Sunday Homily, December 3,2017, 1st Advent, B Cycle

Readings:    

Jeremiah  31, 7-9,   Shout with joy.

Psalm 126,   The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy.

Hebrews 5, 1-6,   Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God.

Mark 10, 46-52,  Bartimaeus, a blind man, sat by the road begging. 

Emma

Jeremiah observations:

Who:  one of the Big 3 Prophets, 52 chapters, the “broken hearted prophet,” because he hated being so unpopular and having to condemn so much. 

Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe seems to be who put down the prophet’s message.   Jeremiah probably died in Egypt.

When: put together before & during the B.C., Babylonian Captivity, say 575 before Christ  (reminder, Babylon is near present day Bagdad, Iraq).

Remember, too,  that time before Christ is counting downward or backwards.

Welcome, Leo

Interesting Side Note: (another reminder) can you guess when the Genesis story of creation in 7 days was composed?  Biblical research reveals that the creation story was put together during the Captivity, this same time, i.e. ca. 575.

Why?  The priests & prophets (e.g., Ezekiel) of the Jews in captivity determined that the people would not be assimilated into the local gene pool as their cousins in the northern kingdom had done when made to live with the Assyrians.  They decided they would establish customs & religious practices that would make the Jews so different they would not intermarry.  Three special laws were established: 1.  male circumcision; 2. dietary laws and laws about not touching menstruating women; and 3. the Sabbath.

The priests put together the 7 day creation story to suggest that Yahweh approved of their Sabbath law.  They had Yahweh rest on the 7th day to bolster their demand that all Jews take a day off every 7 days.  Before the Babylonian Captivity there was no legislated Sabbath and no myth of Yahweh creating the world in 7 days with the 7th being a day of rest.  So, now you know when the story was created & by whom, the priests, and why, to keep the Jews united vs the Babylonians.  It worked, even down to today.

Offertory, Mike and Judy, Mary and Bill

Subject: the usual prophet message—condemn, pay, peace.

Today: Beautiful message of peace and consolation.  It is coming.

Sources: Bishop John Shelby Spong, The sins of Scripture; Wikipedia

Leo and Cole

 She Danced through Life

Rosemary & I had the privilege and the honor Thursday to attend the funeral of another noble woman & friend, like Joan, Colleen Romero. 

I calculate that Rosemary & I have known Colleen and her husband for ten years.  We certainly knew them for a couple of years before we got married in 05/05/05.   You will never guess how we met them.  Dancing.

Zoe receiving her birthday cupcake of the week, 4 years old today, Sunday

 Somewhere along the line, a group of us noticed that Plano Parks provided a whole variety of adult classes, among them dancing.  So Rosemary & I, Gilberto & Bernadette, Beth & Rob , and some others, we all decided, “Let’s go learn to dance.”  And so we met Colleen and Fred.

Sophia

They were our teachers.  They were elegant, charming, and fun.  I danced with Colleen a number of times.  I would ask Fred how I was learning some special dance.  He would laugh.  Then Colleen would guide me to a point where I got it.

Delgado corner with Buddy, Leo, and Torri

 This is the first thing I see when I remember Colleen.  She danced through life, charming, elegant, smiling, and having fun.  She and Fred were even running dance classes at St. Gabriel parish for adults who had Parkinson’s or coordination problems. 

Nikki and Cameron with Sophia with their birthday cupcakes of the week, 12 years old.

A  second aspect to Colleen I saw recently.  It was a few weeks back when I got a notice that Colleen was not doing well and was in the hospital.   We had not seen her and Fred for months, maybe a year.  She had been struggling with various joint problems for some time, but this was supposed to be serious.

Jessica home from Boston

So, I called her straight up.  She answered.  She sounded groggy and stressed.  In fact, she was experiencing nausea.  So I made it quick, saying I loved her and sent her all my support.  She said this may be her time and that she was okay about it.

A few more days go by and I get another note saying that the word is this really is it.  This time we get in the car and go visit her at Medical City Plano. 

I walk in and find her looking and sounding great.  However, she says this is truly her time, that she wants no special treatment, and that she is totally ready.  She was in that acceptance stage we talk about in stages of dying, the stage of peace.  

Cathy just before receiving blessing for her foot operation

Colleen was not like Mark’s Bartimaeus today.  She was not blind.  She could see.  She danced her way through life and when her time approached, she accepted it. 

Like I asked with Joan, how have you been blessed by people like Colleen?

Readings:  Wisdom 9, 13-18; Psalm 90, In every age, O Lord, You have been Our Refuge; Philemon 9-10, 12-17 (expand, 4-22); Luke 14, 24-33

Philemon observations:

Author: Paul in prison in Rome.

