Daily Office Reflection: A Different Road

Psalms 101, 109:1-4(5-19)20-30 * 119:121-144; 2 Kings 18:9-25; 1 Corinthians 8:1-23; Matthew 7:13-21

Today Jesus talks about: a hard road, a narrow gate, grapes and thorns, figs and thistles. He says not to listen to folks who point us toward an easy road or a wide gate into this kingdom he is announcing. Today is a wake up call. One that tells us we need to always be re-thinking what we are doing, how we are doing it, what our goals are and how those things align with Jesus' instructions.

Jesus is pointing us to a different way of thinking, a new way of interacting with each other and with the world. And he is saying that it is not easy. He is saying, as he often does, that there is a cost, a price, to being a part of this kingdom. But the taste of the fruit is worth the prick of the thistle, the stab of the thorn. The sore back from bending through the narrow gate and the callused feet from trodding the hard road are worth it for what waits on the other side of the gate, what is at the end of the road. We are different people when we are followers of Jesus, when we are intentional members of a community of believers. We are reminded of this fact by Jesus today.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: St. Michael & All Angels

MP: Psalms 8, 148; Job 38:1-7; Hebrews 1:1-14

EP: Psalms 34, 130 or 104; Daniel 12:1-5 or 2 Kings 6:8-17; Mark 13:21-27 or Revelation 5:1-14

What is there to write about angels? What is there is say about the one spoken of as the most powerful of all angels, Michael? Anytime I think of angels now the images from the movie Dogma come to mind. And although I like this movie, I think it has an undue influence on how I think about these mysterious beings.

Angels have taken a back seat in our culture, in our churches, even though many are named after them: we talk more about Saints more than we do angels. And our focus, as is appropriate, is centered on Jesus as opposed to these mysterious beings, angels.

In no uncertain terms I can say....that I don't know what I think about angels and the fierce St. Michael. My skepticism is great and deep. I do not discount the possibility (or probability) that the majesty and mystery that is God could have these beings surrounding us, this God who embodied Jesus and lived and loved among us. This God who can and does always surprise. Through the skepticism, staying open to God's loving surprises is something for which I continue to strive and something we are reminded of and called to by today's celebration.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Closet Cleaning

Psalms 89:1-18 * 89:19-52; 2 Kings 17:24-41; 1 Corinthians 7:25-31; Matthew 6:25-34

I spent a part of this weekend cleaning out my closets, re-organizing, making piles of things to donate and things to toss. I found some clothes that all I could say to myself was What was I thinking? I couldn't, in all good conscience, put some of this stuff in the donation pile. I mean, who, who would wear that?

I wonder if the folks who put together our lectionary for the Daily Office purposefully placed today's reading from Matthew at a turn of the seasons. Do not worry about what your wear, Jesus says. And as usual, I am brought up short. There is so much more to life than clothing, than eating at the fashionable restaurants, worrying about truly inconsequential things.

Jesus, as always, is pointing us in a different direction than our human desires tend to send us; toward the kingdom of God he is announcing, he is proclaiming. Jesus is saying we need to strive first for the kingdom of God, toward something where our priorities are different. Where it won't matter what we eat, drink or wear because those things are truly inconsequential. A place where we won't have to worry about tomorrow. Granted, Jesus admits that Today's trouble is enough for today, meaning not everything is going to be perfect, nothing ever is. But that has never been the focus of what Jesus has been saying, this idea of no worries or perfection.

Centering ourselves around the concepts Jesus continually stresses is the focus: love, community, forgiveness, love. Having a different focus that centers us in God's close presence in our lives allows for a letting go of the inconsequential, allows for a real closet cleaning.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Ohhh, Money

Psalms 87, 90 * 136; 2 Kings 11:1-20a; 1 Corinthians 7:10-24; Matthew 6:19-24

We have an oft heard Gospel reading today: one that makes many people roll their eyes. People roll their eyes not only because of the familiarity of these verses, but because of the seeming impossibility of Jesus' demands. And certainly these verses have been taken, not only literally, but to their extreme, making the eye roll all that much more easy.

What I think Jesus is talking about when he says You cannot serve God and wealth, is that money, wealth, has the power to overwhelm us. The desire to succeed, obtain material things, live in ways that are beyond our necessity, has a way of corrupting us, has a way of altering our priorities, skewing them and ultimately perverting them.

If we are focused on wealth, we are focused on ourselves. That selfishness narrows our focus away from that which Jesus is directing us: the building of the kingdom of God. That kingdom has at its root an unselfishness that is the polar opposite of what wealth represents. I do not believe Jesus is condemning all those who have wealth. I believe Jesus is asking, by saying what he does, what is our focus? What is our purpose in pursuing wealth? And what do we do with that wealth once we have attained it?

We have a slippery slope theory here. A slope, that we do not have to slide down, given the right focus, the right center for our existence.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Conflicting Readings

Psalms 88 * 91, 92; 2 Kings 9:17-37; 1 Corinthians 7:1-9; Matthew 6:7-15

Reading all three of today's readings brings some confusion with them. In 2 Kings we have the end of the Ahab - Jezebel saga begun weeks ago in 1 Kings. We have death and destruction to many. Jezebel dies today, rather gruesomely, having been thrown from her towering room to the stones of the palace, spattering her blood on the walls, the horses trampling her and the dogs eating her, leaving only the palms of her hands, her skull and her feet as witness to her life. Gruesome.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul continues in his exclusionary, unforgiving nature. His own prejudices, his own self-righteousness continues, when today, he deigns to give his followers the right to respond to their God-given passions. He does demand monogamy, which is not a bad thing at all, and probably the only redeeming part of today's passage.

