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A site that publishes some brief articles and other teaching of Father Thomas Reeves, the Priest/Pastor at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Bloomington, IL (stmattsblm.org)
Wednesday, October 12, 2022
Wednesday, September 21, 2022
The Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle
Matthew, one of Jesus’ disciples, is probably to be identified with Levi, a tax collector (“publican”) mentioned by Mark and Luke. In the Gospel according to Matthew, it is said that Matthew was seated in the custom-house when Jesus bade him, “Follow me.” When Jesus called him, he at once left everything, followed the Master, and later gave a dinner for him. Mark and Luke also note that Levi was a tax collector. In all three accounts, Jesus is severely criticized for eating at the same table with tax collectors and other disreputable persons.
Tax collectors were viewed as collaborators with the Roman State, extortioners who took money from their own people to further the cause of Rome and to line their own pockets. They were spurned as traitors and outcasts. The Jews so abhorred them that pious Pharisees refused to marry into a family that had a publican as a member. Clearly, Matthew was hardly the type of man that a devout Jew would have had among his closest associates. Yet Jesus noted that it was the publican rather than the proud Pharisee who prayed the acceptable prayer, “Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner.” There is frequent favorable reference to publicans in the many sayings of Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew.
Matthew was called early in Jesus’ ministry, but that he wrote the Gospel that bears his name is seriously doubted by scholars. It is, however, generally accepted that his “logia” or “sayings of Jesus” have been included in that Gospel.
It may be that the author of the First Gospel took from Matthew’s work some of the numerous parables and comments that make that Gospel so popular a source for homilies and teaching. Through this Gospel, especially, Jesus speaks not only of faith and eternal life, but of duties toward one’s neighbors, family, and even enemies.
Tradition has it that Matthew, having converted many persons to Christianity in Judea, traveled to the East; but there is no certain evidence for this. He has been venerated as a martyr, but the time and circumstances of his death are unknown.
We thank you, heavenly Father, for the witness of your apostle and evangelist Matthew to the Gospel of your Son our Savior; and we pray that, after his example, we may with ready wills and hearts obey the calling of our Lord to follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Psalter Reading
Psalm 119:33–40
Lessons
Proverbs 3:1–6
2 Timothy 3:14–17
Matthew 9:9–13
Thursday, September 15, 2022
The Truth Sets Us Free
Following the promotional narrative of whatever group or leader is usually easier than fact-finding, careful research, and courage. But as Jesus tells those in John 8 who are trying "pigeon-hole" him into their interpretations and approaches, only the truth found in his word sets us free.
So to whom are we tuning our ears?
Wednesday, September 14, 2022
The Feast of the Holy Cross
The historian Eusebius, in his Life of Constantine, tells how the emperor ordered the erection of a complex of buildings in Jerusalem “on a scale of imperial magnificence,” to set forth as “an object of attraction and veneration to all, the blessed place of our Savior’s resurrection.” The overall supervision of the work—on the site where the Church of the Holy Sepulchre now stands—was entrusted to Constantine’s mother, the empress Helena.
In Jesus’ time, the hill of Calvary had stood outside the city; but when the Roman city which succeeded Jerusalem, Aelia Capitolina, was built, the hill was buried under tons of fill. It was during the excavations directed by Helena that a relic, believed to be that of the true cross, was discovered.
Constantine’s shrine included two principal buildings: a large basilica, used for the Liturgy of the Word, and a circular church, known as “The Resurrection”—its Altar placed on the site of the tomb—which was used for the Liturgy of the Table, and for the singing of the Daily Office.
Toward one side of the courtyard which separated the two buildings, and through which the faithful had to pass on their way from Word to Sacrament, the exposed top of Calvary’s hill was visible. It was there that the solemn veneration of the cross took place on Good Friday; and it was there that the congregation gathered daily for a final prayer and dismissal after Vespers.
The dedication of the buildings was completed on September 14, 335, the seventh month of the Roman calendar, a date suggested by the account of the dedication of Solomon’s temple in the same city, in the seventh month of the Jewish Calendar, hundreds of years before (2 Chronicles 7:8–10).
Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world to himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Lessons:
Psalm 98
Isaiah 45:21–25
Philippians 2:5–11
John 12:31–36a
(Pgs. 378-379, Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2006, Church Publishing)
Thursday, September 8, 2022
Thursday, September 1, 2022
The Feast of St. Bartholomew the Apostle
Bartholomew is one of the twelve Apostles known to us only by his being listed among them in the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, and Luke. His name means “Son of Tolmai,” and he is sometimes identified with Nathanael, the friend of Philip, the “Israelite without guile” in John’s Gospel, to whom Jesus promised the vision of angels ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
Nothing more is heard of him in the four Gospels.