Time: around 60 C.E.

Actors:

—Paul

—Philemon, a leader of the Christian community in Colossae ( in Turkey today), maybe a slave owner

—Onesimus, maybe a run away slave, maybe a brother to Philemon.  This letter was used for centuries by slave owners to justify slavery.  Right up to the Confederacy.

What is going on:  Paul is writing to Philemon to request a warm welcome to Onesimus, who, as slave or brother, has apparently run off with money or goods of Philemon.  When Onesimus ran away, he met Paul and they became close, with Onesimus helping Paul while he is imprisoned.

We’ll read verses 4-24 for a broader picture of the letter.

Wisdom observation:  a book of counsel on behavior.  Basically, be good thrive, bad burn alive.  Not written by Solomon.

Sources: Good News Bible; Christian Inconnect (on line); New Interpreter’s Study Bible, pp. 2147 & ff.

Hate My Parents?  Renounce My Possessions?

I would like to talk this morning about the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred bike ride in Wichita Falls last Saturday.

Approximately every ten miles of the HHH there is a rest station.  You can get water, gator aide, pickle juice, pickles, bananas, watermelon, and other specialties.  The pickle juice & bananas are for potassium to prevent muscle cramps, which I have to fight.

I stop at every rest station except the ten mile station.  Last Saturday I was at the 30 miles station, a favorite because the ladies there bake chocolate chip cookies.  Trouble is, I can only eat one.  Or I’ll throw up.

I had made a resolution to lie down at each stop for a few minutes.  So I lie down in the grass near my bike.  Almost immediately another rider says to me, “You okay?”  I was perfectly okay I told him.  Thanks.

This caring for one another really touches me and seems contagious throughout the event.  Other people have asked me how I’m doing (maybe they think the old geezer can’t make it) and I ask others. 

My buddy and mentor Hammond tells me another story of people helping people.  He goes by a girl with a flat tire.  He remembers her well because she was all in pink, pink jersey, pink pants & shoes, pink helmet & bike, long blond hair.  Bill said there were about 5 guys all helping her.  I asked him if shortly there was a sixth.

Bill said he was telling Greg Moldovan the story at the next rest stop.  A guy near them in the crowd said, “Hey, I was one of those guys and we were only three.”

I tell stories about caring for one another to broaden Luke's demanding  message today.  Hate my parents?  Maybe not so hard to do sometimes.  My brothers & sisters?  Renounce all my possessions?  Hey, I’ve done this, actually twice.  It ain’t the answer.  What is the healthy approach?

Three observations.

First, we have here the old Christian dynamic of infinite demand—coupled with infinite acceptance.  It is not meant literally, but symbolically.

Secondly, this infinite demand can be healthy & useful.  What about healthy detachment for a greater good?  High school & college football practice is in full throttle right now.  When I played a bit of high school football, in order to get in shape we did all sorts of conditioning exercises. We did pushups so often I hated them for the rest of my life.

To achieve a greater good I may have to detach from my parents & my possessions. 

Thirdly, I have 4 examples of the caring-for-others-way being a greater good.

a.  Paul’s care for Onesimus in the second reading.

b.  Luke’s very own story of the Good Samaritan.

c.  The guy asking me if I was okay.

d.  Greg Mortenson’s stunning book, Stones into Schools, about building girls’ schools in Afghanistan

Whom do you care for?

Picture 1:   Mass Begins

Picture 2:   Mass Ends

Picture 3:   Georgie & Zoe enjoy the celebration

Picture 4:   Normally the one taking the pictures, Jan is caught by the eye of the camera.

Pcture 5:   The Gang, Sandra, Mike, John, Chuck, & Geri

Readings:  

 1 Kings, 19, 4-8, Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you.

 Psalm 34, Taste and see the Goodness of rhe Lord

Ephesians 4, 30-5, 2, Be imitators of God and live in love.

John 6, 24-35, I am the bread of life. 

Mass Begins

Kings:  a review–

Subject: The kings of Israel.  The Big 3 kings were Saul, David, & his son Solomon.  The 2 Books of kings follows the 2 Books of Samuel, which describe the lives of the the kings up to the death of the Great King David, my favorite.  1 & 2 Kings takes up the life of Solomon, David's son, his building of the temple, his death, and the fate of the kingdom following his death, that is, it divides and is conquered. 

Time Period:  from ca. 900 – 550 BCE, or from Solomon to Nebuchadnezzar & Cyrus.

