May 26 - A reflection for Trinity Sunday

The 1st Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday/Year B/May 26, 2024

Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; John 3:1-7

Opening Prayer: (A New Zealand Prayer Book)

God of unchangeable power, you have revealed yourself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit; keep us firm in this faith that we may praise and bless your holy name; for you are one God now and for ever. Amen.

On the church calendar, today is marked as Trinity Sunday…the day we set aside to recognize our foundational belief and understanding of the mystery of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…It’s one of those Sundays, that we often try to understand something that doesn’t make logical sense, by our standards; we try to put something into words that no words could adequately describe, we try to put God and everything about God in one small and tidy space…

Problem with that is…God could never be contained in a box, or described in one short definition in a dictionary or catechism, or even one large book of scriptures….God is not one to be contained…God is one to be experienced, one to be in relationship with, one to be loved by, one to be strengthened by, one to be led by, one to be amazed by, one to be renewed by, one to be blessed by, and one to praise and glorify!

In our first reading from Isaiah today, we hear the account of Isaiah seeing God….and it is described as an amazing visual revelation…And in Isaiah’s amazement of the whole experience, he questioned what he saw…how he was unworthy of such an experience…but instead of turning away in disbelief or fear of what he just experienced, he believed that his sins had been blotted out, and then his ears were open to hear the voice of the Lord saying…. “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”  And Isaiah answered… “Here am I; send me”.

You have to wonder what Isaiah was really thinking at this moment…

Where did this strength and courage come from to respond to what he heard…
something from somewhere deep within must have confirmed in Isaiah’s heart…I can do it….send me….I like to think that if he had allowed himself to rationalize what was happening in his mind, he probably would have missed the boat… but instead, he dared to imagine something so different, that was worth going for…

In our gospel reading today, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above”. Nicodemus didn’t get it. How can someone be born again after growing old? How can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born? Totally, makes no logical sense. Nicodemus was thinking most literally. But Jesus tries to explain it in a different way – it’s about being born of water and Spirit. It’s about being cleansed from sin and born again by the Holy Spirit and continuing forever in the risen life of Jesus...It’s about being marked as Christ’s own forever. 

Jesus tries to explain to Nicodemus that “You must be born from above”. The wind, he continues, blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes…So, it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Nicodemus continues with more questions, and Jesus patiently continues to try and help him understand. It is so difficult, Jesus reminds him, that he can barely understand and believe the earthly things, never mind the heavenly things.

Perhaps Nicodemus could learn a lesson from Isaiah today. Isaiah didn’t try to figure out what was going on, he didn’t ask for all kinds of explanations, he didn’t keep pressing for more answers until he got his proof. Isaiah seemed to “born again from above”. Something blew into that room on that day, something entered his heart that day, that caused him to be born anew – inspired him to take a risk, encouraged him to go forth into the world, where God was calling him…

Think about this for a moment….as we get older, we settle into the world of having lots of knowledge, experience in life, we’ve been there, done that; we can find any answer we want to in a reference book, on the computer, Wikipedia, or on our I-pads or cell phones. Our children are growing up in a world where information and knowledge is just a swipe away on their smart-phones…

Any answer we need is available…we just have to look for it…there’s an answer for everything, we like to tell ourselves.…

But, is there really a quick easy answer to everything that comes through a click on the computer or a swipe across the I-phone screen?

Is there an answer for the mother and father who lose their only child way too early in life because of gun violence and war or by suicide? Is there a clear answer as to why families are being torn apart and separated from each other for all kinds of reasons? Is there one definitive answer just a click away to explain why so many children and families, living in our own neighborhoods, and many other places around the world, are without food and shelter?

The answers to these types of questions are not just a click away….

As people of faith, the answers to these types of questions, can only be addressed in the heart, through a loving relationship with God and one another… by listening for the voice of God, the Father and creator of all, among all the voices around us that shout out words that are often empty and meaningless;  through talking with God, the Son, as a friend, one who knows our hearts, and one who cares; and through pondering all these things by opening our hearts, allowing God, the Holy Spirit, to re-new our hearts and minds, re-new our lives, re-new our hope….transforming our life, and the lives of all around us…

It’s about being born again, from above...It’s about re-living that Pentecost moment…when the Holy Spirit was sent down upon us to transform us through the power of God’s love…and then send us out to proclaim the love of God, with our words and actions…

The Trinity is often simply described as God in three persons…God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit…but it can all be summed up in this way, too…God is love…and we are called to walk in Love with Him…with one another…and with all of creation…

God’s love is always the answer…it is always the answer that can lead us into freedom and abundant life…It’s what heals and mends broken hearts and makes our joy complete….

It’s what strengthens us and gives us courage…It’s what dares us to imagine something better for our communities and our world…It’s what brings us peace in our hearts and unity with one another….

It’s what washes over us as grace and mercy to help us begin again and again…It’s what empowers us to be love bearers, light-bringers, hope bearers to a world in desperate need of all of this…

We are surrounded and encircled by God’s love and presence…God is the beginning, the end, the everlasting One. Jesus walked among us to teach us how to embody this love in the world. The Holy Spirit was sent to us to remind us and enable us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and to be God’s eyes and ears, heart and mind, and hands and feet, in this world now. The Holy Spirit was sent to remind us that we are surrounded and encircled by God’s love and presence today…and always…

As we move into another season of the church year, with new questions and new wonderings of how God is calling us to be the church in 2024 and in the near future, let us pray together and re-commit ourselves to embody the love of God made known to us in Jesus, in all our relationships with one another;  and let us pray fervently that our hearts will be set on fire once again to go out into the world, spreading the Good news of God’s love for the whole world and her people…so that one day, as Presiding Bishop Michael Curry often reminds us…. our world will be changed from the nightmare it sometimes is, and transformed into the dream God intended…a world created out of love, for love…love of God, love for one another, love for all of creation…

Glory to the holy and undivided Trinity, one God, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.