Some sources credit Bartholomew with having written a Gospel, whose existence was known to Jerome and Bede, but which is lost today. There is a tradition that Bartholomew traveled to India, and Eusebius reports that when Pantaenus of Alexandria visited India, between 150 and 200, he found there “the Gospel according to Matthew” in Hebrew, which had been left behind by “Bartholomew, one of the Apostles.”
An ancient tradition maintains that Bartholomew was flayed alive at Albanopolis in Armenia.
Almighty and everlasting God, who gave to your apostle Bartholomew grace truly to believe and to preach your Word: Grant that your Church may love what he believed and preach what he taught; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Psalm Lessons
91 Deuteronomy 18:15–18
or 91:1–4 1 Corinthians 4:9–15
Luke 22:24–30
Friday, August 19, 2022
Friday, July 22, 2022
The Feast of St. Mary Magdalene
Mary of Magdala near Capernaum was one of several women who followed Jesus and ministered to him in Galilee. The Gospel according to Luke records that Jesus “went on through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out. . .” (Luke 8:1–2). The Gospels tell us that Mary was healed by Jesus, followed him, and was one of those who stood near his cross at Calvary.
It is clear that Mary Magdalene’s life was radically changed by Jesus’ healing. Her ministry of service and steadfast companionship, even as a witness to the crucifixion, has, through the centuries, been an example of the faithful ministry of women to Christ. All four Gospels name Mary as one of the women who went to the tomb to mourn and to care for Jesus’ body. Her weeping for the loss of her Lord strikes a common chord with the grief of all others over the death of loved ones. Jesus’ tender response to her grief—meeting her in the garden, revealing himself to her by calling her name—makes her the first witness to the risen Lord. She is given the command, “Go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17). As the first messenger of the resurrection, she tells the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18).
In the tradition of the Eastern Church, Mary is regarded as the equal of an apostle; and she is held in veneration as the patron saint of the great cluster of monasteries on Mount Athos.
Psalm Lessons
42:1–7 2 Corinthians 5:14–18
John 20:11–18
Wednesday, June 29, 2022
Friday, June 24, 2022
Feast of St. John the Baptist
John the Baptist, the prophet, and forerunner of Jesus, was the son of elderly parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, and was related to Jesus on his mother’s side. His birth is celebrated six months before Christmas Day, since, according to Luke, Elizabeth became pregnant six months before the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.
John figures prominently in all four Gospels, but the account of his birth is given only in the Gospel according to Luke. His father, Zechariah, a priest of the Temple at Jerusalem, was struck speechless because he doubted a vision foretelling John’s birth. When his speech was restored, Zechariah uttered a canticle of praise, the Benedictus, which is one of the canticles in the Daily Office.
John lived ascetically in the desert. He was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt, and ate locusts and wild honey. He preached repentance, and called upon people to prepare for the coming of the Kingdom and of the Messiah, baptizing his followers to signify their repentance and new life. Jesus himself was baptized by John in the Jordan.
John had many followers, some of whom became Jesus’ disciples. Because of his denunciation of the sins of Herod, especially Herod’s incestuous marriage, John incurred the enmity of Herodias, Herod’s wife, and was put in prison. Through Herodias’ plotting with Salome, her daughter, Herod was led to promise a gift to Salome, who demanded John’s head. John was thereupon executed.
John is remembered during Advent as a prophet, and at Epiphany as the baptizer of Jesus. The Gospel according to John quotes the Baptist as saying to his followers that Jesus is the Lamb of God, and prophesying, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
I. Almighty God, by whose providence thy servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of thy Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his doctrine and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and after his example constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
II. Almighty God, by whose providence your servant John the Baptist was wonderfully born, and sent to prepare the way of your Son our Savior by preaching repentance: Make us so to follow his teaching and holy life, that we may truly repent according to his preaching; and, following his example, constantly speak the truth, boldly rebuke vice, and patiently suffer for the truth’s sake; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
85 Isaiah 40:1–11
or 85:7–13 Acts 13:14b–26
Luke 1:57–80
Siding with the Weak
I thought that this statement went well with today's Psalter reading from Morning Prayer:
Psalm 82
Coverdale
1God takes his stand in the council of heaven; *
he gives judgment in the midst of the gods:
2"How long will you judge unjustly, *
and show favor to the wicked?
3Save the weak and the orphan; *
defend the humble and needy;
4Rescue the weak and the poor; *
deliver them from the power of the wicked.
5They do not know, neither do they understand;
they go about in darkness; *
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6Now I say to you, 'You are gods, *
and all of you children of the Most High;
7Nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, *
and fall like any prince.'"
8Arise, O God, and rule the earth, *
for you shall take all nations for your own.
Saturday, June 18, 2022
Whose Praise Do We Want?
John 12:42:
We find out a lot about who we are when we have a lot to lose. To shine the glory of Christ, inspire others, and encourage a living and healthy church takes great courage and faith.
