Author Archives: PRP

“Reflection of the Daily Office: Do not hide under a bushel basket”

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Daily Office for 01/20/2011 – Gospel reading: Mark 4:21-34

Today’s Morning Prayer lessons presents us with a few short parables, beginning with the reasonable advice that one does not place a lighted lamp under a bushel basket. Beyond the concern that the basket will go up in flames, the parable means to teach that a light is intended to lighten its surroundings, not quietly live a peaceable life in solitude. This advice might seem rather obvious, but if we can imaginatively place ourselves in the role of the light we might find a certain level of discomfort with the attention and responsibility of sharing our gifts with others…24/7, as is the popular saying these days. The parables in Mark’s Gospel account that follow the “light & the bushel basket” parable emphasize this lesson – the growing seed and the might of the tiny mustard seed both point to the strength and vitality of appropriately nurturing one’s gifts as God intends.

Today we remember Fabian, Bishop of Rome and Martyr of the Church in the year 250. Fabian is famous for his election as Bishop because he was elected by the favor of the crowd that gathered to select the bishop – and Fabian was not even an ordained minister at the time. Although not familiar with all the details of church administration, he put his gifts to good work and was able to serve the people of Rome with great result. Never fearing to do what was required of him, Fabian was eventually martyred during the Christian persecutions ordered by Decius. Fabian is remembered as an example to us that we have been given gifts, for the good and happiness of our lives and for the good of others. But we must not be content to sit at home and quietly use our gifts…or not use them at all. We must boldly go into the world and share what has been given to us and, like a tiny mustard seed, the impact of our actions will make a mighty difference in the world.

“Baptized into the curious life of following Christ”

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1st Sunday after the Epiphany (Matthew 3:13-17)  01/09/2011

The celebration of the Baptism of our LORD

“Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him…” (Matt 3:17) Throughout the week I have been imagining John standing at the edge of the Jordan River, watching Jesus approach the crowd that surrounded John as he baptized them in the River. (As he watched Jesus approaching,) John must have thought, “now the real baptizing will begin,” but instead Jesus asks John to baptize him. John is surprised…what a curious request; the Messiah would like John to baptize him? As I considered how John must have felt in that moment, I thought of the curious events of life that we encounter and I was reminded of the classic children’s book written by E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web. White’s classic story of the “terrific” little pig Wilbur is full of curiosities. First, Wilbur was born the runt of a very large litter and his future did not look to be very long until he was saved by the protests of a young girl named Fern. Wilbur’s life was spared, but only to be sold to Farmer Zuckerman so the little pig could be fattened up and sold for Christmas dinner. Once again, Wilbur’s life was saved, but this time by an ingenious (or perhaps miraculous) spider named Charlotte. And so the story continues – every time the plot appears to be headed in the expected direction of “normal” life on the farm (and to the detriment of poor Wilbur) we are surprised to discover that the story has taken a curious turn in a new direction…a direction that causes everyone to wonder what could possibly be going on? Continue reading →

“Passing through the threshold of Christmas – our lives are forever changed”

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1st Sunday after Christmas (Gal 3:23-25; 4:4-7)  12/26/2010

Throughout the past several weeks my daughter has been going through the college selection process…and we have shared this journey with her. As many of you can confirm, this process can be a time of joy and anxiety in one’s life, both for the young person going through the process and for those offering their love and guidance. The life changing events that accompany the beginning of one’s college years are not limited to this experience alone. For young adults the experiences of moving out of your parents’ home, joining the ranks of the working world or the military, or starting a family all have their life changing effects. And as we grow older, we continue to pass through significant thresholds of life – particular points along the journey through life where, due to some experience or due to someone we encounter, we are forever changed. Continue reading →

“Are you ready to receive the unexpected Gift?”