Prayer/Hymn: Santo, santo, santo [Holy, holy, holy] Wonder Love and Praise, #785

Holy, holy, holy, my heart, my heart adores you!

My heart is glad to say the words: you are holy, Lord.

Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

The Day of Pentecost and Baptisms sermon

The Day of Pentecost/Year B/May 19, 2024

Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:25-35, 37; John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

(Today’s service included the baptism of 2 year old twins)

Opening Prayer:

Creator of speech and silence, Holy Spirit of water, fire, and wind, we give you thanks for all the languages of the earth; fill our souls and the Church with your holy flame and bless our tongues to tell the world of the love that unites us all. Amen.  (Common Prayer for Children and Families, Jennifer Gambler & Timothy J,S. Seamans)

Today we celebrate the Day of Pentecost…marking the end of the 50 day season of Easter….and marking the day we celebrate the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise to his disciples (and us) concerning the coming of the Holy Spirit…the Advocate, the Spirit of truth that would be sent to us after Jesus ascended to heaven, to guide us, lead us, comfort us, encourage us, inspire us, equip us, fill us, strengthen us, transform us, and move us to tell the world of the love that unites us all…move us to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ (Jesus)…

You might recognize those words as one of the baptismal promises we make at the time of our own baptisms or spoken on behalf of the young children who are being presented for baptism…

It is one of several promises that the parents, godparents, and all of us gathered together as a community of faith make on behalf of the children who rely on us, the adults, to teach them the good news about God’s love for the whole world and all its people and all of creation, to teach them about who Jesus is, and how his life, death, and resurrection has changed and transformed your life and the way you strive to love one another as Jesus has so loved you, and to teach them about how the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, was sent to us, to open our eyes, and ears, and hearts and minds to see the signs and reminders of God’s love, Jesus’ love and presence in the world, everywhere we turn…. It is the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, that enables us to do that…

I’d like to share this story with you this morning…that I think gives us a good starting point to imagine and wonder aloud together, about some of the ways the Holy Spirit, the Advocate can help us get to know what God and Jesus’ love is like… and to help us see reminders of their presence in the world around us…everywhere we are…

***Read the Book: What is God like? By Rachel Held Evans and Matthew Paul Turner, illustrated by Ying Hui Tan.

May we never tire of calling upon the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, to help us tell the world of the love that unites us to one another ….Let us never tire of being an advocate of God’s love in the world around us…so that the children of all ages among us will keep seeking, searching, wondering and learning about God’s love for them and for the whole world…so that they too can go out and tell the world of the love that unites us all…and be moved to proclaim by word and example the Good News of Christ (Jesus)..in all times, and in all places, to the end of the ages…

Closing Prayer/Hymn: Jesus loves me…(VF) 163

Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

Praying for one another...

7 Easter/Year B/May 12, 2024

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19

Opening Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ,

who prayed for your disciples that they might be one,

even as you are one with the Father;

draw us to yourself,

that in common love and obedience to you

we may be united to one another,

in the fellowship of the one Spirit,

that the world may believe that you are Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.  Amen.

— written by William Temple (1881-1944).

In today’s gospel reading, we hear Jesus praying to His Heavenly Father for his disciples with deep compassion and unwavering love for them, lifting them up into God’s presence and protection…as he knows the time is drawing near, that he will depart from this earthly life… Jesus’ fervent prayer and purpose could be summed up in this way today: “May they all be one”…One in Love for God, one in Love for each other, one in love for all of creation.

As we listen to this part of his prayer today, line by line, I envision the embrace of God’s love, expanding and ever-widening…with no end in sight as to how large this beloved community could become…when we are united as one…in love for God, one another, and all of creation…

This all-encompassing love, this love that has the power to unite us so that we all may be one…has been made known to us, through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ…and by the power of the Holy Spirit…

Jesus has given us so many examples of how to love one another, serve one another, and care for another…

In today’s Gospel reading, we are given another example of how to love one another, by praying for one another, encouraging one another, lifting up one another into the embrace of God’s protection, and God’s love…with the same love and compassion and fervor that Jesus prayed for his first disciples…

In Jesus’ prayer for his disciples today…we too are invited to hear through his Words, that this prayer is for us, too…

Jesus lifts up his disciples in prayer to God…knowing that he will no longer be there with them, physically…

Jesus prays as the One who reconciles us to God and one another…

Jesus prays for his people as He faced his death upon the cross.

Jesus prays that the Father would protect his disciples in the world…He prays that God would be with us in the world…

Jesus prays that the church will show the same oneness that exists between Jesus and the Father….

Jesus prays that we experience joy, complete joy, in the midst of all that pulls us in different directions in the world in which we live…

And Jesus’ final request in the prayer today, is that his disciples will be sanctified…consecrated, set apart for something special, made holy…transformed by His love, for the work we are all being called to do…

Jesus said: “As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.”

It seems apparent through Jesus’ model of prayer we hear today, his intercessory prayer, that we are being called to do the same for one another…Just as Jesus has prayed for all of us…we are now being sent out into the world….to pray for one another…That we may all be one…

Intercessory prayer is the kind of prayer we pray when we want to bring before God the needs of others…

I don’t think that there is anyone sitting here today who does not know someone or some troubling issue that needs to be lifted up in prayer...to be transformed by the love of God and the assurance of God’s love and presence in the midst of whatever is troubling them…

I have so often heard people say, “I can’t do anything anymore”… “all I can do is pray”…as if prayer is a last resort, and as if prayer is what we do, when we don’t know what to do for someone…so we may as well just pray…not always believing that it might make a difference…

Prayer is number one. Prayer aligns us with God’s will and purpose. Prayer strengthens, supports, comforts, encourages, and encompasses so much more. Prayer unites us, lifts us up, as one family, through the power of God’s love…as revealed to us in Christ Jesus…and through the gift of the Holy Spirit that was promised and fulfilled in the scriptures we listen to every year, on the Day of Pentecost.

