Please Won't You Be, THE NEIGHBOR

8 Pentecost, Cp10, July 10, 2022
Amos 7:1-17 Ps.82
Col. 10:25-37  Luke 10:25-37

 Lectionary Link

What can be a very galling thing?  Well, what about when someone whom we’ve gotten in habit of disliking does something good and kind?  Suddenly our preconceived notions is contradicted and we can get thrown off and challenged about our sweeping stereotypes.

 

The Gospel of Luke presents a wisdom story, a parable,  of Jesus about a hated Samaritan practicing a kindness to a stranger that the very best of Israel religious society won't do.  A Levite and a priest did not stop and render assistance to the man who was brutally beaten on the road.  Perhaps they did it for good "religious" reason.  If the man was dead, then if they got involved and touched a dead body, they would be ritually impure, and it would take some time for them to return to a ritual status which would allow them normal community interactions.

 

But what kind of normal community interaction can a robbed and beaten man have who has been left on the roadside?

 

Enter the hated Samaritan, who is only concerned about harmed person.  He is not concerned about his own personal schedule; he accepted the interruption for a kindness to a stranger, a stranger whom he regards to be is neighbor worthy of immediate care.

 

But, the wisdom story is not really about the injured man being treated like a neighbor.  The wisdom story is about the behaviors which exemplify who a neighbor is.

 

The set up for the wisdom story is in an encounter between a religious man and Jesus and the lawyer wants some affirmation from Rabbi Jesus who has become a popular teacher.

 

What is standard probate practice regarding inheritance?  The wealth of the decedent would normally go to one's family.

 

The lawyer asked a question which revealed a total lack of his relationship with God.  If a person is a child of God, then such a person would inherit the greatest gift that God can give, namely, eternal life, or life after life.

 

So, the lawyer was a child of God who did not know that he was a son worthy of inheritance.

 

The lawyer, who was born as a son, believed that he had to do religious things to be worthy of an inheritance.

 

Jesus, what must I do to inherit eternal life?  Jesus:  You're a lawyer, you know inheritance laws.  What does the law say?  Love God, and love your neighbor as yourself.

 

Loving God and loving one's neighbor is the practice of people who believe they are children of God in a great big family of neighbors.  So, Jesus said to him, “you got it right, love God and love your neigbhor.”

 

But then the lawyer did a follow up question which indicated that he didn't get it.  "Jesus who is my neighbor?  Who do I have to love and care for in loving my neighbor as myself?  Surely, it's enough to just love my homies and the people I hang around with?  Jesus can we mean by neighbor, my favorite people?”

 

And then Jesus told the wisdom story to provide a "gotcha" moment.

 

What is the gotcha moment?  The wisdom story reveals that the neighbor is not about who you have to love, it is about you, yourself, being a neighbor just like the Good Samaritan was.   And if you are an active neighbor, then you are loving in neighborly caring ways, everyone, because like you everyone is a child of God in God's big family who are in line for the inheritance which comes from God, namely the eternal life, or the powerful qualitative kind of life which helps us be loving children and neighbors in God's family and neighborhood.

 

The delightful Mr. Rogers used to sing, "Won't you please, won't you please, please won't you be my neighbor."

 

What Jesus was singing to the young lawyer was, "Won't you please, won't you please, please won't you be a neighbor."

 

And what is a neighbor?  One who is actively caring and loving the people of this world who are children of God, made in God's image and thus recipients of the inheritance that can't be earn, because we're already children of God, in God's last will and testament.  The death of Jesus followed by his resurrection life is how the inheritance of eternal resurrection life was taught and lived in the early church.

 

We can seek to inherit what we have always had.  So,  we need to clear up the alienation in our hearts and minds which make us think that we're not God's children in the divine will.

 

The wisdom story of the Good Samaritan proclaims to us:  Go forth and be the neighbor because we live in God's neighborhood with everyone else, the ones who are our neighbors.

 

May God help us know the secret of being neighborly today.  Amen.

