CEC updates and Father Riley's homily for March 29, 2020

CEC Updates & Schedule :

…As directed by Bishop Jake Owensby, Christ Episcopal, Saint Joseph, (as all in our diocese) will suspend services until at least April 26, 2020.

…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 striped altar on Maundy Thursday for Good Friday, and Easter preparations for Easter.  However, no services as directed by Bishop Jake.

…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.

LENT V - A - 20                               JOHN 11. 1-45

The resurrection of Lazarus is the seventh sign in John’s gospel. It is the sign that sealed the Jewish authorities’ decision to put Jesus to death.

As the story unfolds, a messenger is sent by the sisters of Lazarus to Jesus informing him that their brother is seriously ill. The sisters did so expecting Jesus to respond by coming in person to heal him. Instead, Jesus sends a message back “this sickness is not unto death.”

I am certain when the sisters heard this diagnosis they were relieved. However, Lazarus did die. Strangely, Jesus waits two days before he announces to his disciples that he is going to Bethany. Bethany is on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives about two miles from Jerusalem.

By the time he approached the village, Lazarus has been dead and buried four days. Martha learns that Jesus is finally approaching and she goes out to meet him while her sister Mary remains in the house with the mourners. Martha does not hesitate to express her disappointment in his delay. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

She believes in Jesus’ power to heal, if only he had been present. She misunderstands his power to give life when he speaks of resurrection. Jesus confronts her faith in the resurrection when he tells her he is resurrection and life. Martha responds with belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.

She then returns to her house and tells her sister Mary that Jesus is asking for her. Mary greets Jesus with the same disappointment. Instead of responding to Mary with words as he did her sister Martha, Jesus acts. The scene moves to the tomb.

A large stone blocks the entrance. Jesus commands that it be removed. Martha submits that there will be a stench. Lazarus had been dead four days.  Nevertheless, the stone is removed and Jesus prays aloud so that all those standing near can hear him.

The glory of God and the power of Christ to give new life are revealed when Jesus calls Lazarus forth from the tomb still wrapped in grave clothes and with the burial napkin about his face.

Many of those who witnessed Lazarus coming forth from the tomb believed in Jesus. Others went as fast as they could to tell the Pharisees what they had seen.

Lazarus’ death and resurrection was but a prelude to Christ’ own death and resurrection. St. John used this seventh sign as a climax to his argument in favor of Jesus’ divinity.

As we hear this familiar story once again, the world as we know it has come to a screeching halt. The new corona virus has brought American life to a near standstill, closing businesses, canceling large gatherings including Church services, some funerals and weddings. People are staying home.

The universal pandemic that has exploded upon the world has evoked fear and anxiety in the hearts of believers and non-believers alike. The world has seen nothing like it in over a hundred years. Will things ever return to normal? Or will life, as we have always known it be completely changed?

No one knows. It is a time of testing one’s true faith in God and Christ. Fear is the opposite of faith. Anxiety leads to fear. What the world needs today is to renew its faith in the healing powers of God, and to believe in the goodness and mercy of God.

Today’s gospel is all about resurrection. The prelude to the gospel was in our first reading. The Lord takes the prophet Ezekiel to a valley of dry bones, a place of the dead. He asks the prophet if these bones can live? The prophet admits that only God knows.

Then God showed Ezekiel what He could do. He instructed the prophet to speak to the bones and the bones took on new life. This is the God of resurrection. “God the Father confers life upon those who have no life in themselves.”(St. Irenaius)

Resurrection comes in many different ways. Resurrection means new life. Jesus gave Lazarus new life. His doing so, gave new life to Martha and Mary’s belief in him as the divine Son of God. It was a new beginning for all those who stood before the tomb and witnessed the power of God.

The current world crisis is not the end but the way for a new beginning. A resurrection, if you will, in which humanity in all of its diversity comes to realize its commonality. A new beginning in which we all come to realize just how quickly things can change. Life is filled with uncertainty,

Hopefully it will be a new beginning in which all of humanity will realize how precious and fragile life really is and what a gift each new day is. No one is promised tomorrow.

The world is in the throes of Lent. People are anxious and afraid, shut in and confused. We are having to give up our normal routines and daily activities. Sacrifices are being made all round. Some take the present crisis seriously while others do not. Death, sickness, and the possibility of both reign.

