Category: Sermons

Third Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 6
Year B
June 13, 2021

First Reading: 1 Samuel 15:34-16:13
Psalm 20
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 11-13, 14-17
Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

Collect:

Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen  

“HOW BIG IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD”

Gospel:

Mark 4:26-34

In our Gospel today, Jesus is explaining to the crowds and the disciples about the kingdom of God.

“With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nest in its shade.”

In the US and world today, billions of seeds are planted. Just how important is seed to us and the world? Everything! Did you ever look at it and think about the millions of people and animals that benefit from seed?

The harvest of corn, soy barley, beans, alfalfa, apples, oranges, potatoes and numerous others, that we and other nations produce and send to our poorest of nations.

And the forest fires that occur every year, but within a few years the seeds of the trees are sprouting and new trees, new life began to grow to re-plenish the forest.

The forest is so important for the environment, but also for building of homes, furniture, ships.

The Rain Forest. Has produced important drugs that treat malaria, glaucoma, anesthetics, muscle relaxant for surgery, also drugs to treat muscle disorders like Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis. Pediatric leukemia, Hodgkin’s disease.     

You see now, just how big the kingdom of God is!

I’ll take this from a movie and say “The Greatest Story Every Told” is the story of Jesus Christ, how God sent him to the world…. Jesus is God’s kingdom and his disciples spread the good news, the more the story grew to be; 

“The greatest of all shrubs, and that puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” 

This my friends is God working through us, to provide branches of his love, shelter, food and clothing for his beloved kingdom.

I haven’t always understood these parables until now, but the disciples understood, He would speak to them in private and explain to them. 

When I read it and re-read it, to find his meaning, for some reason I always focused on the mustard seed and how small it was, to grown into the greatest of all shrubs.

With that parable and the others to follow, he tells us just how big the kingdom of heaven is. 

He is saying, it is not far off in a distance, or up there, or somewhere out there. The kingdom of God is everything, it is bigger than our minds even know how to imagine.

In the Gospel of Matthew 13, the mustard seeds are so small that they can go un-noticed when planting wheat and the farmer would sow his wheat and soon a mustard seed would sprout up with the wheat.

The farmer of course, would want them re-moved, because they were weeds in his field.

Jesus is saying, it is hard to separate the good from the bad, but as his kingdom grows and like the smallest of the seeds, become the biggest in the field, to offer shade and comfort to the smallest of birds. (people)

Showing us and the people at that time, how God is at work in the world. 

Jesus goes on to describe growth of the mustard seed and the flour mixed with the yeast and it turns out to be leavened bread.

If we look and see, God’s beautiful creation, imagining his presence it all things. His love is in all things, all people of race and color. 

Yes, just like the field of wheat, the seeds are difficult to see and the bad mixed in with the good, it is difficult to separate out. 

God is telling us, it is not your job to do that, I will do that when I send the angels and they will separate the evil from the righteous.

Jesus wanted them, to see that it was a way to describe, how God is growing in the community and working in them to spreading the news of how God grows in each one of us.

The problem with us, is we don’t see God in all places and in all things. We only look for God when we need him, we don’t realize that God is working in us every day in his kingdom, that is bigger than we ever thought. 

In Romans: 8:28-30, that Paul says, “All things work together for good for those who love God”.

People are God’s creation and we can’t be separated from his creations we have been called and we are glorified in him.

Conclusion and Good News. 

We are in communion with Christ Jesus, and God’s kingdom lives in each one of us. It is comforting to know that through us, God’s kingdom will continue to grow.

Last year we were not together in the church and we missed our music and the liturgy, we prayed for the world and our community for healing, strength and that we could be back together again.

2 Corinthians says, we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight.

We also know that; nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”   And God’s purpose will prevail!

Jesus, help us to remember not to focus on things that are on the surface, things that are too small, but to focus on what is eternal and to not live in the artificial world, but to live for the spiritual world which is where we find our strength and our salvation in God’s kingdom! 

Amen.