Sunday School, July 10, 2022, 5 Pentecost, C proper 10

 Sunday School,  July 10, 2022, 5 Pentecost, C proper 10

Exploring the Theme of the Parable of the Good Samaritan

What is a neighbor?

Sometimes we think that neighbors are people who live close to each other.

Sometimes we think that neighbors are just the people who we feel familiar and comfortable with.

When Jesus said that we are to “love our neighbor as ourselves,”  a man asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”  He was really asking Jesus, “Who am I required to love in order to please God.”

Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan to show a different meaning for “neighbor.”

Neighbors are not just people who live close to each other and are familiar with each other.  A neighbor is one who cares for anyone who is in need.

So a neighbor is doing and not just being.  This means we have to work in our lives to practice kindness all of the time so that we are always in good practice of being a neighbor.

Sermon

  What is a neighbor?

  Sometimes we use neighbor to mean only the people who live close to us.

  But sometimes people who live close to each other are not very friendly.

  Jesus told a story to help teach a young lawyer about the meaning of being a neighbor.

  One day a man was traveling to Jericho.  And he was attacked by robbers.  They hurt him and took all of his belongings and left him in the ditch.

  Two very important people, a priest and Levite saw the poor man in the ditch and but they did not stop to help him; they walked by because they thought that the man was dead.

  Then a man, a Samaritan, came and saw the man. (The Samaritan was a man who would not be liked by the lawyer).  The Samaritan nursed and cared for the man and carried him on his donkey to a place where he could heal.

  After Jesus told the story, he asked the lawyer.  Who was the neighbor?  And the lawyer answered, “The Samaritan, the one who showed care and mercy.

  Jesus taught an important message about the meaning of being a neighbor.

  A neighbor is not just someone who lives close to us.  A neighbor is you and I, and anybody when they show love and kindness and mercy to people who are in need.

  Today, we want God to make us good neighbors, because we want to be those who respond to people in need.

Child friendly Holy Eucharist, using the rubrics on page 400 of the Book of Common Prayer with guidelines for non-principal Eucharist

C proper 10

Gathering Songs: Kum Ba Yah, This Little Light of Mine, Seek Ye First, Praise Him

Liturgist: Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People: And blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Kum Ba Ya, (Christian Children’s Songbook  # 150)

Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah.  Kum ba yah, my Lord, kum ba yah.  Kum ba yah my Lord, kum ba yah.  O Lord, kum ba yah.

Someone’s singing Lord, kum ba yah.  Someone’s singing Lord, kum ba yah. Someone’s singing Lord, kum ba yah.   O Lord, kum ba yah.

Someone’s loving Lord, kum ba yah.  Someone’s loving Lord, kum ba yah. Someone’s loving Lord, kum ba yah.  O Lord, kum ba yah.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Liturgy Leader: In our prayers we first praise God, chanting the praise word: Alleluia

Litany of Praise: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy

For the LORD will again take delight in prospering you, just as he delighted in prospering your ancestors, when you obey the LORD your God by observing his commandments and decrees that are written in this book of the law, because you turn to the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 25

Show me your ways, O LORD, * and teach me your paths.

Lead me in your truth and teach me, * for you are the God of my salvation; in you have I trusted all the day long.

Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love, * for they are from everlasting.

Liturgy Leader: I invite you to let us know what you are thankful for today

   As we thank God let us chant Thanks be to God

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God!  (Chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon –   

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Liturgy Leader: Next in our prayers, we remember people who have special needs.  As we pray let us chant:  Christ Have Mercy

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:                        And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Offertory Song: This Little Light of Mine, (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 234)

This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine.  This little light of mine, I am going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Hide it under a bushel, No!  I’m going to let it shine.  Hide it under a bushel, No!  I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Don’t let anyone blow it out, I’m going to let it shine.  Don’t let anyone blow it out, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine.  Shine all over my neighborhood, I’m going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned or said)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us a Holy Meal so that when we eat

  the bread and drink the wine, we can know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as   

  this food and drink that becomes a part of us.