Lord Jesus, give us this courage and faith.
Thursday, June 16, 2022
Feast of St. Barnabas
Joseph, a Levite born in Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and turned it over to the apostles” (Acts 4:36–37). This first reference in the New Testament to Barnabas introduces one whose missionary efforts would cause him to be called, like the Twelve, an apostle. As a Jew of the Dispersion, he had much in common with Paul. When Paul came to Jerusalem after his conversion, the disciples were afraid to receive him. It was Barnabas who brought Paul to the apostles, and declared to them how, on the road to Damascus, Paul had seen the Lord, and had preached boldly in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:27). Later, Barnabas, having settled in Antioch, sent for Paul to join him in leading the Christian Church in that city.
Barnabas and Paul were sent by the disciples in Antioch to carry famine relief to the Church in Jerusalem. Upon their return, the Church in Antioch sent them on their first missionary journey beginning at Cyprus. At Lystra in Asia Minor, the superstitious people took them to be gods, supposing the eloquent Paul to be Mercury, the messenger of the gods, and Barnabas to be Jupiter, the chief of the gods, a testimony to the commanding presence of Barnabas. The association of Barnabas and Paul was broken, after their journey, by a disagreement about Mark, who had left the mission to return to Jerusalem. After attending the Council of Jerusalem with Barnabas, Paul made a return visit to the Churches he and Barnabas had founded in Asia Minor. Barnabas and Mark went to Cyprus, where Barnabas is traditionally honored as the founder of the Church.
It seems that Barnabas continued his journeys for the Gospel, because Paul mentions him several times in his letters to the Galatians, the Corinthians, and the Colossians. Tradition has it that he was martyred at Salamis in Cyprus.
Friday, May 20, 2022
Vessels of Grace
The prophet Samuel is one of my favorite Biblical characters. In part this is due to his sensitivity and submission to the Lord from an early age, his faithfulness as a judge and a prophet, and the complexity and uncertainty connected to the future of Israel. Samuel was the linking character between the “time of the Judges” and the “time of the Prophets”. However, his life was anything but a bed of roses.
Although we don’t have the space to flesh much out about him, we read this about his transition into the latter part of his ministry life:I Sam. 8:
When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 Yet his sons did not follow in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.
For some of us, this is a familiar story. The scriptures do not record how his sons’ training, transition into important spiritual/political positions, or their removal from their offices occurred. It is not recorded how this seeming failure with his sons affected his emotions, life, and ministry functioning at times. I suggest that this is likely a most painful time in Samuel’s life, and in the following verses things only get more intense.
However, unlike Eli, the judge before Samuel (and Samuel’s mentor), God did not rebuke Samuel for ignoring his son’s behavior, nor does the author of I Samuel fault Samuel in any way for his son’s rebellious and destructive ways. The indication is that they were removed. While Samuel was likely not a perfect parent or role model (none of us are), he seemingly had been a faithful one. God was using, blessing, and empowering Samuel, NOT because he had it all together with the model family and a resume of worldly, measurable success. In his grace, the Lord was leading and using Samuel as his mouthpiece to his people due to His faithfulness, and Samuel’s faithfulness.
Remember that this public, humiliating, “failure” on the part of Samuel came before the greatest impactful moments of his “ministry career”. The rebellion of his sons comes before Samuel anoints Saul as king. It is before he anoints David as king, and the Messianic Davidic Kingdom is established. This is before the most significant time in his ministry life as a well-regarded hero of our faith.
God doesn’t bless and honor Samuel because he had it all together, and no longer struggled with everyday temptations and sin like the rest of us. He used and blessed Samuel because of His “lovingkindness” and His “grace”. Samuel suffered and grieved but he didn’t give himself over to sin and unfaithfulness. He did not “turn aside after gain; take bribes and pervert justice”.
When we are contrite, humble, and faithful, we are assured of God’s forgiveness and grace. He only saves and uses us because of His grace. He only can use us in measured and lasting ways when we engage our needs and our limited influence over others and situations. But when we throw ourselves on His mercy, the doors of his blessing are kicked open wide, and the blinding light of the glory of God shines in.
Who knows? Our greatest fears and perceived failures may indicate that God is ready to use us in ways we never imagined. We will never know, though, if we put our trust and hope in the wrong things; if we fail to constantly throw ourselves on His grace and loving-kindness.
Is. 57:15
For thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:
I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with those who are contrite and humble in spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Father Tom
Saturday, April 23, 2022
The Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist
A disciple of Jesus, named Mark, appears in several places in the New Testament. If all references to Mark can be accepted as referring to the same person, we learn that he was the son of a woman who owned a house in Jerusalem, perhaps the same house in which Jesus ate the Last Supper with his disciples. Mark may have been the young man who fled naked when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul refers to “Mark the cousin of Barnabas,” who was with him in his imprisonment. Mark set out with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but he turned back for reasons which failed to satisfy Paul (Acts 15:36–40). When another journey was planned, Paul refused to have Mark with him. Instead, Mark went with Barnabas to Cyprus. The breach between Paul and Mark was later healed, and Mark became one of Paul’s companions in Rome, as well as a close friend of Peter’s.
