Saint Michael's Anglican Church

Lent 4: Life Transformed

The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption.

Reflection # 1: Job 11:18

“And you will have confidence, because there is hope; you will be protected and take your rest in safety.” What challenges are you facing today?

Reflection # 2: Matthew 5:15

“No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” Create a prayer representing how you seek to serve God and follow Jesus.

Reflection # 3: Galatians 5:22-23

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” How do others experience the love of Christ through you?

Resources produced by Hillary Raining and Jenifer Gamber, Sermons that Work.(Sermons that Work, T.E.C.)

Prayer: Creator and Healer, you work your Sabbath will in the chaos of our life: teach us the insight that gives true judgement and praises you wherever you are found, making miracles from spit and mud; through Jesus Christ, the Son of earth. Amen. Prayers for an Inclusive Church (2009) alt.

Lent 3: Life Transformed

The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption.

Reflection # 1: Jeremiah 30:22, 31:4-5

“And you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Again, I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again, you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. Again, you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit.” Where can you seek and serve Christ in someone unlike you?

Reflection # 2: Romans 12:6-8

“We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.” How might you share what brings you great joy with others?

Resources produced by Hillary Raining and Jenifer Gamber, (Sermons that Work, T.E.C.)

 Prayer: Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Lent 2: Life Transformed

The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption.

Reflection # 1: Matthew 25:44-45

“Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” Where are you being encouraged to “show up”?

Reflection # 2: Isaiah 40:8

“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.” What passage of scripture is important to you? Why?

Resources produced by Hillary Raining and Jenifer Gamber, Sermons that Work.(Sermons that Work, T.E.C.) 

Prayer: Holy God, whose Spirit’s breath prompts our seeking: transform the night-time of our fear into a welcoming womb for us and all the world; through Jesus Christ, in whom we are born anew. Amen. 

Prayers for an Inclusive Church (2009) alt.

Lent 1: Life Transformed

The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption.

Reflection # 1: Who has taught you to live a Jesus-filled life? Who have you taught?
Read: “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16

Reflection # 2: How can you build pauses into the day to reflect on the work of the Spirit?
Read: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” – John 15:5
Resources produced by Hillary Raining and Jenifer Gamber, Sermons that Work.

Prayer: Spirit of the desert, you drove Jesus to the edge of the world to seek your truth and find his calling: scour our hearts and awaken our hunger, so that freed from empty clinging we may serve only you and the Creator; through Jesus Christ, the Lord of the wilds. Amen. 

Prayers for an Inclusive Church (2009) alt.

On this Transfiguration Sunday, the Gospel passage is indeed about the Transfiguration, the disciples’ vision of Jesus’ shining form, and the Father’s words about Jesus. Peter, James, and John, after seeing Jesus’ stunning, luminous appearance, and seeing him speak with Moses and Elijah, hear these words: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” The spare and economic use of the voice of the Father in the New Testament lends emphasis when we do hear it, and centers on Jesus’ belovedness. It is his belovedness that gives him authority, and it is his belovedness by the Father that he has come to share with all of humanity.

With dazzling changes in Jesus’ appearance and a cloud filled with light that can somehow overshadow everything, the voice of the Almighty God fills the air, speaking of Jesus’ divine authority: “Listen to him.” Immediately, Jesus gives Peter, James, and John an opportunity to heed the Father’s words; he gives a command: “Get up and do not be afraid.”

• How does God proclaim my belovedness?
• When have I heard Jesus say, “Get up and do not be afraid”?

(Sermons that Work, T.E.C.) 

²³ “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴ leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5

Jesus’s example of offering a sacrifice upon the altar to God reveals a second Kingdom principle: the quality of our fellowship with God is conditional on our attitude toward other people. This means going out of our way to reconcile with others, prioritizing peace above acts of religious observance.

God cares deeply about the hearts of His people. We should reject anger, insults, and name-calling for the same reason we reject murder: Every person is made in the image of God, Genesis 9:6. Attitudes of hatred don’t just lead to acts of violence, Genesis 4:6–7, they are sins in and of themselves.

Having indicated how serious hatred and anger are, Jesus stresses the importance of seeking to resolve conflicts. His listeners would have been familiar with offering a gift at the altar as part of temple worship. It was once considered a sacred act. Jesus’ point is that even pious actions should be set aside until reconciliation can be made between two people in angry conflict. Matthew 5:24

A fellowship of people who resolve conflicts and do not harbor bitterness will bring joy to all its participants. Living Jesus’ kingdom principles has a great reward in this life as well. 

The Presentation of the Lord

Luke the evangelist tells us that Jesus was presented in the house of God, as the Law of Moses required. He also records how the Christ-child was greeted by Simeon and Anna, two figures who represented Israel’s longing to see the Redeemer promised by God. The evangelist gave Simeon a song to sing, the Nunc dimittis, which acclaims Jesus as the saving Light of God. To symbolize the enlightening truth of Christ the western Church developed the custom of blessing candles on this feast — hence its other title, Candlemas.

