesus…to follow that great light that was leading the way…towards the kingdom of heaven…

 IN our first reading today, we hear these words of hope from Isaiah:  “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.” The words of Isaiah shed light on our gospel reading today as we hear how Jesus made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what had been spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali,

on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

the people who sat in darkness

have seen a great light,

and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death

light has dawned.”

.We believe that Jesus is the great light that has come to scatter the darkness.

It would appear by the actions of Peter, Andrew, James and John…that they must have seen a great light shining forth through Jesus….a light that was so spectacular…that they got up, and followed him immediately…They must have seen or experienced something so mesmerizing and inspiring, that would cause them to leave all they knew and loved.

One of the questions that so often comes up when discussing this text with others, is “why did Peter, Andrew, James and John seem to go so willingly?”

All we hear in the scriptures today is the simple invitation Jesus extended to Peter and Andrew… “Follow me, I will make you fish for people”….and the simple call out to James and John, when he was passing by them, while they were at work, mending their nets. They didn’t hesitate… they just dropped everything…accepted the invitation to follow Jesus…to see where he would lead them…and as they followed Jesus throughout Galilee, they listened to Jesus teaching in the synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and watching him as he was curing every disease and sickness among the people.

Imagine…how this must have touched them….they got a glimpse of what the kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven looked like….they not only heard the good news proclaimed, but they also saw, with their own eyes, by the light of Jesus, that the good news of the kingdom of heaven, was indeed, very near to them.

They must have seen how the light overcame the deep darkness….the darkness of fear, uncertainty, grief, the darkness of pain and suffering; the darkness of those being oppressed by fear, the darkness of those without any hope…they must have seen the power in this new light …this light of joy, this light of peace, and this light of perfect love, to bring healing and hope to God’s people…

A simple invitation…a yes, without hesitating….and look what they found?

Signs of Hope….hope for an end to suffering, hope for an end to pain, hope for healing and renewal, hope for a new life, with the Lord…who is our light and our salvation…who is the strength of our lives…

Hope that the world and its people will once again be reunited together in love for God and for one another….working together to build up God’s Kingdom here on earth…where lives will be transformed by the love and light of Jesus, our Lord… our light and our salvation… the strength of our lives…

I believe that Peter, Andrew, James and John…were blessed beyond measure, by accepting Jesus’ invitation to follow him…..What a different story, it would have been if they said no…and did not choose to follow Jesus…just think what would have been lost…

Just think, for a moment, how many times we have closed our eyes and ears to this invitation…and said no…we closed our eyes tight…because we were afraid…we closed our eyes tight so we didn’t have to see the pain and suffering in our neighbors, or our loved ones…we closed our eyes tight, because we couldn’t see how we could be of help at all because there is too much darkness in the world in which we live…

Think about this though….if we close our eyes to the darkness in our world, we are also closing our eyes to the light that is out there…the light of love that others are trying to share with us; the light of joy that others want to celebrate with us; the light of peace, that others want to extend to us; and the light of Jesus who walked through the dark to scatter new light, to bring healing and restore hope once again, in each one of us, and in the world around us…

We have to be willing to say yes to Jesus’ invitation….to welcome this new light into our hearts and minds, to allow it to transform us and use us to scatter this new light  all around us…

Our world would be a much brighter place, if we allowed the light of Jesus to shine through each one of us….

Imagine…if we passed on the light of love and hope to others that we have experienced ourselves…imagine if we invited others to come and see and follow Jesus too….Instead of just one light out there…there would be millions and millions and millions of lights shining…that’s a lot of light and a lot of hope….

I think our world could use it…

Today…and every day, throughout the rest of this Epiphany season…

I will begin my day by praying the words of this hymn: Today I awake…I hope you will join me in this morning prayer…

Hymn: Today I Awake  (Words and Music: John Bell)

Recording the hymn: Today I Awake - Heather Jordan

Today I awake and God is before me.  At night, as I dreamt, God summoned the day; For God never sleeps but patterns the morning  with slithers of gold or glory in grey.
Today I arise and Christ is beside me.  He walked through the dark to scatter new light, Yes, Christ is alive, and beckons his people to hope and to heal, resist and invite.