An early tradition recorded by Papias, Bishop of Hieropolis in Asia Minor at the beginning of the second century, names Mark as the author of the Gospel bearing his name. This tradition, which holds that Mark drew his information from the teaching of Peter, is generally accepted. In his First Letter, Peter refers to “my son Mark,” which shows a close relationship between the two men (1 Peter 5:13).
The Church of Alexandria in Egypt claimed Mark as its first bishop and most illustrious martyr, and the great Church of St. Mark in Venice commemorates the disciple who progressed from turning back while on a missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas to proclaiming in his Gospel Jesus of Nazareth as Son of God, and bearing witness to that faith in his later life as friend and companion to the apostles Peter and Paul.
Thursday, April 7, 2022
Monday, April 4, 2022
Friday, March 25, 2022
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
The Feast of the Annunciation to Mary
Collect of the Day
Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Old Testament Reading
Isaiah 7:10-14Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”
The Song of Mary Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading
Luke 1:26-38In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Saturday, February 26, 2022
Video Sermon YouTube Channel
For those interested, many of Father Tom's sermons are now being video-recorded and posted on this YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjRA__BqS_R0i-NtMbgMDKg
For those interested watching full services when they are video recorded at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Bloomington, IL, will be posted on this YouTube Channel:
Saturday, February 12, 2022
A Lenten Way of Life
The Season of Lent is upon us. Of course, in the Christian Year, the service that launches us into this season is our Ash Wednesday Mass. Listen to the introduction of this liturgy as it is found in the Book of Common Prayer:
Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith."
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's Holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker, and redeemer.
Lent is that significant season that reminds us that we are all still sinners in need of a savior. The early Christians would have been very aware of the below Old Testament passages:
Jeremiah 17:
9 The heart is devious above all else;
it is perverse—
who can understand it?
10 I the Lord test the mind
and search the heart,
to give to all according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their doings.
Psalm 19
12 But who can detect their errors?
Clear me from hidden faults.
However, in contrast to some “catholic” traditions, Lent is not about self-punishment, self-condemnation, or self-merit. It is about emotional and spiritual honesty so that true life and healing may be engaged and celebrated. Lent reminds us that we no longer have to pretend that we have it all together, but that God calls us to be responsible to grow in our salvation and ability to love Him and others. The denial of our appetites in concert with some more focused evaluation of the darkness still left in our hearts, helps us to more poignantly be receptive to the mystical realities appropriated to us through Good Friday and Easter.
What often hinders the blessing and penitence of Lent is the need to have it all together, and the fear that we are still under punishment, i.e., terrible things will happen to us if people (including ourselves) find out who we truly are. News flash: Jesus already knows, but He cannot bring healing to patients who wrap their arms around themselves in self-righteousness, self-worship, and self-protection.
Let us engage Lent this year because we long to engage our merciful and triune, God. Ask the Lord to give you the courage through the power of the Holy Spirit, to turn from your sin, and to find His help and healing.
Father Tom
Friday, February 4, 2022
The Problem with Transformation
I repeatedly stated as I candidated here at St. Matthew’s in February 2021, that it is my strong belief that the decline in the American church (across denominational lines) is largely not a “technique” or “methodological” problem (and this includes conflict management acumen and ministry programming of any kind); what we have is a “character problem”. We are largely much more interested in what works than what is true. So often in our churches, Jesus doesn’t direct and define our lives; we fit Him into ours. Jesus modeled the centrality of personal sacrifice, forgiveness, and unconditional love; he was courageous and stood against evil and those who wished the church and others harm. Jesus didn’t have an easy ministry; the things He did and calls us to do aren't often easy, either.
So how can we foster a community that opens its heart to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit? The faithful are called to obey and use the teachings of Jesus Christ to discern some of His most prominent rivals on the American landscape: personal feelings, life experiences, and preferential opinions – whether they be ours or those to whom we desire to bring happiness. These potential masters call for our worship and priority in decision making, but for the thoughtful and teachable disciples of Jesus, they are only discerned or engaged through the lenses of the Gospel and the teachings of the Kingdom of God. Whose lenses do we start with?
We can transform…no one. We can fix…no one. We can change…no one. We can love…everyone. But loving people does not mean enabling and supporting clearly disobedient behavior repeatedly taught as destructive in Holy Scripture. WHO and what “truth” we follow will either pave a way for life and growth in our church, or it will rut and wash out any way forward.
