Psalm 34 | Grace Episcopal Church (Sheldon, VT)

All Saints Year A November 1, 2020

Posted on November 1, 2020 by Beth Crane

Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

Our sermon today will be brief because we will be having reports from our delegates to Diocesan Convention.

Today, we celebrate All Saints Day. We remember that we are part of that great cloud of witnesses, the faithful saints who have followed Christ throughout the centuries. Because of God’s love, we are knit together as members of the Body of Christ, each of us using our God-given gifts to spread the love of God to everyone we meet.

In today’s gospel, our Lord gives us the beatitudes, the blueprint for living lives of faith, hope, and compassion, bringing comfort to those who mourn, feeding our brothers and sisters both physically and spiritually, extending God’s mercy, peace, and justice, working to bring in God’s kingdom in which the creation is restored and the dignity of every human being is respected.

Today, we celebrate the lives of our Capital S saints such as Patrick and Mary, Francis and Teresa of Avila. and our small s saints, ordinary people like you and me who followed Jesus. The saints come from all walks of life, from all over the world. They have a variety of gifts. They are shining examples of people who have followed Jesus and helped to build his kingdom.

This Tuesday is Election Day, and, as you know, the election has been going on for several weeks. We are facing many very important issues: the Covid pandemic; an economy that has been affected by that pandemic, causing severe hardship to many people; political division; and our long history of racism. I’m sure many of you have already voted. If you have not, please do exercise your privilege to cast a ballot.

This is a time of great stress. I encourage you to pray. And I ask you to focus on those three precious gifts from God: faith, hope, and love. May we have faith that God will guide our minds and hearts to make sound choices in our voting; may we have hope that God will guide us to choose wise and faithful leaders, May we be rooted and grounded in God’s love in all that we do. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Prayer “For an Election,” p, 822.

Almighty God, to whom we must account for all our prayers and privileges: Guide the people of the United States in the election of officials and representatives; that, by faithful administration and wise laws, the rights of all may be protected and our nation be enabled to fulfill your purposes; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And now, we will have our Convention reports by Beth, Lori, and Jean.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: 1 John 3, Beatitudes, Body of Christ, Covid 19, Diocesan Convention, Election Day, Matthew 5, Prayer "For an Election" p 822 BCP, Psalm 34, Revelation 7 | Leave a comment »

Pentecost 23 Proper 25B RCL October 28, 2018

Posted on October 28, 2018 by Beth Crane

Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Psalm 34:1-8
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 10:46-52

Our sermon today will be short in order to allow time for our delegates to Diocesan Convention to share their observations.

The theme of Convention was “Go Tell It on the Mountains,” and we explored ways in which we can share the Good News.

This mornings readings are full of that good news. Job realizes, as all of us do, that he cannot possibly understand the mind of God. In turn, God showers Job with even more blessings than he had enjoyed before.

Psalm 34 calls us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who trust in him.”

In our gospel for today, Jesus and his disciples arrive in Jericho. As they leave Jericho with the usual large crowd following them, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, calls out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Some people sternly tell him to be quiet, but he shouts even more loudly.

Jesus stops and calls Bartimaeus to come over to him. Jesus asks him, “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus says, “My teacher, let me see again.” And Jesus answers, “Go, your faith has made you well.” Bartimaeus does not go anywhere. He follows Jesus.

When we feel our Lord’s love and healing flowing out to us, we want to follow him.

In our Collect for today, we ask God to “increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and love.” These are amazing and wondrous gifts which God gives us every day, and, even as we ask God to give us more of these gifts, we know that God is constantly filling us with faith, the faith to follow Jesus and to share his love with others. And with hope, the ability to look at the world around us and know that the Holy Spirit is at work bringing in the Shalom of God. And the gift of love, God’s love which nothing can stop, God’s love for all people, regardless of their race, class, education, social status, gender, or any of the other things which can be used to divide us. In God’s eyes, we are all precious. God stops for the blind Bartimaeus and makes him whole.

God loves everyone.

This week and every week, every day, every moment, let us absorb God’s gifts of faith, hope, and love. Let us be a people of faith, hope, and love. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: Bartimaeus, Diocesan Convention, Hebrews 7, Job 42, Mark 10, Psalm 34 | Leave a comment »

All Saints’ Sunday Year A RCL November 5, 2017

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Beth Crane

Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 John 3: 1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

All Saints is one of the most meaningful and joyful feasts of the Church Year.

