September 11, 2001, Nine Years Later

I was just praying the Morning Office, using The Divine Hours. I was suddenly struck by how appropriate were the words of that particular office for the Saturday closest to September 7, which in this year fell on September 11th. "Our days are like the grass; we flourish like a flower of the field; when the wind goes over it, it is gone, and its place shall know it no more" (Psalm 103:15–16). "And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be terrified" (Luke 21:9).

We all came face to face with our mortality on September 11th, 2001. Our seemingly secure homeland was attacked. The symbols of our prosperity (the World Trade Center), and our security and power (the Pentagon) were attacked, even destroyed. Americans who once assumed their invulnerability within our own borders found that confidence shaken.

Nine years later, amid the further dwindling of that prosperity, and wars which have not gone as we had hoped, it would be natural that fear of wars, revolutions, even clashes of civilizations, would only be heightened. Out of that fear, some respond by fighting fire with fire. "You" burned our buildings and our planes, so we will burn your holy book. But note that on this day, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, implores us to "not be terrified."

On this day we remember that, "My eyes are fixed on you, O my Strength; for you, O God, are my stronghold" (Psalm 59:10). And what is the nature of that strength? It is the strength of the Son of Man, who faced the same fear, the same sense of failure, that all people and all nations face. And yet this same Son of Man knows that death is not the end, but simply the prelude to Resurrection. He was seen by his disciples on the clouds going to Heaven, and we shall see him again on the clouds.

In the meantime, let us remember what the risen Jesus leaves us, on this day and all days: "Peace be with you" (Luke 24:36). And in that peace, let us pray, in the words of the collect for this week: "Grant me, O Lord, to trust in you with all my heart; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.†

The Cost, and Benefit, of Following Jesus

In any "sale," there comes the moment of truth. After the never ending list of benefits comes the moment of decision. Will we pay the cost of all those benefits? Is the cost worth the promise of those benefits? Do we trust the salesman enough to let go of our hard-earned wealth in exchange for a promise? Are we ready to join this person on the journey toward the fulfilment of those promised benefits?

And so we are told that "large crowds" were going with Jesus. Where did they think Jesus was taking them? Where do we hope that Jesus is taking us? To a Promised Land of milk and honey? What does that look like? Is your Promised Land a place in your past that you wish to recover? Is it a destination that you know you can't avoid and are hoping it's ok? Is your Promised Land a place a new place you're looking forward to, a better place than where you've been or where you are now, but which you still hope isn't too different, too unfamiliar?

So how do they feel, how do we feel, when Jesus wheels around and declares, "They who come to me and do not hate their families aren't worthy to be my disciples."? Excuse me, Jesus, but where are the benefits? I doubt that any of us have ever been taught that this how you close the sale. Does this make you want to beat down the doors to get into Jesus's clubhouse? But these are the Words of Jesus that have been given to us today. And we, who aspire to be Jesus's followers, or disciples, had better understand the dues of getting into this club, the cost of membership in His Kingdom toward which we are heading.

The cost of membership in Jesus's kingdom of God is alienation. That alienation may be from family. It may be from whatever tribal community where you have felt comfortable included. Those who joined the community of disciples of the risen Christ eventually became alienated from their synagogue. So don't assume that to follow Jesus won't possibly alienate you from the church. To follow Jesus Christ may alienate you from all support systems – jobs, stocks, savings -- maybe even the support system of faith, if it is faith for the sake of security.

And they who do not take up their cross and willingly suffer wrongful accusation are unworthy of what Jesus suffered on the cross to gain for us. What is there to gain? Brothers and sisters we cannot imagine, coming from places where we would least look for them. So, given all that's at stake, you can bet that Jesus wants his disciples to consider very carefully what it could cost to follow Him into His Kingdom.

The smart person does not rush into a major building project, which will take a long time to complete, without first estimating the cost, and doing their best to guess if they can complete the building. Do not rush to follow Jesus. There is time for you to estimate the cost of discipleship. But is it not also the case that whenever we undertake a long-term project we find ourselves blindsided by events and the actions of others that we could not have anticipated?

And don't we do our best to foresee what conflicts will ensue when we make certain choices or declarations? And if you can't win the fight, based on your limited resources; or if you decide it just isn't worth it, don't you choose peace over conflict? But what about those times when objections arise from left field? And aren't some fights too important to walk away from, regardless of the outcome?

Jesus knows all of this. Jesus knows that we can't forsee all the potential costs and obstacles on our paths of discipleship. Jesus knows that we cannot possibly carry our particular cross on our particular journey by our own limited strength and limited resources. But Jesus says we must give up our possessions. We cannot rely on our own limited resources if we want to follow Jesus as His disciples. We rely on Him who carried all the crosses of all humanity, for all time, and who promises every one beside Him on the cross, "This day you shall be with me in Paradise."

To follow Jesus is to knowingly be alienated from the supports of family, tribe, wealth and power, that only now have we realized were never enough to support whatever we building for a secure future. To follow Jesus is to accept the conflicts that come with becoming the enemies of Jesus's enemies. But with our new-found friends, in life and in death, we will never be alone.

Praying The Divine Hours

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a believer in the power of daily, fixed-hour prayer, to change hearts and souls over time. I know that I am not the same person today that I was some 12 years ago, when I first started using the Daily prayer offices in the Book of Common Prayer of Morning and Evening Prayer. In those early days of trying set time aside for twice-daily prayer, I struggled with the wordiness of the Daily Office: 2-4 psalms a day, two long readings from scripture, canticles, versicles and responses. And all this in the context of prayer services designed for more than one person.

Then in 2000, I discovered The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle, an Episcopalian and prolific author on religion. Her three volume work condensed the cycle of psalms, readings and prayers into three short services each day; morning, mid-day and vespers (or evening). The services are based on the prayer services in our Book of Common Prayer. But they are designed for individual use. The Divine Hours nourished my soul during a time of transition in my life: a period of unemployment, followed by a new job, and then the emerging call to ordained ministry.

You can buy the volumes. They're well worth it. And/or, you can now pray The Divine Hours online. When I entered seminary, with attendance at Morning Prayer required, I set aside The Divine Hours and entered into the Prayer Book's cycle of going through entire Psalter within a month and the narrative reading of scripture. There is much to be gained from such an immersion in the psalms and following the story of John's Gospel, or of Exodus, or 1st Corinthians, etc. But I also appreciate the challenges of finding the time for such an immersion. I commend The Divine Hours for individual use, and I pray that all of us may continue to be transformed by the rule of daily, fixed-hour prayer.

The Daily Office: John 8:21-32

John 8:21-32

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

"If ye abide in the word which is mine, ye are truly my disciples, and ye will recognize the truth. This perception or knowledge of the truth is more than intellectual or scientific knowledge, for which there is another word; it is the knowledge of acquaintance. Loyal adherence to what they believe will convert that belief to trust; they will advance, so to speak, from being orthodox to being real Christians. And in that trust they will find freedom."*

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

The Daily Office: John 7:14-24

John 7:14-24

Jesus said, "Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own." (John 7:17)

"If any man wills – purposeth – to do His will, he shall know concerning the teaching whether it is of God. It is not necessary for this that a man should have reached the point of perfect obedience; but it is necessary that he should intend perfect obedience"*

My comment: There's that word again: perfect. But as was said yesterday, perfection is a process. All Jesus asks is that we try. If we try to follow Jesus's teaching, then we will be guided in the right direction, step by step. One step: that's all Jesus asks of us today, and every day.

Jesus also said, "Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly." (John 7:24)

"They would search the scriptures and then try to apply texts to life in meticulous detail. The result was bound to be superficial. Do not judge by looks. Go to the heart of the matter; that is to say, God's purpose expressed in the law and the relation of any action (act and motive together) to that purpose."*

My comment: The Bible is not a set of detailed directions downloaded from Mapquest or Google. It is not a How-To book. It is a story of how God relates to human beings where they are. Of course, we know how the story ends, which should help us understand the theme of the story: God's transforming love in the teaching, death, and rising of Jesus Christ. Always let that be the purpose by which you judge yourself, and others.

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

The Daily Office: John 7:1-13

John 7:1-13

Jesus' brothers said to him, "Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world." For even his own brothers did not believe in him. Therefore Jesus told them, "My time is not yet here." (John 7:3-6a)

"This is not an infrequent exercise in the life of discipleship. We want him to accompany us (so to speak) on some enterprise, and to vindicate what is said on His behalf by us or by others through some success that He enables us to win. But we are left to toil on with no glad sense of His presence as our companion; and at the end we find Him awaiting us with the Prophet's rebuke for our defect of wisdom or of loyalty…Yet that judgement too is mercy; for the goal of the 'call upwards of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14) is not our service of Him, with which He can easily dispense, but that we should, like Him, 'be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect' (St. Matthew: 5:48)."*

My comment: Understand that to be made "perfect" really means to be made "complete." To be completed is a process. It doesn't happen in the blink of an eye or the snap of a finger. We are all in the process of being competed as disciples of Christ. We who follow Christ, however imperfectly, will be completed. We will become perfect, in our loving Father's good time.

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

Saint of the Week: Bartholomew (or Nathanael)

John 1:43-51

The name "Bartholomew" appears in the New Testament only on lists of the names of the twelve apostles. This list normally is given as six pairs, and the third pair in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke is "Philip and Bartholomew"

John gives no list of the Twelve, but refers to more of them individually than the other three. He does not name Bartholomew, but early in his account (John 1:43-50) he tells of the call to discipleship of a Nathaniel who is often supposed to be the same person. The reasoning is as follows: (1) John's Nathanael is introduced as one of the earliest followers of Jesus, and in terms which suggest that he became one of the Twelve. (2) "Bar-tholomew" is a patronymic, meaning "son of Tolmai (or Talmai)." It is therefore likely that he had another name. (3) Nathanael is introduced in John's narrative as a friend of Philip. Since Bartholomew is paired with Philip on three of our four lists of Apostles, it seems likely that they were associated.

Assuming that is the case, then the call of Nathanael described in today's reading from John is also the call of "Bar-tholomew." This son of Israel cared deeply for the future of his people, and refused to give up on God's promises of a Messiah, an "Anointed One" who would bring God's power into this world. Nathanael did not let his skepticism over things coming from Nazareth stop him in his quest. 'Come and see," his friend Philip suggested, and Nathanael did, moving toward the unknown and unfamiliar, trusting that there and only there would he find God.

And when he arrived, he discovered the One who was more than a powerful. He discovered that the "Anointed One" knew Nathanael better than he knew himself. But of course! God made us. As the years go by, we try on various roles that the world assigns us: athlete, businessman, politician, plumber, carpenter, etc. But God knows who we are, to the depths of our hearts. Let us be willing to strip away the roles that have been assigned to us. Then we shall know ourselves as God knows us and loves us.

Pray for us, St. Nathanael, Son of Tolmai, that we may not fear to "come and see" the unknown.