This Sunday is Trinity Sunday.  From the perspective of our Church year, it might be said that Trinity Sunday is a reflection point: an occasion to pause and evaluate or contemplate all that we, the Church, has come to know about God.  The irony, of course, being that while we have come to know and experience so much the glorious nature of God and the love and hope that is ours through faith, God is always beyond our human knowing, beyond our definition, beyond our finite words and imaginations.

Or, as St. Augustine described:  “God is higher than [our] highest and more inward than [our] innermost self.”

One God: begotten and born into this world as Jesus, who healed, served, and proclaimed God’s kingdom giving us a witness of our calling to love one another; who suffered and died for us then rose from death and the grave and ascended into heaven showing us the love that God bears for us and God’s salvation hope for us and all creation; and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to fill us with the power and presence of God to complete God’s mission of salvation–the healing of humankind and all creation from the power of sin.

All of that in Unity.  One God beyond our defining and beyond our knowing but for UNITY.   Perhaps that is a lesson we can understand and take away from our celebration of Trinity Sunday:  to know God, to seek God, has less to do with clever formulas or metaphors, and more to do with seeking UNITY in all things:  unity in holy love, unity in self-giving care, and unity through reconciliation.

This Sunday, May 24^th, is the Day of Pentecost, the Church’s celebration of the dramatic descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles as a rushing wind and tongues of fire.  The dramatic coming of the Holy Spirit–“the Advocate” is the fulfillment of the gifts promised by Jesus that he would abide with them always, strengthen them, guide them and empower them to do HIS works and to be witnesses to HIS Gospel message of hope, salvation, and life in the Kingdom of God.   The Day of Pentecost, therefore, is also the celebration of the birth of the Church–the body of Christ alive and active on earth and in heaven.

We often associate the Day of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit with the speaking in tongues.  This is, after all, one of the dramatic details of the story of the Day of Pentecost recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.  The Spirit empowered the Apostles–and, therefore, the Church, with the ability to make the Gospel message of Jesus and his love heard and understood by a crowd of people from many different cultures and  languages.  The Spirit’s presence reveals that the Word of God has no “official” language, but hears and understands the language of every human heart.   Many congregations will celebrate the Day of Pentecost by hearing scripture read in many different languages.

But the gifts of the Holy Spirit are much more than the universal language of God.  In fact, the Church has long identified seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Recorded in the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1-3, these seven gifts are associated with the Messianic mission described in Isaiah and other prophets.  They are, therefore, the gifts of Jesus the Christ–the Messiah, given by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to the Church–His body in this world, to abide with us and empower us to be witness and servants of His Gospel: His way of salvation, justice, reconciliation and love.  In our liturgy of Holy Baptism we pray these seven gifts will be received by and sustain every newly baptized member of Christ’s body the Church.  We sing in joyful hope and praise of these 7 gifts in nearly every hymn for the Holy Spirit in our hymnal (1982).  We seek to be strengthened by these gifts as we grow into the full stature of Christ.

Can you name all seven of these gifts?  How might you celebrate them, unwrap them in your heart, and give them in witness and service of the Gospel?

• Wisdom: The ability to see things from God’s perspective and make choices that align with divine truth.
• Understanding: The grace to grasp the deeper meaning of faith and the mysteries of God’s love.
• Counsel: The capacity to make good, morally sound decisions and to offer prudent advice to others.
• Fortitude: The courage and endurance to stand up for the faith and persevere through life’s trials
• Knowledge: The awareness and understanding of God’s revelation and how to apply it to our lives.
• Piety: A deep reverence for God and a heart motivated by love and devotion rather than duty.
• Fear of the Lord: A sense of awe, wonder, and respect for God’s majesty (the “gift of joy and wonder”).

(AI source:  this list was generated by a Google Search, however, the source referenced by the search was “The Episcopal Diocese of AK, Bishop Mark Lattime”)

May the gifts of the Holy Spirit fall afresh on the whole Church that we might fulfill our call to witness and serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“O God of unchangeable power and eternal light:  Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility  the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.”  Amen  (Prayer for the Church from the Ordination Services of the BCP)

Happy Ascensiontide.  Today (I’m writing on Thursday, May 14), is the Feast of the Ascension, one of the Principal Feast of the Church Year (right up there with Christmas Day, The Epiphany, Easter Day, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and All Saints’ Day).   Always on a Thursday, Ascension Day is celebrated 40 days after Easter Day.  It celebrates that Jesus ascended into heaven in physical form.  THAT is an important point for physical forms–bodies.

