CEC News and Father Riley's sermon given in Ruston, August 25th, 2019

 CEC Breaking News!

 ….  Mrs. Jane Barnett will lead us in Morning Prayer September 1^st  and 22^th . Father Riley will lead us in Holy Eucharist September 8^th, 15^th; 29th. 

…Please check out the diocesan website at  http://www.epiwla.org/  and register for  the upcoming evangelism event at Camp Hardtner, September 28.  The event features The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers. Here is the note from the diocesan website:

Come to Camp Hardtner on September 28 to discover a fresh, humble, effective and Episcopal approach to the spiritual practice of evangelism. The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers - Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Stewardship of Creation - will lead an engaging and practical workshop that will offer basic training in evangelism as well as the Way of Love. This workshop is for everyone: clergy, lay leaders, and anyone else who desires to deepen their faith and learn how to share their faith story with others.

Father Riley's sermon from Church of the Redeemer, Ruston (August 25, 2019)

11 PENTECOST, PROPER XVI - C- 19                              LUKE 13. 10-17

If Jesus were here today, would we recognize him? Would we recognize what he was doing and why he was doing it? Perhaps some of us would.

Throughout the gospels, there are those who did recognize him as the promised one, the messiah. For no one could do what he was able to do unless he was sent by God.

He gave sight to the blind. He opened the ears of the deaf and loosed the tongues of the dumb. He raised the dead all in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophets foretelling of the coming messiah.  And in today’s gospel passage from Luke, Jesus frees a woman from her long time physical infirmity.

Jesus’ healing of this woman in a rural synagogue brought mixed reactions. Almost all those who witnessed his healing of the woman cheered his actions, save the ruler of the synagogue. The ruler became indignant that Jesus would chose to do such a thing on the Sabbath.

According to certain traditions that the scribes and Pharisees had built up around the Law of Moses, healing was considered work, and thus not permissible on the Sabbath, except in the case of life and death. The scribes and Pharisees believed that they served God by zealously keeping these peripheral traditions, but their legalism made them insensitive to God’s mercy.

The woman in today’s story was present in the synagogue and no doubt her presence was not a random appearance. Obviously, she is a regular attendee. In a small village, everyone knew who she was and how long she had been like this. She had a “spirit of weakness” that was beyond her control.

She was bound by it and there was nothing she or anyone else could do to free her of it. People accepted her the way she was. Over and against the ruler of the synagogue’s protest of His healing the woman on the Sabbath, Christ counters:  “You do one thing on the Sabbath, untying your ox or donkey and leading them to water,” and yet want me to not do something which is no different, and even more appropriate - freeing this poor woman from Satan’s bondage. And what better day to do it than the Sabbath? "

Here Jesus is accusing the synagogue ruler of a “double standard.” What Jesus is doing for the woman is what he longs to do for all of Israel, and for all who turn to him for help. A word, a touch, and the woman is healed. She stands up straight and praises God. The congregation cheers at Jesus’ actions.

The ruler rebukes Jesus because he is blind to such needs because of the narrow legalism he lives by which prevents him from seeing the needs of others and the significance of the works of Jesus.

If Jesus were here today would we recognize him by the words he would speak, and or the actions he might take?

Each time I read a story from the gospels, I try to place myself in the scene. I ask myself which character would I be. How would I react to what Jesus was saying and doing? Moreover, how would my life be changed by what he said and what he did?

As he does so often throughout the gospels, Jesus raises more questions than he gives answers. For it is up to each of us to work out our own salvation based on what He said and did and who he claims to be. It is up to each of us to decide if His coming into our world, into our lives, has made a difference.

He has come to change the world, to change the way we live, think, and act. He has come to do away with the “double standard.” He has come to fulfill the promises of God found in the Old Testament prophecies, promises like those in today’s first lesson from the prophet Isaiah.

“If you remove the yoke from among you, the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil, if you offer your food to the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness…if you call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not serving your own interests, or pursuing your own affairs…I will make you ride upon the heights of the earth…”

The Sabbath is not designed merely for rest or even for worship, but for humanitarian service. Each time we leave this sacred space we are charged with going back into the market place of life. Out there we are called to witness to the love and mercy of God by serving others in His name.

We serve the Lord in meeting the needs of others. Not resigning ourselves to the fact of human misery, but always in active hostility to it. However, we can only do this if we have allowed Jesus to unbind us of our spirit of weakness, whatever that may be.

It could be that “spirit” of pointing the finger and speaking of evil of others, which Isaiah warns his listeners against in our first lesson. It could be the prophet’s caution against pursuing one’s own interests on the Sabbath, rather than honoring God.

