The Daily Office: John 4:27-42

John 4:27-42

So the woman left her water-pot and went away into the city. (John 4:28)

"She left her water-pot, so she meant to come back. It is one of the graphic touches which strongly suggest the eye-witness. The Evangelist records what the disciples saw."*

Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about…My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. (John 4:31-35)

"They had left the Lord weary beside the spring…But his mood is changed. He has a refreshment of which they do not know…In the soul of the woman and in the influence that she is gone to exert, a work of God is manifest; the doing of that is his refreshment. And how rapid is the response! – as though sowing and reaping were telescoped together."*

*From Readings in St. John's Gospel, by Archbishop William Temple

Forward Day by Day

Just a reminder. Click on "Forward Day by Day," to the right side of the blog, under Internet Favorites, and that will take you to a brief meditation on one of the daily scripture readings. The meditations are automatically updated each day. I want to offer as many opportunities as possible to immerse yourself in prayer and the Word.

The Daily Office: John 4:1-26

John 4:1-26

"Jesus saith to her, Give me to drink." (John 4:7)

"The way to call anyone into fellowship with us is, not to offer then service, which is liable to arouse the resistance of their pride, but to ask service from them. Of course, the request must be prompted by a real need. The Lord was actually tired and thirsty when He said Give me to drink, and drew the woman into conversation by asking her for help. So social workers have found that they cannot bridge the gulf digged by their education so long as they live in a style different from their neighbours and offer service. But all is changed when they adopt the manner of life familiar in the neighbourhood and share its needs."

*From Readings in St. John's Gospel, by Archbishop William Temple

Saint of the Week: Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr

John 12:24-26

Lawrence was a deacon in the Church of Rome in the middle of the 3rd century. Then, as now, vocational deacons were principally servants, of their Bishop and the needy. Deacon Lawrence was, in effect, the chief financial officer of the Diocese of Rome, when a persecution broke out in August of the year 258.

The early Church was not constantly persecuted. In fact, the Church might live in peace for decades, accumulating members, money, and buildings. In this persecution, the Roman Emperor targeted the leaders of the Church and its wealthiest members. They were all executed, including Pope Sixtus the Second. Only Lawrence was spared. The Emperor promised to spare him if he would hand over the "treasures" of the Church.

Lawrence agreed and asked for three days to gather those "treasures" together. Over those three days, Lawrence found all the sick and poor whom he had assisted. At the end of the three days, he brought them all to the Emperor. Where is the treasure of the Church, the Emperor demanded? Pointing to all those around him, Lawrence replied, here is the treasure of the Church. Enraged, the Emperor had Lawrence roasted on a gridiron, according to tradition.

For Deacon Lawrence, nothing was more important than giving of one's self to others. Giving of himself was more important than his life. When he could have given up someone else's money, nor his own, Lawrence chose instead to give up his life. He trusted Jesus, that if his single grain of life fell and died, it would continue to bear much fruit.

We human beings, it seems, live in a world of getting. If we give, it is only with the expectation of getting something equal to the gift. But Lawrence understood that the God who created this world, then gave himself through His Son, is a Giver before all else. Whether he gets something in return is irrelevant. This world is a gift. Our lives are a gift. Our lives will always change, sometimes not for the better. But like the grain that dies, the gift is transformed.

God's gift of love remains, always and forever. Lawrence trusted the Giver. So can we.

The Daily Office: John 3:1-21

John 3:1-21

"So we come to the central declaration, more central for Christian faith than even The Word became flesh…But here is the whole great truth. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that everyone that believeth on him may not perish, but have eternal life. This is the heart of the Gospel. Not 'God is Love' – a precious truth, but affirming no divine act for our redemption. God so loved that he gave; of course the words indicate the cost to the Father's heart. He gave; it was an act, not only a continuing mood of generosity; it was an act at a particular time and place."

*From Readings in St. John's Gospel, by Archbishop William Temple

Fearless Hearts: Proper 14, Year C

"Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has already chosen to give you the kingdom."

