Last Sunday after the Epiphany Sermon...Listen to him!

Last Sunday after the Epiphany/Transfiguration Sunday/ Year B

February 11, 2024

2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalm 50:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9

 

Opening Prayer: God of glory, you gave the vision of your Son to those who watched on the mountain; grant that by our glimpses of him we may be changed into his glorious likeness. Amen (A New Zealand Prayer Book)

Today is the last Sunday after the Epiphany, also called Transfiguration Sunday. The season of Epiphany, as you may recall, began with light: the light of a star that led the magi to the Christ child; the light of the glory of God that was revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.

This week, as we mark the conclusion of this season of Epiphany, we will end, as we began - with light: the light of Jesus' radiant countenance, his transfiguration upon the mountaintop...when his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them…

It is worth noting another similarity between the beginning of the Epiphany season and today, our last Sunday of Epiphany: Both included stories in which we hear the voice of God being proclaimed from the heavens…and descending upon the earth to reach the eyes and ears of those who were watching and listening…

On the first Sunday in Epiphany, we heard the story of the baptism of Jesus, with its climax in the Voice of God speaking to Jesus, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Today’s gospel reading takes place at Jesus’ baptism, too… and sets the scene right before Jesus’ 40 day journey in the wilderness, and his journey to the cross, his death on the cross…and once again we hear the Voice of God speaking…

This time it is the disciples who hear the Voice of God. The Voice of God says this time, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!"

Religious scholar Marcus Borg comments on this verse: The disciples, in a way, represent us in that passage. "Listen to him." Listen to Jesus.

How hard it is for us to just listen….

How hard it is for us to just stop whatever we are thinking or doing to just look, to notice, and to listen to all that this moment with Jesus has to offer us…

In today’s gospel story…Peter just couldn’t hold his tongue…The other-worldly experience of the moment, either excited Peter or frightened him…or both all interwoven as one…Whatever he was feeling,  he had the urge to blurt something out, because he just didn’t know how to react to this vision of seeing Jesus transfigured before him…he didn’t know how to respond to the dazzling, bright white light before him…He didn’t know how to make sense of having just witnessed Elijah and Moses  talking with Jesus on the mountaintop……

Thankfully, God steps in, and says to the disciples…“This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!”

He doesn’t say to the disciples, take care of him, find a place for him to stay, he doesn’t give any instructions right then. He tells them plainly, This is my Son, the Beloved; Listen to him!

How hard it is for us to just stop whatever we are thinking or doing to just look, to notice, and to listen to all that this present moment has to offer us…

It is human nature for us to want to figure something out, to get to the “why” of something right away…we want to find the words to explain what is happening…and we want to do it now…so we can get on to the next thing, and the next thing…

And as much as some of us may say we love to be surprised and find no shortage of experiencing an awe-inspiring sense of wonder in the many unexplainable everyday mysteries around us…If we were to be honest with ourselves, this is easy to do when we look up at the vast sky, consider the starry heavens, notice the tall mountains that surround us, and contemplate the depth and breadth of all that lives in the great-wide waters of the world…

But when we are faced with uncertainties, and unexplainable happenings in our lives that make us fearful or anxious…such as health issues, end of life transitions, insurmountable world-wide human rights issues…we just want to fix it all now, we want to make sense of it all right now…so we can move beyond the pain, the worry, and the weariness of not knowing what to do.

It is in these days that we most need to practice stopping whatever we are thinking or doing to just look, to notice, and to listen to all that this moment has to offer us…in the light of the glory of God that is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ… in the light of the glory of God that is revealed in the voice of God… “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!”

When we can take time to practice pausing, to look, to notice, and to listen to all that this moment has to offer us…we are reminded, that we are never alone, that we need not be fearful of what troubles us now or makes us anxious about the future…the truth of God’s light and love that shines all around us, in all ways, is revealed to us in the face of Jesus Christ…

In just a few days, we will begin a new season in the church year...The Season of Lent…a 40-day journey through the scriptures giving us yet another look into the life of Jesus…It’s a season of the church year that we are invited once again, to consider taking on a new spiritual discipline or practice to help us draw closer to God and each other…

It’s a perfect time for us to consider taking on a spiritual practice that can encourage us to make sure we make room to pause and pray and listen… to stop whatever we are thinking or doing to just look, to notice, and to listen to all that this moment, all that this upcoming season of Lent has to offer us…in the light of the glory of God that is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ… in the light of the glory of God that is revealed in the voice of God… “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him!”

 

Closing prayer/hymn: Turn your eyes upon Jesus (#97 – Praise Chorus Book)

Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. Amen

 

Rev. Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

Called to be agents and instruments of healing and wholeness… Sermon Feb 4, 2024

5 Epiphany Year B

February 4, 2024

Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147:1-12, 21c; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1: 29-39

 

Before I begin my sermon…I invite you to listen to today’s message in the context of our stewardship theme for this year…To renew and strengthen our call as the church to be outposts of hope in our communities…

 

Opening Prayer: Everlasting God, you give strength to the powerless and power to the faint; you raise up the sick and cast out demons. Make us agents of healing and wholeness, that your good news may be made known to the ends of your creation. Amen. (Bread for the Day)

 

I invite you to pause and think for a moment…Can you recall a time in your life when you thought of yourself as an agent of healing and wholeness? Or maybe a time you were witness to someone else being an instrument of healing and wholeness to someone in need? Did you later share your experience…with anyone else? If so…what stands out for you, in remembering that encounter?