And so, Father, we gifts of bread and wine will be presented. We ask you to bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Bless and sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

We remember that on the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat the holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast. 

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Seek Ye First, (Blue Hymnal, # 711)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and its righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you, allelu, alleluia. Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, allelu, alleluia.

Ask, and it shall be given unto you, seek, and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you; Allelu, alleluia.    Refrain

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Praise Him, All Ye Little Children (Christian Children’s Songbook,  # 184)

Praise him, praise him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Praise him, praise him all ye little children, God is love.  God is love.

Love him, love him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Love him, love him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.

Thank him, thank him, all ye little children, God is love, God is love.  Thank him, thank him all ye little children, God is love, God is love.

Dismissal:   

Liturgist: Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.

People: Thanks be to God! 

Gospel: Discovering What Always Was

 4 Pentecost, C p 9, July 3, 2022

2 Kings 5:1-14  Psalm 30

Gal. 6:1-18 Luke 10:1-12,16-20 

Lectionary Link

 

The first experience of something very wonderful is so great it has the power to inspire exaggeration.  Like the first time that one eats ice cream, one can think that one actually invented the experience of eating ice cream.  First time experiences can make think that we originated the experience or that the experience began to occur because of the way that it happened to us.

 

There is a difference between things which have always been, and things which arose or came about in history.  All our modern day inventions at one time did not exist, and they have become so integrated to our lives that we find it hard to imagine them not existing.   What did we do in our cars before GPS?  What did we do before email?  Text messages?  Photo-copying?

 

There are things which always were and many of those things have not always been experienced by people.  And when some wonderful things which always were, are experienced by people, we can easily begin to treat those things like something that has been invented.

 

Jesus came to the world not to invent the love of God; the love of God has always been.  But it has been undiscovered.  Jesus came to help us overcome the alienation within ourselves which has kept us from experiencing what has always been.

 

Our biblical readings provide us with insights about how to be related to "original" conditions.  Is health and healing only for some people or is it a universal right?  

 

For the prophet Elisha, healing was for everyone, including one's enemy.  Just because Naaman was a commander in a foreign army did not mean that he was excluded from his right to seek to be healed in any way that might bring success.  As we ponder the high cost of health and the lack of access to health care for many people, we need to consider the universal right of people to seek and have healing in their lives.  Wanting good health is an "original" blessing.  The Psalmist composed a poem and a song exalting in a return to health from sickness.

 

St. Paul wrote about how practical justice should be in a community.  The justice of giving and requiring each person what is appropriately due is an ancient virtue which has to be continually realized in very practical ways.

 

In ministry, we can get too proud of accomplishments and perhaps begin to think that we originated love, joy, Holy Spirit power, and the rest.  Jesus warned his disciple not to be on a power trip or ego trip in ministry.  Just rejoice that your name is written in book.  Just rejoice that you said, "here" when God called attendance and as is it were "put your name" in the attendance book.

 

In the ministry of Jesus Christ, we have the privilege to announce to people the things that always have been:  God loves you.  God cares for you.  God forgives you.  God dwells in you so that you can find the divine presence.

 

The state of human alienation from these obvious things requires patience and ministry.  We cannot force people out their alienation.  Some people are not ready or do not have the life situation to open their doors of perception.

 

What did Jesus say about people who seem to reject the obvious?  Move on, don't get angry.  The dust of your feet is symbolic of what you shared with them so that they might be able to come back to it when they are ready.  The memory of you having shared the fact that everyone lives in the kingdom of God will be a continual protest to their inability to perceive the always, already reality of the kingdom of God.

 

The alienation of people from the love of God is vast, so the harvest is great.  The work of the promoting love and membership is God's kingdom is never ended.  We need to always be at the work of persuading people about the wonderful love of God.

 

On this eve of the Fourth of July, we Americans, need to know that we did not invent life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as the important values of life.  We did find a national constitutional way to teach the practice of these original virtues of life.  And we know that the consistent and just application of these rights has not always been lived and many people have been excluded in practice from a fair chance at these rights which are God-given.