As Jesus has set an example of praying, and serving others, and just as Jesus has sent his disciples out into the world, he sends us out into the world. And one way, all of us – the young, the busy, the retired, the home-bound – no matter who we are - we can be a servant in this world, through the ministry of prayer.

In our Catechism section, An Outline of our Faith, on page 856 in our Book of Common Prayer, there is a section all about Prayer and Worship and it begins with this first question: “What is prayer?” The answer noted is this: Prayer is responding to God, by thought and by deeds, with or without words.

I love this opening question and answer, because it doesn’t define prayer, as needing to have all of our words perfectly formed, or sounding elegant, as many of the prayers in our book of common prayer do. It doesn’t define prayer as only an idle spiritual practice. It doesn’t define prayer to limit how we are being called to pray at various times throughout our lives. It encompasses all the possible ways we can pray and respond to God’s invitation to love and serve one another…whether it’s with thoughts or deeds, or with or without words…

Sometimes, the most powerful prayer, is offered in moments of silence – moments when we sit quietly, responding to God, acknowledging His presence.

Sometimes, the most powerful prayer, comes streaming down our faces, with tears of sorrow, or tears of joy and gratitude for those we love…

Sometimes, the most powerful prayer is offered in our music, or the sounds we hear while strolling through the forest, or down by the waterfront.

Sometimes, the most powerful moments in prayer are when we are the recipients of people praying for us.

When we are on the receiving end, we are truly being given a gift – the gift of God’s love, and the assurance that in the midst of all that may be uncertain and unsettling to comprehend...that God is with us always…

Jesus’ words in the scriptures on Ascension Day, as he was getting ready to depart this world,  affirm that when he says.  “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." 

Yes...it’s wonderful to be on the receiving end of prayer…especially as we think of Jesus praying for his disciples and us…Yet, one of the amazing things about prayer...is that when we pray for others, the gift and assurance is for us, too…

 One of the mysteries of prayer is that while and when our intentions may be directed to another, we will receive a portion of God’s grace as well. (David Haas)

God’s grace, the gift of his love, is intended for all people…

This gift is revealed to us, through the love of Jesus and the many examples he has set before us…teaching us how to love one another, as he has loved us…how to pray for one another, as he has prayed for us…

We are now being sent out into the world to follow his example that he has given us…to pray for one another, by thought and by deeds, with or without words…that God’s will may be done…here on earth…as in heaven…May it be so.

Let us take a few moments now…in the silence of your heart…to present your own needs, and to bring before God, the needs of others…

Closing Prayer/Hymn: Hear Our Prayer, O Lord

Lift Every Voice and Sing II, #249

Hear our prayer, O Lord, hear our prayer, O Lord;

Incline thine ear to us, and grant us thy peace. Amen.

Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, AK

****photo of St Peter’s and aurora taken by Dan Evans…May 11, 2024

May 5 sermon - You've got a friend in me

6 Easter/Year B/May 5, 2024

Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17

Opening prayer:

Holy God, Jesus taught us: To abide in his love, to love one another as he has loved us. He invites us into a loving relationship and friendship with him, and one another, as we commit to walking with him in a way of love that he has shown us and taught us, in laying down his life for one’s friends. We pray on this day, and in the days to come, that all God’s people and all the earth may abide in his love and come to know the joy of Jesus’ friendship; and that we will be moved to go out into our communities bearing the fruits of this love and friendship with all we meet; this we pray in the name of our friend, Jesus, who with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

The season of Easter is beginning to wind down…two more weeks to go…before we celebrate the Day of Pentecost, and the beginning of a new season in the church year…

The school year is beginning to wind down, too…with end of the year celebrations, graduations, teacher appreciation week, final recitals and programs…soon teachers, students, families, and community members will change gears as summer programs begin, and new opportunities and activities are set to begin…

This time of endings and new beginnings, often brings with it, a lot of mixed emotions, as do other times of change and transition throughout ones’ life…

It’s a time for students and family members to reminisce on all the ways they have physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually grown over the years…and to celebrate that…

And as I think about children, and their years growing up, I think about how important friendships are to their growth and well-being over the years…and how it is in those early years growing up, that learning to be a friend, and the joy of being called one’s friend is so important to laying a good foundation for their emotional and spiritual health.  

I give thanks for all the loving and supportive adults who have helped children in our midst to form good relationships and friendships with their peers, and other adults in their schools, church and community.

Yet, I am especially mindful at graduation time, knowing that there are some children who will not be walking across that stage to graduate for  a variety of reasons; there are some children, who have not had the joy of experiencing friendships with other students; there are some who have not grown up in a supportive and loving environment, and have not had the same resources available to them, as some of their classmates have had; there are some children whose lives were cut short due to physical illnesses, and unrecognized mental health issues.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in the lives of children of all ages and to celebrate that recovery from mental illness is possible, and there are tools and resources available to help..  (SAMHSA.GOV)

There are a variety of resources out there to help family members, community members, and faith-based communities learn the basic signs of mental health illnesses and other facts about mental health to encourage those in need to seek help and to help those of us, who want to support our friends and family and community members in the best ways that we can. (and I plan to send out a list of some helpful resources later today and this week)

But I want to share briefly about a presentation I attended this week put on by the Sitka Youth Leadership Committee, to introduce the community to their Mental Health is Health Campaign.