On the other hand, it could be the “spirit” of living a “double standard” which Jesus confronts the ruler of the synagogue with in this morning’s gospel. These are spirits, which in essence “cripple” us from recognizing the needs of others and thus prevents us from acting on those needs that are right before us.

Theses actions and reactions are not in accordance with God’s will, but an alien will, a will that hostile to God. Jesus sees this woman’s physical infirmity, as he does all diseases and infirmities of the world, as the works of an enemy. Satan has bound her, Jesus says.

The good news is that God in Christ has come to set us free, as he did the woman in the synagogue. Free from sin and death, free from all that binds us in a spirit of weakness. Through the merits of Christ’s death and resurrection, we have received God’s mercy, and forgiveness, and the gift of the Holy Spirit which enables us to know and do the will of God.

And through the eyes of Faith we are able to see God’s hand at work in the world around us and to recognize Christ in the face of friend and stranger.  Amen+

CEC News Update and Forward Day by Day reading

CEC Breaking News!

….  Mrs. Jane Barnett will lead us in Morning Prayer August 25 and September 1^st  and 22^nd . Father Riley will lead in Holy Eucharist September 8^th, 15^th; 29th. 

…Please check out the diocesan website at  http://www.epiwla.org/  and register for  the upcoming evangelism event at Camp Hardtner, September 28.  The event features The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers. Here is the note from the diocesan website:

Come to Camp Hardtner on September 28 to discover a fresh, humble, effective and Episcopal approach to the spiritual practice of evangelism. The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers - Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Stewardship of Creation - will lead an engaging and practical workshop that will offer basic training in evangelism as well as the Way of Love. This workshop is for everyone: clergy, lay leaders, and anyone else who desires to deepen their faith and learn how to share their faith story with others.

Forward Day by Day reading from August 22nd 2019: 

Psalm 131:2 I do not occupy myself with great matters, or with things that are too hard for me.

All our lessons today burst with intrigue. There is trouble in David’s court, and Absalom has just been killed. Paul’s imprisonment continues, and the plot thickens. In Mark, Jesus is wrapping up a fraught debate session with those wily priests and scribes.

Jesus tells us over and over that the going is going to get tough, faith-wise. No matter where a person of faith goes, from the most private monastic cell to the largest parish or ecclesiastical office, it is impossible to escape intrigue, debates, and thickening plots. People are people, after all. And even though God loves us, we can be real jerks.

It is a necessary spiritual discipline to resist occupying ourselves with things—or people—we can’t control. The God who made heaven and earth can handle being God; our job is to bask in that truth and let the rest of it go.

MOVING FORWARD: How do you understand the practice of letting go? Is it helpful to you? Why or why not?

In Remembrance of Mr. William Watson

In Remembrance of Mr. William Watson

Christ Episcopal has lost a life-long member and leader of our congregation.  Mr. William (Bill) Watson passed away at home Sunday, August 18th.


Visitation will be in our Parish House, Wednesday, August 21 from 12:30 to 2pm.  A memorial service will follow at 2pm in the church.  The Rev. Canon Gregg Riley will lead the memorial service.

CEC Breaking News and Father Riley's homily from August 11, 2019

CEC Breaking News!



…Father Riley will lead in Holy Eucharist August 18, 2019.  We will have our August vestry meeting following fellowship after church.  Mrs. Jane Barnett will lead us in Morning Prayer August 25.

…Please check out the diocesan website at  http://www.epiwla.org/  and register for  the upcoming evangelism event at Camp Hardtner, September 28.  The event features The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers. Some of us have already registered.  Here is the note from the diocesan website:

Come to Camp Hardtner on September 28 to discover a fresh, humble, effective and Episcopal approach to the spiritual practice of evangelism. The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers - Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Stewardship of Creation - will lead an engaging and practical workshop that will offer basic training in evangelism as well as the Way of Love. This workshop is for everyone: clergy, lay leaders, and anyone else who desires to deepen their faith and learn how to share their faith story with others.

Father Riley's homily:

PENTECOST, PROPER XIV - C - 19                       LUKE 12. 32-40

In a world such as we live in today with much of its focus on greed and self-interests, it is hard not to succumb to the world’s leaning of laying up treasures on earth rather than Jesus’ direction towards laying up treasures in heaven.

Today’s passage from Luke’s 12^th chapter is a continuation of Jesus’ teaching on what the proper conduct for his followers should be in a world filled with hypocrisy, greed, fear and anxiety.

Jesus has just told them not to be anxious about food or drink or what to wear. God knows our needs. Rather he exhorts us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and our needs will be taken care of. Have faith that God will provide, Jesus tells us, and do not be afraid.