The chief title of today’s feast, “The Presentation,” comes from the ancient Jewish law that every firstborn son had to be dedicated to God’s service. But the Law of Moses allowed parents to redeem their child by offering something else in his stead. In Jesus’s case, Mary and Joseph offered the redemptive substitute which the law appointed for the first-born of poor parents, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Thus, paradoxically, the Redeemer himself was redeemed.

Many Christian writers have delighted to see the deepening of this paradox in the story of Simeon. In the fourth century, Ephrem of Edessa wrote: “When Simeon the priest received Christ into his arms and presented him to God, he understood that he was not offering Christ, but was himself being offered.”

In celebrating the feast of the Presentation, the people of the Church become like Simeon, who cradled the infant Light of salvation in the crook of his arm and knew him to be as fragile as a candle-flame. In baptism, in meditating upon Scripture, and in the Eucharist Christians cradle the same Light and take responsibility for the life of Christ in our world. And yet the paradox continues. Even as they hold Christ in their hands, they may discover that they are really in the crook of Christ’s arms, being presented by him in the sanctuary of God’s joy and glory. 

(For All the Saints, A.C.C.)

Sunday’s Reflection

The season of Epiphany is when we celebrate the revealing of Christ to the world. We mark the arrival of the One who is the light of the world: a light that brings life, a light that brings hope. This light shines its brightest when we are in community – with God and with one another. 

1. Read today’s Gospel passage: Matthew 5:1-12. 

2. Reflect: Which word or short phrase caught your attention or came to mind? Whether you’re alone or in a group, say it aloud.

3. Read: Reread the passage, perhaps in a different translation.

4. Reflect: Where does the passage touch your life today? If you’re with a group, share your responses with each other, without discussing further. If you’re alone, say your response aloud or write it down.

5. Read: Reread the passage, perhaps in yet another translation.

6. Reflect: Where is God calling you to go? Where, either near or far, can you cross boundaries, listen deeply, and live like Jesus? You might consider journaling out your response and meditating on it over the course of this week.

7. Pray: In closing, say the prayer below.

God of the prophets, you shame the strong through the weakness of love and turn upside down the wisdom of the world.  May your blessing dwell with the poor and hungry, the grieving and abused; may your peaceful revolution be our joy and our reward; through Jesus Christ, the power of God.    Amen. Prayers for an Inclusive Church (2009) alt.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 

The Week of Prayer is the perfect time for Christians to recognize that the divisions between our churches and confessions cannot be separated from the divisions within the wider human family. Praying together for Christian unity allows us to reflect on what unites us and to commit ourselves to confront oppression and division amongst humanity. 

The prophet Micah points out that God has told us what is good and what God requires of us: “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” Micah 6:8. To act justly means that we have respect for all persons. Justice requires truly equitable treatment in order to address historic disadvantages based on “race”, gender, religion and socio-economic status. To walk humbly with God requires repentance, reparations, and finally reconciliation. God expects us to unite in a shared responsibility for equity for all God’s children. The unity of Christians should be a sign and foretaste of the reconciled unity of the entire creation. However, Christian division weakens the force of that sign, serving to reinforce division rather than bring healing to the world’s brokenness which is the Church’s mission.

How can we live our unity as Christians so as to confront the evils and injustices of our time? How can we engage in dialogue, increase awareness, understanding 

and insight about one another’s lived experiences? Let us be open to God’s presence in all our encounters with each other as we seek to be transformed, to dismantle the systems of oppression, and to heal the sins of racism. Together, let us engage in the struggle for justice in our society. We all belong to Christ.

2023 WPCU Resources

“In a time like this, let us trust in God even more. 

To trust when life is easy is no trust.” Joy Kogawa

Advent Reflections: The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as “Gaudete” or “Rejoice” Sunday, so called because of the heightened excitement in anticipation for the birth of Christ. As we listen to the lessons for this day, it may strike us that today is more like a summary of the history of our salvation beginning from the story of creation in Genesis to the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ in the gospel lesson.

Here are a couple of advent reflections that I wish to share with you. These resources are from the ‘A Very Anglican Advent’

‘Nine-tenths of the work of the Church in the world is done by Christian people fulfilling responsibilities and performing tasks which in themselves are not part of the official system of the Church at all.’William Temple.

‘This sense that God is so great in goodness, and we so great in glory, as to be God’s children and so rich as to live in communion with God, and so individually united to God that God is in us, and we in God, will make us do all our duties not only with incomparable joy, but courage also.’ 
Thomas Traherne

This Advent, as we get ready to welcome Christ anew, we are given another opportunity to get it right. 

Prayer: God of power and mercy, you call us once again to celebrate the coming of your Son. Remove those things which hinder love of you, that when he comes, he may find us waiting in awe and wonder for him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. B.A.S. pg. 270.