A Lutheran, a Catholic, and an Episcopalian at the Pearly Gates...

In this morning's Gospel, Jesus gathers his disciples together, and asks them, "Who do you say that I am?"

In theological libraries around the world, there sits volume after volume that attempts to answer this same question. It's an important question. Who do we say Jesus is in the world today?

Three clergy, a Lutheran, a Catholic and an Episcopalian, end up at the pearly gates one day. It was St. Peter's day off, so Jesus was administering the entrance exam to heaven that day. "The question is simple," he said. "Who do you say that I am?"

The Lutheran stepped forward and began, "The bible says..." but Jesus interrupted and said, "I don't care what the bible says; who do you say that I am?" The Lutheran said, "I don't know," and immediately he fell through a trap door to the other place.

The Catholic stepped forward and began, "The pope says..." but Jesus stopped him and asked, "I don't care what the pope says; who do you say that I am?" "I'm not sure," said the Catholic, and immediately he fell through a trap door to the other place.

Jesus then turned to the Episcopalian and asked, "Who do you say that I am?" The Episcopalian replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" Then, just as Jesus smiled and began to open the pearly gates, the Episcopalian continued, "...but on the other hand..."

Who do we say Jesus is?

Here are a few names for Jesus, assembled by Alice Camille in U.S. Catholic (August 2002):

Saint Thomas Aquinas called Jesus the perfect mediator between God and humanity.

Protestant theologian Horace Bushnell named Jesus the “poor man’s philosopher, the first and only one that has appeared.”

Fidel Castro said Jesus is “a great revolutionary.”

George Bernard Shaw called him “a first-rate political economist.”

Johnny Cash said he was “the foundation of my life and my strength.”

Author and storyteller John Shea describes Jesus as “God’s challenge and invitation.”

For Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, “Our Lord Jesus Christ ... is our hero, a hero all the world wants.”

So, who is Jesus Christ?

In this morning's Gospel we hear Peter proclaim the clearest answer to our question, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

There are two very different biographies of Jesus floating around in the world today. We can see the story of Jesus as a story of man's religious quest with Jesus cast as the hero. The plot of this story is one of log cabin to the White House. Born in a stable, his home a carpenter's cottage, rising through love for humanity to the height of the ultimate sacrifice, his death on the cross, Jesus is the supreme hero in the story of humanity's spiritual evolution. Jesus is the example of what humanity ought to be. This is a dominant view of Jesus. It's not the bible's version of the story. It's only been around for the last 100 years.

The story of the heroic Jesus is a modern creation. It is not what we find in the Gospels. Their story is just the opposite, It is a story of White House to log cabin, or royal palace to slum. It is the story of the king of glory casting aside his royal robes and coming to live as a human being on earth. Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, humbled himself and came to dwell among us.

Think of the stories we've all heard about the king going out among the people in disguise. When the king returned to the throne, his time among the people allowed him to know them in a new way. He had laughed and cried with them. He had seen their burdens and their accomplishments first hand. A new relationship begins to grow, a relationship that had never existed before. No citizen of that kingdom would ever forget that the ruler of the realm once considered him worthy of being his friend. A new dignity is born and the people have a new sense of their own value. If this king now asks for service, he would be obeyed not out of fear, but out of gratitude. This is a form of voluntary morality, rising out of a relationship, not bound by laws and threats of punishment.

The word became flesh and dwells among us. This is the heart of the Good News we have to offer to the world. This is the unique message of Christianity.

I've spoken to you before of one way to understand the trinity. I want to mention it again, as I think it may be helpful in understanding who Jesus is. One way of thinking of the Trinity is to consider the Father as the Lover, the Son as the Beloved, and the Holy Spirit as the Flow of Love. Since before the beginning of time, since before the creative act of God, there has been a constant Flow of Love between the Lover and the Beloved. Then, something unique happened. The Beloved entered our world and dwelt among us. The Flow of Love between the Lover and the Beloved continued, now spanning the chasm between God and humanity. We are told that if we are willing to become the adopted sons and daughters of God, if we are willing to stand in the place of the Beloved, if we act in the name of Jesus Christ, we can also access this same Flow of love, and enter into a new kind of relationship with God. We can become who we have always been intended to be: the Beloved of God!

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The God we serve is not a distant God, who rules from a throne far away. He dwells among us. He is with us, and in us, right now. Our mission is to help others become aware of God moving among us, transforming us, and making all things new.

Who do we say Jesus is? He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, whom we serve by serving those around us.