Kevin on the job

Authors: a compilation of many sources that was put together at the end of the Babylonian Captivity, ca. 550 BCE. 

Our Selection: focus is on one man, the prophet Elijah.  The kingdom has already been split.  Our story takes place in the northern state, Israel.  Time of severe drought.  The king is Ahab; his queen, the famous Jezebel.  The prophet Elijah has scolded them for turning to false gods to end the drought.  

Emma 8-12-12

There has been a contest in chapter 18: Elijah vs the 450 prophets of Baal, ultimately to see which side would be more effective in bringing rain.  2 bulls were slaughtered.  Naturally, Elijah wins when Yahweh answers his prayer, sends down fire, and consumes the bull Elijah has slaughtered.  When he wins, he slaughters the 450 prophets of Baal.   

Emma on the job

We enter at a point where Jezebel is furious with Elijah for killing her favorite prophets and aims to kill Elijah.  He is going to run away all depressed.   

We will read an expanded chapter 19, from 1-13.   In fact, I want to tell  you the story in Chapter 18, such a special story.    

Leo on the job before he got sick & had to leave

Taste & See the Goodness

This story takes place in Marshalltown, Iowa.  It is the fifth of eight layover towns on our west to east bike ride across Iowa, a trip called Ragbrai (Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride across Iowa), 10 thousand people this year, its 40^th.

We had just had a lasagna dinner at a Christian Church in the town center.  We are getting our campsite & gear ready because a storm was predicted.  The temperature had been above 100 and rain & cooler temperatures were approaching.  In fact, we could see big clouds building in the west and heading toward us. 

At 8:30 a shower hit.  8:45 it tapered off.  I took a bag of water bottles to a nearby pavilion to fill them.  I fill them and prepare to return when it went chaotic.  The rain came down in sheets, the wind blew every which way, and suddenly two gigantic gusts blew everything over, tents, bikes, gear.  People poured into the pavilion.

Our Habitat House. Look closely and you may see the siding going on.

I could not see Rosemary & Aviana, but I know Rosemary well enough.  She can cope & would be okay. 

After 30 minutes of this torrential rain, it began to lessen.  Then the police arrive & tell us we are being evacuated to a school because of tornadoes & hail coming our way.  Not good.

I run & get Rosemary & Aviana.  Our tent has collapsed, so we roll it up wet and put it in the back of the van.  We end up in a Lutheran Church because the school could not fit everyone.   It is dark by now, still raining lightly, but cooler. 

I can still remember entering that Lutheran Church.  First of all, it was air conditioned.  Wow, so nice.  Secondly, the pastor was at the entrance welcoming everyone, saying we could use every room & corner.  We did.  It was wall to wall people.  We all spent the night on the floors, which were carpeted. 

Lying on that floor in the middle of a crowd in the middle of the night, I considered chucking the remainder of our trip.  So much of what we had was soaked.

Two of our new, special helpers, Catherine & Alison

The next morning about 5:30, however, it was spectacularly beautiful, cool and sunny with light, left over clouds.  People were in great humor.  One guy said to me with a laugh in the parking lot of the church, “It’s just Ragbrai, let’s ride!”  And I did.  And Rosemary did.  And so did Aviana, who had been the queen of those sleeping in the church. 

There were a gazillion lessons that struck me & Rosemary from that adventure.  Let me single out 3. 

First, we were homeless and taken in, sheltered, and shown warm hospitality, by a Lutheran Church.  Yahweh showed hospitality & care for Elijah.  We attempt to show hospitality as a community.  Look at Habitat.  Look at the Katrina refugees.

Secondly, like Ephesians says excellently today, there was no bitterness, anger, fury, or shouting.  In fact, generosity & love emanated from the Lutheran community and we returned it in a small way.

Tom putting up siding–in the shade

A basket had been put in the back of the church part of the complex and it was filling with $20’s.  Rosemary sent a thank you note to the pastor.

Thirdly, taste & see the goodness of the Lord.  I love this line and what it calls me to.   I could savor the goodness some at the time.  But I had a list later with Rosemary. 

The ability just to ride my bike.  And we got the car fixed easily (dashboard light came on).

The cooler temperatures and the needed rain, which produced a glorious day.

The evacuation so peacefully accepted by so many, and especially the Lutheran Church, which was so gracious.

Rosemary reading her Blessing

Folks, we take bunches of trips in our lives.  We taste & see the goodness of the Lord every day.  Occasionally we have an adventure like Marshalltown.   At the time of the adventure and even more so later, we really taste & see the Goodness.

What happened the last time you really tasted and really saw the Goodness?

