Father Riley's homily for April 26, 2020

EASTER III - A - 20                      LUKE 24. 13-35

In last week’s gospel account from St. John of Jesus’ second resurrection appearance to the disciples it was Thomas who made the journey from doubt to faith by refusing to believe in the risen Lord unless he could see for himself the marks of the crucifixion.

In today’s account from St. Luke, two other disciples of Jesus make the journey from bitterness and despair to belief in the Risen Lord, as He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Luke’s account follows the Easter Day discovery of the empty tomb by the women who had gone there to properly complete the burial of Jesus. They make their report to the disciples in the upper room. They are not believed. Rather their report is dismissed as idle chatter.

Obviously, these two disciples in today’s account were present when the women reported what they had seen and heard at the tomb. Saddened and dismayed at the recent events concerning Jesus, and now the women’s report that even the body of Jesus was gone, they make their way back to Emmaus talking about these things as they go.

A stranger, that being Jesus approaches and joins them as they walk. Their eyes are kept from recognizing him. He asks what they are discussing and why they seem so sad. They are amazed that he does not seem to be aware of what has happened in Jerusalem.

They share their bitterness and their disappointment. We had hoped, they tell him, that this Jesus was the one who would redeem Israel. Not only was he crucified, and buried, but also today, we learned that even his body is nowhere to be found.

Moreover, the women who had gone to the tomb this morning said they saw a vision of angels that told them he was alive! However, no one has seen him. Jesus said to them, why are you so slow of heart to believe?  Then he opened their hearts to the scriptures concerning God’s plan from the time of Moses and the Prophets that the Christ should suffer.  Their hearts burned as he spoke to them of these things. It was now late, and Jesus appeared to be going further. The disciples were home and invited him to stay with them. Jesus accepts their invitation.

As was the custom of the day, the guest was asked to bless the food. He took the bread, blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew it was the risen Lord. Suddenly he was gone from their sight. They realized it was Jesus who had made the journey with them and had resurrected their faith in Him by his teaching and appearance.

They got up from the table and made the return journey to the Holy City. There they shared their story of the things that had happened on the road, and how He was made known to them in the breaking of the bread, only to be surprised to learn that Peter had seen him as well.

Today’s gospel can be seen as a blueprint for celebrating the Christian life as an Easter people. Cleopas and his companion, some say it was Luke himself, engaged in a faith journey. And it began for them in the throes of hurt, disappointment and, perhaps, bitterness.

It was not until Christ interpreted for them the meaning of his death in the larger picture that they could see the realities of human living in the context of a saving faith. All of us as Christians, like the two in today’s story, must walk the journey of faith, knowing, first of all, that our daily walk will not be exempt from the sometime harsh realities of our personal and societal lives.

Meaning, there is no escape for those who believe from the problems of loneliness, despair, violence and threats to our well being like the current crisis. “Some would say, “The Lord is asleep while the storm is unleashed. He seems to abandon us to the waves of doubt and fear. We are tempted to lose confidence.”

These are the words of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in his most recent book entitled “From the Depths of our Hearts.” He is writing to the priests of the Church to encourage them to stand fast in the faith that brought them to say “yes” to the priesthood, to say yes to God, to surrender themselves totally to Him and to trust in Him above all else.

They could have been easily written yesterday or today to all of us who profess ourselves as Christians in the face of the current universal crisis. We must stay on the right path. We must remember that we walk not alone. Jesus walks with us in our lack of understanding, our pain, our fear, our sense of isolation, and even our bitterness.

As Christians, we will encounter the evils of life. God’s invitation is that we surrender our doubt and our fear, our lack of understanding, and place our trust into the crucified hands of Christ who is always near to console, and heal.

The crucified and risen Lord Jesus embraced what it means to be human. He embraced the fear of death, the abandonment of the cross, the frailty of our human nature and the weakness of our faith so that we might have life as God intended, and have it more abundantly.

