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Devotions, based on the lectionary, are available on this page. Click on any of the underlined links to quickly access a particular devotion. Links for previous devotions: Devotion for week of 17 October Devotion for month of November 2004 SAINTS IN A HALLOWE’EN WORLD When I write the word "Hallowe’en" I always include that apostrophe between the e’s. By doing that, I invite the question Why? Then I can explain that Hallowe’en is the Eve of All Saints’ Day. That is where the name of America’s current favorite holiday comes from. Hallowe’en celebrates our fears. It marks the legendary night when demons roam the world in search of souls to torment, when the dead emerge from graves to rake havoc through the living. It is the night of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." We have so tamed that night that we can hardly remember its intent. (Strange how we domesticate and water-down our holidays, from Christmas and Easter to Memorial and Labor Days: emptying them of their origins – perhaps out of fear of their profound meanings). But we do remember Hallowe’en as we dress our children as demons to bribe innocent elders against "tricking" them into scary episodes. So we bring the little ones to "trick or treat" – as if they really did have tricks up their sleeves. Another reason to dress up in costume is to disguise ourselves into demons so that the emerging demons will not recognize us and bring us to the nether world. It is a festival of earth-religion, which we continue to celebrate when we read the horoscope, buy lottery tickets, or beware of black cats crossing our paths. Each of these activities are acts of idol-worship – such as the movement of stars or reliance upon the god Chance for wondrous miracles. This is what Hitler had in mind when he urged his followers to adore "blood and soil" in the pure race of his own fantasy. Each is a nature-religion, whether that earth is below us (as soil) or above (as stars). We do live in a Hallowe’en world, living in fear of the demons of scarcity, consumerism, and death, mostly of our own making. Instead of celebrating our fears, we can teach ourselves and our children that we dress as monsters and ghosts in order to make fun of these fears. We dress as ghosts to mock ghosts. We put on skeleton-suits to proclaim that we really do believe what the Creed says: "I believe…in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting." And anyone who says otherwise is like a child out on a lark that no one need fear. For example, for me to wear a baseball uniform would insult the players; for you to dress as a witch is to suggest witches have no substance. The next morning is All Saints’ Day. It is a celebration of all the saints who have stood against the demons of fear and who have confessed the faith that Jesus is Lord, not ghosts, goblins and graves. In our churches, we celebrate all the saints on November 1, and we mean those who have passed into the Church Triumphant, those who have died "having kept the faith" and the saints still among us, in the Church Militant, who stand in today’s places of prayer, praise, and care. So we give praise and thanksgiving to God for all the saints of God, living and dead ("the quick and the dead," we used to say). This month of November is Thanksgiving Month, beginning with our gratitude for the saints (living and "alive in Christ") who have led the way. It is a month to thank God for diplomats, government leaders and military veterans (of every nation) whose task has been peace-making, marking "Armistice Day" which ended a most horrific war, and commemorating the great pacifist saint, Martin of Tours (Nov. 11). November ends our church year as we hear lessons of judgment and promise. It closes with a National Day of Thanksgiving when people of all opinions, races, and religions can just sit around a community dinner and say "Thank You" to God and brothers and sister all around For me, it will be a foretaste of the Feast to Come in the Name and Presence of Jesus. - Pastor Albert R. Ahlstrom
Devotion for week of 17 October 2004 Study Texts: Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, Luke 18:1-8 Prayer of the Day: Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations. Preserve the works of your mercy, that you Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your name; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. In medical circles they talk about "vital signs:" temperature, pulse, and respiration. When we are sick or recovering from surgery, these vital signs are monitored carefully. If these are all normal, we are at least in fair condition. For the Christian life, praying is one of the "vital signs." Prayer to God, prayer without ceasing (in St. Paul’s words), prayer in the good times and bad, prayer with hope. There is a line in an old hymn, "Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, prayer is the Christian’s vital breath." Reflecting on Luke’s parable about a widow who persisted in seeking justice from an "unjust judge," I hear an invitation by God, through Jesus, to sustain the vital signs, the breath, to pray and not lose heart. Like the widow who kept the pressure on the judge (who is "unjust"), we are invited by Jesus to keep the pressure on God (who often seems unjust, or certainly