Where's your focus?

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary: Luke 10:38-42

38 Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.’ 41But the Lord answered her, ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42there is need of only one thing.* Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.’

As we continue our Daily Office walk through the Gospel of Luke, we come to this familiar story about Martha and Mary. I think many people get hung up on Jesus' words toward the end of the passage, "Mary has chosen the better part," as though Jesus is judging Martha to be somehow inferior or misguided. I think that misses Jesus' point. He is intimate friends with both of them, and with their brother Lazarus. He knows they are both faithful followers.

The more important point, I think, is one of focus, and remembering to keep our hearts in the right place. Martha was diligently playing the role of hostess, attending to the details of putting on a meal. Jesus' point is not that these things aren't important, but that it is all-too-- easy for us humans -- who live in liminal time and space -- to get bogged down in the "stuff" of every day life and miss the bigger picture, the context in which that life takes place.

What does that look like in daily life? It can be our failure to make time in a busy day to pray, even if it is "on the fly". It is in forgetting to find the little -- or even the big -- blessing in our everyday lives. In these challenging economic times, it can mean paying more attention to what we have lost, or what we don't have, than to the many blessings we do have in our lives. In our parish life, it can mean focusing our attention on budget numbers rather than the process of how we arrive at the budget. It can mean worrying about how we balance dollars and cents without first praying about who we are and who we are called to be. As with the case of Martha and Mary, it isn't that all of these things aren't important and have their place in our lives. It's a question of focus.

Where is your focus today?

Have a blessed day! Your brother in Christ, Don+

Who is our neighbor? And how can we love?

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 26He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ 27He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ 28And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’
29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ 30Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35The next day he took out two denarii,* gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ 37He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ Luke 10:25-37

For today, consider the question, "Who is my neighbor?" Consider the possibility that it is someone who may not live next door to you.

Can you think of more than one way -- besides charity -- to love your neighbor as yourself? That's what Jesus is asking us to do today and everyday.

Have a blessed one! Your brother in Christ, Don+

What do YOU see?

Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will". . . Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, bud did not hear it." Luke 10:24

Jesus had sent out 70 disciples to preach the Good News, and they had returned rejoicing at the early success of their ministry. These words from this morning's Daily Office are Jesus' own rejoicing in their ministry, thanking his heavenly Father. He talks about a way of seeing and hearing, of understanding the world, of having a sense of being called to advance God's desires for his kingdom on earth.

As one of God's disciples, what are you seeing? What are you hearing? How can you advance God's kingdom on earth this day?

Have a blessed day! Your brother in Christ, Don+

A Great High Priest Who Is There For Us

Since, then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14-16

One of the mysteries of the Christian faith, especially for non-Christians, is our belief that Jesus was at the same time fully God and fully human. The mind boggles when one stops to consider all of the rational possibilities, but the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews is not concerned with the mind, but with the heart. During his lifetime, Jesus experienced the full range of human emotions: he held little children, consoled grieving families, wept for his friends, and suffered unimaginable pain in his passion and death. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, the prophet Isaiah says. And surely he hears our prayers when we lift our concerns, our fears, our anxieties, our suffering to Him and turn them over to him.

What a friend we have in Jesus, the old hymn says. All our griefs and sins to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pains we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

What lies heavy on your hear today? Try turning one thing over to Jesus's care.

Have a blessed day. Your brother in Christ, Don+

Ascension Day: Jesus Passes the Baton

"It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him our of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven?" Acts 1:5-11

When I consider Ascension Day, I think of a relay race, in which a succession of runners take turns running their portion of a longer race. This is not because I am -- or ever have been -- a runner. (This would be obvious to anyone who saw my last 100 yards in the Bishop's Road Race, which was my version of a sprint.) But for me it is an image that speaks of us being an integral part of Jesus life and ministry.

Jesus began his earthly ministry, tradition tells us, when he was about 30 years old. It continued for about 3 years, during which time he practiced what he preached -- healing those who needed healing, be it in body, mind or spirit; sharing the Good News of God's abiding love not only for God's chosen people -- the Jews -- but for all humankind. He called his followers to a new commandment -- to love one another as God loved us. Those 3 years culminated in his passion, death on the cross, and resurrection, a period of 40 days in which he continued to teach his disciples. And the he is taken up into the clouds.

In the metaphor of the relay race, Jesus has finished the earthly "leg" of our race -- a race in which each of us are his teammates. He has passed the baton to us, and now it is our turn to complete the race to victory. And in what does that victory consist? To keep doing what Jesus did in word and deed, to the best of our ability. And Jesus has promised that he will be right behind us.

I invite you to join us for our Ascension Day Eucharist at 12:10 p.m. in the chapel.

Have a blessed day! Your brother in Christ, Don+

A Vestry Reflection

Last night's Vestry meeting opened with a Bible study of John 15:9-17, which was the Gospel passage for last Sunday:

Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another."


The Vestry members reflected on the following passages in particular:

What does it mean to “abide in Jesus’ love?” What does it mean for us in our individual lives and in our lives as a congregation?

What does Jesus mean when he says, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete”? How does “joy” differ from “happiness”?

What does Jesus mean when he says that “no one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends”? Does it necessarily mean to die for someone else? Who are our friends that Jesus is talking about?

How do you respond to these questions? What do they mean for you in the life and mission of Trinity Church?

A reminder from St. James

Do not be deceived, my beloved. Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. James 1:16-27

Today's Epistle from the Daily Office is an important and comforting reminder to us today. It is, first of all, a reminder that every good thing is from God, who provides everything we have, and gives us all we need to become the people God desires for us to be. These are words of comfort in a world that that is ever changing and uncertain -- God is God, and does not change.