August 21, 2005

The Nice Thing About...

"The nice thing about living in a small town is,
If you don't know what you're doing, somebody else always does." :D

--from a parishioner

Not Set In Concrete?

This morning’s Gospel story tells us of Jesus and the Caananite woman, whose daughter Jesus refused to heal because she wasn’t Jewish. When the woman offers a quick comeback, saying that even the dogs deserve the crumbs that fall from the table, what does Jesus do? He changes his mind and heals her daughter.

Jesus changed his mind. Does that strike you as strange? Jesus Christ, who we proclaim as the same, yesterday, today and forever, changed his mind. Jesus Christ, the incarnation of God, changed his mind.

We have other examples from the scriptures of God changing his mind. Listen to this conversation between Moses and god from the book of Exodus:

But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, …Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, `I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people. -NRSV, Exodus 32:11-14

I've read this story about the golden calf many times, but it wasn't until a recent reading that the impact of that last verse hit me. God changed his mind! Do you see the implications of that? This also brings to mind the story of Jonah, and how the Ninevites repented, and God changed his mind and spared the city (Jonah 3:4-10). And the story of Abraham bargaining with God to try to save Sodom, and God agrees that if 10 righteous men can be found in the city, he will spare it (Genesis 18:16-33). It brings to mind this morning’s Gospel lesson.

Before continuing, I suppose it would be prudent to clarify exactly what I'm talking about here. The Hebrew term, which the New Revised Standard Version translates as "changed his mind," is nacham. Often it is translated as "repent," as in the Revised Standard Version: "And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people."

This appears to be in direct contradiction to the immutability (changelessness) of God, as in Malachi 3:6; "For I, the Lord, do not change." In that passage, the Hebrew term is shaniti, a reference to the unchanging character of God, which would include mercy, love, compassion, and righteous judgment. In Exodus, the change, or repentance (nacham) of God was not a change of character, but a response to the actions of humanity, consistent with the unchanging nature of God. The promises and warnings of God are always conditional, based on the response of humanity (Ezekiel 33:13-16). So, to be clear, I'm not suggesting that God is a flip-flopper! Yet, it does seem apparent that in order to be consistent with God's nature, there is room for revision of the original plan. When the situation changes, God doesn't change, but sometimes the plan does.

Even within that more nuanced definition, the implications are still startling. Doesn’t this mean that the future may not be poured in concrete? Doesn’t this mean that we have an important role in the acts of God; that we are, at times, co-creators with God? The Israelites repent, and God doesn’t destroy them. Absolutely amazing. When our response to God changes, the plan changes.

Keep this in mind the next time someone tries to tell you that Armageddon is coming. Those prophesies are but one way the story might end. It is not necessarily the only way. What if humanity repented like the Ninevites? What troubles me the most about these kinds of “end times” prophesies is that they tend to function as a self-fulfilling prophesy. We begin to make them come true, by our actions or inactions.

Maybe God changes his mind once in awhile. Maybe our future isn't written in concrete after all. We have a reason for hope offered to us in this morning's text. The end of our story, the end of humanity's story, might not yet be written!

God demands justice, but it is also God's nature to be merciful, so merciful that the plan can be changed. We have a role in the unfolding of this plan. We are not puppets on a string. We have some degree of responsibility regarding how the future unfolds. We are partners with God, working together to transform this world.

Jesus changed his mind about the Caananite woman. God wants to change his mind about people. That’s what love means. Judging comes easily to us. Changing our minds about people isn’t that easy.

God has changed his mind about each one of us. In this divided world we live in today, maybe we can change our mind about how to respond to those with whom we disagree. God has shown us great mercy. Let’s pass on this mercy to those we meet in our day to day lives, by not being so quick to judge others, and instead, consider changing our minds about them.

This world’s story is not over yet. Our personal story is still unfolding as well. We can be healed, we can become whole, there is still time. The final scene is not yet written. This is good news! Thanks be to God!

August 14, 2005

"Even the dogs..."

This summer I've gotten to know our dog better. He's become my little buddy now. He's been following me all around the house as I go about my special summer-chores, like deep-cleaning, "clean-sweeping," organizing, painting, and so on. This is the first dog I've ever had (normally I'm a Cat Person). Because having a dog is new to me, I notice things about him that are Different From Cats. ("Dogs have masters; cats have staff"). I think the dog has decided that I'm "his person," which I find absolutely delightful. :)

One of our doggie's endearing little habits is his way of stationing himself beneath the table where we happen to be sitting. It doesn't matter which table it is: if I'm sitting there, he plants himself beneath it. If we're in the kitchen, he's under the kitchen table. We used the dining room last night: there he was, beneath it. When we visit my parents with doggie in tow, he plunks himself down beneath their table. So far we haven't run across a table with a central column instead of four legs, but I imagine that if we ever do, he'd find a way to plant himself more or less beneath it.