slow!). God is not upset by our hounding, but invites it. Here is an echo of the beatitude: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matt. 5:6). At times it is difficult to hang in there with God. Things go wrong and it seems that our prayers rise no higher than our own breath. But should our praying depend on how many times we receive that "yes" from God? No, because if we received all that we asked of God, we would soon treat God as a convenience store, and prayer would be like magic. We have faith in God, not faith in prayer. Prayer is the language of faith, and the words of our prayers form the stairs on which God descends to commune with us. We are to pray with a will, to pray with hope, and with words that flow out of the actual experiences of our lives. The words flow from the depth of our needy hearts, and God awaits our every word. [These words are mostly from a devotional written by John W. Coffey. They helped me to preach on this week’s gospel, Luke 18: 1-8 this past Sunday. May they inspire you as well.] - Pastor Albert R. Ahlstrom
Devotion for week of 10 October 2004 Study texts: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19 Prayer of the Day: Almighty God, source of every blessing, your generous goodness comes to us anew every day. By the work of your Spirit lead us to acknowledge your goodness, give thanks for your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The gospel for this week tells a familiar story – familiar to many. It tells the story of ten lepers wandering in the countryside, banished from human company except among themselves as unclean. They meet Jesus who is on his way to Jerusalem, where he will meet his own time of suffering and death. They appealed to him for help, and he sent them back to their priests to be declared clean. These ten turned and went to the priests, and while they were "on their way" they were healed of their leprosy. One of them, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus, "praising God aloud," prostrating at his feet. Jesus wondered where the other nine were: "Was none of them found to return and give praise to God expect this foreigner?" Then Jesus sent the Samaritan on his way, because his faith had made him well. One preacher used this familiar gospel to say that this faithful leper, who returned to Jesus, is the Church. We are used to criticizing those who attend worship – joining a world that looks at church-goers as hypocrites and self-righteous show-offs. This may be a great mis-reading of what is happening. Could it be that those who worship are really coming out of faithful thanksgiving, seeking the forgiveness of their own sins and those of their community, praising God for every sign of life and healing? I think of our full churches after the catastrophe of 9/11. Where are these crowds today? Are they now the self-satisfied hypocrites who know that the church will always be open, lit and heated for their comfort when the next disaster comes? I think of sophisticates in every community who want to save well-built and ornamental landmark churches, beautifying and calming the community and countryside. When (as is almost inevitable everywhere) steps are taken to tear them down so new ministries can be attempted with funds from sold churches, suddenly neighbors want to preserve those churches. They wonder why church-members cannot keep them open and maintained to keep architectural relics or treasures in place for future generations. Do these preservationists come up with the resources to save the landmarks and develop new ministries? Our congregations are populated by many whose year-in, year-out steadfastness of support ("volunteerism" it is called) tends to get overlooked by public critics. Does it occur to the crisis-churchgoers that someone keeps those pews polished and doors open? Some have said we live in a "Christian country." I think that is a foolish claim, especially when every block has literally hundreds of residents who ignore churches every Sunday. Maybe 10% of "Christians" do worship every Sunday, never mind our Jewish, Muslim, and public non-believers. So the percentage that Jesus experienced is little changed. What winsome, truthful, and public witness can we who do attend worship every Sunday provide to invite our families and neighbors to the public "praise" that Jesus calls us to engage? - Pastor Albert R. Ahlstrom
Devotion for week of 29 August 2004 Our Life Together Our life together begins in eternity with God. Isaiah 58:9b-14; Hebrews 12:18-29; Every Sunday as we worship in the traditional forms at Trinity, we recognize the contest of the forces of life and death in our individual and communal life. That drama was wonderfully played out at last Sunday’s (August 22nd) worship celebration. The procession with the clanging of cymbals, the roll of the drum announced that we were coming into the presence of the Christ of the cross who preceded us. We came in following our standards; the banners under which we serve our God. We came in under our banners and those who marched with us under these respective banners are our life-support systems. We processed singing a hymn of strength, assurance and confidence, "Lift High the Cross." Following the banners were those who serve at the altar. The altar is a symbol of our oneness in Christ. The pastor followed and is