The Rev. Lola Culbreath

DAY OF PENTECOST
The Day of Pentecost: Whitsunday
Year B
May 23, 2021 

Collect:

Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever. Amen

First Reading: Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:025-35,37
Second Reading: Romans 8:22-27
Gospel: John 15:26-27,16:4b-15
And they were filled with the Holy Spirit:

Our readings today on the Day of Pentecost, are recorded in the Book of Acts, people gathered in Jerusalem from all corners of the Roman Empire. They were coming from all economic interest, diverse cultures, and languages and different religious traditions. 

It didn’t matter to God, His grace was given freely to all who heard the message preached by St. Peter, and thousands converted to Christ.    

Acts 2:1-21
The early Christians had no buildings, no airplanes, no automobiles, no tv, radio or social media. Yet they turned their world upside down for Jesus the Christ. 

They started the spiritual revolution that shook the very foundation of the Roman Empire.
They faced opposition and overwhelming odds, they stayed courageous, bold and full of faith. 
They lived their lives daily for Christ, no matter what others thought. They gladly suffered persecution and even death for their faith in Christ.

Our Gospel for today: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

Jesus said to his disciples, “When the Advocate comes, who I will send to you from the Father, the Spirt of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf.

To comfort his disciples, Jesus goes on to say to his disciples:
But now I am going to him who sent me. Sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.

When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

God the Holy Spirit is equal with the Son and with the Father in every respect. Although the doctrine of the Trinity is difficult for us to understand, the Bible teaches that He is co-equal with God the Father and God the Son.

The bible also teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person. He is never to be referred to as “it”. He is not an impersonal power or force, nor is He just a divine influence or agent. He is a mighty Person, the Holy Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit virtually has unlimited authority or influence and He has the power to be everywhere at the same time. 

Ephesians 1:13 says:
Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. 

Last Sunday in the Gospel of John 17:1-6, Jesus prayed to God and spoke these words. 

“He looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed. “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.”

This is Jesus final prayer. He prayed for himself and he prayed for his disciples. “Father, the hour has come.” For Jesus to manifest his eternal glory.    

Conclusion: 
We have all been given the Power of the Holy Spirit. All of Gods people, all countries, Everyone! Just as the disciples bold and fearless witness at Pentecost led to the conversion of more than 3,000 people, so too are we called to bear witness of God’s love for the world today. His love is freely given to all of humanity.

The Fire, represents the “Holy Spirit” transforming our inner life.

The Wind, represents the “Holy Spirit” transforming the relationship among humans in their communities.

And the Languages, represents the “Holy Spirit” transforming the relationships between humans. 

The Holy Spirit compels us to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves. One way we do this is by reaching out to the unloved, the hard to love and the rejected in our mist and loving them…. just as our Heavenly Father’s love for us, who are called by His name.

God places a seal on us when we received Christ. And that seal, is a person the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit’s presence God gives us security and establishes His ownership over us.

Jesus promised his disciples that he would send the Holy Spirit… whose fruits are love, joy, peace, long-suffering kindness, goodness, faith, meekness and self-control.

These fruits are the qualities of Jesus that the Holy Spirit develops in our lives as we grow in our faith.

The Holy Spirit transforms us the believer into the image of Christ and we share in the mission of the church and the teachings of Christ.

Good news:
Take it from someone who has been visited by the Holy Spirit several times in my life and I believe the Holy Spirit is alive and well today. He continues to pour out on people of every language at Pentecost and draw people of every culture, language and ethnicity into the family we call the church.

Today we celebrate the fruits, the gifts of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us and to all of God’s people. My prayer is, that we use this Day of Pentecost as an opportunity to open ourselves up to what God wants not what we might personally prefer.  

Leave today, renewed and transformed into the image of Christ.

Amen
The Rev. Lola Culbreath

Year B
Firth Sunday of Easter
May 2, 2021

First Reading: Act 8:26-40
Psalm 22:24-30
Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-21
Gospel: John 15:1-8

You Are My Fruit

In the 1970’s I had bought a house in Arizona. A doctor I worked with at the hospital was born and raised in Greece, he had given me some grapevines that he brought or ordered from Greece.

