Thank you very much ! - Brenda Lee Johnson

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24

          I don't know why, but my husband and I love hearing the character Brenda Lee Johnson from The Closer say "Thank you very much". The accent portrayed from an actress who sounds nothing like her in real life and drips with both sincerity and sarcasm. We love it when we hear the phrase inevitably come out. And it is therefore heard within our own hallowed walls as well. 

       Thanksgiving is an interesting concept. It seems to convey our bifurcated belief that we are thankful for all the good things in our life and at the same time believing we are pretty much responsible for everything good in our life, somehow from our own merit, deeds or actions. An interesting dichotomy. I'd hate to get into a discussion about how God provides for us, not being one who adheres to 'direct intervention'.  Still, I believe that God does give us all good things in one way or another. Today is a day when we should take stock everything in between, driving, eating, watching football and eating some more. 

         After the last few weeks (months?) we have had here with perf'd appy's and aortic aneurysms, it seems especially appropriate that we give thanks. It isn't so much that I think we have to make some grand gesture either. We don't need to entertain a whole host of people with a multitude of dishes, desserts and a huge bird. That kind of 'thanks'giving almost becomes meaningless if not obscene.

         If 'Thank you very much" is to take on any meaning and sincerity to me it must be connected to thanks, service, simplicity and God. The list of things to be thankful for starts at home with my most wonderful husband, to my man GLC, to my kids and grandkids, to physical settings, job, friends, the ability to function and love, to see things and hear people and onto the ultimate thanks, being alive.

         If you look up "Eucharist" in "the Google" you get quite a variety of results but primarily geared towards a Sacrament of the church.  In truth this sacramental name comes from the Greek word, Eukharisteo ( is the usual verb for "to thank, to be thankful" ). Do we have the presence of mind and the time to say thank you to God for the gift of Himself / Herself to us? Do we fully appreciate the giftedness of our very self to the world? Can we say "thank you very much" without any hint of sarcasm or  sense of entitlement?  

         Just some Thanksgiving thoughts on this glorious day.

But we appeal to you, brothers and sisters, to respect those who labour among you, and have charge of you in the Lord and admonish you; esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

Great expectations

Luke 18:35-43

          I love the part of this passage that relays that the blind man, after attempts to silence him, speaks out even louder. It is rich on so many levels. First in mind is being able to realize how worthy we are and the chutzpah we should have to stand up and shout out to God for ourselves. Secondly, since a blind man would be marginalized and considered blind by virtue of sin, this guy stands up anyway and shouts louder in spite of what people may be thinking or judging.

           

          There is a fine line perhaps between expecting everything you pray for and on our own terms no less, a spoiled child night have that expectation. Hopefully as adults we have a a more reasonable or broader view of how our prayers are answered. That is, not always on our own terms and in ways that often blows our mind or points to the bigger picture and wider wisdom of our creator.

          Still, stand up and shout, we deserve it, God wants us to have all His good graces. We are heirs to eternal life and eternal happiness in Him. Don't let anyone telly you otherwise, no matter what 'they' may say.

As he approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard a crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.’ Then he shouted, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Those who were in front sternly ordered him to be quiet; but he shouted even more loudly, ‘Son of David, have mercy on me!’ Jesus stood still and ordered the man to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ He said, ‘Lord, let me see again.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Receive your sight; your faith has saved you.’ Immediately he regained his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, praised God.

It's "abomnation!"

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

         There is an episode of Star Trek where the crew encounters a creature called a "Horta". There is one Horta that is guarding a cave full of silicon nodules (Horta eggs) which hatch once every ten thousand years.  Can you imagine if all humans reproduced and gave birth once a year at the same time? The screams would rival that of the cosmic cries from Vulcan as it was destroyed. Ok, you'll have to be a trekkie to get that but it goes to my point. We in fact do not reproduce and give birth at the same time. It seems an absurd notion. Births, like unceasing prayer happen at every moment of the day all over the world.

         You just never know when it's coming, those pangs of birth.  Such is life. There isn't very much that happens on a schedule we would like to depend on. The weather, falling in love, death and even the railroad does not seem to obey any rules about timeliness.  