a symbol of the unity of the congregation, and of our oneness in the strength of the church to lift up and support each other in our growth, in faith, and in our service to the world. The pastor was followed by the bishop, a symbol of the unity of the church and a guardian of the teachings of the church. The gathering in worship is also a celebration and a witness to each other that by God’s grace we have survived the week. The forces of sin, death and the devil have assaulted us, but we have survived. The service of confession is a celebration of the power of renewal and God’s activity of grace we share together. The drama of the Kyrie and the hymn of praise are an intoned confession and thanksgiving that we have come together. God’s grace is free and it is sustaining every Sunday, be it the wonderful festival worship with the visual and auditory grandeur of last Sunday, or where two or three are gathered, we celebrate God’s presence among us. The prayer of the day begins the Service of the Word. The epistle text for last Sunday, "We receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken on its manifestation in the Gospels; this grace of God allows the bent over woman to be upright. In the Old Testament text, it empowers us to remove the yoke and burdens from one another. The sermon is an extension of God’s Word which applied that Word to all present. The Bishop’s words were good words, as they made clear that we are a celebrative people made alive and kept alive by God’s grace. The music is militant, comforting and assuring that in the struggle of death and life, the victory belongs to life. The music in our tradition leads to harmony. There may be disorder in our life together, but these conflicts are resolved. Christ is the power to bring harmony. The pursuit of Christ’s mission is sustained by the power of faith in, among, and with us. We receive Holy Communion; the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin, for our growth in grace, for our assurance of faith, for our strength in service. We are then sent into the world to serve and by God’s grace and the strength of one another, to survive the week and return to thank and praise. Our life together is centered in worship. Our worship is centered in the Word; the Word sung, read, preached, incarnate. The Word made flesh for you. - Pastor LeRoy Ness
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Devotion for month of November 2004 SAINTS IN A HALLOWE’EN WORLD When I write the word "Hallowe’en" I always include that apostrophe between the e’s. By doing that, I invite the question Why? Then I can explain that Hallowe’en is the Eve of All Saints’ Day. That is where the name of America’s current favorite holiday comes from. Hallowe’en celebrates our fears. It marks the legendary night when demons roam the world in search of souls to torment, when the dead emerge from graves to rake havoc through the living. It is the night of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." We have so tamed that night that we can hardly remember its intent. (Strange how we domesticate and water-down our holidays, from Christmas and Easter to Memorial and Labor Days: emptying them of their origins – perhaps out of fear of their profound meanings). But we do remember Hallowe’en as we dress our children as demons to bribe innocent elders against "tricking" them into scary episodes. So we bring the little ones to "trick or treat" – as if they really did have tricks up their sleeves. Another reason to dress up in costume is to disguise ourselves into demons so that the emerging demons will not recognize us and bring us to the nether world. It is a festival of earth-religion, which we continue to celebrate when we read the horoscope, buy lottery tickets, or beware of black cats crossing our paths. Each of these activities are acts of idol-worship – such as the movement of stars or reliance upon the god Chance for wondrous miracles. This is what Hitler had in mind when he urged his followers to adore "blood and soil" in the pure race of his own fantasy. Each is a nature-religion, whether that earth is below us (as soil) or above (as stars). We do live in a Hallowe’en world, living in fear of the demons of scarcity, consumerism, and death, mostly of our own making. Instead of celebrating our fears, we can teach ourselves and our children that we dress as monsters and ghosts in order to make fun of these fears. We dress as ghosts to mock ghosts. We put on skeleton-suits to proclaim that we really do believe what the Creed says: "I believe…in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting." And anyone who says otherwise is like a child out on a lark that no one need fear. For example, for me to wear a baseball uniform would insult the players; for you to dress as a witch is to suggest witches have no substance. The next morning is All Saints’ Day. It is a celebration of all the saints who have stood against the demons of fear and who have confessed the faith that Jesus is Lord, not ghosts, goblins and graves. In our churches, we celebrate all the saints on November 1, and we mean those who have passed into the Church Triumphant, those who have died "having kept the faith" and the saints still among us, in the Church Militant, who stand in today’s places of prayer, praise, and care. So we give praise and thanksgiving