The Difference between Vampires and Saints!

This Halloween I thought I would examine two symbols of the overlapping histories of these Feast Days that make up Halloween and All Saints Day. Traditional Christians will know that Halloween is a contraction of All Hallows Eve which is the day before the feast of the Holy Ones or All Saints Day. And what greater contrast can one draw than between vampires and saints.

Saints of course means people who have been consecrated for God or made holy for His purpose. One does not have to be dead to be a saint. One does have to be once living and now dead to be a vampire. Vampires are referred to as the walking dead! So let us look at the differences of these two symbols.

A vampire shuns daylight. They work in the dark. Saints let their light shine so that others may see their good work and glorify their Father in Heaven.

Vampires cannot look upon a cross. Saints look to the Cross!

Vampires cannot see their reflection in a mirror. Saints read Scripture to get a true reflection of themselves in the light of God's Holy Word.

Vampires suck the blood from the living. Saints draw strength from the Blood of Christ. Let us look at this last point more thoroughly.

Have you known anyone who saps your strength when you are around them? They are so needy that you sigh when you hear their name as if they are sucking your life out of you. That's right! I believe vampires walk among us today. If you are spiritually dead, you are a vampire. "Let the dead bury the dead", Jesus says. We are all called to draw our life from Christ. If we don't we will draw life from others. People who do things in secret are using darkness to cover their acts. Have you known anyone who is always name-calling or making accusations against someone else. A Christian is reflective and will examine the log in their eye and remove it but offering judgement. Because vampires cannot see themselves, St. Paul's admonishment that when we judge others we judge ourselves makes no sense!

So this Halloween, let us look at ourselves in the light of Scripture and consecrate our life to God!

Where is Jesus in the Healthcare Debate?

A post on the the Daily Politics Blog had this heading: Religious Right Opposes Health Care (but Where is the Religion?) http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/26/religious-right-opposes-health-care-but-wheres-the-religion/ . After reading the post, I agree with with the heading. More specifically, where is Jesus in the debate. When we make ideology the end of our faith, we lose sight of the One whom we live for. Here are some facts that we need to consider. In out country, we have free medical care. It is called the emergency room. Many triage nurses are called upon to provide care for the running noses of poor mothers who cannot afford a doctor. Much of our national debt pays for this. According to several authorities, 43 millians Americans are uninsured! These are just the facts of our national economics. Now let us look at the fact of Jesus.

Much of Christ's ministry was healing. It could be said that His inauguration text was Isaiah 61:1-2. He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor...and recovery of sight to the blind.... Jesus could not have limted this prophecy to the spiritually blind as He healed the physically blind as well. He commissioned the apostles to preach the kingdom and heal the sick. I would think from Jesus' teachings and His practice, health care would be an interest of His. If any religious group in the Name of God believed that the government should not reform a system that is not reaching a vast number of people, then one must ask, Why?

I could see the Church oppose health care reform if the church said with a loud voice matched by action, we will provide health care for all! But it is not. We allow our government to tax us to provide services. Should not one of these services be the provision of equal access to medicine? Health care based on whether you have a job and your employer provides whatever they choose to afford is a system that is exclusive based on the god of mammon. I would think Jesus would see health care as His will for all!

I would say we could debate government involvement as the only option. But the rugged individualism of the religious right excludes our sibling humans who have little resources to provide for themselves. Which leaves us to look to government to provide for all who are entitled to health care as a moral and civil right! This is not new. The religious minority of the First Century saw government as God ordained for their protection. St. Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans:

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. 2 So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished. 3 For the authorities do not strike fear in people who are doing right, but in those who are doing wrong. Would you like to live without fear of the authorities? Do what is right, and they will honor you. 4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong. 5 So you must submit to them, not only to avoid punishment, but also to keep a clear conscience.

6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority. (Chapter 13) "The authorites are God's servants, sent for your good! Why not entrust them with our health care!

St. Peter, too, had a similar understanding of the role of government: For the Lord’s sake, respect all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.
15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king. (I Peter 2)

Based on these texts government is not the enemy of God and these texts were written in times where the government was not the friend of Christians. Until we all become our brothers and sisters keepers, A public or susidized option is not anathema to God's will!

What Gifts has God Given You?