Then we have Jesus teaching his disciples to pray. Jesus is quite clear - and we understand that clarity as we say The Lord's Prayer in all of our Daily Offices and at the end of all our Eucharistic Prayers. Jesus says to: praise God in heaven; ask for the Kingdom to come; acknowledge God's will in our lives; ask for our daily bread; ask for forgiveness from God for our debts/sins; acknowledge that we must forgive those who are our debtors/who have sinned against us; and ask God to keep us from evil and temptation. Jesus ends these instructions with a dire warning: For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness needs to be a center of our existence. This ties into Jesus' focus on love. Now, I do not profess a fondness for Jezebel and her treachery, nor do I espouse sexual impropriety that Paul rails against. But our Hebrew Testament and Epistle readings seem to be in sharp contrast and disagreement with Jesus' direction to be centered in forgiveness and I struggle with trying to reconcile them.

I am unsure if they are reconcilable, like so much in the Bible. Perhaps we are meant to wrestle with the inconsistencies and find a way through....Some fall on the side of Paul....I prefer listening to Jesus and fall in that direction. So much in our world, in our church, in our personal interactions with friends and families, would be better if more people listened to Jesus.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Love

Psalms 119:97-120 * 81, 82; 2 Kings 6:1-23; 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:8; Matthew 5:38-48

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of God. Jesus is demanding a lot of us in these decrees he is setting forth these past few days. He seems to be setting the bar awfully high for us.

What strikes me this morning is this order that we are to love those who are enemies and pray for those who persecute us. What does it mean to love someone? What does it mean to love our enemies? Does it mean we have to like them? Agree with them?

If we read through our Outline of the Faith (commonly called the Catechism), we can find a rough definition of love, even though it is not defined anywhere specifically. We find that love surrounds most of the responses to the call and response of that Catechism. It is a way of being. A way of being in the world, interacting in the world, approaching everyday interactions. We hear in the Catechism about: a single loving God (p. 846, 862), the love of God (p. 846, 862), God is love (p. 849), we hold them in our love (p. 862), those whom we love (p. 862). There is no clear definition, it just is; it is just a way of being. A way of being like God: patient, understanding, appropriately chiding and cajoling and pushing, appreciating, praying for, hoping for, all of these encompass and help define what really is very difficult to define.

I get this idea of praying for those who persecute us - as that is something that is clear and requires a definitive act. I am not saying that I always like or succeed at this requirement, but I understand it a lot more clearly than this love thing. But I also know, quite clearly, when I don't like someone, when someone does something that offends me, or hurts me, or when I feel a hatred towards them. Perhaps that is the key to trying to define the undefinable. In those moments when my lesser self is raging on about some individual, perhaps that is when I need to take note, to pause, and look in the opposite direction. This is when I need to remember this directive from Jesus, Yet how do I find love for this person? I think it starts with prayer: prayer for understanding, prayer for healing, prayer for this other individual who has caused so much pain, an offering up to God, a turning over to God those things that I cannot change.

Centering in prayer allows that love that God has planted in all of us not only to take root, but to become the center of all that we do and all that we are and all that we can be. That is a good start to understanding the undefinable and ever-changing nature of love.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: A Completely Different World

Psalms 78:1-39 * 78:40-72; 2 Kings 5:19-27; 1 Corinthians 5:1-8; Matthew 5:27-37

Jesus is setting forth a very different view of the world today - a different way of being in the world for those who would be his followers. We are not even supposed to look at someone with lust, with desire. No divorce, except because of unfaithfulness. Tomorrow we will hear Jesus tell us that we are not to not respond to our enemies, to not seek revenge. A very different world indeed.

Our readings begin pretty easily with the end of the tale of Naaman and Elisha and Elisha's servant Gehazi, who acts wrongly and is punished for that transgression. The readings take a difficult turn with the verses from 1 Corinthians where the sainted Paul instructs his followers to reject, to ignore, to push out of the community those who have sinned (in this case a man who is "living" with his father's wife). Having had this verse put into action against me by certain conservative members of my seminary class, I have a particular heartache over this passage. And then we have Jesus telling us to put aside those human desires that get in the way of our making the kingdom happen, of our being a part of that kingdom.

Jesus is telling us to move away from our lesser selves and toward our better selves. This is a daily challenge, even a moment by moment challenge for many of us. But all three of these passages should not be taken in a literal manner, but as metaphor, as a hoped for goal to which we all need to strive. Challenging, yes. Impossible, maybe. A goal, absolutely: with God's help.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: An Open Kingdom

Psalms 75, 76 * 23, 27; 2 Kings 2:1-18; 1 Corinthians 4:1-7; Matthew 5:17-20

I used to find this passage from Matthew disturbing... threatening almost. That phrase whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same..... I found scary because, shoot, when haven't I broken one of the "least" of the commandments? When, by my actions, have I been an example of the wrong way to do things, thereby teaching others? "I'm up the creek without a paddle" I used to think. "There's no way back" I would think. I felt condemned by what Jesus said.

But there is a second part to that verse that scared the beeswax out of me.... Jesus ends that verse by saying about those he condemns that they will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.... And there is my salvation, there is my release valve.... those who break the least of those commandments are still in the kingdom of heaven. Still in, not excluded.

Who in this world hasn't broken "the least" of the commandments? Who hasn't modeled inappropriate behavior for others to mimic? Certainly we want to strive for better, but we are all also human and make mistakes. Part of the good news in today's Gospel selection is that we are still in the kingdom of heaven, even with our faults and mistakes and failures. This loving and forgiving God wants us in that kingdom, but also wants us to strive to do better.

Perhaps not so far up the creek as I thought.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. Al Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Letting Your Light Shine

Psalms 69:1-23(24-30)31-38 * 73; 2 Kings 1:2-17; 1 Corinthians 3:16-23; Matthew 5:11-16

There are people in this world who think the whole world revolves around them. Their egos are so large, their belief that they are god's gift to the world, their condescension towards anyone who would dare to disagree with their perceived self-perfection, are attitudes that drive me crazy, drive me to distraction.

Yet today's Gospel reading seems to give these kinds of behaviors free reign. We hear Jesus saying today: You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. But these words are not a license for self-aggrandizement, self-promotion. These are words that come after the Blessed part of the Beatitudes, where Jesus has said his followers will be persecuted and derided and yet still somehow be Blessed.