It is a new life Christ offers us through the power of His resurrection. In our “yes” to Him, we discover it and claim it for ourselves in both Word and Sacrament. It is the sacrament of new birth (Baptism) which sets us on the road to new life. It is in the sacrament of Christ’ Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist that we are fed and nourished with His presence as we continue the journey.

Scripture and Sacrament are joined tightly together. “Take scripture away and the sacrament becomes magic. Take the sacrament away, and scripture becomes an intellectual or emotional exercise, detached from real life. Put them together, and you have the center of Christian living, as Luke understands it.” (N.T. Wright)

As Peter wrote in today’s second lesson, “you have been born anew, not of the perishable but of the imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.”(1 Peter 1.17-23) Though Jesus is no longer physically present, we can discover Him living with and in us through the Holy Eucharist.

All who commune with the Lord in His risen Body in faith have their eyes opened to know Him, for the Lord is known most perfectly in the breaking of the bread.

May God grant us the grace to always give Him our “yes” as we continue the journey, and may our hearts burn in the conviction that the promise of God in Christ is True, that one day we shall see Him as He really is and share in His glory. AMEN+

Forward Day by Day Meditation for April 25, 2020

SATURDAY, April 25                           Saint Mark

Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”

Weeds are paved over because they aren’t flowers—worthless because they lack blooms. Yet even the weeds feel the electricity of God’s love in their roots and so believe their way by faith up through the cracks in the sidewalk.

Weeds push up toward the light with more concrete resolve than the sidewalk meant to crush it. Weeds don’t heed the voices telling them to stop. These weeds have more inner beauty than any rose that has ever opened its petals. The sun gives its light freely to the weeds, and the rain keeps them quenched.

Sometimes, I kneel down and touch the weeds. I feel their light pushing up through the pavement toward the sun, and I am encouraged to do the same. Thanks be to God.

MOVING FORWARD: Spend at least thirty minutes outside today.

PRAY for the Diocese of Kitui (Kenya)

Ps 2 or 2:7-10 | Isaiah 52:7-10 | Ephesians 4:7-8,11-16 | Mark 1:1-15 or Mark 16:15-20

You can follow the "Forward" at:

https://prayer.forwardmovement.org/

Father Riley's homily for April 19, 2020

EASTER II - A - 20                       JOHN 20. 19-31

 

“Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him…” These words from St. Peter’s first letter are words addressed to the post-Easter church in his own day, but apply to all of us as well who are on this side of the cross.

Peter’s words speak of faith in the risen Lord Jesus whom we have not seen. We are post-Easter Christians. We live in a world that is post-Easter, while others would say pre-Apocalypse. Many believe in the one and not the other and vice a versa. The current pandemic is proof of that.

Our world, as we have previously known it, has been turned up side down and inside out by the current crisis. Such was the world of the early disciples before and after the resurrection. Today’s gospel contains two stories and two post-Easter appearances of the resurrected Jesus to his disciples.

The first story takes place on the evening of the first Easter Day. Ten of the Jesus’ disciples are locked behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. Jesus miraculously appears to them and greets them with “peace.” I am sure that they were stunned and speechless by his appearance.

Jesus shows them the marks of the crucifixion and according to St. John, it is then they see him and recognize him. A second time he greets them with “peace.” He breathes on them the gift of the Holy Spirit and with that commissions them to continue His work of reconciliation.

One disciple, however, is absent, that would be Thomas. When he returns, Jesus has disappeared just as miraculously as he appeared. The ten joyously tell Thomas of his appearing to them. They know it was the Jesus they loved for he showed them the marks of the crucifixion as proof. The Jews had crucified him but he is alive!

Thomas will have none of that. As much as he would like to believe their story, he cannot. He takes his stand. He must see with his own eyes the risen Lord, see, and touch the marks of the crucifixion for himself before he will believe. Thomas wanted and needed physical proof. Nothing less would do. A week passes.

The disciples are again gathered in the upper room and like before, behind closed doors. Thomas is present. Jesus appears a second time and it would seem that he does so solely for the benefit of Thomas. Jesus offers Thomas the test he requires in order to believe.

