Transcript Advent 3, 2024 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . Have you received a bunch of Christmas cards? I got this one. Seasons greetings In the Words of John the Baptist . . . You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Merry Christmas. The Christian story is a strange one, isn’t it? It is in the classical sense a comedy, not a tragedy - that is, it all turns out right in the end. But along the way there are plenty of problems and challenges. The reason for any journey - driving across the country, flying to Europe, whatever - is the destination. That is why we are going. But while we are on the journey we have to pay attention to its demands or we will get lost or arrested. And in the midst of passport control, long distance driving, squabbling fellow passengers, we may experience frustration or worse, even asking, Why am I doing this anyway? But as soon as we ask the question, we know the answer. The destination - a vacation, seeing family and friends, moving to a new home - is worth all the trouble. And the journey isn’t only trouble, is it? It has its joys, its fun. So, in addition to the warning, you brood of vipers, John the Baptist provides guidance - Do your work with integrity, treat others fairly. And St. Paul speaks to attitude and spiritual orientation. Rejoice. You are on a great adventure to a glorious destination. Rejoice always, when things are flowing smoothly and when things are tough. Pay attention to what is honorable, just, pure and lovely. Get rid of what isn’t. Work hard on the journey. Sometimes it is a pleasure, sometimes it is tough and sometimes it is both. But even more, set your heart on the destination, our heavenly father and his home which in Jesus Christ he is making our home. Rejoice in the Lord always.

Transcript Advent 2, 2024 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . There are many different ways of perceiving reality. Suppose, though, that the Christian view is basically accurate. Suppose that the universe was put here on purpose for a purpose by God; that you and I were created on purpose for a purpose by God; that cars, companies, buildings, institutions have built-in obsolescence - they won’t last - but that husband and wife, parents and children, neighbors, strangers, friends and enemies live forever. Suppose that you and I have a destiny - heaven we call it; life with God, truly good, truly happy, truly worthwhile, truly satisfying, truly permanent; but that this destiny is not guaranteed. We can miss out on it by our own choice and end up in hell as we call it; shadows of our true selves, empty, purposeless, gnawing away at one another in eternal bitterness. Suppose that were the result of falling short, of failing to attain the goal. Suppose that it were true that at the end of our time, and at the end of all time, our lives are going to be examined, weighed in the balance, judged; and that we are going to be asked two kinds of questions. The first kind goes like this. Did you grow up to be the kind of person who: tells the truth and doesn’t lie? is generous and not grasping or greedy? treats others with respect and not abuse? helps those in need rather than ignoring them? refrains from anger, violence and exploitation and chooses kindness, courage and self-sacrifice? In other words, did you grow up to love your neighbor as yourself? And suppose that the second kind of question to come from the king, the judge, the examiner, is this: Do I know you? As you lived your life did you allow us to be introduced? to get acquainted? to become intimate friends? Do you and I know one another well enough for you to move into my home permanently, forever? In other words, did you grow up to love God will all your heart and mind and soul and strength? Suppose for a moment that reality is basically like that and is going to turn out pretty much that way. What do you want to do about it? Advent is part of how the Church says to us, “Wake up! Pay attention to how things really are, to who is really important. Because he is right here right now, just around the corner.” What do we want to do about it? What gets top priority today and tomorrow and next month and next year? What has got to go out of our lives because it is turning us into the wrong kind of people? What do we need more of if we are going to grow up into people who make it? I want us to take a few minutes to think about this and to answer these questions. Let’s make our decisions. Write them down if that helps, but please, I urge you, think these questions through and make your decisions. I’ll give you a couple of minutes to start right now. Because it really is a matter of life and death, isn’t it? Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen.

Christ the King, Nov. 24, 2024 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN This last Sunday of the Christian year is called Christ the King, celebrating the reign, the sovereignty of Jesus Christ, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The essence of the Gospel is Jesus is Lord, Christ reigns, the Kingdom of God has arrived in and through Jesus. Therefore your sins are forgiven, your chains are broken, your debts are canceled, your enemies defeated, you are saved. And this isn’t a proclamation that begins with the resurrection at Easter or our Lord’s ascension to God’s throne in heaven, or his coming again in future glory. It is right at the beginning of each of the Gospels. This year we have been hearing Mark. He starts, “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” To first century readers and hearers, nothing could be clearer. To call Jesus Christ, Messiah, is to say, absolutely, that God has sent him to liberate and rule his people. “Son of God” which we know carries all the weight of Jesus’ divine nature, meant for first century Jews “King of Israel”. And we and the first hearers know what that means. It means that Jesus is powerful. He will defeat evil tyrants and establish justice and peace for his people and for the whole world. He will protect us from harm and bring us joy. He will make Jerusalem the greatest city in the world and its temple the most glorious. Can you feel it? Can you taste it? But right from the beginning Jesus - and the Gospel writers - subvert this understanding. The King is born in a stable and raised by poor people in Nazareth. He behaves more like a wild prophet than a crown prince. He says, “Don’t call me Messiah; don’t tell anybody who you think I am.” When he has a chance to further his cause he seems to walk away from it. And then just when you think he can’t be the one, he says things like; “I know that Moses told you one thing but I tell you this.” “Someone greater than Solomon, Israel’s greatest king, is standing before you right now.” And he doesn’t just talk. He says, “Your sins are forgiven.” And the Pharisees are right, aren’t they? No one can forgive sins except God alone. He heals the sick, opens the eyes of the blind. And when the crowds are with him in the wilderness, hungry, just as Israel was, he feeds them with bread from heaven, just as Moses did. When the time comes to enter Jerusalem, he walks all the way, until he is almost there. Then he very carefully arranges a donkey to ride in on. We might think, “Donkey - isn’t that nice.” But remember Zechariah the prophet said, “Rejoice, ... your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) Everybody in Jerusalem that day knew exactly what that donkey meant. But when people try to act on it, Jesus subverts it again. When the crowds want to make him king, he slips away; when Peter and the disciples are ready to fight, he says, “Put away your sword.” He tells Pilate, “My kingdom is not of this world” “But you are a king?” Jesus can’t say NO. But what a king! A king who is poor, who has no enforcement mechanisms, who doesn’t crush his enemies but is crushed by them; who ends up exalted, lifted up, not on Caesar’s throne but on Caesar’s cross. But all this is made right at Easter, isn’t it? Death is conquered, humanity freed, Jesus is proven to be right and raised to glory. And he is. Yet he subverts it again, doesn’t he? Because as the disciples know, now is the time to restore the Kingdom to Israel. Now is the time to reveal himself to everybody, to confound Pilate and Caesar and the Sanhedrin and everybody else, to take his place in judgment, to put his closest followers into power, and to bring peace and justice to the world. Yes? Instead, he only reveals himself to his friends and followers, not to his enemies and persecutors. Then he entrusts the salvation of the whole human race, he entrusts the destiny of the Kingdom of God, into the hands of Peter and James and John, into the hands of his mother Mary, his brother James, his friend Mary Magdalene. Into the hands, that is, of people who have no power or position or influence or money. And he says to them, “Go and tell the world.” And he insistently persists in this, doesn’t he? When the Emperor Constantine undertakes to represent him, or the King of England, or Prince Bishops, it is always very problematic, very ambivalent. His anointing is much more clearly seen on Anthony in the Egyptian desert and Francis in his poverty and Mother Teresa in her slums. Isn’t it? And people like me stand up and say, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” And people like you bear the royal sign of the cross on your bodies out into the schools and businesses and neighborhoods of our communities. You and I, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. (cf. II Corinthians 5:20) He hasn’t changed his ways, has he? Now Christ’s authority and power are real and absolute. And he works his miracles, doesn’t he? Sometimes we see a heart turned, an illness healed, relationships restored, virtually instantaneously. And what a faith builder that is! Although what impresses me far more is when I see what he does in people’s lives over a year or two or three or four. His power, his grace is there without limit to help us. But it seems to me that this sovereign, this king, won’t coerce people, no matter what. So if that rich man won’t sell all that he has and follow him, King Jesus has no IRS or draft board to compel him. If the Samaritan village won’t welcome him because he is going to Jerusalem, then he goes around; he doesn’t call on fire from heaven to destroy it. It isn’t that he can’t. As he says in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53) It is not that he can’t; it is that he won’t. The gift God gives to us humanity in the creation - the gift of freedom to choose the good, and therefore of necessity the curse of freedom to choose the evil - this gift to us is given once again completely in Jesus. Freedom is a great gift, isn’t it? Yet it is a gift given at terrible cost. It means that if Judas decides to betray the King rather than follow him, Jesus will appeal to his heart and mind and will, but he will not appeal to his Secret Service to arrest Judas. Instead he will be betrayed. It means that if the authorities reject him, no armies human or angelic, will change their minds. Instead they will crucify him. And it doesn’t stop with Jesus and the Cross, of course. When human beings choose terror over peace then the bodies of the innocent will be scattered in the cities of our world. When human beings choose promiscuity over faithfulness and chastity, families will be shattered and disease will ravage the nations. When human beings loot the treasuries of their nations and companies, others will be ruined and starve. This human freedom is a terrible thing. We are constantly tempted to give it up ourselves and to take it away from others, always with the best of intentions. But the King knows that the only way to come under his most gracious rule is freely. He knows that to force the heart or coerce the will is to break them both. He knows that you can acquire slaves and servants by force and power, but friends, partners, beloveds come only freely. So with sovereign resolve he holds us and the whole creation in being, freely bearing the cost of our freedom so that we may freely share the glory he gives. And when I think about that and think about who and how I am as husband, father, friend, priest, citizen, I wonder, What does it mean for me to follow this King of kings, this Lord of Lords? What does it mean for me to belong to him as his subject and his friend? What does it mean for me to become like him? What does it mean for you?

Fr Michael. Always enlightening. Thank you so much

🙏 AMEN.

Heal me Lord. Heal me. 🙏

TRANSCRIPT Pentecost 23, 2024 Mark 10:46-52 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . Bartimaeus is sitting at the side of the road just outside Jericho, begging. That’s his job. He does it everyday. Today is different however. Today the crowds are immense, surrounding and pressing and touching and hearing that great disrupter Jesus. Bartimaeus starts to yell, “Hey, King Jesus, help me!” And that’s crucial. There were a dozen or a hundred blind and crippled and sick people begging outside Jericho every day. As far as we know the rest just sat there, doing what they always did. Bartimaeus shouted for help. The people around him wanted none of that. “Shut up, blind man. Don’t make a scene. Don’t interfere. Don’t mess things up.” But he was having none of that. He yelled louder and longer, “King Jesus, help me!” And Jesus heard him and stopped and said, “Call him here.” All right! He threw off his cloak, jumped up and made his way to Jesus. Now see the picture. You know what street people are like. They wear or carry everything they own. They live in it and sleep in it. Bartimaeus, the blind man, was sitting cross-legged on the ground, his cloak spread on his lap, the coins 1 people had given him cradled within it. He jumped up, threw off the cloak in a crowd of thousands of people and went to Jesus. What happened to the cloak - and the money? How would a blind man find either one again? How much was Bartimaeus betting on Jesus? Jesus asks him, “What do you want?” Didn’t Jesus say that to someone else recently? Last week, to James and John, who wanted the key cabinet positions. They didn’t get them, did they? They didn’t get what they wanted and they got what they didn’t ask for. So Bartimaeus, What about you? What do you want? Stupid question? He’s blind. What do you think he wants? Well, he might have said, Give me a better begging spot so I can make more money. Or give me a pension so I don’t have to beg at all. Or give me vengeance on the man who poked my eyes out. Or any of a hundred other things. But Bartimaeus knows what his real problem is. He knows the truth about himself and reaches for the cure. “Master, I want to see.” Jesus says, “OK. Go. Your trust has saved you; your faith has healed you.” And immediately he received his sight and followed him. What an astounding healer Jesus is! And what encouragement that is to those who are blind or sick or injured. But Jesus and the Church say, that there is blindness far worse than physical sightlessness. The story speaks with symbolic as well as literal power. 1 Let’s ask, “Where are we blind? What don’t we see?” You know how we wonder about people, “How come he doesn’t get it? Doesn’t he see that his attitude poisons his friendships?” “How come she’s blind to the damage she is doing to her family?” Well, other people ask that about us. What is there in who we are that we don’t see that needs fixing; that needs help; that needs healing? What about in our community and our nation? We’re getting ready to vote in a few days. What wrongs are we blind to in our own political party? What virtues don’t we see in the other? Remember how important the truth is. What do we need to throw off? Sometimes there are attitudes, behaviors, approaches to life that are positively harmful; and while God does not withhold his help until we get all these things right - if he did, how would we ever get anywhere? - yet these things really do stand in the way of our progress. Other times it’s not anything particularly wrong. It’s just things that get in the way of something better. Wasn’t it a couple of weeks ago that we heard about the rich guy who wanted to be in God’s kingdom? He kept the commandments; he was a good and generous and upright man. Jesus said, “Just one more thing. Sell everything and give the money away. Then follow me into the Kingdom.” Jesus didn’t say that to everybody. But he said it to him because that was what was holding him back. What’s holding you back? Are you ready to throw it away? 1 What do we want Jesus to do for us? Remember he doesn’t assume Bartimaeus wants to see. Maybe he does and maybe he doesn’t. Maybe he will ask for it and maybe he won’t. What do we need? Let’s pray for that now. Lord Jesus, what you did for Bartimaeus is absolutely amazing. I can hardly believe it. But I know you can do even greater miracles in my life. And I need them. Lord, I’ve been thinking about how I’m blind, about what I don’t see about myself and my attitudes and my life. I’ve got a sense of what you are trying to show me but maybe I’m still not seeing very clearly. I ask you now to show me what I need to know about myself. What kind of help and healing and wholeness do I need from you? And what do I need to get rid of because it gets in your way for me? Lord, I hear you saying to me, “What do you want me to do for you?” Lord, this is what I want. ……. Thank you, King Jesus. Amen And lastly, what now? Bartimaeus didn’t go back to grab his cloak and scrounge his eighty-seven cents out of the trampled dust. If he had, he might as well have put his eyes out again. No. Bartimaeus, no longer the blind man, followed Jesus on the way. For you and me, what now?

TRANSCRIPT: Pentecost 22, 2024 Mark 10:35-45 St. Raphael’s, FMB, FL Michael Rowe In the Name . . . You know that when people talk to Jesus, ask him for something and listen to his response, that is what we call prayer. So when we hear Gospel readings like today’s, part of what is going on is “spiritual direction.” Jesus and the Gospel writers are coaching us about prayer. We may be learning many other things as well, but part of what we are learning is how to talk with Jesus, how to listen to Jesus; that is, how to pray. So let’s listen to today’s Gospel with those ears on. James and John come and talk with Jesus about what is on their minds. Well, that’s obvious, isn’t it? But is it really? I’ll ask you, Do you sometimes go for quite a long time without talking to Christ about what really matters to you- what you really desire, what excites or troubles you; your career, your family, your happiness, your character. Are these what you talk with Christ about? That is, are these the things that fill your prayer? Absolute step one in prayer. Imitate James and John and talk with Jesus about what is really on your mind, about what really matters to you. James and John begin by trying to manage Jesus, trying to get him to say YES before they tell him what they want. They want a spiritual blank check, don’t they? Now this doesn’t turn out well for them and we know it is not a good idea. But notice that these two guys made a mistake in prayer - a big mistake - and still ended up as major apostles. So we don’t try to “make deals” with Jesus in our prayer but don’t worry too much about making mistakes - asking for the wrong thing or in the wrong way. All the major mistakes have been made before, some of them by great saints. James and John ask Jesus for what they really want. They don’t beat around the bush or pray for world peace or help to be a better person, hoping Jesus will throw in some money and power as well. They flat out ask for it. “When you win, Jesus, give us the top two posts - chief of staff and national security advisor; Chancellor of the Exchequer and Minister of Defense.” Now I am not saying that their prayer was admirable. In fact, they deeply misunderstood Christ’s kingdom and their place in it. But I am saying that their prayer was honest. It was their real prayer. And given that they were talking to the one “to whom all hearts are open . . .” they might as well say what is really on their hearts. And their prayer shows their confidence in Christ, doesn’t it? Do you know that no one has ever said to me, “Michael, when you become president, would you make me Secretary of State? Or ambassador to Belgium?” I bet you that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are having those kinds of conversations right now. What’s the difference? People really believe that they will be in a position to deliver. James and John believe that Jesus is able to deliver. They prayed confidently, that is, with faith. So James and John prayed a big prayer, it was their prayer, in confidence that Jesus could give it to them. That is a pretty good model for us, isn’t it? What is Jesus’ answer? Basically his answer is, “You don’t know what you are talking about.” Well, all right. That is probably true for a lot of my prayers. How about you? So we see why listening space is so important in prayer. We may be praying honestly and sincerely but be completely off the mark. Jesus needs to correct our prayer so that we are praying “in him”, “in his name”, “according to his will.” Here are four key ways to listen as well as talk in our prayer. Read and think about scripture in conjunction with our prayer. This is called meditation. Because scripture shows us how God sees things. Keep some silence, including mental silence, as part of our prayer. Pray with other people sometimes. Their prayers and their reactions to our prayers will serve as a bit of a reality check to the way we are praying. Pray with the Church. The Church’s corporate prayers, such as the Eucharist and Morning and Evening Prayer, give us solid models for what matters and what doesn’t, for what is primary and what is not, in true Christian prayer. So Jesus says, “You don’t know what you are asking.” He then starts to question them. “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" Now I am sure that they had only the vaguest idea of what Jesus was talking about but it sounded impressive. So they ended up doing what they had wanted Jesus to do - they said YES before they knew what he was asking. And boy were they baptized and did they drink that cup! James was one of the earliest martyrs, beheaded by King Herod. John lived a long, productive, demanding life in Christ’s service. As Jesus said, "The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared." Then the story moves on the reactions of the other disciples, another profound study in the prayer of complaint and criticism. So let’s chart this prayer. James and John, openhearted and confident come to Jesus with their heart’s desire. But they already suspect that there may be something not quite right with their prayer so they try to get Jesus to say YES before they tell him what they want. Jesus will have none of it. He waits to hear what is on their minds and hearts. After they have spoken, it is his turn. He asks searching questions and draws out their commitment to be his men no matter what the path and no matter what the cost. He promises them a demanding life that will include substantial suffering and he tells them that what they think they want, what they have asked for, isn’t theirs to have nor his to give. Those places are already assigned. How might this shape our prayer? Perhaps consider these four things: What is your real prayer? Not the prayer you think you ought to pray but your real heart’s desire, what you would like from God if you could possibly get it? Can you frame that in your prayer and tell it to Jesus Christ? Then can you sit quietly and sense what Christ’s response is? He may be glad to say YES. You may be asking for exactly the right thing. It is quite likely, however, that our heart’s desire and therefore our prayer, will need at least some correction. What might that be? Wait in silence to get a sense of what Jesus is saying. Is he asking something of you? How do you react, respond? Where do you end up? How do you leave it with Jesus? Your way? His Way? Some agreement? More work to be done on the subject? All of those are real and therefore legitimate outcomes. So, what is really on your mind? How does Jesus respond, shaping or correcting our prayer? What is he asking of you and how are you responding? What is the outcome? Would you try praying like that this week?