He's got pretty good manners about begging at the table, but he's still a dog, and I think dogs just can't help themselves. Because I didn't grow up with dogs, this business of begging-at-the-table is new to me, and I really don't mind it. I have seen other dog owners stop their pets from doing the table begging routine. We don't stop him. It's just too cute. (Saves on some floor-sweeping, too, after a meal). Having a dog around is a little like having a walking garbage disposal. Nothing that falls from the table stays on the floor for very long.


The first time he sat there looking at me pathetically with his big brown eyes, waiting for a table-tidbit, I gave him one and watched his tail just about wag off his little body. "Ah-ha: THAT'S what they were talking about in the gospel!" I thought. "But rabbi, even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the master's table!" If you've never had a dog around, you don't really "get" the full meaning of that passage, I think. You have an idea, but a dog incarnates that story for you, and that's when you really understand its nuances.

It makes me ponder the meaning of that gospel story: "Even the dogs get the crumbs that fall from the Master's table."

Our doggie is very patient and humble when he waits by my side to get something from the table. He doesn't whine or make a nuisance of himself, but he does stay there with an amazing degree of steadfastness until he gets a crumb. I watch him, and I think that the phrase "prayer of humble access" fits the look in his eyes and his posture perfectly.

When he wants something from the table, he is steadfast and patient. He trusts that eventually I'll give it to him. And when he receives it, he is joyful and grateful. Sometimes he doesn't get what he wants - sometimes what's on the table just wouldn't be good for him, so I don't give him any.

That doesn't stop him from asking again the next time. And there is always a next time. But what if we're having spaghetti one night? Dogs wouldn't like spaghetti. They wouldn't know what to do with it. And you can't give chocolate to cats and dogs; I've heard it can be poisonous for them. But my doggie doesn't sulk or hold a grudge just because he didn't get what he thought he wanted that day. And he goes through the very same cute little routine when the next meal comes around. He doesn't complain when he doesn't get what he thinks he wants. Somehow, he trusts me to give him only what I know is good for him. He is steadfast and patient; he is loyal and loving. Because he didn't get a table scrap one day does not mean that if someone threatened me, he wouldn't have at their throat in a heartbeat. He's super-protective of me. A week or so ago, he nearly made the Comcast repair man faint. He sounded so ferocious. This protective behavior and his loyalty is what won my parents over to Dogdom: my father especially didn't care for dogs, but when he saw how protective our dog was of me, Dad changed his mind.

Even though our doggie doesn't always get exactly what he's asking for, that doesn't stop him from asking again the next time, nor does it change his basic nature and attitude toward me.

Trusting, patient, loving, faithful, loyal, and perservering. That's how dogs are.

And no matter what, he keeps on trying for a table scrap. Not getting what he asked for before doesn't stop him from asking again. Because--who knows? The next time, it might just be steak.

You Just Never Know

During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades.

Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed: "Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will, though, I love you and trust you. Amen."

After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, "Well, I guess the Lord isn't going to help me out of this one." Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave.

"Hah, he thought. "What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor."

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. "Lord, forgive me," prayed the young man. "I had forgotten that in you a spider's web is stronger than a brick wall."

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget the victories that God would work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. As the great leader, Nehemiah, reminded the people of Israel when they faced the task of rebuilding Jerusalem, "In God we will have success!" [Nehemiah 2:20]

And remember: Whatever is happening in your life, in God, a mere spider's web becomes a brick wall of protection.

With thanks to one of our parishioners for passing this story on. Original source unknown.

We're Famous (sort of)

Not only a new vicar, but a new website and a new blog, too

We see that the Church of the Holy Spirit, Tuckerton, has launched an informative new website: www.holyspirittuckerton.org. So far, so good. But they’ve included a blog — holyspirittuckerton.blogspot.com — which allows any church member to write and post an entry or reply to another’s comment. The rector has even (gasp) uploaded his sermon! Congratulations to the Reverend Terry Martin and his web team.

From "2Times a Month," the diocesan newsletter.

We Need a Savior

There’s an apocryphal story that claims that when Peter started sinking into the water, Jesus turned to John and muttered, “Should I tell him where the stepping stones are?”