It is a time of prayer and fasting; of turning to God. It is of the up most importance that we who believe in the goodness, mercy and love of God stand firm in our faith. The current crisis is not the end but an opportunity for all people of faith to witness to their belief in Him who is Resurrection and Life.

As a portion of today’s collect prays, “…so that among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found…” The world may be in “lock down” and feeling isolated and alone. However, God is with us and He will love us through it.

With God’s grace, we shall hold fast to our Easter faith in the Hope and Belief that this present darkness too shall pass. In the meantime, let us pray for the world’s healing, and for an increase in our own faith expecting, as did the sisters, Martha and Mary that God in His mercy will act.

And when He does, we like Lazarus who was called forth from the darkness of the tomb will receive the Light of new life through the power of Him who is both Resurrection and Life, even Jesus Christ, our Lord, who with the Father, and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns one God now and forever. Amen+

Update on our church service schdule from Bishop Jake Owensby

March 27, 2020 Dear Friends,  The number of COVID-19 infections and deaths continues to rise in the United States. Researchers now anticipate that New Orleans will become the next hub for the disease, surpassing New York. The virus does not spread on its own. People spread the virus to other people. This means that physical distancing remains our best strategy for bringing this epidemic under control. Accordingly, I am now extending suspension of face-to-face worship services and other congregational gatherings through Sunday, April 26. This is still short of the CDC recommended suggestion of mid-May for flattening the curve.Once again, I will monitor developments and make further determinations as dictated by circumstances before April 26. Let me reiterate what I have stressed previously.   Remember that the people are the Church. Not a building. Not a specific church service. The Body is the Church. Where we are and how we live and move and have our being is the Church being the Church. So the question is simply, how will we be ourselves as Jesus-followers in our current situation?   Those congregations equipped to offer virtual worship services are already doing so. I have directed the use of Morning Prayer using the Sunday Lectionary including a short sermon. I am offering Morning Prayer each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. CDT using Facebook Live. Additionally, I offer a brief meditation via Facebook Live Monday through Friday at 3:00 p.m. All these Facebook Live sessions are automatically saved as videos and may be accessed at any time. In Facebook you can find my page at @bishopjakeowensby. Or, if you are not on Facebook, simply click here and you'll be at the page. That's where you'll find those videos. See especially the Video "Nothing Cancels the Resurrection."  Worship strengthens us for service in the world. In a time of pandemic, I remind you to check in by phone or other electronic means on each other. Reach out to the sick, the lonely, the frightened, the bereaved, and the overwhelmed. Seek ways to lighten the financial burden on those who lose income because of this outbreak. Some will struggle to pay the rent or the mortgage. Money will run short for utilities, grocery, and medications. We are all in this together. Be generous and be mindful of the needs of others. Do not forget that your congregation continues to need your financial support. Even with suspended services, they too must meet salaries and pay light bills.  Finally, let’s remember why we are taking the measures we are taking. We are not doubling down on self-preservation at the expense of loving our neighbor. On the contrary, the physical distancing we undertake by suspending public gatherings will help us flatten the curve. We can slow the spread of the disease so that our medical system is not overwhelmed with too many patients at one time. This makes it possible for those needing a hospital bed and life-saving equipment to have access to them. We will literally be saving our neighbors’ lives. That sounds like love to me.  In Christ’s Love,  +Jake  The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby, PhD, DD  4th Bishop of Western Louisiana