Part of that Blessedness is that by living into this new worldview, this new way of interacting in the world, we make ourselves different, we stand out because of the works and lightness that are generated by our different way of being. That light that will shine from us does not need our aid to be seen by others, but Jesus is telling us that we shouldn't purposefully try to hide the luminescence. By being in the world in that new way, we are not being egotistical self-aggrandizers, we are being followers of Christ.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Comfort and Gifts

Psalms (70), 71 * 74; 1 Kings 22:29-45; 1 Corinthians 2:14-3:15; Matthew 3:1-10

We are beginning with the Beatitudes this morning, as provided to us by Matthew. Look at what Jesus equates:

Poor in spirit --- receive the kingdom of heaven

Mourners ------- receive comfort

Meek ------------ inherit the earth

Righteously thirsty and hungry -- filled

Merciful --------- receive mercy

Pure in heart --- will see God

Peacemakers --- called children of God

Persecuted for righteousness ---- the kingdom of heaven

Jesus is pointing us to a way of being, a way of interacting with the world, a way of acting toward each other. Jesus is saying, without equivocation that God's love for us never leaves us, that we are never alone, whether things are going "well" or whether things have turned to crap. The kingdom of heaven is ours if we can find a way to alter how we see the world, how we interact in the world, how we act toward each other. Not so hard? Ha! Many days, seemingly impossible. But in reality, what we are called to is a reordering of how we think about things, how we see the world. From this list it is obvious everything will not be wine and roses (that is if you like wine and roses), but through the good times and the not so good, the comfort and gifts God promises to us are ours for the taking. This kingdom is ours.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Here We Go Again

Psalms 72 * 119:73-96; 1 Kings 22:1-28; 1 Corinthians 2:1-13; Matthew 4:18-25

We are given in today's Gospel reading Matthew's version of the calling of the first disciples: Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John. Each Gospel writer has their own emphasis, their own spin so to speak. These callings are familiar to many of us who have heard, read, studied these passages for years. How do we make this telling fresh? How do we make it real and bearing on today's world, on our life?

Jesus begins his very public ministry in today's Gospel reading. He calls the first four of his close disciples traveling with them throughout Galilee, preaching, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, healing, curing many diseases and pains. And the crowds respond to him, thronging to him, wanting to be near something new, something important, wanting a change to their existence and their understanding of the world.

We know what happens. When the hard work starts, when the flashy miracles become passe, when Jesus' words become clear to them that change doesn't just happen but must be worked on, the crowds start to thin and people start to criticize. This is a familiar theme in human history, and can even be seen in what is going on in Washington, DC currently: the angst around healthcare and other "changes" being worked on.

The majesty and mystery of today's Gospel is in this very human story, of the Divine come among us, as one of us, who clearly shows that we cannot remain as we are, how we interact with one another, and that there is hard work involved in effectuating that change. And that there will be regular, and fierce, opposition to efforts to make those changes necessary to further the proclamation of the kingdom. It's the way of the world. Being true followers of Jesus enables us to further that proclamation: to do that hard work.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: No Hiding

Psalms 61, 62 * 68:1-20(21-23)24-36; 1 Kings 21:17-29; 1 Corinthians 1:20-31; Matthew 4:12-17

In our Hebrew Testament readings this past week we are immersed in the story of Elijah. On Sunday Elijah was in hiding in the caves on Mount Horeb. God came to him and asked him what he was doing. If you haven't read this passage recently (and as it fell on a Sunday in our Daily Office lectionary it is easy to miss) go and read it - 1 Kings 19:8-21, for it puts in context today's Hebrew Testament reading. In Sunday's reading God came, but not in the mighty wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the utter stillness and silence that enveloped and protected Elijah and gave him comfort and strength to go out and face what he must face: the fight against Ahab and Jezebel, the part of the story we start to read today.

We are gifted today with a reading from Matthew as well, where Jesus hears of John's arrest and Jesus "withdraws". But he doesn't withdraw for long. Although Matthew attributes Jesus' actions to fulfillment of Scripture, I can't help but wonder if Jesus needed some time to re-boot, to understand what had just happened to his cousin. He didn't stay hidden for long for he is soon out declaring to all who will listen that "the kingdom of heaven has come near."

There is no hiding in this world. Hiding doesn't get us anywhere. In particular, there is no hiding from God. When we are called to do something, when we are drawn by God to some action(s), God will always find us and lead us where we are intended to go. As both Elijah's path and Jesus' life indicate, that direction may not always be easy, but we are never alone, never unloved, never without God's presence.

Hearing that call is hard work. There is no clear and perfect proof that what we are hearing is actually God's call. Through prayer, through faith, through being open to God we need to trust and always be ready to not hide, but to respond to that call.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Announcing

Psalms 119:97-120 * 81, 82; 2 Samuel 9:1-13; Acts 19:1-10; Mark 8:34-9:1

Jesus announces the dawning of the kingdom of God in Mark's Gospel today....our last verse is "Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power." We know this is a reference to the end of the Passion narrative that is coming and Jesus' resurrection. Jesus ushers in the kingdom of God. To be part of that kingdom Jesus tells us we have to take up our cross and follow him.....to lose our life so that we might find it....that we cannot gain anything through the acquisition of tangible things, that by acquiring those things we are in danger of losing that life promised.....

Theoretically these instructions sound do-able, but in practice we know that they are quite difficult, if not impossible to achieve. Juxtaposed against that knowledge are the experiences that I have witnessed of people who have enormous wealth, tremendous possessions, and are probably the unhappiest people I have ever met: angry, sad, alcoholic, depressed to name just a few of the symptoms. Certainly not every person of means is this way, but I have witnessed enough of them to know that the trite old adage "Money can't buy happiness" has a good deal of truth to it.

I think we need to strive for a balance in our lives. A balance of our wants, desires and needs as set against Jesus' invitation to be a part of the kingdom of God. What will bring us happiness? How do we define happiness? What is important? Simple questions. Hard to answer.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Don't You Understand....Yet?!?