Today I affirm the Spirit within me at worship and work, in struggle and rest. The Spirit inspires all life which is changing from fearing to faith, from broken to blest.
Today I enjoy the Trinity round me,  above and beneath, before and behind; The Maker, the Son, the Spirit together they called me to life and call me their friend.

Rev. Julie Platson, St. Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

Sharing the the Light of Christ

2 Epiphany/Year A

January 15, 2023

Isaiah 49:1-7, Psalm 40:1-12; John 1:29-42

Prayer: Holy God, you sent your son to be the light of the world, so that all may know the brightness of your love. Fill us with grace this day that we too may bear witness to his light and serve your coming reign. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen  (Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion)

We celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany just nine days ago, on January 6th…On this day, every year,  we read the familiar scriptures that take us on a journey with the wise men following a star that leads them to the Christ child, Jesus, and his family… a journey that enabled them to be among some of the first witnesses to the light of the holy child that was born, an encounter that changed them, transformed them, and sent them home by another way…

As we begin this season in the church year, that follows after the Epiphany, I want to invite you to look up at one of the stars above you (that the Sunday school kids created for the family Christmas pageant this year) when we are gathered here in the church, pause for a moment, and be reminded of the wise men’s journey to the Christ child, Jesus, as they followed the star that led them to finding the One, they were looking for…

And my hope for all of us, as we move through this season after the Epiphany, is that we, too will be changed anew and transformed anew by the light of Christ revealed to us in the scriptures, the prayers, in the music, in the company and fellowship with one another, these next several weeks…and that we too will discover new ways, along the way, to bear witness to this light of Christ, to follow Jesus, in the coming year…

The gospel readings throughout the next several weeks will point us towards getting a clearer picture of who this Jesus is, revealing more about who Jesus is, inviting us to “come and see” for ourselves, in our own lives, and through the witness of others, that indeed Jesus is the One who we’ve been longing for, hoping for, looking for…

On the 1st Sunday after Epiphany – last Sunday – we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord…in which the Spirit of God descending like a dove, alighted on Jesus, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Today, on this 2nd Sunday after Epiphany, John saw Jesus coming toward him, and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”…and later on, the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples, when Jesus walked by and exclaimed, “Look, here is the Lamb of God!” The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus.

Next week, On the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany, we will hear about Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, being called by Jesus to come and follow him…and how they immediately leave their nets to follow him…

On the 4th Sunday after Epiphany, we will listen to Jesus’ words to the crowds that were gathering all around him, as he spoke and taught them, what is commonly referred to as the beatitudes…the opening words from his Sermon on the Mount…

On the 5th Sunday after Epiphany – Jesus’ teachings continue to reveal his wisdom and divinity as he speaks about coming “not to abolish the law or the prophets…but to fulfill them”.

On the 6th Sunday after Epiphany – Jesus spends time teaching and breathing new life into the commandments… as they were understood in ancient times…

And then, finally, on the last Sunday after the Epiphany, we hear about Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountaintop, and circle back around to the beginning of the Epiphany season, by ending with the same words, that we began with on the 1st Sunday after Epiphany, at the time of Jesus’ Baptism: “from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased”…

As we move through this season after Epiphany, I pray that the Holy Spirit will open our eyes, ears, hearts and minds anew with awe and wonder to all the possibilities of discovering that yes, Jesus, is the One…Jesus is the One who is the light of the world, the hope of the world…Jesus is the One who invites each one of us…to follow him…walking as a Child of the Light…bearing witness to his love, light, hope, peace and joy…wherever our feet take us throughout the day…

In a world where so many people are grieving, struggling, living with chronic pain, worrying, not sure where their next meal will come from, or how they will pay rent this month… and in a world, where so many peoples’ worth and dignity are still brushed aside, and discriminated against, and oppressed and turned away at every corner….In a world where a deep sadness seems to blanket the everyday lives of so many of God’s beloved children…We are called to share Christ’s light in all the ways we can, with all the people we can, in all the places we possibly can….