My guess would be that pretty much all of us, have been an agent of healing and wholeness to someone…but I’m not sure we may have recognized it as such…and perhaps you didn’t think to share your experience or encounter with someone…just brushing it off…as I didn’t really do anything...I was just there…

Now, I do know that there are plenty of folks who are very strong believers in the power of prayer and healing…and are not shy in proclaiming this good news with others…they are firm in their faith, knowledge and understanding…they are passionate about their calling to be the healing hands of Jesus in our time…

We have some very passionate prayer chain members here at St Peter’s, who pray daily for the needs of local persons, family and friends far away, they pray for our leaders and our nation, they pray for healing, they offer prayers of thanks, they pray for the repose of the soul of those who have died…they pray for healing on so many levels…

And there’s the expectation too, that your priest and your deacons would be committed to a way of life and spiritual discipline that includes daily prayer…

There are many others besides the prayer chain members and clergy who are passionate, and persistent in their ongoing prayers for any needs they hear about here at St Peter’s, in Sitka…and in the wider, world-wide community…

Yet…there are still many among us… who may underestimate their ability to be an agent and instrument of God’s healing and path to wholeness…

We are ALL called to be agents of healing and wholeness…and we need not shy away from sharing this good news with others…there are so many who need to hear what you have heard, see what you have seen, experience what you have experienced…especially in times when people may be feeling like there is no path to healing…no light of hope that they see right now…

What makes us agents and instruments of God’s healing and wholeness?

We begin, by acknowledging that everyone of us is a beloved child of God. We respect the dignity of every human being. We strive to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ Jesus...a Good News that proclaims that God is love in all that we are and do…in every interaction and encounter we have with one another…and with all of creation…

It is God’s love for every one of us, it is God’s power that strengthens us and empowers us, throughout our lives, to be agents and instruments of healing and wholeness…in our families, in our communities, and in our world…

God gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint…

We have a beautiful and simple healing story in today’s gospel… the healing of Simon’s mother-in-law…Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.

He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up…

3 simple actions here…

Jesus came…he showed up…he went to her bedside…

Jesus took her by the hand... he reached out to her…

Jesus lifted her up…he healed her…body, mind and spirit…by lifting her up with his Love, with his presence, with his compassion…

We don’t hear any words spoken in this healing moment...

Only the assurance of God’s presence, his healing touch, and the love of God brought to this moment…through the hands and heart of Jesus…

We, too…can bring healing into the lives of others…with our hands and our hearts…and most of the time they are in simple everyday moments like this…

Now think back to one of my questions at the start of my sermon today… Can you recall a time in your life when you thought of yourself as an agent of healing and wholeness?

I would guess that it was much like this example of Jesus healing Simon’s mother-in-law…

You saw a need, perhaps the person was lonely...and you went to visit her…You reached over, and held her hand, while you sat quietly and listened to her concerns…Your love and concern, your physical presence with her, your touch to remind her that she wasn’t alone…surely brought healing to her heart and mind and spirit…

What about the other time...when a young child came running up to you in tears…You stopped whatever you were doing…you sat there with him…You held his hand, you held him close with your other hand… And through your presence, your touch, and your love being poured out for this child in need…within moments…this little boy was up and running around…assured once again…that yes, indeed…I am loved…

No words spoken, here…just the sharing of the Holy presence of God’s love for another person…

This past week, our news reports and social media feeds were buzzing with a story about Elmo, a pre-school age character on Sesame Street…Elmo posted a question on a social media feed, asking a simple question… “How is everyone doing?” Millions of people responded to the questions, pouring out their feelings of despair and discouragement on just how hard life has been lately… And many thanked Elmo for asking the question, and many felt, seen, heard and acknowledged…and perhaps didn’t feel so alone anymore…

ALL of us…whoever we are, wherever we are… are called by God to be agents of healing and wholeness…

The thought of that doesn’t need to overwhelm us…

Jesus has given us a simple model to follow…

When we see someone in need…

Go to them…look at them…acknowledge them….

Reach out your hand…and grasp the hand of the other… reach out with your eyes meeting the eyes of the other…

Bring along the Good News…that God is love…

It is God’s love, revealed to us through the life and teachings of Jesus, that brings true healing and peace to all of God’s beloved children…

May we all know the healing power of Jesus’ love for ourselves, our neighbors, and all of creation…and share this Good news with others…share it generously…

And…be sure to take time away for prayer, often, as Jesus has modeled for us…so that we may we never tire of proclaiming and sharing this Good News…for that is what we are called to do…To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ…That God is love….and this love is for all of us...God heals the broken-hearted, and binds up their wounds. God counts the number of the stars and calls them all by their names…

God calls us each by name….to be agents and instruments of healing and wholeness…

 

Closing Prayer/Hymn: Wonder Love and Praise - #772 O Christ, the healer

1      O Christ, the healer, we have come

          to pray for health, to plead for friends.