A letter from Bishop Jake Owensby sent March 22, 2020

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Governor’s Stay-at-Home Order - A Letter from Bishop Jake Owensby Note: This letter was sent to the Clergy, Churches, and Missions of the Diocese of Western Lousiana on March 22 - The Fourth Sunday in Lent.  Dear Friends, Most of you are probably aware of the Governor’s stay-at-home order. And perhaps you also heard that at once point our state was leading the world in per capita infection rate. The moral and practical imperative to act swiftly and decisively to flatten the curve could not be clearer. So, I am sending this email as a pastoral direction to you all to comply with the Governor’s order and to urge your people to do the same. Here are some specifics affecting our congregations: 1. All worship services are to be suspended through Easter with the understanding that a further extension of this suspension is possible. This includes weddings. Funerals should be small (ten or less), private family services without Eucharist and maintaining social distancing.  If postponing the service is pastorally feasible, then do so. A larger Requiem Mass or Memorial Service may be planned for when measures can be prudently eased. 2. If not already doing so, church staff should work from home and all meetings should be held virtually. 3. Continue to check on your people via telephone or virtually. 4. Make virtual worship available by offering it yourself or by directing people to my Morning Prayer Live (via FB) Sundays at 10:00 a.m. My services are also posted for later viewing. 5. Seek to continue classes, book groups, etc. virtually. This may require some coaching of lay leaders on your part. Share with your people that I offer a daily Live Meditation at 3:00 p.m. during the workweek. Again, these meditations are posted for later viewing as well. While current circumstances make these measures prudent, I’m sure that you join me in disappointment. Forgoing Eucharist on Sunday is unthinkable under normal circumstances. Being unable to gather in our church buildings for Holy Week and Easter is more than disappointing. It is a deep loss. Nevertheless, I am confident that the Spirit will lead us to be the Church in worship in powerful, innovative, creative ways.  Take care of yourselves. Let’s all be there for each other. And don’t hesitate to reach out to me and to colleagues for help, solace, a friendly ear, or a much-needed laugh. Thank you for being the loving pastors that you are. You inspire me. God bless you. Peace, +Jake The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby, Ph.D., DD Bishop of The Episcopal Church in Western Louisiana P. O. Box 4330 Pineville, LA 71361 318-442-1304 https://jakeowensby.com

Father Riley's homily for Sunday, March 22, 2020

CEC Service Schedule :

…As directed by Bishop Jake Owensby, Christ Episcopal, Saint Joseph, will suspend services until at least March29, 2020.

…The church building is always open and everyone is welcome to visit its’ peace anytime.

…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.

Father Riley's homily:

LENT IV - A - 20                             JOHN 9. 1-41

When we were kids, we played outside. There were no TVs in my house until I was in high school, certainly no video games, laptops, or cell phones. Kids today do not know how to play outside.

Mother said, “Get outside and play” and we did. There were more games then, than I can recall. Some we simply made up. One I remember playing was called “Blind man’s buff.”

I learned later in life that it was played 2000 years ago in Greece during the time of Jesus. Today there are variations of the game played throughout the world. To play the standard game, one player is blindfolded and then disoriented by being spun around several times.

The other players call out to the blind man and when he comes near, they dodge away from him. In the Middle Ages, blind man’s buff was an adult game, and the blindfolded player was usually struck and buffeted as well, hence “buff.” A player touched or caught by the blind man takes on the blindfold and the game continues.

Today’s gospel reading is a story about a man born blind. He is not buffeted in the physical sense, as was the case of the adult game of the Middle Ages. However, he is buffeted, if you will, by those who interrogate him, because they are unable or unwilling to accept the fact that he has been given the gift of sight, a gift given by Jesus on the Sabbath.

First, a little background. In the previous chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus has been in a long dialogue with the Pharisees in the Temple courtyard. It is the Sabbath. It was a dialogue that ended with the religious leaders angered by his reference to being one with the Father. Jesus told them he was the light of the world using the reference to God, “I am.”

Today’s passage picks up with Jesus still in Jerusalem.  Having left the Temple, Jesus and his disciples are simply passing by a man who was born blind. The blind man does not approach Jesus. It is the disciples that call Jesus’ attention to the man. “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” It was a theological teaching of the day that such individuals suffered because of sin. Jesus answers, neither.

In Christ, the human scene becomes a stage for God’s self-manifestation. Jesus is the Light of the world and light is the means by which God brings salvation to men. Jesus in the world is its light because he offers life and light to the world. “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world,” he told them.

Christ’ remedy for the man’s blindness was spittle, mud mixed together, and the man’s obedience to his command to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. When the man obeys, his cure is immediate. The cure, however, is investigated.

First, his neighbors who have known him from birth are both puzzled and amazed that he is now able to see. How could it be the same man? How is this possible? They kept asking him “how did it happen?”