to God for all the saints of God, living and dead ("the quick and the dead," we used to say). This month of November is Thanksgiving Month, beginning with our gratitude for the saints (living and "alive in Christ") who have led the way. It is a month to thank God for diplomats, government leaders and military veterans (of every nation) whose task has been peace-making, marking "Armistice Day" which ended a most horrific war, and commemorating the great pacifist saint, Martin of Tours (Nov. 11). November ends our church year as we hear lessons of judgment and promise. It closes with a National Day of Thanksgiving when people of all opinions, races, and religions can just sit around a community dinner and say "Thank You" to God and brothers and sister all around For me, it will be a foretaste of the Feast to Come in the Name and Presence of Jesus. - Pastor Albert R. Ahlstrom
Devotion for week of 17 October 2004 Study Texts: Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5, Luke 18:1-8 Prayer of the Day: Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations. Preserve the works of your mercy, that you Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your name; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. In medical circles they talk about "vital signs:" temperature, pulse, and respiration. When we are sick or recovering from surgery, these vital signs are monitored carefully. If these are all normal, we are at least in fair condition. For the Christian life, praying is one of the "vital signs." Prayer to God, prayer without ceasing (in St. Paul’s words), prayer in the good times and bad, prayer with hope. There is a line in an old hymn, "Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire, prayer is the Christian’s vital breath." Reflecting on Luke’s parable about a widow who persisted in seeking justice from an "unjust judge," I hear an invitation by God, through Jesus, to sustain the vital signs, the breath, to pray and not lose heart. Like the widow who kept the pressure on the judge (who is "unjust"), we are invited by Jesus to keep the pressure on God (who often seems unjust, or certainly slow!). God is not upset by our hounding, but invites it. Here is an echo of the beatitude: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled" (Matt. 5:6). At times it is difficult to hang in there with God. Things go wrong and it seems that our prayers rise no higher than our own breath. But should our praying depend on how many times we receive that "yes" from God? No, because if we received all that we asked of God, we would soon treat God as a convenience store, and prayer would be like magic. We have faith in God, not faith in prayer. Prayer is the language of faith, and the words of our prayers form the stairs on which God descends to commune with us. We are to pray with a will, to pray with hope, and with words that flow out of the actual experiences of our lives. The words flow from the depth of our needy hearts, and God awaits our every word. [These words are mostly from a devotional written by John W. Coffey. They helped me to preach on this week’s gospel, Luke 18: 1-8 this past Sunday. May they inspire you as well.] - Pastor Albert R. Ahlstrom
Devotion for week of 10 October 2004 Study texts: 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Psalm 111; 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19 Prayer of the Day: Almighty God, source of every blessing, your generous goodness comes to us anew every day. By the work of your Spirit lead us to acknowledge your goodness, give thanks for your benefits, and serve you in willing obedience; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen The gospel for this week tells a familiar story – familiar to many. It tells the story of ten lepers wandering in the countryside, banished from human company except among themselves as unclean. They meet Jesus who is on his way to Jerusalem, where he will meet his own time of suffering and death. They appealed to him for help, and he sent them back to their priests to be declared clean. These ten turned and went to the priests, and while they were "on their way" they were healed of their leprosy. One of them, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus, "praising God aloud," prostrating at his feet. Jesus wondered where the other nine were: "Was none of them found to return and give praise to God expect this foreigner?" Then Jesus sent the Samaritan on his way, because his faith had made him well. One preacher used this familiar gospel to say that this faithful leper, who returned to Jesus, is the Church. We are used to criticizing those who attend worship – joining a world that looks at church-goers as hypocrites and self-righteous show-offs. This may be a great mis-reading of what is happening. Could it be that those who worship are really coming out of faithful thanksgiving, seeking the forgiveness of their own sins and those of their community, praising God for every sign of life and healing? I think of our full churches after the catastrophe of 9/11. Where are these crowds today? Are they now the self-satisfied hypocrites who know that the church will always be open, lit and heated for their comfort when the next disaster comes? I think of sophisticates in every community who want to save well-built and ornamental landmark