OK, Thomas, here I am. Come, put your fingers in the marks of the nails, and place your hand in my pierced side. Do not hesitate, just believe.

St. John does not say that Thomas touched Jesus. Seeing the marks of the crucifixion was enough for him to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead and was, as the other disciples had told him, very much alive.

What John tells us in his report of this second resurrection appearance of Jesus is that upon seeing the risen Christ, Thomas makes a clear confession of Christ’ divinity. He proclaims Jesus as his Lord and his God.

Thomas is the first person in the gospel of John to look at Jesus of Nazareth and address the word God directly to him. This is what John has been working around to from the beginning as he stated in the prologue to his gospel. “In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was God.”

What today’s gospel offers us in Thomas is not an apostolic skeptic, but rather a flesh and blood representative of the fledgling church in the pre-Easter faith. Stunned by the arrest of Jesus and scattered by his trial and death, the early disciples were unquestionably a bewildered, floundering group following that Friday we have come to know as “good.”

It is clear, however, that at least initially, this eventful day was not good for them, and it appeared to be the definite end to an impressive, but short-lived, success story named Jesus. Yet it was from the ashes of apostolic doubt that faith arose.

And so it is for us. We live after the resurrection in a post-Easter world. We are well aware of that even though much of the world is not, or at best chooses to ignore it. Because we do, it is easy for us to presume that we should possess a post-Easter faith.

Today’s gospel reminds us that we are still in a journey from Friday to Sunday, from a pre-Easter to a post-Easter faith. From the ashes of the times of our own doubt and fear our faith rises.

This is exactly what the author of First Peter proposes in our second reading for the day…from trial to journey to Jesus Christ risen from the dead and through him an inheritance that is imperishable.

Thomas’ faith rests upon sight. It was important for him as well as the other disciples to see Jesus in order to preach with conviction his having been raised from the dead. Our faith is based, not on signs and wonders, but on the basis of apostolic testimony through the eyewitness accounts recorded in Holy Scripture.

The lesson, therefore, from today’s gospel of these two stories of  journey from a pre-Easter to a post-Easter faith, is not one of  precedent for fear and doubt, but a foundational story of journey in the midst of community - a story of doubt that gives birth to faith.

It is not a journey we make alone. Like Thomas, we are invited to face our own faith struggles within the community of like believers, those fresh from the font, as well as those of us who have long journeyed from the font. Faith is not an isolated process, but one that is adequately explored and confirmed only in the context of community.

May God grant us the grace to show forth in our lives what we profess by our faith learning to be faithful to the apostolic teaching and the communal life, to the prayers and the breaking of bread for the sake of Him who died and rose again, even Jesus Christ, Our Lord. AMEN+

Bishop Jake's retraction of virtual Holy Eucharist

 

April 17, 2020 Dear Friends, With apologies for this late notification, I am writing to rescind my authorization of virtual consecration of the elements of bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist. After a gracious conversation with the office of the Presiding Bishop, I understand that virtual consecration of elements at a physical or geographical distance from the Altar exceeds the recognized bounds set by our rubrics and inscribed in our theology of the Eucharist. I am grateful for the collegiality of the House of Bishops and the love expressed to me, and to all of us, in the conversations I have had. So what shape should our worship at home take during a time of pandemic? Clearly, we will still gather virtually and maintain the rich community we have established using a variety of electronic platforms. We do not consecrate elements virtually. However, our priests—gathering with one or more persons at a safe distance—may celebrate the Holy Eucharist and live-stream those liturgies or post videos after the fact. Participating in those prayers from home draws us into union with Christ and one another. Alternatively, we may worship using Morning Prayer as we have done during the preceding weeks, confident that praying this liturgy together also draws us into union with Christ and his Body. The COVID-19 Pandemic puts us in uncharted territory. My desire and intention is to respond pastorally to you all and to continue to proclaim Christ in a meaningful, reverent way. For the help my bishop colleagues have provided in my efforts, I offer thanks. Our worship will be better for it. And to the faithful, loving people of this Diocese, thank you for the love and support you show again and again to your imperfect bishop. Please forgive me for any confusion and disappointment that this action has caused you. You are loved. And you remind me daily that Christ loves us all. Peace in Christ, The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby, PhD, DD 4th Bishop of Western

 

 

Father Riley's Easter homily 2020

Our altar Easter 2020

EASTER DAY - A - 20                   MATTHEW 28. 1-10

This will be the first Easter Sunday I have not been able to celebrate as a priest in my 40 years of ordained ministry. These are extraordinary times. A pandemic has enveloped the world we live in. Many are sick and some have died.


