The BreadCast

(2Kgs.17:5-8,13-15,18; Ps.60:3-5,7,12-13; Mt.7:1-5) "In His great anger against Israel, the Lord put them away out of His sight." Jesus instructs His disciples today, "If you want to avoid judgment, stop passing judgment." In other words, "Judge not and you shall not be judged." Here is the prerequisite not only for avoiding judgment and condemnation at the hand of God, but also for assisting and healing others, as is our call. If we wish to serve as Christians and remove the speck of sin from others' eyes that they might see in the clear light of the Lord Jesus Christ, first it is certainly necessary that we ourselves see so clearly, that we come to the Lord and have our great sin removed from our souls. Otherwise our desire to help others in their frailty will indeed but turn to judgment of them; first we must recognize the great sinners we ourselves are – and so, that we cannot judge another – before we can find the grace from God to bring Jesus' mercy to others. God alone judges, brothers and sisters, for God alone is good, God alone is pure… the Lord Jesus alone is free from every speck of sin. And God will judge. Believe this. He will send His apostles and prophets forth to bring remission of sins – He has sent His Son to die on the cross that we might be cleansed in His blood – but failing the acceptance and embracing of the call of the Lord, indeed what hope have we of salvation? There is but His righteous judgment remaining for our souls; there is but His chastising Hand to be placed upon us. That God does judge, that He does cast sinful man from His sight, is made evident in exemplary fashion in the fate of our ancestors, the Israelites. "Because the Israelites sinned against the Lord, their God," He cast them into exile at the hand of their enemies. "The Lord warned Israel… by every prophet and seer, 'Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes'"; He sought to turn them from their sins by those whom He had touched, but "they did not listen… They rejected His statutes, the covenant which He had made with their fathers, and the warnings, which He had given them." And so, His pure eye unable to look upon them anymore, He removed them from before Himself. "O God, you have rejected us and broken down our defenses," David cries, and begs the Lord's return to the Israelites' ranks… And how often this must be our prayer because of our foolishness in the sight of the Lord. Brothers and sisters, we have a greater covenant now with the Lord than did the ancient Israelites, for we have a greater than David or Moses or Abraham with us now. And more demanding is He of our purity, of our virtue before Him. For what threatens us now is not mere exile, but the fires of hell; what awaits those who turn from Him now is eternal damnation, and so let us remain faithful to our God. Indeed let us remove the log from our eye that we "will see clearly to take the speck from [our] brother's eye" and so effect the building up of the kingdom of God. The time is now upon us; let us do all we can to remain in His sight. ******* O LORD, remove us not from your sight but remove the plank from our eye. YHWH, judgment is yours alone and it is eminently fair. Where we would condemn out of hand, you are merciful, and cast us from your sight only when we persist in our sin. Help us to see as you see, and to be as you are, that we might remain before you and help others to return to your presence. We are outcasts, LORD, for our sins against you, for our failure to heed your blessed commands. You would save us from such fate as would separate us from you, and so you tell us of the path to tread. But we do not listen. And so we invite your wrath upon our souls; and so, how can we help others? Save us this day, O LORD, from ourselves and from all our enemies. Let us listen to your voice and so enter into your love and the light of your presence. In your land let us dwell, in the land of Heaven, and there let us stay… and to this place let us draw others who seek you in the forgiveness of their transgressions and the following of your way. We have sinned against you, but gather us back into your arms, we pray.

O patron of youth whose innocence was unsurpassed, whose desire to give yourself to the Lord in poverty and purity led you to relinquish your wealth in this world at a tender age that you might embrace Jesus fully – pray for the youth of our day and the child in each of our souls, that all might turn away from the temptations which surround and threaten to enter and enslave; let all turn toward the love of the Lord and His heavenly call, a call to a kingdom that surpasses everything of this earth and brings the joy known only in breathing and speaking His holy Name.