churches, beautifying and calming the community and countryside. When (as is almost inevitable everywhere) steps are taken to tear them down so new ministries can be attempted with funds from sold churches, suddenly neighbors want to preserve those churches. They wonder why church-members cannot keep them open and maintained to keep architectural relics or treasures in place for future generations. Do these preservationists come up with the resources to save the landmarks and develop new ministries? Our congregations are populated by many whose year-in, year-out steadfastness of support ("volunteerism" it is called) tends to get overlooked by public critics. Does it occur to the crisis-churchgoers that someone keeps those pews polished and doors open? Some have said we live in a "Christian country." I think that is a foolish claim, especially when every block has literally hundreds of residents who ignore churches every Sunday. Maybe 10% of "Christians" do worship every Sunday, never mind our Jewish, Muslim, and public non-believers. So the percentage that Jesus experienced is little changed. What winsome, truthful, and public witness can we who do attend worship every Sunday provide to invite our families and neighbors to the public "praise" that Jesus calls us to engage? - Pastor Albert R. Ahlstrom Devotion for week of 29 August 2004 Our Life Together Our life together begins in eternity with God. Isaiah 58:9b-14; Hebrews 12:18-29; It has been these past fourteen years that you, the people of Trinity, have been a personal blessing to Evelyn and myself. Thank you for the shared gifts of the Deuteronomy text for this Sunday addresses. "See I set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity." Every day in all situations, to people of every age, the forces of death and life contend for us. This is the battle for salvation which Christ has won and by God’s grace, this victory is given to God’s children. We share a common birth in baptism. We share a common promise as God’s heirs to salvation. We share and celebrate a common faith. We share a common struggle with sin, death and the devil. Every Sunday as we worship in the traditional forms at Trinity, we recognize the contest of the forces of life and death in our individual and communal life. That drama was wonderfully played out at last Sunday’s (August 22nd) worship celebration. The procession with the clanging of cymbals, the roll of the drum announced that we were coming into the presence of the Christ of the cross who preceded us. We came in following our standards; the banners under which we serve our God. We came in under our banners and those who marched with us under these respective banners are our life-support systems. We processed singing a hymn of strength, assurance and confidence, "Lift High the Cross." Following the banners were those who serve at the altar. The altar is a symbol of our oneness in Christ. The pastor followed and is a symbol of the unity of the congregation, and of our oneness in the strength of the church to lift up and support each other in our growth, in faith, and in our service to the world. The pastor was followed by the bishop, a symbol of the unity of the church and a guardian of the teachings of the church. The gathering in worship is also a celebration and a witness to each other that by God’s grace we have survived the week. The forces of sin, death and the devil have assaulted us, but we have survived. The service of confession is a celebration of the power of renewal and God’s activity of grace we share together. The drama of the Kyrie and the hymn of praise are an intoned confession and thanksgiving that we have come together. God’s grace is free and it is sustaining every Sunday, be it the wonderful festival worship with the visual and auditory grandeur of last Sunday, or where two or three are gathered, we celebrate God’s presence among us. The prayer of the day begins the Service of the Word. The epistle text for last Sunday, "We receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken on its manifestation in the Gospels; this grace of God allows the bent over woman to be upright. In the Old Testament text, it empowers us to remove the yoke and burdens from one another. The sermon is an extension of God’s Word which applied that Word to all present. The Bishop’s words were good words, as they made clear that we are a celebrative people made alive and kept alive by God’s grace. The music is militant, comforting and assuring that in the struggle of death and life, the victory belongs to life. The music in our tradition leads to harmony. There may be disorder in our life together, but these conflicts are resolved. Christ is the power to bring harmony. The pursuit of Christ’s mission is sustained by the power of faith in, among, and with us. We receive Holy Communion; the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin, for our growth in grace, for our assurance of faith, for our strength in service. We are then sent into the world to serve and by God’s grace and the strength of one another, to survive the week and return to thank and praise. Our life together is centered in worship. Our worship is centered in the Word; the Word sung, read, preached, incarnate. The Word made flesh for you. - Pastor LeRoy Ness
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