By our baptisms, we are called to testify to the light…to share the light and love of God, revealed to us in Jesus….

At the time of our baptisms, a small candle lit from the paschal candle, is given to the newly baptized child…the light of Christ…

Every one of us, have the light of God within us…inviting us to share it with the world around us….

To shine our little light is to be the presence of Christ in the world today.

(Face to the Rising Sun: Reflections on Spirituals and Justice, The Rev Mark Bozzuti-Jones)

Prayer: Holy God, you sent your son to be the light of the world, so that all may know the brightness of your love. Fill us with grace this day that we too may bear witness to his light and serve your coming reign. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen  (Feasting on the Word: Worship Companion)

Hymn after the sermon: This Little light of Mine

This little light of mine…I’m gonna let it shine…(x3)

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine…

This Little Light Of Mine (Jazz Ensemble)

https://youtu.be/8kYFIji1KNQ

(Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church)

The Feast of the Holy Name

Today’s Scripture readings for the Feast of the Holy Name

Numbers 6:22-27

Galatians 4:4-7

Luke 2:15-21

Psalm 8

Christmas Day Sermon

Christmas Day/Year A - 12/25/22

Isaiah 52:7-10, Psalm 98, John 1:1-14

“What has come into being in him was life,

and the life was the light of all people.”

                                                                     John 1:4

What an incredible gift we were given again this Christmas…..a divine gift…the gift of life….the life which was offered to us as a light for all the people….

The gift… the life…  Is the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ….the source of all life….the focus of all our hopes….A gift given to us, because of God’s incredible love for his people…A gift that was given to us for eternity…it is this life that both creates us and redeems us….

“What has come into being in him was life,

and the life was the light of all people.”

                                                                     John 1:4 

We have something to celebrate today….the good news that God came to be among us…we have seen his glory through the birth of his Son, Jesus, who came into the world as the true light….a light that enlightens everyone…we have been given life, so that we may have it more abundantly….a life abundant with love, joy, hope and peace…

So, let’s reflect for a moment on our celebrations at Christmas time… We love to celebrate…We love to give and receive gifts…

Max Lucado writes in his book, One Incredible Moment…about Divine Gifts…

Oh, the things we do to give gifts to those we love.

But we don’t mind, do we” We would do it all again. Fact is, we do it all again. Every Christmas, every birthday, every so often we find ourselves in foreign territory. Grownups are in toy stores, dads are in teen stores, wives are in the hunting department, and husbands are in the purse department.

 Not only do we enter unusual places, we do unusual things. We assemble bicycles at midnight. We hide the new tires with mag wheels under the stairs. One fellow I heard about rented a movie theatre so he and his wife could see their wedding pictures on their anniversary.

And we’d do it all again. Having pressed the grapes of service, we drink life’s sweetest wine – the wine of giving. We are at our best when we are giving. In fact, we are most like God when we are giving.

Have you ever wondered why God gives so much? We could exist on far less. He could have left the world flat and gray; we wouldn’t have known the difference. But he didn’t.

He splashed orange in the sunrise and cast the sky blue.

And if you love to see geese as they gather, chances are you’ll see that too.

Did he have to make the squirrel’s tail furry?                                               

Was he obliged to make the birds sing?

 And the funny way that chickens scurry or

the majesty of thunder when it rings?

Why give a flower fragrance? Why give food its taste?

Could it be he loves to see that look upon your face?

 If we give gifts to show our love, how much more would he? If we  - speckled with foibles and greed – love to give gifts, how much more does God, pure and perfect God, enjoy giving gifts to us?