TRANSCRIPT: Pentecost 21, Oct. 13, 2024 Mark 10:17-31 St. Raphael’s, FMB, FL Michael Rowe In the Name . . . Many people in the Church, many of us, have come to the Christian faith through some sort of radical encounter and transformation. People like this have been criminals or addicts, violent, exploitative, or simply blind to God and centered on self. At some point they come face to face with themselves and say, “I can’t live like this anymore.” They come face to face with Jesus Christ and cry, “Save me.” These people are like Paul on the road to Damascus and the prodigal son leaving the filth of the pigs to return to his father. These people know what it means to sing, “I once was lost and now am found; was blind and now I see.” Yes? Others in the church have a very different story. By the providence of God they were born with stable and responsible personalities and raised in families that taught and shaped them in the right way. For as long as they can remember they have grasped the sovereignty and goodness of God and the importance of following his ways. They have lived honest and upright lives, giving God worship and honor and their neighbors respect and justice. They are like the wise described in the Old Testament Wisdom literature and like the rich man in today’s Gospel. Yes? And it is in many ways better to live in a community and culture filled with people who obey the commandments from their youth rather than in a culture and community in which people, after half a lifetime of craziness, get turned around. This is the value of Christian society and established churches, whether established formally or informally. People are born into and grow up in an environment that nurtures and encourages honesty, fairness, respect and all the rest. It is easier for most people to live and thrive in environments like that than in their opposite. However, the prodigal son knows something crucially important about his father and about life and reality that still eludes his elder brother, the good son; and unless and until his elder brother gets it, he can’t share the joy of the banquet. It is valuable and important to “Raise up a child in the way he should go: (so that) when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) But there is a “something more” that faithful and effective “keeping of the law” cannot bring us. And the rich man in today’s Gospel knows that. I am going to set aside what it means to call Jesus “good” and the whole matter of getting through the eye of a needle for another time. I want to focus on this man coming to Jesus and asking, “What must I do to inherit eternal life; to enter the kingdom; to be with God; to be part of God’s future?” And Jesus almost brushes him off. “You are a Jew; you know what to do. Don’t murder, tell the truth, honor your parents.” And I wonder whether we can really get anywhere with God until we have struggled with the universal human call to goodness and either have succeeded pretty well and realized that that is not enough, or failed utterly and realized that we can’t do it without God. “Yes, I understand that and I’ve done that,” the man replies, knowing that there has to be something more. And Jesus is perfectly capable of exposing our illusions and delusions, of naming as hypocrites those who claim to be good but are not. He doesn’t do that here. He accepts the truth of what the man says and burdens him with his love. ‘You lack one thing: go sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” This is not part of the universal law; it doesn’t apply to everyone. Some of the disciples did leave everything to follow Jesus as Peter emphasizes near the end of today’s reading; although Peter had a boat to go back to after the crucifixion. Another rich man, Zacchaeus, gave away half of what he had, keeping plenty to live well on and Jesus said, “Today salvation has come to this house.” (Luke 19:9) So this giving it all away is not part of God’s universal teaching the way, say, tithing is. But for this man it was the crucial next step. And at least today he cannot take it. “He was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.” Strange, isn’t it? Here was a man utterly convinced of God and God’s ways, who recognized Jesus as the Way to God, who wanted more than anything else to enter more deeply into God’s life and God’s future; and yet, when it came right down to it he let a little thing like his bank account get in the way. Peter and the other disciples are shaken by this. “We have left everything and followed you.” “Yes, you have,” Jesus replies. “And everyone who leaves things behind for my sake will be blessed here and now and, far more important, will share eternal life forever.” I wonder what our next step is into eternal life? And because this isn’t a matter of universal teaching but of personal direction we need to do what this rich man did and ask Jesus. So I would like us to spend a few minutes in prayer. I will guide us in saying Thank you to God for bringing us to where we are. And then we can ask Our Lord Jesus Christ, “What must I do to inherit eternal life? What must I do to courageously follow you?” A couple of things to keep in mind. The first is, test your answer with a priest, spiritual director or trusted Christian friend. As Bernard Lonergan once said, “Nine out of every ten human insights are wrong” and people have done strange things, thinking it was God’s will. So check it out with reliable counsellors. But don’t go away grieving either. Be brave. Don’t be afraid. When Jesus calls us to great things, hard things, it is only because he has first looked at us and loved us. Let us pray. Almighty God, thank you for creating us in your image with memory, reason and skill. Thank you for guiding us through teaching and conscience to love what is good and true. Thank you for turning our lives around when we were lost and going in the wrong direction. Thank you for the new life we share in Jesus Christ. And now Lord Jesus, I turn to you as honestly as I can, as openly as I can, to ask you: “What must I do to inherit eternal life? Where do I go from here? What is my next step? I know you are the Way, the Truth and the Life. How do you want me to follow you right now?” SILENCE Thank you, Lord, AMEN

Transcript: Pentecost 18, Oct. 6, 2024 Mark 10:2-12; Marriage St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name… I want to walk us through this Gospel reading to help us to understand it better. Because we often read it as giving us the Christian rules, compared with the Jewish rules, about divorce and remarriage; and I think that is the virtual opposite of what Jesus is in fact doing. Note first of all the context. This is not open-hearted inquiry from disciples and friends. It is the Pharisees, Jesus’ adversaries, coming to test him and trap him. “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” Well, Jesus says, you’re Pharisees, the experts in the law. You don’t need me to tell you what is lawful and what isn’t. What does Moses the Lawgiver say? “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” Ok then, that’s the law. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes on to explain why that is the law - because of your hardness of heart. We might say, because human beings are imperfect, flawed, and they mess things up for themselves and for others. Sometimes people need to leave marriages because their lives or well-being are at stake. Sometimes we have to let people get divorced, even though they are damaging themselves and others by doing so, because in the end you can’t force people to live up to their promises to love and to cherish their spouses, can you? Human hardheartedness means that sometimes divorce is the least bad outcome. But divorce isn’t God’s intention. From the beginning, Jesus says, God created humanity in his image precisely as male and female, precisely so their union as couples would express in the flesh the eternal love of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and would express in the flesh the union in love of God for all of humanity. So God’s intention is that marriage, which as Paul says, is a great mystery, an image or sacrament of Christ and the Church, God’s intention is that marital love will be a sign and a reflection of divine love - profound, permanent, passionate, faithful, self-giving for the true well-being of the other. Jesus invites the Pharisees, his other listeners, us and everybody to aspire to God’s true intention, rather than settle for what is technically legal. You see, Jesus didn’t change the Law and his Churches usually have some kind of provision for marriages that shouldn’t have happened in the first place or that somehow go terribly wrong. In particular, the churches usually recognize adultery, abuse and abandonment as legitimate grounds for divorce. In each case, the spouse’s heart is hardened, isn’t it, breaking the solemn commitment to love and protect faithfully. Jesus doesn’t change the law but he does call us to aspire to God’s vision for our marriages and for the marriages of others. What might this mean for us now? Well, first of all, if you are divorced, remember that in Christ there is no condemnation. Don’t let anyone turn Jesus, who is your champion, into a Pharisee opposing you. OK? Perhaps you were abused, abandoned or betrayed. That is bitter agony. But it is on the other person, not you. On the other hand, perhaps you look back and realize, it wasn’t that, but I thought I was justified but now I realize I put myself first and not my wife or husband. I should have lived up to and into my promises. Instead I walked away from them, causing great hurt and harm.. If that is the case, it is essential to tell the truth to yourself and to God, probably to your children and maybe to that former spouse. Nonetheless, in Christ there is no condemnation. No, there isn’t. You may not be able to repair the past but you can live into a better future. Yes? For those who are single with marriage as a possible future, live now in ways that prepare you to get married and be married wholeheartedly. We used to talk about “saving yourself for marriage.” But that was never exactly right. What we are doing - or for most of us at our age, encouraging those younger than ourselves to do - is being faithful now to the husband or wife that we may not have even met yet. It means that we don’t give ourselves physically to those who don’t want to receive us emotionally and spiritually or who only want us temporarily. And we don’t take someone physically when we don’t want their heart and soul and life as well. Why? Because we are not simply asking what is permitted. We are aspiring to God’s true intention for our bodies, our lives, our marriages. For those who are widowed, even after the agony has eased there remains that profound sense of loss, of incompleteness, doesn’t there? Because we are united in one flesh with our spouse and now part our self is gone. This is a time to turn to Christ even more completely and deeply, because he is the one who will reunite us with our beloved in glory and because union with him is the eternal reality toward which our marital union pointed. That hunger for real love that we learned in our marriages is completely fulfilled at the marriage feast of the Lamb. For those of us who are married, today’s Gospel is a particular invitation from our Lord to aspire to God’s true intention. Do you remember what we said at our weddings? In the Name of God, I take you to be my wife, my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow. This is God’s intention for us, that we give ourselves wholeheartedly and receive our spouse wholeheartedly, in complete and generous love. This is how marriage reveals the life of God himself and how it points toward God’s loving intention for all humanity. Whatever our situation, our challenges won’t be easy, but what worthwhile challenges ever are? We are hampered by our hardness of heart just like all human beings of every age. And that is complicated by the particular obsessions and confusions of our current culture. But Christ is on our side, in worship, prayer, scripture, fellowship and above all in the Eucharist, in which he gives us his Body and Blood, so that he dwells in us, so his grace strengthens and directs us, his love works in and through us, so that, if we will agree, his intention will become our reality.

Transcript: St. Francis Pet Blessing St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . You know, when God made the heavens and the earth, the plants and the animals, and Adam and Eve; he made it all to fit together in unity and peace, without turmoil or conflict. In fact, he made it Adam’s responsibility, humanity’s responsibility, to “have dominion” over the earthly creation, to tend the Garden; so that the whole creation would fit together, with humanity as the capstone, as the priesthood, directing the creation’s praises to God. Of course, sin entered the world and with it conflict, strife and division; not just between people, but in every aspect of nature. The idea of the earth freely producing her harvests for all to enjoy; the thought of the lion lying down with the lamb; becomes just a dream, doesn’t it? Yet through the mercy of God that dream becomes a promise; and in Christ a certainty. In the new creation, when Christ is all in all, all the pieces will fit together perfectly in ways that we can only now imagine. We get a taste of that, see hints of that, wherever God’s grace is welcomed and lived; and especially in lives of particular holiness; in the lives of the saints. In them, the divisions of this world are substantially broken down; and the unity and joy of heaven are glimpsed. St. Francis knew the fundamental unity of the whole creation in ways that only someone who lives largely on God’s side of things can know. He understood brother sun and sister moon; mother earth and sister death. He thought it worthwhile to call out the glorious gospel of Christ for the birds and the animals to hear. He didn’t look through nature into God. Rather, through the love of God he saw nature restored. In our small ways we experience bits of this. For many of us, it is in connection with our pets, whom God gives us as cherished companions, so different from ourselves and yet in the mystery of God’s creation, so close. We thank God for them today and pray for God’s blessing and protection on them. And we say THANK YOU for this taste of what God’s creation is meant to be, and will be; through the omnipotent grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN

Sermon Transcript: Proper 21B September 29, 2024 Mark: 9:38-50 St. Raphael’s What if this is a person’s first Sunday in church--is there any good news? anywhere? The Book of Esther is the story of God looking out for the people of Israel and saving them from the more powerful Persians. It doesn’t come right out and say it was God. In fact, Esther is one of two books of the Bible that doesn’t even mention God. Anybody want to guess at the other? Song of Songs. But, what do we read about in Esther? Israel’s main tormentor being hanged. Israel is saved, but what of God's other created one. The Book of James mentions God often, but so rarely does it specifically point to Jesus, that some have suggested that it was originally a Jewish work that an editor got hold of and added something about Jesus in a few places so that it got included in the NT. And then there’s the gospel with all that talk about putting a millstone around your neck and being thrown into the sea, or cutting off arms and legs or poking out eyes. What was the lectionary committee thinking? Having gone through a seminar in my last parish with about 30 parishioners, with the focus on incorporating newcomers, I wonder what they must think. Will the good news will have to wait for another Sunday? Now, as I sat down with these lessons the gospel text reminded me of a time in the Education for Ministry session a few years back when we were critiquing one of the books. One man, an author himself, made the observation that the author must have used 3 X 5 index cards for his notes and included every one in his book. New paragraph, completely new topic. Mark has reached a point in his telling where Jesus will soon be going to Jerusalem and there are a few random sayings of his that he wants to include. So he puts a lot of them here. As Mark tells the full story of Jesus, about half way through is the smaller story of the Transfiguration. Peter and James and John are invited to follow Jesus up a mountain where his clothes turn bright white and Elijah and Moses appear beside Jesus. When the four come back down, they are met by the rest of the disciples with the tale of them trying to cast out demons, but not being able to. Earlier, they had been sent out by twos on mission trips and they report that they had cast out demons, but not this time. Today’s reading has to be seen in light of that. Jesus has returned to Capernaum, his home base for the last time and John reports: “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons. We tried to stop him because he was not following us.” I wonder whether the disciples were falling into the same trap that Israel had. God had chosen Israel to be his people so that all the world would be blessed. But Israel wanted God for themselves, to put them on top and all the other nations to serve them. Were the disciples trying to keep Jesus for themselves? Their argument about who was the greatest among them might lead us to think so. Or, were they simply worried about appearances. They couldn’t cast out a demon, because they had forgotten to pray first, and here is someone not of their group doing what they couldn’t. Our objective in spreading God’s kingdom is not to steal parishioners from the Lutherans or the Methodists but to bring in the un-churched. The facts are that few denominations are actually reaching out to the un-churched. We don’t have any problems working alongside those other denominations, but for most of the televangelists I might want to point to a millstone. Yet, isn’t that me trying to keep Jesus for myself. The unnamed person is casting out demons in Jesus’ name. He or she is a follower, but not one of us according to the disciples, not one of the “in” crowd. Someone is changing lives, restoring community and overcoming evil forces, all in Jesus’ name. Our response cannot be, “we’ve never done it that way”. Whoever is not against us, is for us. The second paragraph seems to follow the reading we heard last week. Jesus has brought a little child into their group. This is who you need to be looking out for: the weakest, the least fortunate; those that can’t help themselves. Causing one of them to stumble should cause us to look at ourselves to re-examine our words or actions. The Greek word translated as stumble is the root for the word scandal. Don’t be a scandal. Now I’ve never seen a biblical literalist preach, cite or even point to this second paragraph, cutting off hands, poking out eyes. I don’t think Jesus was being literal. He wanted to get their attention and I’m sure he did. There is a sense of urgency in his teaching of his disciples. Jerusalem is not far off. The word translated as ‘hell’ is actually Gehenna. It was a place southwest of Jerusalem that, before David had made it his royal city, had been used for child sacrifices. In Jesus’ day it was the town dump, the garbage pile where the fire that burned never went out. In rabbinic thought at that time, assignments to God’s punishment were for a limited time, until your debt was paid and the righteous in heaven prayed for intervention. You can see where the Roman doctrine of purgatory may have gotten its roots. Jesus’ message is that we are responsible for our own deeds. Yet, none of us is capable of representing Jesus one hundred percent of the time. So, it’s not about judging others, but judging ourselves. Remove anything that stops us from making Jesus the priority in our lives. Remove anything we do that would hinder others in doing the same. Why didn’t Jesus put it that way instead of all these gristly metaphors? Maybe it was for fodder in arguments with Biblical literalists, or maybe he wanted to get our attention too. What our aim should be is to not use Jesus as a way of enriching or empowering ourselves over others. If the message we proclaim doesn’t build up, doesn’t give life and hope in Jesus as Messiah for the world, then we are no longer serving the purpose for which we are called. This passage may not contain much, if any, good news. The gospel writers never intended that small slices be extracted and read Sunday by Sunday. For the first timer, there is good news and we know it. That God became one of us to lead the way to God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Today’s reading reminds us of our responsibility to be a part of that.