Our opening reading from the Book of Revelation shows us the vision of heaven including all those who have followed their Good Shepherd into eternal life. They are in his presence forever.

Psalm 34 is one of the most beautiful songs of praise in the Bible. “Taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are they who trust in him.”

Our very brief but powerful reading from the First Letter of John describes the results of God’s love for us. We are God’s children now, and we are growing into the likeness of Christ. The text tells us that “We will see him as he is.” This gives us deep hope that reaches down into the springs of spiritual freshness.

And then we have the vision of life which our Lord describes in his Beatitudes. Blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, and those who hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God. Blessed are the merciful. Blessed are the pure in heart, those who are able, by God’s grace, to focus with single mindedness on the love of God and what that love calls us to do and to be.

We are all one in Jesus our Lord. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses—those who have gone before us, those who are here now, and those yet to come, all followers of Jesus. We are all part of what our Presiding Bishop calls the Jesus Movement. And we are all deeply blessed. Amen.

Now we will hear reports on our Diocesan Convention — “Declaring Dignity.”

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: "Declaring Dignity", 1 John 3, All Saints Day, Beatitudes, Diocesan Convention, Matthew 5, Psalm 34, Revelation 7 | Leave a comment »

Pentecost 22 Proper 25B RCL October 25, 2015

Posted on October 25, 2015 by Beth Crane

Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Psalm 34:1-8 (19-22)
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 10:46-52

As we think about our opening reading, we remember that Job has lost everything. Yet he still has not lost his faith. He wants to see God and plead his case. Last week he had his encounter with God, and God asked Job and us, some searching questions: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given understanding to the mind?”

Like most of us, Job has had an encounter with the transcendent God, the God who is beyond our imagining. Job has come to realize that he will never be able to understand God, because God is much bigger than we humans are, and God is more powerful than we humans are. Job apologizes to God for his presumption. And God restores everything Job has lost, and gives Job even more than the abundance he already had.

When we go through those tough times, those times when God seems so far away, those times when everything seems dark and there is no hope to be found, times when we think we will never be able to find the light in the darkness, times when we lose things that are precious to us, and yet we keep searching for God, we hang on to whatever threads of faith we can find. We ask the prayers and support of friends—and most of us have much more helpful friends than Job’s so-called friends who blamed him for his plight—sometimes suddenly, sometimes gradually, the darkness lifts and our lives come back together again. And often our faith grows stronger after such times of struggle. Often, we grow stronger having walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Many times, when we have an experience like that, we come to a deeper realization that God was with us all the time.

In our gospel for today, we meet the blind man Bartimaeus. He cannot see. But he can hear Jesus and the disciples coming along the road. Bartimaeus shouts,“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” People tell him to be quiet, but he shouts even more loudly. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Jesus stops. Jesus is always listening for our cries for help. “Call him here,” Jesus says.

So the people tell Bartimaeus, “Take heart, he is calling you.” Most of us are not totally blind, but there are many forms of blindness. Sometimes there are things we do not want to see, things we do not want to recognize and accept. They may be things about ourselves or they may be things about others or about situations. But when we call upon our Lord, he hears, and he stops to be with us.

The people tell Bartimaeus, “Take heart, get up, he is calling you.” When we are in a tough situation, and we have been groping along the best we can and we realize we can ask Jesus for help, that is a time when we can truly take heart. We have been muddling along the best we can, and suddenly we realize that Jesus is there to help us.

We can really take heart. Our spirits lift. There is light at the end of the tunnel after all.

Bartimaeus throws off his cloak, throws off all protection. He springs up and comes to Jesus. He has heard Jesus’ voice, and, though he is blind, he is able to make a bee-line for that voice.

Then Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?” And Bartimaeus asks for his sight. Jesus does not even touch him. “Go, your faith has made you well.” What does Bartimaeus do? He follows Jesus. He becomes a disciple.

Sometimes when we are in blindness, and we have not seen some important things, and, gradually or suddenly, these things become very clear to us, sometimes it can be a shock. Our doctor gives us a dreaded diagnosis, or we see something dark in a situation we had thought was full of light, or someone we had trusted betrays us, or we lose a dear friend. And there Jesus is, asking what he can do for us.