 

The ministry of Jesus Christ and the ideals of our country invite us to experience and practice things which we did not invent.  We are invited to know how to be graceful receivers and givers of love, joy, peace, justice, liberty and faith.

 

Let us all have many more delicious events of awareness of the original blessings of God's love for us as we live up to the image of God on our lives.  Amen.

Aphorism of the Day, June 2022

Aphorism of the Day, June 30, 2022

The Gospel communities had strategies for sharing the message of the obvious.  Invoke peace on potential recipients and don't get bogged down with people's rejection.  Move on and leave the timing of reception up to endless future invitations to those who reject the obviousness of God's love and realm.

Aphorism of the Day, June 29, 2020

Does the preaching and acceptance of the love of God make the love of God true?  No, it is the obvious, always, already truth ready to be discovered.  It was there before Jesus was born.  The biblical story is about the recovery from human alienation from the always already truth of God's love.

Aphorism of the Day, June 28, 2022

The evangelical message of the "the kingdom of God" has come near to you is shorthand for the kingdom of God has always already been with us; now take the opportunity to realize it.

Aphorism of the Day, June 27, 2022

If the Gospel of love is turned into God favors me and my views about God in such a way as to be triumphant over others, then the Gospel of love is abrogated.  The Gospel of love means equality of dignity.

Aphorism of the Day, June 26, 2022

To be spiritual does not mean having fantastic inner experience from hours of extra praying time and meditation, being spiritual means acting out the fruits of the Spirit which is a more holistic spirituality than a resume of pietistic events.  Acting out the fruits of Spirit means that no one is yet "spiritual" because in time there is always more acting out to do.  Rather than say, I am not religious, but spiritual, let us humble say, "I hope that I can manifest the fruits of the Spirit today."  By one's fruits one is known, and it takes creative to make the fruits flesh and blood in action.  What do love, joy, peace, faithfulness, kindness, generosity, gentleness,patience, and self-control look like in practice today?  For the net yet spiritual, let us try to act out these fruits.

Aphorism of the Day, June 25, 2022

Some people who claim faith believe in calling down the fire of God from heaven to eliminate those who don't accept and agree their views.  So much for a God of love who lures us with love to persuade free people.

Aphorism of Day, June 24, 2022

St. Paul lists the nine fruits of the Spirit to counter some of the worst human behavior.  This is an indication that human attributes need a force for transformation.  Cultural conditions plus our own individual volition determine how we act out and speak out our lives.  St. Paul believed that we could access a deep experience of Holy Spirit to be a higher power toward the perfection of expressing the virtues in word and deed.

Aphorism of Day, June 23, 2022

For one who does not think that one has has a call to God, what about being called to love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, patience, and self-control?  Being called to these are the main call of God to everyone.  Success at these will necessarily result in details of living consistent with these great fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Aphorism of the Day, June 22, 2022

Concerned about "unordained" status?  Everyone is called by the Spirit to the fruits: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  In the blooming of these fruits there is endless "ordained" ministry.

Aphorism of the Day, June 21, 2022

The general call of God has to do with the fruits of the Spirit, love, joy, peace et al.  In accepting the general call, one naturally finds specificity for ministerial call.  If one is working on activating the gifts of the Spirit, the vocations of one's life unfold, whether ordained or lay.

Aphorism of the Day, June 20, 2022

There are various ways to be related to our "God-calling."  We can be too certain and proud about it.  We can be impatient with those who don't embrace our particular call and who are not on our time schedule.  We can want signs and proof of specific places or ministries that we might embrace.  We can find it incompatible with other callings like family responsibility.  We can be perpetual procrastinators with other things to do, and so we delay until "tomorrow."  We can feel inadequate for what we feel asked to do with the unwitting assumption that God would call us for things we're not capable of.  And what kind of God would that be?