We are told the worst is yet to come. People are afraid. There is no normalcy nor any guarantee that life will ever be the same again. Not only can I not celebrate the Easter Mass with you on this day, but also I cannot stand before you in person and deliver this homily.

Like St. Paul, I write these words to you to encourage your faith in the crucified and risen Lord Jesus and the Hope of new life that is ours in Him.  “Set your mind on things that are above,” Paul wrote to the Church at Colossae, in today’s Epistle “…for you have died (with him in baptism) and your life is hidden with Christ.”

As we read and or hear the story of the first Easter according to St. Matthew, Paul’s words are very apt for us today as we face the current threat to our earthly life and our sense of security. Our faith is being tested.

Need less to say, all four gospels have an Easter account. Mark and Luke, for example, have the women coming to the tomb on that first Easter morning with spices in their hands in order to complete the burial of their beloved Jesus. They have accepted the fact that he has died.

Matthew, whose account we hear today, simply has the women coming to the tomb empty handed. They have no hope of seeing him. Perhaps they just wanted to be there and to mourn in silence and peace. If it was peace and quiet the women were seeking that was not what they got.

Matthew’s graveside scene is quiet dramatic. It begins with an earthquake, and a descending angel in resplendent light who rolls away the stone that had blocked the tomb and sits upon it. The guards who had been assigned to make sure no one came to steal the body of Jesus, especially the disciples, so that they could go and proclaim that he had risen, as he said, were frozen with fear at the sight of the angel. The women stood there afraid to move or to say anything. What could all of this possibly mean?

For all those who might think and say that God was silent on Good Friday that is certainly not the case here. God has the last word and it comes from the mouth of His angelic messenger. “Be not afraid,” the angel tells the women. “I know why you are here, but he whom you seek is not. He is risen as he said.”

Then the angel invites the women to see for themselves that the tomb is empty. Once they have seen with their own eyes that the body of Jesus is not there, the angel sends them on a mission. “Go quickly and tell the disciples that he is risen from the dead, and that he is going ahead to Galilee, and there they will see him.”

And go they do running away from the tomb, the guards and the angel with mixed emotions of fear and joy and as they do so, they run headlong into the risen Lord. He greets them. “Rejoice!” They recognize Jesus and fall at his feet worshipping him. They hold on to him with dear life not wanting to let go.

Jesus repeats the angel’s message. “Be not afraid. Go and tell…” The angel’s message is why we are gathered together today, whether it be in church as it should be singing hymns and giving thanks for Christ’ resurrection, flowering the cross and greeting one another with He is Risen, or together as best we can through the means of electronic media. The Easter message remains the same “He is not here; He is risen as He said. Go and tell…”

Many of us receive the Easter message on this day, as did the women with mixed emotion with both fear and great joy. Fear of our present situation and the uncertainty that it carries for our future and yet at the same time rejoicing in Christ’ resurrection. If we could, we would run away from the one and into the arms of the other.

Physically we cannot. Spiritually we can. We can embrace once again the joy of Easter and the Hope of new life in Him who died and rose again, setting aside our fear and in place of that, as St. Paul says, “seeking the things that are above and setting our minds on the things that are above…“

It is Christ’ death that has brought new life to the world. We are not to shy away from the fact of his death but to glory in his cross, which is the weapon Christ used to destroy death and the trophy of his victory.

That is at the heart of the Easter message and the message you and I, by virtue of our baptisms, are called to spread. There has never been a greater time to do so in the modern era than this Easter Day.

