News this past week from NASA reveals a discovery on Mars. 3-billion-year-old rocks show organic molecules. The rocks were on the bottom of what most believe to be an ancient lake bed similar to Florida's shallow Lake Okeechobee. This is a big discovery.
I have a friend, Lucas, who is an astrobiologist. He probably knows a lot more about this discovery than I do. Lucas told me in seminary that one difficulty in being an astrobiologist is determining what life is and is not. Once we can define life we then can look for things that meet that definition in space. He bases his view of life entirely on Earth; he believes we can only define it based on what we know. And one thing we know about life is that it makes more life. Life begets life, if you will. We have a hanging plant in our backyard. One day, a shoot of some unknown weed was seen three inches above the flowers. We wanted to see what it would do so we left it alone. It kept growing until it was touching the hook holding the entire flower pot. We didn't plant it but it must have come in from somewhere. Lucas would call this life. A bunch of grass is growing in the most unlikely place, next to the curb at the corner of 1st and L Street. I've been watching it for months. It is now a three-foot wide swath of five-inch tall grass growing amongst a sea of concrete; cars run it over probably six times an hour. That's life. We know it's life because it is begetting in a most inhospitable place. Back to Mars, an astrobiologist associated with the latest finding said that she's fascinated by the idea that life never really got started there. It would not take long for any alien probe to find life on Earth. Even if the probe landed at the bottom of the deepest ocean, it would find life. In the middle of Death Valley, it would find life. Even if it landed in the boiling hot sulfur lakes in Yellowstone, it would still find life. That is because life is abundant and it grows in the most unlikely places. Nevertheless, we have spent billions of dollars and countless hours looking for life on Mars and have yet to find it like we can at 1st and L. I would never say we should give up on Mars. A fascinating piece of evidence shows seasonal methane gas increases in the Martian atmosphere. On Earth, methane is produced by organic, living matter. If you've ever been around a cow pasture, you'll know what I'm talking about. Notwithstanding, methane can also be produced geologically so even this piece of evidence raises doubts. For me, theologically speaking, I believe that there is life out there because God is a God of Life. I also believe, as science has shown, God uses the same DNA building blocks in all of life. Scientists can take a DNA strand from a salmon and implant it into a strawberry to make it transport better from the farm to the table. We're made from all the same stuff. I believe that God's fingerprint is in the DNA of all life and therefore, if/when life is found on Mars, it comes from the same source. Life is abundant on Earth. God is the master of abundance. God created all things. Therefore, when astro-biological life is found, we will find it in abundance. -Fr. Dave This week’s Reflection is by Beth Moore.
A Prayer for the Redeemed By Beth Moore “I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud and your sins like mist; return to me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22 (ESV) I don’t think any prefix in the English Bible could be more beautiful than “re.” Two little letters that simply mean: “again.” God appears to have a particular affinity for “re” verbs. For instance, “return to me, for I have redeemed you” (Isaiah 44:22, ESV). It looks like He’d just turn His back on us when we turn our backs on Him, but He doesn’t. Instead He echoes throughout Scripture, “Return to me!” Return. You’ll find that one “re” verb over 400 times in the Bible. But that’s not the only fabulous “re” verb in the Bible. Here’s a list of some of my favorites (with emphasis added in bold). There’s renew: “They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31a, ESV). And revive: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15b, ESV). And restore: “He restores my soul” (Psalm 23:3a, ESV). And repair. Oh, and rebuild and sometimes in the same verse: “In that day ‘I will restore David’s fallen shelter — I will repair its broken walls and restore its ruins — and will rebuild it as it used to be’” (Amos 9:11, NIV). And replant: “I have rebuilt the ruined places and replanted that which was desolate. I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it” (Ezekiel 36:36b, ESV). Astonishingly, there appears to be no limit to what God will lovingly and lavishly redo and refresh for those simply willing to return and repent. “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago” (Acts 3:19-21, ESV). Simon Peter is Exhibit A for those of us in Christ who could use a redo. “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren’” (Luke 22:31-32, NKJV). So, you blew it again? Been rejected again? Been broken again? Fallen in that trap again? Been foolish again? Faithless again? I know a Savior willing to put you back together again. Go back to Jesus. Yes, you get to return, because “re” is the most beautiful prefix in history. Our all-glorious God and Father, we are awed by Your grace, patience and love. Thank You for the endless power of resurrection because of the cross of Christ. Apply it to us lavishly this day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. Facebook has been criticized lately for their analytics – the way they track people and share information. The procedures, for the most part, are not good. I found it of interest that Facebook recently shared something with me about the Saint John’s Facebook site. I can now tell when people who “like” our page are on Facebook; in particular, Facebook can tell me when they are looking at our page. I do not get names but I do get the data.
