ANDREW'S AFFIRMATION

  Prayer for Peace "Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever.  Amen."  (Book of Common Prayer, p.815) Say their name ... (220514 shooting in Buffalo, NY) Presiding Bishop Michael Curry Prays (220524 shooting in Uvalde, TX) West Texas Diocesan Bishop Prayer (220524 shooting in Uvalde, TX) Speechless but hopeful, Fr. Thomas+

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Leviticus 26:1-20 God has delivered us not for us to become slaves again but for us to freely worship him. According to God’s covenant with us, if we worship the Lord and refuse to have other idols, then God will provide for us in every season and he will walk with us in every valley. We will bear fruit in abundance, we will experience peace, and we will not be afraid. If we chase worldly things and forsake God’s ways, then he will bring terror upon us and our life will pine away. Our labor will be in vain, our enemies will strike us down, and our arrogant attitude will be broken. Is obeying God the focus of our life? What worldly things might compete for our attention and cause us to be filled with selfish pride? 1 Timothy 2:1-6 When is the last time we set apart time to pray specifically for our leaders and those in high positions? They have a huge responsibility in protecting the peace and preserving the dignity of every human being. We must...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Leviticus 25:35-55 If anyone falls upon hard times and becomes dependent on us, we shall support them and even have them live with us. Never make a profit from someone elses hardship. Rather, fear God, and take are of God’s children because God delivered us when we were still in our sins. Even if someone sells themselves to you, you shall never make them your slaves. Instead, help them find honorable work and earn an honorable wage. They and their children with them should live free of injustice and oppression. Help them preserve and protect their unique identity. Never rule over anyone with harshness. Colossians 1:9-14 Do not cease praying for one another. We must pray that God fills us with wisdom and spiritual understanding so that we might lead lives worthy of the Lord and bear fruit for the Kingdom of God. Our strength comes from God’s glorious power. We are prepared to endure everything with patience. We joyfully give thanks to God who ha...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Leviticus 19:26-37 The phrase “I am the Lord” is repeated several times in this passage. This repetition highlights the reality that our thoughts, words and deeds must reflect the lordship of God. God alone has power and authority in our life. God alone is the master or ruler of our life. We must not be turned off by this truth or see this as an unhealthy control issue of God over us. Rather, we are blessed that God's lordship convicts us and calls us to a life of holiness. Do we joyfully invite the Lordship of God into our life? In what ways is our life guided by the holiness of God? 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 Is our faith growing or stunted? Does love or does hate abound in our midst? Are we steadfast when persecuted and faithful when afflicted? When we are committed to pursuing righteousness and work for the building up of the kingdom of God we will endure suffering. When we suffer, we must hold onto the hope that we will be relieved of our ...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Leviticus 19:1-18 This passage addresses ritual and moral happiness. It is a different form of the 10 commandments, and calls us to be holy because the Lord our God is holy. Holiness demands that we revere one another and set ourselves apart for the Lord. Reverence for one another means having a genuine concern for the poor, making provisions to meet their needs, and genuinely loving our neighbor. Only then will we find true happiness. Are we happy? Why or why not? 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28 Does our society today truly respect those who labor among us? Do we hold our workers in high esteem and love them because of who they are? Do we create and maintain a work environment that is peaceful? Not all workers are the same - some will work harder than others. We must meet the diverse needs of each worker. There might be a need for us to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint hearted, or help the weak but we must always be patient with each person. W...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Leviticus 16:20-34 In the Bible, a sacrifice often involved two goats. One goat was sacrificed (not a scapegoat) and the living "scapegoat" was released into the wilderness, taking with it all the sins of the people. To symbolically represent this, the blood of the sacrificed goat was placed on the head of the scapegoat. These two goats are represented in Jesus. Jesus died for our sins. His blood was shed for us on the cross of calvary. He is our scapegoat who reconciles us to God. Have we acknowledged this reality for ourselves and shared this truth with those around us? 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 Are we ready for Christ’s second coming? The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. One moment we will think we are at peace and that we are secure but in the blink of an eye destruction will come upon if we are not ready when the Lord comes again. We are all children of the light and we are not children of the darkness. Therefore...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Leviticus 16:1-19 This passage describes ‘The Day of Atonement’ also known as Yom Kippur. It occurs annually and is one of the most solemn holy days of all the Israelites feasts and festivals. ‘The Day of Atonement’ was an offering to God for the sins of the people. It is clear in this passage that God does not permit an “everything goes” approach to worship. The atonement for sin was to be done God’s way, and there were specific rules that needed to be followed. Obedience to God’s word was key, and holiness came from that which was set apart for God. There was a space that was holy, and vestments that were holy. Christ offered himself as an atonement for our sins. He did not do whatever was comfortable for him. Rather, he was obedient to the point of death even death on a cross. Because Christ set himself apart for his Father’s Will he made us who were sinners to be the righteousness of God. In our relationship with others and with the church,...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 34:18-35 This passage addresses two topics: 1) theme of festival, and 2) fast of Moses. Wth regards to the theme of festival, we are introduced to the terms festival of unleavened bread, the festival of weeks, the first fruits of wheat harvest, the festival of ingathering, and the festival of the passover. The “festival of unleavened bread” was a seven day festival where the Israelites ate unleavened bread to mark their coming out from Egypt. As part of the festival, the Israelites were supposed to dedicate an offering to the Lord. No one was to appear before the Lord empty-handed or half-hearted. In fact, God did not want their leftovers or inferior gifts. Instead, God expected that the people would set apart their very best for him. How often do we approach the Lord? What do we dedicate or give to the Lord when we come before him or are we always taking and receiving from the Lord? This passage acknowledges the need for the Israelites ...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 34:1-17 We believe in a God of second chances and clear consequences. In this passage we see God giving Moses and the Israelites a second opportunity to receive God’s commandments. However, God also makes it clear that there are consequences for their disobedience and idolatrous ways. While God is full of love, mercy and compassion, God is also a jealous God who will punish those who love the things of this world more than they love God. In what ways have we been given a second chance in life? How have we paid the consequences for our disobedience? Do we truly love God more than we love the things of this world? 1 Thessalonians 2:13-20 The Apostle Paul reminds us that when we receive the word of God, we should accept it not as a human word but as God's word. It is then that the word of God will begin to work in our life and we will imitate Christ in our thoughts, words and deeds. This will be the pathway to new joy and hope for the w...

