Mass Prep Sunday December 9th 2018

Sunday December 9^th, 2018   2^nd Sunday in Advent (Cycle C)

Hitting the Road

The tie in between today’s readings: Things are not always what they seem.

Psalm 126, Baruch 5:1-9, Philippians 1:3-11, Luke 3:1-6

     If you were an eastern monarch in the days of antiquity and wanted to travel to a distant city, it was customary to send out heralds to call on the people in the area to mend the existing roads or create new ones for your route. All along the way rocks had to be moved, holes filled and thoroughfares straightened. A swarm of laborers with rakes, hoes, shovels and buckets converged in one massive human highway project not seen since the building of the Transcontinental Railroad; all to prepare for a king’s convoy. Jesus Christ, The Ruler of the world deserves nothing less. In the spirit of the first Advent, John the Baptist is sent out as such a herald. He is a one man construction crew. His mission is to prepare a road less travelled. He preaches the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins so that the King of Kings could enter their lives through the highway of their hearts. Be ready! Get excited! The King is on the move! Calvary’s road trip has begun. He’s more awesome than anyone can imagine, but not at all what they think. This King is a mystery wrapped in an enigma.

     For John the Baptist:

     16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!” (Matthew 3:16-17)

     …2 Meanwhile, John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent two of his disciples 3to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?” 4Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see. (Matt 11:2-4)

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     Jesus’ family:

     …5 For even His own brothers did not believe in Him. (John 7:5).

     His town:

     16 Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read, 17the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: 18“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to p…19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him, 21and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21)

     …28 On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged. 29They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.30But Jesus passed through the crowd and went on His way (Luke 4:28-30).

     The crowd:

     …14 When the people saw the sign that Jesus had performed, they began to say, “Truly this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” 15Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself. (John 6:14-15)

     …61 Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this teaching, Jesus asked them, “Does this offend you? 62Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before? 66From that time on, many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.…(John 6:61-66)

     The nation:

     …7 They brought the donkey and the colt and laid their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. 8A massive crowd spreadtheir cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”…(Matt 21:7-9)

     …14 It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests. 16Then Pilate handed Jesus over to be crucified, and the soldiers took Him away.…(John 19:14-16)

     The Apostles:

     16 Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me (Matt 28: 16-18).

     “But some still doubted.” Really…after all that they went through they’re still not sure?

     Fortunately, faith and Pentecost won out and their gospel message spread throughout the known world. Many people believed in Jesus the Messiah and took Him as their Savior and King. They bear out the reality of the Lordship of Christ by giving up their priorities in this world that will pass away and focusing on the imperatives of the forever Kingdom of Heaven as cited in today’s reading in Philippians. God is still looking for a people to call His own. Despite the advantage of hind sight, many are still conflicted and puzzled about Jesus. Don’t let that be you. God gives you a guarantee if you seek Him you will find Him and you will know the truth. Amazingly, in today’s reading in Baruch, God orders the mountains to be leveled and the valleys to be filled as He gathers His Israel (the true believers) to Jerusalem (His heaven) in a royal procession. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Be saved and you’ll be in that number, when the saints go marching in.

Mass Prep Sunday December 2nd 2018

Sunday December 2, 2018   1^st Sunday of Advent (Cycle C)

Coming From a Good Background

The tie in between today’s readings: A Proof of the Virgin Birth

Psalms 25:1-14, Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians3:12-4:2, Luke 21:25-36

     The holidays are here. During this time of year, we make special plans to spend time with the close strangers in our lives that we call family. Whether we want to or not, we will trek out to share food and alcohol with the few people in the world who look like us and with whom we share a close common history. This is not lost on Madison Avenue. You may have noticed the increase in advertising for ancestry companies. For a multitude of reasons, many of us will give up our charge cards and DNA to take them up on their offers. It could be in order to satisfy some sort of curiosity, possibly to verify our own family folklore, or perhaps to build a stronger bond with the person sitting across the mash potatoes from us that we may someday need to ask for a kidney. Strangely enough, genealogy plays an important role in the Christmas story as seen in our reading today in Jeremiah. In fact, the Bible doubles down on it by giving both sides of the family tree through Joseph and Mary. Getting it right is absolutely essential to fulfill prophesy and to leave no mistake that Jesus is the Messiah and heir to David’s throne.

