The BreadCast

O righteous band of martyrs united by faith in Christ and His Church in a nation of religious oppression: children and grandparents, workers and teachers, lay and ordained, native and foreign-born… all as one you gave your lives, led by your convictions – pray the Word of the Lord come to a land so cold to conversion, to the love and worship of Jesus, all men's Savior. Pray the Holy Spirit fall like purging and redeeming fire upon every soul in the country where you so honorably died; pray His power spread and bring renewal upon the face of all the earth.

(Hos.11:1,3-4,8-9; Ps.80:2-4,15-16; Mt.10:7-15) "I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you." And He comes to us as do the disciples today, blessing each home as He enters. And "if the home is deserving, [His] blessing will descend upon it. If it is not, [His] blessing will return" to Him. Be careful to receive the blessing of the Lord, for if you reject Him, He will leave you, shaking the dust from His feet, and "it will go easier for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than it will" for you. In days past the Lord loved Israel as "a child," drawing him "with human cords, with bands of love." And though "they did not know that He was their healer," though they rejected Him, His "pity [was] stirred" and He did "not give vent to [His] blazing anger." He withheld His "flames" of wrath and offered them forgiveness. Thus Jesus is sent into our midst. For we, as Israel, have sinned. All have spurned the love of God and gone astray. But here comes the Holy One to heal us once again. But now if we should reject Him, now if we should spurn His Son present to us, how shall we be saved? What more can the Lord God do to draw us home to His loving arms. The Lord has heard the psalmist's plea to "look down from heaven and see," to "take care of this vine, and protect what [His] right hand has planted." He comes to His children wholly offering Himself for their sakes. Like the apostles, like His saints who come without money or goods but possessing everything they need and giving all this blessing freely to any who would receive it, so the Lord comes to us this day – and do we receive Him? There is nothing more the Lord can do to save our souls: He has died for us. He has given all He has freely for our redemption. His Son walks amongst us. Enter His reign today. Accept His blessing. The day of judgment is not far from you. ******* O LORD, save us from the fires of hell; obedient to your call, let us come into your kingdom. YHWH, let your peace be upon this House, upon your Church, upon all souls. Let none reject the grace you give as a gift to your children. Truly you love us and forgive us our sins – let us accept your healing this day. You send forth apostles to spread your Word, to bring salvation, to bring your healing to all souls, LORD. You look upon us with pity and provide for our care, despite our failure to recognize your presence. Our sins you would remember no more, your love you would plant as a seed in the heart of our home, in our very spirits… Let us be your faithful children and cherish your reign over us! How shall we be made worthy to be citizens of Heaven? How shall we find your blessing upon our town, upon our poor houses? Let us provide for those you send forth to serve, LORD; then we shall be welcoming you. And let us go forth ourselves as you call. Let us place our trust entirely in you and in your Word of truth, and so find all things provided for. In your House let us make our home.

(Hos.10:1-3,7-8,12; Ps.105:2-7; Mt.10:1-7) "Jesus sent these men on mission as the Twelve." And in these men the Lord founds His Church, choosing "first Simon, now known as Peter," as the Rock upon whom the Building rests, and in like fashion all the twelve apostles, upon whom He places His Spirit. And so the foundation is set. And so none can separate themselves from these and their teaching, for in them and in this Church, Jesus Himself resides. It is in their place the bishops stand; it is through these, priests are ordained. In His holy Catholic Church we find the New Jerusalem. The Lord chose Abraham and his son Isaac, and placed His blessings upon the twelve tribes of Jacob and their descendants. He does not remove this blessing, does not break His covenant. And the Lord set up in Jerusalem His place of worship. This, too, does not change. Regardless of how corrupt the priests or kings may have been throughout the history of Israel and Judah, these remain His chosen people, and here is His temple. And when another would rise up to take the place of what God had anointed, as typified by Jeroboam's setting up the golden calf in Samaria that the people might worship there and so not go up to Jerusalem, this pride the Lord curses. In our first reading He vows, "The king of Samaria shall disappear, like foam upon the waters. The high places of Aven [Iniquity] shall be destroyed, the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles shall overgrow their altars." Yes, "God shall break down their altars and destroy their sacred pillars" for "their heart is false." It is not these upon whom His Spirit rests. Brothers and sisters, "it is time to seek the Lord," to come into the House His hands have made – not a separate Church set up apart from His covenants but standing in fulfillment of them with the coming of Jesus as the Christ and Messiah – and realize that "the reign of God is at hand." Here in His New Jerusalem you shall find His presence; here you shall hear His teaching transmitted through the apostles and receive the Bread of His sacrifice at their holy hands. Know that "He, the Lord, is our God" and "throughout the earth His judgments prevail." "Glory in His holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord," for now He has come to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Now through His apostles, through those who "seek to serve Him constantly," He gathers all into the New Jerusalem – upon this House His favor remains. ******* O LORD, open our mouths that we might speak of your glory, you who are the living God. YHWH, you send your apostles forth to the lost sheep of the house of Israel to gather them into the New Jerusalem, your Holy Catholic Church. Here are the pillars of your Church, here the foundation. In these Twelve you send out, the promise to Abraham is fulfilled – here are the twelve sons who will do your will. All false gods you will destroy, LORD; all unholy altars shall be torn down. And every nation that turns from you and the call of your apostles will not enter into your reign but cry to the mountains and hills to fall upon themselves. Save all faithful souls from such woe, O LORD. Let us see your hand at work in our midst, that we might praise your NAME. Cast all evil from our hearts, heal us of every disease, that we might be whole in your sight and so enter freely into your fold. Into your reign let us come, into the House founded on your apostles. In Spirit and truth let us worship you on your holy mountain.