Here is what struck me – some of our people are on-line at 3 in the morning. I figured, knowing you all, that no one would be on line in the wee morning hours. I was wrong. There are folks in our community who are on Facebook at that time. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it, God is a night owl. God does great, important and influential work, in the middle of the night. The Book of Genesis tells us that in the beginning, when the earth was dark, the Spirit of God blew over the waters and God said, “Let there be light.” That tells me—admittedly, I am being somewhat lighthearted here – that God began the work of creation at night. When a Wind from God dried the land of the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross into freedom, in my mind’s eye, I can see that happening at night. Later on, Jacob had a vision of a ladder or staircase to heaven. The vision happened at night. Jesus was born at night and resurrected before the sun rose on that Easter morning. And, let us not forget that it was the middle of the night when he was praying the garden of Gethsemane and the disciples couldn’t keep their eyes open. God does important and influential work at night. People are looking at our Facebook site at the darkest hour of the night. I imagine they are looking for hope. We need to recognize that a community of people is awake all night. Some people who are on our prayer teams are up at that time on a regular basis. I am going to ask them to pray for the on-line, 3 a.m. crowd that is looking at our site. The shepherds were awake to hear the good news of great cheer that the Savior of the World was born. The soldiers, pulling the graveyard shift in front of Jesus’ tomb, were the first to experience the resurrected Christ. The Israelites saw the outstretched and powerful hand of God clear a path for them through the Red Sea. We too have our own community who are looking for God in the middle of the night. May God be with them and give them hope and peace. -Fr. Dave When the last days come, I will give my Spirit to everyone.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams. In those days I will give my Spirit to my servants, both men and women, and they will prophesy. This was a part of the reading this past Sunday. On the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit fell upon the apostles and all those in worship, Peter stood up and said the above passage. He was quoting the prophet Joel. This passage was written probably 700 years before. (2,700 years ago for us) The prophet saw something and declared it. Peter and thus the Church believes Joel saw what was happening during Peter’s time. I see this happening in our day and time. Young men and women have aspirations (dreams) of the future. They dream about what life will be like and what they can and will do in life. Older men and women have wisdom (visions) of what the future will look like based on what they have experienced in life. They also may have visions of the afterlife. Joel and Peter saw that the Holy Spirit will inspire young men and women to have thoughts of heaven and will receive wisdom, not from experience, but from God. In the same way, older people will have aspirations like the youth. The Holy Spirit will breathe new life into older people and give them hope, dreams, love and joy like they felt when they were young. I am seeing this happen today. I have seen new life at Saint John’s in our so-called “older people.” There are folks who are finding new love. They are dreaming of a new and different life. There are others who are finding their spiritual gifts. They are dreaming about what God is calling them to do. And there are others that are finding energy, joy, and strength in donating their time in causes in Chula Vista. We have many others who have found healing and are dreaming of a better life with a better functioning body. Others who have let go of pain and disappointment the Holy Spirit is breathing in restoration. They are dreaming of their new life free from guilt and resentment. The Day of Pentecost is here! The Spirit is making all things new. -Fr. Dave I have mentioned gambling addictions in sermons. While gambling does not have a hold on me, I do know people who suffer from it. The father of a friend of mine helped me see the problem more clearly. “Barry” has a condo in Las Vegas and a home in the Los Angeles area. The condo is simply to enable him to gamble. He told me that he’d love to stay in LA but gambling is not legal here so he needed a place in Vegas. He explained he makes enough gambling to pay for the condo. At the time, we were staying at Barry’s place for the yearly football match of UCLA versus USC. Barry bets on the number of first downs in the second quarter, the number of fumbles, who will receive the kick in the second half, and, the long shot, that USC’s defense will get a “safety” in the third quarter (they didn’t). His $10 bet could have won him a hefty sum. Barry is addicted to gambling. You can’t tell by looking at him. Gambling doesn’t smell or leave tracks on the arm or even cause one to lose control of their car.