I had a big backyard and my father came over to help me with, putting post in the ground and we strung wire between the post. I didn’t know anything about grapevines or how to take care of them, I did know the basics of watering them, and then every day, as they started to turn greener and vines begin to grow, I would make sure the vines were lifted up off the ground and carefully, I would guide them to the wire. 

It was as if I was saying, here you go! Here is where you start and you now have to learn by your nature, that you (the vine) follow the wire and keep yourself up, so… your fruit is lifted off the ground. 

I had to most delicious black grapes that we and the birds enjoyed.

Gospel John; 15:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower.”

In the Gospel of John, Jesus is the great “I am” statements. The seventh and final statement is “The True Vine.”

John wants us to know that “Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” and (I’AM) Is and expression of divinity and oneness with God.

As Jesus spoke of Himself by saying, “I am the true vine,” The vine is used throughout the scriptures to represent Israel, the people of God, God’s people of Israel appear as the vine in  (Ps.80-8)

“You have brought a vine out of Egypt; you cast out the nations and planted it.”

The people of Israel knew all about vines and vineyards, they knew how to prune the vines and to cut off the old branches to have new growth, how to care for the vineyard and to dig up the plants…. that did not produce fruit. 

If the grape vines produced good fruit, then they would enjoy the fruits of their labor.

“Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, either can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches.”

What does this mean for us today? “I am the true vine? “He is trying to help us understand the value of being connected to Him by faith. A deep and growing relationship with Him will result in peace in all circumstances, hope in trials, strength in adversity, and joy… that cannot be taken from you.

A branch needs the vine continuously, Only the vine brings the sap to nourish, strengthen, and keep branches alive.

We are the branch that is connected to Jesus, it is a continuous branch, and we depend on his word for strength and love.

“Jesus says, those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

You and others might think that if I don’t do as directed, I will be cut off and burned, but pruning is not a punishment for a Christian; it is a reward. God is the vinedresser who prunes the life of everyone who abides in Christ and bears the fruit of Christ.

Spiritual pruning, enhances spiritual growth by removing whatever inhibits spiritual growth.

Conclusion:

What fruit does God want us to bear? The most notable of his teachings on fruit-bearing is from the teaching of the Apostle Paul who lists the fruit of the spirit, found in Galatians 5:22-23. 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, Joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Those virtues show themselves in our words and actions. The real fruit comes only from branches connected to Jesus, branches that receive their strength and nourishment from the Ture Vine. 

Jesus says, “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.  And…neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

We are the fruit of his vine and God works on us everyday in our lives to trim away the old branches on us and to give strength to the other branches so that they (we) are fed with his love, to grow in strength to bare more fruit.

We are not the first of the fruit that God created and we are not the last of the fruit on the vine. We all share this world together bound by the branch and the vine of Gods love for us.    

The Good News:

In my personal story of planting and growing grapevines, I knew the basic of watering and feeding the vines, Jesus knows what we need and he feeds us by his Word and with spiritual food in the sacraments. 

As we begin to grow as Christians and His disciples, just as I helped lift my vines up off the ground and carefully guided them to the wire, so their natural abilities would help them follow the wire. 

Jesus lifts us up when we fall and gently guides us to the wire of his love and he nourishes us every day. 

God has attached all of us with the vine of his love through Jesus Christ, his blood runs through the vine and feeds us with all the qualities of goodness, that we have been given by God’s grace to exercise our faith and help us with becoming fruitful Christians, we can follow the seven virtues that St. Paul spoke of: 

The fruit of the Spirit is love, Joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.

Amen
Rev. Lola Culbreath

4^th Sunday of Easter
Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1-John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18

Collect

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice, we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads, who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen

Prayer

O Christ, who is the leader of our faith, show us the Way.
O Christ, who suffered for the sake of love, show us the Truth,
O Christ, who has gone ahead of us into the heart of God, show us the Life,
the Life that creates life,
the Life that saves life,
the Life that loves life.

We are on the fourth Sunday of Easter, there is no Resurrection scene as a reading this Sunday, only the image of the way the Risen Lord relates to the world – as a “model Shepherd” relates to sheep. This Sunday is known as Good Shepherd Sunday.” When we think about God as a Shepherd it fits. 

