TURNING OUR FACES

Poem and Partial Outline

29 June, 2019

3^rd Sunday After Pentecost

One Theme that calls out to me: Where do we “set out face”?

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14In this story Northern Kingdom 9^th Century Prophets, Elijah and Elisha are in their last days together on earth. Elisha, Hebrew for God is Salvation, is the disciple of Elijah, Hebrew for God is YHWH. The Elijah saga is dominated by this prophet who stood stood up against King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who were champions of the Canaanite God, Baal.The classic story is the contest between the Prophets and Priests of Baal and Elijah the Prophet of YHWH, on whose God has the power to answer prayers. Elijah is the Icon for the Prophet who stands up against the powers of the state. Elisha's saga of stories, on the other hand, has the Prophet being an advisor to the powers of the state.

Elijah knows that his days on earth, his unique ministry is coming to an end; he has his face set on his total Union with God. Elisha has his face set on passing on the power of the prophets to the next Generation. Elijah sets his face to the eternal to be united with God and Elisha sets his face to pay witness to the continuing presence of God in Israel.

Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

The Psalmist sings about how in the midst of trouble he set his face to God for strength

Galatians 5:1,13-25

Paul is setting his face to the Spirit that gives us freedom to live a life in Christ: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Instead of a focus of being afraid of God's judgment on the outward display of being abiders of the law we become free to live in to our deeper nature of being Children of God.

Luke 9:51-62

Jesus knows that his days on earth are limited if he goes on with his ministry but he “sets his face to Jerusalem” to challenge to center of the power that keeps people in fear. He rebukes the “Sons of Thunder, James and John for their wish to punish those in the way or who dissapoint.

TURNING OUR FACES

Monday begins by setting his face to be in wonder

how all his fellow creatures are now seen anew,

filled with admiration for strong holding like glue,

the fabric of our lives no longer being torn asunder.

Tuesday begins when by setting his face to forgive

all failings and lapses that have been done to be,

not because they're deserved but because he's free

to put down those burdens and really get to live.

Wednesday begins when he no longer needs to prove

that he is worthy to be loved, no longer enslaved

by the opinions of others, better instincts betrayed

with the desire to please so they might approve.

Thursday begins by setting a face to speak truth

no longer keeping head bowed to power strutting

in order to use his silence as an injustice abutting

tactic to rule by forceful use of red claw and tooth.

Friday begins by setting his face to be given away,

opening of hands freely and his cheek to be struck

knowing that purpose of life is not trusting in luck

to fill barns but action that souls and hearts'll sway.

Saturday begins by setting his face to accept loss

as a chance to enter into stillness of God's chariot

trusting God's love not depart even Judas Iscariot

and will bring us all into reunion through a cross.

Sunday begins setting our face to new beginning

leaving the past and old ways of thinking behind

as our eyes are opened as we are no longer blind,

when now bells no longer toll but joyous ringing.

Parson Tom's Hijacked Prayer

Parson Tom's Hijacked Prayers

Poem and Reflection Outline for 2^nd Sunday After Pentecost (Proper 7)

The lessons for June 23^rd are:

1 Kings 19:1-4, (5-7), 8-15aPsalm 42 and 43Galatians 3:23-29Luke 8:26-39

The passage from 1^st Kings is the story of Elijah, fleeing from Jezebel trying to hear God which only is able to reach him in “sheer silence”

The Psalm speaks of how the soul longs for God as the Deer longs for the water brooks,

The Epistle from Galatians says that the old identity of dutiful play actor under the direction of the law is dead and replaced by being “in” Christ.

Luke remembers Jesus healing the man possessed with many demons.

I have been thinking that I am like that man who has many demons, some acknowledged and some hidden in shadows shadow. Often when I go into prayer the demons come and tickle my ego with fantasies about how I might impress God and others with my power. The image of me as Errol Flynn, the swashbuckling Matinee Idol, is one of my demons and comes forth when I am tempted to swagger and see any difficulties as a matter of overcoming with my own energy and power like Robin Hood fighting off the Sheriff's men and conquering Lady Marian.

This poem led me to realize again how hard it was for for Elijah to stop and listen, the person ruled by rules to give up roles, and the demoniac to give up his demons. It is not something that happened 2000 years ago but happens for me each time I slow down and listen to God. This is where If I was working for a living I would sit down and write a reflection. Where would you go with it?