The Ascension story appears in two places in Scripture:  in Luke’s Gospel as the last word of the final chapter, and in the Acts of the Apostles where it serves as the opening act–chapter 1.  In the Acts of Apostles, the details of Jesus’ Ascension, are developed a bit more than in the Gospel of Luke–in Acts there is more action in the story. Luke records Jesus’ final words to the disciples as occurring over a meal of broiled fish in Jerusalem; after which, they walk to Bethany where Jesus blesses them and is “taken up into heaven.”   In  Acts, however, Jesus’ last words to the disciples seem to happen immediately before his ascension.  He promises his disciples that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit and that they will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. Then, “when he had said this,” Jesus ascends–he is “lifted up” and a cloud took him out of their sight.”

The big difference between Luke’s Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, however, is what happens next.  After Jesus disappears into the clouds, the Book of Acts describes the apostles as standing, one imagines them awe struck–their mouths gaping, looking toward the sky.  Two mysterious white-clad men appear to break their wondering gazes, bringing them back to earth,

“Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?”

How often does our faith have us focusing on the clouds, staring at some remote far away heaven we cannot see, but only imagine.  How often does a hope that heaven has no business with the earth, with the world, that it  draws us away from seeking heaven–God’s Kingdom, and serving heaven here on earth?

The Kingdom of Heaven, where Christ is, is not remote, it is not “out there,” but, indeed, it is here.  It may be shrouded in clouds, but it is here where the Holy Spirit moves and renews the earth and human lives.  It is here where Christ’s resurrected body, the Church, lives and moves and has its being.  It is here where that same Spirit working in us as the body of Christ calls us to witness to Christ’s Gospel; to serve heaven’s righteousness; to seek reconciliation, justice and peace for all people; and to love as Christ loved, on earth as it is in heaven.

Faith in a resurrected Lord who has ascended into heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to us is not intended to be an escape clause from this earth, nor an invitation to hold no love or concern for this world and all who live upon it.   To the contrary, Jesus’ ascension reveals that we are called to serve and care for this world and our brothers and sisters; because in Christ they ARE the stuff of heaven.  We are called and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to this very point, seeking and serving the kingdom of heaven at all times and in all places.

As the body of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, let us ascend into heaven even to the ends of the earth.

Lord beyond our mortal sight, Al-le-lu-ia!

raise our hearts to reach thy height, Al-le-lu-ia!

there thy face unclouded see,  Al-le-lu-ia!

find our heaven of heavens in thee, Al-le-lu-ia!

                                                                               Hymnal 214 v.4

May 5th is National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Awareness Day.

The Tanana Chiefs Conference website reports that: “Indigenous persons experience disproportionately high rates of violence, and, relatedly, are reported missing or are murdered at high rates. Alaska Natives experience disproportionate rates of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other violent crimes, according to the Indian Law and Order Commission’s 2013 report.”

In a recent Letter to the Anchorage Daily News, I joined our ecumenical judicatory leaders of the ELCA, Presbyterian, and UMC churches to “urge Alaskan political leaders, religious leaders, police, and all residents to advocate for and prioritize thorough investigations of crimes against Indigenous people, systemic reforms like improved jurisdictional coordination of law enforcement agencies, and support for Indigenous families.”  And stated that our churches stand ready to partner in grief support, awareness events, and policy advocacy.

Again this year, on May 5, I will participate in a gathering of Remembrance for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons at the Golden Heart Plaza at noon here in Fairbanks.  Again this year, as with every year, the list of names of Missing and Murdered Alaska Natives will be read–the names remembered.  It is a solemn and sacred act of remembrance.  But even more, it is a call to action. Our brothers and sisters are suffering.  The old legal maxim holds true: Justice delayed is justice denied.  Silence perpetuates harm; but action honors the divine image in every life–and serves to restore the dignity of every human being.

I urge all Episcopal Communities to honor a time of Remembrance May 5 either by holding your own service of Remembrance or by joining in a service in your community.   The Rev. Shirley Lee has prepared a Liturgy of Remembrance for MMIP that is available for all communities to use.  You are free to download this liturgy and to adapt it for your local context.

This May 5, this Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Day, let us all lift our voices in common prayer for those who are missing, for those who have disappeared, for those whose lives have been taken from them; and let us stand in solidarity with those who mourn, with those who wait and watch; and let us commit ourselves to the on-going work of advocating for justice and the dignity of every human being.

Click the hand  for the Liturgy for MMIP

Alleluia.  Christ is Risen.

It is good to point out that the Church’s  Easter Acclamation and greeting is always in the present tense.  We say that Christ is risen and not Christ has risen.  Jesus is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and giving life to those in the tomb.

Easter abides!

Nevertheless, by now, much of the world has left Easter in the rearview mirror and moved on with the business of the grave.  Most grievously this is more often than not business as usual for our world:  war, personal interest over concern for others, power, prejudice, and the pursuit of some form of greatness that is defined less by Christ’s triumph over death and more like the perceived strength of crucifixion over life.