(Jer.20:10-13; Ps.69:8-10,14,17,33-35; Rom.5:12-15; Mt.10:26-33) "For your sake I bear insult, and shame covers my face." Jeremiah "hear[s] the whisperings of many" who seek to "denounce him"; those who "watch for any misstep" plot his destruction: "Perhaps he will be trapped, then we can prevail, and take our revenge on him." Like David he has "become an outcast to [his] brothers, a stranger to [his] mother's children." And for what does he suffer such persecution but for speaking the truth of God's word to his fellow Israelites? As David declares to the Lord, "The insults of those who blaspheme you fall upon me"; both the prophet and the king endure persecution for righteousness' sake. But both prophet and king declare victory in their struggle: "The Lord is with me, like a mighty champion; my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph." Through the power of God it is they who "will be put to utter shame, to lasting, unforgettable confusion." The Lord hears their pleas for help, their prayers come before Him, "for the Lord hears the poor, and His own who are in bonds He spurns not." And so both king and prophet end in joy, in utter hope, as David proclaims, "Let the heavens and the earth praise Him, the seas and whatever moves in them"; and Jeremiah likewise calls all to honor our unfailing God: "Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for He has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked." And, brothers and sisters, in what greater way is this salvation from the grasp of evil better known, more fully realized, than in our Lord Jesus Christ? Paul tells us, "Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and this death came to all men." What greater persecutor have we than death itself? But now "the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many" – now all are saved by Him who has died, and has risen. Its clutches no longer hold dominion. So Jesus exhorts the Twelve, and all who would conquer death and all sin, to "fear no one": "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul." What power has the prince of this world over our immortal souls now that Jesus has come? He can't touch us by his persecutions; and so now we are called to "proclaim on the housetops" what we "hear whispered" by the Lord in our hearts. Now with Jeremiah and David we must fearlessly "speak in the light," for the Lord has made us a promise, and His Word is true – "Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father." But if we deny Him, He will deny us. Therefore, let us be heedless of the shame and the pain we share with our Savior and never fear to declare His truth in love to all. Nothing is greater than the power of His Word. Written, read & chanted, and produced by James Kurt. Music: "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" from Cleansing Human Frailty, fourth album of Songs for Children of Light, by James Kurt. ******* O LORD, let us declare your glory, you who set us free from the bonds of sin and death – you who are our Savior! YHWH, you have raised us from the power of sin and death, from the strength of our persecutors which we could not match. In the bonds of Satan we have been, and under his threat we dwelt in fear. But your Son has come to set us free that we might walk in liberty with Him and proclaim your holy Name to all the earth. Praise you, LORD! Thank you for your goodness to us. Let us live in your light. O LORD, how hopeless we were, trapped in the bonds of death and sin. How could we hope when so oppressed that everywhere we looked we saw but emptiness and fear. But when we called out to you, you heard our plea… and your Son you sent into our midst to save us from all evil. Let us now with great zeal declare your glory, LORD, though it mean we must die for you. For in this death, this dying in your Name, indeed life comes to us once again. To you we entrust our cause, dear LORD, and you are ever faithful. Save all men from the evil one!

