Daily Devotions with the Dean

This morning’s Scriptures are: Psalms 41 & 52; Exodus 32:1-20; Colossians 3:18–4:18; Matthew 5:1-10

This morning’s Canticles are: Pascha Nostrum (“Christ Our Passover,” BCP, p. 83); following the OT reading, Canticle 9 (“The First Song of Isaiah,” Isaiah 12:2-6, BCP, p. 86); following the Epistle reading, Canticle 19 (“The Song of the Redeemed,” Revelation 15:3-4, BCP, p. 94)

A golden calf—an extraordinarily bad idea. It is sobering to contemplate God’s children camped at the foot of Mt. Sinai committing such treachery, given all that’s behind them and all that’s ahead of them. They’ve been rescued with Yahweh’s “mighty hand and outstretched arm.” They’ve received “bread from heaven.” They are receiving the oracles of God, written by his very fingers. And they are being entrusted with a blueprint for how the Lord of heaven and earth intends to establish a dwelling place among humankind centered among them—a former slave people!—as “kingdom of priests and holy nation.”

But it’s not enough for them. I find that reflecting on features of their apostasy hits close to home. 

“Take off the gold rings…” — Exodus 32:2a. On their way out of Egypt, the Israelites had been blessed with gifts by their Egyptian neighbors. “The Israelites …  had asked the Egyptians for jewelry of silver and gold, and for clothing, and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And so they plundered the Egyptians” (Exodus 12:35-36). This so-called “plunder” would provide the capital out of which the Israelites could build and lavishly adorn the sanctuary they were to construct for the Lord. Instead, they put the bounty to a contrary use, the creation of an idol. 

The cautionary note for us is this: golden calves are built by privileged people. The Israelites had been blessed so they could honor the Lord, and in honoring him live into their calling to bless the nations through drawing them to the worship of Yahweh. Herein lies a call for all of us to reflect on the abundance that any of us has. Are we ready to offer it back to the True and Living God in thankful praise of him, and in loving service to our neighbor? 

…and cast the image of a calf; … These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt” — Exodus 32:4. The term “calf” is likely Moses’s own term of mockery as he wrote up this narrative. In all probability, the idol itself was a likeness of an Egyptian bull-god, a symbol of power and fertility. There is a subtle and sinister syncretism at work when the Israelites identify this pagan god with the biblical God. It is to “Yahweh,” after all, that Aaron proclaims a festival in celebration of the casting of the golden calf: “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord” (Exodus 32:5).

This whole notion sends chills up and down the spine. At the same time, it makes me reflect on the possible “golden calves” we fashion for ourselves: degrees, titles, income, status. I find myself turning to the “Jesus prayer”: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” 

…and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel. — Exodus 32:6b. The whole sad affair also reminds me of astute observations by philosopher J. K. A. Smith about the secular centers of worship in our culture: shopping malls, athletic stadiums, and university campuses: “…implicit in their visions of the kingdom—visions of human flourishing—that are antithetical to the biblical vision of shalom” (Desiring the Kingdom, Kindle location, 1442).  

In our unique moment in history, so many of these secular places of worship stand idle and empty while the economy that buttressed them crumbles. And while our society desperately seeks to resurrect them, isn’t now the perfect time for people of faith to recalculate the blessing of and participation in a wide range of “eating and drinking and reveling” that are idolatrous? 

He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it. — Exodus 32:20. The things we substitute for—or make virtually equal in importance to—the Lord himself are but created things. Borrowing an image that Jesus Christ himself introduces, though in a somewhat different context: “whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer” (Matthew 15:17). The goods we purchase, the teams we celebrate, the status we enjoy—they are but temporary created things. They can serve us. They can enhance life. They can even, depending, enable us to further God’s Kingdom. But they are not the Kingdom. The King is the Kingdom. 

The most apt closing for today’s devotional meditation I can think of is this prayer from the Book of Common Prayer:

Collect for Proper 12 (the Sunday closest to July 27). O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Be blessed this day. 

Reggie Kidd+

Sunday Worship

Join us as we celebrate our Shepherd King Jesus. The service is led by The Very Reverend Dr Reggie Kidd . The sermon is delivered by The Reverend Canon Josh ...