Sermon Transcript: Proper 19B September 15, 2024 Proverbs 1:20-33, Mark 8:27-38 St.Raphael This morning, our O.T. lesson, for the 2 nd of 3 Sundays, comes from the book of Proverbs. As a layperson, I think the only time I turned to Proverbs was when I was assigned as the lay reader or my Bible happened to flop open to it. Know that Proverbs is unique and probably would not have been included as a canonical book, had it not had it not been attributed to King Solomon. There is little or no reference to the law, that Israel saw as separating herself from her pagan neighbors. There is nothing of Israel’s call to be God’s select people; nothing at all about the Exodus the defining moment of who Israel is as a nation.. Instead it is more about living a good and righteous life seeking lady Sophia, Wisdom. Jews had long seen God as a father-figure; Jesus teaches his disciples to pray “Abba…” which we translate “Our Father”. But even though God is without gender, the Wisdom which was a part of God’s oneness had always been seen a female. Maybe it is not just a modern-day joke that the difference between men’s and women’s intelligence, is that a woman will ask for directions or read the instructions. This first chapter of Proverbs contains an irony. It tells how wisdom seeks us out, plus how we seek out wisdom, yet the two rarely connect. “Wisdom cries out in the street…” she will move to the corner and finally heads to the city gates. She raises he voice to be heard. She holds no sympathy for those that pay her no attention. She is a woman with an attitude. When the prophet Amos speaks of a whirlwind, it is divine judgment upon the people. Midway down today’s reading, it seems the whirlwind is caused by their own foolish decisions. This type of writing is not limited to Israel. Archeologists have found similar writings in Egypt and Mesopotamia. They exist today, though not usually in written form: “A bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush”; “a stitch in time saves nine.” Back then, not only were they good instruction they were probably used to help young male scribes learn how to write, in Israel and elsewhere. The uniqueness of the Jewish proverbs was to give them a religious overtone. Wisdom equaled a religious commitment, faith. If you were wise and practical, you were also religious what else could you be? If the author of this section of Proverbs had intended young males as his audience, the thought of a woman laughing at their calamity would be a strong motivator to do the right thing, to be wise. The author warns that after distress and anguish come it will be too late to seek after her. She will be gone. Of course, this message should be tempered by all the other messages of scripture. There is no grace found here that is found in the prophets, the gospels and epistles. Even the instruction to seek wisdom from an early age seems softened by Jesus’ parable of the laborers, some hired at the 1 st hour, others throughout the day, yet all receive the same pay. Of course, that isn’t an excuse to procrastinate. That message seems to ring through all our readings. even in the collect this morning “without you we are not able to please you.” A parishioner from my one of my pervious churches liked to tell the story of how as a young man, before meeting his wife of 50 years had dated the then Episcopal bishop’s daughter. He would call at her door go in and speak with her parents and then as they made their way to the door the bishop always recited the same proverb: “Remember who you are and what you represent.” Joe said he was never sure, whether the bishop was addressing his daughter or talking to Joe, ….. and he didn’t have the courage to ask. Even though he married another, he used that same proverb on his own kids. In our gospel reading for this morning, Jesus does a mid-ministry check in. Who to the people say that I am? Well, they can’t get that one wrong. Just repeat back what they had heard. But then, who do you say that I am? I wish the author had given some more info. Did Peter just blurt it out? Or was everyone checking out their sandals or the birds flying above them? But then, Jesus predicts his coming suffering and death, and Peter tells him there must be another way. Many times when someone is quoted in scripture we may wonder about their tone of voice. I don’t think there is any question about Jesus’ reply. The tone in the Greek makes it clear this is a teacher talking to a student. But, I also think that Jesus was tempted, which is what made him so angry. To be tempted is not a sin. Jesus thought, there might be an easier way than the one known to be God’s path. How many times have we thought or done that? Choosing the path of least resistance; or not even thinking to check with God. Our way is fine, why bother God. Lady Wisdom is the mother that loves her children so much that she can’t stand the thought of them being hurt. She sees ahead the consequences of the decision that are making and is not above using all her wiles to get them to see too. Even threatening, when it comes to pass, to say ‘I told you so!” None of us want to acknowledge that sometimes the bad results that happen to us are a result of our bad choices. Lady Wisdom and Jesus remind us to keep our eyes on divine things and not on human things. Remember who you are and what you represent. The Message translation leaves us with those words “First pay attention to me, and then relax. Now you can take it easy; you are in good hands.” The warnings are strong, but they are made by a God that loves us and only wants what is best for us.

TRANSCRIPT: Pentecost 16, 2024 James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? How is that for a wake up call? We are reading through this short, sharp letter to the whole church written by James, who we think is the brother or close relative of Jesus. James, a deeply devoted Jew, could not understand what Jesus was up to and at times resisted and opposed him. It took a face to face encounter with the Risen Christ to open his eyes to see that Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the promises and purposes of the God of Israel, for the chosen people, yes, and for the whole world. From then on, James lived for Christ wholeheartedly, leading the Church in Jerusalem. He always lived entirely as an observant Jew, but his wisdom and generosity let him see that the Good News of God’s salvation is for everybody, both Jews and Gentiles. Responding to Paul’s ministry, he helped the early church to open up to include everybody, even us. Like Paul, his letter includes theology - this is who God is and what God has done - and application - therefore this is how we live. But his proportions are different. He talks about God simply, clearly and briefly and spends most of his 1 letter urging us to live this out and showing us practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid in doing so. This letter deserves to be read and reread as a practical guide to Christian living. So last week, James wrote, “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” (James 1:17-18) Therefore, endure suffering, don’t get caught up in worldly status, resist temptation, control your tongue. This is real religion: take care of those in need and don’t get caught up in the craziness of this world. (James 1:17) So, this week, “My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?” 1 We wouldn’t do that, would we? Yet my experience is that churches - and clergy - are very able to recognize which visitors and newcomers will fit into the church and can probably be substantial pledgers - and those who will not. So let’s take James’ teaching to heart. Wealth is complicated, isn’t it? Zig Ziglar said, "I've had money and not had money, I prefer to have money." I think we can identify with that. He also said, “Money will buy you a house but not a home, a companion but not a friend, a bed but not a good night’s sleep.” and I think we can identify with that, too. Wealth makes many good things possible but not everything it makes possible is good. Because it can solve so many problems we can delude ourselves into thinking it can always take care of us. By getting us out of some kinds of trouble it can leave us stuck in worse kinds. Because people want our wealth we may find ourselves surrounded by people who love our money not us. And we don’t have to have money to love it, do we? There is always someone around who has more and our love for money tempts us to think that if we just had this much more, our problems would be solved. And of course some of them would be - and new ones would come. And the key challenges: Do we know and trust God? Are we growing in goodness, kindness, generosity and self-control? Are we receiving and sharing the good gifts that come down to us all from the Father of lights? Are we seeing ourselves and one another through the lens of 1 God’s perfect loving purpose? These key challenges don’t change depending on our class. In fact, our love for money, whether we have money or are striving for it or both, just makes these challenges harder. Jesus himself and every true apostle, teacher, pastor and Christian representing him always proclaims our fundamental equality - as children of God created in love and destined for glory, as sinners lost until saved by Christ, as members together of his Body, growing in grace toward the goal of Christlikeness. All human variation fits within this fundamental equality. We belong together and need one another. We are called to “love your neighbor as yourself” and we get there by God’s grace and our practice: both! Because it is not enough to say we love God, trust God, believe in God. If it doesn’t get put into action, it isn’t real. And notice that James does not urge his readers to explain to their neighbors how they could be better Christians or to whisper to one another about others’ shortcomings. He simply writes to each one of us asking, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?” (James 2:14) Trust God. Rejoice in his grace. Then let it flow through you. Put it into action. Be good to others. Help those in need. Be generous. Don’t judge. Control 1 your tongue. Welcome everybody. Encourage each other. Judge yourself not each other. Make a difference. That’s real Christianity.

Sermon Transcript: Pentecost 16, 2024 James 2:1-10, (11-13), 14-17 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? How is that for a wake up call? We are reading through this short, sharp letter to the whole church written by James, who we think is the brother or close relative of Jesus. James, a deeply devoted Jew, could not understand what Jesus was up to and at times resisted and opposed him. It took a face to face encounter with the Risen Christ to open his eyes to see that Jesus is the complete fulfillment of the promises and purposes of the God of Israel, for the chosen people, yes, and for the whole world. From then on, James lived for Christ wholeheartedly, leading the Church in Jerusalem. He always lived entirely as an observant Jew, but his wisdom and generosity let him see that the Good News of God’s salvation is for everybody, both Jews and Gentiles. Responding to Paul’s ministry, he helped the early church to open up to include everybody, even us. Like Paul, his letter includes theology - this is who God is and what God has done - and application - therefore this is how we live. But his proportions are different. He talks about God simply, clearly and briefly and spends most of his 1 letter urging us to live this out and showing us practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid in doing so. This letter deserves to be read and reread as a practical guide to Christian living. So last week, James wrote, “Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.” (James 1:17-18) Therefore, endure suffering, don’t get caught up in worldly status, resist temptation, control your tongue. This is real religion: take care of those in need and don’t get caught up in the craziness of this world. (James 1:17) So, this week, “My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, ‘Have a seat here, please’, while to the one who is poor you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit at my feet’, have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?” 1 We wouldn’t do that, would we? Yet my experience is that churches - and clergy - are very able to recognize which visitors and newcomers will fit into the church and can probably be substantial pledgers - and those who will not. So let’s take James’ teaching to heart. Wealth is complicated, isn’t it? Zig Ziglar said, "I've had money and not had money, I prefer to have money." I think we can identify with that. He also said, “Money will buy you a house but not a home, a companion but not a friend, a bed but not a good night’s sleep.” and I think we can identify with that, too. Wealth makes many good things possible but not everything it makes possible is good. Because it can solve so many problems we can delude ourselves into thinking it can always take care of us. By getting us out of some kinds of trouble it can leave us stuck in worse kinds. Because people want our wealth we may find ourselves surrounded by people who love our money not us. And we don’t have to have money to love it, do we? There is always someone around who has more and our love for money tempts us to think that if we just had this much more, our problems would be solved. And of course some of them would be - and new ones would come. And the key challenges: Do we know and trust God? Are we growing in goodness, kindness, generosity and self-control? Are we receiving and sharing the good gifts that come down to us all from the Father of lights? Are we seeing ourselves and one another through the lens of 1 God’s perfect loving purpose? These key challenges don’t change depending on our class. In fact, our love for money, whether we have money or are striving for it or both, just makes these challenges harder. Jesus himself and every true apostle, teacher, pastor and Christian representing him always proclaims our fundamental equality - as children of God created in love and destined for glory, as sinners lost until saved by Christ, as members together of his Body, growing in grace toward the goal of Christlikeness. All human variation fits within this fundamental equality. We belong together and need one another. We are called to “love your neighbor as yourself” and we get there by God’s grace and our practice: both! Because it is not enough to say we love God, trust God, believe in God. If it doesn’t get put into action, it isn’t real. And notice that James does not urge his readers to explain to their neighbors how they could be better Christians or to whisper to one another about others’ shortcomings. He simply writes to each one of us asking, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?” (James 2:14) Trust God. Rejoice in his grace. Then let it flow through you. Put it into action. Be good to others. Help those in need. Be generous. Don’t judge. Control 1 your tongue. Welcome everybody. Encourage each other. Judge yourself not each other. Make a difference. That’s real Christianity.

Find the Scripture Readings at www.lectionarypage.net/YearB_RCL/Pentecost/BProp17_RCL.html

TRANSCRIPT: Pentecost 15, 2024 Song of Solomon 2:8-13 Psalm 45:1-2, 7-10 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . Today I want to say a little about each of the lessons. Our first reading is from the Song of Songs, or the Song of Solomon, a rather odd book to have in the Bible. It doesn’t mention God. It reads as a story of lovers passionately seeking one another and then passionately enjoying one another. It is, shall we say, suggestive. In the Middle Ages, this Book had more commentaries written on it than any other Biblical book. Can you get your head around that? The Book was read allegorically. The man is of course Christ. The woman is his bride the Church or his bride the Christian soul. So, My beloved speaks and says to me: "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.” is the voice of the Savior to his bride the Church, and to the soul of each Christian. It is sweet talk, love talk, isn’t it? It is not doctrinal teaching or moral exhortation. It is, may I say, wooing? - and response. If you want to, you might read through the Song of Solomon prayerfully, letting God speak to your heart. In any event, we might ask ourselves if our response to Christ, the Gospel and the Church is as passionate, heartfelt, even emotional, as our response is to, say, our human beloved, or football. And if not, why not? * * * The Letter of James, the Brother of our Lord, is at the other end of the emotional spectrum. Clear, concise, action oriented. Everything good comes from God above, who brings us to new birth as his own people. So live like it. Then he gives us a sort of examination of conscience, doesn’t he? As we prepare to come to confession, to a priest, or in preparation for Holy Eucharist and Communion, we might want to ask: Am I quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger? What about sordidness and wickedness in my life? Am I actually doing what Christ calls me to do - or am I just a hearer and not a doer? Do I think I am a pretty good Christian but have a flapping, nasty tongue? Hmmm. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. * * * On one level, today’s Gospel is about a couple of particular things. It is obscured a bit because some verses are left out. First of all, ritual actions such as washing before eating. We aren’t talking about hygiene here but of symbolic practice - such as the way a priest’s hands are washed before the Eucharistic Prayer. Some of what is left out turns the discussion to eating or not eating different kinds of food. This matters religiously to, what, half the human race - Muslims, Jews and Hindus all have food restrictions. We Christians do not, on the authority of Christ himself, in today’s Gospel. So there is that. But it strikes me that Jesus never introduces the topic. He never says to anyone, “You are overdoing it with the handwashing.” Or “bacon is one of God’s many blessings.” What gets him going, fiercely, is when people come to him and say, “Look what those other people are doing wrong.” And that can be about anything, can’t it? How someone dresses for church, or their choice in tattoos, the political stickers on their car; the way they do their hair and so on - and so on - and so on. That seems to get Jesus very angry and he sharply rebukes and corrects the critic, not the criticized. Personally, I prefer to avoid being rebuked and corrected by Jesus too often or too sharply. So the word of the Lord for today? Be passionately engaged with Jesus and his bride the Church. Examine your conscience with care. Don’t examine the consciences of other people. Please be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

TRANSCRIPT: In the Name . . . Today concludes our reading, the Church’s reading, of John 6. You can say, “Thanks be to God.” So Jesus, the eternal Word of God, one with the Father, through whom and for whom all things are made, made flesh like us and for us, starts by providing physical nourishment for a massive throng. When they pursue him to provide more, he urges them not to strive for perishable food but for the food that endures to eternal life. “Sir,” they say, “give us this bread always.” “I am the Bread of life,” he says. “And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh. . . . Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life.” John’s Gospel is not a very long book but he devotes a whole chapter to this. He believes that this is of the utmost importance for Jesus and therefore for us. Now as incomprehensible as this was for the crowds and for the disciples then, they learned and we know that this is about the Eucharist, through which we share in offering Christ’s sacrifice for the life of the world and receive his living Body and Blood of our salvation. Jesus’ and John’s insistent emphasis on this says to me that our sharing in the Eucharist and Holy Communion is of the utmost importance. United with Christ, we really do enter the eternal sanctuary and are offered with him to the Father. Receiving Holy Communion we really are nourished with the Bread of Heaven and the cup of salvation, the living, life-giving Body and Blood of our risen savior. It is a big, big deal, to which we want to come prepared, expectant and devoted, yes? A couple of other things. First, consider the complex, confused, sometimes aggressive back and forth between the crowds and Jesus. And what do we call talking to and listening to Jesus? Prayer. So I am not very good at this but I think I should let my prayer be messier. When I don’t understand what I think God is saying to me - through scripture, the church, other people, the Holy Spirit, in my personal prayer - I should say so, to myself and to God. When I maybe understand it but don’t like it, I should say so, to myself and to God. What do you think? So, for example, God, my sister-in-law. My brother loves her, so that’s something in her favor. I’m trying to think of something else. I have prayed to you for her, for the grace for her to be kinder, more direct in saying what she thinks and feels, less passive-aggressive. Yes, I hear you about taking specks out of others’ eyes while a plank is sticking out of my own and I have tried to take care of that. I don’t like it that you seem to push it back on to me to be loving and gracious. I’ve only got so much of that within me. So I guess I am praying for a miracle for her and for me. And I would appreciate some actual help and guidance. Amen Now to be clear, I don’t have a brother so there is no brother’s wife. But what do you think about actually praying in that sort of way? And that leads to, What do we do when we can’t stand or can’t comprehend what Jesus is saying? Do we go away? Because lots of people do, don’t they, from the Apostles time to our own? We have been uneasy with some of his talk in John 6, haven’t we, even though we know the spiritual reality that his first hearers could only guess at. Or how about when Jesus cautions us about betraying our spouse when that spouse seems to have become very problematic and someone else is offering more fulfillment and joy? Or when he presses us about how much attention we are paying to money and how little to helping the poor, both deserving and undeserving? When he says, If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off, which certainly shouldn’t be taken literally but should be taken with profound seriousness? Have you had the experience that we hear about in today’s Gospel of “I can’t stick with this anymore”? What do you do with it? Peter says, basically, Jesus, we don’t have any choice. We’re stuck with you. “To whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.” Is that gut deep true for you? Or do you wish it were? How do you get there? I would like to lead us in prayer along these lines for a few minutes, real prayer this time. Would you settle yourself, maybe adjust your position, close your eyes, breathe in . . . Please stay in prayer after I sit down until I stand up again for the Creed. Let us pray. Sovereign heavenly Father, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to rescue us from sin, to bring us to new life and to nourish us with his own self. Help us to come to this altar with profound confidence that here we offer to you ourselves, our souls and bodies as a living sacrifice, acceptable in your Son. Help us to come washed clean through our confession of sin and your loving absolution. Help us to come at peace with you and one another and with others. Help us to come in the wedding garment of integrity, faith and good works. Thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ. May he always be for us our Bread from Heaven, our Cup of salvation, uniting us to himself and making us more Christ-like, more completely in your image. And Father, to you all hearts are open and you give us your Holy Spirit to pray within us with sighs too deep for words. Help me to pray to you with complete transparency, like Jacob wrestling with you until you gave him your blessing. Help me to be brutally honest with myself and with you in my broken, imperfect prayer and help me to receive your equal, yet far more gracious honesty in return. And as part of this honesty, sovereign, gracious Father, I tell you that being fully yours, completely dedicated, wholly obedient, lovingly faithful, is often difficult, sometimes agonizingly so. Help me to always recognize your voice as sheep recognize their shepherd. I know in my head that your son Jesus not only has the words of eternal life but is the Word of Eternal Life. Help me to know this to the bottom of my heart, to the depths of my being. Help me to know that I have nowhere else to go, no other refuge but you. And to know that having you is to have all things. Hear the prayer of my heart.