That first Easter was a day the women never forgot. It wasn’t the angel’s message “he is risen, he is not here,” that made it memorable. It wasn’t even the empty tomb. They ran away from the terror of that scene with mixed emotions.

Their faith was not strengthened by either, but by their personal encounter with the risen Lord. Their seeing Jesus was a commissioning of new work, a new life, a new way of life. That event changed the world forever.

No doubt, this Easter will be one we will never forget. As the disciples found themselves shut in on that first Easter out of fear, we too find ourselves shut in and unable to assemble and celebrate our Lord’s resurrection as the Body of Christ as we should.

But as the risen Lord passed through the solid rock that attempted to shut in his body in a darkened tomb, so he also passed through the closed doors that hid the disciples on that first Easter morning. He did so to bring them the good news of his victory over sin and death, to take away their fear, and to give them hope. And so He comes to each of us as we open our hearts to worship and receive him with great joy on this Day of Resurrection.

As St. Paul writes in another place, “it is Christ Jesus, who died, yes who raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us…For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come…will be able to separate us from the Love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

On this Easter Day, God has the last word as the angel said to the women who came to mourn, so God says to us who seek to worship Him in spirit, “Be not afraid. I know why you are here, He is not. He is risen as he said. Go and tell.” Alleluia! Christ is Risen. He is Risen indeed. Alleluia! AMEN+

Our flowered Easter Cross 2020:

Father Riley's homily for Good Friday 2020

GOOD FRIDAY - A - 20        THE PASSION ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN

For a second time in a week, we hear and or read the Passion of Christ. Today, we are presented with Saint John’s account. The story is the same in all four gospels. However, each author emphasizes and or adds varying detail.



John’s Jesus, for example, is always in control. He knows his destiny and he willingly goes to the cross. So why tell the story again? We know it all too well. We know how it begins and we know how it ends. Sometimes the more familiar the story the less the meaning becomes. We need to hear it again.



Following the last supper, and Judas’ departure, Jesus leads his disciples from the upper room in Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives where there is a garden. It is a familiar place to all of them for they have gathered there before.



It was a place, then, known to Judas who easily finds his way there in the dark with those he has brought to arrest Jesus. In the darkness Christ is betrayed, arrested, and abandoned. From the garden, he is taken before Annas, the former high priest and questioned about his disciples and his teaching. Then he is sent to Caiaphas for more questioning.



Peter and one other disciple, presumably John, followed and entered the courtyard of the high priest. Here, Peter denied Jesus three times as Christ predicted. According to John, the chief priests had already decided that Jesus must die. Therefore, they send him to Pilate wishing the Roman Governor to carry out their desire to have Jesus put to death. According to Roman law, they could not do it themselves.



A dialogue ensues between Jesus and Pilate. Pilate seems to be interested in Jesus and wants to know more about him. He questions Jesus from a purely political standpoint. “Are you the king of the Jews? “ Jesus answers that he is but that his kingdom is not one that would threaten Pilate.



Pilate is satisfied, finds no crime in him deserving death, and seeks to release him. The Jews would have it otherwise. As per the tradition of the day, which allows for the release of one prisoner, the crowd, spurred on by the chief priests, ask for a common robber to be freed instead of Jesus.



Pilate accepts their decision and has Jesus scourged. The soldiers mock him as a king placing a crown of thorns upon his head and robbing him in purple. Pilate again brings him before the crowd and seeks to release him. “Behold the Man “ The people will have none of it and shout, “Crucify him!” One last time Pilate tries to have Jesus set free.



This time the people change the charge from a religious one to a political one, the one Pilate fears the most. “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend; everyone who makes himself a king sets himself against Caesar.”



Pilate speaks to the crowd “Shall I crucify your king?“ The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” With that, Pilate gives in to their demand to have Jesus crucified.



Jesus goes out bearing his own cross to the place called the skull. There he is crucified between two thieves. A placard is placed above his head that reads: “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” The chief priests protest. To their chagrin, the title remains for all who pass by to read.