A Reflection on the Daily Office Readings Exodus 32:21-34 In this passage Moses questions Aaron as to why he built the golden calf and permitted the people to turn to idolatry. Who is the Moses in your life? Who holds you accountable for your thoughts, words, and deeds? We are told that Aaron placed the blame on the people. In your opinion, does Aaron’s reasoning justify his actions? Do we own the choices we have made or do we blame someone else when our poor choices lead to bad consequences? When Moses heard Aaron’s excuse, he turned to the people and asked them to decide if they were on the Lords’ side or the on the side of the golden calf. Those who chose the side of the golden calf were destroyed, and those who chose the side of the Lord were ordained into the service of the Lord. What guidelines or criteria help us choose one option versus another? Do our choices destroy our relationship with God and others or do our choices deepen our service to them? 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Let t...

  A REFLECTION ON THE DAILY OFFICE READINGS Exodus 32:1-20 Impatience is the breeding ground for idolatry. When ‘Plan A’ unfolds in a way that is different from our expectations, there a tendency to jump to ‘Plan B’ prematurely. This is what happened to the people of Israel. ‘Plan A’ was for them to trust God to provide for their needs and lead them as they journeyed forward. However, when the people realized that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, "Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us.” The people of Israel knew that Moses had played an vital role in bringing them out of the land of Egypt but now they did not know for sure what had become of him. Aaron found himself betwee a rock and a hard place. On one hand, Aaron knew that he should remain faithful to ‘Plan A’ in trusting the Lord to provide and lead them. However, one the other hand, Aaron did not know for sure how to explain Moses’ delay and the pe...

A REFLECTION ON THE DAILY OFFICE READINGS Exodus 19:16-25 Have you ever wanted to meet God in person - face-to-face? Based on this Biblical passage, we can infer that such an experience might literally take our breath away. We are told that Moses brought the people to the foot of Mount Sinai in order to meet God. At that moment, God appeared to them in the midst of a thick cloud. The mountain was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently. There was thunder, lightning, and a blast of trumpet so loud that all the people trembled. Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder. Then the Lord summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. Then the Lord said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people not to break through to the Lord to look; otherwise many of them will perish. Even the priests who approach the Lord must consecrate themselves or the Lord will bre...

A REFLECTION ON THE DAILY OFFICE READINGS Exodus 19:1-16 We have all heard the phrase: “Don't kill the messenger.” It is hard to serve as a go-between or middleman because you face the possibility of not being trusted with the news you bring. In this passage, Moses serves as a messenger between God and his people Israel. The Israelites already had trust issues with Moses as they had grumbled about his leadership abilities a number of times before. Even still, God chose to converse with Moses up on the mountain and exhort Moses to remind the Israelites of what God did to the Egyptians, and how God bore the Israelites on eagles' wings and brought them out of bondage. In remembering God’s faithfulness, the Israelites were expected to obey God’s voice and keep God’s covenant. Moses was to communicate the truth that Israel was treasured by God but that God had expectations for Israel to be a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. When Moses shared these words with the Israelites, they ...

A REFLECTION ON ST. PHILIP & ST. JAMES “O ALMIGHTY God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us perfectly to know thy Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life; that, following the steps of thy holy Apostles, Saint Philip and Saint James, we may stedfastly walk in the way that leadeth to eternal life; through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.” Morning Prayer - Feast of St. Philip & St. James Story of Saint Philip Story of St. James To God be the glory now and forever. Amen. Fr. Thomas+