Noonday Prayer

Daily Devotions with the Dean

This morning’s Scriptures are: Psalm 105:1-22; Exodus 24:1-18; Colossians 2:8-23; Matthew 412-17

This morning’s Canticles are: Pascha Nostrum (“Christ Our Passover,” BCP, p. 83); following the OT reading, Canticle 11 (“The Second Song of Isaiah, Isaiah 55:6-11; BCP, p. 86); following the Epistle reading, Canticle 18 (“A Song to the Lamb,” Revelation 4:11; 5:9-10, 13, BCP, p. 93)

Exodus 24 is a central passage in all of Scripture. Here in a worship service at the base of Mt. Sinai, God binds to himself in covenant the people he has redeemed. He briefly opens a window into the heart of worship, and from this passage we draw vital principles for worship. In fact, this passage accounts for why we do much of what we do in our worship at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke. 

Worship has a script. It’s not free form.Worship happens at God’s own invitation, and on his terms. Yahweh, the redeeming God of Israel has brought this people out of Egypt for fellowship with himself. He has promised to make them a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, and through them to bless the entirety of the human race. And so he is calling the shots. 

The Lord calls for the placing of twelve pillars to represent the tribes, and for the building of an altar for sacrifice. He orchestrates the readings and the sacrifices, and twice he evokes from the people, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do….” In the same spirit, our worship is governed by The Book of Common Prayer, an attempt to capture biblical principles for worship. In a nutshell, those principles are: we gather in God’s holy presence; we proclaim his Holy Word; we feast at the Table of the Lord; and we are sent into the world for ministry. 

Worship consists of a ministry of word…Twice on this holy mountain there is a generous reading of God’s Word: “all the words of the Lord and all the ordinances” (Exodus 24:3) … “Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people” (Exodus 24:7). That reading likely consisted of the “Ten Words” that had been delivered to Moses in Exodus 20, plus the unpacking of the “Ten Words” in Exodus 21-23. There the deep principles of loving God and loving neighbor had been applied to various situations, like treating slaves justly, dealing with violent crime, providing restitution in cases of theft or accidental harm, caring for the poor. 

In worship, we attend diligently to God’s Holy Word because we are determined to honor him in our lives. Then, in response to his Word, we recite the Nicene Creed, the faith that all believers hold together. There we are adding our own: “All that the Lord has spoken….” 

…and a ministry of sacred action.Symbolic actions in this passage include “Burnt offerings” … “offerings of well-being” (literally, “peace offerings”) … “blood dashed against the altar” … “blood dashed on the people.” It all culminates in this extraordinary phenomenon: “Also they beheld God, and they ate and drank.” By God’s mysterious economy, “the blood of the covenant” (Exodus 24:7) does two things. First, it averts deserved judgment. Second, it establishes divine fellowship. And that fellowship climaxes in a shared meal in the very presence of God. 

At his Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus recalls this Mt. Sinai experience when he says “this is my blood of the covenant” (Matthew 26:28). With these words in our celebration of Eucharist, we place ourselves at the foot of the holy mountain, sharing with one another the sacred meal, hosted by the mediator of the New Covenant. 

During this bizarre pandemic season, in our worship at the Cathedral we have been relying on the Ministry of the Word. I pray that Christ is more fully formed in you as you take his Word more deeply into your being. Meanwhile, we await the time when we can enjoy the Table of the Lord safely once more. Until then, let this prayer from 18th century bishop and scholastic Alphonsus Liguori, hearten and encourage you:

My Jesus, I believe that You are present in the Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire You in my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come … spiritually into my heart. As though You were already there, I embrace You and unite myself wholly to You; permit not that I should ever be separated from You. Amen.

Be blessed this day. 

Reggie Kidd+

Nancy's Garden by Shirley Triano

I am sharing this story hoping to inspire others to take on a project like this since we are all sequestered to our homes. When I first retired in 2014 and moved into my home, the yard was a mess; however, there was one area that annoyed me endlessly—the eight foot strip in the back yard between my house and the neighbor’s where the air conditioner unit resides. It was nothing but a wasteland of rocks and weeds.  The more I weeded, the more they grew. Something had to be done.

An amazing transformation took place by not one bit of inspiration, but two. At a pool party at the Kirby’s, I noticed they had a strip that went all around the pool enclosure and it was lovely with shrubs and stepping stones.  The second inspiration came from my sister, who is mentally challenged.  One day on one of Nancy’s visits she watched me working in the garden and said she wanted a garden—all for herself.  She lives in a group home and would not be able to have a garden there. The idea came to me that I could turn this little eight foot strip of weeds and rocks into a garden just for Nancy. 