(2Chr.24:17-25; Ps.89:4-5,29-34; Mt.6:24-34) "Because you have abandoned the Lord, He has abandoned you." How quickly Joash the king of Judah, who so recently had restored true worship in the temple at Jerusalem, "transgress[es] the Lord's commands." After Jehoiada the priest died, the people "forsook the temple of the Lord, the God of their fathers, and began to serve the sacred poles and the idols." And so, "wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem." So great is their apostasy that not only would they "not listen to [the prophets'] warnings" when they were sent "to convert them to the Lord," but when Zechariah the son of Jehoiada stood up in their midst to call them back to the Lord, "they stoned him to death in the Lord's temple." And so the central place of worship becomes a place of murder. How truly Jesus speaks in today's gospel: "No man can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other or be attentive to one and despise the other." How clearly we see the hatred of God at work in Judah as she embraces false and empty gods. And so Judah becomes like her profligate sister in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. She who is set aside to preserve the temple and the holy city of Jerusalem, who is given yet a share in the inheritance promised David, turns boldly from her call and blessing to despise that which is most her own. And now does her hatred grow. And though she may escape the chastising hand of God a longer time than her sister, God's promise: "If [David's] sons forsake my law and walk not according to my ordinances, if they violate my statutes and keep not my commands, I will punish their crime with a rod and their guilt with stripes," will not be set aside forever, and they shall follow their sister into exile. Brothers and sisters, we must choose the master we shall serve: if the world and its spirit, then you court God's condemnation; if the Lord, then remain faithful with your whole heart and follow His Son unto heaven. It is to heaven He desires your soul to come, but you must trust in Him and remain faithful to His call. For if you leave Him, He cannot but leave you; but if you hold fast to His love, He can do nothing but bless you. Today Jesus, the Son of the Father in heaven, stands up to warn you against the traps of this world and call you into full, living worship of the One God. Will you enter into His love? ******* O LORD, in your House alone let us make our home, and so find your kingship over us, and so find your blessing forever. YHWH, how kind your words to us are; how reassuring you would be. But do we listen to you; indeed, can we hear you at all? O heavenly Father, you know all that we need, and so would provide for us all things if we but followed in your way – but who among us has any faith? O LORD, do we not rather fret over the passing things of this earth? Do our hearts not turn quickly to false gods, abandoning you and true worship to feed our bellies, to save the flesh? And what can we be but destroyed like the grass of the field if we have no more sense, no more faith, no more love for you than a lifeless statue? Woe to us as we turn from you, for you are our very life, and without your Spirit quickly we die… quickly we die. Let us seek holiness, LORD, let this be our goal, our call, our only desire. Let us hope for you alone and for your heavenly kingdom, and we shall be blessed, and we shall remain in your House forever.

O sign of perfect solitude who heeded so well the Lord's command to enter into your closet in order to pray, whose great measure of self-denial led you to the peak of contemplation in God's holy presence, whose only desire was that souls might draw close to Him – pray all who seek the Lord may approach Him with a whole heart, a heart set on Him alone, that in such perfect devotion all might find Him present in their souls, in their spirits, and be elevated in their lowliness to His indescribable divine love, to His peace which passes all our understanding but draws us ever closer to His wounded side.

(2Kgs.11:1-4,9-18,20; Ps.132:11-14,17-18; Mt.6:19-23) "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is good, your body will be filled with light; if your eye is bad, your body will be in darkness." And "how deep the darkness" is upon Athaliah. For her eye is evil, her "light is darkness," as so desperately she seeks to "lay up for [herself] an earthly treasure" by unjust and murderous means. Seeing that her son, the king of Judah, has died, she attempts to hold on to his crown by killing all the rightful heirs to his throne, caring more for the things which "moth and rust corrode" than for the righteousness of God. And she succeeds, though only briefly, as, true to the words of our gospel today, "thieves break in and steal" the kingship she has herself stolen away. And how great is her woe upon seeing all she has so anxiously and vainly sought removed from under her sight. How deep indeed is her darkness, deeper than the death she is about to endure. In our psalm today we are reminded of the promise the Lord has made with David, king of all Israel: "If your sons keep my covenant and the decrees which I teach them, their sons, too, forever shall sit upon your throne." For in Zion the Lord vows to "place a lamp for [His] anointed," and declares that upon His chosen one His "crown shall shine." This crown, this lamp, is for all the Lord's children to receive, to shine forth in His holy