Chickens are coming home to roost in American parishes across our land, so, how will we be different? The broader, disengaged, and non-confrontational approaches of modern moralistic institutionalism would struggle with the ministry of Jesus (just like they did at the time of Christ). Can the ways of Jesus truly be trusted? What does it “look like” for the Church of St. Matthew’s to be obedient and faithful to Christ, thus, welcoming Jesus as the Lord of the Church? Are His ways worth following?
I say yes. What say you?
Friday, January 28, 2022
Practical Theology
The problem that we often have with our “theology” about God, life, and the church, isn’t that our beliefs from Holy Scripture are so impractical or unrelated to life, but that they are so practical that God’s greatness reminds us how small and needy we truly are. Instead of being grateful for his love and mercy, we become threatened that this God so above us might be trying to take something from us; that if we follow Him completely, we may end up losing something essential that we must have to be happy.
We do not merit our salvation; we cannot earn it, nor should we even try. However, God has made our redemption a gift, and a responsibility. To grow in Him means a lot of work, discomfort, and change. When we are motivated by unholy fear, guilt, and unbelief an “earned approach” appears. When we are motivated by love and gratitude, a trusting, joyous, and passionate sanctification occurs. However, our growth in holiness, while not meriting our position with God, IS still a part of our salvation as we turn from sin and self-rule to faithfulness and obedience to our Lord and His ways. This desire and these actions on our part take discipline, patience, and the acceptance of God’s mercy. This is our theology of sanctification, and it is God’s path to our final redemption.
In Genesis, the Lord reveals himself to Moses with the name “Yahweh”. Literally in Hebrew, it means “I AM”. God is not just the Lord of Creation – matter, time, and space – he is above it and removed from it. God is not “was” or “will be”. For Him there is no past, present, and future; there is only NOW. Not only does our wonderful God know the future He has for us, He actually lives in that future. We have nothing to fear.
When we consider the greatness and love of our God, let us remember that He is calling us into a salvation history for His Covenant people that is already completed, but not yet. This is a mystery and one we will never completely understand. May this encourage us that His greatness can be trusted and may this help us to embrace that our Lord calls us to be faithful.
Father Tom
Saturday, December 18, 2021
Preparing for Family at Christmas
In the least, the COVID virus has caused most of us some everyday challenges, irritations, and general anxiety. However, it is amazing to what we can grow accustomed. While I still walk halfway between my car and the grocery store before I realize I have no mask on, I expect the reality of masks in public places. I have yet to receive my tax return from 2020. Our new couch which we bought in August is now due to arrive in April. Yes, these things are frustrating, but they are becoming much more normal every day.
There are things for which we can also become accustomed in our families, work, and church family. Some of this is fine, reasonable, and needed. However, there are other things that we accept and even support that Jesus did not and would not. This is because of His consistent and clear understanding in regards to true love. When it came to certain values and priorities, Jesus kept the will of His Father and His calling as His foundation, even with those He loved the most.
Mark 3:
Then he went home; 20 and the crowd came together again, so that they could not even eat. 21 When his family heard it, they went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.”
31 Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. 32 A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” 33 And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” 34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”
While Jesus loved his family, He did not allow them to dictate His behavior. We have lost our way a bit as the church when it comes to the Christmas Season. A wonderful benefit of the Feast of the Nativity is that we have some blessed time to spend with family. However, Western culture has turned Christmas into “it’s all about family”. As the disciples of Jesus, it is the worship of Him that comes first, and this in turn is a blessing to us and our families. Feasting is God’s idea, and when we enjoy His blessings, this brings Him Joy as well. That said, it is easy to lose our focus and priorities as we interact and engage those that we love the most.
As we know quite well, being around family during the holidays also poses some great challenges and tensions. What temptations might that be for you? Can we draw boundaries with others without trying to punish them for past harms? Can we lovingly engage those we love without enabling their influence on our emotions or actions? Do we bring forgiveness and peace to our gatherings, or do we add to the chaos and tensions by our own self-service? Can we still feast and worship the Lord without being lost in the overwhelming business of this season?
The answer is most certainly, “Yes”, but we must prepare our hearts and open ourselves to the Christ-child’s gentle and powerful touch. May Advent prepare us for our Holidays and for faithfulness to our God throughout the entirety of the New Year.
Father Tom
Friday, December 3, 2021
Choking the Transformation
To recap: One, we have been taught that “evangelism” is a method used to get results. Secondly, we are tempted to think that only those with a special gifting can be used to see others find Jesus as their Lord. Lastly, many of us struggle with deep spiritual “insecurities”: "God wouldn't use me to see someone come to find eternal redemption in Christ!".
The truth is that the season of Advent helps us find the genuine starting places for effective outreach to the world; a world that so desperately needs to know the saving love of Jesus. Although humanity was given over to selfishness, pride, and emptiness, the Father sent His son to break into our world shrouded in guilt, shame, and self-destruction. He did not wait in His heavenly court for us to somehow figure it out ourselves (we were incapable of this). He in His mercy and love sent His willing and loving Son to break into our world that we might have hope.
