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By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector
The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. It's still a question that comes up time and again. And it's not an unreasonable question, teachers are expected to teach their students how to pray. Do you know how to pray? Episcopalians usually freeze like deer in the headlights when asked to pray, and then desperately look around for anyone else who might do this in their stead.
Of course, when I'm in a group about to eat all heads turn to me as the "professional" prayer. Or when there's any need for prayer that's been identified, it's my role. I've been trained and schooled in such things. I've gone on countless retreats, read more book on the subject than you can imagine so who better qualified to pray than me?
Well, no one is more qualified than I am, but I'm looking at a room full of people who are as equally qualified as I am. The difference is not whether we are qualified or not. The difference comes down to whether we are comfortable or not. Are you comfortable praying? Do you pray before your meals at home? Do you pray before your meals at a restaurant? Do you pray before a meeting or presentation? Do you pray on a sunny day or when riding a bike with the warm breeze in your face?
There is no secret formula to prayer, or no words that are just right. Some people are more poetic than others, to be sure, but prayer is not poetry after all. Prayer is a conversation with God. There are prayers of gratitude, prayers of intercession for others, prayers of personal need. When we approach our friends for various needs we have of them, we don't often look for another to speak for us, we're perfectly capable of speaking for ourselves. And so it is with God, who is our closest and dearest friend.
Prayer comes from the heart, it comes from the soul. Sometimes it's the first time we've put our deepest concerns, fears or joys into words. God does not grade us with some big celestial red pen. Our petitions are not returned to us all marked up and to be resubmitted when we've corrected grammatical or spelling errors.
Much of this we know already in our heads. It's our hearts that we need to convince. God loves us and in our prayer we turn to God for the things that make up our lives -- our spiritual lives, emotional lives and even our material lives. What often gets in the way of our prayer is fear, fear that we don't deserve what it is that we pray for, especially if the prayer is for ourselves.
Jesus teaches his disciples to pray and give them words that are simple and direct. Basic needs represented by daily bread, forgiveness in a way that also keeps us in relationship with others and accountable for our own forgiving behavior. And then there is the prayer for the time of trial. None of us wants that, but how often it comes. Even Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane prayed this one again. It's perplexing to pray not to be brought to the time of trial when so clearly and often we are there. Other translations call this "time of trial," temptation. Lead us not into temptation. Perhaps that makes more sense of it. Sometimes we hear people referring to the bad times in their lives as trials or temptations sent by God to test their faith. I find it hard to believe that God spends much time or energy thinking up stumbling blocks for us to trip over. Most often for me, times of trial or temptation are of my own doing and it's prayer that I rely on to help me find a way out, or a way of resisting. I might translate this line as "Lead us out of temptation" or "Lead us to safety during times of trial."
God brings health and abundance to creation. It's our own limitations that convince us otherwise. Scripture reinforces God's abundance time and again. The rest of this gospel lesson talks about persistence in prayer to get to a desired place. And each of the examples describes the person as taking an action.
"Knock" and the door shall be opened, "Ask" and it will be given, "seek" and you shall find. Prayer is active, it is not passive. Prayer is a form of engaging the world and God to accomplish or receive great things. First we have to believe God is capable of delivering and that we are worthy of receiving. These are two very large obstacles, yet they are fundamental. God is capable and we are worthy. The next obstacle is that whether or not we are open to receive.
Being open to receiving God's love and expecting that God will be active and involved in answering our prayer is a mind set that we must have or else we prove that we really don't want anything. One of our members is fond of quoting his mentor and saying "Stop asking God for thimbles full of water when he's offering you bathtubs full!"
This church was not built on fear or timidity. Our Capital Campaign was not started in the expectation of defeat or wondering if we really deserved it. Our spiritual ancestors and we ourselves move forward in faith convinced that God loves us and will move us forward. Sometimes God opens our eyes in very strange and wonderful ways and redirects our understanding of how a prayer has been answered. But if we don't enter into prayer, either individually or together as a congregation, we'll never receive the benefits God so abundantly offers.