Psalms 80 * 77 (79); 2 Samuel 7:1-17; Acts 18:1-11; Mark 8:11-21

You can hear the exasperation in Jesus' voice today trying to make the disciples understand what is going on....I think he is doing a bit of transposition of his annoyance at the Pharisees onto his slow-witted disciples. Be that as it may, Jesus spoke in analogies, using symbolism, irony, and many other literary tools to illustrate his points. And yet, even though we know this, even though this is common knowledge, there are so many in this world who insist on being literal in their translations of the Bible. So much of the complexity of God's involvement is lost when we box ourselves, and in fact box God, in these translations. We lose the potential for growth, newness, surprise when we try to put limitations. This attempted limiting of God's work is the height of arrogance. The good news is that God will still find a way to get through to us. The big question is are we ready and open for that voice?

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Rest When You Can Get It

Psalms 61, 62 * 68:1-20(21-23)24-36; 2 Samuel 3:6-21; Acts 16:6-13; Mark 6:30-46

Jesus' apostles are excited when they return to Jesus today, but Jesus also recognizes that they are exhausted. He instructs them to get some rest with him, but alas that is not meant to be as their attempt to find a quiet place turns into a dinner feast for five thousand. Following that feat Jesus sends his disciples away, dismissed the crowd and went in search of a secluded mountain top to rest and pray.

Even with exhaustion haunting them, these folks still cared for those seeking that care. We have Jesus introducing the four-fold action of the Eucharist today (taking, blessing, breaking and giving) despite his exhaustion. We are amazing beings, capable of remarkable things, but there is also an absolute need for self-care: a need to find some time to refresh ourselves so that we can do the work we are called to do as followers of Christ. And there is an absolute need that we remember to pray, for that helps with our refreshment, with our rest, with our being centered and balanced and ready.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Perplexed and Yet Somehow Pleased

Psalms 56, 57, (58) * 64, 65; 2 Samuel 2:1-11; Acts 15:36-16:5; Mark 6:14-29

We have Mark's version of the murder of John the Baptist today. There is a line about Herod in the middle of the story that slips by many people: When he (Herod) heard him (John), he (Herod) was greatly perplexed; and yet he (Herod) liked to listen to him (John). Herod was annoyed by John's preaching. It dug at him at a weak point in his armor. And yet he still liked to listen to him.

I think this is one of the things that brings so many of us back to church on a regular basis. We like what we hear, we like the feelings we get from what we hear, we are drawn to something that we do not quite understand. And at the same time we get annoyed because we know the world doesn't work the way we hear that it is supposed to. We get annoyed by the hypocrisy we see all around us. We get perplexed but yet many of us still persist in pursuing this kingdom Jesus is creating.

That uncomfortable feeling we hear about in Herod's story and his reaction to John's words, is something we should pay attention to in our lives. Where is that tension in our lives? Perhaps that is exactly what we are supposed to be paying attention to and on which we should be focused.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Saint Mary Magdalene

MP: Psalm 116; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Mark 15:47-16:7

EP: Psalm 30, 149; Exodus 15:19-21; 2Corinthians 1:3-7

In Lesser Feasts and Fasts today we celebrate Saint Mary Magdalene (except in my 2006 edition they have misspelled Mary's name as Mary Magalene, sans d). She is one of my favorite mystery people in our Gospels. Who actually was she? What was her relationship with Jesus? With the other disciples? How influential was she during Jesus' life and then after in the forming of our Christian faith? Why was she pushed aside (besides for the obvious sexist/misogynist reasons) in the retelling of, and recording of, our Lord's life?

LFF's reminds us today that she was "the first messenger of the resurrection": Jesus speaks to her in her grief and she tells the news to the disciples. LFF also reminds us that in the eastern tradition she is put on a par with the disciples. Here was a great, loyal, independent, loving person: a companion on Jesus' way. Who are the companions accompanying us on our way? Those dear ones who we could not do without? Tell them today how dear they are to you.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Let Anyone With Ears

Psalms 45 * 47, 48; 1 Samuel 25:1-22; Acts 14:1-18; Mark 4:21-34

We hear Mark have Jesus use the phrase "Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" quite often in this Gospel. Let anyone. Let anyone with ears. Let anyone with ears to hear. Let anyone with ears to hear listen! Isn't that just a great turn of phrase? Besides being a fun turn of phrase to let roll off our tongues, this also says something theological. This phrase says something deeply meaningful about Jesus' ministry, about to whom God is talking. That is you and me and the person across the room from us who we just can't stand. It is the homeless person we pass everyday on our way to work. It is the avowed unbeliever. It is the deaf person who can hear in other ways than through their ears.

It is everyone and anyone who opens their ears to hear, their eyes to see, their minds to open, their hearts to feel, their souls to sing.

What a wonderful gift to begin the day with.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Everyone Is Invited

Psalms 41, 52 * 44; 1 Samuel 24:1-22; Acts 13:44-52; Mark 4:1-20

Today's readings make clear that God's love for us is all encompassing and that all are invited into this loving embrace. The hard part of this good news is that we have to respond; we have to take this good news into the deepest part of ourselves and let it root there and become a central part of how we focus our lives in this world.

We celebrate four great women today in our Lesser Feasts and Fasts: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer, Sojourner Truth and Harriet Ross Tubman. I am not going to repeat their accomplishments here - look them up and read about them, for they were remarkable women, leaders for the rights of women. They were also faithful Christians. They are examples of good soil where the seed brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold, despite the obstacles put in their way by those with authority and power in their day and age.

They understood the need to respond to Christ as the center of their lives work and that the good news of God in Christ was for everyone, not a select few determined to keep God's vision constricted and myopic. We see that narrowness of view in many places in our world and in our church as well. We can look at the United States Senators from southern states who narrowly interpret not only the Constitution but who they believe it is appropriate to sit on our nation's highest Court. We see that narrowness of sight in certain southern Bishops of TEC who, by their votes, want to restrict the House of Bishops (and in fact who can be a deacon and a priest) to their narrow vision of who can have good soil in their souls: as well as judge who can live in loving and blessed relationships and who cannot.