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     Joseph’s line comes directly from David through Solomon (Matt 1). Legally, the Jews looked on Jesus as Joseph’s son (John 6:42). Here’s the catch: Jesus would not have been able inherit the throne if He was a blood descendant of Joseph. Because of the wickedness of Jechonias, God cursed this line and no other descendants could be king (Jeremiah 22:24-30). This is a proof of the virgin birth, since Jesus was the actual Son of God the Father, conceived by the Holy Spirit and only Joseph’s through adoption. Enter Mary. Luke 3 traces her line back to David through another son, Nathan. Unlike Joseph, there was no block on Jesus to claim the throne through Mary’s blood line. The problem here was that in Jewish law, inheritances passed through the sons not the daughters. Mary could not give Jesus the throne unless she was an only child (apparently she was) and married within her tribe, which she did when she married Joseph (Numbers 27:1-8; 36:6-8).  Joseph inherited the right to rule on David’s throne by marriage to Mary and passed it onto Jesus. Jesus is heir by adoption and the seed of the woman. Ironically, if the kings of Judah had remained obedient to God, Joseph could have been ruling in Israel at this time with his queen Mary at his side and Jesus would have been born in a palace instead of a manger. There’s a butterfly effect for you.

     But the pauper prince is a king nonetheless. He rules over a nation as real as any country on the map: the Kingdom of God. Its people are supernaturally born into citizenship through the election of the Father, the sacrifice of the Son, and the power of the Holy Spirit. As we see in today’s Psalm and 1 Thessalonians, the laws of God are taught and written on each of their hearts. Thy will be done, is their motivation. The Great Commission, their life’s work. Jesus is working through His people today with the gospel call to believe in His sacrifice as Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins. You can receive this salvation by faith and be granted citizenship into His kingdom. He offers this to you with the simple invitation of “Come.” Do not delay. Join the ranks of the blessed whose destiny is GLORY! Time is short. He will come back to claim the Earth as His Kingdom and take His place on the Throne of David as noted in today’s reading in Luke 21. Be part of it!

Mass Prep Sunday November 25th 2018

Sunday November 25, 2018   34^th Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Jesus is Lord. What Are You Going To Do About It?

The tie in between today’s reading: The reactions to: Thy Will Be Done.

Psalm 93:1-5, Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 1:5-8, John 18:33-37

     There is one pervasive theme running throughout all of our readings today: Jesus Christ reigns! In heaven; he rules absolutely. When He commands Gabriel to jump the response is, “How high?”  I suppose if you’re an angel, that’s a legitimate question. On earth, things are a little messier as God allows the drama of this sinful world to play out while He gathers the last of His elect to Himself.  But know this: He will come back to claim His throne as King of kings and Lord of lords. It will be a day of thunderbolts and earthquakes, of rewards and retribution.  The Alpha and the Omega will fulfill the opening statement of the Our Father: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  In this present life, we all live in one of three categories in our relationship to Jesus Christ and His second coming. You are either in conflict with it, compliant in it, or committed to it. The question is where do you fit in?

     Conflict is simple enough. You have a free will and you will not have Jesus to reign over you.  You’re not alone. It’s a pervasive philosophy throughout the world. You are convinced that the outcomes of your choices will be better if you disregard God. I mean, if God happens to agree with you, so much the better, but it’s not necessary. Your pride places your intellect above the Omnipresent Brain that sees the end from the beginning. This is the very nature of sin and it is dumb. Essentially, heaven would be hell for the person in conflict with the Almighty. What’s left for the God of light to do but to oblige your autonomy by sending you out away from Him and into the darkness to create your own little universe. Consider though, He did everything divinely possible for you to avoid that fate. Be careful what you wish for.

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     The compliant person sees the benefits of a virtuous life.  He believes in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.  He is invested in the social gospel of love thy neighbor in order to create peace on earth. Although he is not perfect, he is convinced that if he does good, then he is good. He feels that his participation in church will draw him closer to God and help make the good man that he is even better. His premise is confirmed weekly by his give no offense pastor, that tickles the ears of the congregation in order to keep the collection plate full and ensure his own retirement. He only understands Christ’s sacrifice on the cross in the vaguest of metaphors. He rationalizes sin and makes it trivial. He is comfortably ignorant, which makes him unaware that in his mind he has recreated God in his own image. The real Lord is a stranger to him. So when he meets Jesus face to face he will be greeted by, “I never knew you.” and be turned away.  He was all for the kingdom of God, but didn’t really care about the King.  What he didn’t realize was that the King is the kingdom.