Parson Tom's Hijacked Prayers

Today I decide not to listen to sheer silence,

instead wanting to play with my demons

who wait inside listening for a summons

from imagination where once sought asylum.

This moment I call a road show Errol Flynn

in residence to enter with smarmy charm

being able my many enemies to disarm

while seducing new lovers' hearts to spin.

“Come me hearties; let us conquer hearts,

and prove our worth for whatever God may be!”

The problem is this God looks a lot like me

waiting in central casting office for bit parts.

But now, breathe in, out, and closely listen;

for the deepest spirit comes up to audition.

Are You Listening, Paying Attention

Are You Listening, Paying Attention?

There is a lot of silence space takes

and a heck of a lot of noise inside

that covers us up in a galactic ride

as our moon love to planet makes.

They paid attention to each other

saying we'll always work together

day in, night out, in dancers tether,

sharing womb of same God Mother.

What would happen if we'd dance

as if we heard the music of the stars,

their steps directing the same as ours,

since we're all living in God's manse?

Jubilee's announces us to begin singing

new hope of our healing and forgiving.

On January 17th, 2019 I started to prepare to preach my last reflection at St. George's, Lake Landing on January 27, 2019 for I was planning to start as Interim at Christ Church, Elizabeth City the week after that. I was also going to do a House Blessing  for a special family at St. George's. My first step in preparing a message is to write a poem based on my understanding of the Lectionary lessons for that day. One of the themes is that when I bless a house I don not have the power to make things "holy" but I have the honor to being able to point out the Holy in the ordinary. I had finished my poem and I started to write a prose reflection based on the lessons. The next day my wife had to go to the Outer Banks Hospital emergency department with a lung infection and was transferred to a larger hospital in Chesapeake where she stayed for two weeks. The  specialist told me that my wife was going to need my help and I should clear my schedule. Therefore, I did not do the service at St. George's and I backed out of working at Christ Church. I found I needed to pay attention. I think the poem was a synchronicity, a part of the Spirit's telling me what was coming up in our lives and how I needed to pay attention..

Pat is still in the process of healing and we just returned yesterday for a three day repeat hospital visit for another issue. Today, six months later, I was going through my computer to clean up my files and I came across the unfinished file of the poem and the introduction to the reflection. I will leave it unfinished  but I realized I still needed to listen to the Spirit and I will try to do the  discipline of writing a poem for my soul's health.

• Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10  • 
• Psalm 19  • 
• 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a  • 
• Luke 4:14-21

From the Psalm for today starts off with the image that God is speaking all the time from the heavens silently proclaiming, and the earth echoing the message of God's love and presence and the faithful in the everyday interaction in the community and then the singer of the Psalm sings; “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, * O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.”. This verse is the prayer that many preachers give, either aloud or silent as they prepare to give a reflection, sermon or reflection when the church gathers together to hear the good news from God. The singer and the Nation that sings these songs is asking God's help to hear what God is saying as the people gather together. The three other lessons have a theme of people gathering together to hear the good news from God.

The passage from Nehemiah has the reading of a portion of Torah when the exiles have returned home Babylon. When the people returned the Temple had been torn down by the Babylonians and the people had lived as strangers in a strange land longing to hear God calling them to return. They have come back and have rebuilt a much less lavish version of the Old Temple, They gather to worship and are overwhelmed to hear Holy Words in Holy Space as they are aware that they are living in Holy Time when God is present. The past, when they wandered far from God, is over; forgiveness begins a new day in a Community of Faith. They hear the good news that they are a community gathered to walk together on Holy Ground as the space between them is filled with God's presence.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, writes to tell them that each of them has a gift given by God's Holy Spirit and the task is to listen to discern what are their particular gift. Paul had written to them because they were squabbling amongst each other over so many issues of resentment. They are so busy arguing they don't have the inclination to listen to anything but the words in their own silos. Paul uses the analogy of the community as a body, a Holy body to do the Holy Work of bringing new life to the world in which they live. The past where the Corinthians needed to rely on their own agendas can now be over if they can only stop to listen and discern what God's Spirit is saying to each one of them in a Community of Faith

Jesus in the Gospel lesson comes back to his hometown of Nazareth and filled with God's Spirit preaches the Good News. The Good News is that God is present and calling them to participate in God's Holy Time, the Time of Jubilee when sins are forgiven and the community