Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Philemon 1 -21
Luke 14:25-33

September 7, 2025   Abbey Church   Abraham

There are a lot of seemingly arbitrary rules and laws in the Old Testament, but if one looks closely enough, it seems that the bulk of them are trying to get the point across that the universe works a certain way, and if we choose to fit in with the way it works, all is well; if we choose to resist fitting in with the way the universe works, disaster ensues (for us and for the people around us.) The disasters caused by our refusal to follow the way of the universe is sometimes referred to as “wrath”, and it is often wrongly referred to as “the wrath of God,” but blaming it on God is wrong.

 Our gospel reading ties into this in its last sentence, because one of the universal laws is the fact that we really have no possessions; everything is merely loaned to us for a short time. Our job is to be good stewards of the things given to us, and then let them go at the appropriate time. We have nothing by right: physical, intellectual, or spiritual. The truth is: “Everything is a gift.” So, to be a disciple of Jesus (who is the way, the truth, and the life), we must give up living with the dangerous falsehood that we possess anything (even those dearest to us.)

The reading from Paul’s letter to Philemon which we heard today also ties into the truth of possession leading to wrath. The entire letter is about a runaway slave, and nothing is more wrathful than slavery. However, people were so used to it, Paul did not even say anything about it being wrong.

One aspect of the delusion of possession that can be particularly wrathful is our tendency to think we possess the correct way of doing things and thinking about things (mostly religious and political.) We get worked up when we hear of others doing or thinking things differently than we do. It is true that some ways of acting and thinking are in fact bad and dangerous, and we should do what we can to change them, but if we are so inhibited by our anger that we can not work on changing the actions or attitudes, wrath ensues (often it is visited upon the people around us, having to endure our angry but ineffective ranting.) We get so focused on belittling or mocking the person who is wrong, that we don’t have the time or energy to find solutions to the incorrect behavior, and worse, we fail to see our own incorrect thoughts and actions.

We have a choice: to calmly and objectively steward our relationships with those around us (those who agree with us, and those who don’t) and so to build peace and solve problems, or to deludedly try to control others (showing our mistaken and often unwitting attempt to possess them and make them behave) and so to produce wrath and make problems worse. Our wrath is silly, puny, and sad. If we let or cause problems to get worse because we are so busy ranting at others, the wrath that will build up will be horrific.

The world is designed to work by certain laws, and they are not arbitrary, because they all hinge on the greatest law of Love. God is Love. God does not possess; God lets us go and do as we choose, even if it causes wrath. May we choose love and stewardship, rather than possession and wrath. We know we don’t always choose wisely, but we also know we are trying to do better. That is evidenced by the fact that we are here. We want to follow Jesus, and he will help us slowly give up our false sense of possession. It might seem difficult at times (even wrathful), but we will make it. Jesus will see to it.   AMEN

Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Colossians 1:1-14
Luke 10:25-37

July 13, 2025   Abbey Church   Abraham

Sometimes small words can add a lot to whatever is being said. Our scripture readings today have talked about: obeying God so that our lives may be blessed (that’s from Moses), and about patiently living lives of hope so that we bear good fruit (that’s from Paul), and about the fact that strangers are really our neighbors who deserve our care (that’s from Jesus.)

But maybe the most important word that holds the whole thing together is from Paul’s introduction to his letter to Colossae that we just heard: “Grace” – “Grace to you and peace from God our Father.” Everything is a gift, graciously given to us by God. God gives us the world and the people in it, and if we treat our world and our neighbors as wonderful gifts, then we will all have abundant lives. If we choose rather to exploit our world and the people around us as commodities we have earned and can therefore abuse, then we will all have horrible lives – ourselves, the people around us, and the entire world.

If we don’t see everything as a gift from a gracious God, then we live in fear, because we mistakenly think that we need to push other people down so that we can steal their stuff in order to have what we need. But all the while, God is desperately trying to freely give us everything, including eternal life. We can’t accept it if our hands are made into fists, instead of being stretched out with our palms up in order to receive everything from God.

“Grace” – “Grace to us and peace from God our Father.” It is scary to open up and receive. It is scary because we have all been hurt by others, and we have all hurt ourselves and others. So, we shouldn’t feel bad about ourselves when we are too afraid to open up and receive. At some point, we will. God can wait an eternity if needed. God’s grace is eternal, and brings healing, joy, and peace to all. AMEN

John 14:23-29

May 25, 2025   Abbey Church   Abraham

Jesus gives us His peace, but he says that he does not give it as the world gives it. That is good, because we know that when “the world” gives us peace, it does not last, because it is peace achieved through suppression of whatever is causing agitation. Whenever more agitants pop up, the peace is gone.

Jesus gives us peace by healing our relationship with the universe, so that we need not be agitated. He also heals our relationship with ourselves, and we all know that our biggest lack of peace comes from our inner turmoil (our biggest source of agitation is our own selves.)

So. Jesus gives us this supreme peace, but we sure do not seem to experience it very often. Maybe we do not receive it because we are not receptive. Maybe we are waiting for Jesus to suppress our agitants. Maybe we are mistaken about what should agitate us.

We need to spend more time with the promised Holy Spirit who will teach us how to receive the peace of Jesus. We have an eternity in which to learn, and an infinity to learn about. We can start by listening to the Holy Spirit in scripture and silence, and by being fed by Jesus as we gather around this table.