(Hos.8:4-7,11-13; Ps.115:3-10; Mt.9:32-38) "Our God is in heaven; whatever He wills, He does. Their idols are silver and gold, the handiwork of men." In Israel, the people have turned from worship of the living God and "with their silver and gold they made idols for themselves, to their own destruction." As the golden "calf of Samaria" is "destined for the flames," so they "shall be like them, everyone who trusts in them." So empty are the lives of those who worship wood and stone, and to inevitable destruction do they come. That which we make rots; only what is made by God endures. How the Lord Jesus contrasts with the false and empty gods worshiped by the nations: where they are dead, He is alive. He alone is able to see and hear and smell and feel. He alone walks the earth with a heart that is "moved with pity." He alone reveals the living God and enables us thereby to see and hear and smell and feel. He alone gives us strength to walk this earth and do His work. Their gods are mute – "they have mouths but they speak not." But He takes the "mute who was possessed by a demon" and enables him to speak. It is He who gives us our souls, who renews our spirit. "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!" the crowds exclaim as they witness the glory of God in their midst. It is as if they shout, "God is alive!" and come to faith in His presence. For here He breathes upon them; here His heart beats in their hearing. In Jesus all see the wonders of the Father in heaven come to earth and made real before their eyes. Such is God's will – to bring heaven to earth. Such is His great grace – to send us His only Son. And what can we do but rejoice at the works of the Lord; what can we do but join Him in such labor? "He shall remember their guilt and punish their sins," those who harden their hearts against Him and trust in the wisdom of their own minds and the works of their own hands. For only the works wrought by His hands, through His living Spirit, are genuine, are true – are alive. All else dies. So let us leave off any empty sacrifice, any false worship not accomplished in the House of God. There is but one God and one Church through which He works, and only by what He has established will we know the grace and freedom of the living Lord of all. Only in Jesus' Body and Blood do we find the life that yields lasting grain. ******* O LORD, open our mouths that we might speak of your glory, you who are the living God. YHWH, open our mouths that we might sing your praise, and never again call upon false gods. Your Spirit alone dwell in us this day, and we shall again be your blessed children. O LORD, how could we be so fooled as to worship wood and stone, or other more modern images made by our own hands? What we see on the TV screen is not real, yet we give it precedence over living souls. Our desire is set on such empty illusions, on such dead matter, and so we die of hunger far from you. And so we lie prostrate from exhaustion, from chasing the vain contrivances of our corrupted minds. But you come to save us, LORD, from such empty worship of these no-gods, from these pursuits which sap our strength, which but blind our eyes and leave us without tongues for speaking the truth. You send laborers forth to relieve our dying spirits; you come into our midst each day to feed us with Jesus' Body and Blood, that we might not fade away in our vanity but be revived by His sacred presence. Let us stand and walk with you who are life itself!

O perpetual virgin who defended your purity even with your life and so earned the crown of martyrdom at a tender age… O bride of Christ who prayed even for your murderer and so served to inspire his conversion – pray for us, too, dear child; pray the lust and violence so prevalent in this world of sin, and in our own hearts, be purged from our midst that we, too, might turn to Jesus and find the purity He offers. O pray innocence and chastity overtake this age and all souls stand in the light of Christ.