          How can we fail to be restored,

          when reached by love that never ends?

 

2 From every ailment flesh endures

          our bodies clamor to be freed;

          yet in our hearts we would confess

          that wholeness is our deepest need.

 

3        How strong, O Lord, are our desires,

          how weak our knowledge of ourselves!

          Release in us those healing truths

          unconscious pride resists ourselves.

 

4        In conflicts that destroy our health

          we recognize the world’s disease;

          our common life declares our ills:

          is there no cure, O Christ, for these?

 

5        Grant that we all, made in one faith,

          in your community may find

          the wholeness that, enriching us,

          shall reach the whole of humankind.

 

 

 

 

Rev. Julie Platson, Rector

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK

 

4 Epiphany Sermon - Reverence for the LORD is the summit of wisdom ...

Epiphany 4/January 28, 2024

Sermon by Chip Camden

Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111; I Corinthians 8:1-13; Mark 1:21-28

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.  Those who act accordingly have a good understanding."

You probably can't tell from the English translation that our Psalm for today is an acrostic poem.  An acrostic begins each verse or phrase with a successive letter of the alphabet -- in the Psalms that’s the Hebrew alphabet.  The verse numbering also fails to reveal that in this psalm the alphabetic progression is applied to each half or even third of a verse.  Most acrostic psalms advance only one letter every whole verse, which provides more room to tie the meaning together from one verse to another.  The more rigid formalism of today's psalm, while creating a simple, steady rhythm and a merciful brevity, limits the poet's ability to maintain any progression of thought.  The result is a collection of largely independent aphorisms.

The last three of these aphorisms are contained in verse 10: for the Hebrew letter resh (ר): "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," for the letter sin (ש): "those who act accordingly have a good understanding," and for the letter tav (ת): "his praise endures forever."  The first two of these have a connected meaning.

First, let's look at "the fear of the LORD".  The word translated as "fear" (Hebrew yir'ah יראה) encompasses our current ideas about fear but also includes "awe," "respect," or "reverence."  I think the latter senses are more like what is intended here.  The psalmist is not advising an existential dread of God looking over our shoulders, but rather a recognition of how much more wise and powerful God is, with the consequent deferral to that wisdom of our decisions on how to conduct our lives.   When we do that, we "have a good understanding" as the next phrase says.

Our version says "the beginning of wisdom," which is a possible translation, but I don't think it's the best.  It was no doubt influenced by Proverbs 9:10 which begins with a similar phrase: "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom," but the word translated "beginning" is different in the two verses.  In Proverbs, it literally means "opening" or "commencement." 

In our psalm, it is the Hebrew word re'shiyth (ראש׳ת), which although it is the word used in Genesis 1:1 for "beginning" it is from the word for "head" and thus carries a wide range of meaning -- including "principal" or "highest."  I believe the latter meanings are intended to be included in this verse.  Reverence for God is not just how we start to grow wise, it is the pinnacle of wisdom.

In today's reading from Deuteronomy, one of the books of the law or Torah, we have an account of the institution of prophecy.  The people fear to have God talk to them directly (out of a healthy reverence), and so God promises to raise up a prophet like Moses to speak God's word to them.  Many Christian interpreters take this to be a prediction of the coming of Christ.  The discussion at the end of our passage about false prophets and how to distinguish them, though, makes it clear that what is referred to here are the prophets who would come after Moses.  Of course, Christ is the superlative fulfillment of that role, as well as many others.

That prophets would be necessary at all is a tacit admission that the law by itself is not enough to guide individual behavior.  Discernment will be necessary to determine how God's commands apply to a given situation.  As time goes by, the literal meaning of a commandment might even become antithetical to its spirit.  The people of God must listen reverently to God's voice, instead of thinking that they already know what God wants from them.

In our gospel lesson, Jesus is teaching in the synagogue at Capernaum, and the people are "astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes."  The scribes interpreted the scriptures using the traditions that had been passed down to them, and they were mostly allergic to innovation.  Perhaps that was due to a reverent humility on their part, but it could also lead to a prideful certainty that they knew exactly what the scriptures meant.  Jesus, however, speaks with "authority."  This word in the Greek is exousia (εξουσια), which has a broader meaning of having the ability or the right to act.  It is sometimes translated as "liberty."  In other words, Jesus is going off the scribal script.  He's bringing forth new understanding about God's will.  In this he is fulfilling the role of prophet as described in Deuteronomy.

In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, Paul spends a lot of time addressing a faction at Corinth that took their Christian liberty (exousia again) to extremes.  "All things are lawful to me" (as quoted in I Corinthians 6:12) seems to have been one of their mottos.  To which Paul replies, "but not all things are expedient."  For Paul, what is expedient is what builds up the church community.  Immorality is not helpful, because it is degrading to each other and to ourselves. 

