Readings: Acts 13, 43-52; Psalm 100; Revelations 7, 9-17; John 10, 27-30

Acts – More on the travels of Paul and Barnabas.

How do I know I’m hearing the "Voice?"

Nine days ago there was a small article in The Dallas Morning News, Friday, April 20, that noted that "Pope Benedict XV has reversed centuries of Roman Catholic teaching on limbo."

What I was taught as a child was that unbaptized babies went to limbo if they died. So now what?

Infant baptism was all important. I should even baptize a baby without the parents’ knowledge if I was in a hospital and a baby was dying. Limbo was not heaven, but it sure was not hell, sort of an in between.

I was reminded by the first reading and the gospel of another belief I was trained in as a child: if you are not Catholic you are going to hell. I remember thinking how sad it was that so many of my parents’ friends, all protestant, were not going to heaven. It seemed weird.

Paul & Barnabas say that because the Jews rejected Jesus’ word, they condemn themselves as unworthy of eternal life. Likewise, they say that those destined for eternal life came to believe.

In the gospel Jesus says his sheep hear his voice and he gives them eternal life. Not that I want to be a sheep. Sheep are scared of everything.

These are two items of belief that I was trained on and they are no longer credible. 50 years from now what other beliefs will end up in the dust bin of history? No meat on Friday ruled my parents’ lives. Where is it? Yes, coming back, I know.

If there is no limbo, how does this affect the idea of original sin? Is there an original sin? What about the statement that God the Father sent his Son to die for our sins? Is this true?

Which leads me to ask, how do I know? In the gospel Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice." How do I know among so many messages and voices that I am hearing the voice? I thought I was hearing the voice as a kid when I believed in limbo and the fact that only Catholics were going to heaven. Was the voice I heard divine or just some person who thought he or she knew? But didn’t. I do not want to be a sheep like I was in my youth, and follow anyone who thinks they know.

A couple of thoughts about discerning the voice.

First, I think the real voice gives my spirit peace. The other voices bring violence and turmoil.

I may not like what the voice whispers in my spirit, but ultimately I am peaceful. I may be dying. The voice says accept.      

Secondly, the voice gives me self-confidence. The false voices create doubts and lack of a sense of harmony. Like for years I doubted the limbo idea. Some well intentioned soul thought they knew. St. Augustine thought only Catholics go to heaven.

Like a sheep I could run from the questions. As a person listening to the voice I’ll face my questions.

Which brings us to The Question: What do you believe in; what are 5 things you believe in?

Download the homily as an mp3 file.

Here he is, Everybody, the baby we have been waiting eagerly to meet.  Welcome in, Atlas, we are all so happy to meet you.  You are marvelous, just like you mom & dad.

Readings:  

 Wisdom 1, 13-15, 2, 23-24, God did not make death; God formed man to be imperishable

 Psalm 30,   I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

 2 Corinthians 8, 7, 9, 13-15,  As you excel in every respect

Mark 5, 21-43, Daughter, your faith has saved you.  Go in peace. 

Welcome back, Wendy & Brandon, and congratulations on a marvelous little boy.

Wisdom observations:

One of the 14-15 books of the deutero-canonical books of the bible.  Not part of the orginal Jewish bible, not part of the OT nor the NT, but in between and the subject of controvercy over the cenuries.  Were they really part of the bible or not?  How do you know?  Catholic church accepts the books.

Author: not Solomon, but a Jew living in Alexandria, Egypt, who spoke and wrote excellent Greek.

The Best Music with Wendy & Katie.

Date: ca. 100-200 before Christ.  How do we know these facts?  Because of text analysis.  For example, while the author wrote in Greek, he uses phrases and expressions that have a Hebrew flavor.  Also, he mentions rulers and places that reveal date and locale. 

Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia on line

With Patricia reading the Blessing, Emma does her candle magic.

You can do it too

In the gospel today Jesus gives life to a little girl.  I would like to propose that you can give life, too. 

I have a story for you from my Dallas Morning News columnist friend, Steve Blow.  I saw his touching story some years ago.  In fact, Steve is retired & I miss his thoughts..

Offertory with Mary & Sydney & Hugh.

Ever hear of Fausta Twizerimana or Dolena Westergard?  Well, 10-11 years ago Fausta flew into Dallas and arrived exhausted one evening at the East Dallas Grace United Methodist Church.  She, her five siblings, and her parents were from a refugee camp in Tanzania, where I lived for about 10 years.  Fausta was 4. 

