The Lord Is Risen! The Lord Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

This is the Gospel according to St. John, 20: 1-18 (KJV):

1The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. 3Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. 8Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

Here is to a very Happy and Blessed Easter to you and yours. And remember:

THE LORD IS RISEN!
THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!

Say, Did You Hear About The Episcopal Priest And Him Slamming The "Religious Right" On Easter Sunday?

We really have to hand to The Rev. Luis Leon, rector of St. John's Episcopal  church directly across the street from The White House for delivering a political sermon on Christendom's most holy day, Easter.
Or if you prefer Resurrection Sunday.
Now it would probably go unnoticed expect that there was a rather influential family at one of the Easter services.
Wanna guess what family?
Remember, St. John's is across the street from The White House.
If you guessed the first family, the Obama family, give yourself a bright, beautifully colored Easter egg.
So, what did the pastor of the church say that was offensive?
Let me be clear, I am not so much offended because in any given EC, what the Rev. Leon said is pretty moderate for being a pastor in the EC. Here it is:

“You can’t go back, you can’t live in the past. It drives me crazy when the captains of the religious right are always calling people back…for Blacks to be back in the back of the bus, for women to be back in the kitchen, for gays to be in the closet and for immigrants to be on their side of the border.”

Luis, Luis, Luis, my brother in Christ!
What made you think this on Easter Sunday? Why do you think such illogical things? Why did you say it?
Let me explain this about the two big days in Christendom.
Easter, the most important and Christmas, important but not nearly in the same way as Easter, are times that weigh on any pastor or priest. Anyone that preaches on these two days have a lot to be mindful of.
Most important is that that there will be a lot of "Holy day" Christians attending these services. Those that see the inside of a church on only the aforementioned big days. And many people that church goers will bring for the very first time.
A good preacher will stay away from the controversy no matter what side of the political fence they are on. They ruminate on the meaning of the day.
On Easter, it is the culmination of the time from Ash Wednesday to the crucifixion to the rising of Jesus Christ from the dead. It is going from darkness to light.
In fact, at my parish, the rector had an excellent sermon along those lines. And yeah, he is pretty much on the other side than your humble blogger. However, it was very moving to me. Because of the content and how he weaved it into what Easter is all about.
In fairness to the Rev. Leon, I tried to access the sermon on the church's website. Mystically, it is not there as of this writing. Because I would like to hear the context of how he went into a diatribe against traditionalist Christians. All rather wrong and misguided no matter what.
So let me go back to the questions I posed earlier.
What made the Rev. Leon think such thoughts?
I know that the Rev. Leon was the rector of St. John's when the personification of eeeeevvvvviiiiilllll himself, former President George W. Bush would attend services. And lets be real. He was a traditionalist Christian. Did he ever preach a sermon that went off the rails in this manner while Mr. Bush was in attendance? Did the Rev. Leon know that the Dear Leader, President Obama, would be in attendance and he wanted to gin it up a bit? Sadly, there are more questions than answers.
But let me offer this.
No traditionalist Christian wants to put Blacks to be back in the back of the bus. In fact and indeed many prominent traditionalist Christians are Black and many prominent Black pastors consider themselves traditionalists.
No traditionalist Christian want to see women to be back in the kitchen. Many of us appreciate and like the leadership roles that women bring to all walks of life. Some women, for a lack of better term, like and want to be housewives. And it is not the same as it was in the time of Leave It To Beaver. This maybe an old wound between High Church Episcopalians and their allies in the emerging Anglican Church of North America. When the EC allowed women to be ordained in the late 1970s, many left because they believed that women should not be in the priesthood. I prayerfully believe that was and is wrong thinking. Maybe, just maybe that is what made the reverend spout that line.
No traditionalist Christian wants to see  gays to be in the closet. That ship has sailed. Homosexuals are coming out of the woodwork. And there are many allies. But there are those that draw the line in the sand on the understanding of marriage. That is the issue now. Not whether or not they will "go back in the closet".
No traditionalist wants to see immigrants to be on their side of the border. This is me writing. I want legal immigrants. I do not want to see illegal immigrants get any special dispensation. Period. I know for a fact that my parish's outreach ministry in El Monte, California assists illegal aliens. This is an area of So Cal where it is pretty likely. I don't particularly believe that the church should be asking nor turning them in. But I do want to see the laws that we already have on the books enforced and that any reform hinges on border security first.
The Rev. Leon pretty much threw out a bromide of stereotypes that he put under the label "The religious right". And that is what makes whatever he was trying to preach about on Easter Sunday pointless.
Instead of being thoughtful and mindful of what the meaning of Easter is about, resurrection, it appears that the Rev. Leon, himself a Red Cuban refugee, should know the powerful message of redemption in Jesus Christ.
Now that would make a great Easter sermon.

Alleuia! The Lord Is Risen!

Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

The Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ according to Matthew:

Matthew 28: 1-20:

[1] In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
[2] And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
[3] His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
[4] And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
[5] And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
[6] He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
[7] And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
[8] And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
[9] And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
[10] Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
[11] Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
[12] And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
[13] Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
[14] And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you.
[15] So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
[16] Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.
[17] And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
[18] And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
[19] Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
[20] Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Wishing you and yours a blessed and Happy Easter!

Lent Is Around The Corner

Tomorrow is the celebration of Shrove Tuesday in the Christian world.
OK, not all Christians celebrate it. Mostly those who are in liturgical churches, Orthodox, Roman Catholic or Protestant.
I am still, some days barely, a member of the Episcopal Church and we are a liturgical church.
The point of Shrove Tuesday is to get rid of the items that make for good and rich food.
And the purpose of that?
To begin the season known as Lent.
Lent is the 46 day period from Ash Wednesday to Easter Eve or The Great Vigil of Easter. And here is how Anglicans/Episcopalians celebrate The Great Vigil.
Whenever I bring up the subject of Lent, my American Baptist friend gives a brush off. He is amazed that his own church has been taking up the discipline the last several years. He would consider it too Roman Catholic.
While he is correct, as noted in the link, many non-liturgical churches are beginning this discipline. And it is a good thing.
For many, particularly Roman Catholics, it is all about "What are you giving up for Lent?" And mostly it is mundane stuff. Yeah, I never have heard one yet say they were giving up sex. Or maybe cutting back on the adult beverage. Or not going to the movies. A sporting event. A concert. You get the picture. As I said it is something usually mundane.
However, what I find Lent can be about is what are you going to do for Lent? Not focusing on a sacrifice, but of restoring one or more Christian disciplines.
Some people suggest they will read and study the Holy Bible more. Now most Roman Catholics do little if any true bible study. That is something rather unique to the Protestant world. And Protestant liturgical churches promote that as a discipline.
Traditionally, Lent was the period of preparation for a candidate to receive Holy Baptism and Confirmation as a full member of the church. It is still followed today, but at least in the Protestant tradition not with the strictness of the days of yore.
But it is a time of great expectation and immense sadness. After all it culminates not with the triumphal ride of Jesus Christ into the gates of the Holy city of Jerusalem. But it culminates with the crufifiction of Jesus on Mount Calvary.
But that is the bad part.
Of course there is the breaking of the stone and Jesus rising on the third day and taking his seat at the right hand of the Father.
But what are you doing for Lent? Is it giving up something and showing off about it? Or is it committing yourself to something like a disciplined time for intense prayer?
For me, I will commit myself to following reading the Holy Bible, King James Version of course, on a daily basis. I will try to follow the calendar of readings set forth by the church.
Remember, Lent is around the corner. It is the time to get closer to God.