Readings:

Acts of the Apostles 2, 14, 22-33.  You who are Jews, listen to my words.

Psalm 16,  Lord, you will show us the path of life.  

1 Peter 1, 17-21,   Conduct yourselves with reverence.

 Luke 24,  13-35,   Two men on the road to Emmaus.   

"Hi, Everybody, Welcome in," say Buddy, Tori, and Harper.

 And who let in these clowns?  John, Tom, Denni, & Jim.

Readings:

Nehemiah 8, 2-10,  Go, eat rich foods and drink sweet drinks.

Psalm 19,  Your words, Lord, are spirit and life.

1 Corinthians 12, 4-11, Now, the body is not a single part, but many.

John 2, 1-11, He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor and liberty to captives.

Ready to begin.

 For those who don’t have a decent Bible or a book of the readings, here are two links that I use, The Bible at Your Fingertips (http://st-luke-church.org/bible-at-finger-tips.php) and USCCB, The New American Bible (http://www.usccb.org/).  

The difference?  The first is Protestant more or less, and the second is officially Catholic and has the 12 little books in between the O.T. & N.T., called Deuterocanonical or Apocrypha. 

Both are good translations.  

Cupcakes of The Week, Mike, John, Sir Charlie, Rick, and Michelle and Torri standing in for Randolph.

Nehemiah

 The book of Nehemiah takes place at the end of the Babylonian captivity.  Three main characters play roles, though the first two are not mentioned in today’s reading.  Cyrus is the benevolent ruler who defeated the Babylonians.  Then he gives the Jews permission to return to their homeland and Jerusalem.

 Nehemiah is the Jew Cyrus puts in charge of restoring the city of Jerusalem and the temple.  It was Cyrus who appointed Nehemiah the governor of the new Jerusalem.  Nehemiah was not a prophet, but a governor. 

 Ezra, the central character of today’s reading, is a priest & law scholar. 

We arrive on the scene after Nehemiah has established Jerusalem.  The people have assembled in the town center and asked Ezra to read to them the law that orders their new lives.  We hear part of the reading, a part that emphasizes rejoicing.

 This the only time in the 3 year church cycle of readings that we have a selection from Nehemiah.  Did he do something wrong? 

Meredith

1 Corinthinians 12

 During the time of Paul, the Greek city of Corinth was almost as significant as Athens.  Paul had established a community there and in his letter he is offering his advice to the people. 

 Chapter 13 is Paul’s famous letter about love being kind & patient.  Chapter 12, our reading today, offers an almost amusing analogy of the community to a body.  We are parts of the body and consequently we are important, making our unique contributions.  

 Sources: Good News Bible

Kate Banzhaf, age 26

Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain

Rose Banzhaf and the family put a note on Kate’s bulletin that says, “Life isn’t about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain.”  I would like to talk about this in relation to events I saw at Kate’s funeral.   While the events were tragic and tearful, on at least five occasions I saw dancing in the rain.  These are the occasions.

Emil talking about Kate.

At the viewing on the Wednesday afternoon before the Thursday funeral, I was standing at the door of the funeral home, opening the door, and welcoming the people arriving.

At one point, I see Emil and his two oldest children, two boys about 6 and 4.  He also has a little girl and another son on the way in March.  Emil was leading his boys up the aisle to visit Kate.  I followed them up, put my hand on Emil’s back, and heard something like the following.

Emil invites Kate's 3rd grade class to sit around Kate.

“My sons, we have here the body of Kate.  Her spirit is not here because it is with God in his house.  Kate is happy in God’s house.  Without doubt she misses the opportunity to play with you two.  She is also delighted that someday your spirits and all those of the family will be with her.  She says you may touch her, if you would like.  Her body is cool, because her spirit is now at God’s house.  Thanks for coming to visit me.  I love you.”  A jewel of an event.

The kids were beautiful.

All of us can fear death, even from our childhood.  Emil was normalizing death for his sons and letting them know they don’t have to fear it.

Also at the viewing, I witnessed George not only sharing his own tears, but consoling his older son, Simon, who was grieving intensely for his aunt Kate.  Instead of telling Simon to shut up and be a man, George encouraged Simon and embraced him.  Another jewel of an event.

George saying he will dance if they will smile at him. They did and he did. Emil holds Charlotte, his youngest of 3 for the moment.

The next day at the funeral all four of the Banzhaf siblings spoke together.  Pete shared beautifully at the start when Emil could not begin because of his tears.