The kingdom of God is in you (Luke 17:21).

     The committed are committed because it’s their new nature. The committed know that heaven is first a state of being and a physical location second. You don’t go to heaven. Heaven comes to you through your relationship with Jesus Christ. Your faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of your sins means that you spiritually died with Him on Good Friday and were spiritually made alive with Him when He resurrected on Easter Sunday. You are spiritually born again into citizenship of the kingdom of God. This reality is played out in the physical world as each of the committed live out their new lives modeled after and sustained by their King. When Jesus comes again to reign on the earth, it is only to complete physically what has already been done spiritually. For now, the Kingdom of God is advancing soul by soul and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. We, the committed born again stand as ambassadors of Jesus Christ with the good news that you can also become a citizen in the kingdom of God. Accept by faith the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for your sins and submit to Him as your King of kings and Lord of Lords. Today! For the kingdom and the power and the glory is God’s now and forever. Be part of it.

Are We There, Yet?

Sunday November 18, 2018  33^rd Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Are We There, Yet?

The tie in between today’s readings: Know what’s coming.

Psalm 16:5-11, Daniel 12:1-3, Hebrews 10:11-18, Mark 13:24-32

     When I was a kid growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs, my parents would take us on weekend trips to Wildwood, New Jersey. On the way, there were road signs to Zaberer’s restaurant “…Just Minutes Away!” it would say. In our own version of, Are We There, Yet, we would try to guess how long it would take to get to Zaberer’s. Winner got first choice on Boardwalk activities that night. We were often wrong. In our gospel today, the Mark 13 fig tree allegory gives us a road sign pointing to Jesus’ second coming.  Many Biblical scholars correlate the fig tree to Israel. They site Hosea 9:10 and other verses as proof. They believe that the establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948 connects with the fig tree putting out its’ leaves…and ushering in the last generation. Now, I don’t know what your thinking is on end of the world prognostications. Personally, I think that it’s a no win situation. In the most likely case, being wrong just makes you look stupid. When someone finally does get it right: who cares? The world is over. It’s time to move on, unless you’re going for heavenly bragging rights, like the kid in the “guess the number of jelly beans in the jar” contest. These road signs do have a purpose, however. They heighten your focus on what’s coming in order for you to put your life in order. Seriously, no matter when Jesus returns the most important thing to realize is that when a person dies, it’s the end of the world for them! God has a job for His people to do while there’s still time.

     We, the Church, should be living with eternity in mind. The unbelieving world will be surprised when Jesus returns like a thief in the night, because they have “bartered for another God” as it says in Psalm 16. Their focus is trained on this earth…the one that is passing away. We have an urgent gospel message to relay. It’s contained in our reading in Hebrews today: Jesus’ one time sacrifice for sin avails forgiveness for the world. He is now seated at the right hand of God, interceding for those people who come to Him for salvation. We are the ambassadors of Christ imploring everyone to be reconciled to God through Jesus. Those who respond will receive everlasting life in heaven. Those who refuse will face the “Great White Throne Judgment” for their sins and there will be no mercy, no grace, and no hope.

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     What will Jesus’ second coming look like? Pandemonium! The sky will fall! The earth will shake! People will futilely cry for the mountains to bury them so that they might be hidden from the all seeing eye of God. The angels, like the wind, will separate saint from sinner. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord (Romans 14:11). The books will be opened and destinies decided, as it says in our reading in Daniel today. Some will go to everlasting darkness and shame. Those that are in Christ, the children of God, however, will shine like the stars forever in heaven.