TRANSCRIPT: In the Name . . . This month we have been following Jesus’ extended teaching in John 6 on what we know to be the Eucharist, starting with the feeding of the 5000 which leads to his challenge to the crowds not to waste themselves pursuing perishable bread but to seek the true bread from heaven that gives life to the world. Is there ever a day in our lives when we don’t need to be reminded that the here and now that seems so urgent will soon be then and gone? That what matters is what lasts and what matters most is what lasts forever? Then Jesus, astonishingly, declares that he is the True Bread, our real nourishment, who brings us to eternal life. That is an amazing claim, isn't it? But once we get it that this is the Eternal Word of God, through whom and for whom all things are made, who has been made flesh, one of us and one with us, for our salvation, then this image, this metaphor, is powerfully real, isn’t it? It is like that collect in our Book of Common Prayer about the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God, that prays that we may “read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them”, holding fast to the hope, the confidence, of everlasting life. Sometimes Christians will say things like, I am really fed at this church or by this pastor or through these sermons. We get it that we are intellectually, emotionally and spiritually nourished by and through others. But Jesus presses on, saying last week, “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” And this week, when the Jews press him, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” he doesn’t explain, “It’s just a metaphor; it’s just symbolic.” Rather, he doubles down, “Very truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” As I said last week, I don’t know how they could make sense of this until the whole story was told. But Jesus gave them a hint. “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” He is to be a sacrifice for the life of the world. You remember that the Israelites were rescued from the death of slavery in Egypt into the new life of the Promised Land through the Paschal sacrifice of lambs whose blood was poured out and marked their doorposts to protect them from death and whose flesh they ate to be united together with God as his people. This was the foretaste, the shadow, of the greater reality to come. The Israelites in Egypt were freed from human bondage and delivered into a land of freedom - and that’s no small thing. But that didn’t free them from slavery to their passions, impulses and wrong desires, nor from sickness and ultimate death. It did not bring them into eternal fellowship with God. That takes a greater, once for all sacrifice, that is foreshadowed in the Old Testament and John the Baptist reveals as he points to Jesus and exclaims, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus makes this real at his last passover meal, the night in which he was betrayed. Having shared the bread, the flesh of the paschal lamb, and the cups of deliverance and redemption, Jesus puts himself at the center, creating the new sacrifice of the new and eternal covenant. “Take, eat,” he says of the bread he has broken. “This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.” At the end of the meal, he gives the cup saying, “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.” And what he did sacramentally at the Passover table on Thursday night he fulfilled literally on the altar of the cross on Good Friday. And just as every Israelite throughout history becomes part of the liberation from slavery in Egypt and a member of God’s chosen people by participating in the Passover meal, so we who turn to Christ offer our paschal lamb and are nourished by his Body and Blood, sacramentally, yes, yet really, truly, completely, so that united with him and feeding on him, we share his eternal sacrifice, his union with the Father, his Holy Spirit, his glorious eternal live, forever. That is why we Christians come to the altar week by week and day by day, to offer our paschal sacrifice and to be nourished with his eternal life-giving Body and Blood. Remember what the crowds said earlier in this exchange, when Jesus said to them, “the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world?” They said, “Lord, give us this bread always.” Would you say it with me? “Lord, give us this bread always.” Amen

Thank you. I have been looking for this. A blessing.

TRANSCRIPT: In the Name . . . So two weeks ago we started in on John 6 with the Feeding of the 5000. I asked you to keep in mind that in the Old Testament God acts through his Word and provides food for his people, from manna in the wilderness to feasting in the everlasting kingdom. And John tells us that God’s Word, eternally one with the Father, through whom all things are made, has become flesh, one with us. One other thing from John 1. When John the Baptist sees Jesus he exclaims, Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29). Think of the Passover Lamb, which is sacrificed to God and its flesh eaten by the people. OK? So the crowds want to make him king because he has fed them full and seems to be like Moses. He evades this, returning across the Sea of Galilee. They track him down. This is where the story picked up last week. We might be thrilled to have 5000 followers but Jesus is not impressed. “You are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” After some back and forth, including establishing that it wasn’t Moses who gave the manna but God - and this matters because God the Father is the one who gives the true and living bread - they said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” And Jesus replies, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” Doesn’t this strike you as astonishing? Prophets, preachers, teachers point to God but Jesus points to himself. When leaders talk like this, we figure we are dealing with a cult because, unless by some miracle it is true, then it is crazy, yes? Anyway, that is where we were left last week and where we started in the Gospel this week. The Jews complained about this. “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” Give me a break! This is just some guy from Nazareth, not much of a family from not much of a place. Then Jesus says something crucial about our faith and our evangelization. “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’” We don’t want to neglect our responsibility to share our faith. Yet there is a mystery to coming to Christ, isn’t there? We are drawn, other people are drawn, when God the Father draws us. Which means, I think, that for most of us most of the time, our primary evangelistic, church growth work is prayer. Not exclusively. But primarily. Then Jesus returns to this claim, “I am the bread of life …This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” Can you picture this as Jesus says it to the crowds? “I am the bread of life …This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever.” What possible sense can they make of this? At this point no one can really comprehend it because the story is not complete. Jesus, the Lamb of God, has not yet been sacrificed so he cannot yet be God’s holy food for God’s holy people. But he is claiming something extraordinary here, isn’t he? And just when you think that this can’t get any more mind-boggling, he says, “the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” As I say, no one could put this all together then because the whole story hadn’t been told. But this is why nearly all Christians nearly always have come to the altar week by week and day by day to be part of offering the eternal sacrifice of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world and to receive the risen body and blood of Christ, the true Bread of Heaven, the true spiritual drink. That is why we approach in awe and wonder and worship. This is why we come prepared, confessing our sins and being forgiven, at peace with God and with one another. Because this is the foretaste of the heavenly banquet. Those who eat of this bread will live forever. Pentecost 12, 2024 John 6:35, 41-51 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe

TRANSCRIPT: Pentecost 11, Aug. 4, 2024 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a St. Raphael’s, FMB, FL Michael Rowe In the Name . . . AMEN David was the great founding king of Israel and we have been hearing his story for the last several weeks. You remember that he started out as a very junior son in a shepherd family and ended up ruling a sprawling Israelite empire. He was rich and powerful, had wives and concubines, was loved and respected; and as is often the case with men who have a lot, he wanted what he didn’t have. He saw beautiful Bathsheba at her bath and said, “I want her.” He sent for her, took her and sent her home. Now Bathsheba was married. In fact, her husband was fighting David’s battles while David was seducing his wife. When Bathsheba sent word that she was pregnant David had a problem. Here’s how he solved it. He had Uriah granted leave, had him to dinner and sent him home to Bathsheba. There have, after all, been short pregnancies before. But the next day he found out that Uriah had slept in the guards’ barracks. Why? “My commander and your soldiers are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” David kept him around another night, got him drunk and sent him home again. But again he stayed in the palace precincts instead. And that sealed his fate. David put a message in Uriah’s hands to his commander, saying “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down and die.” And Joab the commander did just that. When the time of mourning for her husband was over, David sent for Bathsheba and married her and she had a son. Now, Nathan was the chief prophet of the court; in some ways like the Archbishop of Canterbury in England or Cardinal Richelieu in French history. Responsible for the Church, advisor and conscience to the King, employed by his majesty and yet owing higher loyalty to God; a position of great influence and prestige and also of significant personal risk. It is his job, under God, to call David to account; David who has just had a man killed to avoid being shamed. He tells David the heart-rending story of the poor man whose only sheep, a beloved pet, is coldly seized and slaughtered by his rich neighbor for a dinner party. David is outraged by this heartless injustice and cruelty. “This man deserves to die. He will at least restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” “You’re the man!” exclaims Nathan. “You’re the man.” God says, “I gave you everything your heart desires and would double it if you wanted. But you have killed a man and taken his wife. So now your family will be filled with death and betrayal.” Nathan took a great risk. He knew the danger and went about his task with considerable skill. He purposely appealed to what was best in David - his warm heart, his sense of justice, his care for the poor. We sometimes think that people who do terrible things are terrible people and sometimes they are. But usually they are a mix, like most of us are, and an appeal to what is best in them may be what gets through. But when Nathan says, “You’re the man!” David could well have said, “And you are a dead man.” Instead, he repented and asked for pardon and God forgave him. This meant that David did not turn into an immoral tyrant and lose himself to his passions. But it didn’t mean that there were no consequences. Uriah is still dead and Bathsheba’s son will soon join him. One of David’s other sons will rape his half-sister and be killed by her brother Absalom, who will himself lead a rebellion against his father that will end in his own death and the death of thousands of others. Sin is terribly damaging and while God always works for good in every circumstance with those who love him, the damage is real and the recovery is often long and costly. I would like to ask a few things from us. First of all, let’s pray for the powerful. They have so much and can do so much and are flattered so much that they forget that there are limits. And the damage they can do is terrible. So pray for the president and for those with political power and influence, pray for the rich, pray for those who have knowledge. God protect them from doing wrong and help them repent when they fail. Secondly, let’s ask ourselves, with all that we have, where are we dissatisfied, where are we greedy, lustful, envious? Where are we looking over the wall at someone else’s wife or husband, someone else’s money or job or friends or position? You know, God loves us just as much as he loves David and has protected and blessed and enriched us. And if that isn’t enough, he’ll give us as much again. So what’s going on with this grasping for what isn’t ours and can’t be ours without sacrificing our integrity and wronging others? “Lord, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. AMEN” And thirdly, where in our lives is God saying to us, “It’s you I’m talking about. You’re the one!” challenging us through a friend, a pastor, scripture, our conscience? What is it that you are doing, thinking, planning, that you know is wrong yet you are doing it anyway? And, What are you going to do? Denounce the messenger? Plug your ears? Damn the consequences? Or repent and confess and return?

Sermon Transcript: Pentecost 10, 2024 John 6:1-21 In the Name . . . As I said last week, we hear from John chapter 6 for five weeks, from the feeding of the 5000 with bread and fish today through Jesus’ teaching that he is himself is the Bread that comes down from heaven, and that we have life through eating his Flesh and drinking his Blood, to the parting of ways as many leave him because of this teaching. Now chapter 6 fits into the whole of John’s Gospel and his Gospel makes sense in the context of the whole Old Testament. So we could spend a year on this. Let’s go for a quick summary. Two great themes in the Old Testament are God’s creative Word and Bread/Banquet. First his Word. God said, Let there be light and there was light, and so on in Genesis 1. You remember how Genesis starts: In the beginning . . . By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. (Psalm 33:6) And many more. God effects his will by speaking his Word. His Word is creative, powerful, life-giving, compelling. Secondly, God provides the nourishment his people need to live. He gives Adam and Eve all the trees and plants of the Garden. When the Israelites are wandering through the wilderness, “he satisfied them with bread from heaven” as Psalm 105:40 describes the manna. And through Isaiah God promises, On this mountain, Zion, where Jerusalem is, the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine- the best of meats and the finest of wines. So Word of God, and God-given Bread and feasting. The first words of Genesis? In the beginning God created . . . The first words of the Gospel according to St. John? In the beginning was the Word . . . This Word was with God and the Word was God. That is how we are to understand the creative, powerful, compelling, life-giving Word of God. It, he, God’s word, is distinct, yet personal and truly one with God himself. And here is the miracle, the wonder, the Great Good News, the Gospel This Word of God, eternally one with the Father, became flesh and dealt among us, full of grace and truth. This is the astonishing, transformative - may I say unbelievable? - Good News of the Gospel. Now we know this because we started reading John from chapter 1 at Christmas time. But the people of Jesus’ time did not know this. They had to learn it step by painful step. John shows how Jesus revealed himself in a series of signs and discussions. Sometimes, the sign alone: think of changing water into wine at Cana and his disciples believed in him. Sometimes discussion alone, such as his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, which led to her and then her whole town believing in him. Sometimes both together as here in John 6 where Jesus miraculously feeds the multitude and then engages with them about what true, life-giving bread really is, himself, his flesh and blood. And as we will see at the end of chapter 6, this does lead to deep profession of faith expressed by Simon Peter for the close disciples. But it also leads to many people turning away, finding Jesus’ teaching too hard to believe, too hard to bear. So that’s the framework. In today’s reading, Jesus and the disciples cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. This probably means that they went from Galilee, a mixed Jewish-Gentile territory on the West side, that Jesus was from and that was historically part of the northern Kingdom of Israel, to pagan territory, perhaps to get away from people. But the crowds have seen the signs he has done. That is what signs are for - to catch people’s attention and to open their eyes and hearts. But sometimes they only catch their attention and they don’t really get what it all signifies. Anyway, Jesus sees this huge crowd gathering and asks Philip, “Where are we to buy food for all these people?” He said this as a test. Philip replied, it would take $30 to $50,000 to feed them all! Andrew says that a boy is offering some bread and fish but that is a drop in the bucket. Yet Jesus takes what is offered, gives thanks and shares it with the people. Of crucial importance, the other Gospel writers tell us that the way he shares it with the people is by giving it to the disciples to give to the crowd. Generally speaking, when Christ wants to do something for someone or give something to someone, he will do it through people like you and me, if we will allow it. When they were done, Jesus told the disciples to gather the leftovers. How much did they gather? Twelve baskets. How many disciples? Twelve. Do you think that Jesus has his disciples, his friends on his heart and mind? Now Jesus is concerned that the crowd is about to try to make him king, which is ironic because that is what he is, the Messiah, the true Son and heir of the great King David, sent to rescue and rule the people of God. But this is not the time, the place or the way. Why do they want to proclaim him king? Partly just because of the astonishing display of provision in feeding the crowd. They don’t know how he did it but they know he did it and they would be delighted if he did it again, regularly. But also who went up a mountain, taught the people and fed them with miraculous bread? Moses. They are seeing and recognizing a new prophet like Moses, the lawgiver and provider of Israel. And they are ready to proclaim him. Jesus is having none of it. He withdrew, the disciples took a boat across the Lake and Jesus joined them later on foot. There are extraordinary things in the Bible, aren’t there? I’m not even going to go there today. So this is step one in John’s story in chapter 6 - the astonishing feeding of the 5000. Next week the crowd will track Jesus down and he will challenge them to pursue true nourishment. Please read ahead to get a sense of this whole chapter. And you might consider where you are in this story. Are you a disciple flummoxed by Jesus asking how we are going to accomplish some great task? Or are you the boy who offers what he has without having much sense of what is going on or what difference your small offering might make? Are you among the disciples, astonished to find that what seemed so little has become so plentiful, through Jesus’ blessing, that you can feed thousands? Are you moved to realize that there is also something for you, some security for you, some regard and love for you, in that basket of leftovers? Or something else entirely? By the word of the Lord the heavens were made. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth What is the Word of the Lord for you today?

Thank you. What a blessed community

Sermon Transcript: Pentecost 9, 2024 2 Samuel 7:1-14a St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . For the past few weeks we have been hearing and ignoring readings from First and Second Samuel. I have been troubled by them because even though they have been somewhat long, they have been severely abridged, losing narrative coherence and omitting key dramatic features. Yet this story, from the rise of Samuel through King Saul and King David to Solomon coming to the throne is one of the most extensive, coherent, dramatic sections of the Old Testament. It is worth our attention and I am going to come back to another section of it in a few weeks. So first of all, I invite you to have the pleasure of sitting down with a good book and enjoying a saga that can hold its own against anything else from the ancient world. It starts with the conception and birth of Samuel the prophet (I Samuel chapter 1) and continues, I would say, through the establishment of Solomon as king in 1 Kings 3. It has triumph and disaster, heartfelt friendships and heartbreaking betrayals, family conflicts and civil wars, and much, much more. Enjoy! Where we are right now in today’s reading is about half way thorough. David has come through lots of struggles and trials and is finally King of the whole of Israel. He is settled and secure; he has built up Jerusalem, including his own royal palace. Now, the presence of God has always been like a fire in his heart. God has a hold on him and won’t let him go. So David figures, God should have a temple, a house, worthy of his glory. The court prophet, Nathan, figures “this is great” and tells David to go for it. But God’s spokesmen should check with God before they speak - this is the Word of the Lord for priests. God’s word to David through Nathan is: You are going to make me a house? Did I ever suggest this or ask for this? Haven’t I always been the one who built you up? I tell you what: I will make you, David, a house, a dynasty, that will last forever. And David’s line had a long run as kings of Judah and the true fulfillment of this promise comes in Jesus Christ, the true Son of David, the true King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And David’s son Solomon did in fact build the Temple for God in Jerusalem. I couldn’t help but think, we are making - or at least, remaking, rebuilding - a church - a house of the Lord, here at St. Raphael’s, here on Fort Myers Beach. We are doing it for God’s glory and for the spread of his kingdom. It is mobilizing our enthusiasm, our idealism and our generosity. It gives us a sense of purpose and solidarity. It is great and it is good. It is like David’s passion for God, his delight in God’s presence, his desire to proclaim him, honor and praise him. And just as the Temple was built in Jerusalem so St. Raphael’s will be rebuilt on Fort Myers Beach, to God’s honor and glory. And to truly honor and glorify God, we hear his word that he will make and remake us, he will build and rebuild us into a true spiritual temple. The outward portrays and conveys the inward. And the inward is the purpose - our growth in faith and good works and attracting, inviting and including others in this Christian fellowship. Now I don’t really know what it is like to have a prophet of God show up and tell me, this is what God has to say to you, Michael. It doesn’t happen to me often. And yet when we pray to God for direction, when we hear and read scripture with attention, when we talk things over with fellow Christians, when we do our best to live in a godly way, then we more readily get a sense of God’s direction, don’t we? How does God want St. Raphael’s to grow and develop as a spiritual temple, as a church, an assembly of Christians, a vibrant part of the Body of Christ? How do we get there? What’s your part?

One two punch. Ok I’ll take it. Right to the point. The real thing. The healing miracles. They are happening right now. Thank you Lord.