(Hos.2:16-18,21-22; Ps.145:2-9; Mt.9:18-26) "When the crowd had been put out He entered and took her by the hand, and the little girl got up." How like Hosea's prophecy today is the Lord's raising of Jairus' daughter in our gospel. For the Lord speaks through His prophet, saying, "I will lead her into the desert and speak to her heart," and Jesus does this when He puts the crowd out of the house before whispering to the little girl to arise. And as the Lord declares in our first reading, "I will espouse you in right and in justice, in love and in mercy," so Jesus takes the hand of the child, wedding His Spirit unto her own; and so, as the redemption is promised Israel in her again calling the Lord, "My husband," so Jairus' daughter stands and walks in the light of Christ. "She shall respond there as in the days of her youth," it is said of the Lord's chosen nation. With the faith of a child all shall be raised. And as the Savior covers the "woman who had suffered from hemorrhages for twelve [full] years" with the edge of His cloak, taking her into His wedding chamber and so immediately healing her flow of blood, so Jesus would make us all His own; so in His grace and love He would enter all our souls and make us one with Him. And so would all find themselves "restored… to health," His blood alone coursing through our veins. "I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord," our God declares. And knowing the Lord, being wed unto Him in the depths of our hearts where He speaks, promising us His love, what can we do but "praise [His] name forever and ever" with David His king? What can we do but "speak of the splendor of [His] glorious majesty and tell of [His] wonderful works"? For "great is the Lord and highly to be praised," and His Spirit wed to our own we are overwhelmed by the glory of His presence and cannot help but declare our love for Him who has loved us above all. Listen to His voice, brothers and sisters; let Him enter your hearts and make you His own. And you shall be raised from the death of sin unto His glorious majesty. Yes, may news of His grace circulate among all; let us "publish the fame of [His] abundant goodness and joyfully sing of [His] justice," for He speaks now to our souls. ******* O LORD, speak to our hearts that we might rise in faith with your Son, and so praise your glory. YHWH, you come to us in quiet places and whisper in our ear to rise and be with you. Our souls you wed to your Spirit that we might live forever in you. Let us remain faithful to your glorious presence in our midst; with courage let us come to you to be healed. You are merciful, LORD, and desire our good. You would see us well and walking with you. And so you call to our hearts to worship you, to make your love our sole desire. Cover us, O LORD, with your kindness; show your compassion to our souls. And we shall rise up and praise your NAME – one with you we will extol your glory forever. For what greater gift could we find than you yourself abiding in our heart? Let us hear your voice calling us, LORD, in the quiet, in the silence of your presence. Cast all distractions from our minds. You alone let us know and desire, and we shall find ourselves at peace in your presence. Let all the world know your abundant goodness toward your children.

O child of the Apostle Paul, follower in his steps, preacher of the Word he proclaimed so completely with his very life, you who desired so to bear the fruit of love in patience, to share in the hardships of the apostles as well as in their glory, and led your fellow ordained zealously to desire the same – pray there shall be reform in this day among our priests and among the people of God, that all will so zealously follow the teaching and way of the Apostle, which is, of course, the way of Christ: to die, to lay down our lives, to suffer indignation and pray for our enemies, all the while calling souls to the Lord's undying love, to His saving blood.

O reconciler of warring sons, tranquility in the midst of great disturbance, though born of royal blood and married to a king, the Lord you preferred to all the riches of this world, and so His peace became your own – pray we, too, may keep our hearts set upon that which passes not away and the peace which passes understanding; pray our prayers be deep as your own and reflect the same tranquility, that those in our own families and those under our care, all those whom we meet and to whom we relate, may find the Lord's peace dwelling in us with His divine charity and so be reconciled to Him and to one another.

