Month: December 2024

Advent Day 4

Posted on | by St. John

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Isaiah 2:1-11      
1 Thessalonians 2:13-20
Luke 20: 19-26

He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 

Isaiah 2:4

We read the words of the prophet Isaiah in the context of war, conflicts and struggles all over the world: Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon; not to mention in this nation, in our cities and neighborhoods, our homes and workplaces, and our relationships with one another.

The people of Israel, when they first heard this text, saw a world not much different from our own. More than 500 years before the time of Jesus, they listened to Isaiah’s vision of the future, and then they looked at their once-beautiful city, Jerusalem, burned and battered by powers that must have appeared unstoppable.

It is a story not limited to Israel’s experience, but is known throughout human history everywhere.  It is a familiar story to us all.

The renown Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann, has likened today’s beautiful passage from Isaiah to the “I have a dream” speech of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And like the world at the time of Dr. King, our reality on most days is a long way from either his vision, or Isaiah’s vision of peace, justice, and healing.

We hear this text not only in a time of conflict and war but in a new season at the beginning of a new church year: Advent, the time of waiting, and so much more.

The vision of swords being beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks is a nice idea, but it is ridiculed by our experience of the everyday reality of the world. The sentiment of Isaiah’s beautiful verse is mocked by the cold hard reality of our own lives.A statue of a person holding a sword and a sword Description automatically generated

Perhaps, that’s where we need to start, by creating cultures of peace within us, and among us. What are the swords in our lives that we should be beating into plowshares?  What are the spears that we brandish all too often that should be beaten into pruning hooks?

And there we see what our calling is: to model what the kingdom of God looks like, only when we can demonstrate what it means to live in that peace that others will see God – to make God fully present.  To create those places where God’s grace and love can be known, those places where God’s justice can be lifted up, those places whence God’s instruction can go forth. 

In this time of waiting, we know how it is we are supposed to wait: living out the reality that we expect to be fulfilled among us.  

Let us pray.

O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you, bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p. 257)

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Photo: Bronze sculpture “Let Us Beat Swords into Ploughshares,” by Evgeniy Vuchetich, a gift to the United Nations by Russia in 1959

Advent Day 3

Posted on | by St. John

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Isaiah 1:21-31
1 Thessalonians 2:1-12
Luke 20:9-18

The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

Luke 20:17

I don’t know whether you’ve ever noticed St. John’s cornerstone.

It’s located on the north side of the building, or to the left as you face the entrance, just to the left of the side entrance.

A stone wall with numbers and a cross carved into it Description automatically generated

I thought it an unusual location, because cornerstones are normally more visible from the front of a building. Someday, I will research why it was placed there, but that isn’t the purpose of this reflection.

What’s the significance of a cornerstone?

According to architect Bill Whittaker, the cornerstone has three chief purposes: building orientation, history, and celebration.

It’s usually the first stone set in the building process and everything else is aligned to it. 

St. John’s cornerstone, like many others, is hollowed out and contains a time capsule with historical documents and other artifacts.

In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus makes the point in his parable that he was rejected by those to whom he was sent. He was executed as a common criminal, but death did not have the last word.

His followers built their lives on the cornerstone that is Jesus, who modeled for them and for us a life of compassion, justice, and love. 

Jesus is the foundation that strengthens our faith, and he invites us to walk in faith with him each day.

Let us pray.

Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 230)

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Advent Day 2

Posted on | by St. John

Monday, December 2, 2024

Isaiah 1:10-20
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10
Luke 20:1-8

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

I can’t say enough about the importance of prayer, both on an individual level and as a community of faith.

One of the most encouraging experiences as a Christian is to be prayed for by someone else- and not only prayed for but prayed with. When someone prays for you in your presence, something special happens in your heart: you feel warmed and encouraged. There’s a sense of intimacy, both between you and the other person and between you and God.

When I visit with our shut-ins, or with parishioners in hospitals, I never fail to mention to them that we, as a community of faith, as their congregation, are praying for them.

These words are not just empty words. I tell that we are praying for them as an assurance that we care about them, we haven’t forgotten them, and to soothe whatever anxieties they may be feeling at the moment.

I recently underwent hip replacement surgery. Though I was anxious, one of the most comforting feelings I had when I walked into the surgery center was the thought that many were praying for me. That filled me with a confidence that was empowering and calming at the same time. It was almost as if God were singing to me, “Be Not Afraid.”

Knowing that someone is praying for us helps us to release that desire for control and puts it in someone else’s hands. We are so obviously not in control as we listen to people pray for us.

They, not we, are the ones doing the asking, and God, not we, is the one answering the prayer.

In a world where all too often it seems like everyone lives and dies for themselves alone, surely the Christian community must be the one place where all are brothers, all are sisters, and all are friends. It must be the place whee we live for each other, where we care as much about the lives of others as we do our own.

We ARE praying for them. And prayer makes a difference.

Let us pray.

Almighty and eternal God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth: Mercifully accept the prayers of your people, and strengthen us to do your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(Book of Common Prayer, p. 394)