TRANSCRIPT: Pentecost 6, 2024 Mark 5:21-43 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . We know that the Holy Scriptures are at the heart of the Church and that we, the faithful, are called to “hear, read, mark, learn and inwardly digest them” as one of our great collects puts it. We hear them proclaimed Sunday by Sunday and we are called to read them day by day. We are now preparing to start a St. Raphael’s Bible Study group, probably to launch in late summer. We hear and read scripture to learn at several different levels. The first and most obvious is to learn what it says: What happened? Who said what? What are we being told? What’s the story? But we are not just reading a history book, are we? We are also being shaped ethically and morally. Here is what is true and right. This is what a good and godly human life looks like. And so on. And thirdly, we read scripture to hear the Word of the Lord for us. What is God saying to me as I ponder his word today? In many ways this is the most important for most of us in our regular reading and meditating on scripture, but it absolutely depends on the first two levels in order to keep our spiritual reading grounded. So what would that look like in practice? I want to take today’s Gospel reading as an example. If we read it with fresh eyes and hear it with fresh ears it is a truly astounding story, isn’t it? Yesterday, Jesus was teaching huge crowds. He has just come across the Sea of Galilee and is on his way to his next destination, when a synagogue leader falls at his feet and begs for healing for his dying daughter. That is in and of itself astonishing, isn’t it? They had doctors and rabbis in those days, just as we do today, but he has probably tried them both. Anyway, in this heartrending crisis it is to Jesus he goes. That shows what kind of reputation Jesus has, doesn’t it? Secondly, Jesus goes with him. What if someone came to us like that? Unless we were some sort of medical specialist, we might offer comfort but not healing help. But Jesus seems to regard this as making perfect sense. And off he goes. There is a huge throng around him. And that tells us something about Jesus’ reputation as well, doesn’t it? And this woman, who has suffered years of illness and years of medical treatment that has ruined her financially, all to no effect, reaches out to touch him. “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” And she does, and she is. Isn’t that extravagantly astonishing and wonderful? But in the meantime, Jairus’ daughter has died, at least so it seems. What is the point now? But Jesus assures him, “Do not fear, only believe.” He doesn’t say whether the girl is dead or still barely alive but he is confident that he can bring healing and blessing. And so he does. He just tells her to get up and she does. And Jesus suggests that lunch might be good for her. Aren’t those amazing stories? If this were all we ever heard about Jesus we might say, “Tall tales.” But remember what’s his name last week telling us about how he stilled the storm? And that other group about how he fed 5000 people from virtually nothing? A picture forms, doesn’t it? This is who Jesus is and what he does. This is the first level of hearing and reading scripture, sometimes called “literal” but perhaps better, historical - what the writers meant to convey. Here is what happened. Here is what was said and done. On the basis of this, we can move to the second level, How might this passage shape our moral and spiritual lives? Well, Jesus shows profound compassion, doesn’t he? He responds generously to those in need. He regards sick people with compassion, not revulsion. He regards sickness as a problem to be solved, rather than a penalty that is deserved or something that must just be endured. That combination - regarding illness as something to be fought and overcome and suffering people as those to be treated with compassion - is a powerful calling to us, isn’t it? It marks the nature of Christianity. This isn’t just personal guidance. It is showing a culture what it means to be good. The third level, the personal, spiritual reading, depends on these first two levels and can’t contradict them but will vary from person to person and from time to time. God’s word to us through this passage may be one thing today and something else the next time we reflect on it; one thing for you and something else for me. So I just want to be suggestive here and invite you to ponder this for yourself. What is God’s word for you through this Gospel reading, today? Are you in desperate crisis, like Jairus? Is there something desperate that you need to bring to Christ today? What do you want to say to him? What would it mean for you to fall at his feet and beg for the one thing you need most of all? Or perhaps it is something chronic, of long standing. It might be illness but it might be chronic resentment or a broken friendship or . . . What healing grace do you seek? How do you want to touch Jesus so that he can touch you? Or we might find ourselves under judgement. Am I like those people in Jairus’ house? Do I tend to laugh at those who seem to have a naive faith in Jesus and what he can do? Or am I like the crowd, just along for the ride? Or it could be something else entirely. So let’s take a few moments of silence to consider: What is the Word of the Lord for me through this astonishing Good News of the raising of Jairus’ daughter and the healing of the woman with the hemorrhages? Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.

"Who is this?" Dominus Meus et Deus Meus. My Lord, and My God. Thank you Father.

TRANSCRIPT Proper 5B-24 June 9, 2024 Mark 3:20-35 St. Raphael’s As we are beginning another long season after Pentecost we again turn to Mark’s account of the good news of Jesus, and while today’s gospel reading comes early (chapter 3) a lot has happened. After taking all of 5 verses to tell of Jesus’ baptism and temptations in the wilderness, mark tells us that Jesus begins by calling of some disciples and then heads out to preach that the kingdom of God is at hand. They head to Capernaum where Jesus does an exorcism and heals many that are ill, including Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. Because they were constantly being sought out there, Jesus and the disciples make their way through Galilee preaching in the synagogues, healing a leper, a paralytic, and a man with a withered hand, that we heard last week. Which brings us to today’s selection. It begins with what appears to be a kinda strange statement from Mark who is the most condensed of the gospels. “Jesus and the disciples couldn’t even eat.” Perhaps this is his way of saying that the press of the crowd was such that even the ordinary things of the day to day couldn’t be accomplished. Then the reading really gets uncomfortable. Matthew and Luke, when they write their accounts will borrow stories from Mark they must have been embarrassed by the next line because when they both tell of Jesus being accused of being in cahoots with Satan but they leave out the sentence that Jesus’ mother and brothers show up because people said “he’s mad” He’s gone out of his mind, one translation says he’s crazy! We’re used to hearing about the Sadducees and Pharisees accusing Jesus of all sorts of things, but we might have hoped for more from his own family. They go, not to check it out for themselves, but believing the people, they go to restrain him. One commentator pointed out that you could try to explain away all of Jesus’ miracles, but you can’t make the claim that the early church made this story up. It sure is the antithesis of flattering. Why pass it on unless it was true? His family thought him crazy! Mark is the shortest of the four gospel accounts, no birth stories, those are only in Matthew and Luke. In fact there is no mention of Joseph anywhere, so most scholars suggest he has already died by the time Jesus begins his earthly ministry. Jewish laws were pretty straight forward in that case. you took the number of sons plus one and divided a father’s estate accordingly. The oldest son got 2 shares because he was to look after his mother. His brothers would help, but it was his responsibility. We can’t know if Jesus did so for months or years, but from the time he goes out to see his cousin John the Baptizer, at least according to the gospels he hasn’t even gone home to see his mom. No wonder they think he’s crazy. He may not be advocating the armed overthrow of the Romans, like many were in Israel at the time, but, if the miracles weren’t enough, his preaching is sure to set off some in authority. Blessed are the poor. Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness for God's sake. Blessed are those that mourn. Craziness. If a soldier asks you to carry his pack 1 mile, carry it 2. If someone asks for your coat, give them your shirt too. If someone slaps you on the cheek, turn and offer the other one as well. More craziness. Love your enemies. Return not hate for hate, instead return love. Pure craziness. Jews of that day had a world view of 2 ages: the present age and the age to come. The age to come was when God would be in charge. They’d waited decades, even centuries, then along comes Jesus and he says its gonna happen any minute. Again, crazy! And, in the meantime, he’s upsetting the status quo. While a lot is different from 2000 years ago, I think folks resistance to change is a constant, even if one knows its for the better. But, he was giving hope… to those with none. They now could hope that their lives might improve. They had hope… that God was doing a new thing. How? By living as family. Jesus was not rejecting his mother and brothers, just their plans, when they didn’t match with his. What he is doing is redefining family. Whoever does the will of God. Do it and you get all sorts of new brothers and sisters. And that meant a lot more back then. Two of my boys still live in Iowa 60 miles from each other one in Fargo N.D., one in K.C. another in Florida Back in Jesus day, often when a son married, they simply built another room on the house. Even if they moved out it wouldn't be far. Family solidarity was right up there with Sabbath worship, food laws and other signs of Jewish identity. But, according to Jesus, God is doing a new thing. He’s starting a new family, a holy people not based on blood but on those doing God’s will wherever they live. Start treating each other that way and you too might be accused of being crazy. That would have been the end of the sermon were it not for that line about one that blasphemes the Holy Spirit never being forgiven. To many have asked me about it. It is like being offered a surgery by the one doctor capable of saving your life, but thinking him a quack you won’t sign the consent form. It is like refusing to take the medicine that would cure whatever it is, because you think it’s a placebo. Denying the Holy Spirit is denying God’s offer of forgiveness. If you don’t believe it is available then you can’t accept it. It isn’t God cutting you off but you yourself. God’s grace, God’s abundant grace is available to all brothers and sisters. Go and tell your friends however crazy that sounds. Live lives as what PB Michael Curry calls Crazy Christians. Be a blessing to those that the world claims don't deserve one: the poor, the meek, the merciful... Do more than expected and do it with a smile. Respond to hate by offering love. Even love your enemies. Crazy, yep. But, that's the gospel.

TRANSCRIPT: Proper 4B-24 June 2, 2024 2 Corinthians 4:5-12 St. Raphael’s While rector, I always lead and Adult Ed session, but in my last parish, a number of folks came and asked if I would do more. I had the advantage of hearing N.T.Wright speak during my time in seminary and he instantly became not only my favorite New Testament go to, but also theologian. I called the group Reading with the Rector. One book we read, not once, but twice was Paul, a Biography 1 . The participants loved it and I chose 2 Corinthians today because of it as the text for my sermon today. Many times I found new light shed on portions of scripture by Bishop Wright as he tried to construct a story of the apostle working his way through the Acts of the Apostles and paralleling them with the epistles. If you have studied 1 st and 2 nd Corinthians you probably picked up that they are not the only letters that Paul wrote to Corinth. In 1 st Corinthians Paul makes reference to an earlier letter and in 2 nd Corinthians he refers to a “painful” letter that surely can’t be 1 st Corinthians. The other two lettters either weren’t saved or have been lost to us along with any letters they may have sent Paul. The Romans have reestablished Corinth in 44 BC a century after they had destroyed it, as a home for many retired soldiers and a major town on the trade routes. But also because the last thing any emperor wanted was a bunch of retired soldiers with nothing to do hanging around Rome. Insurrection would not have been out of the question. Corinth is a very religious town with temples to the Greek gods and Roman ones as well. We don’t know when Jews from Israel arrived but there are enough in 51 or 52 AD when Paul visits to have formed a synagogue. Hebrew scripture tells us that was a minimum of 120 adult males. It is in the synagogue that Paul goes to tell them that as crazy as it seems Jesus is the Messiah that was long hoped for. Even if he had been crucified, God raised him from the dead. Paul stays in Corinth 18 months not without some opposition from some in the Jewish community but he leaves a group of Jesus followers made up of both Jews and non-Jews. After a trip to Jerusalem Paul and Timothy will set out on Paul’s third missionary journey stopping in Ephesus. Word reaches him, either by letter or messenger of questions in Corinth. First Corinthians is his reply. It is all about how to follow Jesus in the midst of a community where most don't; a text highly relevant for today. He goes to the synagogue in Ephesus showing how Jesus is the answer to Israel’s long history. Abraham was the beginning of God's answer to Adam's sin. Jesus the conclusion. Some are convinced, others not. After a couple of years, he again faces opposition. In one town it will come from the synagogue, those not convinced of his arguments. They accuse Paul of changing the prayers and not following Torah’s instruction of Jews eating separately from Gentiles. In the next town it will be from the pagans. Paul is telling folks not to sacrifice to their gods. When tragedy or calamity strike, the gods must be angry. They know who to blame, those not making sacrifices. In Ephesus, the opposition comes from the silver-workers. These Jesus - followers have no need for an image of the god Artemis for their home. The silver workers are not selling as many idols. They are loosing money. A riot breaks out. Paul’s to blame. Toss him in prison. Roman prisons were more like holding tanks waiting for whoever was in charge to make up their mind about what to do. It could take months. It is there, Bishop Wright posits, that Paul gets word from Corinth that he may have started a good thing but they would really like someone with a little more status along with better references. Someone that spoke more affluently: What? Paul sends the “painful” letter with Timothy. Timothy reads it to them and returns to Ephesus. He hears nothing from them. It is here that Bishop Wright suggests that Paul questions his entire ministry. Had it all come to nothing? Friends came to bring food and visit. The communities in some towns still thrived, but Corinth was Paul’s pride and joy and they have turned on him. Has his entire life been for nothing? It is only through his constant prayers, his meditating on the scriptures and finding Jesus at the heart of them, that Paul’s despair turns back to hope. And finally he is released from prison. Paul, being Paul, says “we need to go back to Corinth.” But, he can’t go until he knows how they responded to the “painful” letter. So, he sends Titus by boat across the Aegean Sea and he takes the longer land route writing 2nd Corinthians along the way in case they have not repented and don’t want to see Paul again. With all that as an introduction, we can now turn to today’s reading. (no it’s not an hour long sermon) In the Roman world one would boast of accomplishments. Mayors and governors would have signs made listing all that they had done, posting them all over so that any that could read would be constantly reminded. The first soldier over the wall that lived through a battle got to boast of a special prize. Paul says “we don’t proclaim ourselves, but Jesus as Lord and ourselves as your slaves, for Jesus’ sake.” That may be upside down to your thinking he tells them. Upside down to us as well but it is God’s right-side up. And Paul says: you are mixing up the messenger and the message. We are the clay jars, usable but nothing fancy. It is the message that is the treasure. The last part of today’s reading is what leads Bishop Wright to suggest that Paul was awful close to a breakdown. And it isn’t until he has prayed and studied scripture, our Old Testament, and come out the other side that he can now look back. Dead, yet alive. Persecuted, but not forsaken. Afflicted, but not crushed. Forsaken, but not destroyed. This passage can be an enormous comfort to those suffering, experiencing persecutions, or temptations, bereavement, tragedy or sorrow. For those that have preached or lived the good news and run into opposition. Paul knows how it feels, it was a part of his living and preaching the gospel, part of being an apostle, not the message, just the messenger. Today's homily may not be where you are at. But if one person needed to know that even St. Paul questioned whether he was doing what he believed that God wanted, this is worth it. The rest can just file this away, in case it ever comes up. Not to give it away, but Timothy returns to Paul while this letter is being written. The congregation is sorry for every questioning Paul’s credentials or message and is eagerly awaiting his return with open arms. Live the life of an apostle, it won’t always be easy, but the reward is beyond imagination. see N. T. Wright, Paul a Biography, 2018

TRANSCRIPT: Sermon Trinity Sun St Raphael, Ft. Myers Beach The Rev. Tara McGraw 5/26/24 Happy Trinity Sunday! Going past a surface understanding of the Trinity can be pretty daunting, but it opens up such deep, beautiful aspects of our faith. My understanding of God and of myself is very influenced by Trinitarian theology. So I’m going to invite you to delve into it with me this morning. This is a teaching sermon; I’m going to pack a lot of theology into a short time, so buckle your seat belts! Let’s start with a foundation of humility. To know God is beyond human understanding, you must agree, or God is not God. To know God is beyond human understanding, except for what God chooses to reveal to us in terms we can understand; in relationships that we can experience. God has to use human terms and relationships to reveal Godself to us. That’s what the concept of the Trinity is; it’s human terms and relationships that allow us to understand God and be aware of God. So although it is not comprehensive of God; yet our faith tells us through the concept of the Trinity we do in fact understand all we need to know about God. And our understanding is valid and true. It is not comprehensive, but it is sufficient. And therefore when we open ourselves to God through our understanding of the Trinity; God uses that understanding to reveal Godself to us, to allow us to find God and experience God. God is gracious to do this. The concept of the Trinity is how we perceive God comes to us, how God loves us and how God nurtures us. How many members of the Trinity? (3). Who are they? (F,S, HS). The first person of the Trinity is (F). The second person is the (Son, who became incarnate - took human form - as Jesus the Christ). The third person is (HS). But the persons are not separable. They are all One. They are in 100% relationship with each other, mutually giving and receiving so completely that what one experiences all experience, and actions of one are actions of all. We believe in One God, the Almighty, we say in the Nicene Creed. The 3 persons are 3 in One. That’s hard for us to understand -- how 3 persons can be so fully relational that they are One, when 3 of us here can’t be one. We’re separate beings in separate bodies; we can only be in partial relationship with each other. So the understanding that God is One is especially hard when we think of the second person as strictly Jesus, who is a human being as well as God. But here’s the thing, folks. To think of the second person of the Trinity as strictly Jesus is too narrow an understanding. The second person of the Trinity is eternal; always is, was and ever shall be, the Alpha and the Omega. The second person is the eternal Word that the Gospel of John describes when it says “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” We hear that at Christmas, right? The Word is the presence of God on earth, the outreach of God into creation; St. John says, “All things came into being through him.” For shorthand, we call the second person of the Trinity “the Son” after Jesus walked among us, because it was the second person of the Trinity who became incarnate as Jesus. St John says, “The Word became flesh and lived among us.” We hear that at Christmas, too. Now, let’s go to the Holy Spirit, which we celebrated last Sunday at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is the personal connector of each of us to God (gesture up) and to each other (gesture across). Remember the symbol of the cross from last Sunday? The Holy Spirit opens our hearts and minds to give and receive communication with God. The Holy Spirit continues to teach us about God, as Jesus did. The Holy Spirit conveys to us God’s wisdom, truth, comfort, love, expectations, encouragement. The Holy Spirit conveys it live, moment by moment, dwelling with and in our own spirit. Relating to God as the Trinity allows us to learn the things of God. Learning about God is important, because as we learn about God, we learn about ourselves. Why is that? (you know the answer, if you think about it) (Because we are made in the image of God.) We read that in Genesis. Now starts the really good part, so hang in with me. To fully live into the image of God in which we were made is our human potential, our human glory. It is the amazing, beautiful, radiant destiny of each of us. We weren’t just “saved”, period, by the actions of Jesus. We were saved for something. We were saved to partake intimately of God so that we are enabled to become the image of God. When we open ourselves to God as the Trinity, we find God, we complete ourselves with the God connection, and we become aware of the Holy Spirit with us. Day by day, moment by moment, across earthly life and life eternal, the Holy Spirit nurtures our souls deeper and deeper into the image of God. What is that image of God, that is our human potential? From a character standpoint, it is all the ideals of being: love, truth, justice, beauty. But think about it: actually, those ideals only exist amongst beings in relationship. The 3 persons of the Trinity, in continuous, total relationship, are said to be in eternal dance. As they dance love, truth, justice & beauty, there is abundant joy wherever they are. This is heaven. So, what does being made in the image of God tell us about ourselves now? First and foremost, it means we are relational beings. Your body makes you very aware of your separateness, but your soul is made for relationship and is not complete without relationship; relationship with God (gesture up) and with each other (gesture horizontal) and creation (gesture circle). Being made in the image of God tells us that we cannot understand ourselves apart from relationships. When we are not aware of God with us, a part of us is missing, and we lose part of the capability we would have through the Holy Spirit. We are always in relationship with other people. Psychologists tell us that most of our thoughts are about what other people think of us. Our deepest joys and hurts are from relationships. We cannot separate who we are from our relationships; they form us as we give and receive from them. Since earth is a fallen world, relationships are fallen, too, so we will suffer here from our relationships in addition to receiving joy. But we don’t live here on earth forever. This is our learning place. When we understand our human destiny to live into the image of God in which we are made, we discover that we were made to join God’s dance. The more we live into the image of God, the better human beings we are, the more we have the fruits of the Spirit, [love, joy, peace, fairness], the better our relationships are, the better dance partners we are with God and the better creation is because of our presence. Today we dance in baby steps. We fall down, and we get up to begin again. One day in the eternal future, when our sanctification is complete, we will dance flowingly, beautifully, and always. We will dance with God, we will dance with those we love dearly, and we will dance with creation. The joy of that, we cannot imagine, we can only feel, as a foretaste, in whatever music stirs your deepest soul. Today when you go home, I hope you will play that music, and let it inspire you. A sermon on the Trinity is a great introduction to the Nicene Creed. I invite you to join me as together we proclaim: We believe in one God, the Father the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. ….