God’s gifts shed light on God’s heart, God’s good and generous heart. Jesus’ brother James tells us, “Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light (James 1:17 MSG).

Every gift reveals God’s love…(end of Max Lucado book excerpt)

Let us be reminded this day, of God’s gift to his people…a gift that revealed his incredible love for his children….The Gift of life and light in this world….God’s only Son, Jesus…. Jesus is the light of all his people…a true light….who came into the world to enlighten all people….

“What has come into being in him was life,

and the life was the light of all people.”     John 1:4    

So let us “Sing to the Lord a new song…for he has done marvelous things!” Psalm 98:1

Let us celebrate the gift of life given to us on this blessed Christmas Day… Jesus, our Savior…Emmanuel…God is with us…God is always with us…

Hymn after sermon:  Love came down at Christmas (recording by Shawn Colvin)

1

Love came down at Christmas,

love all lovely, love divine;

love was born at Christmas:

star and angels gave the sign.

2

Worship we the Godhead,

love incarnate, love divine;

worship we our Jesus,

but wherewith for sacred sign?

3

Love shall be our token;

love be yours and love be mine,

love to God and neighbor,

love for plea and gift and sign.

Words: Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)

Christmas Eve Sermon

Christmas Eve – Dec 24, 2022

Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Luke 2:1-20

What a night this is to behold…

It’s our first Christmas Eve together, in person, since December 24, 2019….It seems like a lifetime ago…and we all know…that these past few years have been full of a lot of loss, suffering, times of uncertainty and rapid changes that none of us, could have ever imagined…

Yet, these past few years, in the midst of so much uncertainty, has also been a time of great spiritual growth and resilience, many of us didn’t know we had within us…

It’s been an incredible time of learning together what it truly means to live as people of hope; to discover and celebrate together, the little and the big joys that continued to mark our lives together; we’ve learned to reach out and love one another in ways that we never knew were possible…and if we take a close, introspective look, we can see how our once limited perspectives on what love looks like and acts like…was stretched and expanded beyond anything we had yet to dream of…

This is the kind of love, we are talking about tonight, as we celebrate and remember the birth of Jesus, the Love of God, who came down to dwell among us…to remind us of the light, the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love and presence of God who is always among us, always surrounding us, always reminding us…that whatever is going on in our lives…we are not alone…

Emmanuel…God is with us…God has always been us from the beginning…God will be with us…as we walk together in the coming year…

On Christmas Eve, our scriptures and our hymns and our prayers remind us of this good news…The shepherds, the angels, all those looking up at the night sky…saw the stars, saw the signs of God’s glorious light and love coming into the world, a gift given, not just for this one night…but for eternity…forever…

The night sky, the stars, are there for us even today…to look up and remember…this love that was born for us…this love that came down at Christmas…

The stars hanging here on the nativity table, were made by the youth here at St Peter’s…and were brought forward as part of the family pageant last week…So, it was with great joy that I discovered this beautiful book, unexpectedly this week, to share with you tonight…It’s called the Christmas Star…by Margaret Pfister…

That light, that glorious light, that beacon of hope…was born for us on Christmas Day…

Hymn after sermon: Love came down at Christmas (youtube recording/Andrew Remillard)

1       Love came down at Christmas,

                 love all lovely, love divine;

         love was born at Christmas:

                 star and angels gave the sign.

2       Worship we the Godhead,

                 love incarnate, love divine;

         worship we our Jesus,

                 but wherewith for sacred sign?

3       Love shall be our token;

                 love be yours and love be mine,

         love to God and neighbor,

                 love for plea and gift and sign.

Expectations....