Prayer requires clarity, courage and openness. It is active and we are worthy. Many of you work in the business world and certainly all of us participate in it somehow. We don't get very far if we are timid or unclear. If we limit our expectations we get less than we'd hoped. No one is going to read our minds and give us a better deal. The business world is very active. If we understand this part of our lives, it shouldn't be a big stretch to see how this works with God. I don't think God is the ultimate business person, but we have to be open and engaged in our prayer life. We have to be clear and persistent, and ready for how God will answer.
Once upon a time I lived in Brooklyn and I prayed for help finding a nice apartment. I felt selfish, but I was desperate and gave it all I had. When I found one I was ecstatic, and on the day of lease signing there was an issue that sabotaged the whole deal. I was beside myself with anger and frustration, and I was no longer on speaking terms with God (which made Sunday services less than sincere). But the following week, the real estate agent called very excited saying an apartment just came available, did I want to look at it. Of course I said "yes," and discovered it was even a better apartment for less money. I suppose each of us could come up with similar stories of prayers answered in strange and mysterious ways. But all of us can also come up with examples of ways in which prayers were answered in painful ways or ways that didn't seem answered at all. When we prayer for someone who is sick or dying, for others in desperate circumstances it's hard to imagine God answers them when the pain or horrible situation continues.
In times of disease, famine or conflict, it's heartbreaking to see the cruelty and devastation around us. 9/11 is the closest example and the war in Iraq is the most current situation. Prayer engages us even at the cost of pain. In the face of massive death and destruction, the level of human kindness and self sacrifice towers above. The witness to each individual's part in a just society and holding leaders accountable for decisions rises. Prayer keeps us engaged in the world and calls on God's help for us to do our work, not to sit back and leave it to others. As St. Francis says, "God has no hands but ours, and no feet but ours..." These are lessons learned even at the cost of pain. And prayer allows us to find balance again in a world turned upside down.
Spiritual writer Barbara Crafton reflected in a meditation about meeting her husband. In a local paper she read about his son being killed in a tragic accident. Not knowing this family, but being moved by the newspaper account, she wrote him expressing her condolences. In time they met and in the care each needed for their life circumstances and in the care they were each able to provide the other, they came to find a love that led to their marriage. She's very clear that if they could rewind the tape and prevent the accident that led to their meeting, they would in a heartbeat. But since we can't do that, we can only move forward into the world that God's healing can create.
Prayer is multi faceted and we never know what forms it will take, but we can be assured time and again that God's will for us is health and wholeness and we must remain active and engaged in prayer to meet God and enter the door that will be opened to our knock. Amen.
© 2007 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector
The lesson of Martha and Mary is such a well known story. These two sisters seem to be the patron saints of work, two sides of the same coin balancing each other out. This particular story enshrines the tension between when to work and when to stop and listen. I enjoy the fact that this lesson is placed here in the middle of summer when so many are trying to find that balance of work and vacation. It's an important topic and one to spend some time with.
We might actually be doing Mary a disservice to imply she was resting. She was not really doing that. Active listening is a form of work itself. To sit in the presence of Wisdom and really hear it, to take in the lessons and meaning, to ask questions and wrestle with the information is not resting. The brain was very busy and active. This is the part that Mary chose and this is the better part that Jesus was referring to. If you think back to school, and taking notes from the lectures we all heard in our different places of study you get a sense of the work it takes to listen, gather information and absorb it. But now also consider the amount of work it takes to integrate what is heard into our lives.
We listen to scripture week by week. Some of it we like, and frankly some we don't. Some comforts us, and some challenges us. Some even gets us angry, some simply confuses us. Hopefully the sermons give some context and angles to look at the scriptures in a way that provokes thought. Some days better than others, but it's a goal!
When it's working right, listening to the scriptures, the wisdom it contains and the deep faith that propels it, and then hearing some explanation fuels an interest to wrestle with all parts, especially the most difficult. That's an important part of the work of listening. The other important part is how the wisdom and faith in the scriptures can be made part of our lives. Where do we need to hear some of these lessons? Where is there some pain or confusion in our lives that call for clarity or work? Where is there some anger or trouble in our spirits that cry for healing? Even if we hear something that resonates and leads us to a conclusion that seems helpful, there is then the work of living out that solution.
Once in a while I'll watch talk shows where advice is given. It always seems so easy when it's someone else's problems that need fixing. I'll help the TV host from my living room chair as I shout out advice or comment on the advice given. (I don't think I'm the only one who does that.) Other people's problems are easy to solve.