According to their website description of the campaign - SYLC's Mental Health Is Health campaign aims to destigmatize the spectrum of mental health challenges, normalize asking for help, encourage adults to be aware of signs of mental health decline in youth and respond with urgency and appropriate resources, and illuminate how systems of oppression and inequity can impact individuals' mental health.

They showed us 2 colorful posters that they designed and created, and are being distributed in the community already.

One poster’s theme is: Cultivate Wellbeing, with this description on the poster: Mental Health is like a garden: growing, flourishing, challenging, and wilting. It’s in constant flux depending on the seasons, weather, and soil conditions. Similarly, many factors contribute to one’s emotional wellbeing or decline. Mental health is not about feeling good all the time, but being able to process everything that life throws at you. Without tending to our garden, mental health challenges can worsen, resulting in harm to ourselves or others. Knowing where to seek support is critical in cultivating a healthy environment for growing strong, resilient roots. No one has to struggle alone or hide behind the shadows of mental health challenges.

The 2nd poster’s theme is: Be a Harbor of Support –it speaks to us even more directly as community members and church members in this description: The ocean is an unpredictable element – waves crash, storms surge, and emergencies can happen. We as a community need to be prepared to respond when someone is in distress, whether that be an emergency on the water, or a mental health crisis. Recognizing the signals and flares is the first step in helping our kids and one another navigate rough waters and avoid rocky shores.

How can we as individuals, and as a faith community, support and help cultivate wellbeing in our community’s youth and families? How can we as individuals, and as a faith community, be a harbor of support for our youth and families in our community?

In this season of endings and new beginnings...think about the ways God is inviting you and our church community to share the joy of Jesus’ love and friendship with the youth and families in our community…so that no-one ever needs to feel alone, hopeless, or helpless in facing the ups and downs and struggles throughout all the seasons of our lives…

When we pause and take the time to abide in Jesus’ love, we will always have a friend for life. And when we experience the joy of this loving relationship and friendship…how can we not share it with others?

Jesus assures us…that we can always count on his love and friendship…and he call us to be that same kind of friend to one another…

Closing thoughts/prayer/song: You’ve got a friend in me (Toy Story, Randy Newman)

You've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

When the road looks rough ahead

And you're miles and miles

From your nice warm bed

You just remember what your old pal said

(Son), you've got a friend in me

Yeah, you've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

you got troubles, then I got 'em too

There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you

If we stick together we can see it through

Cause you've got a friend in me

Yeah, You've got a friend in me

Now, some other folks might be

A little bit smarter than I am

Bigger and stronger too

Maybe

But none of them will ever love you

The way I do, just me and you

(Boy) and as the years go by

Our friendship will never die

You're gonna see it's our destiny

You've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me

Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitk

Creation Care Sunday - April 28, 2024

Creation Care Sunday/April 28, 2024

Readings: Benedicte Tongass: A Canticle for Southeast Alaska (Words: Bonnie Demerjian, St Philip’s, Wrangell); Creation A Congregational Reading (Liturgy for the Whole Church: Multigenerational Resources for Worship, by Susan K. Brock); Psalm 33: 3-9; 13-15; Mark 16: 14-15

Opening prayer: (from A General Thanksgiving- BCP 836)

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. Make us ever-mindful of our call to be God’s partner in caring for this world and all of creation, and make us ever-mindful of setting aside sabbath time to rest in God, as part of our call to love and serve and celebrate the wonderful world God has created out of love, for all of God’s people, for all of creation. Amen.

Periodically, throughout the year, we take the time during a Sunday service, to focus on Creation Care…This past Monday was Earth Day, and many celebrations have been taking place all week, giving us an opportunity to pause and turn our attention once again towards the care of our earthly home and all of its’ inhabitants. Of course, this isn’t meant to suggest that our focus on creation care should only be a once in awhile thing to think about …It just gives us an opportunity, today,  to intentionally turn our hearts and minds, once again, to the gifts of God, and the glory of God, revealed to us in Creation…in the land, the mountains, the deserts, the trees, the waters, the animals, the birds, the fish, the butterflies, the planets, the stars, the expanse of the skies, and in the people all around us…It’s meant to remind us to take time regularly to stop and notice the magnificence and beauty of God’s handiwork all around us, all the time, to see all that is good, very good, very, very good, in the world that God created, from the very beginning.

READ/Book: Noticing (written by Kobi Yamada, Illustrated by Elise Hurst)

Yes, we are invited to pay attention, to be more attentive to the world around us, learning to open our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to pay attention, to notice…all that this beautiful, miraculous world has to show us and teach us…

But, it can’t stop there with just pausing and noticing the splendor of the whole creation, the beauty of this world, the wonder of life, and the mystery of love in all of creation.

It’s also a reminder to us to stop for a time to examine the ways our present day lifestyles are contributing to the destruction and depletion of the natural resources which sustain all of creation, to consider the ways we have hurt one another, and all of creation by our greed and selfishness, and to acknowledge our neglect and  carelessness in not being faithful stewards of all that has been entrusted to our care.

It’s a time to begin again, with a renewed commitment to not only call creation good and lovely and beautiful, but to respond in gratitude for all the gifts of God and the people of God, by striving to truly love one another, share generously the abundant gifts of creation with all whom we share this earthly life with, and by working together to safeguard this wonderful earth, this wonderful world, and all its’ creatures, not only with our lips, but in our lives…not only for today, but for future generations…

“The miraculous is everywhere and in everything. Waiting for us to notice it. Waiting for us to appreciate it. Waiting for us to love it.” (Noticing Kobi Yamada)

Closing thoughts/prayer/song: What a Wonderful World (by George David Weiss & Bob Thiele, illustrated by Ashley Bryan)

I see trees of green, red roses too, I see them bloom for me and you, and I think to myself, “What a wonderful world!”

I see skies of blue and clouds of white, the bright, blessed day, the dark, sacred night, and I think to myself, “What a wonderful world!”