         According to this passage we are to be sober and stay awake. What does that mean? Never drink? Some might conclude that but I think everything in moderation is a better answer. Such strict rules and never drinking is to not to enjoy a gift that man has created from God's gracious gifts, but I digress. Being sober also means being marked by seriousness, gravity or solemnity. Life is serious. As much as my motto is "work hard, play hard, pray hard", we cannot play all the time. Again, balance. 

         What we have to do is be serious (sober) about our mission, our goal, our calling, our faith, our love. We do not know when our time will come. A man fights 3 tours in Afghanistan only to come home and be killed in a car accident. How do plan for something like that? We just never know the time of things. 

         If having a ripening aortic aneurysm has taught me anything, it is how serious it is and how serious I should be about the possibility of meeting my heavenly reward (or punishment as the case might be). Each moment of the day should be met with a soberness. I'm not talking about a seriousness of the "preacher" screaming about "abomnations!" in Times Square yesterday. That kind of serious seems seriously stupid. I am talking abut a constant awareness  of living, being present to what is going on around you and within you. That's a kind of sobriety that elevates your life, help you appreciate life and makes you prepared to meet your maker whenever that comes.

       Today I pray that I will be granted a much longer life and a life in which I can earnestly (soberly) be present to the love of God all around me. See what happens when you try it.

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you.

For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape!

But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief;

for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness.

So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober;

for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night.

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him.

Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

Prayer without ceasing

1 Thessalonians 5:13-24

          When I think of prayer without ceasing as today's passage speaks of, I think of my time in the Seminary. Even with our limited time there, we arrived early in the morning for morning prayer and we stayed until it was time for evening prayer. The command to pray without ceasing led to the practice of The Liturgy of the Hours or simply 'the hours'.  Roughly, there are many specific periods during the day that are dedicated to prayer and since the faithful do this all over the globe, there is unceasing prayer around the world (considering time differences) to God. My daily blog entries are based loosely on readings from the hours. 

         I am not nearly as attentive to the hours as I once was but I still get up at 3am to pray, meditate and write. I like to think I am attentive during my workday to prayer and listening to God by virtue of the people I interact with. I have to say without reservation though that yesterday was a day when every moment seemed focused in prayer.  I suspect the upcoming days will make it more acute. As I approach the clipping of my aneurysm and as I left work, I was aware of every conversation, every glance at a picture, every smile, every hug. Every function was nuanced with the fact that my time here could very well be quite limited.  We all know that but yesterday it was omnipresent. 

          Although I have an excellent surgical team, a great anesthesiologist and great support staff that will work on me, I know my life truly is in God's hands.  The admonishments in this reading are right in front of me with every breath I take, every word I speak and every sight I see.   This may seem like a rehash of an entry from  last week but I clearly am super sensitive to my situation and it is helping me to be more appreciative, closer to God and honestly I feel more alive than I thought possible under the circumstances. 

         There is a supreme joy in loving someone like I love my husband, my family and my cat. There is a vibrancy to spin class, biking, hiking and tennis. There is a sublime nature to indulging in the exquisite dining which we get to occasionally enjoy.  There is also a part of me, and think all of us, that is elevated by the presence and awareness of our creator in our midst. So often we don't feel it or rather, we are distracted from it, but to be in touch with God at this vulnerable time is yet another true blessing. No matter what the outcome.  

        I AM truly blessed. There isn't enough that can be said about living life trying to be present to everything you do with a full awareness that God is there also. In so doing every action is a prayer, our lives are elevated to a higher plain of existence. It is unceasing prayer and it allows us a glimpse of Jesus' dual citizenship of being fully human and fully Devine. We can catch a glimpse if you will of our own dual citizenship, fully human with a promise as heirs to eternal life. Joyous.

esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

Guided by the Spirit, being true to who you are.