     Examine yourself. Where are you now and where do you want to be? The Bible illustrates the consequences of your decision. Are you building your life high and dry on Jesus the Rock or is your real estate down below on the sandy bank? When the levee breaks, mamma it’s too late to move! Have you put your trust in the God of Jacob’s ladder or are you buying a stairway to heaven with your good works? Are you on the broad easy road of the world that goes to destruction or have you picked the narrow path leading to life? The insidious lie is that in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on. God says, “Today is the day of salvation.” Put your trust in the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God to take away your sin. Don’t wait! The fig tree is in leaf and the horizon is fast approaching. Whether the second coming is today or whether in death it becomes the end of the world for you. Your face to face with the living God could be…just minutes away!

Mass Prep Sunday November 11th 2018

Sunday  November 11, 2018    32^nd Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

A Tale of Two Widows

The tie in between today’s readings: Getting a happy ending

Psalm 146:6-10, 1 Kings 17:10-16, Hebrews 9:24-28,Mark 12:38-44

     Psalm 146 starts out singing heartfelt praises to the Almighty God for being an abundant helper. It recounts God’s resume of great works: the blind see, the hungry are fed, wrongs are made right, and much more.  Anyone who has prayed for and gotten a miracle shares a bond with the Psalmist for their happy ending. Many of us though, don’t get the answers to our prayers that we want. It seems God is not listening. Why can’t we be like the lucky ones? Is there a magic God formula that we need to follow? Does God play favorites? Let’s explore this question by comparing the two widows in our readings today.

     It hadn’t rained for a long time and everyone was suffering. The Lord had provided for his prophet, Elijah, up until now, but even the brook that was sustaining him dried up. Now, God tells him to go to, of all people: a poor Gentile widow in Zarephath! Here is a key. God tells Elijah that He has commanded her to provide for him. Apparently, she did not get the memo because when he finally gets there, he finds her preparing the last of her rations for her family’s final meal and he wasn’t on the guest list. Elijah has learned by now that God doesn’t send where He doesn’t provide. He confidently assures the widow that if she bakes him some bread first, then God will provide for her and won’t let the supply of flour and oil run out. With nothing to lose in her desperate situation, she complies, a happy ending ensues, and she comes to faith in the God of Israel. She writes a book “Psalm 146 and Me”, makes the rounds on the talk shows, has it turned into a movie, and lives comfortably off the royalties. Alleluia! This is the feel good kind of God story we crave, not only for the widow, but because it gives us hope that one day we too may be a winner in life’s lottery. Now, let’s take a look at widow number two in today’s reading in Mark’s gospel.

     Jesus finishes condemning the Pharisees for, among other things, devouring widow’s houses. Then, He sits down with his disciples and watches the rich Pharisees make an impressive display of their large contributions to the Temple treasury. They astound the people with their apparent generosity and holiness. Then a poor widow, who most likely had her final means of support taken away from her by those self same Pharisees, drops her last two mites into the chest.  Jesus applies God’s heavenly multiplier to her contribution and commends her for giving more than anyone else. What becomes of the destitute widow now that she has laid everything on the altar? We hope that something miraculous happens to her as a reward for her faith and dependence on the Almighty. Most likely though, nobody cares about her, she starves to death, and Psalm 146 seemingly mocks her by the lack of a happy ending.

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     So, why the disparity?  Psalm 146 has two levels of meaning: physical and spiritual. Yes, God does rescue the desperate out of their circumstances. We hear stories about people escaping perils by the help of strangers only to conclude afterwards that they were with angels. You most likely can recall an event in your life and wondered if God was in it.  Jesus was rescued from treacherous situations because His time had not yet come and that’s the point. Miracles aren’t done for miracle’s sake. God intervenes in the physical world in order to promote a heavenly agenda. The passages of Psalm 146 take on more significance in the spiritual sense.* We ought to view them more as salvation metaphors than mere physical deliverances. After all, what lasting good is in the physical? It all ends. Even those amazingly rescued in the Bible eventually died. Christ’s purpose was to die as a sacrifice that could satisfy man’s sin debt to God (Hebrews 9:24-28). So when He asked His Father in heaven to rescue Him from His fate in the Garden of Gethsemane, the answer was “NO!”