It is so important to remember to ask him for his help.

In our reading from the Book of Job, we encounter the transcendent God, the God who is more powerful than we can imagine. In our gospel, there is God on our level. Jesus has come to be with us. Bartimaeus calls out for mercy, and Jesus has mercy on him and heals his blindness.

As the Letter to the Hebrews tells us, our Lord knows what it is to be human. He is fully human and fully divine. He has bridged the gap between the all-powerful God and the human level. He has made it possible for us to meet God as our brother and our savior, to see God face to face, and to ask and receive loving help from God.

This morning, Jesus is asking each of us, “What do you want me to do for you?” He is listening for our answer. He cares about each of us and about all of us together. Let us take some time this week and ask for his help. Amen.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: Bartimaeus, Hebrews 7, Job 42, Mark 10, Psalm 34 | Leave a comment »

All Saints’ Sunday Year A RCL November 2, 2014

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Beth Crane

Revelation 7:9-17
Psalm 34:1-10, 22
1 John 3:1-3
Matthew 5:1-12

This Sunday, we celebrate the feast of All Saints.

Our first reading is from the Book of Revelation, the vision of John on the island of Patmos. In our reading for today, a great multitude of people, from every tribe and nation, worships God. Salvation is open to all who respond to God’s love and mercy.

Special honor is given to those who have gone through the great ordeal Scholars tell us that John was referring to those who had suffered persecution by the Roman Empire, but, over the centuries, the Church has especially remembered all those who have been martyred for their faith. Today, we pray especially for those who have suffered and lost their lives at the hands of Isis.

“They will hunger and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat, for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Our psalm continues the song of praise to God, who is so good to us. Our epistle reminds us that, because of God’s love, we are children of God, as close to God as a child is to its mother or father,

And, finally, in our gospel, Jesus gives us the Beatitudes. The poor in spirit, those who admit their need for God, receive the kingdom of heaven, Those who mourn are comforted. The meek inherit the earth. Those who hunger and thirst for a right relationship with God will be filled. Those who are merciful will receive mercy. The pure in heart, those who seek God with all their heart and soul and mind and strength, will see God. Those who are persecuted for their faith are especially close to God. The beatitudes are a blueprint of the qualities of kingdom people. We are called to be meek, not power-grabbers. We are called to be merciful, not out to climb the ladder of worldly success at any cost. These values are counter to the values of our surrounding culture. But they are the values of our Lord. We are called to follow his example.

We are part of God’s big family. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, those who are here now, those who have gone before us, and those who will come after us. We are knit together in the Body of Christ, which spans all time and all the peoples of the world. We take inspiration from the lives of the saints. And, as the beloved hymn tells us, saints are just folks like you and me. They have run the race before us and they inspire us to do the best we can, with God’s help.

These readings today also serve to remind us that our loved ones who have gone before us are there in heaven with Jesus, with God, with the angels, and with the whole communion of saints in heaven, in eternal light and joy.

May we always be thankful for God’s immeasurable love and for the communion of saints of which we are a part. Amen.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: 1 John, All Saints Day, Beatitudes, Matthew 5, Psalm 34, Revelation 7 | Leave a comment »

Pentecost 22 Proper 25B RCL October 28, 2012

Posted on October 28, 2012 by Beth Crane

Job 42:1-6, 10-17

Psalm 34:1-8, (19-22)

Hebrews 7: 23-28

Mark 10:46-52

This morning, we are trying an experiment. Our Christian Formation group will be meeting early in the service to look over the gospel and discuss it briefly. Then they will be joining us for the sermon. The sermon may take a different form, or several different forms. It may well become less of a preaching experience and more of a dialogue. We will see where the Spirit leads us.

Here, in the gospel of Mark, Jesus is on his last journey to Jerusalem. He and the disciples are heading down the Jordan Valley. They are in Jericho, where Herod built a town that was rich and bustling. The Jordan Valley was quite desolate. Travelers stopped in Jericho to stock up on supplies for the rest of the journey. The surrounding area was an oasis, where fruits and vegetables could be raised, providing food for travelers.