Of all the miracle stories in the Bible, this is the only one in which the person was born blind from birth gained his sight. Jesus’ healing of the man born blind is a confirmation of his divinity. This was one of the signs of the coming Messiah. Saint John uses it as his sixth sign in proving that Jesus is Messiah.

One of the man’s neighbors runs and tells the Pharisees what has happened. The religious leaders take over the interrogation and their examination of the man becomes as it were a trial of Jesus. OK, they ask the man, tell us how it happened. Give us the details. The man goes through it again.

He tells them that Jesus put mud on my eyes and I went and washed where he sent me, and now I can see. “Who could do such a thing,” they comment. “He can’t be a man of God. It is the Sabbath.” The Pharisees, like the man’s neighbors, were divided over their opinion of what happened and how, even more so over the person of Jesus.

Not only did Jesus open the eyes of the man, but he opened the eyes of his faith. With each ensuing period of questioning, the man whom Jesus healed grows in his knowledge of God in Christ.

First, he gives Jesus credit as a prophet. Then there is the bantering back and forth between the man and the Pharisees over whether or not Jesus is sinner. The man turns the tables on his inquisitors over the question of sin and consequently raises their anger.

The more the man is pressed, the more his faith is confirmed and the deeper into darkness the Pharisees go. Finally, the Pharisees have had enough. They excommunicate him from the Temple worship. We too often fail to see the glory of God because of our own prejudices.

Jesus learns that he has been cast out and finds him. Christ asks him “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he that I may believe,” the man responds. Jesus identifies himself as He. The man professes his faith, “Lord, I believe” He moves from ignorance to unbelief to belief and ends by worshipping Jesus.

The Lord’s coming brought judgment into the world, not because he came to judge, but because of man’s accountability to him. Those who are aware of their blindness and ignorance may be made to see, because they will be prepared to believe in the Light when it shines upon them.

Those who are confident of their own power to see become blind, because they refuse to look at the Light. This aspect of judgment Jesus applies to the Pharisees. It is precisely because of their confidence of their ability to see apart from the Light, which shines in the world in the person of Jesus that they are under sentence of blindness.

The blind man is symbolic of all humanity; all need illumination by Christ, the Light of the world. Though suffering can be a direct result of personal sin, it is not this man’s case. The man’s blindness provides an occasion for the works of God to be revealed. The blind man, then, becomes a model of Christian witness.

Many people today do not become witnesses to Christ because they fear they will be asked questions they cannot answer. This man admits he “does not know,” but follows up with what he does know. This is foundational to witnessing one’s faith to others.

May we all learn to live as “children of the light” by setting aside our fear of ignorance and relying on the Holy Spirit to teach us how to witness to Him who is both the Life and the Light of the world, even Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN+

Father Riley's homily from Christ Episcopal, Bastrop, March 15, 2020

CEC Service Schedule :

…As directed by Bishop Jake Owensby, Christ Episcopal, Saint Joseph, will suspend services until at least March29, 2020.

…The church building is always open and everyone is welcome to visit its’ peace anytime.

…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.

Father Riley's homily:

LENT III - a - 20                            JOHN 4. 5-42

In last week’s gospel the Pharisee, Nicodemus came to Jesus on his own volition. Today’s passage from the gospel of John has a Samaritan woman who encounters Jesus by chance at a local well where she had gone to draw water. There a dialogue ensued that changed her life.

First, a little background. Samaria was in the region north of Jerusalem, between Judea and Galilee. Samaritans were a mixed race and traditional enemies of the Jews.

Although they worshipped the God of Israel and were also awaiting the Messiah, they accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament, and accepted no prophets after Moses. They built their temple on mount Gerizim in Samaria.

With that said, Jesus and his disciples are traveling from Judea to Galilee and take the shortest route through Samaria. Jesus is tired and he stops at the well of Jacob. The disciples go into the village to buy something to eat. It was noon.

A Samaritan woman came to draw water. That in itself was an unusual thing for a woman to do at that hour. Normally the women would all go to the well together early in the morning to draw water before the heat of the day. This woman was alone which may speak to her reputation.

Jesus asked her for a drink. Naturally, she hesitates. Why would a Jews ask her a Samaritan for a drink?  Jesus said to her “if you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,‘ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”

Like Nicodemus in last week’s passage who misunderstood and was unable to comprehend Jesus’ meaning behind being “born again,” the Samaritan woman at the well is unable to comprehend Jesus’ meaning behind “living water.”