Aphorism of the Day, June 19, 2022

In Pauline thinking, being "in-Christ" would be to return to realization of one's original blessing of being made in God's image.  Christ as the "second Adam" was the instigator of this restorative process.

Aphorism of the Day, June 18, 2022

Being "in Christ" was what Paul called the mysticism of the new creation.  It was a radical inward way of seeing and interpreting which was to have significant outer world consequences in how one behaved.

Aphorism of the Day, June 17, 2022

Paul believed that one attained a different sort of personhood "in Christ."  The new person was not a gendered being or one with national origin.  He was writing about being in a state beyond bias which gave one a freedom to love without limit.

Aphorism of the Day, June 16, 2022

In a purity code, to have one's inner life be referred to as an unclean spirit would be the epitome of "persona non grata."

Aphorism of the Day, June 15, 2022

St. Paul sometimes treats laws as the external counterpart to faith which is the work of the grace of the Spirit.  Law is regarded to be persuasion by external suppressive force through the threat of punishment.  Faith is being persuaded and acting from internal motivation.  So, much for some more over-simplifications for today in search of insights.

Aphorism of the Day, June 14, 2022

The Pauline perspective was to present the inward perspective of battles against interior principalities and powers, in a world where it was obvious that Caesar and his surrogates were the main principalities and powers.  The Jesus Movement was an "inward movement" in a world that knew the outward control of the Roman authorities.  This inward movement depicted by St. Paul's mysticism became in the Gospel genres what Jesus as an external figurative presentation of the Risen Christ  in confronting people who were controlled by those inward principalities and powers.  The Gospels are outward parables of the inward Jesus Movement.

 Aphorism of the Day, June 13, 2022

A worthy scholarly task would be to link the constellation of Pauline words regarding Christ-identity and how the narratives of the Gospel were formed to be a different kind of appeal genre to embed spirituality within parables of the life of Jesus.

Aphorism of the Day, June 12, 2022

The "empirical" evidence of the Trinity are to be found in the effects in the behaviors of those who claim to be in relationship with the Holy Family of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Original Dynamic Love is known in the effects of love within the behaviors of those who claim Trinitarian heritage.

Aphorism of the Day, June 11, 2022

How can the Trinity be intuitively true?  The incarnation is the mode of understanding how any knowledge of the divine is anthropomorphic, and embedded in language.  Christ the way to say that the divine is co-extensive with Eternal Word which is the essence of anthropomorphism.

Aphorism of the Day, June 10, 2022

The Holy Trinity is not empirically verified "truth."  It is relational, intuitive, moral, and spiritual truth.  These are valid truth criteria with empirical behavioral consequences when people who hold these truths of the Trinity act in the manner of love and justice.  Human behaviors are empirically verified; the Trinity who motivates such behaviors does not conform to scientific lab conditions.

Aphorism of the Day, June 9, 2022

The ground of the consideration of the Trinity is the same ground that we have for considering anything at all, Word.  Everything we know presumes first that we are language users using words.  And we may say that divinity precedes word but we have to assume words to assert the same.

Aphorism of the Day, June 8, 2022

Why is the incarnation an important insight?  In saying God is with us, we admit the obviousness of our anthropomorphism, our "humano-centric" prison in understanding everything.  The God-insight for humanity is the transcendence of future self-surpassability in excellence, because we can genuinely confess that we live in the Being who has Omni-Become and we are never separated from everything that is, was, might have been, and will be.  The God-insight is accepting our participation in such Oneness.

Aphorism of the Day, June 7, 2022

The most humanly accessible notion of the oneness of the Trinity is in Word.  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have come to human language by human language users.  They are one in having come to language.  Word is prior to all knowing or understanding of anything.  And are there "elephants" and "giant turtles" on which Words reside?Elephants and turtles are also words and so in saying it's "turtles all the way down," one is saying it is words about words all the way in something like an infinity mirror.