Jesus may have been abandoned in the garden, and denied by Peter, but he does not die alone. John has his mother and two other women besides himself present at the foot of the cross. Jesus knowing that the beloved disciple, St. John, will care for his mother willingly gives up his spirit.



The Church calls this day “Good.”  It is good for in Christ’ death Jesus fulfills God the Father’s plan for the redemption and salvation of all mankind; those who accept him, as well as those who reject him.



For God so loved the world that he sent his only Son to redeem it. The redemption of the world was carried out on the hardwood of the cross. That makes this day a good day for all.



Our Lenten journey has brought us to the foot of the cross. Here we come before the crucified Jesus whose arms are outstretched to receive us with the love and forgiveness that only God can give.



He who forgave from the cross forgives all who ask for forgiveness and who in turn forgive others in His name.



Of the four gospel accounts of the Passion of Christ, St. John paints the image of Christus Rex (Christ the King). John’s Christ reins from the cross.  His dying words are “it is finished,” and with that His kingdom is ushered in.



Matthew and Mark’s crucified Jesus cries out from the cross as though God had somehow abandoned him to his fate. While St. Luke has the dying Jesus crying out to the Father as well as he surrenders his spirit.



The image of Jesus as Christus Rex is one in which He wears a crown and is robbed in priestly vestments, the faithful kneeling in adoration at his feet. He is the King of Glory and in him, we have the means of grace and the hope of new life.



As we await the Day of Resurrection let us prayerfully contemplate the price Christ paid for our redemption and let us give Thanks to God the Father for the loving sacrifice of His beloved Son who promised that all who believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.



“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful.” (Heb. X.23)  For all the promises of God find their yes in Jesus. AMEN+

Bishop Jake's meditations are available for Holy Week

You may go to the link listed here and follow Bishop Jake Owensby's meditations this Holy Week:

https://jakeowensby.com/2020/04/07/trusting/

Virtual Services from the diocese for Holy Week 2020

Father Riley's homily for Palm Sunday 2020

PALM SUNDAY - A - 20   The Passion According To St. Matthew

“It is just unreal,” I have heard people saying in reference to the present crisis. Who would have thought it would continue to impact our lives? Life will never be the same again.

I can only begin to imagine that somewhat similar words were used by Jesus’ disciples and friends to express their feelings after having witnessed his crucifixion as well as in the days following his death and burial. The story of Jesus’ Passion is all too familiar. It is a tale of two stories.

It begins with a triumphal entry into the Holy City where Christ is greeted with shouts of Hosanna and blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. The people seemed more than willing to welcome him as their Savior as he rode humbly into Jerusalem on a donkey.

By the time of Christ, Jewish nationalism had led to the expectation of a political messiah to deliver them from Roman control and to reestablish David’s kingdom. In humility, Jesus shows that he has not come to establish an earthly kingdom. He does not ride on a horse or in a chariot, but on a donkey - a sign of humility and peace (Zech. 9.9).

How quickly the scene changes from a triumphal entry to one of betrayal, abandonment, arrest, and cries of crucify him from the very people he had come to rescue and who only days before had welcomed him. It is just unreal, his disciples must have said to themselves.

Who would have thought that Jesus would be handed over by his own people to be crucified as a common criminal? Life will never be the same again, and it has not. If we say we know the story and read over it quickly without giving it any real thought, we miss the depth of its meaning.

If we read it without putting ourselves into it somewhere, then, we do not see it as our story. It is so important to us that the Church in her wisdom confronts us with Christ’ Passion twice each Holy Week; Palm Sunday and Good Friday. It is our story for it has impacted our lives as well as the life of the world. The world has never been the same since.

It is interesting that it begins in a garden. Jesus is praying, and the Tempter comes to him during his prayer to the Father as he did to Adam and Eve in the garden as they awaited the presence of God. The temptation is the same as it was in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry. Jesus struggles with his human will over against that of the divine will of God.