We're not always so good about following our own advice. One saying that I'm fond of is "Take my good advice, I'm not using it." Confronting our own issues is not at all easy. It's hard work. It requires becoming aware of our issues and how widespread they are. Accepting the depth of the issue and how it has impacted us and perhaps those around us and then the hardest part, taking action to confront or correct it.
Coming back to the story for a moment, it's easy to find distractions to keep us from really taking a hard look at ourselves and hearing the words of wisdom as it shines a light on ourselves and our issues. The work Mary was engaged in was anything but easy. Martha's distractions prevented her from taking a look at her own. Busyness around the house or place of work, minding other people's problems instead of our own, getting excited or upset about things that really don't matter or that we can't do anything about anyway prevent us from hearing God's words come into our hearts and letting them go to work in us. Change is scary, even if it's change for the better. But it's sacred work and it's the better part of listening to God.
The first lesson from Amos is one in a series of visions that the prophet receives. Each of the visions has to do with everyday sights that become metaphor for the people of Israel and the unraveling of their society. In the vision we heard today, Amos sees a bowl of summer fruit. It's a simple image that each of us can picture. A nice bowl of fruit on day one is very attractive and enticing to eat. It's full of promise and offers sweetness and rich taste. But as the fruit ages in the sun and after a few days, it turns bad. It becomes foul and rotten. The sweetness becomes bitter, and the juice makes one sick. This was the metaphor for the people who had forgotten how to absorb the message of God's love for each other and their neighbor. Amos saw how justice was denied and greed was the order of the day. The busyness of their work took the place of the busyness of their listening and processing the message of God's love into their everyday affairs.
It comes back to balance and paying attention to the things that matter. There is a time to work and there is a time to reflect on the spiritual dimension of our lives and work. That can only be done by stopping the regular work and paying attention to the words of God we hear in so many ways from scriptures to meditation and prayer, from spiritual conversation and honest looks inside. If we can recognize distractions for what they are and put them down so we can take a look at our issues and confusions we'll find a sense of order and peace that so often eludes us. The wisdom of God is something we can find in a variety of ways and it's rich and sweet. Taken at the right time it can nourish and please. Not taking advantage of it in a timely fashion is to lose something important and precious.
Martha and Mary give us a window into this tendency as we juggle both sides. It's OK to slow down and choose the better part, it's also hard work and no one can take it away. Amen.
© 2007 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector
In the first lesson, Moses told the people of Israel that "The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all your undertakings..." That sounds pretty good. There is a catch, of course, prosperity comes after obedience to the commandments. But they are not to worry, the commandments are not too hard, they are not so very far away, they are near. The "words" as they call them, are in your heart and in your mouth.
Often the idea of commandments seems very burdensome, like a whole set of hoops to jump making life too difficult to imagine. There is a fear that whatever God is asking of us, it has to be far greater than we can accomplish. But Moses assures the Israelites listening to him, and perhaps us as these words come to us this day, that the commandments of God are not in heaven, as if we might say "Who will go for us?" Nor are they beyond the sea, so that we might ask Who will cross to the other side for us. No, they are very near to us, they are in us and they are part of us.
Many centuries after Moses said these words, Jesus walked with his disciples when a man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus reminded him about following the commandments and asked the man to summarize them for him. The man did so quickly saying they are to love God with all our heart, soul and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
He should have stopped there but he didn't and his arrogance lead to another wonderful lesson that comes to us in the form of the parable of the Good Samaritan as a way of explaining just who our neighbor is.
But before we get to the actual parable, let's spend some time with the summary of the law. This same summary appears in other Gospels as well and is worth a little more attention.
There are three loves called for in the summary of the law. God, our neighbor and ourselves. We demonstrate our love for God by loving our neighbor. We love our neighbor as we love ourselves. The presumption of all this comparison is that we love ourselves. To modern ears this is not as obvious as it might first sound.