TRANSCRIPT: Sermon for Pentecost Yr B Romans @ St. Raphael 2024, by Tara McGraw At Pentecost, we celebrate the birth of the church. We celebrate the first recorded time after Jesus’ resurrection that his followers proclaim publicly, “He was dead and now he is alive! He IS Lord and Messiah!” As they call upon all who hear to join them. They who had cowered in fear now proclaim in the power of God’s Holy Spirit! And they promise the Holy Spirit to those they baptize to join them; God’s Holy Spirit is not just for they who preach; God’s Spirit is for everyone. So at Pentecost, we celebrate the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is usually symbolized by a flame of fire (which is why we wear red on Pentecost) or a dove. But today I would like to give you another symbol. Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is God’s active presence in the world and God’s active presence in each of us. The Holy Spirit is how we are aware of God around us and God in us, and how God is aware of each of us. The Holy Spirit of God connects with our spirit, so seamlessly we cannot even find the stitch. So, in these aspects, a symbol of the Holy Spirit in relation to us would need to have a vertical dimension, because the Holy Spirit connects us with God. Indeed, in our reading today from Romans we heard that when we don’t have the words to pray as we want, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. How amazing is it that GOD knows us so intimately that God’s own Spirit prays for us when our own prayers would be inadequate? How can it be? Because God’s Spirit is entwined with ours; God loves us so much that God wills God’s own self (the Holy Spirit) to keep God connected with us, despite our limitedness and our frailties. You think about it, what suffering our limitedness and frailties must cause God who loves us, like a parent suffers when a child suffers or goes wrong. But God endures these things for love’s sake; Jesus says “Lo, I am with you always.” Matthew 28:20. So what does that mean? It means we are never alone, even in our worst times, we are never alone: God is there. If we could see the Holy Spirit, it would be as a lifeline (gesture) going up to God. But the Holy Spirit also connects us to EACH OTHER. The Holy Spirit unites children of God. The Holy Spirit in me is aware of the Holy Spirit in you, and that forms the most fundamental bond between us. Then as we each offer ourselves to God, in willing service to God’s good purposes, the Holy Spirit, aware of all of us (gesture), is able to work through all of us together (gesture), to achieve results impossible by one person alone. This is a description of church. So in these aspects of uniting people, a symbol of the Holy Spirit would have horizontal dimension (gesture). So, you know where I’m going…. Are we surprised that the vertical part of the symbol (gesture) combines with the horizontal part of the symbol (gesture) to become a cross? We shouldn’t be. The cross is the symbol of Jesus, and as we’ve seen, the cross is how the Holy Spirit works, connecting us with the Father and Jesus and each other, and the cross is also the symbol of the church, which is formed and held together by the Spirit, to be Jesus’ representative in the world. You can see how all that is circular, and circles have no end. We might put the circle (gesture) all around the cross. The circle is the symbol of the Trinity, which is a head-start for you into next Sunday, Trinity Sunday. But back to today. Let’s not leave without celebrating church; of course we will; it’s the church’s birthday! So thanks to the Spirit, the Church exists. Church is God’s people, empowered and led by God through the Spirit (that’s the vertical part), doing God’s work in the world (that’s the horizontal part), so the cross symbolizes the Church as well. No wonder we rejoice in every new person who comes to St Raphael’s: every new person brings new opportunity, new caring, new ideas and new capability to Church in this corner of the world. Jesus is the head of the church universal that the Holy Spirit creates, the church universal of which St. Raphael’s church is a very small part. Pentecost is the perfect time to look up from our smallness to realize the amazing extent of our connectedness within the universal church. We start by celebrating our own denomination, the Episcopal Church, as we can be grateful at St. Raphael’s to be one of 11 local churches in our deanery, which is part of about 70 churches in our diocese of SWFL, which is part of a Province of multiple dioceses (we’re Province 4), which is part of the national Episcopal Church, which is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The universal Church is full of many different people, different languages, different perspectives, different denominations, of which the Episcopal Church is only one. For years, I was part of an ecumenical group of clergy celebrating our many denominations’ Holy Spirit connection, our common devotion to our Lord and Savior, our brother Jesus Christ, and our common purpose of manifesting God’s goodness into the world. What unites denominations in the universal Church is so much more important than our very small differences. We can do so much more together than we can alone, if we honor the bonds of the Holy Spirit between us here at St. Raphael’s, in our deanery, diocese, province, within the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, and beyond that through the greater Church of many denominations that is Christ’s body in the world. NO person, congregation, or denomination is UNimportant. When we remember that church is people connected by the Holy Spirit with each other and with God, we understand that the power and potential of the church in any given place at any given time is determined by who the people are. Every new person and every person who leaves changes church in that place. You are so important, here, each one of you! Church can never be more than the sum of its people parts, but it can be so much more than any of its individuals could be alone. And through the power of the Holy Spirit, church can accomplish the amazing as God brings of our individual and collective effort “exceedingly more than we can ask or imagine.” (That’s St. Paul’s words from the Letter to the Ephesians.) Let’s close with the Prayer for Unity of the Church found in our Book of Common Prayer on page 818. Please join me to pray it outloud (page 818): O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Heart moving mass! Thank you Tara!

Comforting and Motivating. Thank you. 🙏❤️

Ascension Sunday, 2024 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . We celebrate today the wonderful, glorious Ascension of our Lord, celebrating how Jesus Christ who emptied himself to become one with us, now ascends with our human nature to the glory of the Father. From now on, humanity, in the person of Jesus, is at the heart of God, and by his grace we can be there, too. Alleluia? I want to focus on the 50 days between Easter Day & Pentecost, a time of mystery and wonder, a time when the Church was shaped like an embryo in the womb of her mother, coming to birth on the Feast of Pentecost. Our Lord brought five key things to his people in the fifty days after Easter Day, four of them before the Ascension and one afterward, at Pentecost. They are: Conviction - Christ is risen. I talked about that earlier this Easter Season Restoration - you are my chosen disciples Understanding - opening the scriptures to learn God’s purposes Commissioning - you have a mission Empowerment - The Holy Spirit. So conviction. How likely is it that someone who has been tortured to death on Friday is going to be gloriously alive with supernatural life on Sunday, having dinner with you? Not likely at all. Fantastically improbable. So if Jesus’ followers were going to be his new kingdom, they had to be utterly and completely convinced that despite everything we know about life and death, he who was dead is alive again - and not just alive with this compromised earthly life that we share but with the glorious everlasting life of the age to come. So he appeared not just once but many times, not just to one or two or three people but dozens and hundreds, to 500 at one time, Paul tells is in I Corinthians 15. And to some key people such as Peter and the other apostles he appeared many times. So that the most stubborn, the most skeptical, the most hardheaded couldn’t help but know, Christ is risen, alleluia! But, secondly, here’s the problem. Jesus called the disciples to follow him. He said they would sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel. He trained them to do what he did. They promised to follow him, Peter promised never to deny him. Yet when the crisis came, they ran away, Peter denied him, they all slunk into their locked room and hid out. Some disciples, some friends, some leaders! So one of the key things Jesus does in this in between time is restore them to discipleship and friendship. The clearest example is how Jesus gave Simon Peter, who denied him three times, the opportunity to say “I love you” three times by that fire on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. But, thirdly, how do we understand all this? What does all this mean? From Day 1, Peter preaching on the Feast of Pentecost, in Paul’s letters, the earliest writings in the New Testament and everywhere else, the proclamation and teaching of the Church is clear and consistent. This Jesus whom you crucified God raised up and made both Lord and Christ. There is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. He fulfills all the promises of Scripture. And so much more. How did they know all this? Where did their understanding come from? They certainly didn’t understand Jesus very well before the Crucifixion. The New Testament is really clear about this. The Apostles grasped all this because the risen Jesus showed it to them, over and over again, before he ascended. On the road to Emmaus, in the upper room, and many other times, Jesus teaches like this, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-47). This is where apostolic teaching comes from, from the risen Lord Jesus Christ himself. So, fourthly, the disciples are convinced, restored and taught, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of the whole world. Jesus commissions them in countless ways during these 40 days: “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.”, “you are witnesses of these things.” “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) Convinced, restored, instructed, they have a mission. But not yet, Jesus says. First you need the power from on high. You need the Holy Spirit. Wait for him. And they did. They met and prayed together. They took care of the business of choosing a replacement for Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. But they waited and they prayed. Until God acted, filling them with the Holy Spirit on the Feast of Pentecost. And then they set the world on fire. What do you need? Are you convinced that Jesus is risen from the dead and he is Lord? Do you know yourself to be restored to fellowship with God through Jesus Christ? Do you understand the mind and plan of God revealed in and through the scriptures and the teaching of the Church? Do you know yourself to be commissioned by Christ to advance his kingdom in some way? Are you equipped to do it? Praise God for every YES you answer. The first place you say NO or “I’m not sure,” is the place to start talking with your priest, spiritual director or some trusted Christian friend. Because what Jesus did with the earliest apostles he does with his whole Church throughout the ages, right down to us today. So today and throughout this week, let us pray. Come Holy Spirit, refresh and transform the church; Renew and restore the world; Give to all people the mind of Christ to love God completely and one another generously to God’s glory and our salvation. Amen

Thank you.

Gospel, & Sermon TRANSCRIPT 2 Easter April 23, 2024 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN Christ is risen. He is risen indeed, alleluia. The Resurrection, the raising of Jesus Christ from the dead, is so central to our Christian faith that the Church celebrates it in particular for the fifty days of the Easter Season; and also on every Sunday throughout the year. Easter Sunday itself focuses on the triumph, the celebration, the delirious joy that Christ’s resurrection brings. The contrast with Lent, the vestments, the music, the flowers, the full church, people’s attitudes, all speak of life bursting out all over as the stone is rolled away, and Christ comes forth in glory. Alleluia. If Easter Day itself is for exuberant celebration, the following Sundays have a quieter, more reflective joy; as the impact, the meaning, of this great event start to sink in; as we ponder what it means for the world and for ourselves that “Christ is risen.” It means, first of all, that “Jesus is Lord.” The resurrection vindicates him and what he has to say. You know that Jesus came with a very definite message. “The Kingdom of God is close at hand. God loves you and has a purpose and destiny for you. God is also a demanding judge who won’t tolerate evil or cruel or irresponsible behavior. “No matter what you have been or done, God invites you to turn away from all that and return to him; and if you do that he welcomes you with open arms. If, however, you turn away from him and from his messenger, Jesus, then he will turn away from you, now and in the day of judgment. Jesus says, “Here’s how life with God, life in the kingdom of heaven, works. The meek inherit the earth. The peacemakers are blessed. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are satisfied. “When someone outside the church wrongs you, turn the other cheek; go the extra mile. If it is someone inside the Church, go to that person personally and privately and sort it out. Forgive other people because that is the standard God is going to use with you. “Share this message; heal the sick; care for the poor. Know that by accepting me and following me now, you will be accepted in the day of judgment. “I and my Father are one.” That’s the kind of thing Jesus said over and over and over again. Wonderful, terrifying stuff. Utter madness; or fraud, or glorious truth. Which is it? The Chief priests said “fraud” and the Romans probably said “madness.” Both agreed on “dangerous” and executed him. God’s judgment? “Gloriously true and wonderfully life-giving” and raised him from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus vindicates him. It shows that he is trustworthy. His teaching is true and his ways work. Secondly, the resurrection means that we have a destiny. People of every age and culture have longed for something beyond this space and time world, and beyond the grave. They have had hints of it and hopes for it. Jesus says to his followers, “If you are with me here and now, you will be with me there and then. I go to prepare a place for you and I will come again and take you to myself so that where I am you may be also.” How crucially important this is right now when human life often seems cheap or meaningless! I think that those of us who have been Christians for a long time sometimes forget how important this is, to know that human life has shape and purpose, meaning and direction. There are lots of people around us who really doubt that; not that they don’t want it to be true. They are afraid that it isn’t. Jesus says in different ways to different people, but he says to everyone, “Your life matters; it has a purpose and a destiny. So live it well.” His resurrection shows that he is right. And what a difference that makes to our lives right now. And how crucially important it is on our deathbeds to know that we haven’t come to “The End” of an unresolved tale but have finished “Part I” of a never-ending saga. The resurrection of Christ is our assurance of that; and our assurance that it is worth choosing the good, the true, the faithful, the just in this life; because those are the qualities that matter, in this life and in the next. Thirdly, the crucified and risen Christ shows us how to live into this destiny. Choose to become a whole person over everything else - a person in relationship with God; a person of virtue and integrity. “What’s the point of gaining the whole world if you lose your soul, your self?” Choose a work that matters. It may be your profession or employment. Or our paid job may give us the means to do “the good works that God has prepared for us to walk in”, as one of the Prayer Book collects puts it. If we are well provided for in retirement, that frees us to work without regard to income. So choose something worthwhile to do with your life, something worthy of who you are as God’s man or God’s woman. And know that God is in the details. We grow up into our destiny, into the maturity of Christ, into the kind of people who belong in the resurrection, through the thoroughness of a job well done; through patient perseverance within our families; through the helping hand we offer to others; through the self-control we exercise over ourselves; through the forgiveness we freely offer and receive; and through every other ordinary thought and word and action that fits with a person who belongs to Christ. So God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead. That’s not an isolated marvel dropped into our otherwise ordinary world: it is the cornerstone of the whole fabric. It shows us what God is like and who Jesus is. It shows us the kind of life we should live and what our destiny is. It shows us how to act in the big decisions of our lives - who we shall be, what we shall do, who we share our life with - and it shows us how to put those decisions into practice in our daily lives. Praise God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and for our new life in him. Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Transcript Good Friday, 2024 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . Do you remember the story about Abraham sacrificing his beloved son, Isaac, through whom all God’s promises were to be fulfilled? From his ancestors or from the people among whom he lived, Abraham had learned that when one's devotion to one's god is absolute, when one wants to be totally consecrated, when one's need for God's blessing is desperate, there is a sacrifice costly enough, terrible enough, effective enough, to be offered: your first born son, your flesh and blood, your hope for the future. Through Abraham’s anguish that day, Israel learned what most other nations took centuries longer to learn - you may not offer another human being in sacrifice, not ever, no matter what the circumstances. And yet it remains true that in desperate circumstances, there is only one sacrifice costly enough, terrible enough, effective enough, to be offered, and that is the human being. But it cannot be someone else. I cannot offer you as my sacrifice. I can only offer myself. And when I am broken, sick, sinful, then I am no pure sacrificial offering. I am empty handed. “Nothing in my hand I bring; only to the cross I cling.” as the hymn Rock of Ages puts it. I cannot offer myself for myself and I cannot offer myself for you. You know that the Church has over and over again, with great struggle and great cost, insisted that this Jesus of Nazareth, this son of Mary, whom we see dying on the cross today, is not merely a prophet or teacher or wonder worker; he is not an angel or a divine emanation or anything other than God - from God, light - from light, true God from true God, begotten of God his Father before all ages. Because if this is not true then on the cross God is offering someone else as the costly, terrible sacrifice - and that would be both abhorrent and ineffective. “God will provide himself the lamb for an offering, my son,” Abraham prophesies to Isaac, and as a sign and a symbol there is a ram caught in a thicket, because “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” On the mountain of Golgotha, understood to be the same Mount Moriah where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, on this mountain of the Lord, God has himself provided himself as the pure lamb for sacrifice. That is why John the Baptist pointed to him and exclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” and why the Letter to the Hebrews teaches us that Jesus is our great high priest who has brought the blood of sacrifice, his own blood, into the true inner sanctuary of the Father’s presence. This is why on the cross he is among the condemned criminals, dying for their sins and ours, and also, as Pilate writes more truly than he knows, the King of the Jews, the Messiah, who liberates and rules the people of God from this cross. Much of our devotion on Good Friday invites us to contemplate our Lord’s deep compassionate suffering for our sake, suffering and dying in our place, suffering and dying to save us from death for life. Yet there is another profound devotion to the cross as victory. Remember a couple of weeks ago, we heard Jesus say, “When I am lifted up, when I am exalted, I will draw all people to myself,” and John comments, “He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” The ancient hymn The Royal Banners Forward Go, includes this: How God the nations’ King should be, for God is reigning from the tree.” Christ the new Adam does this for us, as high priest offering himself as true victim, to put death to death and restore us, the dead, to life. And what Christ has done for us he also does in us, uniting us with himself so that we may offer in him the one sacrifice that we now can offer and must offer - ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy and living sacrifice to God. The hymn, When I survey the wondrous cross, puts it like this: Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were an offering far too small; Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all. Christ’s fully human total sacrifice frees us to offer ourselves completely to God and to one another. May this terrible day be the best of days as we die and live in Christ.