We do not need to worry about lacking faith whenever we are not in peace. Peace is a gift, not a test. And it is a big Jesus-sized gift, so there should be no surprise that it takes so long for us to unpack and learn how to use it. The Holy Spirit is with us to show us how it works. May we be open to instruction.   AMEN

Genesis 15:1-12,17-18
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Luke 13:1-35

Anakin and Mussolini
March 13, 2022 Abbey Church Abraham

We know the story: Jesus was a good guy doing the right thing – healing and helping people with love and compassion; Herod was a bad guy doing the wrong thing – controlling and exploiting people with greed and fear. Our own stories are not so obvious.

Helping and healing people is never wrong, but sometimes we can do it in ways that are not best for everyone. Wielding power and authority and keeping public order and tradition in place are not always wrong – in fact, those things can be a means of helping and healing people. Many evil tyrants do not start out that way. They truly want to do the best thing for people, but allow fear or ego to take over their motives. Many people who start out helping and healing people and speaking out against corrupt and hurtful governments and traditions become evil tyrants in their own way, allowing fear or ego to take over their motives, and becoming rigid in their rules of how to be helped and healed.

We need to be always checking our motives and methods and never be smug about our correctness and our foes’ incorrectness. Healing and helping people is never wrong, but the way we go about it might need some refining. Keeping public order and safeguarding tradition is usually not wrong, unless it keeps people from being helped and healed.

We must always be open to the possibility that we are wrong and the people who oppose us might be right. It takes a lot of maturity, prayer, and advice to make sure our motives and methods are good. It is important to do the right thing, but it is even more important to do it in a way that is helpful.

We don’t have all the answers, but we can open ourselves up to the Holy Spirit so that we can be always learning. We can stop obsessing about ourselves so much so that Jesus can grow in us, helping us to be more helpful and healing. We can watch ourselves, so that when the Herod part of us takes over, we can catch it and put the Jesus part of us in its place. It takes time and effort, but God’s grace is always there to begin and complete the task. We can start by coming to be fed at this table by Jesus, who wants to fill and satisfy us and give us strength for the work ahead of us. AMEN

Exodus 34:29-35
II Corinthians 3:12-4:2
Luke 9:28-43a

Policy of Truth
February 27, 2022 Abbey Church Abraham

Hazrat Rabia from Basra in the eighth century has given us this beautiful prayer:

“O Lord, if I worship you because of Fear of Hell,
then burn me in Hell;
If I worship you because I desire Paradise,
then exclude me from Paradise;
But if I worship you for Yourself alone,
the deny me not your Eternal Beauty.”

Fear and hope are self-centered, while love is God-centered, but the truth is: everything revolves around God, not around us. So, getting rid of fear and even hope as motivators and living solely from love is a good thing. It is a goal we might never reach, but at least we have been given the next several weeks as a special time to work on it.

We work not to gain salvation, but rather to clear our eyes so that we can see it. Like the disciples on the mountain, when we see God, it can be confusing and scarey, because it is so different from the way we are used to living. But like Moses on the mountain, we can also be a source of God’s light to those around us, even if it is confusing and scarey for them.

All of this is a reason to keep looking at God alone, so we can always be getting more used to it. It is confusing and scarey because it is not our usual way of living (which is mostly thinking about ourselves). The more we get used to having God in the center of our lives, the more beautiful the light becomes to us, and the more we can see reality.

May this be our goal for the next several weeks: looking less at ourselves and more at God, so that when Easter finally arrives, it is the most real one we have ever experienced. AMEN

Epiphany II Year C
Isaiah 62:1-5
I Corinthians 12:1-11
John 2:1-11

January 16, 2022 Abbey Church Abraham

We are all important. We are all created by God. We are all made in God’s image. We do not need to do anything to become important; we already are. We are all so important, God gives each of us important things to do. That makes all of us more important. We do not need to be successful in the tasks that God gives us. In fact, we really have no idea of how to be successful in those tasks – only God knows, and God simply wants us to do the tasks. God simply wants us to be ourselves.

Our second reading from Paul to the Christians in Corinth gives a list of tasks that some people have been given. Our task might not be on that list, but that does not make it any less important than the tasks that are on that list. The Gospel story tells of people doing tasks: Mary telling Jesus what people need, Jesus telling people how to meet that need, people doing what Jesus told them to do, and Mary telling them to do whatever Jesus tells them. The outcome of the tasks were not dependent on the people doing them – God changed the water into wine, the people simply had to fill the tanks.

Sometimes we do not know what our tasks are. That is ok, we will find them eventually. Many times, we are doing them and do not even know it – we just need to make sure we are not doing things that hinder our Godgiven tasks. Such hindrances would be things like hate, greed, and self-righteousness.

So, even when we are not sure what our tasks are, we still need to remember that we are important, simply because God made us. God loves us, like Isaiah describes in our first reading. God is giddy about us, like a couple getting married are giddy about each other. In fact, even when we are not doing the tasks we know we should do, and even when we are actively and intentionally doing those things that hinder our God given tasks, God still loves us. God is grieved about how we are hurting ourselves and those around us, but God’s love for us never diminishes.

So, as Mary said: “Do whatever he tells you.” And until we figure out what that task is, it is ok to simply “Be whoever he made you.” AMEN