I recently took part in a seminar examining issues and concerns that were personal and deep over the range of a lifetime. Many of the issues, mine as well as virtually all of the participants, inevitably raised problems with self esteem and self worth. As the trust level grew and the conversation deepened many stories were shared from childhood through adulthood about the many assaults each received to that very important sense of self. Childhood stories of living through nightmares of alcoholism, incest and other forms of abuse both physical and emotional began to emerge. For some stories of racism and how confusing it is for a child to process this kind of hate. Those of us growing up gay and fearing discovery and rejection. Still others whose grades didn't distinguish them or their clumsiness and embarrassment at sports, for others physical handicaps or appearance. Childhood stories reverberated through the years after childhood, often those scars were covered with masks of laughter or accomplishment. Sometimes they were hidden by abusing power over others, whether their own children or subordinates at work. Very often the scars emerged as chronic anger, fear or depression. Self love could be replaced by self hate showing up in a myriad of ways.
Loving oneself is not quite as cut and dried as it appears in the Gospel, but then nothing in the Gospel ever is, really. Puzzles upon puzzles and layers of onion skin to be peeled. Growing up I remember hearing of self negation and sacrifice as the way to live. To think too much of yourself was narcissistic, selfish or self indulgent. It becomes quite difficult to navigate these waters, you seem to lose either way. The message seems to be "We want to raise your self esteem, but not too much." The messages from churches, schools and families seemed to act as regulators of the relationship we had with ourselves and all too often they erred on the side of injury.
When we listen to the summary of the law as being to love one's neighbor as oneself, I wonder does that cause a conflict in you? It does in me. I have begun to believe that's one of its intentions.
Despite how often the Bible is wrongly used as a weapon of judgmentalism, it really is a book describing the abundance of love God has for us. It is a book of creation and an amazing love story of God who made us as we are and loves us even when we make mistakes or when no one else does. There are many stories of the ones being rejected by society as being the particular one sought out by God for a specific purpose, or for healing or a gentle word. One of the greatest forms of healing is to accept God's love and see ourselves as worthy despite the messages we get from others, to hold our heads high in delight as children of God, God who has gifted us abundantly and wants us to live into who God made us to be. It is so very important to love ourselves as made in the image of God, that is in the image of Love itself. Others may try to tell us what we are not, it is really up to ourselves to tell ourselves and them who we are and what God made us as to be. And we are loved by God and by God we can love ourselves. It is not too far from us, it is within reach, in our hearts and in our mouths. These words we need: I am a child of God, God loves me, I love myself. Take a moment and try the words on for size.
Part of the interconnectedness of this world God has created is that we cannot love ourselves without God and we cannot love another if we do not love ourselves. If we do not love ourselves and try to love others first, we will end up resenting them and causing them and ourselves spiritual injury if not physical injury as well.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is a wonderful story illustrating our neighbor and a relationship of risk and kindness. It's inspiring and uplifting.
But today, it's the summary of the law that gets the attention, because even though it's simplified here, it is anything but simple. God's gift to us is abundance and prosperity of love through a blessed commandment to love God, our neighbor and ourselves. It is not too far away and not too difficult, it is close by and within reach. As the psalmist wrote, "Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation." Amen.
© 2007 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector
Today's reading give me an opportunity to talk about a topic that is very dear to me -- namely healing. The stories take the point of view in the first case from the one healed, and in the second case from Luke, Jesus gives instructions to the healers. But in each the overall understanding is that all healing comes from God, that it takes different shapes, and that healing is available to everyone.
The writers of scripture like to throw curve balls from time to time and this lesson from the Book of the Kings is one of those. Naaman is a commander in the army and he suffers from Leprosy. The first oddity for me is that someone suffering from Leprosy could continue to serve in such a capacity, but apparently there are different levels of the disease that allow for different levels of ability. The second oddity is that the army Naaman serves is not the Isrealite army but that of the Arameans, with whom Isreal had a tense relationship. Indeed, when Naaman learns of the prophet in Israel who might be able to heal him it's through a servant girl that they had seized during a raid in Israel.
You can imagine the King of Israel's shock and despair when his stronger, neighboring enemy writes to him and says "Heal my Commander of his Leprosy!" Of course he would have thought that the King of Aram was looking for a fight.