Jesus is still talking about “true treasure” as he did in last week’ gospel, and how we are to lay it up for ourselves in heaven. One way is by giving alms. The key, however, is the heart. The heart is what God looks on not the outward appearance, and not what we wear, eat or drink or the size of our portfolio. But what is in our heart.

The human heart is the seat of our thoughts, our words, and our actions. Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” He concludes his teaching with a warning to be prepared for the day when the fullness of God’s kingdom will be ushered in with the Son of Man’s coming at an unexpected hour.

Not many would deny that our world today is a scary place. Our own society is a scary place. Events like the two that occurred last week in El Paso and Dayton are enough to make anyone afraid and anxious even to go out and about one’s daily routine.

Such occurrences are unfortunately becoming more and more common place. One needs to be vigilant and watchful for sadly you never know these days when you might encounter a similar situation almost anywhere.

That is a sobering thought, yet a reality. However, to be vigilant and watchful is the very thing Jesus is calling us to do in today’s gospel passage. For none of knows when He will return.

In seminary, we had an older priest on faculty who, in regards to that very fact would ask the question where do you want to be when the Lord comes again. Moreover, what do you want Him to find you doing when He comes? That too, some might say, is a sobering thought, and yet one day will become a reality.

It is a question that we should be prepared to answer for ourselves. Just as we should be vigilant and watchful in our daily comings and goings, for life is filled with uncertainty. As Christians, we need to be vigilant and watchful preparing for the Lord’s return. For Christ’ return will surely be at an hour we least expect.

Our not knowing the hour or the day, however, is not a cause to be afraid and anxious about the uncertainty of the time and place of it’s occurrence, but all the more reason why we should be preparing ourselves to receive Him with joy as we await His appearing.

How do we prepare? How can we stay focused, spiritually focused, that is, when the world around us seems to be in a state of chaos?

The answer is found throughout the gospels. It begins with Faith. Faith alone overrides fear. Belief in God’s promises helps us to remain focused on Him. Jesus begins today’ passage with “do not be afraid.” Each time this phrase appears in scripture good news follows.

However, one cannot hear and receive the good news unless one’s fear has first been resolved. If we allow ourselves to be ruled by fear and anxiety and live our lives accordingly, we will miss the opportunity to hear the good news and believe it for our faith will be smothered by fear.

As human beings we too often allow our faith to be smothered by the things that happen around us and even to us; things that are often out of our control. These are the very situations and circumstances that bring about the most fear and anxiety and cause us to question God.

In our first lesson, the Lord came to Abram with good news. “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” However, before God could announce the good news, Abram brought up his disappointment that he had no heir, no son to carry on the family name.

It was as if Abram was somehow blaming God that a salve born in his house was to be his heir. It was a situation that caused him much anxiety. Yet once Abram set aside his fear that this was his destiny, God was able to deliver the promise. Abram would have and heir of his own issue.

Not just an heir, but also a lineage of descendants that would out number the stars in heaven. As he stood gazing at the innumerable stars in heaven, Abram found himself believing God’s word and from that time on, he has remained the example of Faith for successive generations of believers.

Faith, as the author of Hebrews so eloquently writes, “Is the assurance of things Hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The world we live in today, with all of its various manifestations of evil, with all of its uncertainty, and divisions caused by hatred and mistrust, is indeed a scary place.

Thus, it is easy for any of us to fall into the trap of letting fear and anxiety rule our lives. Yet when we do we lose focus, spiritual focus and our faith is overcome by things that are beyond our control.

However, if we are to be truly prepared for the Lord’s return, we must set aside our fear and remain steadfast in our Faith believing in the goodness, the Love, and mercy of God, turning our hearts to Him. For it is only by His grace we are enabled to live according to his will.

By this, we prepare ourselves to receive with Joy the coming of our Lord and the fullness of the kingdom, which is the Father’s good pleasure to give us. For as St. Paul aptly reminds us in today’s Epistle, we are merely sojourners in this land. This is not our true home.

As followers of the crucified and risen Lord Jesus, we seek and desire a better one, a heavenly one, the one Jesus promises will be ours if we seek God’s kingdom first, and His righteousness, and seek it with all our heart by placing our Faith and our Trust in Him. AMEN+

Father Riley's sermon from August 4, 2019

CEC Breaking News!

… Father Riley will lead in Holy Eucharist August 11 and 18, and Jane Barnett will lead us in Morning Prayer, August 25, 2019.  Services at 10am as usual. Please invite others to join us.

8 PENTECOST, PROPER XIII - c - 19                      LUKE 12. 13-21

 [1st Reading Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14; 2:18-23/ Psalm 49:1-11/ 2nd Reading Colossians 3:1-11]

If you were in the presence of Jesus today what would you ask him to do for you? The request from the man in the crowd thrown at Jesus unexpectedly certainly seems out of place.