When I ask people what gifts people have to offer to God, I get various replies from ‘hearing complaints’ to ‘gardening’ to ‘making jams‘. These are all nice things to do. But what concerns me is that Holy Scripture tells us what gifts we can have to offer to God for His service. The first list is found in Romans chapter 12:6-8: “God has also given each of us different gifts to use. If we can prophesy, we should do it according to the amount of faith we have. If we can serve others, we should serve. If we can teach, we should teach. If we can encourage others, we should encourage them. If we can give, we should be generous. If we are leaders, we should do our best. If we are good to others, we should do it cheerfully.” The second list appears in I Corinthians 12:7-11: “The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others. Some of us can speak with wisdom, while others can speak with knowledge, but these gifts come from the same Spirit. To others the Spirit has given great faith or the power to heal the sick or the power to work mighty miracles. Some of us are prophets, and some of us recognize when God's Spirit is present. Others can speak different kinds of languages, and still others can tell what these languages mean. But it is the Spirit who does all this and decides which gifts to give to each of us.” In summary, the gifts that come from God are serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, kindness, prophesying, words of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles and the discernment between spirits.

This is a lot. But St. Paul reminds us that not everyone has all of these gifts. They are divvied up among the members of the body. It is important to note that these gifts come from God. It is what He wants us to have for us to serve Him. So why can’t we just garden or make jams? That question is best answered by what is the greatest gift God has given us? Hopefully, you will say salvation. Can we save ourselves from death? No! Likewise, can we serve God with our own gifts? No! God gives us what we need to serve Him! Our life on earth is about serving God! He knows what the world needs and has given us the tools to serve Him in the world.

Every Christian needs to pray that each and everyone of us asks that God shows us what gifts He has given us. And then we must pray that we use holy boldness to serve God by being selfless in the sharing of our gifts. Easter we received the salvation of God by Christ’s death and resurrection. Lest us receive the Holy Spirit and all the gifts he has to offer!
Fr. Allen

God is writing your story!

Just finished a meditation on Genesis 1 & 2. These verses plumb the depths of creation that only in eternity can we know God's love for us.

I am struck by the number of times the phrase "And God said" is expressed followed by "And it was so" followed by "And God saw that it was good" followed by "And God blessed them saying..."

We are created by God's Word. He is the authority of our creation as He alone authored us. We are the pages of God's story. Look in a mirror today. Look closely. Do you see God's reflection? (Genesis 1:26)

We cannot change the past. Those pages have turned. But now at this very moment in time God, the author, is still writing your story. His desire is a happy ending. (Romans 8:18-25)

Is there any part of your life you are ashamed of, past or present? The prophet Jeremiah reminds us God will not count our sins against us (Jer. 31:34) Neither should we. This same prophet reminds us God knows the ending of our story,'For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.' (Jeremiah 29:11) God will not abandon what he wonderfully made. He is just not finished with you yet. Part of our story is Jesus and His cross (I John 2:2) As the author of Hebrews states, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2)

Look in the mirror today. Literally, I mean this. Take a few minutes and stand before a mirror. See what God, our Father in Heaven, sees". Do you see Him?

IHS,

Allen+

Do you have the Holy Spirit

One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Acts 19:1-7 It reads:

While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled across the hill country to Ephesus, where he met some of the Lord's followers. He asked them, "When you put your faith in Jesus, were you given the Holy Spirit?"
"No!" they answered. "We have never even heard of the Holy Spirit."
"Then why were you baptized?" Paul asked.
They answered, "Because of what John taught."
Paul replied, "John baptized people so that they would turn to God. But he also told them that someone else was coming, and that they should put their faith in him. Jesus is the one that John was talking about." After the people heard Paul say this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Paul placed his hands on them. The Holy Spirit was given to them, and they spoke unknown languages and prophesied. There were about twelve men in this group.

I like this account because I think it is indicative of the Church today. Many of us attending worship on Sunday know we were baptized. Many who don’t attend worship were also baptized at some point in their life at the behest of their family. Like John’s followers, it was expected the but the full meaning of the church’s teaching has been lost.

When we are baptized in a worship service, the Holy Spirit is imparted in us. But as we grow older, we may have forgotten our responsibility in allowing the Spirit of
God to make His presence known. How many of us have been in a room when someone walks in who knows us but ignores our presence? Well, for many of us, the Holy Spirit is in us, be we just ignore Him. One of God’s attributes is that He does not want us to be puppets where he pulls all of our strings. We, having been created in His image, have free will. We must on our own accord, acknowledge God’s presence in us and ask that presence become central in our life. We do that when we invite Jesus into our hearts. But we also have to let the Third Person of the Trinity fill us so that we are saturated with His being. This is what is meant by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Like water that has been tapped by a fresh dug well springs forth saturating the ground around it, so we too must open ourselves to let the Spirit rise up and saturated us.
So how do we know if the Holy Spirit is reigning supreme in our hearts? Do you talk about church or do you talk about Christ? Do you wonder what the priest is doing or are you asking what you can do for the Lord? Do you see problems or do you see solutions? After all, God is the prayer answering business! Get the hint?