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Christmas Eve (Luke 2:1-20)  12/24/2010

Merry Christmas. We now have just a few short hours until Santa makes the rounds through Central CT…and I know this because I checked the official NORAD Santa Claus tracker just prior to coming to the church. At this point of the evening, Santa is hard at work delivering his load of goodies and he has long completed his final check of who has been naughty and who has been nice (I hope we all have managed to get on the “Nice” list this year). Santa’s list of gifts is famous for its complete and unfailing accuracy. And like Santa, each of us has our list of gifts and we likely carefully check their accuracy – maybe not using the “naughty” and “nice” criteria, but certainly each using our own method. Continue reading →

“Reflection of the Daily Office: Humbly walking our Advent journey”

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Daily Office for 12/01/2010:  OT Reading – Isaiah 2:1-11

The beginning of the second chapter of Isaiah, which we hear this morning, is calling out the new world that is to come – a world of love and justice; a world where there is no more war or hatred. Likely, we feel far removed from this world and Isaiah reminds us that we have forsaken the ways of God and are indeed far removed from God’s world of love and justice. With vivid and compelling words, Isaiah describes the current state of affairs and provides us with an important insight toward the accomplishment of living in the peace of God’s presence – humility: “The haughty eyes of people shall be brought low, and the pride of everyone shall be humbled; and the LORD alone will be exulted in that day.” (Isaiah 2:11)

These early days of Advent have been shouting out “humility” from many sources. In addition to hearing the testimony of Isaiah, the reflection from “Watch for the Light” for Nov. 29 was entitled, “In Defense of Humility” by Bernard of Clairvaux. Bernard’s thoughtful essay begins by reflecting on Scripture, “The virtue of humility is always found closely associated with divine grace: ‘for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’ (James 4:6).” Bernard then continues with a reflection on the humility of Mary upon hearing that she will become the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Mary then replies with humility, that the dwelling of grace may be prepared. How sublime is this humility, which is incapable of yielding to the weight of honors, or of being rendered proud by them! The mother of God is chosen, and she declares herself his handmaid. It is in truth a mark of no ordinary humility that even when so great an honor is given her, she does not forget to be humble. It is no great thing to be humble when in a low condition; but humility in one that is honored is a great and rare virtue.”

As we walk our Advent journey, we can look to Mary as an example of humility before others. Pride separates us from God and from others as we seek to build ourselves up; humility brings us together and builds up that which God seeks for us. As a parishioner recently reminded me after an early Sunday service, one of the most beautiful verses of Scripture is from the Book of Micah: “He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) Walk humbly through this season of Advent and know that God is with you.

“Keep awake with the heart of a child and prepare to hear God’s Word”

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Advent 1A (Matthew 24:36-44)  11/28/2010

“On Christmas Eve, many years ago, I lay quietly in my bed. I did not rustle the sheets. I breathed slowly and silently. I was listening for a sound…”[i] These words are the opening sentences of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. The Polar Express is a classic Christmas tale of a young boy’s adventures on a Christmas Eve train ride to the North Pole and his exploration of understanding the spirit and joy of Christmas. This story was a Christmas season favorite when my kids were young and we would read the book several times each year. The book remains one of my favorites: each page is beautifully illustrated, the story is full of adventure and excitement, and the boy’s Christmas present (a bell from one of Santa’s reindeer) stands out as a symbol with great meaning because only those who believe can hear the “sweet sounds” that come from the ringing of the bell. As I think back to reading the story over and over to my children, I do remember that the boy’s parents could not hear the bell and I am reminded of Jesus’ words to his disciples as written in a passage from Matthew’s Gospel account. Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt 18:3-4) Continue reading →

“Redeemed through Christ, be strengthened in your Advent pilgrimage”

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Proper 29C  (Col 1:11-20 and Luke 23:33-43)  11/21/2010

This morning we gather on the last Sunday of the church year. And as the church year comes to an end, we hear what we might call the end of the story of Christ’s public ministry – his imminent death on the cross. But like many things that come to an end, whether the church year or the public ministry of Christ, the “end” often does not mark the final word to be said but merely serves to point toward a new beginning. This last Sunday of the church year is celebrated on our calendar as the day of Christ the King. As the story of Jesus comes to a close, we remember that Christ came into the world, a world that was and is broken and fallen and in need of help. A world that is yearning for all that Christ has to offer (a world waiting for the gifts of the Only Son of God), but a world that abandons Jesus all the same. And if our abandonment was the end of the story we would surely be the worse for it, but Christ is King; Christ is the Victor over sin and over death itself, and Christ is our King and Savior. Today we come to the end and stop for a moment to reflect on the saving work of Christ because through Christ we are forgiven and redeemed. But what does that mean to us as we live out our lives…that we are “forgiven and redeemed?” Continue reading →