So Nancy’s garden was created with a variety of shrubs and grasses, hanging plants, a fruit tree, some annuals, an assortment of yard ornaments and of course stepping stones. Nancy was able to make a contribution as well—she made two stepping stones which have been added. For the last two years we have not seen more than a handful of weeds.  When Nancy visits on occasional weekends, the first thing she wants to do is see her garden—it’s a beautiful spot that can be viewed from the pool patio and my bedroom window and provides lovely fragrance from the Confederate Jasmine on the fence. 

Nancy is also sequestered in her group home and doesn’t quite understand why, but when we talk on the phone she always asks, “How is my garden doing today?” 

So you too can transform that strip of land into a beautiful garden feature. If you would like to stop by and see what I have done, please do—you are welcome.  Stay safe!

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Noonday Prayer

Thanks for joining us for Noonday Prayer! Peter Tepper will begin at 12:05pm You can follow along with the service in the Book of Common Prayer on page 103 o...

Daily Devotions with the Dean

This morning’s Scriptures are: Psalm 37; Exodus 20:1-21; Colossians 1:24–2:7; Matthew 4:1-11

This morning’s Canticles are: Pascha Nostrum (“Christ Our Passover,” BCP, p. 83); following the OT reading, Canticle 8 (“The Song of Moses,” Exodus 15, BCP, p. 85); following the Epistle reading, Canticle 19 (“The Song of the Redeemed,” Revelation 15:3-4, BCP, p. 94)

Exodus 20 and the “Ten Words.” We call them the “Ten Commandments.” The Bible calls them the “Ten Words” (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; 10:4). We see them as impossible demands. The Bible sees them as the way of life. Many people see them as requirements to gain God’s favor. The Bible sees them as responses to God’s favor: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2). 

The best way to read them is as an explanation of what it means for a people whom God has loved to love him back and to love what he loves. Later, Scripture will say, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength” … and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18). 

If I love God, I will not love other gods as well, nor will I love him according to my own rules. If I know that I have been loved by God, I will extend that same love to my neighbor whom he has also loved: my parents, my spouse, the person who lives down the street. Their relationships, their property, their reputations will be as important to me as mine are to myself—for the sake of the one who has redeemed me. 

That’s how it’s supposed to work: “Ten Words” intended for well-loved and grateful people, giving shape to a reflexive life of loving God and neighbor.

We’ve seen plenty in the narrative leading up to Mt. Sinai to let us know that it’s not going to be that simple. The Israelites grumbled in the wilderness, and God has warned them to keep their distance from his presence. The rest of the narrative will underscore the point. The people will impiously worship a golden calf, they will cowardly refuse to enter the Promised Land, they will not keep Sabbath, nor honor their parents, nor the integrity of their neighbor’s property, nor the virtue of their neighbor’s spouse. All of which necessitated an elaborate sacrificial system so their failure to love could be temporarily atoned for, in anticipation of a permanent fix. 

Some Perspective from Paul. The apostle Paul has a refined sense of how the “Ten Words” are impacted by Christ’s coming. 

The “Words” make us see the need for mercy, and so they set Christ’s atoning sacrifice into a framework of gratitude. “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,…” (Romans 8:3). 

At the same time, the “Ten Words” shed light on the “walk” that new life in Christ enables. It’s not often appreciated that Paul sees Christ-followers as law-keepers, that is, as “Ten Words”-keepers. People who have been called by God in Christ “love God” (Romans 8:28)—which is the chief summary of the law, and half of the “Ten Words.” 

Moreover, according to Paul, as we “walk” by the Spirit, an amazing thing happens. To finish the above quote, “…he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). Walking in union with Christ in the power of the Spirit, we learn both how to love God, and how to keep the other half of the “Ten Words,” loving our neighbor: 

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 8:8-10)

We live in an extraordinary and historic time. While many other issues are complex, there is one that is not. This is a time to find out what you really love. The “Ten Words” are there to reassert God’s claim on your love: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” 

“Will you love me?”, he continues to ask, “Will you love what I love?” 

I pray for you—and for myself—the grace to answer those questions well. 

Be blessed this day. 

Reggie Kidd+

Noonday Prayer

Thanks for joining us for Noonday Prayer! Today, Rev. Rose Sapp-Bax is leading. You can follow along on page 103 in the Book of Common Prayer or at www.ccslo...