God is our protector! God has unfailing love for the people of God. When Peter and John were preaching, they were arrested and all of the priest, the Sadducees and good old boys asked them by what power or by what name were they doing this and they replied in the name of Jesus Christ – the stone the Jews had rejected.

The stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone. (verse 11). 

Psalm 23 depicts God as the Devine Shepherd whose unswerving love and devotion indicates that every need will be supplied. The shepherd guide’s, refreshes, and nourishes the sheep nothing is lacking. And the shepherd provides only the best for his flock. The Shepherd guide’s the sheep and provides direction and protection in times of uncertainty and danger. The scholars refer to this Psalm as “Song of Trust.” Even when we have trouble all around, God is present and protection. This is sometimes referred to as “Loyal love, “indicating a relationship with all the obligations of deep commitment.  It is a two-2Way relationship but one in which the sheep – US! Are blessed with all of the best God has to offer. 

1 John is a letter to a community of believers where there is dissention and problems. There is wavering in belief in Jesus and even some fear of danger of being a believer. 1John tells them as recipients of the redeeming sacrifice, in turn we should “lay down our lives for one another.” We should show as much love as Christ showed us through self-giving and care of others. This love should be expressed through truth and action and not to mere words. But if we fall short, God’s forgiveness is still available to us, for “God is greater than our hearts.

This shepherd /flock imagery is carried out in the New Testament as well. From John’s gospel today. Jesus declares that t “I am the Good Shepherd” wo not only cares for his sheep, but also lays down his life for them. The laying down of life is the Gospel’s way of describing the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus’s flock all must be included not just a few but everyone. There is to be one flock and one shepherd to receive the benefit of his atoning sacrifice.

We too require leading. In the dynamics of the Good Shepherd – Sheep relationship our self-will needs to be overcome by a power greater than ourselves – by the Shepherd who knows us best, loves us most deeply, and who remain faithful. We are being called by Christ to make a Gospel difference in the world

Prayer For the Day

We praise you, Risen Lord, the good shepherd of your people, who knows us each by name. Guide and correct us by your Holy Spirit, that your people, prone to er and stray like lost sheep, might be brought into sheepfold of the Father, where rue joys are to be found in glory everlasting.   Amen

Sermon
Good Friday
All Years
April 2, 2021

First Reading, Old Testament: Isaiah 52:1-13-53:12
Psalm 22
Second Reading Epistle: Hebrews 10:16-25
Gospel: John 18:1-19:42

The Collect

Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen

I Give You My Heart

Do you celebrant a certain date each year, maybe your birthday, your anniversary or the birth of your first child. Some people might celebrant something even bigger than that. More than 5000 cardiac transplants occur each year around the world, and there are estimated to be 50,000 on the waiting list. This critical organ saves lives and gives someone a chance to have a new life. The storage in organ donations, cause the health care providers to strictly evaluate who should receive a heart transplant.

Today we come together to remember when Jesus donated his heart to us, he did not discriminate or evaluate his people…we were all candidates. 

Good Friday, I like or prefer to call it… Holy Friday, good meaning holy at one time. 

Holy Friday, leads us to the Resurrection of Jesus and his victory over death and sin and the celebration of Easter.

Every year we are here again to remember the day Jesus died, the day that he was betrayed by Judas, and handed over to the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police. To be judged, spat upon, flogged, denied three times by Peter, condemned to die, wearing a crown of thorns he carried his own cross, falling and humiliated.

Here is Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy, but first he suffered pain, and entered not unto glory before he was crucified, and suffered… an agonizing painful death.

But it’s difficult every year to read how Judas betrayed him, we want to say…” No, you can’t” Not Jesus, the one who loves you! 

And Peter, How could you, Peter? 
Then Pilate, he didn’t want to do this…but he just won’t stand up to the people and say, 
“No, this is wrong!!” And I am not sentencing him to die.
He keeps questioning Jesus…What have you done? Jesus answered, 
“My kingdom is not from this world”
Here is this great man who went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. 
He feed multitudes and he baptized multitudes.
Multitudes followed him to the sea of Galilee to the sermon on the mount. 
Along with the three Mary’s, including his mother, his disciples, I imagine multitudes of people witnessing his death. 
On Palm Sunday last week, they shouted hail to the king of the Jews has he had his triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  
And today, it’s crucify him!