But as the story unfolds Naaman goes to the house of the prophet Elisha for a healing. Elisha doesn't even come to the door, but sends his servant to tell the commander to go jump in a lake. Well, he doesn't exactly put it that way, but rather tells him to dip himself in the lake seven times. The Commander feeling snubbed gets angry, as though his illness and he himself are not being taken seriously. His own servants calm him down and talk him into doing as he was told. He complies and is healed. The prophet Elisha extends himself to an enemy of his country with God's love and healing. Where the King of Israel set this up out of fear, Elisha agreed out of a sense of compassion for a living being. It's consistent with some of his other adventures when coming into contact with foreign people. Knowing the level of distrust between foreign people, the writer of the second book of the Kings was clearly making a point that God's love extends to all people, even outsiders, even enemies.
The healing itself was a simple process, much simpler and far less grand than the Commander was expecting and certainly far less grand than he thought he deserved. Perhaps he expected Elisha to emerge in flowing robes calling down great forks of lightening, the wind to pick up and a spectacle worthy of Cecil B. DeMille.
What he got was a servant conveying a message to dip in a river. Even in this we get the message that God's healing doesn't require drama. It is in fact a quiet affair. Healing of the body and healing of the mind and spirit take place in quiet and peaceful ways. We've all seen depictions, or perhaps even experienced the rushing and turmoil in an Emergency Room. Despite the requirements of even the most urgent crisis, the actual treatment is slow, methodical and as quiet as possible allowing all to concentrate.
In physical healing the medical personal create the environment for the healing to take place -- cleaning, surgery if necessary, binding the wounds and bandaging. But the healing itself is a miraculous process the body does for itself. Whether stitched, bandaged or medicated, the actual mending of tissues and healing of wounds is a process the body takes over in an exercise of life healing. The essence of life force is God, the creator of all things. And the healing takes place in quiet and rest, unobserved by human eye, yet fully and wonderfully as the Psalmist says.
But not all wounds are physical. Many are emotional and spiritual. Just as our bodies can be bumped and injured in various ways, so can our emotions and spirits. Harm can come from outside of us or from ourselves as well. Hearts can be broken through betrayal, disappointment or grief. Spirits can be injured through addictions, character defects, chronic fears, negativity, isolation or detachment from God. In all of these cases self healing is certainly possible. The popularity of self help books is a witness to the desire to do just that, often with success. But more often, healing is required with the help of an intermediary, a healer. In this case, healers might be trained in a variety of ways in modalities from Eastern and Western cultures. I've studied many of these modes of healing and have concluded that the common foundation of all of them is the belief that a higher power, energy, spirit -- what we call God -- is at work using the healer as a conduit for Gods' healing love and energy, gently working with the one healed or prayed for. This is most often done through some form of laying on of hands in what is often an instinctive gesture. When we injure ourselves, the first thing we do is clap a hand over the injured place. If someone cries, the instinct is to hug or hold in a way that gives them strength. Our bodies and spirits instinctively seek to provide healing through touch and compassion. These are very effective tools given us by God and often bring far more healing than we can imagine. It doesn't require a lot of drama and is very simple.
The prayers we offer on Wednesday evenings and during the Sunday morning services after communion are not flashy affairs, but quiet and calm attempts to bring together people in prayer. The needs and intercessions of one being honored and supported by another through laying on of hands and prayer for God to bring healing in the way most appropriate.
I don't believe God sends calamity as a test or "greater plan," but I do believe that God can bring grace into even the worst of circumstances. People survive terrible things and find a strength and purpose emerging they never thought possible. That's healing. From personal injury or loss to national calamity healing takes the form of new life growing where there was only pain and despair. It takes time, intention, prayer and an openness to God's love being revealed. Sometimes we can do this ourselves, sometimes with the help of another.
Jesus sent out the disciples in pairs for their work. He gave them instructions on what to bring -- or not. He taught them to trust that their work would be supplied with all they needed. Travel light and trust that all will be provided. A Reiki master that taught me this healing art would joke about his light packing for trips. He'd shrug and say, "Have hands, will travel." His point being similar to that in the Gospel, you don't need much luggage when healing through prayer.