If you were a beggar, you put yourself in a strategic position to catch travelers before they left the town because the travelers would be rested and well-stocked for the rest of the journey, and possibly in a generous mood.

Bartimaeus has learned that Jesus is coming by. We can imagine that Bartimaeus has heard much about Jesus. Among other things, he has heard that Jesus heals people. Bartimaeus has been on the edges of society since he became blind. He wants to be whole and have a full life. So he calls out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” People tell him to be quiet. Don’t bother the rabbi. But he calls out even more.

Jesus stands still. We remember that any person who is sick, who is not whole and well, is an outsider in the society, the least of the least. Normally, no one would pay any attention to Bartimaeus. Yet Jesus stops. He asks the crowd to call Bartimaeus to him. The people, who had been telling Bartimaeus to be quiet, now tell him to take heart and get up and go to Jesus.

Bartimaeus throws off his cloak. This is a wonderful symbol. This is the most important moment in his life. We could say that he doesn’t want anything to weigh him down, that he wants to travel light, as Jesus tells us to do. We could say that he does not want anything to be a barrier between himself and Jesus as a cloak would be. What thoughts come to your mind? Bartimaeus comes to Jesus open and free and without any barriers to healing. He comes eagerly. Are we open to Jesus and asking him for healing?

Bartimaeus springs up and comes to Jesus. This man is blind. If I were blind I might go slowly and carefully, but, no, Bartimaeus flies to Jesus. He has faith that he will find the way. Do we run to Jesus in faith and hope and openness?

Jesus respects this man who has the courage to ask for help and runs eagerly to Jesus. He asks a simple question, “What do you want me to do for you?” If Jesus were asking you or me this question, which, of course, he is, what would we say? What would we ask for?

Bartimaeus says, “My teacher, let me see again.” This lets us know that Bartimaeus was once able to see, that this blindness has come from an injury or a disease, that he knows what it is like to have the gift of sight and that he has lived without this gift for some time.

Then Jesus says, “Go, your faith has made you well.”

Immediately, right away, Bartimaeus regains his sight. And what does he do? He follows Jesus. He becomes a disciple.

When we are reading the Bible, we can ask, did Jesus really heal people? Did Jesus really heal Bartimaeus? I believe that Jesus did and does heal people and that he healed Bartimaeus. But that’s not the point. The point is, can we put ourselves in the place of Bartimaeus? Can we imagine how hard it was for someone who had once had sight to sit there day after day and beg? And how he hears about Jesus and hears that Jesus has the power to heal and, even though people are telling him to be quiet, he gives a shout out to Jesus and asks for compassion (mercy) and then Jesus stops and pays attention. Think what that means to Bartimaeus. This great teacher is listening to me.

Sometimes when we call for help and we are truly listened to and heard, it makes a big difference to us, It lets us know that the person who is listening really cares about us. Caring is the beginning of healing. It makes a big difference to be heard and taken seriously. So that was the beginning of the healing.

Jesus says that Bartimaeus’ faith has made him well. We are getting more and more research that says that faith and prayer heal people. That’s true. Medical skill and scientific knowledge and medications and MRI’s and surgery and lab work also heal thousands upon thousands of people. As Christians we believe that God inspires us humans to do research to learn about diseases and how to cure them and learn about surgery and medication and tests like CAT scans and MRIs and all the other aspects of medical science. So that’s another way that God and Jesus and the Spirit are inspiring people to heal others and people to be healed every day—through scientific research and medical skill and technology. All of that is part of God’s healing.

I have tried in this sermon to share some ideas about how we can read a gospel passage and think about it and put ourselves into the mind and heart of a character like Bartimaeus so that we can understand some basic truths about Jesus and how he treated people and how he affected people and how he treats us and affects us and our lives.

Jesus is touching peoples’ lives and healing people right now. It’s not something that just happened long ago.

Is there something you want Jesus to help you with? Something you want him to heal? Ask him. And if you want to have the laying on of hands or prayers for healing, we can do that, too, Ask any time and we can do that after the service. Does anyone want to share a thought before we close? Please feel free.

Lord Jesus, help us to ask for what we need from you and help us to be open to receive your help. Amen.

Filed under: Reverend Janet Brown, Sermons | Tagged: Bartimaeus, Hebrews 7, Job 42, Mark 10, Psalm 34 | Leave a comment »

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