Thus, as we will investigate in the future from Holy Scripture, the starting places for a grounded and lasting form of church growth does NOT start with our desire to see our institution survive that we might not suffer loss (this is about US).
The below two questions can reveal if we truly desire a future taught by Jesus about the Kingdom of God in our own hearts: Do we truly want to love our neighbor (whether they join our church or not), and do we truly want to love one another with the authentic love of Jesus? Without these two foundational pillars, any evangelism, outreach, and “do-gooding” in which we involve ourselves will be extremely limited in nature. Why? Because when we choose our own ways and machinations, we limit the power of the Holy Spirit among us and hinder the transformation that our Savior wants to accomplish in us...and through us.
More to come.
Father Tom
Sunday, November 21, 2021
The Lord Wants YOU
When Competition Hurts
Thursday, October 28, 2021
The Spirit of Reconciliation
"The whole Gospel of St. Luke is full of the spirit of ·reconciliation, the reconciliation of man with God, of person with person. The spirit of reconciliation is necessary in all ages. We may have perfect organization and perfect machinery, but, unless we have a right spirit behind them, they will not affect much. The forces of coercion on one side and revenge on the other will never do any good. Christ's religion reveals His spirit, and it is a reconciling spirit. Some people, wherever they go, bring trouble, and others bring blessing and healing, as did this great tender doctor who was with St. Paul to the end, and must have had so sweet a character."
Saturday, October 16, 2021
The Word in Liturgy
Father Tom has created a new podcast for the homilies that he will be preaching at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church.
His new podcast is The Word in Liturgy.
The peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be yours this week.
Wednesday, October 13, 2021
To Fear or Not to Fear
2 Timothy 1:
7 for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
8 Do not be ashamed, then, of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Fear is not a fruit of the Spirit.
Fear is the enemy of the Gospel and a life that is free and being freed from anxiety. Fear tells us that:
we are not good enough
something we do or have done will ruin our lives
we must have control to be content
we must control our family, friends, and fellow-members
we must preserve our way of life at all cost
no one else can be trusted but me and those who think like me
Listen to Paul in Gal. 5 as he shares the “siblings” and the outcomes of fear:
19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy,[e] drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
This kind of living has no concept or reception for Paul’s words to Timothy that he should not “be ashamed” by those taking shots at a life lived out of the Gospel message. Instead, he welcomes Timothy "to join with me in suffering for the gospel, relying on the power of God". People who understand that following Jesus means embracing and running into discomfort and suffering (as opposed to a “fight or flight” response) will reflect the following characteristics in their lives:
22 By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.
The above is NOT first of all about legitimate theological differences and in “debatable areas” among us. Remember that those who often attacked and maligned Paul saw themselves as “the orthodox” and it was the Jewish “orthodox” leaders who led the Crucifixion of Jesus (NOT firstly the Roman Government).
Because we hold certain beliefs that we believe to be “right” and “just” does not mean that our hearts are soft to the Holy Spirit and obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ. Nor does the “rightness” of our cause justify our uncontrolled passions, unforgiveness, and the poor treatment of others.
What are the patterns of your life related to the above lists? What kind of spirit do the people with whom you spend the most time reveal? What kind of spirit do you support and align with? Do you enable or undermine those given over to envy, power, and wrath? Who are those from whom you learn, get council, and welcome to aid you in your growth in Jesus?
Jesus is patient, loving, and forgiving. However, when it comes to how we treat people, minister with people, and forgive people, well…these things have eternal ramifications.
To repeat Paul's words from Galatians 5 above: I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Matthew 6:
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Let us say “NO” to fear today, and YES to the fruits of the Spirit that only the Holy Spirit can give us as we welcome his work in our lives with obedient, soft, and teachable hearts to Jesus and His ways.
Father Tom
Thursday, September 23, 2021
Watchful Versus Complacent
The Seduction of Production
In the New Testament, the idea of Covenantal rest for the people of God is fleshed out for us and connected directly to the work of Jesus in His death and resurrection (this is especially clarified for us in the Epistle of Hebrews). For the New Covenant People of God, Jesus is our rest, our shalom, our peace. The idea of Shalom for the baptized points to a salvation that brings wholeness, healing, and restoration both in this life and in the life to come.
BUT, there is a practical reality that is also to be understood here in the context of Genesis 1 that is meant for God’s Covenant People of all ages. God did not rest because He got tired or exhausted (like we humans do). As Jesus modeled repentance and forgiveness in Baptism (when he needed neither), God models something for us in establishing the six-day workweek and “resting” on the Seventh Day: Our lives are not about the tasks we are given by the Creator but are to be focused on Creator Himself.