God's love is the best healing remedy available to us. There are many helpers and vehicles for help, but in the end, it's the power of God working through others that brings healing. It's available to everyone, and all are capable of bringing some measure of it. It's not grand and flashy, it's quiet and takes time. God created the world in days that spanned millions of years, we cannot expect quick fixes to any of our injuries. The word "patient" is a very good choice for the person and the quality they need to posses in order to heal. Think and pray about healing and the many forms it takes and those that you've experienced and brought into the life of another. Allow those memories to stretch you a wider and deeper understanding of this gift of God. This is an image of the Kingdom of God. It's open and welcoming for all of us. Amen.
© 2007 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector
The collect for this day observed that God built the Church upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone. The faith we've received and the faith we proclaim is built on this foundation. We have a collection of stories and accumulated wisdom and more than a little theology and reflection on the life of Jesus and how this life ties together the trends and movement of all that went before. The life of Jesus then becomes the prism through which we see the light of God's love in this world and becomes our hope in the life of the world to come.
We have received this foundation and with our continuing witness, continue to build on this foundation. The worship we do here, the lessons we teach here, the people we welcome into fellowship all have to do with how we receive the call and invitation of Jesus and how we choose to build up on this foundation.
In the Gospel lesson, Jesus passed through Samaria and then beyond, inviting people to follow him. The important note in the first sentence is that he "set his face to go to Jerusalem." This is the author's way of foreshadowing the events to take place in Holy Week. Setting his face to Jerusalem also explains the cold reception he received by the Samaritans. There was a rivalry and prejudice between the Samaritans and Israelites, both claiming to be rightful heirs of the throne and heritage of King David and each having their central place of worship. In setting his face toward Jerusalem the Samaritans would have felt snubbed by Jesus and in turn, despite the good relationship they had previously enjoyed, snubbed him.
James and John, having recently returned from a successful mission of healing and minor miracles, and perhaps feeling their own sense of power and indignation offered to incinerate Samaria for the insult, but Jesus brushed away that gesture with a rebuke for an action that might be a bit disproportionate to the offense.
As they went further along, they encountered other people who wanted to follow Jesus but had loose ends to tie up before they could. Maybe calling them loose ends is unfair, burying one's dead and saying farewells doesn't seem like a casual thing, but Jesus responded to these needs in a strong way, saying that to follow is not to look back.
Choosing to live a Christian life is a radical undertaking in its full measure. It requires total commitment. If we're to have any integrity in our faith life, we can't go back and forth as it suits us. Our Baptismal vows call for the learning of the Apostles teaching and fellowship, the breaking of the bread and prayer. It calls us to persevere in resisting evil and if we fall away to repent and return to the Lord. It calls us to proclaim by word and example the Good news of God in Christ, to seek and serve Christ in all persons, and to strive for justice and peace among all people. These vows we take and renew several times a year remind us that to follow Jesus is not easy nor is it a half way commitment. Serving Christ in all persons -- not some. Strive for justice and peace among all people -- not some. Respect the dignity of every human being -- not some. Those we like and those we dislike are equal. Those we know and those we don't, those we fear and those we don't -- all are to be respected and treated with dignity.
The recent Supreme Court ruling striking down forms of integration are a set back to the attempts to give equal access to a good education for members of different races. To claim that all public education is equal and that resources are distributed with an equal concern for the same high quality is gravely mistaken. The artificial means to ensure a measure of equality were problematic, to be sure, but to take away some measure of success and replace it with nothing to protect against an undeniable institutional racism is scandalous. When a country can find untold billions to wage a misguided war and yet say it is unable to provide an equal quality and high standard of education for its children, making them fight for scraps at their own table, it is in serious moral danger.
The role of the prophets in ancient Israel and up to the present day is to point out injustices in society, often at their own peril, and it is on this foundation that our church is built. We've taken vows and made commitments to serve each other and protect the dignity of every human being. Last week our parish had a wonderful showing at the Gay Pride parade to demonstrate one level of witness to the dignity of all human beings. And now we must also speak out in the area of race to the degree that we can in the places that we live and move to witness to justice and the dignity of all. There is no doubt that the issues are complex and the solutions elusive, but we must continue to go forward not backward, to build, not tear down.
In the first lesson, there is a transfer of mission from Elijah to Elisha, the younger continuing the work of the older as each served God in their time facing the challenges of their day. We have to do the same, strive to maintain our vows and with integrity and accountability raise up those after us to continue to build upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ being the cornerstone. Amen.
© 2007 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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