Transcript: Palm Sunday, 2024 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN In the temple at Jerusalem there was a great curtain that covered the entrance to the Holy of Holies; where the Ark of the Covenant was; where in an earthly sense, God was enthroned upon the cherubim. Only the High Priest entered that room, only once a year, bringing the blood sacrifice to make atonement for the sins of Israel. As Jesus died on the Cross that curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. Christ has, at great personal cost to himself, torn down everything that stands between us and God. This is what he has done for us by taking our nature upon him and suffering death on the Cross. He is now the open Way, the open Gate, to God. The way through that gate is to have in us the mind of Christ and to follow the example of his humility; not grasping on to our positions or prerogatives or reputations, but emptying ourselves in service to God and one another and the world. That’s hard. Sometimes we will be misunderstood, misrepresented, mistreated, or, worst of all, ignored. We can’t do it without keeping our eyes fixed on Christ crucified and asking him to work in us. But walking the way of Christ, walking the way of the Cross, is THE WAY to sharing his resurrection, his victory, his eternal life. May God bless us as we follow the way of the Cross this week. May he bring us to the joys of Christ’s resurrection. AMEN

Thank you for posting this Father Michael ❤️ I will forever be grateful for your instrumental role in my life and leading me to Christ and Gods Word 🙏 It fills my heart to see you continuing your call of leadership in the church ❤ Prayers for you and your family 🙏

Transcript: Lent 5, 2024 John 12:20-33 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . That is a very odd story in today’s Gospel, isn’t it? Some Greeks come to Philip saying, “We want to see Jesus.” Philip goes to Andrew who goes to Jesus and the Greeks are never heard from again as Jesus goes into a discourse about his purpose and mission. If we were the Greeks, we would be at least bemused, wouldn’t we? So what is going on here? The Greeks could include any Greek speaking people of the Mediterranean world, probably interested in Judaism, maybe attending Synagogue - that’s why they are at the great Feast of Passover in Jerusalem. But they are definitely not Jews. They go to Philip who is from Bethsaida in Galilee. Although a Jew himself, Philip comes from a polyglot area, is at home with Greek and with Gentiles and is, for these Greeks, approachable. Philip on his part knows he is dealing with something highly significant here - Gentiles, not Jews, wanting to come to Jesus - so he turns to Andrew, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, part of the inner circle, and he is the one who tells Jesus what is going on. Jesus realizes that this is not just about one small group of people. They represent all the Gentiles, the nations of the world, those who will be blessed through him, the seed, the offspring, of Abraham. It is a sign to him that the climax of his mission is coming, that the time of teaching, preparation and debate, the time focused on Israel, is over and the time of world-transforming action has come. Not only this handful of Greeks but all the nations of the world throughout all time long to see him and be saved. For that to happen, he needs to be lifted up, exalted, and John the Evangelist knows that Jesus knows, this means crucified, lifted up on the Cross. Right here Jesus turns from the restricted mission to Israel that is preparation to Good Friday and Easter, to death and new life, to the final battle, to the redemption of the whole world. Those few Greeks and every Gentile, every person everywhere, gets to see Jesus and live. Does that make sense? So, some questions. We are Christians, right? Following Jesus like those first disciples. How are you doing at being Philip? Can people come to you and say the equivalent of “We want to see Jesus?” Sometimes people can’t do that with us, for two possible reasons. Sometimes we are so “churchy” that people don’t find us approachable. Do you know Christians like that? Are we sometimes like that? On the other hand, we can be completely approachable but our Christianity may be so tepid that there is no point approaching us about Christ. There doesn’t seem to be anything in our life that suggests we know him well enough to be of any use. Do you know Christians like that? Are we sometimes like that? Now these aren’t things to feel guilty about, particularly. They are things to do something about. If we find that everyone we know is a fellow Christian and church member, that we rarely engage with people outside the Church in any meaningful way, we might want to ask why that is and what we can do about it. Where is our solidarity with our fellow human beings? Where is the common ground that allows people to talk to us about what really matters to them? This takes some honest self-analysis, some conversation with trusted friends and advisors, maybe your pastor, and it takes some conversation with the boss, that is, prayer to Jesus. Because our discipleship is flawed if we can’t live it authentically while eating and drinking with tax collectors and sinners, right? On the other hand, if we get along perfectly well with all sorts of people, but the subject of Christ, faith and church never seems to come up, why is that? The Collect for the Second Sunday after Epiphany prays that we, God’s people, illumined by his word and sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ’s glory. If no one is noticing any radiance through us, why not? This is delicate. We can’t manufacture signs of God’s grace and you know what it is like when people try, when they force “God talk” into conversations unnaturally, and so on. So consider Do you need to get real about your Christian faith and life? Get close enough to Christ, to his word and sacraments, so that he makes a difference in who you are, how you live and how you come across? We all know he doesn’t just want us to say his name; he wants us to share his life, right? We probably need coaching on how to be transparent for Christ and we usually get that coaching by practicing inside the church before representing the church to others. Does that make sense? Look for opportunities in the church to explore and share your faith. You will find that over time I will encourage you to say the prayers at meetings and other times, and I’ll ask you what being a Christian means to you. This is partly so you have practice, so you can be Philip for others. Next, find your Andrew. Who do you go to when you meet a challenge that is beyond your Christian pay grade? We usually don’t get anywhere in anything without coaches, mentors and experienced companions. Who are yours in your Christianity? One of the great things about being Christian is that everyone who has ever belonged to Christ is our contemporary. Saints like Andrew can shape and inspire us by their example and they can help us with their prayers. So . . . Holy Andrew, pray for us, that we may be able to help people really get it about Jesus Christ. AMEN Find your Andrew. Lastly, Jesus himself and two key points here. We have nothing useful to offer people except the real Jesus, God’s Son, our savior, crucified and raised to save us. The key calling of the Church is to lift him up, to exalt him. The architecture of our buildings, the crosses on it and around it, the quality of the worship, the quality of the life and service of St. Raphael’s community, the preaching of the clergy, the witness of us all, lifts Christ up to be seen by others, so that he can draw others to himself. We always want to ask, Is my church doing that? and Am I doing my part? What are the obstacles to remove, the sins to repent of, the strengths and gifts to foster - in me and in my church? Secondly, and this is the great mystery, we are the Body of Christ. Christ is lifted up, exalted, through sacrifice for others. We have the privilege of giving our all for Christ and his mission. My personal preference is to give about 37% of my all to and for Christ and I prefer to avoid the hardest stuff. Do you know what I mean? But I know that when I only give a small part of my life then I only get to share a small part of the real life that Christ is offering. By God’s grace I want to work through and beyond my self-centeredness, my fears and my shortcomings to share fully in Christ’s life and Christ’s work. I don’t want to just talk about Christ being lifted up. I want him to be lifted up in and through my life. How about you?

Transcript Lent 4, 2024 Numbers 21:4-9; Eph. 2:1-10 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . So here’s the deal. The people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food." (Numbers 21:4) Now think about that for a minute. They were slaves in Egypt, hard labor making bricks, beaten and killed at the Egyptians’ whim, and their infant boys slaughtered at birth. That is what God through Moses has rescued them from. Not only are they complaining about the manna - fair enough, anything can get old - they are charging God and Moses with conspiracy to kill them. That’s when God sends the poisonous serpents to bite them. Now I don’t always understand these Old Testament stories, but doesn’t part of you want to say, “Go, snakes, go?” Because that kind of talk and attitude is bitter poison, isn’t it? I mean, did anyone really think that Moses and God brought the Israelites into the desert to kill them rather than rescue them? But that is what they said, isn’t it? And God, who is trying to form a people in mutual respect and yes, holiness, finds that these people whom he has chosen and liberated are tearing one another apart and slandering him in the process. He makes them face the poison in order to be healed from it. They need to look at the serpent to be physically healed just as they need to recognize their contention and slander in order to be spiritually restored. Jesus picks up on this in the Gospel, He says, Just as the image of the serpent was nailed to a pole and lifted up for the people to see and turn and be healed so I will be nailed to the cross and lifted up. This is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. The cross graphically shows this poison in our human system - that we destroy the true good when God comes to us - and the cross gives us salvation when we see and turn and live. It purges the poison out of our system. Paul spends almost all of today’s second reading driving this home: You were dead through the trespasses and sins. All of us once lived (this way) . . . and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. Because it is our constant tendency to think and to say, “It is terrible the way some people behave - some other people.” Or at least, “I may have caused some of the trouble but nothing compared to . . .” We tend to recognize this in principle, often with a wry smile, and in any given case responsibility may well lie more with some than with others. But it is incredibly difficult for us and yet absolutely essential that we really grasp that we, each one of us and all of us together; we have a problem and we are the problem for which Christ is the only and complete remedy. We were dead through our trespasses when God in his great love for us, in mercy and grace, sent the true light into our world and into our lives so that we could see and live. This is so difficult to grasp and so important that the Church has been hammering it home week after week throughout Lent and will do so even more in the graphic liturgies in Holy Week - and then will do it all over again next year. Now, this is not the whole Christian story. It isn’t even the main point of the Christian story. The main point is that raised up with Christ we share the good works that God has prepared for us in this life and we share “the immeasurable riches of God’s grace” in the age to come. But to get started we need to be rescued, healed, restored. Once we are back on our feet then we get spiritual rehab and occupational therapy. That is what all the Christian guidance about attitude and behavior and spiritual growth is all about. And it is crucially important. You know what happens when you have a broken leg set and then never do any physical therapy? You don’t walk. That is what happens to us when we are saved, when we come to Christ, but then never follow up with clear patterns of Christian living. You know what happens if you have physical therapy before you have the leg set? You can’t walk. That is what happens when we try to follow Christian patterns of thought and behavior without first turning to Christ for rescue and healing. As Paul puts it, By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God - not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. Can we turn to Christ, high and lifted up on the cross? Can we turn to him and live? If we can, then the whole wonderful future that God has prepared for us opens up before us.

Transcript: Lent 3, 2024 John 2:13-22 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . Do you know that saying, “Next year in Jerusalem?” For devoted Jews, the hope is, the prayer is, that next year, God willing, we will celebrate Passover in Jerusalem. In Old Testament times and in the time of Jesus, Passover was one of the three great feasts when all the people in the towns and villages of Israel were to come up to Jerusalem and worship in the Temple. As Jews spread throughout the world, it became impossible to go to Jerusalem every year but it was a hope and dream to be able to do so at least once. So the Passover in today’s Gospel was a great occasion, with throngs of people. The Temple, restored by King Herod, was a magnificent structure. In the center was a small inner sanctuary, the Holy of Holies. Only the High Priest went in there and only once a year to offer the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement. The entrance was covered with a great curtain; the one that was torn in two from top to bottom when Christ, the true sacrifice of Atonement, died on the Cross. Around that inner sanctuary was the part of the temple in regular use. This is where the priests offered the daily sacrifices, like Zechariah was doing when the angel appeared to him. Levites and other people involved in the worship would be in that area as well. Outside in the huge courtyard is where most people would gather, again as the people did while Zechariah was offering sacrifice in Luke 1. There they would pray and worship, mingle, talk and share. This was the only part of the temple precincts where Gentiles, people of the nations, were permitted. Jesus strode into this temple courtyard on the feast of Passover and found there cattle stalls and money changers; a collection of people using this sacred place for profit and taking away from people the freedom to use it for worship. Jesus looked at God’s temple and what he saw there didn’t belong there. So he set up a committee to discuss the situation. Isn’t that what happened? NO! He made a whip of cords and lit into them, driving out money changers and merchants, sheep and oxen, pigeons and whatever else got in the way. He dumped the money on the ground and overturned the tables. “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” As scripture says, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” Jesus was jealous for God’s rights; angry over the neglect of God’s honor. He knew that how we regard God’s house both reflects and forms how we regard God himself. That’s part of why we treat St. Raphael’s with care and honor, isn’t it? Why we are going to great trouble and expense to restore it, and to restore it well. We also take care that what happens on these premises is appropriate and does not dishonor God. When we use this space for worship we set it up carefully and lovingly, letting the outward setup help us to be recollected to God. To put it simply, we don’t want to be involved in anything here that would cause Jesus to drive us or our activity out, right? The Jews were very angry about what Jesus did. They said, “What gives you the right? What sign to you show us for doing this?” He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” “Right,” they said, “It has taken forty-six years to build it and you will raise it in three days?” But he meant the temple of his body. And why is his body the temple? Because the essence of the Temple is that it is God’s Holy Place. It is where God dwells, where you can meet him, pray to him, commune with him. And far more than any temple in Jerusalem, or any Christian Church, or anything else at all, that describes Jesus Christ our Lord. Now you are the Body of Christ, and individually members of it. As St. Paul says, and we heard a few weeks ago, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; so glorify God in your body.” (I Cor. 6.19f) If we have learned from Jesus and the Gospel how important it is that everything that goes on in the temple should honor God; that nothing should be unseemly or unworthy of him; and if we realize in our heart of hearts the awesome truth that we are that temple, then our Lenten self-examination and cleansing takes on new meaning and urgency and confidence, doesn’t it? Jesus coming to the temple is Jesus coming to us. What he looks for is love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, self-control. What does he find? Now if the temple of our lives is not what it ought to be, in one sense don’t worry about it. Our Lord has cleared out his temple once and he can certainly do so again. But it was rather messy and violent which in our own case we might want to avoid. So let’s cooperate with the God whose temple we are and keep his dwelling place in good shape. Whatever is there that doesn’t belong, clear it out. Only let in what fits with the presence of the Lord of Hosts. One more step in this. “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it.” (Psalm 24:1) The whole creation is God’s dwelling place. We know that we can look for God, and be looked for by him; find him and be found by him, everywhere. We know that Christ is the savior of the whole world. What that means is that the Lord is always coming to the temple of his whole creation and looking at what is going on there; looking for the sacrifice of righteousness and the worship of true justice. I take it that part of being the Body of Christ is that we have been handed the brooms and perhaps even the whip of cords to cleanse the temple of God’s creation. I am very uneasy about following this line, because it tempts us to look at the world around us for things to correct before we have completed our own personal inward cleansing; looking to take the speck out of someone else’s eye while we still have a plank sticking out of our own? And there is a whole lot of that in our world today, isn’t there? Yet recognizing the danger and fostering a right humility, we are the stewards of creation; we are commanded to tend this garden; humanity is the creation’s priesthood. So in some kind of way it is up to us to do our part; to root out attitudes, practices, ways of thinking, ways of treating people, that do not belong in the presence of God. And I mean this in our place of business and in our schools; in our communities and our clubs. The prophet says, “The earth shall be full of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.” We have a role to play at least in preparing the ground for that. Oh, and one more one more thing. One day Jesus cleared out the temple. What happened the next day? Everybody was back in business as if nothing had happened. What happened to the temple? In AD 70 the Romans burned it to the ground. The temple has to be cleansed and it has to stay cleansed; whether we are talking about our churches, our lives or our world. It is essential and it is urgent.

TRANSCRIPT Lent 1, February 17, 2024 Mark 1:9-15 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . Welcome to the season of Lent, if that is the right way to put it. I think it is helpful to look at this season in a couple of different ways, specifically as the Christian hospital and as the Christian training camp. The hospital image serves best when we realize that we have slipped away from God, that we are broken in some way, that we are in some way spiritually ill. We need to come home and be healed, restored, made whole, so that we can start out on our pilgrimage once more as Christ’s friends and co-workers. That was the focus of Ash Wednesday and we will return to it throughout the season If this is where you are at - if God hasn’t had your wholehearted attention, if you are involved in things you shouldn’t be involved in, if in all kinds of ways big and small you are choosing against God rather than for God, despite all those good intentions, then call an ambulance. As Paul put it in the reading on Wednesday, “We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” This call is always urgent: “See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation.” There are always excuses for delay but no good reasons. If this is where you are at, then call the ambulance, use Lent for recovery and restoration. Today, however, the focus is more on training camp, isn’t it? Jesus, probably about 30 years old, after a lifetime of formation, is ready to act. His baptism by his cousin John identifies him with the People of Israel in their exile and is a sign that the new age of salvation is dawning. Jesus hears the affirmation of his heavenly Father and receives a new anointing from the Holy Spirit. Now is the time for action. Except, no it isn’t. The same Holy Spirit who led Jesus to baptism and blessed him there, now drives him - a strong word - into the wilderness. There he fasts and prays and wrestles with temptation for 40 days. We know this wasn’t repentance and purification. Jesus Christ is like us in every way yet without sin. His union with God the Father is constant and true. And yet, in order to accomplish some great thing, he needs to train, he needs to get into top shape - clarify his purpose, set aside distractions and false roads, discipline his body, mind and spirit to serve his - and God’s - true purpose. And then he is ready to proclaim, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.” Now a few things matter here. First of all, the point of the Christian gospel is not simply that we pass from darkness to light, from death to life; but that we do something useful once we get there. Trusting Christ, being converted, becoming a Christian, joining the Church, is not the destination; it is simply agreeing to start the journey. So assuming that you don’t need the Christian emergency room right now - because you have already been there - where are you going? What are you doing? What does your partnership with Jesus Christ look like? And that can be anything from raising our children well, to running a successful, useful business to mission work in China, to a life of profound prayer and everything else in between. But what is it for you? Then, when you have a sense of that, what kind of preparation do you need? Lenten Rule of Life, such as the one I’ve been giving out, is designed to help with that. What do you need to know, what sort of self-discipline do you need to develop, what skills do you need to practice, in order to serve effectively? What’s your answer? Take notes. Write it down. The more concrete you can be the more likely you are to make progress. You know the line, “If you don’t know where you are going any road will take you there?” When you know where you are going, then you can identify the journey that you need to take. Thirdly, pay attention to timing. The call to conversion, salvation, returning to God, the Christian hospital, is always both important and urgent. The call to action, to ministry, to service, is equally important but more deliberate. Jesus was baptized and began his ministry at this particular point, not a year earlier or a year later. There are always the ordinary duties of the Christian life, of course, but we should ask far more carefully than we usually do, “Is the time right for this?” Not only, “Is this my call?” but also “Is now the time?” Answering this question typically takes some disciplined prayer and study as well as consultation with Christian friends and guides. Back to the training camp image, with emphasis on coaching, perhaps. The last thing I want to say is, this is risky business. There are risks to paying attention to Christ. When Jesus received the wonderful blessing of affirmation from God, a clear sense of who he is and what his life is for, the Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God, drove him into the wilderness where he was tested. Especially when we are most aware of God’s love for us and of his call to us, precisely then, we are likely to experience some kind of testing, some difficulty. If we fail to meet that test, then we get sidetracked and can’t proceed in our service until we get back on the right road. If, however, we do “pass the test”, then we are more solid in our call and ready to answer it. Our visitors, inquirers and converts need a heads up about this. We need to let them know, You have responded to God’s call and you are growing in faith, understanding and capacity for service. Along the way you will probably find yourself getting tugged away one way or another. Don’t worry about it. What’s good enough for Jesus is good enough for us. Just don’t give into it. So welcome to Lent, the Church’s training program. Where are you going in your life in Christ? What do you need to help you get there? How do you resist the distractions that tend to pull you away? Please make this part of your prayer and thinking this week. Ask for Christ’s help with it as you receive Holy Communion, literally or spiritually. Ask for my help and that of other Christian pastors and friends. And God bless you through this holy time. AMEN

If you don't know that souns is rain, it could sound like a juicy barbeque fire. Either way this is a blessing.