But Easter IS and remains God’s final word, God’s judgment, on this world’s ways of death.  As the Psalmist sings:  “You show me the path of life.”  Easter is that path.  There is no power or pursuit on this earth greater than the life and hope that is revealed in Easter.

That is the path, the present and abiding path, that we are called to pursue.  To proclaim Easter is to embrace with hope Easter’s path of life and to become a living witness through word and deed that all manner of death in this world is being trampled down under the feet of our risen Lord’s victory over the grave.

The Lord is risen indeed.  Alleluia

The cross is empty.  The tomb is empty.  The self-serving cult of human greed, judgment, and death has been emptied of its perceived power.  Jesus has risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and to those in the tombs granting life!

Easter is about life, and not just life after physical death, Easter is the life that tramples down all forms of death in this world.   Easter is God’s victory over the human cult of crucifixion and death, a cult that worships cruelty, judgment, greed, nationality, hate, indifference, and all sinful desires that draw human hearts from the love of God–a love that shows no partiality.

Easter is the promise that God’s impartial and transforming love is life itself.  And that life is for the whole world.  It is not earned, merited, or offered quid pro quo–for those are the ways of death and the tomb.  Easter life is given to all freely, joyfully, and fully.

May that life be our hope in this world, and may it be our calling.  With the risen Lord, may we, being transformed by Easter life, walk away from the empty tomb to take the hand of all who live under the shadow of death in the world so that everyone might know the transforming power of Easter life.

The Lord is Risen indeed.  Alleluia.

Happy Easter!

As liturgical seasons go, Lent is as predictable as they come:  5 Sundays then Palm Sunday followed by Holy Week.   Our patterns of Lent practice are also somewhat predictable—they trace the journey of Jesus to the cross.

No surprises

But this year I find myself taken by surprise.  How is it possible that this Sunday is Palm Sunday?  Did someone shorten the season of Lent?

Being surprised by Palm Sunday seems a bit like encountering the Messiah, the King of all creation, riding into Jerusalem on a donkey without fanfare or pomp.  Humble.

A surprising symbol of the power of hope in the chaos and noise of life.

Our world is screaming with the noise of human sin, the selfish struggles and strivings for power and wealth, and the roar of injustice and war.   It all can be so disorienting.

“Behold, your King comes to you! He is righteous, and having salvation; lowly, and riding on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

A surprising image, an unexpected message.  May we be surprised by hope.  A hope that has the strength to break through the chaos.

It’s a miracle!  Jesus gives sight to a man born blind.  Miracle causes quite a stir.

If that reads like a headline, it is because I am imagining the story of Jesus giving sight to the man born blind appearing above the fold in the “Jerusalem Star Tribune” (I think I just aged myself).  This gospel story from John, appointed for this coming Fourth Sunday in Lent, paints quite a picture.  For a story about blindness the description is vivid.  Spit, mud, washing in the pool of Siloam, disbelief, crowds gathering, interrogation, intrigue, even the man’s parents appear on the stage.   So many details color this story.

But are we able to see these details, or, more subtly, are we able to see through them?

The details are important.  This is not a healing miracle–that’s an important detail.  This is not a restoration of sight.  No, this is something entirely new.  The man was born blind–he had never seen.   Jesus didn’t heal him; what Jesus did was to give him sight.

“One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.”

His sight, the only sight he has ever had, is through the eyes of Jesus.  It is a sight that has seen no other light than the light of Christ–a whole new way of seeing.

Of course, the people who represent the systems and structures, the authorized way of seeing–the “normal” way of seeing, see this “miracle” in a different way.  Their vision is focused by judgment–their judgment of sin, of right and wrong.  Their vision is distorted by status and judgments based on power and authority.  In their eyes, they see things clearly.  “Surely we are not blind, are we?”   Am I?

What if we could see through your eyes, Lord?

And here is the miracle–the part of the story where the paradox of Jesus’ words becomes clear.  Jesus offers blindness AND sight.  He offers us blindness to the world’s way of seeing, blindness to vision through the darkness of self-serving judgment of others in order to maintain the status quo and uphold the power and authority of the “seeing.”   He calls us to blindness to  this vision–this way of seeing this world,  then offers NEW sight to those who are blind.

Here is the astonishing thing:  Once your eyes are blind to vision focused by human judgment, prejudice, worldly power, and selfish human designs Jesus offers sight  Not the healing or restoration of old ways of seeing and judging, but the gift of a brand new way of seeing.   Jesus offers sight through His eyes: a vision that judges the world through a lens focused by His love, illuminated by the light of His mercy, His justice, His Grace, and His forgiveness.