Three times in this 12th chapter of Luke's Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples not to be afraid. Of course if you have to keep telling someone not to be afraid, that's a pretty good sign that they are afraid. Last week, we saw Jesus confronted with one of the anxieties of everyday life. "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me." Apparently, this brother is not happy with the way his father's estate is being handled. Perhaps one judge has already judged how the property has been divided, but this brother isn't happy with the decision. So perhaps he figures that if he can draw Jesus into this family dispute, then he will get an opinion more to his liking. Of course, the family will then have dueling judges. Maybe they'll listen to Jesus, maybe they won't. The brother with a grievance may not actually get any more money than he had before. But at least he might have an opinion more to his liking. He may be no wealthier than before, but at least he'll feel better, perhaps.

Faced with the brother's anxiety, Jesus has to go back to the basics. This brother and those hearing him need to get reacquainted with the reality of what they can and can't control, and the treasure they should look for that has already been given to them. Between last week's reading and today's, Jesus told his disciples the famous parable of the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. "This is why I tell you not to worry about food to keep you alive or clothes to cover your body...Can anxious thought add a day to your life? If then, you cannot do even a very little thing, why worry about the rest?"

Think of all the things that weigh on our minds throughout the waking day and restless night. How many of those things do we actually have the power to change? Relationships: employment: jobs? When it comes to all those things we worry about, we have two options. We can grasp or we can give. We can either grasp at those things we are anxious about, or we can give up control of them. But if what we're grasping at is something we can't control; then the only alternative to the anxiety that leads us to grasp what we cannot control is to give up what we can control. We certainly have some control over our food and clothing. But it is those things that we can control, which Jesus warns us not to be anxious about. Why, because those are the least important things. "Set your minds on his kingdom," Jesus told his disciples, "and the rest will come to you as well."

So, the one thing that Jesus says does matter, is the one thing we have no control over. But there is nothing more valuable, and best of all, God has already chosen to give it to us. "Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has already chosen to give you the kingdom." But where is that kingdom? What territory does it control? Where are its borders? To ask those questions reduces God's kingdom to just another empire among all the empires that human beings conquer, build up, and then watch as they inevitably decline and fall. In truth, God already rules this world. But it is not a rule that God imposes with an iron fist from above. He rules from our hearts that are free from fear. When we can relax in the knowledge that God's love will outlast every empire based on power, then God rules from our fearless hearts. When we stop grasping at any straw to persuade us that we have some control, then God rules from our fearless hearts. When reaching out becomes more important than self-protection, then God rules from our fearless hearts.

God rules. Can we trust in that as much as we trust in our next paycheck? Can we wait for God's rule to bloom in our hearts and the world around us? "Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has already chosen to give you the kingdom."

The Transfiguration of Our Lord

2nd Peter: 13-21

The Church seems to be of two minds about when to celebrate the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. We celebrate it twice in the liturgical year: always on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday, and on August 6. The reason for the first date is clear enough from the context in which it happened. Jesus was transfigured after his first prediction of his crucifixion. So it makes sense for us to remember the Transfiguration before we each embark on our personal way of the Cross during Lent.

But the Orthodox Christian churches of the East have always had a deeper understanding of this momentous event. They have for centuries celebrated this feast on August 6. The Western churches were much later in adopting this date. But the Transfiguration was more than a precursor to the Cross. It was not, as it is written in 2nd Peter, a "cleverly devised myth." It was not one of those spiritual experiences that we might know to be true in a subjective sense. As Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message, "we were there for the preview" (2 Peter 1:16). The Transfiguration was the preview of that day when the glory of God's Son will shine so bright that there will be no mistaking who He is: God!

The Transfiguration is our "preview." Which is why we pray today that, beholding our Transfigured Lord through his "chosen witnesses," we will be "delivered from the disquietude of this world." This world gives us many reasons to be anxious. But they don't hold a candle to peace that comes from knowing that such a dazzling light as shone around Jesus will not burn, but warm us. So confess those anxieties. In the quietness of your heart, bring them to the "holy mount." Let the dazzling white light burn them out of your heart. All that will be left will be that knowledge that Jesus is the Lover-King of all things. Behold Him!