Sermon Transcript : Ash Wednesday, 2024 St. Raphael’s, Fort Myers Beach Michael Rowe In the Name . . . I want to say a little bit about today’s scriptures and then move on to talk about keeping Lent. You can’t tell by reading just today’s selection but the prophet Joel is talking about a locust plague that swept over Israel. The locusts are the “great and powerful people spread upon the mountains” and they are leaving the land devastated in their wake. Now one could say, “These things happen.” We might say, “Various natural causes bring them about.” Other ancient peoples might say, “The gods are capricious.” and try to propitiate them with sacrifices. Old Testament prophets typically say, and Joel says, “God is god of everything. When your moral, social and political life is out of joint, then the life of nature around you will be out of joint as well. When natural disaster strikes, therefore, look to the moral integrity of your own individual lives and the social and political integrity of your society. Repent; give up wrongdoing; return to God. Perhaps he will relent and forgive.” In the Old Testament when those in authority were dishonest and immoral; when those who had money were self-indulgent and didn’t worry about worshipping or obeying God; when the standards of justice and right behavior broke down in the cities, then those who said, “Everything is fine; continue as you are.” were the false prophets whom God condemned. His true prophets warned and begged and pleaded with the people, “Repent, change your ways, humble yourselves before God, ask for his pardon.” And the same is true today. Paul in the Epistle pleads with all people to be reconciled with God. Sometimes we think, “Well, I’ll take care of this and that and then I will be able to pay more attention to God, or give up this bad behavior or start that good work.” Paul says, “Now is the day.” Not tomorrow. Not next week or next year. Now.” “We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” The passage from the Gospel seems odd to read on Ash Wednesday. The Church is saying, Fast, pray, give alms, put ashes on your head. Jesus in the Gospel says, “Don’t do these things publicly or you will be hypocrites, rewarded only by the attention of other people.” We need to remember that Jesus was speaking to the people of Israel who as a community went to synagogue and temple to worship God, who fasted together in sackcloth and ashes on fast days, who gave 10% of their income to God through the temple, who prayed publicly and together at set times and in set places. In addition, various individuals and groups among them fasted, prayed and gave money according to their private or small group standards. And it is this second category that Jesus is talking about. He assumes that he and his disciples and all other Jews will be praying publicly in the synagogue on the Sabbath, going to the temple in Jerusalem for Passover, fasting publicly on Yom Kippur and paying their tithes and temple taxes. The equivalent for us is our public worship in Eucharist and daily office, ashes on Ash Wednesday, our pledge to the Church and so on. Jesus also assumes that the Pharisees, John the Baptist and his own disciples and many others will fast and pray and give on other occasions. He says, Don’t do this to show off. Do it privately between you and God. The equivalent for us is our particular Rule. If we are giving up lunch on Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent, don’t make a big deal of it so that everyone knows about it and says, “Well done.” If you do, that “Well done!” is your reward. If we are contributing to some charity beyond our tithe, don’t make a big deal of it so everyone says, “How generous!” or that “How generous!” will be our reward. In summary, whether we are participating in the Church’s public worship, prayer and fasting or privately following our particular Rule, we want to make sure that we are seeking above all God’s kingdom and his righteousness; that we are laying up treasure in heaven, in God’s eyes, not here in one another’s eyes; because where we put our treasure there our hearts will surely follow. As we enter Lent may God help us all to turn away from all that is wrong and to embrace more and more deeply the righteousness, the goodness and the joy to which he calls us; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN

TRANSCRIPT of this sermon Epiphany Last, Feb. 11, 2024 Mark 9:2-9 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . On this Last Sunday after Epiphany, the season of revealing, of revelation, we always focus on the Transfiguration of Christ, because the Transfiguration is a great revelation, a great unveiling of who Jesus really is, for himself and for his closest friends and followers, and for us. Who am I? Do you ever ask that? It is a young person’s burning question, isn’t it? But it recurs over and over again throughout our lives. Am I really who I claim to be, seem to be, want to be? Am I really who other people think I am? Who am I? Do you think Jesus ever asked that question? Many scholars and teachers say that Jesus, being truly God’s incarnate Son, has perfect knowledge, at least about himself and his mission. But many others, and I among them, think that being fully human, he had that knowledge by faith, and therefore had doubts and questions. He has lots of evidence from scripture, from Mary and Joseph, from his own inner life and from the power of his ministry, to confirm his sense that he is uniquely God’s Son and chosen Messiah. But he is heading toward Jerusalem and he knows that he faces certain suffering and death if he stays on this path. And he has to know that most people who think they are Son of God and savior of the world are, well, nuts. So do you think he wonders, Who am I, really? For him the Transfiguration is profound assurance and strengthening, isn’t it? Within a few weeks he will stand beaten and condemned before Pilate, deserted by his closest friends and followers, derided by the crowds; by all human measures, a complete failure. But he will know, I have been to mountaintop. I have stood with Moses and Elijah. My heavenly Father says about me, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” I know who I am. But Jesus doesn’t go up the mountain alone. He brings with him his closest friends and followers, Peter and James and John. And they have to be asking about Jesus, Who are you, really? Mark has prepared us to understand, showing us from the beginning how Jesus is anointed by the Holy Spirit, does great works of deliverance and announces the wonderful Kingdom of God. And we know how it turns out, don’t we, with Jesus’ complete victory over death. Jesus’ disciples would have had vague impressions about his origins and they only have his cryptic predictions about the future. They have heard his powerful teaching, seen his healings, and experienced within themselves the transformation that comes from following Christ. Peter has declared for them all, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” But they too have a sense of what is to come, how it is almost certain to end badly for him and for them. And they too know that virtually everyone who thinks he is Son of God and savior of the world is, well, nuts. So, Jesus, Who are you, really? For them, the Transfiguration brings it all together. Jesus really does fulfill the Law - Moses - and the prophets - Elijah. What he told us about his baptism we hear for ourselves today. God his Father says, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ Their world will be shaken to its foundations when he is arrested, condemned and crucified but through it all they know who Jesus really is. But what about us, they ask. Who are we? Not all that long ago we were just some guys in backwater Galilee. Our biggest claim to fame was how many fish we caught. Now we seem to be in the inner circle of God’s crown prince. Really? Us? Is that who we are? Two things happen in the Transfiguration for them. First of all, they are there. When Jesus the Messiah, God’s Son, the world’s savior, goes to meet his Father, he brings Peter and James and John with him. Jesus is saying to them, This is the reality that we have talked about and that you have hoped is true. Now you are in it. It’s really real. Secondly, they catch a glimpse of their destiny. Because Jesus transfigured is not showing his divine glory as the Son of God so much as his human glory as the True Man. Moses and Elijah share it, as human beings who have already been perfected, made fit for the Father’s home. Peter and James and John see what humanity is intended to be and what it will be, through Jesus Christ. They see their own future. They see who they really are, in Christ. In the days to come they will see their friend and master utterly defeated. They themselves will run away in terror and Peter will deny even knowing him. These men are far from perfect. But they will remember, We have been to the mountaintop. We know who we are, in him. Now despite Peter’s suggestion, they don’t stay on the mountaintop. They come down and the vision of glory fades. They immediately encounter a frantic man desperate to have Jesus heal his son, the first of countless gritty, messy situations that they and Jesus will deal with on the way to Jerusalem and the horror of betrayal and crucifixion that awaits them there. This is the pattern of Christian living in this world. Come to the altar for transformation; go out into the world to serve. If we don’t come into the presence of God then we won’t know who we really are and our service will grow cold and ineffective. If we don’t go out in service, then we haven’t really been to the mountaintop at all and we don’t yet know who we really are. What do you need most of all right now? A refreshment of your vision of God and of yourself in him? Or effective action, putting that faith into practice? The answer to that question tells us how to use the season of Lent. Our Rule, our pattern of life, always includes both, of course. But shape your plan to emphasize what you need most: getting back to closeness with Christ and a clear vision of yourself in him, on the one hand; or effective living and service in his name, on the other. Bring your plan with you to the altar on Ash Wednesday and then put it into practice over the next forty days. That way we will really know who he is and we will really know who we are, in him.

TRANSCRIPT: Epiphany 5 I Corinthians 9:16-23 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . I want to talk with you about the two aspects of Paul’s message in our second reading and you might like to follow along with the text. Paul starts off by saying, It’s no credit to me that I spread the Gospel. God obliges me to do this. It is my gift to do it free of charge. It is interesting how our church chooses this set of verses because everything that comes before verse 16 is Paul arguing that church leaders have the right to be supported, to have their families with them, to receive material benefit from those to whom they give spiritual benefit, as he puts it elsewhere. He even quotes the Torah where it says, “You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain.” He says, God isn’t concerned with oxen but with pastors. Well, I think God is concerned with oxen and also with pastors. And Paul doesn’t make this claim later in his ministry. We know his friends and his churches supported his evangelistic efforts, which is typical of missionary work. There are a few small denominations that do not have a professional, paid clergy but most have found that it doesn’t seem to work in the long run. So nearly always and nearly everywhere, pastors are supported by the churches they serve. There are benefits to this and problems as well. Now I am talking about this because here it is in the readings and all scripture is written for our learning, yes? But as I was thinking about this, the question occurred to me, Who does serve Christ and his church without charge? In fact using their own means in order to serve Christ and the Church? That’s you, isn’t it? You, the laity, 95% plus of the church of God, have that Pauline privilege - to give your resources, time and abilities as a free gift to God and his church. So first of all, I salute you, I thank you and I honor you. Secondly, I invite you to recognize your power - you are serving and sharing Christ for no earthly motive and that gives you an immense credibility and influence. Please use it to the fullest. Paul then makes a shift: He writes, though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. And so on. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. Think about that. It has personal application, of course. We shouldn’t expect people to become like us in order to enter the Church or this church. Rather, to the degree we can, we want to fit in with them so that we can share the greatest good news of Christ with them. And you might ask yourself, how do I adapt my approach, language, demeanor, behavior in order to connect with my neighbors, in-laws, children!, friends and all others within my circles? How do I become like them in certain ways - how do I find common ground? - in order to help them become like me in the only way that matters, united to Christ? So this has a personal application. But it also reminds me of our Bishop’s call to us to rebuild and restore thoughtfully and not hastily, being careful to keep our options as wide open as possible. In particular to consider what will serve the future of St. Raphael’s best before we restore the church building itself. Do you see what he is saying to us? What do we need to become in order to save some? Many of you may know of Holy Trinity Church in Brompton, London, where the Alpha Course comes from. In the mid 60s, Sandy Miller was the vicar, with an active church of 200 or so at worship each week - a church most Church of England vicars would be glad to have. But he looked into the future, prayed and thought and developed a plan. Before he took action, he visited virtually every active member of the church to share the vision. Part of it was embracing contemporary music in the worship. Lots of people said, But I don’t like that music. He replied, Neither do I. But who is going to be in Holy Trinity in 25 years? The answer in 1990, by the way, was several thousand people a Sunday, skewing to those in their 20s and 30s with, yes, loud driving contemporary music. Holy Trinity’s influence has spread through the Diocese of London, throughout England and around the world. It has been a blessing to me personally. Now I am not advocating anything at all, musical or otherwise. The problem I have with the HTB phenomenon is not with them so much as with those who hear about them. “Look what HTB did. Let’s hire a band!” But that isn’t what HTB did. What they did was analyze and pray, plan and pray, implement and pray, review and pray, change course and pray. And early on, they sought out deep spiritual renewal. That, I believe, is the true model for churches to follow. No quick fixes by copying someone else’s solutions but a faithful seeking of the Holy Spirit’s direction, a readiness to try things, see if they work, accelerate them it they do and change them if they don’t. Live and work with patience and perseverance, knowing that the harvest belongs to God. But remembering, that we are not here to please ourselves but to glorify God and help people to come to him. Does that make sense to you? Will you pray on this and be ready to offer yourself for this? May God bless you and reward you.

Thank you for the thought provoking sermon Father Michael ❤ ~ A needed reminder for myself of some changes and repenting I want to do 🙏

TRANSCRIPT Epiphany 4, 2024 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 St. Raphael’s, FMB Michael Rowe In the Name . . . As you know, Christianity is not a disconnected, up in the air religion. It applies to every aspect of our lives. So in today’s readings, while we get the great promise to Moses that a prophet like him will arise to guide God’s people and in the Gospel we see that promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ as he overcomes demonic evil, in the middle reading St. Paul addresses one of those pressing. practical questions that is always on my mind and I am sure is always on yours: What do we do when in a restaurant or a club or our friends’ house we learn that the strip steak being served to us has been sacrificed to idols? Do you come across that issue a lot? I didn’t think so. But Paul’s people did. Many of them were recent converts from paganism in a culture that was thoroughly integrated with religion. Every time they turned around they faced signs of the religion that used to shape their lives. The only way to avoid that would be to withdraw from most interactions, as strictly observant Jews did. But that would cut you off from much of your business, cultural and social world. So what do you do? Paul starts with some objective teaching. You are right, he says, that pagan gods aren’t really real and meat is just meat. Say thank you to God and enjoy it. Although he also says that there can be some real spiritual force behind some of these pagan things, so be careful. We might think of horoscopes in our own culture. But then Paul goes on to some more nuanced teaching. He says, it isn’t just about the strip steak itself. It is about the impact you have on those around you. You may be clear that eating this meal has nothing to do with serving other gods but what about your host, your neighbor or your fellow Christian who does not understand things as clearly as you do? If you seem to be falling away from your Christian faith back into paganism, that will hurt the people around you and make it harder for them to come to Christ or stay loyal to Christ. Is their spiritual life worth your steak dinner? Are you going to eat at the cost of their spiritual well-being? Do you see what Paul is doing? He is moving the question from, What is permitted? What is forbidden? to What is helpful? What builds people up? What helps them know Christ and be in Christ? Of course some things are just out of line for us Christians and Paul is perfectly clear about that. Nor will he surrender his Christian freedom in important matters, no matter what offense others take. But on points that aren’t that important, he says, consider one another; consider the church; consider people who might or might not be drawn to Christ, depending on how they experience us. Make your decisions on that basis. Does that make sense? For us the issue isn’t around pagan associations of food, although for some of our fellow Christians elsewhere in the world it might be. For us it might be the movies and shows we go to or our language at football games. It might be how much we drink or the drugs we take. Or consider our talk with and about one another. If I say something critical about someone and it is true, is that ok? Well, it depends, doesn’t it? I may have the right to say something, in some sense, but does it serve that person’s true good? Does it foster the good of the church community? Because if it doesn’t, if our talk hurts our fellow Christians and the Christian fellowship, then we are hurting Christ, sinning against Christ. That’s strong language, isn’t it? Yet that is what Paul says. The impact that our actions, words and attitudes have on other people, especially within the Church, often matter more than the actions, words or attitudes themselves. So, Paul says, if it is going to cause problems for my fellow Christians, then no more strip steaks for me. Hmmm. Do I really like you that much? This very pragmatic application of Christian teaching, this spiritual guidance that Paul provides, really does reveal what we actually mean about following Christ, caring for one another and being one body in the Church, doesn’t it? So assuming that we want to follow this guidance, how do we do that? 1. First of all, we need enough basic instruction to know what is required of us as Christians, what is forbidden and what is open - permitted but not required. I can’t give up going to church or praying even if it offends someone. I can’t take up bank robbery even if my friends want me to. On the other hand, I can choose whether or not to have that second martini, or criticize my friend’s politics or pass on information about somebody. Do we know enough about the Apostles’ teaching that we have promised to continue in to know what is required, forbidden and permitted? What plans do we have, what strategies are we following, to deepen this knowledge and understanding? A friend of mine who led Christian formation for me, used to hold up a consistent target: He would say, let’s make sure we are doing at least one thing each week that shapes our mind, our understanding, in Christ. 2. Secondly, we probably need to use some examination of conscience; some way of looking at ourselves, our attitudes, words and actions, and asking, “Who am I serving?” Not asking simply “What is forbidden, what is permitted?” but asking “Does this serve others? Does this build up the Church? Does this further Christ’s cause?” When we do this with any honesty, we probably will have some repenting to do, some changes to make, in how we think and speak and act. Is that fair? So the equipping question here would be, How are you going to do that, build that sort of honest self-reflection into your life? 3. Thirdly, in order to be realistic about ourselves, we will probably need some help. Standard Christian practice recommends spiritual direction and Christian fellowship for all of us. That is, we need pastors like St. Paul, who will correct and guide us and we need Christian friends who will be honest with us. That’s a big part of why we are in parish churches, by the way. So that we will have pastors and Christian friends. That is how we are shaped in Christian ways to fit with Christ and his purposes. Do you know how well other people take correction? Generally not too well, right? That’s probably true for you and me, too. I don’t mind what anyone says about me as long as it is complete approval and praise. How is it for you? So if we are going to get this kind of help, we really have to give people permission to give it. So who has permission to point out to you the ways you tend to undermine others and how you could build them up instead? Who’s your coach? You see, Paul was not speaking generally in today’s reading, expressing high ideals that wouldn’t specifically challenge anybody. He was saying to some particular people in his church, “What you are doing is not against any Christian rule or regulation but it is damaging your fellow Christians and the church. You just can’t do that. And you don’t really want to do that, do you, because you belong to Christ, and you want to work for him, not against him. You belong to his church and you want to strengthen it, not weaken it. So you need to change your practice on this point.” Yes? The question is, how does this apply to us? What difference will this “thinking with St. Paul” make in our attitudes, words and actions? Really.