Aphorism of the Day, June 6, 2022

The story of the Trinity coming to language as a doctrine of belief is the story of how a narrative gets reduced or abbreviated into a standardized unit for administering beliefs in a community which was expressing heterodox beliefs within the hegemonic goals of an Emperor who did not want his empire to be divided by religion.

Aphorism of the Day, June 5, 2022

As we are on the quest of causation on the sub-molecular level, and seeking the sub-sub-molecular level, while we wait to "empirically" discover the most interior of the interior, the fragile minded people of faith opt to say "Spirit" for the yet to be empirically discovered mystery.

Aphorism of the Day, June 4, 2022

On the eve of Pentecost, we ponder the Holy Spirit, as the clean heart and right spirit which we want within us as person but also expressed in communal unity for the common good.  Holy Spirit is contrasted with evil spirit, which in a person unifies one to do evil to self and others, and the evil spirit of unity within mob is a group unified to to do corporate and social evil.  Spirit as a metaphor derived from wind or breath comes to language use as a way to evoke the deep mystery of the sources of good and evil.

 Aphorism of the Day, June 3, 2022

The unity of a mob can be dangerously evil.  Fragmented diversity can be an "everyone for self" chaos.  Holy Spirit means finding the golden mean between unity and diversity which honors and balances both.

Aphorism of the Day, June 2, 2022

Word or Spirit?  A chicken or the egg exercise.  Spirit is the omnipresent ground of being, even the being of language or word.  But one has to use words to say, "Spirit is the omnipresent ground of language or word."  One might humbly conclude that word is co-extensive with anything that can be known.

Aphorism of the Day, June 1, 2022

Pneumatology: the use of the Spirit metaphor.  When one is looking for unity among all people, an obvious similarity is to say all living people have breath, which is mostly unseen yet has definite recognizable effects.  The Holy Spirit is like breath; obvious even as being unseen.

Quiz of the Day, June 2022

Quiz of the Day, June 30, 2022

St. Paul rebuked St. Peter for what?

a. his views on Gentile Christians

b. his ritual adherance

c. his duplicity in interaction between Gentile and Jewish Christians

d. his denial of Jesus at his arrest

Quiz of the Day, June 29, 2022

Who had a vision in which he was given permission to eat reptile meat?

a. Paul

b. Peter

c. Barnabas

d. Silas

Quiz of the Day, June 28, 2022

What speaking animals are found in biblical writings?

a. snake

b. donkey

c. lamb

d. all of the above

e. a and c

f. a and b

Quiz of the Day, June 27, 2022

Which of the following in not true about Balaam?

a. his donkey saw and angel

b. he refused to curse Israel

c. he was a prophet

d. he was an Israelite

e. he was contacted by Balek of Moab

Quiz of the Day, June 26, 2022

What was the cure for snake bites that God gave to Moses?

a. make a bronze snake for biten to look at

b. rub manna on the bite

c. mud poultices

d. garlic bracelets

Quiz of the Day, June 25, 2022

How would the people of Israel be most directly related to the people of Edom?

a. brother progenitors

b. through Adam and Eve

c. through Moses and the Midians

d. through Ruth and Boaz

Quiz of the Day, June 24, 2022

From reading the Gospels, which of the following groups would have been the most likely target group for the Gospel appeal?

a. Pharisees

b. Sadducees

c. Zealots

d. Followers of John the Baptist

Quiz of the Day, June 23, 2022

What was unique about the staff of Aaron in contrast to the staffs of the other tribal heads?

a. it budded and produced almonds

b. it turned into a snake on the ground

c. it turned the Nile River into blood

d. it cause the Red Sea to part

Quiz of the Day, June 22, 2022

What are the sons and descendents of Aaron called?

a. Mushites

b. Zadokites

c. kohanim

d. Levites

Quiz of the Day, June 21, 2022

A camel going through the eye of a needle is a metaphor for what?

a. the difficulty of salvation for rich people

b. the difficulty of the call of Christ

c. the difficulty of understanding the kingdom of God

d. the difficulty of Gentile salvation

Quiz of the Day, June 20, 2022

How did Dathan and Abiram die?