In the ordinary sense, it means fresh, flowing from a stream or spring rather than a pond or a cistern. Here Christ means the gift of the Holy Spirit that leads to eternal life.

As Jesus challenged Nicodemus, so he now challenges the woman. “Go call your husband.” She is honest with Jesus and admits that she has no husband, although she is currently living with a man. Jesus reveals her past relationships and her present one. She perceives Jesus to be a prophet.

Here the dialogue takes a turn from race to religion. She is well aware that Jews see Samaritans differently when it comes to their worship of God, and vice a versa, as well as their place of worship. She acknowledges all of that.

Christ tells her it does not matter where one worships as long as one worships God in spirit and truth. God is spirit and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Jesus’ remarks stir her inner most being.

“I know that Messiah is coming,” she tells him, “and when he comes he will proclaim all things to us.” In other words, he will settle the question. To which Jesus responds, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

Just then, the disciples return with lunch and are more than a bit surprised that Jesus is speaking to an unaccompanied woman in the middle of the day. However, they keep their thoughts to themselves. The woman leaves her water jar behind and returns to the village.

They encourage Jesus to eat but he said to them “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” Knowing that they do not understand, he explains, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work.” Jesus lifts up his eyes and sees the villagers approaching.

The woman’s mission had changed from that of drawing water to drawing others to Jesus. She told those in the village all that Jesus had said and how he knew everything about her present life as well as her past. Some of them believed in Jesus because of her testimony.

Others went to see and hear him for themselves. After hearing Christ speak, they too believed that he was the Savior of the world and with that their lives were changed forever. One can only begin to imagine what marvelous things Jesus must have told them about his Father and the kingdom that moved them to believe that he was the one God had sent to redeem the world.

The way that passage ends is worth pondering. Here is a woman who, a matter of an hour or so before, had been completely trapped in a life of immorality, as a social outcast.

There was no way backwards or forward for her, all she could do was to eke out a daily existence and make sure she went to the well at the time of day when there would be nobody there to sneer or mock.

Now she has become the first evangelist to the Samaritan people. Before any of Jesus’ disciples could do it, she has told them that he is the Messiah. And then, as they have come to see Jesus for themselves, they have become convinced and have given Jesus the title, Savior of the world.

Can we not see something of ourselves in both Nicodemus and the woman at the well? Sometimes we seek Jesus, as did the Pharisee with the genuine intent of knowing him better. Yet when he speaks, we fail to comprehend his message and we remain in the dark concerning God’s ways because we are afraid to step out in faith.

At other times, we meet Christ by chance, as did the woman at the well, quite unexpectedly and without warning. It is as though he seeks us out. And when he finds us, he speaks to us in ways that both challenge and liberate us at the same time. In the end, our lives are changed.

For each time we encounter Jesus, the eyes of our faith are opened more and more to a new way of seeing God, a new way of knowing God. And the encounter is one we are moved to share in the hope of drawing others to him so that they too may come to know the Saving power of His Love.

May God give us the grace, this Lenten season and beyond, to seek him in all that we do and say, and the eyes of faith to recognize Him, and the ears to hear and understand Him when he speaks, so that we may do the work we have been given to do, to love and serve God as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. AMEN+

Father Riley's homily from Christ Episcopal, Bastrop, March 8, 2020

CEC Service Schedule :

…As directed by Bishop Jake Owensby, Christ Episcopal, Saint Joseph, will suspend services until at least March29, 2020.

…The church building is always open and everyone is welcome to visit its peace anytime.

…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.

 LENT II - A - 20                          JOHN 3. 1-17

One of the characteristics of Saint John’s gospel that sets it apart from the others is his contrast of light and darkness that runs throughout his writing. You may recall that in the prologue to his gospel, John states that Jesus is both light and life, and the light shines in the darkness of the world and the darkness did not overcome it.

Another translation has the word comprehend or understand as opposed to overcome. The Pharisee Nicodemus came to Jesus by night. He came in the dark, for he was in the dark, as we say, in regards to his full understanding of Jesus as the light who had come into the world.