He prays that the cup of his passion might pass him by, but surrenders his humanity to the Father’s will becoming obedient to the death that has enslaved humanity. Three times, he prays that the cup might pass while the disciples sleep unaware of the spiritual struggle he is undergoing.

The hour is near as Judas approaches. Jesus is betrayed by one he calls “friend,” and the disciples abandon him. Arrested, he is taken to the high priest where a mock trial takes place. When asks if he is the Messiah, Jesus says that he is. For his answer, he is condemned for blasphemy and led away to Pilate for execution.

After questioning him, Pilate finds no crime in him and desires to release him. But the people insist that he be crucified. They chose a murderer over Jesus. Pilate relents and gives in to the crowd’s demand that he release Barabbas and have Jesus crucified.

He has Jesus scourged in preparation for his death on the cross. Weakened by his scourging, Jesus is unable to carry his cross through the narrow and winding streets of Jerusalem to the place of his execution. The streets are lined with Pilgrims who have come from all over the empire to celebrate Passover and now find themselves witnessing this horrific event.

One of the soldiers detailed to escort Jesus to Calvary, picks Simon of Cyrene out of the crowd to carry the cross of Christ to the place of his execution. There Jesus is nailed to the cross between two criminals. A placard is placed over his head that reads: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

As he hung dying on the cross the tempter returns through the voices of the passersby and those who stood near watching him die. “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

The chief priests also mocked him and tempted him. “If he is the king of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.” Even the robbers who were crucified with him reviled him with the same thing.

Jesus willingly gives up his spirit. Immediately the veil of the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. An earthquake split the rocks and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the Old Testament saints were raised, and went into the Holy City and appeared too many. What a strange sight that must have been.

The Passion of Jesus is a tale of two stories, Triumph and Tragedy. It is a story that carries within it two themes, suffering and glory. It is a story that continues to impact the lives of those who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that by His life, death and resurrection salvation has come into the world.

Accepting Christ in his suffering and glory has changed us. We are not the same as we were before we accepted him. In baptism, we were buried with Christ and raised to new life in him. The difference the story makes to our life is that through baptism and faith, we are living in Jesus and he is living in us. Our lives, as St. Paul says, are now hidden in Christ.

The story of Jesus’ Passion is our story. Do we not see ourselves in it? Welcoming him into our lives on the one hand and rejecting him at times on the other by our words and deeds. Do we not see ourselves in the crowd that lined the narrow streets?

Not wanting to get involved or to intervene yet pulled from the crowd by the love of God and now find ourselves journeying with him to the cross? It is unreal to think that one would willingly die for so many but he did. And our lives have been changed and directed by Jesus’ death on the cross.

Who would have thought that the Passion of Jesus would continue to impact our lives and the life of the world, but it does, for his death brings life to all who are joined to him.

May God grant us His grace that we may walk in the way of His suffering, and also come to share in His resurrection. AMEN+

Palm Sunday 2020 altar prepared....

CEC Covid 19 Schedule Update:

…The altar of our beautiful church is prepared for Palm Sunday even though we will not have a service there for Palm Sunday.

…The church building is always open and everyone is welcome to visit its’ peace anytime.  The church will be prepared for Holy Week as usual.  There will be palms on Palm Sunday, a stripped altar on Maundy Thursday for Good Friday, and Easter preparations for Easter.  However, no services will be held in our church until further notice. 

…More news coming soon regarding our "Facebook" Easter service  being planned by Cecil Evans.

…Father Riley’s homilies will be posted as they become available.  You may sign up on the BlogSpot to receive email as the BlogSpot is updated with service information and Father Riley’s or Father Jefferson’s homilies.

CEC Flower Garden in Saint Joseph's Community garden area

Christ Episcopal has been given a garden plot in the Saint Joseph Community Garden near Cross Keys Bank to raise flowers for altar arrangements.  The first seeds were planted April 2, 2020 and we will watch for their emergence.

If you would like to join the gardening team, please contact Faye Corson, Brenda Funderburg, or Vickie Sanders.  Due to the covid 19 inconvenience, activities will be limited; but, we will move on.