Gambling cost Barry his marriage and my friend grew up with a distracted father. From what I’ve heard, gambling debts made Barry rent out the condo, sell his home and live with his son until he gets his life turned around. Because of the Supreme Court decision allowing states to legalize sports gambling, I’ve been thinking about Barry, and others I know who struggle with their addiction. The libertarian side of me is just fine with this decision. I don’t like the Federal government regulating morality. Americans should be free to choose how to live their lives. Plus, I am a states’ rights advocate because I think the states are more responsive to their local electorate. The other side of me is concerned. California will probably be one of the first to legalize sports gambling. And, whatever happens here tends to spread across the other states. I hope we pass legislation that funds rehab centers for gambling addiction. A greater concern is that professional sports will probably be able to promote gambling. I know that one can gamble on-line. There are probably underground gambling networks too. But, legalization allows for more promotion. There is gambling in the Bible. The soldiers cast lots for Jesus’ tunic as he hung on the cross. This act fulfilled Psalm 22:18, “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.” Casting lots is similar to rolling dice. In the Bible, many important decisions were determined by casting lots which was to determine the will of God. This past Sunday, we heard about the eleven apostles casting lots to see who the twelfth apostle should be. That practice ended on the Day of Pentecost. After then, the Church believed that praying in community is a better option for discerning the will of God. Simply because some are addicted to alcohol doesn’t mean the state should ban it. We learned that lesson during Prohibition. Christianity has decided that casting lots is not an acceptable way to discern the will of God. Gambling is coming to a state near you; as followers of God, we must devise strategies by which the fate of Barry and others like him will not befall us. There are many dangers to the Christian family and many of them involve addictions. Let us practice both vigilance and compassion as we face a new challenge. -Fr. Dave Austin Perine is a four-year old who once weekly turns into a superhero. His super power lies in his ability to feed the homeless and give hope to all. Donning a red cape and bright blue shirt (under close supervision by his father, TJ), Austin roams the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, handing out chicken sandwiches and cans of soda to the homeless.
His transformation from mild-mannered 4-year old to superhero began one day when he and his dad were watching a television show about pandas. One baby panda, who had been abandoned, was being cared for by an adoptive panda mother. TJ said, “That cub was homeless.” Austin asked, “What is homeless?” The dad replied, “It's when a cub doesn’t have a home and doesn't have a mom or dad around.” As soon as TJ said that he was able to anticipate what his compassionate-beyond-his-years son would ask. “Are people homeless?” asked Austin, predictably. His dad replied resignedly,” Yes,” with an inkling of what was to come. Austin soon concluded that they needed to show some love and do something to help the homeless people. How a four year old was able to transfer the panda information to people is beyond me but he did. He traded in his allowance for Burger King chicken sandwiches. He took cans of soda and became a one boy soup kitchen, handing out the sandwiches to homeless people in his area. Each time he hands out a sandwich, he says, “Remember to show love.” The disciples gathered around Jesus and asked him who will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus said nothing to the adults; instead, he called one of the children over and asked that the child stand in their midst, where the teacher would stand when giving a lesson. He said some things after that but the visual imagery is the most important thing for me. Children know the Kingdom. They know compassion. They know what it is to give and to serve. They know what it is to show love. Austin Perine has taken the role of the teacher in the center of the circle. His acts of kindness teach the rest of us what is possible and, frankly, what we should be doing. We need not only to care for homeless people, but to show love. - Fr. Dave For more information about Austin, go to his Facebook site, facebook.com/presidentperine . Thank God for the Book of Acts. I mean that quite literally. In the New Testament, Acts of the Apostles follows the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke, it picks up where the Gospel left off. In Luke, at the end of chapter 24 (the last chapter), Jesus, post-crucifixion, said that everything written about him in the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms had to be fulfilled. Jesus opened their minds to understand the Scriptures and that he had to die and rise again; he also taught that repentance and forgiveness of sins were to be proclaimed in his name to all nations. Finally, he “withdrew” (literally stood apart) from them and ascended into heaven. Acts overlaps Luke with Jesus ascending into heaven in verse ten.