Whatever good gifts that God has given us can quickly become priorities and idols themselves. This is not to be. So, Israel, and now the New Covenant People, His Church, were called in their resting to remind themselves and re-orient themselves weekly to the source of their lives - knowing, serving, and following the very God who had given them their lives, tasks, and salvation.
May we use and recommit ourselves to the regular Sunday worship of our God in Word and Sacrament. It was the discipline established by the Apostles and Church Fathers: A time of worship in community designed to refresh, strengthen, and reorient us to our true source of lasting REST, Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Father Tom
Holy Scripture Matters - (1st Article - St. Matthew's Episcopal Church)
Why does Holy Scripture matter? For historic Episcopalians – being both Catholic and Reformational; we believe the Bible to be our highest authority which guides us in both life and salvation. However, we also know that our holy book was developed over thousands of years through a Spirit-led, yet frail community. It is not a completed magic book that dropped from the sky into the hands of the Church Fathers. It has a distinctly mystical, spiritual, and creational history. Thus, we embrace the truth that Holy Scripture is formed by the unique work of the Holy Spirit in the context of good tradition.
Tuesday, March 30, 2021
The Innkeeper and the Priest
"He brought him to an inn and took care of him" - Luke 10:34
The validity of the orders of the priest and the grace of the Sacrament depends upon the love of God, Who knows what they need whom He brings to His inn. The innkeeper was not necessarily a person of any great merit, but to him was given sufficient to provide for the needs of the man. God has entrusted His Sacraments to His priests, and however much they may fail in their own lives, the gifts they dispense are a perfect provision for our souls, for they are indeed the gifts of God Himself.
- Father Andrew, Meditations, 283
Samaritan Living
"When he saw him, he was moved with compassion and came to him" - Luke 10:33
The Samaritan passes by and comes where the man is. In that sentence is told all the deep mystery of our Lord's Incarnation. He came down to be in the poverty of the poor. He did not pass by, He did not come down and look at it, and then go back to heaven. He did not come to tempted men and say, "You ought not to have that temptation,' but He came to where the tempted man was. he came into the place of suffering and willed that His own coronal should be a crown of thorns. The story of the Good Samaritan is the story of the Incarnation. It is the picture of the love of God.
- Father Andrew, Meditations, pg. 282
Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Review: The Apocalypse of St John: A Revelation of Love and Power
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Listened to this over a 2-year period via Podcast (but also bought the written commentary).
Highly Recommended. The author is not only versed exegetically and historically in regards to interpretive issues but does a fantastic job bringing out the need for a deep understanding of the Old Testament if one is to rightly interpret Revelation. It is constantly (and rightly) emphasized that to understand Revelation and its intent, the book must be read and studied from the perspective of a faithful Jew - who is also a Christian. The author illustrates the point repeatedly and thoughtfully.
Highly Recommended.
View all my reviews
Friday, March 12, 2021
Mercy for Seeking and Knowing Truth
I, therefore, cease not to ask of our true Lord and Master that He will design so to teach me, either by the utterances of His Scriptures, or by a discussion with fellow believers, or by the inward and more sweet teaching of His own inspiration, that in those things which I am to put forward or assert I may ever hold fast to the truth; and I ask that from this very Truth, Himself, I may be taught many things and more which I do not know, for from Him I have received the little that I do know. I beseech Him that He will go before me and follow me with His mercy; and that those things which I ought to know to my soul’s health He will teach me; that what I know of truth He will guard me therein; that in those things in which I am humanly mistaken He will correct me, and that from what is false and harmful He will deliver me; and that He will make to go forth from my mouth those things which are the most pleasing in the sight of Truth Himself, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Saviour.
Saturday, February 20, 2021
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
A Guide to Reading the Bible
This is a concise, thoughtful, and extremely helpful article in regards to how a historic and thoughtful Christian should approach Holy Scripture.
https://livingchurch.org/covenant/2015/08/14/top-10-rules-bible-reading/
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
A Drowsy Half-Waking
Two months before his death C.S. Lewis wrote:
"[We are] a seed patiently waiting in the earth: waiting to come up a flower in the Gardener's good time, up into the real world, the real waking. I suppose that our whole present life, looked back on from there, will seem only a drowsy half-waking. We are here in the land of dreams. But cock-crow is coming."
McGrath, pg. 360
Monday, January 11, 2021
Saturday, January 9, 2021
For Our Country: A Prayer
O God, you have bound us together in a common life. Help us, in the midst of our struggles for justice and truth, to confront one another without hatred or bitterness, and to work together with mutual forbearance and respect; Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the people of this land], that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-1979 Book of Common Prayer
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Wonderful article regarding a pandemic, death, and the hope of Christmas from a bishop in 1623:
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Friday, November 13, 2020
PASTORAL THEOLOGY
- I believe that popular notions in American Christianity regarding the separation of theology/practice, the past/present, the intellect/emotion, and the personal/communal are artificial, unscriptural, and in contrast with a faithful, historic, and Christian discipleship
- After the love we have for our Triune God, the foundation for a transcendent (thus, lasting) evangelism is the scripturally defined love that Christians are to have in community together. Biblical Community is a gift of the Holy Spirit but must be developed and sought after by God’s people.