Factionalism is not helpful, because it is the antithesis of the love that we are to show one another.  Paul does not deny that in Christ we have freedom from rigid legalism, but that freedom must be tempered by the wisdom of God for building up each other in love.

So, in the case of eating food sacrificed to idols, Paul acknowledges the Corinthians' freedom to do so -- concurring with them in their assessment that the idols do not represent anything to them that draws them away from God.  However, there are converts to Christ who are not yet solid in their faith, who used to eat the sacrificed meat as an act of communion with the god represented by the idol.  If they see other Christians eating that meat, they may fall back into their old practices and fall away from Christ.  Here in the twenty-first century we might wonder why they couldn’t do both, but in the first century the associations with their former life would make it a stumbling-block.  To engage in it in front of them would be like drinking in front of an alcoholic.

So Paul urges the Corinthians to constrain their liberty for the sake of others.  It isn't enough to know what is true or false, right or wrong.  "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him."  See how Paul flips the table on knowledge.  Rather than to seek to know, we should love and be known.  Love is the key to discerning the will of God.  The Way of Christ is about relationships, not knowledge: relationship with God and with each other.  It is about humility in those relationships, acknowledging the limits of our knowledge and deferring to God's wisdom all of our decisions on how to conduct our lives.

"Reverence for the LORD is the summit of wisdom.  Those who act accordingly have a good understanding."  Amen.

Annual Meeting Day Sermon - 3 Epiphany

3 Epiphany Year B

ANNUAL MEETING DAY

January 21, 2024

Rector’s Sermon/Report – Rev Julie Platson

 

Jonah 3:1-5, 10, Psalm 62:6-14, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31, Mark 1:14-20 

Opening Prayer: From d365.org (adapted)

Holy One, who is calling out to us today….

Help us to listen with our whole selves.

Help us listen with our ears, focused on the Holy Word.

Help us listen with our hands, open to Jesus’ embrace.

Help us listen with our heart, steadied by the Spirit’s presence.

Help us listen with our feet, grounded on God’s truth.

Help us listen with our feet as we step out into the world with faith and hope, answering the call to walk with Jesus today and every day. Amen.

Today is annual meeting day. We will gather after the service to celebrate by sharing a potluck meal together, and by listening to several reports that will give us a brief summary and review of what the church has been up to in the past year. We will hear about this past year’s finances. The 2024 budget will be presented. We will hear about some of the outreach ministries, prayer chain gatherings, Sunday school activities. We will hear a summary about all the buildings and grounds projects that have been completed, and about plans being made for future renovations, and restorations of our historic buildings. We will select new vestry members, SE Deanery and Convention delegates. 

Our annual meeting only gives us a snapshot of what’s been going on the past year, and only a tiny glimpse of what’s to come.

Our annual meeting today is an occasion for us to pause and truly listen for, once again, God’s call to the church and its’ people to renew and strengthen our call as the church to be an “Outpost of Hope” in our communities….

Our annual meeting today is an opportunity for us to renew and strengthen our call to love God, and our neighbors, by listening for Jesus’ call to follow him by stepping out into the world with faith and hope, answering the call to walk with Him today and every day…

In an age of information overload, it has been increasingly difficult for people to listen well.  We are faced with so many distractions all around us. So many competing voices trying to get our attention.

All aspects of our lives are being influenced daily with calls to hurry up, and use the most convenient, quickest way to make plans for our organizations and churches, or to approach and solve any issues or problems that are present.

In an age of information overload at our fingertips to google and search for all kinds of quick answers, and lots of opportunities “to go down the rabbit hole”, to keep searching and searching for the right answer…before saying yes…it can influence us and others around us to hesitate before taking that first step to follow Jesus until we have all the info we think we need before we can say yes…

But…here’s where our faith and hope comes in…and this is when and why it is so counter-cultural to act upon Jesus’ invitation…He simply invites us first…to follow him…He doesn’t give all kinds of information before he invites us or the disciples in our gospel readings the past couple of weeks, to follow him…the invitation comes first…the listening and learning comes when we begin by responding with a yes to Jesus…and going down the “rabbit hole” with him you might say…to learn more about what it means to walk in love, live in love with our neighbors, as Jesus wants to teach us and reveal to us, the power of God’s love to transform lives and build up communities of hope, through us and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wherever we are called to be. And when we set aside time to slow down, to walk prayerfully and mindfully with Jesus, we can hear through all of our senses…with our whole selves…what we are being called to be and do, in this time and place...in this season of our lives together.

This holy work of discerning God’s call for the church and each one of us is slow work and relational building work…and at the same time it is urgent work and communal work that often begins below the surface of our lives…this is where the renewing and the strengthening of discerning our call to be the church in the world and outposts of hope in our communities begins…

At St Peter’s this year, we’ve taken time to slow down and gather together to do just this and to provide space for community members to be invited as well…

We’ve gathered together in small and large groups for a variety of worship services on Sundays, special weekday services, baptisms, funerals, wedding vow renewals, noonday prayer, scripture walks in the park, services at the pioneers’ home, and bringing communion to the homebound…The church has been used for community music concerts throughout the year…

We’ve had services in person, and we’ve continued to welcome our church family members to join us every week from other communities and states, through zoom technology… We’ve gathered together for book studies, bible studies, quiet day retreats, beading groups, prayer groups, Friday fellowship time, Sunday school for kids and families...