presence. All who keep to His ways shall know such blessing. But, clearly, those who turn away lose the light the Lord deems to give to us as followers of His One Light, Jesus Christ. And however boldly or by whatever anxious means we attempt to hold on to it, it shall be removed from us like the passing day. Only remaining in Him are we saved. In our first reading the people, led by Jehoiada the priest of God, renew the covenant "by which they would be the Lord's people." Terribly they have fallen from it and its grace and seek to regain what has now, and so often, been lost. Continually, in fact, the Israelites fell away from the Lord's command and so were abandoned to their sins – thus necessitating the coming of Christ – but continually the Lord returns them to the light when they return to Him, until finally Jesus does come. Let us not be as the Israelites have been, brothers and sisters, so easily led into darkness and error, so easily seeking to look upon the evil of this earth. The Lord has come now to lead us away from just such things and give us a light that never fades. It is for us to remain with Him. Let your eye be sound, and so let His wisdom shine through you, O blessed one. ******* O LORD, let us shine like your Son in your heavenly kingdom. YHWH, upon what are our hearts set? Are they set on you and the doing of your will? Do we seek indeed your kingdom? Or do we look to gain whatever we can of earthly treasure, and so set ourselves in opposition to your law of love? You alone are King; your Son alone is the rightful heir to all. Let us place Him upon the throne of our hearts and rejoice at your presence there. How evil man can be, O LORD, how blind and desperate in his selfishness. Into such grave darkness can we fall when we set our hearts on the things of this world. But how vain power and riches are; how quickly they come to an end, for these are not ours but yours alone, and they return to you at the end of the day. And so, if we would hold to them, we would find ourselves fighting you… and that is a battle we cannot win. O LORD, have mercy on your people! Take not your light from our midst – make us your very dwelling place. Let your light shine forth from all your children as they set their hearts on Heaven.

(Sir.48:1-14; Ps.97:1-7,12; Mt.6:7-15) "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Our psalm sings of the greatness of our God; in our first reading we hear of how this greatness was revealed in the prophets Elijah and Elisha; and in the Lord's Prayer we call for this greatness to be present in our midst. "Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes round about," our psalmist declares in praise of God. "His lightnings illumine the world." How great indeed is He: "The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth." Nothing stands before His glance, for "justice and judgment are the foundation of His throne," and this world is held in His all-powerful Hand. And how well this greatness is brought to bear by His holy prophets. We are told, "Like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah whose words were as a flaming furnace." The consuming power of the Lord is indeed revealed in him, for "by God's word he shut up the heavens and three times brought down fire." He "brought a dead man back to life from the nether world, by the will of the Lord… sent kings down to destruction," and finally was "taken aloft in a whirlwind, in a chariot with fiery horses." How the Lord blesses His holy ones! How He reveals His greatness in them! And of Elisha it is said, "Nothing was beyond his power… In life he performed wonders, and after death, marvelous deeds." There is no end to the power the Lord provides to His children, for there is no end to His power, and this power He would share with all. Thus does the Lord encourage us to call upon the majesty of God our Father to be with us, to feed us each day, that His Name might indeed be praised, that His holiness might be revealed in His chosen ones. And to avoid His wrath, and to share in His power, what must we do? What is the central call of this all-powerful, all-holy Lord? Forgiveness. His grace is power, and grace and mercy we must share with all to share that power which has no end. Trust in Him who holds you in His Hand, brothers and sisters. And His mighty Hand you shall see at work in the course of your day, and the fire of His grace shall pour upon your soul. ******* O LORD, let your power be upon us, the power of your merciful love. YHWH, you are all-good and all-powerful, and those who share your goodness share in your power. Let your kingdom come upon us; there let us dwell with you. We pray to be forgiven all our sins that your Spirit might be with us. But we know, O LORD, for your Son has taught us, that if we are to come into your presence and share in your power and wonder, first we must forgive our neighbor – even our enemy we must love. Those who sin against us indeed become as our enemies, but your mercy we must share with them if we are to know your grace at work in our souls. Separated from you, all die, but in your light all are brought to life: let all souls come into your kingdom. Let thy holy will be done, O LORD, in all your prophets, in all your disciples. Your power, your love, make known in all who bear your NAME. What should we fear if you are with us? Let your Word be spoken through us and His blood course through our veins. Let all peoples see your glory.