We are called to remember today that God's love is for everyone. To try and bind that love into a narrow and constricted vision is a willful blocking of the Holy Spirit's work that is alive and all around us, guiding us to a different world than the one we currently inhabit.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Break's Over

Psalms 30, 32 * 42, 43; 1 Samuel 22:1-23; Acts 13:26-43; Mark 3:19b-35

I haven't written anything on this blog in nearly a month. I needed to take a break, take a break from a lot of things. I needed to try and figure out what is important in my life and what is not. Figure out what is substance and what is fluff, what is distraction and what are things to be focused on. Am I done with this self exploration. No. It is a lifetime's work, but I am not in such a difficult position that I cannot recognize the importance of my writing here. Selfishly, this is important to me: to my spiritual journey, to my exploration of this faith I profess, to my relationship with God. Secondarily, this blog has a purpose of exhibiting how powerful being immersed in The Daily Office can be in one's life. So....break's over.

We have been immersed in the long saga of David, Saul and Jonathan the last number of weeks, as well as grinding our way through Acts, and we have just recently started the Gospel of Mark. The theme of "break's over" appears in this portion of Samuel we have today, as well as in the selection from Mark. David is in hiding, but agrees to lead disaffected people who come to him, which really pisses off Saul. David is slowly coming to the realization that his break is over, his ability to deny his kingship is over, that he must start to act in the manner to which he has already been anointed. In Mark, Jesus identifies his family as those who do God's work, not his flesh and blood kin who are standing on the outside of the crowd surrounding Jesus. Jesus, as Mark portrays him so often, is doing his "blood and guts" statements of just laying the truth out there: my family does God's work. Anyone who does this IS my family, is a part of MY family. In other words Jesus is saying: break's over people, get on board or get out of the way.

I think we see some of that mentality emanating from the just completed General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Anaheim, California. The legislation passed shows a movement beyond a stasis period: whether it be on ordination of gay and lesbian people to all offices of the church, or the blessing of same sex marriages, or the inclusion of pension benefits for lay employees, or the development of a congregational health plan, or the myriad of other pieces of formative and astoundingly prophetic legislation passed by that governing body. All are saying clearly that "break's over", we are moving forward. We have listened, we have been bullied, we have not bullied back in return. We have chosen to follow the Holy Spirit where she is leading us. A remarkable and beautiful and inspiring thing.

Break's over. Thanks for your patience.

jfd+

Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Perspective

Psalms 78:1-39 * 78:40-72; 1 Samuel 1:21-2:11; Acts 1:15-26; Luke 20:19-26

There are people in this world who live by rules and rules only. I cannot say I am one of them, although I do appreciate structure and order and within that world I do my best to operate with a freedom of choice that allows the chaos that can inhabit that freedom bearable. To get too locked into rules and regulations blocks out imagination and creativity.

We are given a clear reminder of this with Jesus' answer to the question about paying taxes. Jesus makes it clear that we are to operate in the world in which we are situated, operate by the rules and regulations born from that world, and at the same time operate in God's world. This creates enormous tension and can lead to chaos. Having solid rules and regulations gives a sense of order and construct around that chaos. And that sense of order can lead to a rigidity in life that Jesus says needs to be kept in balance, in perspective. Keeping an open and discerning mind, allowing the creative and imaginative juices flowing, can aid in retaining that perspective: in giving unto Caesar what is Caesar's and keeping the rest for the creation of God's Kingdom among us.

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Copyright 2009, John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved

Daily Office Reflection: Stuck

Psalms 75, 76 * 23, 27; Ecclesiasticus 46:1-10; 2 Corinthians 13:1-14; Luke 20:1-8

I think we can fall into defensive postures too easily in this life. Particularly when we are challenged we can fall into legalisms. We see that with the scribes today, challenging Jesus and then afraid to respond to him honestly and Jesus doesn't get into a dialogue with them for that reason. These scribes are stuck and in that state of legalism and cannot see the beauty of God's creation right in front of their eyes.

Jesus is a game changer, a life changer. He radically shifts how we see and operate in the world. Today's reading reminds us not to be frightened of that but to live into that fact. This reading reminds us not to get stuck in our fear and fall back on legalism but instead to walk into the unknown with the knowledge that we are not alone on this journey.

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Copyright 2009. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Saint Barnabas

MP: Psalms 15, 67; Ecclesiasticus 31:3-11; Acts 4:32-37

EP: Psalms 19, 146; Job 29:1-16; Acts 9:26-31

Saint Barnabas sold property and gave the proceeds to the apostles to distribute to those in their community who were in need and according to their need. He journeyed around the Mediterranean coast establishing churches, brought Paul into the fold, travelled with Paul and then separated from Paul over an argument. He apparently had a commanding persona as one of the accounts in Acts has him being mistaken as the Greek god Jupiter, the king of all their gods. And yet, he used these talents and gifts and wealth not for himself but for the founding of the church.

The Ecclesiasticus reading we are given for MP shows us how dangerous wealth can be, how alluring and distracting it can be for us, taking us away from the effectuation of the kingdom Jesus calls us to. Having it assigned to Barnabas provides us with a lesson about how to appropriately utilize the gifts of wealth we are given. I am always struck when reading these ancient readings how much we have not changed, deep down. How, no matter how much we advance technologically, there is this innate yearning and desire to retain wealth for ourselves. I find this a fascinating idea to pray on.

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Copyright 2009, John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Using What Is Given

Psalms 72 * 119:73-96; Deuteronomy 31:30-32:14; 2 Corinthians 11:21b-33; Luke 19:11-27

Jesus gives us two very huge principles to dwell on today. The reason he tells his disciples the parable of the rich nobleman and his slaves who utilize the ten pounds given them differently, is that those disciples "supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately" upon Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem. We know their expectations of what that kingdom would look and be like is far different from what God's understanding of this developing kingdom really is. And Jesus is preparing his disciples and us for the fact that we can't bury or hide or not utilize those gifts given us.