A Promise of Hope

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word, I hope. (Psalm 130:5)

We all are faced with dark days and there are moments when we are about to lose hope, when the darkness about…. seems to overwhelm us. We might be dealing with old age or illness, or the death of a loved one, a friend or companion. Our trust in God, the God of hope always gets us through. The Holy Scriptures teach us patients, endurance and faith.

What happens when a child of yours, a relative, your husband or wife or a friend, comes to you crying with a problem? 

What do you say? Go away!!!! I can’t be bothered!! No, you give them encouragement, you reinforce the fact, that no matter what they are facing, they will get through this and you will be there with them…no matter what!

Our underlying trust in God encourages us and teaches us, just how to deal with our own problems and also how to encourage those who come to us. We don’t give up on them and God does not give up on us.

One of the reasons we as Christians can endure the difficulties in life, is for centuries we come back again and again to the sufferings of Christ on the Cross. Christ’s suffering encourages us and give us hope, because we know that the story ends well on Easter. And we know he did it for our sake.

Having your hope anchored in Jesus, means that you trust Him and His promises and having Jesus-Hope is having confidence that whatever it is you are hoping for… will come to pass.

I read a story in Billy Graham’s Hope for each day book.

I have a friend who lost his job, a fortune, his wife, and his home. But he tenaciously held to his faith in Christ, the only thing he had left. Like Job in the Old Testament, he would not abandon God, no matter what happened. And yet like Job, he couldn’t help but wonder why.

One day he stopped to watch some men doing stonework on a huge church. One of them was chiseling a triangular piece of stone.

“What are you going to do with that?” asked my friend.  The workman said, “See that little opening away up there near that spire? Well, I’m shaping this down here so it will fit in up there.”

Tears filled my friend’s eyes as he walked away, for it seemed that God had spoken through the workman to explain the ordeal through which he was passing: “I’m shaping you down here so you’ll fit in up there.”

Today when you leave, remember that Jesus gave his heart to you today and its my prayer that this humble, sacrificial love will renew your desire to reach out and give your heart to someone in need. 

Amen
Rev. Lola Culbreath

Palm Sunday 2021

Collect

ALIGHTY and ever living God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen

Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1-15:47 or 15-1-39 (40-47)

“In the silence of our hearts or in spoken words let us give thanks for the gift of this day and pray for the life of the world.” (from Celtic Treasure)
“You have shown us the way of compassion, O Christ.
You have shown us the heart of kindness.
Awaken the depths of compassion in us.
That we may be alive to one another’s suffering.
Awaken the heart of kindness in us that we may be truly alive.” (From Celtic Treasure)

This Sunday’s Liturgy goes from the celebration of the palms to the despair of the Passion. The drama of the events is heightened by the assumption that the same people who shout HOSANNA! Today will be the same shouting CRUCIFY HIM! On Friday.

John’s Gospel tells the story, Jesus, planned the demonstration as a deliberate challenge to the temple leaders. Pilgrims normally walk to Jerusalem. Jesus had planned with disciples in Judea to have a donkey tethered for him in the village on Mount Olives with a password. “The Lord has need of him.” The donkey when retrieved was draped with cloaks.
The pilgrims from Galilee would have been carrying palms for the festivities. Palms were spread on the road as Jesus passed. The prearrangement also included his disciples coming to escort their prophet whom they regarded as the Messiah. This was a celebration for Jesus “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!”
What else does this coming week have to tells us?

Have you ever looked at a cross as a gift from God! What are the other gifts from God, what of the nails, the crown of thorns? The garments taken by the soldiers.

Maybe we need to take time to open these gifts in this coming week. By being nailed to the cross, Jesus canceled the record that contained all our sins and charges against us. When the nails placed Jesus on the cross there had to be a list of our mistakes: our lust and lies and greedy moments dangling from that cross is our list of our sins. Jesus knew the price of our sins was death, he could not bear the thought of eternity without us, he chose the nails. Had the soldier hesitated Jesus would have swung the hammer…….Look at it like this quote “He chose the Nails” (From the book He chose the nails).