a. in battle

b. God gave them leprosy

c. God opened the ground and it swallowed them

d. they were beheaded

Quiz of the Day, June 19, 2022

What is Korah most known for?

a. being a Levite

b. rebelling against the leadership of Moses

c. composing music for the Psalms

d. crafting the censers for the tabernacle

Quiz of the Day, June 18, 2022

"Milk and honey" was a biblical metaphor for

a. the Promised Land

b. mixtures prohibited by the Torah

c. ideal diet

d. the food for babies

Quiz of the Day, June 17, 2022

Who was Caleb?

a. a Levitical priest

b. a spy for Israel in Canaan

c. an aide of Joshua

c. the father of Seth

Quiz of the Day, June 16, 2022

About whom, do biblical words say, "he beholds the form of God?"

a. Adam

b. Job

c. David

d. Moses

e. Jesus

f. Paul

Quiz of the Day, June 15, 2022

Of the following, who might be the one who made "mysticism" an acceptable Christian word?

a. C.S. Lewis

b. G.K. Chesterton

c. Agatha Christie

d. Evelyn Underhill

e. Charles Williams

Quiz of the Day, June 14, 2022

What is the reported number of the people of Israel whom Moses led into the wilderness?

a. 60,000

b. 100,000

c. 200, 000

d. 300,000

e. 600,000

Quiz of the Day, June 13, 2022

What was not found within the ark of the covenant?

a. law tablets

b. Aaron's breastplate

c. Moses budding rod

d. gold jar of manna

Quiz of the Day, June 12, 2022

Where was God in the account of Job's theophany?

a. in a thundering voice

b. in still silence

c. in a whirlwind

d. in a burning bush

Quiz of the Day, June 11, 2022

Where was Barnabas from?

a. Ephesus

b. Malta

c. Cyprus

d. Sidon

e. Tyre

Quiz of the Day, June 10, 2022

Which disciple was rebuked by Jesus with the words, "Get behind me Satan?"

a. Thomas

b. Judas Iscariot

c. Peter

d. Philip

e. John

Quiz of the Day, June 9, 2022

The ecclesiastical status of Athanasius at the Council of Nicaea was as a

a. bishop

b. presbyter

c. deacon

d. lay person

Quiz of the Day, June 8, 2022

Which of the following is not classified as "wisdom" literature?

a. Proverbs

b. Job

c. Song of Songs

d. Ecclesiastes

e. Jonah

d. Ecclesiasticus

Quiz of the Day, June 7, 2022

What biblical book includes the phrase, "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity?"

a. Psalm

b. Proverbs

c. Ecclesiasticus

d. Ecclesiastes

Quiz of the Day, June 6, 2022

Where would one be instructed "not to repeat oneself" when one prays?

a. in Matthew and Ecclesiasticus

b. in Luke and Ecclesiastes

c. in the Psalms

d. in Leviticus

Quiz of the Day, June 5, 2022

Which would be a transliteration of a Hebrew word for "Spirit?"

a. sapientia

b. hokmak

c. pneumatos

d. ruach

e. agios

Quiz of the Day, June 4, 2022

Which Pope called the Vatican II Council and was on the Episcopal Calendar of Saints before he was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church?

a. Gregory the Great

b. Leo the Great

c. John Paul II

d. John XXIII

e. Pius XII

Quiz of the Day, June 3, 2022

What liturgical vestment would include a textual remembrance to keep God on one's mind?

a. priestly turban

b. tallit

c. phylactery

d. umim

e. thumim

Quiz of the Day, June 2, 2022

Which books of the Bible include visions of candlestick(s)/menorah?

a. Exodus and Leviticus

b. Ezekiel and Revelation

c. Zechariah and Revelation

d. Revelations and Maccabees

Quiz of the Day, June 1, 2022

The open baptismal versicles, "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism...." is found in which book of the Bible?

a. John

b. Romans

c. 1 Corinthians

d. Ephesians