- An enduring church worships, loves, and seeks the covenant-making God of the scriptures in both personal and communal ways. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the faithful church effectively brings a transcendent Gospel to the world around it from a position of humility, authenticity, and depth.
- A parasitic form of Christianity loves people so that it may get something from them. It fosters selfishness, infighting, and power games within communal family life. While an unhealthy view of the church can survive for many years, in time this kind of Christianity will decline and evaporate. Empire building has no place in the Kingdom of God, and this spirit and approach contribute to an anemic and unhealthy church wherever it is found.
- Biblical discipleship lives and proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others. However, discipleship is not just an invitation to public conversion through baptism, but following baptism, walks in a relationship with the new convert as their genuine and personal faith grows, a later faith takes root, or an empty faith reveals itself over time.
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Friday, October 30, 2020
Nobility or the Status Quo?
Are you nobler than those who are quite satisfied with their comfortable beliefs? Read the below before you answer.
Acts 17:
11 Now, these Jews were nobler than those in Thessaloni′ca, for they received the word with all eagerness, examining the scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
When we are challenged by credible sources that we respect regarding the teachings of Holy Scripture, are we noble and do we give honest prayer, thought, and research to their challenges? Or, like anyone else who prefers the comfort of their own presuppositions, the fear of honest assessment, and the need to avoid the unknown, do we brush them off? (or like the Jews in Thessalonica, go on the attack?).
Does the "truth set you free" or are you the warden of your own captivity? The search is for Christ NO MATTER THE COSTS.
"My word is truth, and the truth will set you free" - Jesus (John 8)
Is it the "salvation" that Jesus offers that we truly want?
Thursday, October 15, 2020
How We Find Out
By their fruits, you will know them Matt. 7:20
We find out what people are really like by the way they take the things that happen to them. One might think a woman very charming, yet find her fail in the day of trouble, or one might be with a man when a fire broke out at a theatre, and find that he was immediately in a panic; or one might see someone, whom one had always regarded as very commonplace, do a very beautiful act. In each case, one would say, 'Well, I never thought he or she was like that! The circumstances of life reveal character.
Our Lord willed to come into this world and bring with Him nothing, to start with the poorest and to meet life as it came, and each thing as he met it revealed His character. Hate came to him, and He revealed His love. Success came to Him, and he revealed His humility. Failure came and revealed his faith. All things came to Him, eventually death, and death itself contributed to his royalty, for it revealed that He is alive forevermore.
Life finds us out, and our first discovery may be very like the discovery of St. Peter when he went out and wept bitterly after denying his Lord. But that was not the last word about Simon Peter, nor need our failures ever be the last word about ourselves. We can learn by our mistakes, and, if life finds us out, we can find out our God in our lives, and through its challenge and His grace bring forth the fruit that shall make us known as His children.
Father Andrew - Meditations, pg. 273
Doing Right or Getting the Right Result?
James 1:
2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.
The surprising statement no doubt came out of St. James's own experience. The only way in which we can read "trials" is by taking it as being for the testing of the will, and that is surely what the apostle means. It has to be proved that we are doing right from the highest motives; that we are doing right because it is right, and not because it is profitable; that we are doing the true thing because it is true, and not because it is polotic (politically expedient).... if we do right from thoughts of punishment or reward, we may be doing right things but we are not really doing right.
-Father Andrew, Meditations, pg. 272
Friday, September 18, 2020
AGAINST SENSIBLE RELIGION
"There is nothing new under the sun". -Song of Solomon
"He (St. Athanasius) stood for the Trinitarian doctrine, 'whole and undefiled,' when it looked as if all the civilized world was slipping back from Christianity into the religion of Arius—into one of those “sensible” synthetic religions which are so strongly recommended to-day and which, then as now, included among their devotees many highly cultivated clergymen. It is his glory that he did not move with the times; it is his reward that he now remains when those times, as all times do, have moved away.
-CS Lewis
SHORT-CUTS TO IMMATURITY
“Goal-setting, in the context and on the terms intended by a leadership-obsessed and management programmed business mentality that infiltrates the church far too frequently, is bad spirituality. Too much gets left out. Too many people get brushed aside. Maturity cannot be hurried, programmed, or tinkered with. There are no steroids available for growing up in Christ more quickly. Impatient shortcuts land us in the dead ends of immaturity."
-Eugene Peterson - “Practice Resurrection,” pg. 133