“Jesus himself swung the hammer. The same hand that cleansed the Temple, cleanses your heart. The hand is the hand of God. The nail is the nail of God.” What was Jesus thinking or feeling on that cross. He was not guilty; He had not committed a sin. But he wore our sin so we could wear righteousness. Think about going to the cross wearing our sin and leaving wearing Jesus’ righteousness, dressed in the “coat of his strong love and blessed with goodness and fairness, and clothed in salvation.”

During this coming week with all the activities; remember as you look to the cross on the altar, the beautiful gift that we have been blessed with.

4^th Sunday Lent
Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Ephesians 2:1-10
Gospel John 3:14-21

Collect

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him: who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

You are our strength and salvation, O God.
You are our hope and deliverer.
In midst of fear and uncertainty in our lives and when the powerless of the world are overwhelmed by mighty forces
Recall us to our true source of help. 
Waken us again to your strong presence within us. 
Awaken us again to hope. 

When I read this passage from Numbers, I could only think how impatient the people were, how ungrateful. They are being freed from slavery and going to a new home, the promised land. It reminded me how impatient we have become over the closing of our churches, not to be able to worship as a congregation, the social distancing, how we celebrate Eucharist.

Patience is a rare virtue, I can relate to the Israelites growing restless on their journey, for many of us we also have grown restless during the Covid19 pandemic. But we need to remember God has not lost sight of us, He is on this journey with us, and will not abandon us in the wilderness.

During the season of Lent, we strive to realize our need for repentance and forgiveness. Today’s psalm is of thanksgiving and tells the story of deliverance for Israel by the Lord. The psalm gives thanks to the Lord for his mercy, and the wonders he does for his people. It is at this time we recognize our need for repentance and forgiveness, as  love for us through the gift we look to God, in awe of the abundance of God’s love for us through the gift of Jesus Christ.

Yes, we will stray from God’s ways, but because of his love and mercy for us, we have been promised salvation and eternal life. We thank God for His mercy with thanksgiving and praise.

The letter to the Ephesians is about God’s unfailing love and mercy, even when we are disobedient and are sinners. We are reminded that it is by grace that we are saved. This passage emphasizes that humans do nothing to earn God’s love or grace, at the end of the passage the author states that we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” This does not mean that good works do not matter, the reason we do good works is not in order to earn God’s love or mercy. Our good works have already received the immeasurable riches of God’s grace.

Nicodemus meets with Jesus at night in fear of judgement for his peers: The conversation with Nicodemus is  probably the  most- well known Bible verse of all, “John 3:16: 

God’s love and  promise of eternal life in Jesus is tied by John to the serpents in today’s reading from Numbers 21. The instrument of affliction became the instrument for healing to the people of Israel. Jesus’ death itself becomes the vehicle for imperishability. Death the enemy of life, has become the entrance into eternal life.

Both of these passages we see the people of the Lord have been delivered from death and brought into life. The merciful and salvific actions of God were never to respond to the good works, but rather stem from God’s identity and God’s grace. Christian’s identity is that one saved by grace from the grave, from affliction and desires of the senses. From that identity, we live into the way of life God intended,  doing good and proclaiming  God’s goodness.

Our Father, who sent your blessed Son Jesus Christ to be the true Light of the World, grant us always to live in his Light, as he lives in us, with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever.

Amen

Sermon
Third Sunday in Lent
Year B
March 7, 2021

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm 19
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Gospel: John 2:13-22

Collect

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 my happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

A Sacred Space

The Gospel: John 2:18-22

” The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.”

John’s gospel is different than the synoptic gospel’s Matthew, Mark and Luke, in their teachings of this incident, Jesus entered the temple, and he drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and he over turned the tables of money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.

In John’s gospel, he went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 

Jesus makes a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He poured out the coins of money changers and over turned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!

His disciples remembered that it was written: 

“Zeal for your house will consume me.” 