It does seem obvious from the story that Peter is in big trouble. He took his eyes off Jesus, and started sinking fast. He couldn’t save himself. He needed a Savior. And a Savior is just what God provided him, in the person of Jesus Christ.

This is probably the biggest difference between a Christian and much of the rest of the world. We know we need a Savior. We know that we cannot always pull ourselves up by our bootstraps.

Many people think they can make it on their own. They carefully structure their lives so they feel safe and in control. But then some catastrophe strikes, and they realize that they were never really in control at all. They are drowning, and they need a Savior, but don’t know where to find one.

Although, some of us Christians do the same sort of thing, don’t we? We act as if they are in control, until they get in a jam and start sinking beneath the waves, and then they remember to turn their eyes back on Jesus. “We live in sheer dread of giving up control and abandoning ourselves to God,” writes Larry Crabb in Shattered Dreams. “Only when we discover a desire for him that is stronger than our desire for relief from pain will we pay the price necessary to find him.”

That’s a powerful statement, isn’t it? It’s one that I think we need to hear, however. I don’t think we can ignore the fact any longer that this world is in desperate need of a Savior. I think it is time that we humans gave up control. We haven’t exactly done a very good job on our own. I think it’s time that we be willing to pay the price; to be humbled, to confess our sin, to amend our lives, so that we might find our savior.

Yesterday, August 6, was the Feast of the Transfiguration. To remind you of that story, here’s the Gospel lesson appointed for yesterday;

About eight days after Jesus had foretold his death and resurrection, Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, "Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah"--not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!" When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen. - Luke 9:28-38

Here is the lead story from the BBC on August 6, 1945:

The first atomic bomb has been dropped by a United States aircraft on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

President Harry S. Truman, announcing the news from the cruiser, Augusta, in the mid-Atlantic, said the device contained 20,000 tons of TNT and was more than 2,000 times more powerful than the largest bomb used to date.

Yesterday we commemorate Jesus Christ being revealed in glory as the Incarnation of God. Yesterday we also remembered the unleashing of the most destructive force humanity has ever created.

We desperately need a Savior. We need to be saved from ourselves.

We are the ones who, like Peter, know where to turn when we are drowning. But there are many in this world who believe they have nowhere to turn when natural or manmade disaster strikes.

This is our mission; to point beyond ourselves to the Savior, not only with our words, but with our actions.

Sometimes it seems to me that the Church often functions as a group of people standing on the beach shouting to another group who are out in the deep water, “Hey, you’re drowning!” They know that! What they need is for us to go out to them, and offer them our hand, and lead them back to the shore. They need a Savior.

The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's hunger meet. --Frederick Buechner

We are the hands of Christ in the world today. We are the ones who are called to witness to God’s saving power through our actions; by being Christ for the world.

In closing, allow me to offer the collect for the feast of the Transfiguration:

O God, who on the holy mount revealed to chosen witnesses your well-beloved Son, wonderfully transfigured, in raiment white and glistening: Mercifully grant that we, being delivered from the disquietude of this world, may by faith behold the King in his beauty; who with you, O Father, and you, O Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

August 7, 2005

Our Website

We're up to 50 70 hits....



I just noticed that you can play with the puppy dog by clicking "STOP" (the red "X" on the toolbar) and then "Refresh" to get him moving again. When you click "STOP" the animation freezes in various positions, all of which are goofy. :D

--The WebDove, obviously with way too much time on her hands

Brooding, Hovering, Moving: Ruach Hakodesh, the "Spirit of God"

I thought it might be interesting to compare some translations of the first few lines of Genesis, where the Spirit of God "moves" over the "face of the waters." In some translations the Spirit simply "moves"; in others, the Spirit "broods" or "hovers." The NAB version has the most dramatic description of the Spirit's actions, where the Spirit is a "mighty wind." In Hebrew, the grammatical gender of "Ruach Hakodesh" (the Holy Spirit) is feminine. The Holy Spirit is also associated with "Holy Wisdom," or "Hagia Sophia."


Genesis 1:1-2
New American Bible
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, while a mighty wind swept over the waters.

New International Version – UK
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

King James Version
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

New Life Version
In the beginning God made from nothing the heavens and the earth. The earth was an empty waste and darkness was over the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was moving over the top of the waters.

Amplified Bible
IN THE beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

English Standard Version
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The Spirit is said to have been "moving, hovering, and brooding" over "the waters" at the creation.