(Zec.9:9-10; Ps.145:1-2,8-11,13-14; Rom.8:9,11-13; Mt.11:25-30) "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." A remarkable confluence of Scripture today, extolling the "great kindness" of our King, who comes to us "meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass," and inviting us to take refuge in Him and in His blessed humility. Yes, upon a beast of burden, upon the young offspring of a beast of burden comes He who bears the burden of all our sins. Not on horse or in chariot does He come, for horse and chariot He casts into the sea: by Him "the warrior's bow shall be banished, and He shall proclaim peace to the nations." It is not the rich and powerful of this world He dies for, it is not their stead in which He stands, for the Lord has "hidden these things from the wise and the learned" of this world and "revealed them to little ones." This we see in the "little one" His Son has become. This we find when we imitate His sacrifice. David's psalm echoes the Lord's own words – "The Lord lifts up all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down" – and Paul says the same when he declares, "The one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through His Spirit that dwells in you." For what is it to "put to death the deeds of the body," that by the Spirit we may live, but to humble ourselves in the sight of God, to bow down before God and men and bear His light burden? For though we be crushed by the weight of labor and persecution in Jesus' name, yet we live eternally in "His dominion [which] shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth." The Lord Jesus states clearly, "I am meek and humble of heart," and like Him, and like His Father, we are called to be. And for the grace of Him who is "compassionate toward all His works" we should "rejoice heartily" with our Savior, who exclaims today, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth"; for all His works "give [Him] thanks" and "[His] faithful ones bless [Him]" for His faithfulness. "A just savior is He," and "the glory of [His] kingdom" and His "might" are known in His mercy, are felt in the comforting hand He stretches forth to lift up the humblest of our kind. "Praise [His] name forever and ever." Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Dust" from The Whole Whale, eighth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, blessed are you, for your Son comes to us in humility that we might come to you in glory. YHWH, you speak of peace to your people, the peace that comes from your Son's humble sacrifice. May we give praise to you, Father, that He has revealed to humble hearts your blessed way. O LORD, help us put to death the deeds of the body, that we shall live in the flesh no more. Let your Spirit overtake our souls, that we might rise with your Son from this fallen earth. We bow down before you, our LORD and our God; raise our heads to praise your NAME forever. Your burden place upon our shoulders, dearest LORD. Your Son's Cross is indeed light for us to bear. For it is He who carries the Cross; it is He who bears the weight of our sin. It is He who takes from us the burden of the flesh and fills us with the Spirit of light and truth. O let us take His Cross upon ourselves and rest in the glory we thus find! Make us your little ones, LORD, humble as the only Son.

(Amos 9:11-15; Ps.85:9,11-14; Mt.9:14-17) "I will bring about the restoration of my people Israel." Of the city of David, the Lord promises, "I will wall up its breaches, raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old." Beautiful imagery is given indeed through the prophet Amos to illustrate the renewal of the land now fallen: "The juice of grapes shall drip down the mountains, and all the hills shall run with it." Indeed, in His great grace the Lord vows, "Never again shall they be plucked from the land I have given them." And so we have prophecy of the New Jerusalem. Our psalm continues such prophecy of the kingdom to come, declaring, "He proclaims peace to His people, and to His faithful ones… The Lord Himself will give His benefits; our land shall yield its increase." Justice and truth shall be known in fullness, even as salvation walks "along the way of His steps." And these steps have been trodden in our midst. Jesus is coming and has come, bringing in Himself the new wine of the New Jerusalem, which courses like a river through all this City's streets. Indeed His Blood flows in our veins now. Indeed we become the new wineskins that hold His abundant goodness, and so are lifted to the kingdom of heaven. John's disciples do not yet understand. If the Lord's own followers have difficulty seeing, it should not be surprising that those who have yet to be baptized in the fire of the Holy Spirit yet find themselves preoccupied with the stipulations of a law that is passing away, a law – so embodied by the Pharisees – which is to be subsumed by the greater Law of love Jesus comes bleeding to bring into our midst. But they shall. There can be little doubt that these followers of John and his baptism will come, with the Lord's own disciples, and be washed in the blood that makes all things new. There is certainty that these, as even some Pharisees, shall "drink the wine" of the New Covenant, even as we do this day. Brothers and sisters, this new wine is upon our altars even this day; before us is set the Blood that washes all clean. It is for our restoration the Lord provides this feast. Let us not refrain from partaking what He has died to bring into our midst, but let us be indeed the new wineskins filled with His Word and His Blood, and declare His salvation unto the nations. ******* O LORD, the wine of your Son's blood renews us; may we be open to receive the blessings He pours upon us. YHWH, you are our salvation; in your Son's flesh let us take our refuge, of His blood let us partake. It is in Him we find our peace, in Him that our house, our own flesh, is rebuilt, redeemed for the kingdom to come, for the New Jerusalem. It is in His walking the earth that truth is known; in Him justice flows down from the heavens. In His skin let us make our home. Your promise is great, O LORD, the promise of eternal life, the promise of bearing your NAME and so being as you are. In Jesus we see that promise before our eyes – send your Spirit to fulfill that promise in our poor lives. O LORD, let us be rebuilt; raise us up from our ruins. It is at your hand we find our food – only by your grace do we live at all. And so, let us return to you and walk with your Son along the way of salvation. And so, let us be wed to you as your faithful ones. In you we place our hope; by you let us be made new.