So let us be like the men in Ephesus! Acknowledge that we have been baptized, but also let us be filled with Holy Spirit. After all, this is the will of God!

IHS,
Fr. Allen

This link was a tweet I received this afternoon upon my return from my walk. Loving Others Through Difficult Times...Taking Christianity Into the World HIS CPA

Mr. Dillard's word spoke to me as I wrestle with the same feelings that his letter writer is struggling with. I know the Phillipians passage and it is a difficult one especially when others are unforgiving and arrogant. But what I want to speak to is the timeliness of this piece.

This has been a strange week for me. Some events in the time-space continuum have been very edifying. After a weekend of getting Josh of on a plane for a trip halfway around the world without any complications, prayer gatherings have been holy and conversations have been good. But in the in-between times when I am alone, I have been bombarded by feelings and imaginations that are not of God. They hearken back to old wounds. I pray and read Scripture that I hope will change my thinking to be more of the mind of Christ. (Phillipians 2:5)And then I beat myself up when a godly mind does not come to the for! Satan loves that part the best, I'm sure! So what does Mr. Dillard's message say to me?

It says God, the Father, has not been far off. In this time-space continuum, he will bring a witness from another godly human to remind me I am on the right track. Others have gone through these dark thoughts as well and can help me from their learnings. Taking up our cross means forgiving others for they know not what they do - even if it means I have to do it 490 times! I pray that these words have been heard by you and especially by anyone who has been going through a dark night of the soul as well!

The King of Pop and the King of Lords

Some reflections on last week: Our culture likes to celebrate individuals for a variety of reasons. Last week four celebrities died. Of course the truth is many more humans died but they are nameless to us except for their families and friends. But four made the news. Yet one person seemed to have made the most news and that was Michael Jackson, "the King of Pop"! Michael Jackson is close to my age. Farrah Fawcett is close to my sister's. But there was a lot of news on Michael. People gathered in streets dressed like him and playing his music. According to the talking heads, he believed he could be the king of pop just like Elvis was "The King" his former father-in-law. Interestingly, their fate was similar, a premature death with only their music to live on.

Unfortunately, too many people believe this is immortality. But this is not real immortality. I was struck by the truth of our First Reading yesterday from Wisdom:

God did not make death,
And he does not delight in the death of the living.
For he created all things so that they might exist;
the generative forces of the world are wholesome,
and there is no destructive poison in them,
and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
For righteousness is immortal.
God created us for incorruption,
and made us in the image of his own eternity,
but through the devil’s envy death entered the world,
and those who belong to his company experience it.

In the image of his own eternity! Do we realize that? God is eternal and we are created in the image of God! But too many members of humankind do not trust that truth and therefore strive for fame. For MJ, three children are now fatherless! Drugs and sensuality is used to avoid the pain of this world rather than trusting in the cross! I was in a meeting this morning where a fellow baby boomer understood that MJ's frequent plastic surgeries was a way to avoid seeing his abusive father in the mirror. No one showed him the image of God that each of us carry!

Today as I ponder the life of the great apostles, Peter and Paul, I realize that many of us miss the point of being on earth. The point is not to try to escape it as the Gnostics would have us believe. The point is to learn to live in the presence of God glorifying Him alone! In this way we attain the holiness that will prepare us for the resurrection of our body. As Rick Warren has said, life on earth is the dress rehearsal for the Resurrection. So we need to put into practice an authentic worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is a concept called the Law of Worship which sates, we become what we worship. This is stated in 2 Kings 17:5,

They despised his statutes and his covenant that he made with their fathers and the warnings that he gave them. They went after false idols and became false, and they followed the nations that were around them, concerning whom the LORD had commanded them that they should not do like them.

When we go after idols, objects of our own making, we worship something not real, hence becoming unreal ourselves. For those of us who grew up with Michael Jackson, we saw this in his features as he used his riches to become something unreal. And how many fans took to the streets to mourn his death? As Christian we need to take to the streets, the marketplace and proclaim Jesus as Lord. Not by proclaiming ourselves as celebrities as we are want to do but as Peter and Paul did. They were martyrs, witnesses to Jesus Christ. Their goal was to share the good news of Jesus to others who would chase after false gods. When they did not succumb to their culture around them, they were put to death. They did not kill themselves. They were put to death for refusing to become false by the idolatries of the world. We should emulate them by putting Jesus first in our lives by our true worship of Him and by expecting others to give up their false selves, their idols, and become real by worshipping Jesus in spirit and truth!


Almighty God, whose blessed apostles Peter and Paul glorified you by their martyrdom: Grant that your Church, instructed by their teaching and example, and knit together in unity by your Spirit, may ever stand firm upon the one foundation, which is Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.