When Emil began he invited all the 3^rd grade kids in Kate’s class to come up and sit on the floor around Kate.  Then he read the St. Francis Prayer that starts out, “Make me a channel of your peace.”  Another jewel of an event.  Will those kids not remember that moment forever!

George holds Simon.

Then George talked and picked up on a habit Kate had of dancing for her kids when a kid had a good answer or did something that delighted her.  Even the kids were invited to dance occasionally.  Guess what George did through his tears.  Yep, you guessed it.

In honor of Kate's memory of dancing for her kids, Kim invites the whole crowd to stand and dance for 30 seconds. Emil is caught in the act.

He invited all the teachers from Kate’s school to stand up.  About 30 were there.  The kids were still sitting around Kate.  George says to them, if you smile at me, I’ll dance for you.  They did and he did.  Another jewel.

Pete with Emil, the oldest and youngest sons.

Then, to top it off, Kim.  After a delightful sharing of her feelings and life with Kate, her twin sister, guess what.   Yep, Kim says, “In honor of Kate, who was really not a great dancer but had great passion in her dancing, Everybody stand up and let’s dance for 30 seconds.”  And they did. 

How do you dance in the rain?

Rose and Wally with Charlotte.

Jonah 3, 1-5, 10,  Jonah set out for the great city of Nineveh.  (An amusing story)

Psalm 25, Teach me your ways, O Lord..   

1 Corinthians 7,  29-31, The world in its present form is passing away.

Mark  1, 14-20, Come after me & I will make you fishers of men & women.

Staying at home?

Thanks to the Team

Music,  Ben 

Readers,  Denni & Tom, and Buddy, the candle blesser

Gospel,  John Cade

Homily,   John Stack

Eucharistic Prayer A & B, Stack & John Cade

The Magic Zoom makers,   Hue & Richard & Mike 

Final Blessing, Rosemary

For hosting us at Legacy, Becky

The Zoom Team.

Readings for this Sunday

Download Reading 3rd Sunday 1-24 2021

Homily by John Stack

Download John Stack homily 1-24-2021

Please Remember these special people:

For Carrie's ex, Larry;  For Alan Stryker;  For Joe Sullivan;    For Rosemary's great niece, Rylie ;  For Richard's grand daughter, Madeleine & Carol's dad who passed this week; For Sheila Schultz Alverez hospitalized with Corona;  For Esparza's new great grandson baby, son of Monique;  For all the medical personnel struggling to treat the tsunami of sick people, in particular, locally, Cindy's staff at Presby, Dallas, and at Frisco Presby, the mother of Harper and Betsy, Kendle, working in labor & delivery, and for Hue & Linda's daughter, Doctor Rosemary Beavers;   For Mary & Dave Hall's g-daughter Allison Keller working at St. Lukes, The Woodlands,   For Loretta's aunt Alicia;  For Sir Charlie & Jan;  Shonda's mom & Cody &  Leo & all of Shonda's dear family;  for Louis Schneider hospitalized with gall bladder problem (our rep. from Open Window)

Ben, Our Life Giver.

Jackie's mom, sister, & friend, Lynn;  For both Jean & Cliff Wright;  For Rick Turner searching for a kidney donor, Type O neg; For Meredith, cancer free;    For John O'Donnell & Jean & their daughter, Molly;   For Dee, and for her daughter, Lisa; For John Schanot's continued health;  For Anthony & Sabrina;    For a young man who is suffering from depression;  John Cade's mother in law, Kalliopi Piskiouli and Lambrini, plus John's daughter, Joey, with cancer; from Barbara, a little 4 month old boy undergoing an operation & for Rollie with Corona; for the medical staffs, teachers, and coaches in our public & private schools.

Also, remembering the family of Geri Moran's friend, Elsa Billman, who passed this past week.

Remembering….Kevin, Georgie, & Buddy (and Sir Charlie!)

Birthdays:  Kevin, David Ekes, Sir Charlie, Miguel, Mary Hall

Anniversary:  

Community Finances, January 24, 2021

Expenses: $300.00  

Outreach   $50.00   (often for Souls Harbor, Legacy, etc.)

Thanks again, Folks, for doing what you can.

Mike, the Initiator of this Enterprise.

Rosemary's Blessing:

I was regretting the past

And fearing the future.

Suddenly my Lord was speaking

“My name is I AM.”

He paused.  I waited

He continued,

“When you live in the past

With its mistakes and regrets,

It is hard.  I am not there.

My name is not I WAS.

“When you live in the future,

With its problems and fears,

It is hard.  I am not there.

My name is not I WILL BE.

“When you live in this moment,

It is not hard. I am here.

My name is I AM.”

I Am by Helen Mallicoat