The Church welcomes refugees and this particular evening Dolena Westergard was there.  Dolena met the family and picked up Fausta. She fell in love. '

They are moving in, Folks, Beth & Rob, Sir Charlie & John

The family continued to attend the church and fitted into the fabric of the community.  Dolena watched Fausta and noticed that the girl had a gift for dancing.  She was always doing it. 

After four years of watching the girl dance, Dolena, who was now really a god mother to the kids, enrolled Fausta in the Dallas Black Dance Theatre.  Fausta, now 8, fell in love, too.  Never did she miss a session for the next four years. 

Wendy & Katie, you have been missed around here.

Then, along comes 2015 and a notice goes up that the Dance Theatre of Harlem was coming to Dallas to audition for positions in their summer workshop. 

Fausta has been dancing now for 4 years, is 12, and Dolena thinks it would help the girl just to learn how to audition.  No expectations.

You guessed it, Fausta gets selected. 

It is cupcake of the week time, 3 cupackes and 1 Bellvita.

Fine, but who is going to buy plane tickets for Fausta and a chaperon, plus about $3,000 in expenses?  This is New York, after all.   

You guessed it again, Grace United Methodist.  That night Fausta sat in a Broadway theatre to watch an African story, The Lion King.

Grace United Methodist gave life to Fausta, and, in particular, Dolena gave life to Fausta.   I even read that Prestonwood Baptist is giving life to the kids in the detention centers.

Congratulations again, Brandon, on such a marvelous kid.

This week families & people all over the country are trying to give life to the kids separated from their mothers and fathers.

Just like Jesus gave life to that little girl and to the woman who touched him.

To whom do you give life?

Wake up, Brandon, it is homily time, yeah. 

Source: Dallas Morning News, Steve Blow, Metro section, circa July 1, 2015

Readings: Proverbs 8, 22-31; Psalm 8, O Lord, Our God, how Wonderful you Name in all the Earth; Romans 5, 1-5; John 16, 12-15.

Trinity Sunday – Intro to Readings.

Our readings today come from the Book of Proverbs, Paul’s Letter to the Romans and John’s Gospel.

The Book of Proverbs is one we don’t often read from.  It forms part of what is known as the Wisdom Literature, along with the Book of Job, Ecclesiastes, Ecclesiasticus and the Book of Wisdom. 

Wisdom literature was very popular throughout the ancient East, particularly Egypt.  In fact, much of the contents of the Book of Proverbs is also found in other more ancient Egyptian writing.  Proverbs is interesting from the point of view that unlike the rest of the Old Testament, where the focus for a relationship with God came from the top, from God thru various covenants and laws, the writers of Proverbs find reason for a relationship with God from man’s own life. 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.  In this phrase, repeated a couple of times in Proverbs, the word fear is best understood as respect.  The emphasis throughout the book is on the need for recognition on man’s part for the importance of a proper relationship with God.  Much of the writing is very practical in nature.  The material is quite old, with the books being put together in their final form sometime after the exile, around the year 500 BCE.  Much of the book has traditionally been attributed to Solomon and he probably did contribute some of the sayings.

The Letter to the Romans contains the familiar phrase about justification by faith which caused the Church at the time of Luther to have such a difficult time, since Luther took the position that faith alone was all that was needed for salvation, based on this letter, and the Church was holding out for good works also.

Our Gospel from John comes from the long discussion which takes place within the context of the Last Supper.

Trinity Sunday Homily

I spent about 21 years working at IBM and one of the words which is ingrained into every IBMer from a very early stage is the word “Think”.  It was something which Mr. Tom Watson Sr. decided should be the catchword for the company, and which I suspect we would find tattooed on Bob McGrath’s chest.  

Well in matters of God, I feel we are better off with less thinking and more doing.  Today’s feast is a case in point, the feast of the Holy Trinity.  I know that I have said this both at Easter and again on the Feast of the Ascension, “the minute you have managed to understand God, be sure you are in heresy”!  Our God is too big for human contemplation, plus our God is a God of action.  A quick look at Jesus’ life will show that He was either doing or praying, but not thinking!

 

If we accept that the basic message and life of Jesus was about breaking down barriers between people, about freeing people from the unnecessary burdens of guilt, about loving people, then the question we need to be focusing on is “how am I doing?”  Is my life lived bringing joy and encouragement to those around me, not just the people I like but the ones I can’t stand too!  Do I live a life of forgiveness, or do I find myself collecting resentments?  Am I busy building people up, or busy tearing them down either through criticism or gossip?  Is my life lived honestly, or do I play games and pretend to be what I am not?  The questions could continue.  But this is the reason we come here each week to stand before one another and our God, to take the time to reflect on our lives and to resolve to improve them in the days or week ahead.