We keep the church open every day, from early morning through the evening, for community members to stop in for a time of rest and quiet prayer.

The See House has been buzzing with community activities seven days a week…with offerings for young parents and tots, youth programs from elementary age through high school, young adult gatherings which included AmeriCorps volunteers’ graduation and Outer Coast student welcome gatherings; Hope Coalition meetings, SOS Lifeline group meetings, community potluck meetings, AA meetings.

The Sitka Local Foods Network continues with their work on St Peter’s Fellowship farm, growing produce for the yearly farmers markets and getting fresh produce into the hands of low-income community members.

Personally, I serve on a variety of non-profit boards in the community, and on the diocesan level in the Episcopal Church, I serve on the Standing Committee, just finished two terms on the FIT Committee, and this coming summer, I am a General Convention delegate and will serve on a special legislative committee, the House of Deputies Ecumenical & Interreligious Relations Legislative Committee.

And one of my favorite volunteer activities in the community, is to play the piano a couple nights a month at the Pioneers’ home.

I’m sure I’ve left out some details in my report, and have missed a few activities that have taken place in the church and the See House…but as I mentioned earlier, on annual meeting day we strive to give you an overview, a summary of all that has been going on at St Peter’s, through all of the reports.

So, shortly…after the service, and after we share some food…you will hear more on outreach, buildings and grounds, prayer chain and finances…

My prayer and hope for all of us on this annual meeting day, is that we will use this day well, to pause and listen deeply and thoughtfully for God’s call to the church and its’ people to renew and strengthen our call as the church to be an “Outpost of Hope” in our communities….

And that we will welcome this time we gather for worship and the annual meeting afterwards, as an opportunity for us to renew and strengthen our call to love God, and our neighbors, by listening for Jesus’ call to follow him by stepping out into the world with faith and hope, answering the call to walk with Him today and every day…

 

I close this morning with the prayer I began with…and then a hymn that always sums up my prayers, and my hopes and my faith in God…for all that is, and yet to come…for all of God’s beloved children…

 

Holy One, who is calling out to us today….

Help us to listen with our whole selves.

Help us listen with our ears, focused on the Holy Word.

Help us listen with our hands, open to Jesus’ embrace.

Help us listen with our heart, steadied by the Spirit’s presence.

Help us listen with our feet, grounded on God’s truth.

Help us listen with our feet as we step out into the world with faith and hope, answering the call to walk with Jesus today and every day. Amen.

Hymn: How Great Thou Art

Come and see...2 Epiphany sermon

2 Epiphany Year B/January 14, 2024

1 Samuel 3:1-10, Psalm 139: 1-5, 12-17, John 1:43-51

  

Opening Prayer: Another day begins, Lord and with it another chance to start afresh with You. May we open our eyes to Your light. May we hear Your voice above the noises of life. May we be filled with anticipation of what we can be with You by our side. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Church of Scotland)

  

Today is a new day…a new chance to start afresh by opening our eyes to the presence of God all around us, to open our ears to listen for the voice of God speaking to us, and to begin again by making a decision to say yes today, and in the coming year to Jesus’ daily invitation to Follow me…and walk with me…one day at a time…

Jesus says, Follow me, spend time with me, get to know me, as I know you and see you…I will open your eyes to see the light all around us…

Jesus says, Follow me, spend time with me, get to know me, as I know you and hear you…so that you will hear God’s voice above the noises of life…

Jesus says, Follow me, spend time with me, get to know me, as I know you and ever walk beside you … so that you will be filled with anticipation of what each one of you can be, knowing that I am always by your side…

But don’t just follow me and get to know me…invite others to come and see for themselves, too…

In a world, where so many folks, don’t feel seen, heard, or acknowledged as a beloved child of God, acknowledged as a child of God who is part of God’s dream and vision of a world where there is freedom, justice and peace among all God’s people…we can be that beacon of light, that voice of a loving God, that compassionate and trust-worthy presence…that assures others that they are not forgotten…that they too are seen, heard, and loved by a God, who walks ever beside us, and who wants better things for all of us, than we can desire or pray for…

The gospel reading today takes place at the start of Jesus' public ministry in Galilee and the calling of some of the first disciples. Jesus invites Philip to “Follow me”. Philip seems to know that Jesus is indeed the one the prophets spoke about, and was excited and enthusiastic about sharing this good news with Nathanael. Nathanael seemed to be hesitant to believe what Philip was telling him, so Philip simply invites him to “come and see”…it wasn’t until Nathanael had an encounter with Jesus himself, when he felt he was seen, known, heard, acknowledged…that he declared his belief that Jesus, indeed, was the promised One, the Son of God. We don’t hear what comes next…only that Jesus tells him... You will see greater things than these…