Jesus has just finished warning the crowds that followed him of the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and concluded with a warning of the one sin that will not be forgiven, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The man’s request of Jesus concerning his inheritance seems odd coming at the time and place that it does.

However, Jesus is not taken aback; rather he takes the opportunity to teach those present a lesson on where true riches are to be found. He illustrates his point with simple parable. A certain farmer finds himself blessed with a bumper crop. The only problem is where to store it.

His grain elevators are old and way too small to accommodate his current harvest. It does not take him long to come up with a solution. He decides to tear down the old silos and build bigger and better ones. Then, he will sit back and relax and watch the market and when the price is right - sell and enjoy the profits.

Only one thing is wrong. The Lord informs him that his days are up and it will not be he who will enjoy the fruits of the harvest but another, perhaps even one he does not even know. Looking closely at the parable we see that it is permeated with “I” and “my.”

There is no room or consideration of anyone else, and more importantly, no thought of whether or not there will be a tomorrow. He is a greedy man and his greed has consumed him. “Vanities of vanities,” says the teacher in today’s first lesson…“all is vanity and a chasing after wind.” So it would seem.

Well, Jesus put it this way. Those who expend all of their efforts storing up treasures for themselves in this life are like the foolish farmer. They end up being poor in the eyes of God.

St. Paul aptly reminds us “If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above…not on the things that are on earth, especially greed.” Avarice is one of the 7 deadly sins and for good reason.

The desire to have more is the passion of acquiring, a desire that leads us to want more than we need. It comes at the expense of others for it requires that we focus entirely on self and self-interests. The getting of those things sets us up to put things in the place of God.

Jesus’ farmer is called foolish not because of his gifts of entrepreneurship. He is not called unjust because of his economic decision to replace old barns with new ones. He is just foolish because he lives in and for himself. He congratulates himself, plans for himself.

He will soon die and has failed to distinguish between what one has and what one is. He is unable to know what is enough until he reaches the point of too much. His inordinate craving to hoard disregards those in need and places goods in the place of God. It’s all about “I” and “my” and “me.”

What does it profit him? A moment’s pleasure perhaps in thinking that he has enough to last him a long time only to discover that he will not be around to enjoy it. Jesus is saying that life, as God intended it to be, is not like that. The kingdom of God is not like that.

The kingdom of God is bringing the values and priorities of God himself to bear on the greed and the anxiety of the world. Those who welcome Jesus and the kingdom message must learn to abandon the latter and live by the former. For we are diminished when the things we possess end up possessing us.

To be possessed by motives of self-interests is to miss laying up treasures in heaven. To be “rich” toward God means to be rich in experience of communion with God and fellowship with one another. This only comes from a life lived not by looking inward but outward in an effort to use the gifts and talents we have been given by God in meeting the needs of others.

However, that is not what the world teaches or our society recognizes as being successful. It is all about accumulating wealth. The more you have the better off you will be. When I was kid, I never heard the word billionaire.  Society and individuals alike can easily fall into the trap of building false security. By false, I mean, laying up enough treasure here on earth in the hope that it will be more than enough to last us our lifetime.

Think about it. How many times during the week do we hear advertisements asking us that very question “will you have enough,” enough life insurance, enough amassed wealth, enough interest, dividends, income? Financial planners, stockbrokers and those who sit glued to their TV screens watching the nightly business report all have one thing in common. They stress out over the question whether or not they will have enough, hoping they have enough, and in some cases, more than enough to last their lifetime.

The only problem with all of that is of course the one Jesus pointed out in today’s parable - none of us knows if we will be around tomorrow to enjoy what we have amassed. There is no guarantee that there will be a tomorrow. To follow that, who’s will it be when we are gone and what will they do with it?

For those whose life is centered on “greed” that question certainly creates anxiety. Man’s true “life” does not lie in the acquisition of material things, which are not real wealth. As St. Ambrose said: “The things we cannot take with us are not ours.” Only virtue will be our companion when we die.” How sobering a thought is that?

Whatever possesses us, wherever there is a possession by possessions, it needs to be put down. St. Paul exhorts us, as he did the young Christians at Colossae, rather to be possessed by God. Having received Jesus as Lord, Paul writes, let us live in Him. Let us place our trust in God’s providence.

Looking at today’s parable, we see that Jesus makes three points in his example of the foolish farmer. 1.) Our lives are always in God’s hands. None of us knows how many days God has allotted any of us to live on this earth. 2.) All that we have and whatever it is, we have managed to possess in this life will not go with us when we die. It will belong to someone else. 3.) What is important in this life is not our learning to store up earthly treasure but our preparing ourselves to inherit that of the kingdom, that is, to receive the riches of God that He longs to give us both now and in the life to come. AMEN+