So many people operate out of a place of fear: fear of losing something, fear of not succeeding, fear of making the wrong decision, that they become like the last slave who buried the pound given him for safe keeping as opposed to using it appropriately. Jesus makes clear today that the kingdom is not something that will take a shape that is expected and that we must accept and utilize those gifts given us for the effectuation of that kingdom if we are to even be able to see a glimmer of its existence. We are talking about a movement away from fear to hopeful work, away from fear to hope-filled joy at our assistance in the creation of the kingdom all around us.

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Copyright 2009, John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Awakening

Psalms 61, 62 * 68:1-20(21-23)24-36; Deuteronomy 30:11-20; 2Corinthians 11:1-21a; Luke 19:1-10

Have you ever felt like you were doing something that you should not be? And you continue to do it anyway? Until, until something odd happens that wakes you up to guide you in a different direction? I know many people who stay in that first state never recognizing or acknowledging those surprises that can lead us out of the malaise of what we are doing. 

Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, can be a model for us to help find our way out of those times of malaise.  He gets so excited when learning that Jesus is in his town of Jericho that he climbs a tree so he can see over the crowds, to see this person at whose name his heart beat faster. Jesus responds to that pounding heart and takes Zacchaeus under his wing.

Zacchaeus knows that even though he has not defrauded anybody, he could do more and offers half of all that he has to the poor, to which Jesus points out that this is an act of salvation, an act of being saved by one who was lost. 

We have a map out of the malaise and toward something far greater.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: To See Again

Psalms 56, 57, (58) * 64, 65; Deuteronomy 30:1-10; 2 Corinthians 10:1-18; Luke 18:31-43

Jesus gives another prediction of his passion to his disciples, who still aren't allowed to understand it (which confuses me some) and then we hare given the story of Jesus, on his approach to Jericho, curing a blind man. If we take this miracle story in a literal way, we can appreciate the joy of this individual whose faith saved him. If we try and understand this miracle story in a different way, we can see other things in this account. 

Why would Jesus ask a blind man who is shouting for aid, what he wants? Why, when Jesus grants the man his wish does he add "your faith has saved you"? Not your faith has granted you your sight, but has saved you. 

What do we need to see that we aren't? What are we blind to in the portion of the world we occupy? In what do we need to have more faith?

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved. 

Daily Office Reflection: Prayers

Psalms 50 * (59), 60 or 8, 84; Deuteronomy 16:18-20;17:14-20; 2 Corinthians 8:1-16; Luke 18:1-8

There is an old adage, be careful what you wish for as you might just get it. I think the same holds true for prayer.

Jesus reminds his disciples today about prayer and the need for persistence in our prayer life. This is a persistence based in faithful recognition of who we are as God's beloved, who we are as Christ's body in the world. That recognition leads us to understand the kinds of things to ask for in prayer and the kinds of things for which we should not ask. For God does answer prayers, just not always in the manner or the way we want or expect. Recognizing those answers is part of that faithful persistence. 

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Copyright 2009, John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Steadiness

Psalms 119:49-72 * 49 (53); Deuteronomy 13:1--11; 2 Corinthians 7:2-16; Luke 17:20-37

The Pharisees ask Jesus about the coming of the kingdom of God and Jesus says that efforts will be made to mislead but that in fact "the kingdom of God is among you." Jesus then tells his disciples that efforts will be made to mis-direct them and that they must be steady in their beliefs and faith and not be misled. 

So much of life can be like this, where we have a direction, we know the journey that we are on, the path we should trod, and yet there are people that try to get us off that path, misguide us, distract us. A part of faithfulness is not allowing those, who for misguided reasons of their own, desire to deprive us of the journey we are called to fulfill. Being that rock of faithfulness, having a steadiness at our core, is what Jesus reminds us to strive for today. This is not an easy state of being to achieve or remain in, although it is eminently doable. And there is a cost that is associated with this steadiness: a realization that those we thought we could trust, sometimes we can't; those we thought loved us, sometimes don't; those we thought our friends prove themselves to be otherwise. A constant and high cost that Jesus models for us. This is part of the journey too.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: The Day After Pentecost

Psalms 45 * 47, 48; Deuteronomy 11:13-19; 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2; Luke 17:1-10

On this day after the settling of the Advocate on the apostles, on their becoming aware of their potential and the founding of our church, we are reminded in our Gospel reading about a reality of our existence: stumbling and forgiveness. Jesus talks about "occasions for stumbling are bound to come". This does not mean that we have to stumble, but that the opportunity will present itself to us. And if one of us should stumble, we are to give forgiveness should someone ask us. If we stumble we are the ones who are to ask for forgiveness and our community will grant it. This is a tall order for us today, for both the asking and the forgiving are difficult things for us to face up to.

To be that Body of Christ we all are, to be that community, these twinned elements of seeking forgiveness and the granting of that forgiveness are key elements to our effectuating the existence of that community. A good reading, a good reminder for this day after Pentecost.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Go and Do Likewise

Psalm 105:1-22 * 105:23-45; Ezekiel 18:1-4,19-32; Hebrews 7:18-28; Luke 10:25-37

Jesus has a conversation with a lawyer today about how to inherit eternal life and who exactly is our neighbor. And Jesus gives an example of a man who is robbed and beaten and ignored by two priests but is helped by an individual who is a pariah to the society at that time, a Samaritan. The shocking nature of this tale is lost on most of us as we don't understand just how far outside the Jewish societal norms Samaritans were.

It is so easy to be that lawyer who was looking to justify himself to Jesus, while Jesus is telling us that it is not justification or words he is looking for from us. He is looking and expecting us to act, behave and live in a certain way, where we instinctually understand who our neighbor is: we don't have to ask, we just know. And we act, help, reach out to all those around us, or to those who we pass on the journey. Quite the task we are given today.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Down the Mountain

Psalms 87, 90 * 136; Ezekiel 3:4-17; Hebrews 5:7-14; Luke 9:37-50

Today's passage is right after Luke's Transfiguration scene, and it begins today with Jesus and four of his disciples coming down off the mountain. Have you ever come down the side of a mountain, or even a steep hill?