So, you see…it doesn’t stop with you and I individually following Jesus, getting to know Jesus, and how the love of God made known to us through him, has made a difference in our lives…

We can’t keep it a secret or hoard it for ourselves…The love of God, the presence of God, the justice of God, the peace and the hope of God is for all people…it is good news that is meant to be shared…

It’s our turn now, whoever we are, where-ever we are, to invite others to come and see just who this Jesus and his love is all about…to encourage them and inspire them to open up their hearts and minds to an encounter with Jesus and his transforming love…

With an enlightened heart and mind, every one of us, through the power of the Holy Spirit…can go out into the world, multiplying this force of love that can only grow in all of us, and all around us…the more we share it with others…

That might look like inviting someone to lunch, or to church, to a bible study, a book group, a beading group…It might look like inviting some to join you in a walk or a drive around town…It might look like volunteering with the Homeless Coalition, or at the winter emergency shelter; or as a Braveheart volunteer; it may look like inviting someone to attend an AA meeting with you;  it may look like being a friend to another student at school, or a teacher or parent who advocates for their child…asking only of all of us…to help this beloved child of God to know they are seen, heard, and will ever have a loving presence that will walk with them always… 

Every new day, we are given the opportunity to look all around us…and point others to the love and light in this life that is found in following the way of life that Jesus modeled for us…

A way of life that affirms that we are all beloved children of God…and that he intimately cares for each one of us…he knows us, he searches our hearts, he protects us, he loves us, and he is always near...there is no place we can go…that we will be forgotten or out of his care… 

Today, and every day…is a new opportunity to start afresh with following Jesus, getting to know Jesus, as Jesus knows us, hears us, and promises to ever be with us, and walk with us…

Today, and every day, we are called anew to invite others to come and see…

Come and see what happens when our eyes are opened to the see the light all around us…

Come and see what happens when we hear God’s voice above the noises of life…

Come and see what happens when we are filled with anticipation of what each one of us can be, knowing that God is always by our side…

 

 

Closing Prayer/Hymn: Lift Every Voice and Sing II - #16 You Are Near

Yahweh, I know You are near,

standing always at my side.

You guard me from the foe.

And You lead me in ways everlasting.

 

Lord, You have searched my heart,

and You know when I sit and when I stand.

Your hand is upon me protecting me from death,

keeping me from harm. Refrain

 

Where can I run from Your love?

If I climb to the heavens You are there;

If I fly to the sunrise or sail beyond the sea,

still I’d find You there. Refrain

 

You know my heart and its ways,

You who formed me before I was born,

In the secret of darkness before I saw

the sun in my mother’s womb. Refrain

 

Marvelous to me are Your works;

how profound are Your thoughts, my Lord.

Even if I could count them, they number as the stars,

You would still be there. Refrain

 

 

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

1 Epiphany: Baptism of our Lord Sermon - Jan 7 2024

1 Epiphany/The Baptism of our Lord/Year B/January 7, 2024

Genesis 1:1-5, Psalm 29, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11

 

Opening Prayer: Eternal God, at the baptism of Jesus You revealed him to be Your Son, and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Keep all who are born of water and the Spirit faithful to their calling as Your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Church of Scotland)

Today, on the church calendar, as we begin the season of Epiphany, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. And as we listen to the account of the Baptism of Jesus, we too, will have an opportunity to think about what Baptism is…and to recall, perhaps, our own Baptisms…having been baptized into a new creation…having been born again, through the washing away of our sins, and having been anointed by the Holy Spirit and being marked and named, as one of God’s beloved sons or daughters.

Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of something new. For years, before the occasion of Jesus’ baptism, John the Baptist had been baptizing people in the River Jordan. John’s message was bold and clear:  proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

(From the Church of Scotland website the writer speaks to us about John the Baptist: His focus was on God’s own people and the need to change direction and to think differently because of their sins. But his message was not without hope; forgiveness was the good news he offered. To receive this free gift of God they were called to a public act of repentance witnessed by the act of baptism in the River Jordan. Those who made the journey from the villages, towns and cities around were confronted by what must have looked like one of the Old Testament prophets. No prophet had been seen or heard in Israel for 400 years, but this rough looking man, dressed for the desert with his simple if strange diet, looked exactly as they imagined a prophet to look like. He was the ‘talk of the town’; he used his ministry to focus not on himself but on another, the promised One, the Messiah who was to Come. The promised day arrived. Jesus came from the north and John baptised Him and the baptism was followed by a vision and a voice. Heaven split open, the dove-like Spirit descended, and words from the Psalms and Isaiah were used to confirm Jesus as both favoured son and anointed king: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Here it is, loud and clear, from the voice of God…Jesus is the One…The One that the prophets foretold would come among them…The One who will reconcile us once again to God, to one another, and with all of creation.

The voice has spoken, from the very beginning, when God first created the heavens and the earth, as we heard in our reading from Genesis today… God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

This voice is unmistakable, as we heard in Psalm 29…

The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;

 The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.