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky are also on the faces of people going by. I see friends shaking hands, saying, “How do you do?” They’re really saying, “I love you.”

I hear babies cry, I watch them grow. They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know, and I think to myself, “What a wonderful world!”

Yes, I think to myself… “What a wonderful world!”…amen…

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

Good Shepherd Sunday Sermon

4 Easter/Year B - April 21, 2024

Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18

Opening Prayer:  — written by Thom Shuman on Lectionary Liturgies

Day by day, God leads us: to the deep, deep pools of peace, to the green, lush lawns of grace. Day by day, Jesus calls us: to pour out ourselves in service, to anoint the stranger with hope. Day by day, the Holy Spirit shows us: the community we could be, the family we are called to become. Amen.

We are still journeying through the season of Easter…And on this 4th Sunday of Easter…every year…we set it aside as Good Shepherd Sunday…each year, we listen to a different part of chapter 10 in the gospel of John, that speaks about sheep and Jesus as the Good Shepherd…and every year, on this 4th Sunday of Easter, we read together psalm 23…

This psalm, to many, is comforting, especially in the setting of a funeral service, when it is most often read and heard…And it makes sense…because in our funeral services, the scriptures we listen to…are Easter related scriptures…we focus on the comfort and hope we find in Jesus’ resurrection, and how our belief in his resurrection, gives us hope not only for today…but for the days ahead…for the future that we cannot fully grasp just yet…

That’s why, for me…I love that we read this psalm together every year, outside of a funeral service…it’s a good reminder for us…to go back to the basics and core of what we believe…that we have a God that walks with us, all the days of our lives…A God that loves us, leads us, guides us, revives our weary spirits, comforts us, gives us hope in times of trouble, and assures us that in life and death…we can trust and believe that God’s goodness and mercy follows us, is with us, for this life…and for the future we cannot fully grasp just yet…

I think praying psalm 23…is a wonderful way to start the day…a daily prayer that can ground us and strengthen us…to be able to answer the call and commandment to love one another and serve one another, as Jesus has taught us…as the Holy Spirit, seeks to show us, and empower us to work together, to reach out to those in need in our communities, to continually seek ways to provide encouragement to those who are lonely, oppressed by society, in need of healing, guidance, and a sense of belonging…

And when I say a sense of “belonging”…I don’t mean that we want to welcome someone into some exclusive club…but to seek ways to truly welcome one another in love…a love that transcends our divisions; a love that shows us another way to deal with conflict without violence, without exclusion; a love that comforts and heals, and transforms us and reconciles us to one another…through a way of living that shows, not only in word and speech, but through truth and action - that we all belong…and that we will not cease in striving for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being…

Our neighbors, near and far, are crying out to be heard…to be seen…to be loved…to believe in something greater than the everyday violence, war, divisions, hunger crisis’, and exclusions from life-affirming care that many experience on a daily basis…

What you and I believe personally, what we believe about a God that loves us, and is truly with us always, is important…and praying psalm 23 can help us strengthen that relationship with God and affirm what we believe…

But it’s not meant to just transform me, and my life…I think of it as the cornerstone upon which we are called to build up the community of love around us…This love of God, made known to us through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, is meant to be shared…and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to do that…

I don’t know about you, but for me, some days, it is hard to envision a brighter future for all God’s children, when we are witness to the heart-wrenching ways God’s people treat one another, day after day…

But it is precisely in those moments of doubt and feeling overwhelmed, that I begin again, by focusing on the hope we can find in Jesus’ resurrection, and how our belief in his resurrection, can give us hope not only for today…but for the days ahead…for the future that we cannot fully envision or grasp just yet…

The Lord is my Shepherd…This I believe. The Lord is our Shepherd. What do we believe as the body of Christ, here in Sitka…and across the borders of lands and waters? This is an important question to ask ourselves from time to time to discern what we believe, and how we are being called to truth and action, here and now, in this time and in this place…

During this month of April, Child Abuse Awareness Month, I ask you to pray for our children growing up in violent times, pray for those who have been abused, and traumatized on daily basis…. Pray for the day that our children won’t be witness to so much violence in their lives…Pray and discern how God may be calling you to truth and action so that all children may be surrounded by an abundance of love that will help them to grow and flourish, as the beloved child of God, they were created to be from the very beginning.

May God’s Holy Spirit shows us the community we could be, the family we are called to become…and equip us with the boldness to love one another, not just in word and speech, but in truth and action…for this day…and for the future of God’s beloved kingdom, for the future of all God’s beloved children, here on earth, as in heaven.

Prayer/Hymn after sermon: Be a shepherd for my flock - Voices Found, #100

                    Be a shepherd for my flock. Feed them richly on my word.

                    Show them shelter in the storm, for I call you to serve.

1        With a mother’s tender love, care for all who need to hear

          they can run into my arms. Ease every fear. Refrain

2        To the blinded bring my light, to the weary my rest,

          to the poor abundant life forever blest. Refrain

3        Take my message to the world. Keep the stories ever new.

          Sing my truth, dance my joy. I’ll carry you. Refrain

Be a shepherd for my flock, #100 from Voices Found — Words: Traditional Nigerian. Music: Jane McAlister Pope. Words and Music: Copyright © 1998 Jane McAlister Pope. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

Rev Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

2nd Sunday of Easter Sermon

2nd Sunday of Easter/April 7, 2024

Today’s sermon by Chip Camden

Readings: Psalm 133, Acts 4:32-35, 1 John 1:1-2:2, John 20:19-31

Our gospel lesson from John tells us the story of two post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, occurring one week apart on successive Sundays.  The first of these Sundays was the evening after the resurrection -- the same day that Mary Magdalene had reported to the disciples that she had seen the risen Christ that morning at the tomb.  That evening, although the disciples have gathered behind locked doors, Jesus appears in their midst, greets them, and shows them his wounds.  Then the disciples rejoice to see him.  The order in which this is told seems to imply that they didn't really see him for who he was until they saw his wounds.  In the parallel account in Luke, the disciples initially think that they are seeing a ghost.  When Jesus shows them his hands and his feet in that account, he makes a point of demonstrating that they are made of flesh and bone.  While the disciples are still having trouble believing it, he goes on to eat something, proving that his risen body is truly physical.  They needed to be convinced.