I am out at a parish retreat in Shrine Mont, which is as far west in Virginia as you can go and not be in West Virginia. It is a retreat center owned and operated by the Diocese of Virginia and is nestled in a valley in the Shenandoah area. Driving in yesterday I came down a step and very windy road that even all but the craziest locals take slowly. Coming down from a mountain, or hill top, is dangerous and must be done with care. Doing so on foot adds a component of exhaustion I did not experience driving down into this valley, but Jesus must have as he came off of his mountain.

In our Gospel selection, we then have a fairly large number of themes strung together by Luke. At this retreat we are exploring baptism, and Jesus talks about welcoming children today, or little ones, depending on your translation from the Greek. Coming down a mountain and teaching about welcoming new ones to the flock, with a generosity of spirit and hope that can transform the world. What a nice way to think about baptism and outreach and evangelism.

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Copyright 2009, John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved

Daily Office Reflection: Ascension Day

Psalms 8, 47 * 24, 96; Ezekiel 1:1-14,24-28b; Hebrews 2:5-18; Matthew 28:16-20

There is an irreverent side of me that pops out on occasion, and this morning is one of those times it is popping up. Although today is an important day in our faith tradition, a song is running through my head on a continuous loop and perhaps if I share it, the song will go away. The first line is Up, up and away, in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon...... and the music goes on from there, and then I'm back to the first line again. 

It's actually kind of a fun picture to imagine, Jesus hopping into a hot air balloon, like the wizard of oz, and flying away. Not a religious image at all, but one that perhaps can illustrate why this Holy Day is such a hard one for so many people. Jesus ascends, bodily, to heaven today. We say it in our Creeds: who was crucified, died, rose and ascended to heaven..... We're at the ascension part today. And I think humor and odd images help people deal with parts of the faith that are so difficult to understand, or even yet imagine. 

We are given such wonderful parting words from Jesus today in Matthew: All authority has been given to him and he has called all of us to make disciples of all nations. ALL. He tells us how to baptize. And he tells us to remember that he is always with us. ALWAYS. Now there is something that takes that silly song out of my head.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Worrying

MP: Psalm 119:97-120; Baruch 3:24-37; James 5:13-18; Luke 12:22-31

EP: Psalm 68:1-20; 2Kings 2:1-15; Revelation 5:1-14

In the Gospel of Luke this morning, the day before Ascension Day, Jesus talks about our incessant worrying over unnecessary things. He uses some form of that word, worry, four times in 8 verses. Don't worry about clothing, and food. Don't worry about inconsequential things. For me there are two phrases that jump out at me in this morning's Gospel lesson:

• For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.
• Strive for God's kingdom; and these things will be given to you as well.

I must confess: I do worry about what I wear, how I look, how people will perceive me from my attire and my body-type. I don't worry so much about food - I am particular about what I eat but I can go a remarkable amount of time without eating. But, then again, I have been blessed to never have been completely destitute and worried about not having any food with which to survive on. So my experience is narrow in that regard.

I also must confess that I enjoy watching the show Sex in the City. In fact, last night after work, I sat down and watched the movie version of the show on DVD. I was struck by the rampant materialism and how much fashion, clothes, hair style, body type, played a part in the characters' lives. One of the lines about living in NYC is: People come to NYC for Fun, Fashion and Love. A goodly portion of the movie (and the series) explores what friendship is and means, as well as the difference between sex and love and how they can be mistaken for one another and the ramifications from that confusion. It also has to do with very expensive fashion, from clothing, to shoes, to bags. And yet, even with all this focus on inconsequential aspects of life, the movie did focus on love and the real meaning of it. And my last confession of the morning is that the movie made me cry last night.

Even with all the worrying those characters went through, when they were able to let go of those concerns (intellectual, financial, material) and let love reign true, their lives became different and better than they were before. Striving for God's kingdom can be found in that love, in that trust in our deepest selves. In that trust that the love that God has for us and has planted at the very root of our being, can bring us to a place where the worrying over materialistic things can fade and the true meaning of what our lives should be focused on can come into clear focus.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Asking, Searching, Knocking

Psalms 78(1-39) * 78(40-72); Deuteronomy 8:11-20; Luke 11:1-13

Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray today, teaching them The Lord's Prayer. after they ask him how they should pray. Following this he tells them quite explicitly that prayer isn't a one time thing, but a constant conversation, an ongoing conversation with God. 

I don't think this need for persistence is because God doesn't listen to us or purposefully ignores us. I think this persistence has more to do with our frailty and our penchant for asking for things that we don't really need, or perhaps asking for the impossible.

This ongoing dialogue with God is a regular reminder that we are not alone as we walk this journey and that another, more perfect than us, has walked it already and felt the same joys and griefs that we have felt.  Prayer can help us take this walk with more confidence.

jfd+

Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Gaining the Whole World

Psalms 80 * 77, 79; Deuteronomy 8:1-10; James 1:1-15; Luke 9:18-27

What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?

Jesus is in private prayer and conversation with his disciples today and he asks them not only who people think that he is but who these, his closest followers, believe that he is. And they get it right. Then Jesus gives a prediction of his passion week and tells all of us what it takes to be a disciple of his: deny ourselves,take up our cross daily and follow him. To save our life we must lose it and by losing our life for Jesus we save it.

We are back to ordering our priorities around Jesus and the example he sets for us. At the root of this is love: love for God and love for our neighbors as we love ourselves. This is so dramatically simple and so impossibly hard to accomplish. 2000 years of history has shown this to be the case. That being said, this does not mean that we should stop trying, stop being involved, stop our efforts at deciphering what our individual crosses are that we need to take up daily and follow down the path Jesus is leading us. 