 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *

 The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *.

 The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *
and strips the forests bare. (psalm 29)

The voice, through the Holy Spirit, boldly confirmed Jesus as God’s beloved One. “And just as he (Jesus) was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.  “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:4-11)

Being anointed by the Holy Spirit was the game-changer for Jesus and for us…Unlike John’s baptism…that was primarily about repentance, and the need for forgiveness…Jesus’ baptism, confirmed his identity, and sealed the new covenant with God and all his beloved children…by the coming of the Holy Spirit…

In our reading this morning from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard more on the importance of the coming of the Holy Spirit and baptism….

(From the Church of Scotland website, the writer expands on baptism and the Holy Spirit… Like John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, Apollos had called people to get ready for the coming of the King. He had called them to repent and to put their trust in Jesus and to demonstrate this in their baptism.

 However he did not know that John had also said that when the Messiah came He would also baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire. What was missing was the teaching on Jesus’ farewell gift, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. Jesus explained to His disciples that the gift of the Spirit would mean that they would not be left alone when He returned to the Father. The Spirit would be the one to bind them together as a new community of faith. The Spirit would help them to understand the scriptures. The Spirit would strengthen them and empower them to be Christ’s heart and voice of Love in the world, and Christ’s hands and feet in the world.)

The Spirit empowered them and us with the gifts we need to carry out the Mission of the Church…The Mission of Christ: To be reconciled once again to God, to one another, and with all of creation.

The Spirit empowers each one of us with the gifts we need to love one another, walk in love with one another, and with all of creation.

The Spirit empowers each one of us with the gifts we need to renew and strengthen our call as the church to be an “Outpost of Hope” in our communities…

As we begin again, as we begin a new year, walking together, in the light and love of the Lord…May Jesus’ baptism, our baptisms, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…mark a new beginning for us…a new commitment…a new creation by which we are transformed by the Love of God, in Christ Jesus…and empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit… to boldly proclaim the Good News of God in Christ…with our words and in our lives …

 

Hymn after the sermon: O God of gentle strength…(WLP 771)

O God of gentle strength, your love embraces me. Within the sureness of your care my heart rests willingly.

Your waters of rebirth have claimed us as your own. As members of one body, we shall never be alone.

And when life’s challenges eclipse our minds with doubt, let holy wisdom spark a flame to drive the darkness out.

Where will the journey lead? The path may be obscure. But promised hope of things unseen will keep our footing sure.

 

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, Alaska

 

The Candle of Joy - 3rd Sunday of Advent

Advent 3 -DEC 17, 2023

Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11, Psalm 126, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8,19-28

Rev Julie Platson, St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, Alaska

 

Opening Prayer: Today we lit the rose colored candle for Joy

Dear God, In the height of our Advent walk, grant us the courage to experience joy.

Joy in the face of apathy, Joy in the face of sorrow, Joy in the face of uncertainty. Amen.

 

Read pg 44 – Preparing the Way: Christian Practices for Advent…

For some folks…this time of joyful expectation during Advent, and in this holiday season, all this talk about joy can feel a bit too much…it can be hard to muster up any reasons to be joyful when one is missing loved ones who have died, or when one is experiencing other sorrows, or other overwhelming concerns that weigh heavily on their hearts and minds. We look all around us, there are so many places where war and conflict and violence are squashing any hopes of joy in the lives of God’s beloved children.

Yet today, we are invited to consider how it is…that joy can be present…even in the midst of such sorrows.

We are invited to consider that there is another story to be told and heard than what the world appears to tell us and teach us...

A different story, a hope-filled story, that comforts us in knowing that death, and sorrow and suffering do not have the last word. We hear that good news story during holy week and Easter in the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection….and we hear that good news story in the words of scriptures during Advent, as we wait with joyful expectation for the coming of Christ again…

On this 3rd Sunday of Advent, we pause to be reminded that it is precisely into unsettling, uncertain times such as these…that Jesus, the hope, the peace, the joy, and the love and light of the world has already come…and will come again…and again..and again..into our lives…kindling a flicker of joy in our hearts…when we most need it…and open our hearts to receive it…

Yes…this world we live in is full of difficult and hard days…yet…in the good news story of God’s love come down to dwell among us, in the infant child whose birth we celebrate on Christmas Day, we can find hope, peace, joy and the love and light of God…in Jesus, who John the Baptist is pointing us to in today’s gospel…reminding us, once again this Advent, that we are never alone…that God is with us…Emmanuel... God is always with us…

That is what can fill our hearts with joy today…that good news that God is with us…Emmanuel... God is always with us…

In our 1st Thessalonians reading today, Paul reminds us to cultivate this good news in our daily lives…no matter the circumstances. He tells us to Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you...

So…today…as we worship together on this 3rd Sunday of Advent…we pause to rejoice, to pray for one another, without ceasing, and to give thanks in all circumstances, and for this good news of God’s love, revealed to us in the scriptures, and in the lives of all who have gone on before us, and those who walk this Advent Journey with us once again this year..