Is it any wonder, then, that in John's account when the disciples report this appearance to Thomas (who was not present), he has trouble believing them?  They tell him that they have seen Jesus’ wounds, but who knows, maybe they were having a mass hallucination?  Thomas wants to see this for himself.  Not only that, he doesn't want to trust his eyes alone.  He wants to feel the wounds with his hands -- and really feel them.  Our English translation has Thomas say that he wants to "put" his finger in the mark of the nails and his hand in Jesus' side.  But the Greek word used here is βαλλω (ballo) - literally, to "throw" or "thrust".  Thomas wants to go deep in order to be sure.

The following Sunday, the disciples are gathered as before, but this time Thomas is with them.  Jesus appears, as before, and immediately addresses Thomas.  "Bring your finger over here... bring your hand and thrust it into my side" (using the same verb, ballo, that Thomas had used) "and don't become faithless, but rather faithful."

We aren't told whether Thomas followed through on those actions.  The narrative seems to indicate that he didn't need to.  For him, seeing Jesus was enough after all.  He immediately exclaims, "my Lord and my God!"  This reminds me of Job's encounter with God.  After about forty chapters of demanding that God would respond to his complaint, when God finally shows up Job needs no further response: "but now my eyes see you" says Job, and that settles everything.

Jesus says to Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

So many interpreters have taken this as a criticism of Thomas' faith.  "You made it across the line, Thomas, but you could have done better.  Real faith is believing without any evidence whatsoever.  Try harder next time."  Interpretations like that have done a great deal of harm, by casting faith as a kind of spiritual performance that can be measured and graded.  I don't think that is what is meant here at all.

First of all, to whom is Jesus referring when he talks about "those who have not seen and have believed".  Certainly not the other disciples!  They've seen the risen Christ at least twice as many times as Thomas has, and they took more convincing when they did.  Is anyone else in this story believing without seeing?

The past tense of the verbs here could be taken to indicate the prophets and all those who believed that a Christ would come, but never saw that happen in their lifetime.  The great chapter on faith in the epistle to the Hebrews refers to "these all, having had testimony given to them through their faith, didn't receive the promise" of the coming Messiah.  But I think in our present narrative the reference is really to all of us who would come to faith in Christ after the apostles -- the same group referred to in I Peter 1:8, "[Jesus Christ,] whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don't see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory."

To underscore this idea, John tells us in the next two verses that "Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.  But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name."  Even we aren't asked to believe without any evidence -- John's gospel seeks to be at least some of the evidence that we need by providing a vicarious experience of the living Christ.

Jesus did not withhold the evidence from Thomas that he needed, and God does not require blind faith from us either.  God only requires the faith that we're capable of.  For thirty years, after becoming fed up with hypocrisy and harmful doctrines in my experience of Christianity, I became an agnostic in theory and an atheist in practice.  I never rose to the hubris of declaring that there is no God, but I tried to live as if that were the case.  During those years, I often thought that if there were a God, surely God must honor honest doubts.  Surely God would not be gratified by a pretense of belief.  There is a kind of doubt that is also a pretense -- a doubt that seeks to end the conversation because it doesn't want to know the truth.  But there is also a kind of doubt that says, "I don't know if I can believe that to be the truth, but I want to know what is the truth."  That kind of doubt has more in common with true faith than the so-called faith without question in what you're supposed to believe. 

After thirty years, God gave me the answer I needed -- possibly the only answer that would work for me.  God wonderfully revealed to me just how mistaken I could be about things, and that opened a new realm of possibility that I began to explore.  Thus my faith grew out of questioning my assumptions, rather than relying on them.  God meets each of us where we are. 

Honesty equals humility.  If we honestly admit our doubts instead of posing as spiritual giants who have none, then we open ourselves in humility to the real working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.  May we have the courage of Thomas, Job, and countless others who have faced their doubts head on.  God will arrive, bringing a better faith.

According to tradition, Thomas later traveled to India as its first missionary and was martyred there.  There is still a Christian denomination in that region of India that claims direct succession from Thomas.  One of its members emigrated as a child with her family to the United States.  She eventually joined the Episcopal Church, and we became friends when I lived in Palo Alto.  She has become one of the most beloved Christian authors of our time.  Her name is Debie Thomas, and she has a new book out entitled, "A Faith of Many Rooms: Inhabiting a More Spacious Christianity."  It even contains a chapter on the Apostle Thomas.  I highly recommend it.

Palm Sunday Reflection before the Passion Reading

March 24, 2024/The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday

Liturgy of the Palms Gospel: Mark 11:1-11

Opening Prayer: Jesus, when you rode into Jerusalem the people waved palms with shouts of acclamation. Grant that when the shouting dies, we may still walk beside you even to a cross. Amen. (NZPB)

Every year, when the church gathers together for worship on the Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday, the first day of Holy Week…the celebration always invokes a dizzying array of emotions as we listen first to the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem with the waving of palm branches and shouting hosannas…that quickly changes to a more somber note, as we listen to the reading of the Passion Gospel…the scriptures that heartbreakingly remind us of Jesus’ final week that led to his suffering and death on the cross on Good Friday. Yet, we know, on this side of history, that death did not have the final say…because, as we will be reminded in the scriptures next Sunday –just three days later, the tone changes quickly, once again, with the joyous news of Jesus’ resurrection that we proclaim on Easter day….Alleluia! Christ is Risen…the Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Yet for today…we begin again…as we recall, remember, reflect on Jesus’ journey to the cross this Holy Week….as the shouting of the hosannas are about to go silent… replaced with loud shouts to Crucify Him!