Daily Devotions with the Dean

This morning’s Scriptures are: Psalm 38; Exodus 19:16-25; Colossians 1:15-23; Matthew 3:13-17

This morning’s Canticles are: Pascha Nostrum (“Christ Our Passover,” BCP, p. 83); following the OT reading, Canticle 11 (“The Third Song of Isaiah,” Isaiah 60:1-3,11a,14c,18-19, BCP, p. 87); following the Epistle reading, Canticle 16 (“The Song of Zechariah,” Luke 1:68-79, BCP, p. 92)

Psalm 38 & sin’s effects from the inside. David composes Psalm 38 out of the agony of a wasting illness: “My wounds stink and fester … my loins are filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body” (Psalm 38:5a,7). Anyone who has ever experienced the utter misery of a really bad case of the flu can relate to these words of David. From inside the experience of his sickness, David recognizes a deeper root to his pain, his sin: “There is no health in my flesh, because of your indignation; there is no soundness in my body because of my sin” (Psalm 38:3). 

There are sinful behaviors and foolish choices that can put a person in a sickbed. If David has one of these in mind, he doesn’t say which. It’s also possible that he is not tracing this sickness to a particular sin. He may be mourning the susceptibility to sickness to which the fall into sin subjected all of us. Sin is a “pre-existing condition” without which no illness would afflict. 

Regardless, this is what sin feels like from inside its reality: a wasting disease. Lord, have mercy. 

Exodus 19 & sin’s effects from the outside. At Mt. Sinai, the Israelites discover that their sin creates the need for separation between God and themselves. His presence should be a comfort to his people, but it isn’t. His presence is terrifying. It’s something from which they need protection, lest he “break out against them.” Thus, in this passage, the Lord provides barriers. Concentric circles of approach allow mediated communion: Moses may come all the way to the top of the mountain, Aaron may accompany him part of the way, the people must wait below.  

This is what sin feels like from the outside: boundaries isolate me from a God whose holy presence would destroy me. Lord, have mercy. 

Colossians 1 & Christ the Reconciler. …and through [Christ] God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. — Colossians 1:20. 

One way you can deal with sin’s internal and external effects is to populate the heavens with that which can be either against you (bringing disease, disaster, and condemnation) or for you (winning health, success, and forgiveness). According to archaeological evidence, people around Colossae were especially awed by “spiritual forces.” In the 21st century we like to think of ourselves as enlightened and beyond superstition. But even today athletes have their rituals, and people carry rabbit’s feet or other good luck charms. In their day, Colossians sought to placate some “dominions or rulers or powers” (Colossians 1:16) to ward off evil, and they venerated others, hoping for healing or success. Paul writes to set Colossian Christians straight. 

In one of the most elegant passages in all his writings, Paul points these new believers to Christ. Jesus Christ is Lord of whatever “spiritual powers” there may be in the heavenly realms, for he created everything that is, including all “dominions or rulers or powers.” He is their Lord, as well as ours. It is he, and no one else, who establishes peace between God and us, and who brings well-being to our lives. He does this through the blood of the cross. All this makes Paul’s letter to the Colossians one of the richest invitations to worship in all of Scripture. Praise be!

Matthew 3 & Christ the Baptized. As Christ steps into the waters of the Jordan, he says he’s “fulfilling all righteousness.” What he’s doing is identifying with sinners. This is the one sinless person who has nothing of which to repent, undergoing a washing for the cleansing of sins not his own. Here he launches his public ministry by signaling his intention to shed his blood to bring peace between heaven and earth, and healing to the hearts and minds and bodies of those for whom he has come. Again, praise be!

Be blessed this day.

Reggie Kidd+

The Garden by Jonathan McKenzie

A garden planted
A man formed
Four river flowed
It had onyx & bdellium stone 

In its midst two trees
One to sustain
One to reign
Man given the first not the latter 

A mission given
A helper too
All things good
Man to grow into adulthood 

King to grow in wisdom
Prophet to grow in knowledge
Priest to expand the temple
Good but incomplete 

A serpent enters
A lie told
And choices made
Eve & Adam to Satan bade 

A satanic king
A lying prophet
An unclean priest
Destined to now die 

God comes to be present
Adam hides to be his own
God grieved does what he must
The serpent now begins to eat dust 

The seed of Eve will come to crush 
The curse will end with a ring
A new Prophet-Priest and King
Man to be restored 

Noonday Prayer

Today, Noonday Prayer is led by The Rev. Canon Josh Bales. You can follow along with the service in the Book of Common Prayer on page 103 or at https://ccslo...