3 Advent/Year A - December 11, 2022

(Sermon by Rev Julie Platson)                              

Isaiah 35:1-10; Canticle 15; Matthew 11:2-11

3rd advent candle: JOY

We light three candles on our advent wreath today… one for HOPE and one for PEACE…and today we lit the third candle, the rose/pink candle of JOY. On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, the church invites us to rejoice -, we can rejoice now because we know that God is faithful to God’s promises. Jesus is coming soon…(Living well through Advent 2022)…The Hope, Peace, Joy, and love of Christ…is coming again soon…

Expectations…that’s the word that’s been on my mind this week…

The opening words from today’s gospel certainly got me thinking about expectations…

“When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

In today’s forward day by day devotion, for this 3rd Sunday of Advent, Sallie Schisler…reflected a bit on this verse…and it gave me some food for thought all week, as I thought about how I manage expectations of myself, others, what I’m looking for in life, what I’m expecting in my life and the world around me, as I anticipate, prayerfully wait and watch, and ponder the meaning, once again, of the 1st and 2nd coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…

Let’s listen to what she writes:

The Roman ruler Herod Antipas imprisoned John the Baptist because he publicly challenged Herod’s divorce and remarriage. As John languishes in prison, his faith in the powerful predictions he has made about the one who is to come may be wavering. So, John sends messengers to ask Jesus if he is the one.

Jesus says: Yes, John was right. The blind now see, the lame walk, and good news is proclaimed to the poor. These are all signs of how God’s kingdom would come into the world. But John was expecting a bigger splash. He assumed the Messiah would seize power and trounce the enemies of God. Blinded by his own expectations, he almost missed the significance of Jesus’s ministry.

I wonder when my expectations are viewed through the lens of my own desires. When might I have missed the point? (end of her reflection)

I love this time of year...this season of advent… and particularly this 3rd Sunday in Advent…because it invites us to slow down, ask questions, wonder aloud, and think about the lens through which we view our expectations…

Are we missing the signs of God kingdom breaking into our world already? Are we missing the signs of God’s hope, peace, joy, and love all around us now because we are looking through the lens of our own desires, our doubts, and in our weariness and unbelief, that nothing could ever change, nothing new is possible? Are we missing signs of the One we’ve been waiting for, who is indeed already here with us, in the many ways God’s people are proclaiming the good news to the poor, lifting up the lowly, feeding the hungry, in our communities?

Setting aside time to do this wondering and discernment, is a gift given to us, in this season of advent… it can help us identify those areas in our lives, where we might need to re-align our views and our expectations with God, and through the lens of God, rooted in the hope, peace, joy and love of the One, who is promised…will come again…Jesus Christ…

I wonder how our views and expectations would be changed and transformed in this time of slowing down a bit, this time of reflecting further on the scriptures, the music of advent, this intentional time spent in quiet and prayer, time set aside for worship and fellowship with others each week…I wonder, if we would begin to notice more around us…to notice God already at work in the world…to notice where the work of peace and justice is being advocated for and enacted in our communities… to notice where new relationships are being formed…to notice where healing is beginning… to notice where unexpected songs of joy and laughter are breaking through all the disappointment and discouragement we experience in our daily lives when our expectations are continually viewed through the lens of our own desires, our doubts, and in our weariness and unbelief…

Jesus poses another set of questions in today’s gospel when speaking to the crowds about John the Baptist…Another set of questions that invites us to think more about our expectations…  “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see?”

What about you? What are you looking for? What then did you go out to see?

As we journey through these final weeks of Advent - What are your expectations? What are you hoping for? What are you longing for?  

Take some time to think more about your own expectations…

Are your expectations viewed through the lens of your own desires, doubts, weariness and unbelief…or through the lens of God, rooted in the hope, peace, joy and love of the One, who is promised…will come again…Jesus Christ…

And take some time this week… to notice and pay attention to the unexpected songs of joy and laughter all around you…

Rejoice with Mary…today…and according to our advent calendar it’s a day to stir up something sweet for dessert…so let’s celebrate together...the long-expected Jesus is coming again soon!

Let us pray:  HYMN after sermon:  Come, thou long-expected Jesus (vs 1 & 2)