Jesus’ passion story has something new and important to teach us every year if we will allow ourselves to enter fully into the stories and experiences and events that unfold throughout Holy Week…I invite you to pay attention to all the voices…the loud ones, the quiet ones, and all those in between…listen intently...listen deeply…and listen for the Word of God to transform your hearts and minds through the love and passion of Jesus Christ…

And now…Let us settle in, quiet ourselves, open our eyes, ears, hearts, and minds to hear what the Passion Gospel according to Mark has to teach us anew…in this time...and in this place…

we wish to see Jesus/March 17 sermon

5 Lent Year B

3/17/24

Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 119:9-16; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33

Collect of the day: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The opening collect for today, often makes me smile and chuckle a bit to myself when I hear the words “unruly wills”….but after I think about it for a moment, I guess it does describe us pretty well at times. I think we spend a lot of time trying to figure out whose will we are following, or I should say, whose will we think we are following…God’s or our own….The mind and the heart have quite a reputation for not being on the same page…so indeed….our thoughts and actions can be a little disorderly and unruly at times…And often, at first glance at the scriptures, those words don’t always bring those unruly thoughts and wills into focus easily…

It takes practice, it takes discipline, and God’s grace, to try and make sense of the scriptures. It takes practice, it takes discipline, and God’s grace, to bring those unruly thoughts and wills into focus…It takes practice and discipline, and God’s grace to learn to love what God commands and to align our desires with God’s promises …It takes practice and discipline and God’s grace, in the midst of all the swift and varied changes of the world,  to allow our hearts to be fixed where true joys are to be found… that is, in Christ Jesus.

We don’t easily wrap our minds around the idea of loving what someone commands of us. Our minds don’t easily accept the swift and varied changes of the world.

We don’t easily acknowledge that we have sinned, against God or our neighbor, or ourselves. We don’t easily understand why things have to die, for something new to begin. We don’t easily get it when Jesus tells his followers things like this: “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

But, even in the midst of all of life’s uncertainties and all the unknowns, and the things we struggle to understand,  we can consider this message of promise and hope: that the peace that surpasses all our understanding, in times such as these, can be fulfilled in us and our neighbors, when we strive to be in a loving relationship with Jesus and one another. And a relationship with Jesus, begins in the heart with this desire and hope… “I wish to see Jesus.”

When we begin, simply, with those words…“I wish to see Jesus”…they can move us to set aside time to meet with Jesus… to get to know him more fully, through the reading of scriptures, praying them, discussing them with others. We can get to know Jesus more fully by setting aside time to sit in silence, and allow the thoughts in our heads, in our minds, to subside for a time so we can hear the good news being spoken about Jesus and his love, in our hearts…And we can get to know Jesus more fully, when we allow the fruits of God’s love, made known to us through Jesus’ heart and ours, joined together as One…to inspire us and move us to seek the face of Jesus in all whom we meet and serve in our daily lives…  

It is in the meeting and the joining of our hearts with Christ and one another, when the Holy Spirit reminds us of the promise of a new covenant between God and his people, as foretold and spoken through the words of Jeremiah…But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people…

It is in the meeting and the joining of our hearts with Christ and one another, when the Holy Spirit reminds us of the words of the psalmist today…with my whole heart I seek you; let me not stray from your commandments. I treasure your promise in my heart…

Our Lenten journey is winding down now, with Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, just a week away…

At the start of Lent…we were invited to examine our hearts…and throughout Lent…attend to them in ways that would help us turn back to God, turn back to Christ…to re-align our unruly wills…to better align with God’s will and vision of a beloved community that flourishes when all know that they are loved, valued, and respected as the beloved child of God they were created to be.

As you reflect back on these past few weeks…Have you sought ways to see Jesus, in your own life, and the lives of those you encountered along the way? Have you taken the time to look inward to see what corners of your lives have been cluttered with the things that have built up and hardened your hearts? Have you spent some moments in silence, letting go of the things that have taken away the joy and peace that wants to live and breathe in your heart? Have you engaged in certain practices this Lent that have allowed you to strengthen your love and relationship with Jesus and your neighbor?

Now that we’ve seen glimpses of Jesus again throughout this Lenten season, are you prepared to walk with Him once again on his journey to the cross during Holy Week? Or will you be tempted to look away because it’s too much to bear?

This is a time like no other…a time to focus all the more on seeing Jesus in the events of Holy week...even though we don’t fully understand in our minds why it has to be like this: Jesus dying on the cross, for the promise of his resurrection to be fulfilled, why things have to die, for something new to begin, and how it is...that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

For if we keep our eyes on Jesus throughout Holy week, through his death on the cross, and keep watch and see Him rise again on Easter Sunday…it will all become clear…we will see the glory of the cross….we will see how it is that “Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

By the grace of God, our unruly wills and sinful ways are forgiven. Jesus’s death on the cross, his resurrection and ascension, has opened the way once again for us to begin life anew, over and over again.

We are given the opportunity, each and every day, to begin and begin again in the heart with this desire and hope… “I wish to see Jesus.”…and then to go…to go out into the world to seek and serve Christ…in all persons…loving God and one another, loving your neighbor as yourself…….with all your heart, soul, mind and strength…

Prayer/Hymn: Open our eyes, Lord – Bob Cull (#229 –praise chorus book)

Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus, to reach out and touch him, and say that we love Him.

Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen, open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus.