The second reminder is that we have some responsibility in all this -- God provides us with all we need, but it is up to us to do something with it. Not to hide our light under a basket or to bury our two talents safely in the ground -- to borrow a couple of Gospel metaphors -- but to become the "first fruits" of all that God has given us. Be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act -- they will be blessed in their doing.

As you go through your day, how can you be a doer of the word? What will be the blessed fruit of your day today?

Have a blessed and fruitful day! Your brother in Christ, Don+

Day 17: The City of David and Homeward

Don Hamer is on professional development leave until May 15. He is writing occasional posts to this blog to share some of his experiences. From April 4 to April 20, he is writing daily updates while he and his wife Debbie make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.

I am writing this as I am on spiritual retreat in Cambridge with the brothers of the Society of St. John the Evangelist. Having tried for several days, unsuccessfully, to find a wandering wireless network in the area, I am filing this from the Kinko’s in Harvard Square (for $.25 per minute – I guess I could have sprung for that on day 1 . . .)
On our last day in Jerusalem, we attended the 11:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist at St. George’s Cathedral which, now beyond the Holy Week schedule, was officiated entirely in English (the 9:30 a.m. service was in Arabic). Having eaten a late breakfast, we did some preliminary packing, and then headed for our final destination – the City of David. On the outskirts of the Old City, running along the Kidron Valley, this is the oldest part of Jerusalem, having been settled by the Jebusites as early as the 20th Century BCE and won by King David and set up as his capital city in the 10th Century BCE (2 Samuel 5:6 et seq.) On the site are many vestiges of previous incarnations of the area: the 13th and 18th century BCE walls of the Jebusites, the 6th century BCE evidence of attack by the Babylonians, and remains of the ancient water system. Once one arrives at a place called Warren’s Shaft (named for the person who discovered it) one has two choices: the so-called “dry” route and the so-called “wet” route, known as Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Because the water in the “wet” route can reach as high as three feet, which would be up to Debbie’s hips, she wisely chose to take the dry route. I, however, not having nearly as much sense, was drawn to the “wet” route, which is actually through a tunnel constructed during the reign of King Hezekiah to bring the water supply inside the city so as to make it inaccessible to a possible invading army from Assyria. Armed with my flashlight (purchased for $10 in the souk on our way there) and wearing shorts and flip flops, in I went. The tunnel is now slightly shorter than its original 1,700+ feet, but when you are walking, alone, through knee-deep water in a pitch-dark tunnel that is, in most places, less than 2 feet wide and in many places less than 6 feet high, it felt like it was 2 miles. My left flip flop broke about 20 feet into the tunnel, so I went the rest of the way with one, carrying the other in the hand that wasn’t holding the flashlight. I was determined to take some pictures (among other reasons to prove, perhaps to myself, that I actually was there), so I was also balancing our new digital camera as well. At some point it occurred to me I was totally alone in there, so I started singing “What a Friend We Have in Jesus,” trusting that at least he was somewhere down there with me, and hoping that if anyone else heard me, at least they would be on the lookout for me if perchance I fell unconscious in the tunnel. Finally, I could see the light of day at the end of the tunnel (I have a not-so-good picture of that), and truly felt the sense of Jesus’ healing touch when I emerged at the end to the Pool of Siloam, site of at least one noted miraculous healing by our Lord, where Debbie was already waiting for me. Our adventure was not yet quite over, as we had neglected to consider that while still in the City of David, we now had to walk uphill a distance similar to that which we had already traversed. Having arrived back at the entrance to the City of David, we had one of our few strokes of genius on this trip and decided to take a cab back to St. George’s Guesthouse.

Our final night was spent having dinner with David and Ann Bourns at what had become our favorite restaurant at the top of the Legacy Hotel, up the street from the guesthouse. It was fun to review our trip with a couple who, in a very short time, had become friends.

We had such a good time at dinner that we didn’t return to the Guesthouse until nearly 9:30 p.m., at which point we decided it was not worth trying to get any sleep before leaving for the airport at 12:45 p.m. So we packed, finished a bottle of wine and watched European television one last time. At 12:45 the “shared taxi” arrived to pick us up (the shared taxis are something of a cross between “dial-a-ride” and a public bus route), and our ordeal of getting through Israeli security and homeward bound was underway.
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I am sure that years from now I will still be looking back at this trip and reflecting on how it has affected my understanding of Scripture, in general, and of Jesus’ life and ministry, in particular. Beyond that, our time in the Holy Land has provided us some new insights into the history of the area and, therefore, into some of the tensions that exist today. Our time spent with people of all three Abrahamic religious backgrounds has given us, if only a taste, a bit of the flavor of the profound importance of the land and sites attached to it, and the historical memories they carry. Debbie and I will look forward to sharing our experiences upon our return.
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On a sad note, I want to add my own expression of sorrow over the untimely death of Kitty Duncan, long-time Trinity parishioner and mother of Kitty Peterson. Kitty had a distinguished career with the Small Business Administration and in service and fellowship with the Order of the Eastern Star, having been honored by the organization several years ago. In addition to these, her roles as wife, mother and grandmother and faithful Trinity member were just some of her impressive portfolio as a child of God and sister in the company of our Lord, Jesus Christ. She was a dear friend to us all, and her warm, witty and gracious presence among us will be sorely missed. May her soul, and the souls of all the departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.

Have a blessed beginning to your week! Your brother in Christ, Don+