Darkness to Saint John means both spiritual ignorance and satanic opposition to the light. Nicodemus is not opposed to Jesus; he just does not fully understand whom he is and what he is all about. He begins the dialogue with Christ by complementing him. “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God…”

He has a weak faith, compared to that of Abram in today’s first lesson. He was afraid to be seen talking to Jesus because of what his peers might think. Therefore, he comes to Jesus by night. Jesus responds to the Pharisee’ compliment with a spiritual challenge.

“No one can see the kingdom of God without being born again.” Not only is Nicodemus in the dark about Christ’ true identity but now he is unable to comprehend what Jesus is saying about being born from above. That is what Jesus means by being born again.

So, no Nicodemus cannot see the kingdom for he is too focused on earthly meanings. He has both feet firmly planted in this world. His idea of God’s kingdom is based on what he knows about earthly kings and kingdoms. He misunderstands and questions the possibility of a second physical birth.

Jesus is presenting a totally new and radical idea that Nicodemus struggles to grasp, as do many today, that is, being born again. First, Jesus tells him that no one can even see the kingdom without being born again.

 Now he tells him that “no on can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” What is going on here?

Christ uses the opportunity to elevate an idea from superficial or earthly meaning to a heavenly and spiritual one. The challenge continues. “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is of everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

Nicodemus responds with “how can these things be?” A person must first grasp the ways in which God works among mankind before he can begin to understand things that pertain to God himself. How do we do that?

Our individual knowledge of God is based on our level of faith. Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus as a teacher. However, that was as far as his faith could take him at this juncture.

[His faith and belief in Jesus grows after this exchange. Later he would defend Jesus before the Sanhedrin (7. 50, 51) and would finally make a bold public expression of faith in asking for the body of Jesus in order to prepare it for entombment (19. 39-42).]

For most of us, our faith is more like that of Nicodemus rather than Abram. That is, one step forward and two steps back. Having made a bold first step, meeting with Jesus, he now balks at going forward. “How can these things be? “ He can’t “see” the kingdom. He only sees the world he lives in.

Jesus, however, is the ladder that connects heaven to earth and earth to heaven. “If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”

Abram was given a promise from God that he would make him a great nation, bless him, and make his name great. “Abraham believed God.” His belief was based on his faith in God’s promise. Jesus makes the promise that whoever believes in him may not perish but have everlasting life. Christ’s promise is based on love.

Believing in Jesus means coming to the light. Not believing means remaining in the darkness.

When I was a child, my mother took me to the Circus. What a wonderful experience for a boy of ten. Three rings of fantastic performances, wild animals and trapeze artists that boggled the mind. One of the small acts that were conducted between the major attractions was that of the famous circus clown, Emmet Kelly Jr.

The house lights went out. In the center ring only a small spot of light was focused on the canvas floor. Kelly could be seen standing next to the light. He stood there with a broom in hand and attempted to sweep the light into a dustpan. As he swept the light became smaller and smaller but never quite disappeared.

Just when he though he had it totally removed, it would appear again larger than before. He would go on to try to remove it several more times and each time he tried, it would become larger until the whole ring was bright with light.

Darkness can never over power the light of Christ, nor can it understand the way of love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son…” The crucifixion was always part of God’s plan for the salvation of the world; a sign of God’s great love, not only for Israel but for the whole world.

In him was both light and life, Saint John wrote of Jesus, and the light shines in the darkness of the world, and the darkness has not overcome it.  “Those who by God’s gracious gift have become his children, born again from above of his Holy Spirit, possess Christ within themselves to illuminate and recreate them…”

Being born of water and the Spirit (baptism) is but the beginning of the journey to God with its goal being entrance into the kingdom. With the eyes of faith, we begin to understand the ways of God, and like Abram, we learn to trust in God and believe in His promises.

That does not mean that we will always go forward without questioning, or that we will not balk on occasion. But it does mean that if we embrace and hold fast to the unchangeable truth of God’s Word, Jesus Christ, we will not only see the kingdom, but will inherit it through Christ’ promise of eternal life to all who believe in Him; a promise based on Love. AMEN+

Directive from Bishop Jake Owensby regarding upcoming services & gathterings

Following Bishop Jake's directive below, Chris Episcopal, Saint Joseph will suspend services "through at least Sunday March 29".