I think Jesus knew our limitations, and although dramatic breakthroughs can and do happen, small steps are what are called for here. If we can each take small steps toward carrying those individual crosses, we will be effectuating the creation of the kingdom of God Jesus announces today, and we will be gaining the whole world - a world we are helping to make.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Not Everyone Says Yes

Psalms 75, 76 * 23, 27; Wisdom 19:1-8, 18-22; Romans 15:1-13; Luke 9:1-17

Jesus sends his 12 apostles out today having given them power and authority over demons, to cure diseases and to proclaim God's kingdom. He warns them that not everyone will welcome them and, although he doesn't say these exact words, he says not to worry about them (shake the dust from your feet as you leave).  

I struggle with this. I want everyone to come and be a part of effectuating the continued creation of God's kingdom Jesus ushers into the world. I want everyone to be a part of this joyous communal activity. And I know this is unrealistic and silly, but "want" and reality are often two very different things. 

Jesus doesn't say don't try, but he does make clear that  we are to keep moving on when the answer is no, we are to keep moving on to that next town and keep spreading the kingdom's creation. Not all will say yes. There will be disappointments. Perhaps that is one of the reasons I struggle with this idea: I don't like disappointments. But there it is in the Gospel, Jesus bursting my bubble again. How do you savor the victories if you don't have the disappointments to match them against?

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Wisdom is a She

Psalms 61, 62 * 68:1-20(21-23)24-36; Wisdom 10:1-4(5-12)13-21; Romans 12:1-21; Luke 8:1-15

One of the things that drives me crazy about our society, our culture and (in places) our church is the rampant misogyny that imbues so much of all of those aspects of life.  So much of our religious tradition is patriarchal. So many of our translations of the Bible feed the patriarchal understanding of God's work in the world and help to re-enforce the ugly misogyny that exists in society.

This morning's Wisdom reading is a welcome relief from that narrow view point. Let me preface this with the understanding that I have done no research or study of the book of Wisdom, so what I am saying here is from a surface reading of our text today. But to hear the arc of the story of God's work in the world from it's creation, through the wrongs and devastations caused by humans, and Wisdom's work, correcting those wrongs, being described in the feminine pronoun is a welcome voice that needs to be more widely heard and incorporated into our understanding of God and how the world works.

Luke today provides us with the names of three women who are traveling with Jesus and the twelve: Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Susanna. These devout members of Jesus' adopted family (as well as Wisdom being a woman) need to be remembered when those frustrations about misogyny raise their head. This is helpful.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: New Eyes

Psalms 56, 57, (58) * 64, 65; Wisdom 9:1,7-18; Colossians (3:18-4:1)2-18; Luke 7:36-50

I'm just back from six days off, and my first Sunday off in many months. I didn't go anywhere exciting or new or do anything fantastically memorable. I visited friends and family, read, took long walks with the dog, caught a nap almost every day and quietly prayed. I found that I was much more tired than I thought I was and am grateful for the quiet time away. I cannot say that I am fully refreshed, but I know I am not as exhausted. And I think I can now see the forest, despite the trees, while before I took a brief time off, I think I was only seeing the bugs on the bark of individual trees.

Perhaps this is the feeling the "sinful woman" in our Gospel reading felt when she saw Jesus sitting at the Pharisees table: this feeling of getting a glimpse of the bigger picture. This feeling of knowing that there is more to life than our individual and sometimes petty concerns that can overwhelm us allowing us to think of nothing else. Jesus' love and forgiveness of this individual, who got a glimpse of the bigger picture when she saw him, indicates to us the love and forgiveness awaiting for us. Not only awaiting for us and available for us, but is indicative of what we should do, how we should act toward those we meet.

I know this wider vision I have will not last and that I will get sucked into looking at the bugs on the bark of individual trees, forgetting about the forest. I hope and pray that I can more frequently and more  easily take that journey back to see the majesty of the forest in all its resplendent beauty. 

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Copyright 2009. The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: What A World It Could Be

Psalms 119:49-72 * 49 (53); Wisdom 4:16-5:8 Colossians 1:24-2:7; Luke 6:27-38

We are given a picture of such a beautiful world by Jesus today. A world where we are bigger than our grievances, where we are bigger than our personal ambitions, where we are bigger than our greed. A world where we are always kind, generous, forgiving and altruistic. A world where we don't expect something to be given to us because of our actions. What a world this could be.

Realistically our human selves makes the existence of this world Jesus describes a bit problematic. If we look at the themes that run through scripture, greed v. generosity, forgiveness v. vengeance, hate v. love, we see that we have a ways to go. We see that we haven't changed, at our root, all that much. Sure society and culture and technology and knowledge have all increased, but our basic drives haven't. Jesus points us to that for which we should strive. What a world it could be.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.

Daily Office Reflection: Prayer and Action

Psalms 45 * 47, 48; Wisdom 3:1-9; Colossians 1:15-23; Luke 6:12-26

Our Gospel is just chock full of information and action today. Jesus spends the whole night in prayer, calls his throngs of disciples together and picks and names 12 as apostles and then comes down from the mountain to teach this great crowd of disciples and and an even larger group of people, standing on a level place. This is the beginning of the "Sermon on the Plain" (as opposed to the Sermon on the Mount in other Gospels) and we are provided with Luke's blessings and woes.

A whole lot to contemplate and try to digest today. We have  a repeated pattern here: Jesus praying alone and then going forward to work and to teach and to lead. Prayer is a central part of Jesus' life and is essential to his ministry. He models for us a behavior that is vital for our own spiritual growth and development.

There are many times when prayer seems to be hard, meaningless even. Our expectations may be miscued if that is the case. Prayer can give us guidance, it can give us strength to face and do what we must. By making prayer a regular part of our daily existence, we are girding ourselves to face what will come. Will everything be perfect, peachy-keen? Probably not. But we will be better able to face and deal with whatever comes, knowing that we are never alone, having given ourselves a firm ground on which to stand.

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Copyright 2009, The Rev. John F. Dwyer. All Rights Reserved.