(2Kgs.2:1,6-14; Ps.31:20-21,24-25; Mt.6:1-6,16-18) "As they walked on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses came between them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind." Jesus instructs us in our gospel, "Whenever you pray, go to your room, close your door, and pray to your Father in private." This prescription the holy prophet Elijah fulfills in our first reading when he miraculously crosses the Jordan River and enters the wilderness, out of the sight of the prophets who remain standing on its other side. Elisha, too, he would have remain apart, but this holy man determines to stay with his father in faith. And so as their prayer becomes secret, as their conversation of God becomes hidden and private, even then Elijah is taken in flames of holy fire from the sight of men; even then he ascends to heaven. And though so otherworldly, the eyes of Elisha witness the hand of God lifting the prophet from our midst. Brothers and sisters, can you see that this is as what happens with us when we pray to God in our private rooms? David in his psalm declares, "How great is the goodness, O Lord, which you have in store for those who fear you, and which, toward those who take refuge in you, you show in the sight of men." When we "hide… in the shelter of [His] presence… screen[ed]… within [His] abode," He reveals Himself to us in His glorious might, He lifts us up to heaven where He dwells. As He blesses those who keep their alms secret and repays those whose fasting is hidden, so He anoints the prayers of His children who find Him in the recesses of their hearts. From this wilderness, from this desert place, He lifts us to see the encompassing shining of holy light. The quiet place is within your soul; the kingdom of heaven is within you. Converse with the Lord quite readily, quite faithfully, in this hidden place, and all shall be revealed to your eyes. Stay with Him; do not leave His side, and all your requests shall be filled in His blessed generosity. And His cloak He shall place upon you, His cross He shall lay across your shoulders, and the great blessings of heaven will be your own. "Love the Lord, all you His faithful ones! The Lord keeps those who are constant." And all humble souls He raises to the throne of God. ******* O LORD, let us hide ourselves in you, that you might carry us to Heaven. YHWH, let us enter into your presence hidden within us; into this wilderness let us come that we might meet with you and you might bless us, and take us to Heaven. Hear our prayer this day. LORD, you alone are our refuge, you alone are our glory and our peace – you are our only desire. Let us not seek the approval of this world or the praise it may give, but look always only to serve you, to love you, with all our might… and let all our might be only of you. Let it be you who work miracles in our life. Take all we have, LORD; we ask nothing in return but to be with you. Quietly let us come to you who dwell in the purest silence, apart from all the vain distractions of this world. You are quite above this dreadful place, though you come to dwell with us even here. In you let us transcend all the emptiness that surrounds us, even as we walk with you. O LORD, let us never leave your side that we might come to be where you are.

(1Kgs.21:17-29; Ps.51:3-6,11,16; Mt.5:43-48) "Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me." We have hope, brothers and sisters; we have hope that the very depths of our sin and depravity against the Lord shall be forgiven, and we shall be made new, washed in His blood. For the Lord "sends His rain on the just and the unjust," and this He proves today in our readings. The Lord forgives David his "blood-guilt," he who has committed the dual sins of adultery and murder; and Ahab, too, of whom it is said, "No one gave himself to the doing of evil in the sight of the Lord as did Ahab," finds a measure of His mercy. Indeed, if there is reconciliation of these sinners with the Lord God, then even we must have hope of the Lord's grace at work within us. The Lord is He who loves even His enemies, whose "sun rises on the bad and the good" alike, whose arm is not shortened, whose love knows no bounds – for has He not gone so far as to die on the cross as a common criminal, as the worst of sinners, to redeem all from their sins? But to receive such grace and mercy how must we come to Him? It is clear both in our first reading and in David's great psalm that forgiveness is not obtained in a casual manner. To find it, we must imitate our sinners in their repentance as we have mirrored them in our sin. For Ahab when he heard the condemnation of the Lord upon his house "tore his garments and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh"; he did not hesitate to "acknowledge [his] offense" before the Lord and all the people. And recognizing that his "sin is before [him] always," David comes begging the Lord, "Turn away your face from my sins, and blot out all my guilt," seeking the compassion he knows only God holds. And this trust in His mercy the Lord