Acts follows the development of the disciples as they turn into apostles. It describes the development of the early Church and introduces Saul who turned into St. Paul, our greatest evangelist. I love history so having a living history book is great though that is only part of why I give thanks for it. Acts reveals the incredible wideness of God’s grace and the unfathomable depth of God’s love. Jesus began a movement of love for God. He showed how to turn our hearts from established and exclusionary rules of religion to freely loving God and one’s neighbor with our whole heart. Humans systematically turn themselves into gods and, as such, turn against their neighbors. Jesus and his movement stand in stark contrast. I thank God because if we didn’t have Acts, we might well have shrunk back into our primary nature and morphed Jesus’ movement into something with barriers and rules governing involvement and worship. We would have created wars against our neighbors based on misinterpretations of Jesus’ sayings. At this point, you might be saying, wait, don’t we do that, anyway? Yes, we do, unfortunately, but it took the Movement a while to get there. The first Christian group to kill other Christians over the “orthodox faith” took more than 300 years to happen. That’s a mighty long time considering our nature. And, I believe that Acts constrains our nature even today. In other words, we’d be a lot worse off without it. We can be a lot better if we adhere to the Grace revealed in its pages. Acts shows us that Peter and the apostles originally thought this was a Jewish-only movement. They had no idea the Jesus movement would be for gentiles, or non-Jewish people, too. Acts illustrates how they discovered God shows no partiality and offers his grace to all people. This past Sunday, Acts showed us the story of the Ethiopian eunuch who asked the question, “What would stop me from being baptized?” Absolutely nothing, was the answer. This Sunday, we will hear of the first non-Jewish household that was baptized because Peter saw and felt the Holy Spirit descend upon the family. Additionally, Acts shows us that this is not a men-led-only movement. Readers will see why St. Paul wrote, “In Christ there is no male or female.” Acts was vital for the development of the Church in the first century. Now, in our 21st century, when we are prone to fight over power, authority and who is included in the Church and who is not, Acts again is important for us. It stands as a living witness to the magnificence and breadth of God’s grace. Acts shows us the depth of God’s love for all of God’s creation.… if we decide to read it and follow the radicalness of Christ in our lives and churches. -Fr. Dave THE STONE THAT THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BECOME THE CORNERSTONE
I was meditating on this passage, which has occurred so often in our liturgy of late, and thinking what it could specially mean to me. I thought of the quote mainly at first because of "Brideshead Revisited", where the hero has to put aside his love for his married mistress because of her Catholic faith. He, formerly an unbeliever, then becomes a Catholic convert. The Catholic Church is the stone that the builders rejected in that case. So, I thought, in my present life with the decision to give up the car, what is the stone being rejected that will be the cornerstone? That is exactly my dilemma. There is a life without driving. I have lived it but little in my life, timewise, since I was twenty. I love to drive. I thought of the time in Seattle when I was visiting Alexander at Christmas, and my purse was stolen the first day. The train ticket was not stolen; I'd put it in the dresser before we went out that day. In the purse was everything else I had; my Amex credit card and about 200.00. And that was it. I was dismayed big time, but after I'd made the necessary phone calls, I decided to accept it. I had to just accept that I was living as a child in my son's household. I walked around with my hands in my pockets, unable to pay for anything. I'd planned to impress them with a great dinner out "on Mama." And to buy them something nice each, and together perhaps a new blanket which I'd pay off when I went back to school after Christmas, paying it off on my teacher's salary...Impossible with no money and no credit card. They paid for everything (and they had almost no money!) But they did not complain and neither did I. I just went along and had a wonderful visit. I had my return train ticket and when he put me on the train to go home, I said, "Alex, I hate to ask you but I have not one cent to get food on the way home or any other need...," and he put his hand in his pocket and gave me all the money he had, a twenty dollar bill. His girlfriend had made me a nice sack lunch to bring on the train, so I was fine from then on.... The stone that the builders had rejected, I have now decided, is 'myself, not driving.' Me, being dependent for transportation on others, whether by charity or Uber or el bos, --however it's managed, I will not be driving. How to live with this circumstance with grace? How to make this stage of life into the cornerstone, solid and true and pure? And as pleasant and enjoyable as that visit in Seattle long ago with Alex and his girlfriend, because I accepted circumstance and let go? My vision may get bad anough that I cannot try to function without the operation...another challenge. I may need to move to a communal living situation due to loneliness...another challenge...Maybe if I do get the operation I can drive again should I choose...another challenge. For now, I can think more, play piano more, sing more, garden more, paint more, read more (bless the Kindle!!) write more, clean up the house more, get organized more, study more, be on the computer more, and maybe get a puppy. No longer can I jump into the car and go kill time at the Goodwill, nor search for the elusive Komodo Dragon...nor peruse old antique stores...but who knows? Life is openingup, not closing down. That is the attitude I will take. Changes, new life, new cornerstones! -Linda Longoria-Neff Jesus said to Pontius Pilate, “I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Whoever accepts the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate responded, “What is truth?” I wonder whether Pilate was looking up, down, or at Jesus when he said that; his facial expression could tell us what was going through his mind. Unfortunately, the Gospel writer John doesn’t tell us. I am going to assume Pilate was looking up, wondering, in general, what is truth. I was asked the same question on Sunday by several folks. And now, with my eyes looking upward and stroking my imaginary beard, I am wondering, too.