“Not Experts of God, but Children of God”

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Proper 28C (Luke 21:5-19)  11/14/2010

“Jesus said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’ They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’” (Lk 21:6-7) We should not be surprised that Jesus does not provide a direct answer to his followers, but instead describes a list of events that nearly every generation since the 1st century can understand…and all too well identify as their own. Today we live in a world of post 9/11 warnings and updates of terrorist activities throughout the world. These events are not new to world history, but how they manifest themselves today is certainly new to us. There is a feeling of uncertainty that is tangible and as we draw to the end of the year, the days remaining on the calendar are running out. And when time runs out, we come face-to-face with the tough questions. Are we good enough? Have we forgiven enough? Have we loved enough? These are questions that we carry with us each and every day, but as we approach the end of the year the many questions of our lives stand squarely in front of us…and we want to break through the uncertainty that surrounds us. Like Jesus’ disciples, we find ourselves asking, what will be the signs to point us through the time of unknowing. What should we know and what can we do to be prepared. Continue reading →

“Sharing Zacchaeus’ question: who do I want to be?”

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Proper 26C (Luke 19:1-10)  10/31/2010

The cold weather has returned, many houses are surrounded with cobwebs and scary decorations, and the wonderful Pipescreams concert was held this past Friday: all reminders that tonight is Halloween. Preparing for Halloween prompts us to consider the all important question – what costume should I wear; or in other words, what or who should I transform myself in to for one night of fun? Many years ago when my son was in the first grade he had great difficulty in deciding on his costume. Having exhausted all hope that his parents would be of any help to him, he decided to visit our neighbor across the street. Seeking guidance for the perfect costume, he asked our neighbor what his favorite costume was when he was a young boy – Batman was the answer he received. After thinking a bit about that idea, he asked, “well, what other costumes did you wear?” Batman, that was the only answer…when our neighbor was a young boy he was Batman for 5 or 6 years in a row. Unfortunately, his answer did not prove very useful in helping my son determine his final costume choice. Who should I transform myself to become – he was still faced with a big dilemma.

This morning, we hear that Zacchaeus was also faced with a big dilemma in his life. Continue reading →

“Reflection on the Daily Office: Jonah and the gold mine”

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Daily Office for 10/13/2010:  OT Reading – Jonah 1:17 – 2:10

This morning we hear the frightful adventure of Jonah, trapped in the belly of a whale for 3 days. One cannot hear this story and not think of the similarly frightful ordeal of the 33 Chilean miners, trapped more than 1/2 mile below the surface of the earth for almost 3 months. The reading from Jonah captures Jonah’s prayer to God, seeking relief from his current state of bondage in the whale’s belly. God hears Jonah and we are relieved to hear that the whale frees Jonah, spitting him on to the dry land. Again, we are reminded of the ongoing episode of the miners, who are in the midst of rising from the tomb of their entrapment and are free – free to be with their families and friends and free to live life again, but to live life in a very different manner as some of the freed miners have already testified.

We, too, can become entombed by things that contain us: contain and consume us if we allow them to become the center of our lives.  “Those who worship vain idols forsake their true loyalty.” (Jonah 2:8) An exercise for healthy living that always provides benefit is to consider the people and events in your life that hold great significance and reflect on how much time and attention you are giving them. As one of the miners, Mario Sepulvedo, recently told CNN News, “I buried 40 years of my life down there, and I’m going to live a lot longer to be a new person…I think I have learned a lot of wonderful lessons about taking the good path in life.” Like Mario and Jonah, take the time to pray to God, bury the false idols that hold you back and take the good path in life.