“The Zeal of thine house” means extraordinary concern for the temple of God; intense solicitude that he worships there should be pure, and such as God would approve.

Jesus was mad, very mad. 

We get mad ourselves and often, we justify it with an excuse, why? Because we get embarrassed by it or we can’t face the truth that we let our angry get out of control.

If we see someone else getting mad to the point of overturning tables, we might be shocked and cringe a bit.

Story:

One time my parents had visitors, I can’t remember who or why, but they were selling rugs and tapestries from Persia. My parents bought three large area rugs hand woven and three tapestries. Two of the tapestries had beautiful animals on them. I remember one had pheasants on it and the other deer or elk. 

The other was Jesus in the temple overturning tables and driving out the animals and tax collectors. 

We loved all the rugs and tapestries, except the one where Jesus was mad. I guess because we were so used to seeing pictures of Jesus with children or sheep and or someone kneeling before him. Not and angry Jesus! 

Today, I can’t tell you what happen to the rugs and tapestries, but guess what I had folded away?  Yes, Jesus in the temple and now it’s a treasure.  

A Sacred Place:

Let’s talk about the temple, it was designed to be a place that represents the presence of God. And the people in the temple were to be in solitude and people that were pure, where God who be in favor of them.

Not a house of tax collectors, taking advantage of people from far away places, coming to offer to God a dove or pigeon that was something written as an offering. Jesus had been teaching from Cana, to Galilee, to Capernaum to Jerusalem. He was sent by God; he demonstrated his divine power in the wedding at Cana a few scriptures back.

God knows that today; we have un-limited resources and live in a disposable society.

Some feel we need a building, someplace to worship and to hold onto in order to feel and grasp the divine presence of God and keeping him present in an ever-changing world. If we didn’t, God would have become a story that soon would have been forgotten. 

We also know that God is the creator of heaven and earth, He is everything and in everything created. But, in the times of Jesus, the people came to the temple during Passover.   

The temple was that place for the Jews. It was holy ground where people were supposed to come to set their eyes on God and put their priorities in order. After all, they were a nation of blessings and for all the nations. 

But the temple leaders saw a way in the Passover feast, as a way to steal from the poor. People would travel great distances to get there and it would be difficult to travel with what the law required they offer for sacrifice…two doves or pigeons. They would change their Jewish coins for Roman coins and make a profit and steal from the poor. 

The temple is being used to exploit people and not being a place of worship. It is a temple where God dwells.

In our gospel, Jesus is cleansing the temple of this corruption. 

The leaders question him and ask his authority? And demand a sign. He tells them to destroy this temple and he will raise it up in three days. Jesus is talking about himself; he is speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead.   

Conclusion

We have found out this past year how important it is to us, to have a place of worship to come to and show our respect to the presence of God in this, His holy place, we have a “zeal for his house.”

God is with us, no matter where we worship him, in our homes, on zoom using everything that was available to us during this pandemic, as long as we keep it Holy and Pure. 

It is also important for us to remember that Jesus was God’s temple and He sacrificed his life for us, so we could have a better life.

We are called to love the world the way God loves the world. To continue his teaching and his love for the less fortunate. 

Amen

The Reverend Lola Culbreath

Lent 1^st Sunday
Genesis 9:8-17
1 Peter 3: 18-22
Mark 1: 9-15
Psalm 25: 1-9

Collect

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Lent has always been 40 days in length, the original fast began the Monday after the 1^st  Sunday of Lent in the sixth century it was moved to what we know as Ash Wednesday, which became the first day of Lent. It is a time of repentance and renewal for the entire congregation. Lent urges self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting and self-denial, along with reading and meditating on God’s words. This is not only a time for repentance but a time of renewal of old members and the baptism of new members.  The reading from Genesis gives the conditions of the Covenant. We are given dominion over the creatures as food, but their blood was not consumed. Blood was the essence of life and belonged to God. The life of creation is by God’s grace, Noah is the righteous one that God beholds, the payment of the righteousness is not just salvation for Noah, but the promise of life for the world. To be close to God we must be able to trust God, and we cannot exercise trust when we struggle with doubts, when we have doubts, look at them like a rainstorm that would last for 40 days and 40 nights. Lent is a chance to be aware of the doubts and to see them as an opportunity to trust in God’s promise to us.