Diocesan Directive from Bishop Owensby

Please read the following letter from the bishop and review event cancellations below.

March 16, 2020 Dear Friends,  As I have said previously, the COVID-19 pandemic is an evolving situation presenting new challenges to us on a daily basis. Researchers are still learning about the virus itself, how the virus is spread, who is most vulnerable to infection, and the various ways in which the disease progresses for those infected.  Once again our landscape has changed late this afternoon. The Centers for Disease Control altered its guidelines for large gatherings. Crowds are hubs for spreading the coronavirus. And given the increase in numbers of those testing positive for the virus, the CDC has called for a suspension of gatherings of 50 or more people.  How shall we continue to be the Church under such circumstances?   For starters, we will remember that the people are the Church. Not a building. Not a specific church service. The Body is the Church. Where we are and how we live and move and have our being is the Church being the Church. So the question is simply, how will we be ourselves as Jesus-followers in our current situation?  Just last week I issued a set of guidelines for worshiping together. However, based on the new CDC guidelines I direct that all public, face-to-face services of the congregations in this Diocese be suspended immediately. This suspension will be in effect through at least Sunday, March 29. The CDC urged eight weeks. However, I will watch how things unfold. As information becomes available, I will communicate to you that I have either extended or lifted this suspension.  Those congregations equipped to offer virtual worship should do so, making certain to clearly publicize when such services will occur and how they can be accessed. I advise the use of Morning Prayer using the Sunday Lectionary including a short sermon. A simple how-to link for live-streaming can be found here. I will offer Morning Prayer each Sunday at 10:00 a.m. CDT using Facebook Live. My own first attempt taught me several lessons and I look forward to a much better result next time. Thank you to all those who participated. To join me for Morning Prayer next Sunday go to this link. Or, just search for @bishopjakeowensby in Facebook. If you like this page, you will receive a notification in Facebook that I’m live-streaming.  Worship strengthens us for service in the world. In a time of pandemic, I call your attention to checking in by phone or other electronic means on each other. Reach out to the sick, the lonely, the frightened, the bereaved, and the overwhelmed. Seek ways to lighten the financial burden on those who lose income because of this outbreak. Some will struggle to pay the rent or the mortgage. Money will run short for utilities, grocery, and medications. We are all in this together. Be generous and be mindful of the needs of others. Do not forget that your congregation continues to need your financial support. Even with suspended services, they too must meet salaries and pay light bills.  Finally, let’s remember why we are taking the measures we are taking. We are not doubling down on self-preservation at the expense of loving our neighbor. On the contrary, the social distancing we undertake by suspending public gatherings will help us flatten the curve. We can slow the spread of the disease so that our medical system is not overwhelmed with too many patients at one time. This makes it possible for those needing a hospital bed and life-saving equipment to have access to them. We will literally be saving our neighbors’ lives. That sounds like love to me.  In Christ’s Love,  +Jake  The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby, PhD, DD  4th Bishop of Western Louisiana

CEC service schedule and Father Riley's homily from March 1, 2020 at Christ Episcopal, Saint Joseph

CEC Service Schedule :

…Father Jefferson will lead us in Holy Eucharist March 8.

…Father Riley will lead us in Holy Eucharist March 22, 2020.

…March 15 and 29 services are scheduled to be Morning Prayer led by Mrs. Jane Barnett, 10am as usual.

Father Riley's homily:

LENT I - A - 20                               MATTHEW 4. 1-11

The gospel reading for the first Sunday in Lent is a familiar one. Jesus is in the wilderness following his baptism by John in the Jordan. The Spirit of God has led him to this place. He is preparing himself by fasting for the mission and ministry he has been sent by God to perform, that is, the redemption of Israel and the world through suffering and death on the cross.

Jesus is the divine Son of God, but as the author of Hebrews writes in another place, (Heb.4.15) he was tempted in everyway as we are yet did not sin. The temptations in the wilderness come after he has sensed God’s calling which was confirmed at his baptism.

Now he has to face a “whispering voice” as N.T. Wright calls it, and recognize it for what it is. Satan’s attempt to derail Christ’ mission was his way of distorting Christ’ true vocation: the vocation to be truly human, to be God’s person, to be the servant to the world.