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

 *PHOTO: 4th c. Christian Mosaic

Lullingstone Chapel

Eynsford, England

4th Sunday in Lent: God so loved the world...

4 Lent/Year B – March 10, 2024

Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21

Opening Prayer/Words: ~ written by Katherine Hawker

For God so loved the world;

The sparrows, the mountain lions,

the fish and the people.

For God so loved the world;

In success and failure,

in sickness and health,

in mediocrity and extraordinary.

For God so loved the world;

Enough to become one of us,

enough to suffer along with us,

enough to offer new life for us.

For God so loved the world….Amen, Amen, Amen.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization publicly characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic…our lives were changed dramatically in those early days…and even now…four years later…we, as a local, national, and worldwide community are still struggling to recover in so many ways…    

It was on the 4th Sunday in Lent that year, March 22, 2020…when we held our first ever zoom service…in the early days following the initial news of the COVID-19 pandemic hitting close to home here in Alaska…

I took time this past week to go back and read and reflect on some of my sermons from those first few weeks…and this morning…I want to take us back to that 4th Sunday in Lent in 2020…and share a few words from my sermon that day…

March 22, 2020 – 4th Sunday in Lent

(I don’t imagine that any of us sitting here this morning…had ever imagined that this season of Lent, would unfold in the way it has…Just a few short weeks ago, it seems,…the COVID 19 virus was impacting lives in China, and other countries…Yes…our hearts were going out to the people in those countries…our hearts were breaking for people enduring such uncertainty, chaos, and fear…But, the physical distance from these countries, in the beginning…felt so remote…

It was happening somewhere else…not here…somehow…I still felt safe here…as if it would only happen somewhere else…and not so close to home…

I can’t even remember, right now, when the moment hit me, that what was happening somewhere else…was happening here too…

The events in the past few weeks have been changing in a blink of an eye…and it seems as if we are caught up in a whirlwind, in which we are being tossed every which way…a whirlwind of information being thrust upon us, at the same time another dose of loss and uncertainty being added into the mix, hour by hour…

Every day, we are being asked to do one more hard thing, after another…things we’ve never had to do before… making some very difficult decisions that we’ve never been faced with before…We are being asked to stay home, keep our distance from each other, don’t travel, don’t gather in groups, don’t meet in the church as we’ve always done, don’t send the kids to school or to the playground to be around other families,  don’t visit anyone in the pioneers home, don’t visit the elderly, the vulnerable, those whose health is compromised, don’t travel to see your aging loved one in their care facility, because they aren’t allowing visitors, don’t travel to attend a long-planned wedding, don’t plan a wedding right now, don’t plan any kind of a celebration that would bring lots of people together, don’t worry, don’t panic, do not fear…

When we hear these words over and over again…don’t do this, don’t do that…it can be very difficult to do the very thing we are trying not to do…to not worry, to not be fearful, to not panic…and yet to we can turn once again to our faith, our beliefs, and our trust in God…that indeed we can believe, that in Jesus, we have a Shepherd…who will lead us and guide us, in all times, and in all places, and in all circumstances…)

I share these words from four years ago with you today which was only the very beginning of so many other life-altering changes that followed in the coming days and months… as a reminder of how much we have been through together in these past few years, I share them as a reminder of how far we have come since then …and I share them as a reminder to all of us of what has brought us safely to this day: The gift of God’s grace and love for us, for the whole world, in life and in death…our love and faith and trust in God through those days of great turmoil and uncertainty…and our willingness and perseverance in sharing the gift of God’s grace, love, light and hope, as revealed to us in Jesus, with those in our communities, near and far…

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

At the diocesan convention in October 2020…in the first few months after the start of the pandemic we were reminded of the ways we could  be “United with Christ in the interest of others” during a time we were being separated physically from one another and wondering about ways we could still reach out and express our love and care for our neighbors…And as I looked at the list of 20 ways we came up with…My thoughts turned to our willingness and perseverance in finding ways to share the gift of God’s grace, love, light and hope, as revealed to us in Jesus, with those in our communities, near and far…

Here's the list:

1.  make a phone call to someone

2. contribute to local food banks

3. pray for one another

4. Take a walk with a friend

5. write a prayer note to a church or fellow church member

6. March for equality

7. Vote!

8. Drop off a meal for a friend

9. connect with church members

10. Visit outside with an elder

11. Wear a mask

12. wash your hands

13. Write a thank you note to the medical community

14. sharing our harvest

15. Be patient and kind with one another

16. Sing with a friend

17. clean up trash

18. invite a friend to church

19.Reject cruelty and divisiveness

20. Embrace empathy and diversity

These 20 ways to share the gift of God’s love, light and hope in Christ Jesus, for the well-being of our neighbor…are certainly not exclusive to the early days of the pandemic…

They can be a lifeline to those among us now who may feel as if there is no hope, and that there is no end in sight through these troubling and overwhelming times that are present even now in 2024...

That’s why setting aside time to remember together is so important …to reflect back often on where we have seen God’s love and healing presence among the people in the biblical stories, and among us in those times when we had no idea how we would put one foot in front of the other…to remember and rejoice in how far we have come… and to remember, how time and time again, God has brought us safely into a new day… a new day with opportunities for us to share the gift of God’s grace, love, light and hope, as revealed to us in Jesus, with those in our communities, near and far…

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

(below written by Katherine Hawker)

For God so loved the world;

The sparrows, the mountain lions,

the fish and the people.

For God so loved the world;

In success and failure,

in sickness and health,

in mediocrity and extraordinary.

For God so loved the world;

Enough to become one of us,

enough to suffer along with us,

enough to offer new life for us.

For God so loved the world…Amen, Amen, Amen.

(written by Katherine Hawker)

Closing Prayer/Hymn:  Amazing Grace

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska