Month: April 2019

Sermon 
April 28, 2019 
Second Sunday of Easter 
Year C

First Reading: Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 118:14-29

Second Reading: Revelation 1:4-8
Gospel: John 20:19-31

The first verse of Hymn 508

Breath on me, Breath of God, fill me with life a – new, that I may love what thou dost love, and do what those wouldst do.

Gospel (John 20:19-31)

Jesus didn’t just walk through the door he appeared among them.

Mary had just told them what Jesus had said to her.

Jesus see’s that they are “still” surprised and they are hiding in fear of the Jews,

He offers them the Hebrew greeting “Peace be with you”

Jesus is back with them, the Resurrection has happened, He holds out his hands, shows them the wounds from the nails and His pierced side.

He repeats “Peace be with you”

As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

When He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them

“Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus is telling them…now it’s your turn and

if you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.

Jesus is breathing new life into his disciples and telling them, they have a job to go and teach and do has he has done.

In (Act: 1:8)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Jude’s and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

They are filled with the “Holy Spirit”

controlled and empowered by their faith.

By these words, Jesus was suggesting,

“Though you have been with Me for 3 years and more, it is not enough that you have heard Me teach the multitudes, and have Me heal the Sick and even raise the dead.

You need to be empowered with the Holy Spirit in order to be effective and fruitful as My witnesses throughout the world.”

We know that it’s obvious we cannot on our own… have the power to accomplish these great works.

It is Christ Himself living in us and through the resurrection power.

Living in our minds, in our hearts speaking with our lips…he will impower us…

through the Holy Spirit, to accomplish these things.

The other story in this Gospel,

we all know the story of Thomas, the disciple that was not there when Jesus came the first time.

Thomas had trouble believing. Its not because he lacks faith and love for Jesus…he has defended Jesus before and is one of those who needs to see for himself.

Jesus comes again a week later and has Thomas

“Put your finger here and see my hands.

                                   Reach out your hand and put it in my side.

Do not doubt but believe.

                                  “My Lord and my God!”

Have you believed because you have seen me?

                       Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit places a believer into permanent union with Christ and with other believers in the Body of Christ.

Story:

Years ago, my father had developed Macular Degeneration, it is a devastating disease that robs people of their central vision. He had lost vision in one eye and now his other eye was showing signs of a problem, one of the signs is distortion in his vision, straight lines become crooked or waved.

They lived in Kingman, Arizona and I had moved to Las Vegas and had become acquainted with a Retina doctor (whom I later went to work for) I was bring dad to see him. I tried not to show my concerns to dad, but I knew if he lost the central vision in his other eye, it would be so hard for him to do the things he loved to do.

So, while driving through Vegas, just before we got to the doctor’s office, I prayed that God would please spare my dad’s central vision, I continued to pray for his help and suddenly at a red light, a white dove appeared out of know where and landed on the car in front of me, it wasn’t there long, but I felt my prayers had been answered.

The doctor did laser on my dad’s eye and the next day, my dad told me he could see, I “said” that’s impossible it does not work that fast dad! He “said” well, I don’t know, but I can see.

When dad saw the doctor for a follow up visit, the doctor “said”, I can’t believe it, the blood clot has moved away from his central vision, that is why he can see.

Did the Holy Spirit descend down as I prayed for healing?

The power of the Holy Spirit

Through Prayer and discernment, we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit

seeking out God’s truth in our lives and in the world around us, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us in whatever we need.

Conclusion:

In the consecration of the Bread and Wine, we call the Holy Spirit down upon the sacraments, sanctifying them and sanctify us also.

God loves us, and he sent his only Son to die on the cross for our sins. And now that we have the resurrection, we are given new life and hope for the world.

In our Gospel today; The Holy Spirit takes center stage and reminds us of the unique function of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit connects the believer to Christ. A Divine and Human connection and makes Jesus present to the church today.

Good news:

I believe that Unless our hearts are conditioned by the Holy Spirit to receive and reflect the warmth of God’s compassion, we cannot love others as we ought too.

So, as we Breath in the Holy Spirit of God…we can exhale the Compassion and Love that Christ has taught us.

Breath on me, Breath of God, fill me with life a – new, that I may love what thou dost love, and do what those wouldst do.

Amen
Rev. Lola Culbreath
April 28, 2018  

Sermon 
April 14, 2019 
Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday 
Year C

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31: 9-16
Second Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:56 or Luke 23: 1-49

Palm Sunday is the Sunday of Passion:

We have been in the season of Lent leading towards the comment in our baptism.

“Lent” a beginning a spiritual journey with prepares for a worthy celebration.

A journey, that means we go with Jesus as He travels to Jerusalem, the place where the mystery of His Passion, Death and Resurrection is to be fulfilled.

It reminds us that Christians is a ‘road’ to be traveled, consisting not so much in a law to be observed as in the person of Christ Himself.

Our Gospel today is shorter version of the Passion, my Homily is a little of the entire Passion

Gospel: Luke 22:14-23,56
When the hour came…. Jesus took his place at the table, and the apostles with him. He said to them. “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

They gathered at a table…He will be leaving his friends and he tells them, after I am gone and I am in the kingdom of God…then my mission here is fulfilled but not before I suffer!

We all at some time in our lives had to discuss some very serious and important events that have taken place or will take place.

The table becomes important to a lot of families, because this is where you gather for food, conversations, games. Places each family remembers, sometimes for generations…. it will be passed down.

Story:

There was a time when my father asked us to all gathered around the table.
He had something important to tell us. He was going to sell all his Indian artifacts, about 50 corn grinders, coffee cans of arrow heads, guns, knives, baskets and many more items. “At a Yard Sale” but the most difficult part was these beads that came from the Spaniards, they would bring them to trade with the Indians about 300 years ago.

Dad had found them while trapping on horseback in an ant hill as large as a car. Since he was on horseback, he had to go back with something to sift the dirt out and leave just the beads. There was a lot!

One day, dad had taken some of the beads and made a necklace with a bear claw on it.and was going to sale them for $25.00 each. At a Yard Sale!
I remember saying OH “No” dad, you can’t do that!! He just looked at me and put them all away for about 15 years, never revealing where they were.
BUT! at least he didn’t sale them. Yes, I still have them.

I also remember many nights my parents and friends sitting around the table for hours playing canasta. The table is an important place in history.

Jesus had something important to tell his disciples.

This was going to take place at the table…At the Passover Meal
But he also knew that he needed to do something other than just telling the disciples how import this night would be “because” possibly word of mouth would not last and would soon be forgotten, Jesus needed to make it something special. Something between Heaven and Earth, Devine and Human And Something, they would do and do again… over and over… teaching and repeating his Words… until it becomes part of history. The Holy Eucharist.

Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you Do this in remembrance of me.”

First, He gave thanks , Jesus wanted us to remember His sacrifice.

The Eucharist the Church’s sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, is the way by which the sacrifice of Christ is made present, and in which he unites us to his one offering of himself.

He continues to explain to the disciples what will happen following.
He wants them to continue to teach and they will be tempered by Satan.

Jesus said, but I prayed for them, that their own faith would not fail; and strengthen your brothers.

Jesus…prayed for them! Jesus was just a stone throw away, and prayed for them.

He also went and prayed to the Father. “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; not as my will but yours be done. Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and gave him strength.
In his anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down on the ground.”

The Angel gave him strength!

This is what helps him with the next things that follows,
He is betrayed, arrested and beaten, mocked, scorn and flogged.
Put on trial and nailed to the Cross.

It was not that long ago that Jesus had his triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

The people were crowded around the gate watching Jesus enter the city, and they were celebrating and calling out,

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest! (Matthew 21:9) and (Mark 11:10)

He had a crowd on Friday that shouts
“Hosanna!”
And a few days later they shout
“Crucify him!”

The crowd mentality!

Pilate said to them…” You brought me this man as one who was perverting the people; and here I have examined him in your presence and have not found this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither has Herod. “

Pilate says these three times.
What did Jesus do?

He asks “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing”.

He also replies to the criminal with him that “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise”.

Conclusion:

Passion Sunday…passion/ “suffering” Jesus…suffered for or sins…he died for our sins.

As we began Holy Week, we set our feet on the road to the Last Supper, we give thanks, we go to the garden to pray, then to the cross, and to the tomb.

The shape of his life is fully realized and revealed in Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection.

In our lives, this is celebrated and effected in Holy Communion.

Like his disciples, we are asked to take this bread and wine eat and drink
in remembrance of him.

Life in God is given in adoration and joy, thankfulness and acceptance, humility and obedience.

In our suffering we may witness fully to the truth of our lives in giving up ourselves to God, receiving the good for what it is, rejoicing in the good, giving thanks, and adoration.

In the love of God, We are with humility dawning us in obedience to God’s
command to love one another as Christ loved us.

Why did Jesus suffer?
Because God loves us.
Because God loves you,
and Christ willingly went to the Cross for you.
There was no other way for sin’s penalty to be paid, and for us to be redeemed.
The Cross is the measure of God’s love.

AMEN

Rev. Lola Culbreath

Sermon 
March 24, 2019 
Third Sunday in Lent 
Year C

First Reading: Exodus 3:1-15
Psalm: 63:1-8
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 10: 1-13
Gospel: Luke 13: 1-9

God Hears Our Cry
Exodus 3:7

Gospel: Luke 13:1-9

The Gospel today is divided into two parts.

When I read the readings for today’s sermon…I was a bit nervous to say the least. Wow! How am I… who am I to explain this?

I thought immediately of my mother.
Someone with high school education.

Lost her father at the age of 12 and she had to help work on the farm.

She, like many in those days had it hard, much harder then we do.

We had our share of loss, but mom never blamed God…not once!

When I had a high school a girl friend of mine was murdered by her husband,
I ask mom why?
She told me sometimes good people have to die, we don’t question God why?

He will give us the answer some day.

In today’s lesson we have the two tragedies.

Luke 13:1-9
We should not be surprised that Pilate ordered a group of Galileans to be slain,
while sacrificing in the Temple at Jerusalem, their blood mingled with their sacrifices.
Pilate has proven that he will kill Jews that disagree with him.
And the other incident, a tower of Siloam collapse on others in Jerusalem,
killing 18.

It is known at the time, that sever tragedies or calamities happen to only people who deserve God’s judgement,
in other words, only the truly righteous were spared suffering.

“The crowd is anxious to hear what Jesus has to say.”

He asked them,
“Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way, they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?
No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did.
Jesus does not see any differences in these two tragedies, the loss of life is the same to God.

Tragedies like these, are not uncommon to us today.

We see pure hatred at its worst.

In the last weeks, we also had two tragedies… they are so unthinkable, they hurt deep within our soul, as we watch families in their uncontrollable grief.

First the Boeing 737 Max 8 jet that crashed after takeoff in Ethiopian killing 157 people on board husbands and wife’s, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, friends and babies… from 35 countries.

And if that wasn’t horrible enough!

One of New Zealand’s darkest days was the massacre in Christ Church, killing 50 and wounding many more in a mosque… as they were in worship.

If you were on an airplane or killed in a mosque by a deranged mad man.
Jesus see’s no difference.

For 2000 years we have asked Why?
I feel when terrible things happen, like these two kinds of events, and
leads me to realize how precarious our time is.
Am, I ready?

But as I said a few Sunday’s ago, Jesus does not want us to retaliate against our enemy.

In our Collect today:
Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul.

Not, all things that happen to us are just fate.

Many times, we “can” bring bad things on ourselves,
and it “can” be our fault that we might suffer and possibly die at the consequence of something we did.

If a young man is traveling down spring mountain road on a motorcycle going 120 miles an hour, zig zagging in and out of traffic, if he should crash, he just might die and that is not God’s fault or is it God’s way of punishing him.

Jesus, didn’t deny the connection between sin and disasters,
because
many bad things happen, because of our human sin.

Another news last week was the Scandal on college admissions.
If you pay and scam your way in, for your child to go to the most elite university of
“Your Dreams”
you just might get caught and you will pay for your sins.

BE READY
Jesus wants us to be ready when the time comes.
Suffering is not a form of punishment. He does not single people out, but it can be away of waring us that we need to be ready.
God does not, want us to suffer.

Lent is the time of realizing our sins and
fragility and mortality, we face.
Are we Ready?
Second part of the Gospel:
Then Jesus has a parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found note. So, he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find not. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I did around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.”

Five years ago, shortly after we moved into our house.
My sister came to visit and we would sit at the dining room table looking out the back door into a yard that was just dirt.
We wanted something to look at but dirt and the brick wall.
So, we went and bought a lime tree and planted it into a pot.
We put up a bird feeder and also put my birdbath nearby and we spread red landscaping rocks on top of the dirt around the tree, birdbath and feeder.
“Now There” we have something to look at.
No matter how hard I tried, my tree continued to look bad, each winter we would move it under the patio and cover it up. It would get leaves in the spring, but slowly each main trunk of the tree would start to die from the top down.
I would threaten the tree that if it does not start showing signs of living, I was going to get rid of it. Every year Jayne would say, are you going to get rid of this tree? I would respond with…well let’s see how it does this summer.
I am pretty sure this is the last year, it only has one green stem and it is a shoot root. 🙂

With all that, why did Jesus tell that particular parable of the fig tree?

For Jesus, the real sin is not bearing fruit when we have been given the responsibility to do so.

The voice of the gardener shows mercy and God shows us mercy, he has taken steps

to help us be fruitful.
God is always on our side. He always sends us help and encouragement in our need to change and live fruitful lives.
We may not always understand when bad things happen to good people, but
Like Mother “said” to me

He will give us the answer some day.

Conclusion:
During Lent, our Gardner which is God, ask us to shed our old selves and grow new

healthy stems and leaves and bare fruit to spread and share.

We are planted where we are and we are called to be responsible disciples, who do God’s work in whatever calling we have.

Jesus is the answer to the sadness and discouragement and division in our world.

He can take the sadness and discouragement out of our lives and replace them with optimism and hope.

We need our hearts to be attuned to God, through an abiding faith in Christ.

God has forgiven us and brought us new life in Jesus, and we still come to him,

seeking forgiveness and that new life.

The choice is always ours, and God is always ready to forgive.

May forgiveness and new life be ours today.

Amen

Rev. Lola Culbreath

Sermon 
March 6, 2019 
Ash Wednesday 
All Years

Isaiah 58:1-12
Psalm 103:8-14
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

Isn’t it appropriate that Spring is in the air and Lent is here?

The word lent comes from the English word, Lente…” Spring” also Lengthen, “to lengthen (daylight)”

We have been blessed with so much rain and we are all anticipating a beautiful spring

of wild flowers in the desert and especially in Death Valley

…is it possible we could get another Super Bloom?
I have heard it only happens every 10 years.

God may have other plans.

We can anticipate a beautiful spring.
Work in our yards and gardens to clean out the old underbrush that has accumulated this past year.
And trim off all the old branches that no longer nourish the plants.

Lent is a time that we do the same with ourselves and get rid of the old thoughts that has harden our hearts and minds.
Start new with asking for forgiveness and nourish our bodies with a new life in Christ.

Ash Wednesday begins our Lenten observance and is one of two days that we in the Episcopal Church fast (the other day is Good Friday).

The Prophet Isaiah, “Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself?
Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?
Share your bread with the hungry.
Fasting is about humbling ourselves before God
it is
what will make us acceptable before God.

It is “also” a time of prayer and reflection, confession and self-denial.

We are reminded of our mortality and fragility of life.
Ash Wednesday is a day that we are marked with Ashes and a day to remember that We are dust and dust we shall return.
And
as we have the Ashes marked on the outside of our foreheads,
it is what’s marked on our hearts that matter.

Lent is a time that everything matters.
Every word we speak, every action we take, every choice we make matters.
Every person we meet and every person in our life matters.
Not only to us, but to God.
What we do during the season of Lent starts on Ash Wednesday,
“but” it doesn’t stop there after Lent, is should continue as our daily practice.

Gospel: Matthew: 6:1-6, 16-21

In the Gospel today, Jesus reminds us that God see’s everything we do,
we do not have to let everyone around us know what we are doing.
We don’t need trumpets sounding when we do something for someone.
We do not need others to praise us.
We don’t have to pray in front of others to be noticed.
We don’t walk around boasting about what your giving up for lent or what you’re going to do in lent.
All of this should be done in secret with only your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

We must go to that secret place of ourselves and not just open and slam the door shut again.,
but stay there and pray to the Father.

It is a time I want to share by bread with someone.
Not literally bread,
but to extend my hand to someone that might need something, even a kind word or a prayer.

I bought the stations of the cross and laid them out.

I walked around the stations…thinking about the life of Jesus

thinking about the 40 days he spent in the desert

and then the walk to Jerusalem for his final days.

I thought of him praying…always praying.

As I start my Lent season
and I prepare my walk for 40 days with my lord,
I want it to be a time that I deliberately spend time before God
in a way that is different from the rest of the Church Year.

Prayer
Support us, O Lord, with your gracious favor through the fast we have begun; that as we observe it by self-denial, so we may fulfill it with inner sincerity of heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God, for ever and ever.
Amen
Rev. Lola Culbreath