God is with us… Emmanuel…God is always with us…

 

I invite you in the next few moments…to think about those you know who may be struggling this holiday season…lift them up in the silence of your heart in prayer…and take a moment in this time of quiet…to give thanks for the people in your life…who have brought so much joy to your heart…

 

Closing Prayer/HYMN 56: December 17

2        O come, thou Wisdom from on high, who orderest all things mightily;

          to us the path of knowledge show, and teach us in her ways to go.

            Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel

**Image - Inspirivity/Jennifer Wagner

2nd Sunday of Advent - The Candle of Peace

2 Advent/December 10, 2023

Sermon by Chip Camden

Readings: Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8

Today is the second Sunday of Advent, on which we light the second candle of Advent: the candle of peace.  This candle is purple, like the first and fourth candles of the Advent wreath. In Christian symbolism, the color purple represents penance.  When we think of penance, we picture being tough on ourselves: fasting and praying, taking a hard look at our shortcomings, confessing them and vowing to do better.  I doubt that any of these things come to mind when we think of the word "peace".  The closest similarity between peace and penance seems to be in their spelling: peace is penance without the two n's.  Let’s see if we can take the two n’s out of penance and arrive at peace.

Penance and repentance are related terms.  Penance refers to the actions we take in response to repentance.  Repentance means feeling sorry for what we have done, or what we have left undone.  The Greek word for repentance found everywhere in the New Testament is μετανοια metanoia -- meta means "after" or "beyond" and noia means thought, so metanoia means "think again" or "think differently".  It implies a recognition that we have made a poor choice, and that we ought to change course.

This view of repentance is considerably less terrifying than the oft-caricatured altar call under the threat of God's wrath -- a repentance born of the fear of hellfire.  Not that that's completely wrong, but sometimes that hellfire can be found in our own life here and now.  The consequences of a few bad decisions that we never rectified can combine to form a conflagration that consumes our spirit in this life.  We can become so entangled in those consequences that we see no way out.  We need God's help to turn things around.  We often need God's help even to see that we need God's help.

Fortunately for us, God always wants to help us to grow beyond our shortcomings, as good parents do for their children.  I think this is the way in which Jesus teaches that God is our Father.  Unfortunately for that metaphor, human parents are not always so perfect.  Too many of us have experienced the wrath of a parent that was not motivated by love but rather by fear of the loss of status or power.  God, being infinitely powerful, has nothing to fear. 

What is called God's wrath in the Bible is therefore not God lashing out in anger, but rather the necessary consequence of our poor decisions that God is always ready to work with us to heal.  That is how the Psalmist can say to God "heal me, for I have sinned against you" (Psalm 41:4).  As our epistle reading from 2 Peter says, God "is patient..., not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance."  Repentance -- realizing and acknowledging our shortcomings -- is the first step to healing.  Then we must recognize our inability to fix things on our own, and ask God for help.  That is true humility.  Next, we must follow the way out that God provides to make things right.  That is true penance.

In our gospel lesson (in all four of the gospels, for that matter), John the Baptist's ministry is connected explicitly to our first lesson from Isaiah: "the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord.'"  In John's case, this preparation seems to be composed almost entirely of "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."  A perusal of the reading from Isaiah that you have in your bulletin will not discover the word "repentance" anywhere.  The author does not explicitly state how God's path in the wilderness is to be prepared.  There is mention of forgiveness, but this is framed as satisfaction with the penalty that has already been exacted: "Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins."  Where does John get the need for repentance?

We should remember that John and his earliest interpreters had more of a Semitic vocabulary than a Greek one.  Aramaic, which is closely related to Hebrew, was probably their first language.  In these languages there are at least two words that mean "repent."  The first is the Hebrew שוב shubh (תוב thubh in Aramaic), which means "to turn back" -- thus taking a more active stance on repentance than the Greek metanoia does.  The other word is נחם nacham.  This word is often found in passages where God is said to have "repented" of an intended action, but it is also used of humans in the same way.  It is related to the word for "to rest" and thus carries the meaning of "to desist" or "to be sorry for."  It can also mean "to console" or "to comfort"  -- and it is apparently used that way in the first two words of our reading from Isaiah:  "nachamu nachamu ami" ("comfort, comfort my people").  Perhaps this word for "comfort" could be translated better here as “calm down” and includes the cessation of doing what is harmful -- in other words, repentance.  Put all your rash actions to rest, and rest in God.  I think this is why John sees repentance as the first step in fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy.  It's about surrendering to God's lovingkindness.

If we could learn to lay aside all of our selfish and hurtful goals and rest in God, then peace would be ours — peace within, peace with each other, and peace for the world. 

So we finally draw a connection between penance and peace.  I don't know what the two n's represent, though -- if I were clever I would think of two words that start with 'n' that mean "striving" and "pride" -- because those are two things that will surely take the peace out of penance.  An online thesaurus suggests "nisus" and "narcissism" -- but I'm starting to think that’s stretching it too far.  In fact, it makes me guilty of both.  I should do penance.  Amen.

*image: Inspirivity facebook page