Facts and truth are not interchangeable. Jesus didn’t say, “I testify to the facts; whoever accepts the facts listens to my voice.” Here is a fact: the earth is made of substance. Here is some truth: God created all things, visible and invisible (stuff with and without substance). I don’t think many people are willing to die for facts; some will die for the truth. Today’s society seems to believe that truth is subjective. One person’s truth may not be another’s. Is Jesus testifying to a perspective? Is it subjective? If so, we can listen to someone speaking “their” truth. I believe there is The Truth, not subjectively based on someone’s perspective but something that is undeniable. The Truth cannot be owned, held, locked down, hidden, or kept in secret. The Truth will shine, and, (say it with me) the truth will set you free. Frederick Buechner wrote, “In the long run, our stories overlap and mingle like searchlights in the dark. All our stories are in the end one story, one vast story about being human, being together, being here. What is the truth of this never-ending, sprawling story we are?” I think truth is a distinctive combination of facts and experience. Jesus is the sum of all creation, experience, knowledge and wisdom. He is intertwined with our stories and with us being together and being here. Truth is both an external point on the horizon on which we fix our eyes and an internal point of experience and understanding. In my mind’s eye, Pilate is neither fixed on the horizon nor in touch with his own gut understanding and experience. His wife insisted that he, “Have nothing to do with that man,” because she had a vision that showed who Jesus is. Even then, Pilate failed to voice his inquiry about truth to the only human who could have answered. I believe that God created everything. There are many who don’t. Does that give both our truths equal merit, footing, and weight? Because I can stack fact upon fact and add a little faith in for good measure, does that make my truth better than the dissenting truth? Is someone willing to die for their truth that God didn’t create everything? I don’t think there can be competing truths. Either it is one way or the other. My dad and I can read the same book and have different experiences but the truth remains there is a book that we shared. Perhaps Jesus testifies to the sum of all experiences called The Truth. The Light of the World can see all the searchlights of our life. The great I Am knows our light, our experiences and our faith. Like individual strands of yarn, the Good Shepherd knits our stories together into one big tapestry of experience and life. And, the truth is he loves the whole and each individual strand. -Fr. Dave Words are building blocks but can also be weapons. Words can build and tear down. The pen is mightier than the sword but spoken words can be mightier than both. The words “I do” start a sacramental union. We even remember the first words gurgled by a baby. In a spiritual sense, the word, “Word,” has many meanings – it is the Word that became flesh (Jesus); it is Scripture; it is the power of God through which all things were made. “In the beginning God said, ‘Let there be light.’” All creation was spoken into being. Words are mas importante.
What we read matters. What we say matters. What we pray, matters, a lot. Words of prayer + Word of the Lord + Faith = mountains moved. As your spiritual doctor, this past Sunday I gave out a prescription that detailed God’s Word for health and wholeness – fourteen prayers that can be said in less than five minutes. The prescription is to be spoken by mouth, three times a day until faith comes, then once a day to maintain faith. There are no harmful side effects but it is habit forming. After the sermon, some said the prescription is free of charge, like God’s grace, but there is a co-pay. The patient has to “pay” attention to praying. The first prayer shows the relationship between prayer and the Word of God. It reads, “Jesus is the Lord of my life. Sickness and disease have no power over me. I am forgiven and free from sin and guilt. I am dead to sin and alive in righteousness.” It is a prayerful response based upon what Paul wrote to the Colossians, “You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent.” (1:21-22) The Word of God declares we are “holy, faultless and innocent” and the prayer responds that we are “forgiven and free.” Scripture says because of Jesus we are dead to sin. The prayer says because of Jesus we are alive in righteousness. Western scientific thinking in the 21st century has turned the Bible into a specimen to be studied. If you want to understand it, study it more. God’s Word as medicine helps us see the relationship between the Word, our bodies, and our faith. Because Scripture says we are free from guilt, our prayer is to remind our body and mind that we are forgiven and free. There is a place for the study of Scripture, but when it comes to health, a daily read-reflect-pray model is paramount. Another one of the prayers is this, “As God was with Moses, so is God with me. My eyes are not dim; neither are my natural forces abated. Blessed are my eyes for the see and my ears for they hear.” It is based on Deuteronomy 34:7, “Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated.” As a reaction to this passage we pray that “As God was with Moses, so is God with me…” This is the power of the Word through which all things were created. Taken like medicine, daily and repeated, it has the power to move mountains. Words matter. They can build, give life and create sacramental relationships. And, bear in mind, praying the Word is habit forming. -Fr. Dave The prescription for God's medicine can be found here: gods_medicine.pdf |