The first two temptations play on the very strength he has just received, “You are my beloved Son…” God had said to him. Satan uses the optimum word “if” to challenge Jesus’ identity and to place doubt in his mind. “If” you are God’s son feed yourself use your divine powers do what the world would expect you to do.

“If” you are God’s son, Satan tries a second time, do something spectacular show the world who you really are. Finally, the enemy comes out boldly: and suggest that Jesus forget his allegiance to God. Worship me, Satan tells him, and I will give you power like no one else has.

For his sake and for ours, Jesus does not fall for it. He uses God and God’s word to thwart Satan’s efforts to turn him away from his true vocation. This will not be the last time Satan will tempt him, but for now, Jesus has defeated him.

When Jesus refused to go the way of the tempter, he was choosing the way of the cross. The whispering of Satan was designed to distract him from the road to which his baptism had committed him, the path of servant hood that would lead to suffering and death. The whole of the gospel is about the alternative path, the way of Jesus, the way of the cross.

The temptations we all face, day by day and at critical moments of decision and vocation in our lives, may be very different from those of Jesus, but they have exactly the same point. They are not simply trying to entice us into this or that sin. They are trying to distract us, to turn us aside, from the path of servant hood to which our baptism has commissioned us.

The enemy will do everything possible to distract us and thwart God’s purpose. Think about the times when you went into your prayer closet to be alone with God. There may have been something weighing heavily on your mind and heart, something that you needed to tell God.

You wanted to hear God speak more than anything. However, you were unable to focus. Your thoughts led you elsewhere. There were a thousand things you needed to be doing and all of a sudden, you couldn’t think of anything else. Your communion with God was gone.

Was it a whispering voice that distracted you? What caused you to turn from God and to your own thoughts if not the enemy? The same applies to worship. We come to church needing to hear the word of God, needing to participate in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. That is our intent.

However, when we arrive, we are not silent in preparing ourselves to worship. We openly talk to our neighbor keeping them from preparing for worship. We fail to acknowledge the altar when we enter the church. We fail to recognize the Real Presence of Jesus in the Reserved Sacrament.

We lose focus during the homily and take the blessed sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ for granted. What happened to our intent to offer ourselves to God in worship? Was it a whispering voice? Why did we get distracted from true worship if it was not the enemy who led us astray?

The same is true when it comes to our service to others. And what about our Lenten discipline? The thing you were going to give up for Lent and the thing you were going to add to aid you in your spiritual journey are you still committed to that? Or have you turned aside?

If we have heard God’s voice welcoming us as his children we will also hear the whispering suggestions of the enemy tempting us to turn away from God and be and do whatever we wish. We too are tempted to do the right things in the wrong way, or for the wrong reasons. However, as God’s children, we are entitled to us the same defense as the Son of God himself.

Store scripture in your heart and know how to use it. Keep your eyes on God and trust him for everything. Remember your calling to bring God’s light into the world. Stand firm in your faith. Say “no” to the whisper that tries to lure you back into the darkness.

The point of listening to both the first reading about the sin of Adam and Eve from Genesis and the gospel reading about Jesus’ temptations is to recognize in them the great reversal. Adam and Eve got taken in by the whispering of Satan who tempted them to disobey God.

The tempter whispered the same thing to Jesus as he was preparing for his mission to save mankind. “Forget God,” Satan said to Jesus, “bow down to me.” How does Christ respond?

He responds to the temptations by refusing to subordinate his humanity in favor of his divinity.  He chose to be one of us in order to show us the way to maintain our human nature that would glorify God. He saw through the temptations and refused them.

Satan is always knocking at the door of self. The devil’s challenge to Jesus was to act independently and to detach himself from the will of God. Christ conquered all of Satan’s temptations with the divine Word of God. In this, he has given us the power to conquer the enemy as well.

Part of the discipline of Lent, and of life itself for that matter, is about being able to recognize the whispering voices, for what they are, and to have the scriptural filled courage to resist following the example of our Lord.

To resist enables us to continue with the path of servant hood to which our baptism has commissioned us, the alternative path, the way of Jesus, the way of the cross, and to be truly human in ways that glorify God, not only in our service to Him but in our service to others in His name. AMEN+