Trusting God not just in certainty but also in the midst of doubt is fitting for Lenten discipline. This is especially true if one is struggling with self-doubt. When we grow into a deeper, more trusting relationship with God means being able to trust God. Today psalm has some very powerful feelings a person can be afraid of being put to shame, anxiety of being judged unworthy, the fear that one’s doubts can be forgiven. Trusting in God to love, teach, lead, and extend mercy in response.

In Noah’s time the sinful world was buried in a flood, by God’s grace, Noah, and those with him were saved. We experience salvation through the waters of baptism. We  are buried  with Christ in the waters, and through Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, we are forgiven for our sins and granted a clean conscience before God. When we are baptized God made a promise to us  the same way God made a covenant with Noah after the flood.  

Jesus spends forty days in the wilderness, before he entered the wilderness, he was baptized and given a concrete reminder of his identity as God’s Soon and beloved. The temptations Jesus was facing was to assist Him in preparing him for the work he was called to do. Our Lenten practice should be looking for God in our life. The wilderness is about empowerment and exploring new parts of the relationship with Jesus; to help us understand where we are with God and to gather in yet undiscovered ways. This involves facing the unknown, but the is because growth involves the unknown. Lent give us a chance to step into that unknown with God.

Last Sunday after the Epiphany
Year B
February 14,2021

First Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-12
Psalm 50:1-6
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 4:3-6
Gospel: Mark 9:2-9 

Collect:

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

FAITH and LIGHT

Imagine Jesus on a normal day walking with three of his disciples, Peter, James and John.

Jesus appears to them to be normal when he asked them to come with him…. But on this day, he leads them high on a mountain, by themselves…Right before their eyes, He was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.  

This no ordinary morning, no ordinary walk…the light was so bright, it was almost blinding. We all at one point in our lives have looked at a light so bright, that we had to look away or close our eyes, it was so bright.

Suddenly they see Elijah and Moses talking to Jesus…they were so terrified by this, that Peter, not really knowing what else to say…says, “Rabbi, maybe we shouldn’t be here, you want us to go and prepare three dwelling places, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”? really what else could he say?? Maybe it’s his way to honor them, by putting up areas of worship for them.

Then a great cloud overshadowed them…and a voice came from the cloud.

“This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”

Let’s go back, they climb this mountain and are separated from the other disciples, then Jesus is transformed before them in a bright light, and two of God’s greatest, are there talking to Jesus.

Next comes the shadow of heavy clouds and a Thundering voice out of the clouds….” This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” And, they start down the mountain Jesus…ordered them…tell no one about this, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.

I am pretty sure they agreed to this, who would believe them and how would they explain it…after all Jesus is still there and they don’t really know what is going on! 

Telling no one about it was the only thing that made since.

Conclusion:

Peter, James, and John have experienced the past, the present, and the future all in an instance.  I wonder how we would find that experience? 

It is possible, that some of us have had different experiences in life, maybe not as clear and involved as the three disciples, but we… all have had our own time on the mountain of life or in the desert in life. 

We all have connected to God in different ways, through experiences of our own through our faith.

And there are people who are still waiting for that one experience in life that will help them believe more than they do. 

We will have times in our lives, when our faith is being tested and challenged.   

Jesus will always be there to help us transform ourselves, we can’t just have one experience and then say, Okay, I made it, and I can stop there, we have to come down the mountain with him and turn around and go back up. 

There is plenty more of growing to do and we have to be ready for that invitation from Jesus to go. 

Keeping a strong spiritual life will help us to be ready when he says, come, we have another mountain to climb.

God spoke twice, when Jesus was baptized and in this scripture. Here God says, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”

Listen to him in Sunday worship, listen to him when reading the scriptures, Listen to him when you’re in personal prayer.

Say to your self every morning…Lord I am Listening! Let your self be transformed. 

Amen

The Reverend Lola Culbreath