Acts 20:28-32

          The secret is out, I work for the government. Ok, I'm no spy. I in fact work a somewhat boring workaday job that I have been at for about 35 years now.  It's honest work and my goal, our goal, is to give the best possible care to our patients. We do an excellent job if I do say so. Early on in my tenure though, some typical government issues reared its ugly head. Issues like abuse of sick time and doing the best job possible as opposed to just doing the minimum.  Practical matters for sure but ones that highlight today's passage for me.

          Work for the government, as with any place, requires that you do the best you can, not for anyone except for yourself. If others are abusing sick time, I didn't because it is not who I am. It is not how I operate.  If others do the bare minimum, that isn't me either. I did the best I could for my own sake because I felt it was what God wanted me to do, it cooperated with my internal moral compass and it was best for the patients (and taxpayers) whom I am serving.  Simply put, you have to be true to yourself and your conscience.

            In today's passage,  Jesus speaks about 'wolves among us' and some who 'distort the truth'.  It seems pretty clear to me how this has happened time and time again within the Roman church and continues today. I should add, and in many other churches as well. Some seem worse than others. But Jesus also speaks a 'message of grace' that is able to build you up.

            When the lunacy and heresy of what is being done to so many religions today, it is imperative that we focus on the Spirit of God and our conscience. We need to live holy lives and do what is right because it is what God wants us to do, it is what we have to do to be true to our selves and who we are. This may very well fly in the face of what organized religion says because in many instances those religions are the  wolves among us and the distorters of the truth.  This type of 'conscientious objector' may be the true silent majority.

                 Live according to the precepts Jesus gave us and the Spirit guides us in. That is often not what the church is saying, it may not be what a lot of people are doing. Let your (informed) conscience be your guide.

         

Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified.

Death and taxes

John 21:15-17

          They say the only two requirements in life are death and taxes. Perhaps a bit pithy, it could be expounded on at length. We all know we will die one day but why must we pay taxes? Then comes a discussion about communal responsibility, being a part of something greater that simply ourselves, yada, yada, yada.

           When Jesus asks Simon (Peter) 'do you love me?' a similar concept comes to mind.  There may be advanced theological treatises on the meaning of this passage and the image of Jesus asking Peter 3 times when Peter soon denied Jesus 3 times. All that is well and very good to study and know but there is a much simpler message.

            Just as being a citizen of a country or city or town requires you to pay taxes out of your social responsibility, so too must you 'feed the sheep' , 'feed my lambs' and 'tend my sheep'. If we profess to be a faithful person or if we are aware of just how blessed we are by God, we then have a duty or a calling to share our good graces.

             Some are quick to be worldly about it, perhaps practical and say that is what is Biblically called the 'tithe'. The first ten percent of your income should go back to God. That would be a separate discussion for me. I would argue more that being faithful and grateful requires us to love more than just ourselves and our inner circle of friends and family. We are called to love, care for and embrace all of God's children, all of God's creation. That is the tending and feeding in my mind. 

         So as sure as death and taxes, we are called as citizen's of God's created world, to love and embrace in more than just monetary ways. 

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

Shine forth

Matthew 5:13-19

          When I read the line of today's passage  "A city built on a hill cannot be hidden" , all I could think of was lighthouses. On this island in the Atlantic we have several lighthouses and so their presence lends a great deal to thoughts and what they are for. 

          Not unlike the light of Christ or the light inside each one of us, lighthouses shine forth for all to see, beacons of hope, guiding us on our journeys.  The light of a lighthouse can be obscured by fog  but its' light is meant t cut through all the bad weather to guide people safely in their travels.

           The light of Christ s like that too.  We can try to obscure it, we can even forget about it at times by our obsession with worldly matters and materials goods, but the light remains shining through for each one of us. And one of the funny things about light and especially God's light, is that is seeps in everywhere. It cannot be stopped, it penetrates and seeps in everywhere.  

            In Godspell the song goes on, 'you are the light of the world'.  Sometimes we need to remember that. We may have doubts or forget, but we need to be reminded that we are the light of the world and also that God is our guiding light. Just a quick thought for this fine day. 

          Shine forth children of God, shine forth!

          

‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

‘Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfil. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.