Picture 1:   The Celebrants

Picture 2:   Choir, Wendy, Shonda, Ray, & Celeste

Picture 3:   Offertory, Grace & Mary Ellen

Picture 4:   CCAC monthly $2000 contribution, Claire & Bobby

Readings:

Isaiah  49, 3, 5-6,  I will make you a light to the nations.

Psalm 40,  Here I am, Lord, I come to do your will.

1 Corinthians 1,  1-3,  Grace to you and peace.

John  1, 29-34, I saw the spirit come down. Like a dove.

Cowboy Cole and his mom, Erin, say, "Hi, Everybody, Welcome in."

Isaiah reminders, again—

 Author: This is still Isaiah #2, the composer of chapters 40-55.  Isaiah is my favorite book and Isaiah 2 I love the most.  As John Cade pointed out a while back, Isaiah 2 is used by Handel in his work, The Messiah, another of my favorites.

 Date:  Ca. 555 before Christ.  The Jewish people of Jerusalem are in the Babylonian Captivity.

Subject:  A great day will come for you Jews in this slavery.  You will be a beacon to others, glorious, and a light to nations everywhere.

Charlotte says, "When do I get my Cupcake?"

A Light to the Nations?  Get Serious.

Here it is again, folks, that line that has motivated me for decades, “I will make you a light to the nations.”  Last week Isaiah 2 mentioned giving sight to the blind.  It is the same idea and motivator for me.

So, this week, while I am reflecting on the readings and my favorite line, Tuesday comes with the news that 75 people have been killed by bombs in Bagdad, Iraq.  Me, a light to the nations?  Get serious.

Sienna says, "You got my Cupcake?"

Next I hear & read news about 20 plus killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, including 2 Americans.  Both of these places ware special to us Americans.  A light to the nations?

On top of this, I am reflecting on an anniversary, a sad one.  This week is the one year anniversary of Kate Banzhaf who died in a car wreck near Colorado Springs.  The person driving Kate was drunk, and she survived.  This was only months after I had celebrated Kate’s wedding.  A light to the nations? 

And Brooklyn says, "Even though it's not my birthday, aren't I a good girl?"

If I let myself, I can get truly discouraged by focusing on all this and so much more.   Two things help me.

First, ever hear of the Christopher movement?  This was big probably in the 40’s when I was a little kid.  The slogan is, “Better to light one candle than curse the darkness.”  I have a vivid memory of being in the Cotton Bowl as a little boy with my dad.  It was a Christopher rally.  At one point all the lights were turned out and everyone lighted the candle they had been given.  I was very impressed by this metaphor.

Jean, Lily, and Bob Cardenas.

Secondly, I look around me at some of the many good things going on.

For instance, I read about Brian DiCarlo, a 23 year old Oregon State student who is walking through a parking lot when he finds an envelope.  He opens it and finds thousands of dollars, like 40 thousand. 

He does not even think twice.  He goes right to the police.  In fact, a 71 year old lady, Sharon Davis, had been on her way to pay on a new house and dropped the money accidentally.  He wanted no reward, but she gave him $300.  He may get much more from readers.  Someone will set up one of those contribution sites.

Emma says, "I'm here, Everybody."

Likewise, Bernadette & some others sent me news of Cardinal O’Malley of Boston, a Franciscan.  He is at an ecumenical service at a Methodist church.  On his way out a minister steps up and asks the Cardinal’s blessing. 

Picture & article on Cardinal O'Malley:   Download Cardinal O'Malley 1-23-14

Behind this man is another minister, a woman.  She asks for O’Malley’s blessing and when he does it, he looks right at her and asks for her blessing.  She gives it.  Incredible. 

Cupcakes of The Week to Sienna, Kevin, and Chloe.  

Finally, I don’t have to go farther than this community.  You people have and do bring light to the nations, nations like Soul’s Harbor, Habitat, a crippled lady almost homeless in Cuernavaca, Mexico,  families in our own community stressed out by emergencies, Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center, our local food bank, and numerous other nations. 

I am consoled to be part of you people.

Georgie suited up.

It is a challenge to stay away from the discouragement that comes from reading & hearing about the tragic stuff.  Instead of cursing that darkness, each of us can still light one candle.  A whole dark stadium can be illuminated.

Whose candle illuminates your life and with whom do you share your candle light?

Does it get better than this? Claire with Chloe and Charlotte.