Once we see our blindness, Jesus gives us sight.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:41-48

It is hard to be perfect. In fact, I’m pretty certain I have never achieved perfection in anything, and certainly not the perfection of God.  Therefore, I am grateful to have Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and example to turn to when it comes to my failure to achieve Godly perfection.

As the Gospel of John proclaims: “Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.”  No one comes to God’s perfection except through Him–his example; his forgiveness; and his love.  As Christians, called by His name, our full devotion and allegiance, therefore, must be to the Kingdom of God that Jesus manifests–The perfect Kingdom of God.

It is hard to be perfect as God is perfect, as the Kingdom God is perfect.  It is even harder to be perfect in times of war. There is no denying that while we are citizens of the Kingdom of God we are also citizens of an earthly nation. This, too, comes with responsibilities and obligations.  But our primary allegiance, our first citizenship, is in heaven (Phil 3:20).  Our responsibilities and our devotion must always be to the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, mercy, reconciling justice, accountability in divine love, and peace.

Our earthly nation is now at war (or any other descriptors being used that are just really just distinctions without a difference).  In times of conflict it can become even more difficult to hold onto our primary allegiance to the Kingdom of God; our devotion to the perfect way of Jesus will be challenged.  As citizens of an earthly nation at war we will be challenged to accept that the leaders of this world define what is moral–what is right.  We will be called to show unity, patriotism, and support for actions that are contrary to the perfection of the Kingdom of God and antithetical to the teachings and way of Jesus.  Fear and shame will likely rise to meet the Kingdom’s resistance to the false claims and authority of this world.

But our faith and our hope is on Jesus Christ alone. May we endure in his way of love and persist in our resistance to the ways of this world by striving always for the Kingdom of God.   As St. Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, we know that faith and hope and love abide all things.  Let them rise in you to meet the challenges of this world and to guide you and keep you in the perfect way of God’s Kingdom where no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness (BCP prayer 4 “For Peace”).

As we strive to be perfect in the Kingdom of God, let us be fervent in prayer.  Praying for Peace (BCP page 815 #4).  Praying for our Enemies (BCP page 816 #6).  For our Country and those in authority (BCP pages 820-21 #s 18,19,20, etc.).   And praying for those in the Armed Forces of our Country (BCP page 823 #25)*.

*Our prayers for those who serve in the Armed Forces are particularly important.  Especially as war exacts moral wounds on soldiers that form scars that are often carried silently long after the end of active conflict.  As Stanley Hauerwas, Gilbert T. Rowe Professor Emeritus of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School stated so well in a recent article in The Christian Century:

“So we pray. But we pray differently. We pray as people who lament this war and the stories told to justify it. We pray for those who have died and those who will die. We pray for soldiers, not with amorphous calls for safety, but with genuine concern for their hearts and their spiritual health. And we pray for the church—that it would be a place where truth can be told, where wounds can be named, and where the peace of Christ is not just a word but a way of life.

This doesn’t mean we, as the church, blame soldiers. It’s quite the opposite. As one Christian body, we walk with them, we listen to them, we learn from them. We love them enough to tell the truth. We don’t expect them to carry the weight of our silence. We expect the church to carry the weight of their healing.”

when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”. Isaiah 58: 6-7

Lent is a season of fasting and penitence. But, as the prophet Isaiah reminds us, fasting and penitence is less about what we are willing to “give-up” as an expression of our personal piety, and more about realigning ourselves and our lives with God’s purpose, mercy, justice and love as reflected in the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Lent is about growing more deeply and practicing more sincerely the gospel life of Baptism.

On Ash Wednesday, ICE agents in Soldotna arrested and deported a woman and her three children, the youngest of her children is 5 years old and attends Kindergarten.

While these cases are often complex, those of us who seek to practice and witness to the life and way of Jesus, and who would look for our society to reflect the higher moral principles of mercy, love of neighbor, and gospel justice, must be prepared and willing to hold ourselves and our leaders accountable to our Lenten fast taken in justice, mercy, and Godly love.

I also encourage all of us to be renewed in hope and faith. Remember that God has poured into our lives an abundance of strength and love in our communities–“our own flesh and blood.” Nourish your relationships and strengthen the bonds of your community. Together we are stronger, and in our shared faith, prayers, service and love for one another in Christ, we can do all things and have nothing to fear.

An Open Letter to the People of Alaska and to Our Elected Leaders

Interested in Advocacy Resources for More Information about Immigration?

Contact Episcopal Migration Ministries

www.episcopalmigrationministries.org

EMM offers a variety of know your rights and family preparedness information available. Additionally, the EMM team can also connect directly with local parishes to provide family preparedness or other information and support so please feel free to share our contact them.