     We must have faith in God through the trials of life knowing that all things will work together for good. Even though He slay me, yet I will hope in Him (Job 13:15). Let us remember that for every Joseph released from prison, there is an executed John the Baptist. For every David that slays a Goliath, there is a martyred Stephen. For every Isaac spared from a sacrificial knife, there is a Christ with a spear in His side. (Praise God for that!) Jesus triumphed over our greatest adversaries: Sin and Death. In this world we will have tribulations, but we are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:37). It’s the focus on the spiritual that gives us the confidence in this physical world to face the lions…singing. God did not rescue Jesus, so He can now rescue you. Come to Him for salvation and have a real happy ending.

*See Mass Prep for Sunday September 9, 2018

Mass Prep Sunday November 4th 2018

Sunday November 4^th, 2018      31^st Sunday Ordinary Time (Cycle B)

Greatest Commandment

The tie in between today’s readings: Do You Love Me?

Psalm 18:2-4, Psalm 18:47-51, Deuteronomy 6:2-6, Hebrews 7:23-28, Mark 12:28-34

     Listen, everyone! I am God, the only God, and I command you to totally love Me.  Wow! Who does God think He is? Run. Jump. Stop. Go. Love! Is love just another verb, an action word of duty, like kiss your smelly Aunt Roberta? Don’t I have a free will in this? Can God really order me to have affection for Him or direct it to someone else, like my adversarial neighbor?  If you examine today’s reading in Deuteronomy, which is also echoed in the gospel, the answer is yes. Since love is a command, love therefore, is a commitment, not an emotion to be expressed. It is a total act of my will to do all in my power for another’s benefit. Fickle sentiments ride in the backseat.  Love is purposeful, dependable, and real. But how can I love a God that I cannot see?

     It’s like dating. You can’t love God until you get to know Him. A lot of us have preconceived notions of who God is or what He’s like, with no more validity than a teenage girl dreaming of the perfect guy. This makes God in our image. Lose It! He’s written a book for you to see the kind of personal being that He really is. You’ll discover the genuine love of grace and mercy, of compassion and sacrifice that He’s committed to you; your knight in shining armor. You’ll find a God worth loving. Then, you give your heart. This is our emotional response to God first loving us. It’s the rush of the believer’s new converted life. It’s the willingness to please, to discover more, and to be with God in prayer and meditation because He is precious. Where your treasure is, so will your heart be.  The beautiful thing is the more you think of God, the more you will desire Him. When you give you heart to Jesus, God gives a new heart for Him to you. There is no end to the depth and richness of a life filled with a heartfelt love of God. Pursue it!

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     Dating God with your mind and heart leads to a commitment of your soul. Your eternal soul is your core being: your personality, inner self, and identity. Loving God with your soul involves personal choices in your lifestyle. It’s like being married: the two become one. You desire to live a life of faithfulness and devotion, forsaking all others (obstacles) that get in the way. You want to live obediently, pleasing to Him and under His guidance. Here you find out that instead of struggling to live a life that is sinless, your dedication to God nurtures you into a life where you sin less. No fake religious airs or pious triteness here: you’re the real deal. And that takes strength.

    Loving God with all your strength is transformative. It’s the tough love of God changing you into the image of Jesus. He answers your prayers, but not how you think. He gives: trials to produce patience, broken heartedness for understanding, calamity to cultivate trust, and humiliation to make you great. He breaks you down and gives spiritual gifts to build you up. He wants you to see what He sees, feel what he feels, and be His hands in this world. You can love you neighbor as yourself, from your very soul, because you have the strength of the Lord, the mind of Christ, and a heart for God.

     So why do I want to love God? Is it because if I don’t then He’ll get mad and zap me? Of course not, instead, its’ the fulfillment of life’s purpose. We were made to have a relationship with God.  God’s command for us to love Him drives us in that direction. In fact, if I reject the love of God and choose to live a hedonistic, self centered, transient lifestyle; I am really zapping myself.  What’s it like for you? Do you know about Jesus who loved you first, who bore your sins upon a cross, and constantly lives to make intercessions for you to the Father (Psalm 18, Hebrews 7)? Have you given your heart to God? Do you want to be in His word and in prayer more than binge watch Netflix? Can you commit to Him, become one with Him as if you were married.  Persevere when the going gets tough, for better or for worse. The real question is not “do you love God?”, but more like “are you in love with God?”  If not, then you have some soul searching to do. If so, then you know the relationship is not about you. Look around and pray beyond your nose. Let your light shine out to a world in need…for the love of God.