sees; this declaration of sin the Lord hears. It is because Ahab "humbled himself before [Him]" and because David proclaimed openly his guilt that God has mercy on their lives. And we must join them just so in our own repentance to find that same mercy and kindness. More than this, brothers and sisters. To more than this are we called now, my friends. For like the Lord Himself we are commanded to be – to show such mercy as He. The blood of Christ now outpoured, and it having poured upon our souls, we must now see that it is shared with all. We do that by shedding our own blood, by sharing that same love with everyone, indeed even with our enemies, as with us the Lord has done. And so our freedom from sin is made complete in His heavenly presence. ******* O LORD, is it not only fair that we should love our enemies since you have loved us who have done such evil in your sight, even having your Son die for our sins? YHWH, free us all from bloodguilt, for we are all guilty of shedding your Son's blood; we are all sinners in your sight. Yet you love us, and offer forth your forgiveness as we repent before you – though we have been your enemies, you make us your friends. Help us to receive such grace from you, and to share it with others. Your mercy pour upon us, LORD; each day let us come to you and find your cleansing rain. For continually our hearts turn from you… sinners we remain, and your healing grace ever we need to come into your presence and find your all-encompassing love. Have mercy on us, LORD, have mercy! And let us answer your call to show your love and mercy in our lives. The light you impart to us let us shine upon all souls. O what a great grace you offer us, LORD! to be as you are, to love as you do – to be perfect even as you. Let us find such grace at work in us; let it be all we desire.

(1Kgs.21:1-16; Ps.5:2-3,5-7; Mt.5:38-42) "I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you." How divergent are the paths of Jezebel and Jesus. This Queen of Israel, wife of Ahab, holds the philosophy that if someone won't give you what you ask for, take it by force; whereas the Lord says if someone wishes to take something from you, give it and more. Here are the way of the world and the way of heaven in stark contrast. When as a petulant child Ahab refuses to eat after not getting what he wants, his wife plots the death of Naboth to obtain the king's desired land. She truly is among "the bloodthirsty and the deceitful the Lord abhors." Jesus and those who follow Him are they whom the Lord loves. Far from stoning the righteous man to death, they themselves are the righteous who shed blood freely at the hands of their enemies. Both the wicked Jezebel and the just Jesus go beyond the old law: "An eye for an eye, a tooth for tooth." She takes an eye and a tooth when none has been taken from her, going thus below the law; but Jesus says, "Offer no resistance to injury," going thus above the law. Where He fulfills the law in love, she makes a mockery of God. We hear these mutually exclusive paths spoken of even literally today. Jesus instructs His disciples: "Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him two miles," encouraging His followers on the same way of suffering He models for all – a way revealed most clearly in His carrying of the cross to the hill of Golgotha; and our first reading tells us that "on hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it," walking quite a different path of blood. Brothers and sisters, it should be obvious that God "delight[s] not in wickedness; no evil man remains with [Him]." He indeed "destroy[s] all who speak falsehood" – the justice of God they shall not escape. But let it be equally obvious that we must follow the Lord's words in turning the other cheek. His are not mere platitudes but necessary instructions for finding the way to God He Himself walks. If we do not walk where He has walked, how can we come to the place He now is? Do not think you will come to heaven along an easy path, much less a wicked one. You will obtain the vineyard of heaven only by drinking the blood of Christ where you are, only by laying down your very life here in this world. ******* O LORD, let us leave behind all the wickedness of this world and join in your Son's holy sacrifice of love. YHWH, let us leave the way of the wicked far behind and walk only in the path you mark out for us. In your Son's blood let us make our home, that there shall be no blood upon our hands. Let us lay down our lives with your Son, turning the other cheek to those who would harm us, to those who would slap us in the face. Yours is the way of forgiveness and love, of sacrifice in the name of goodness, in your NAME, O God. Keep us from the path of the world, LORD, for it is one of evil, of use and abuse of neighbor, of the shedding of his blood, the blood of the righteous Man. O let us not have Jesus' blood on our hands! LORD, we are all sinners, but if we turn to you, you save us from such sin as would condemn our souls. But if we harden our hearts against your love, if we seek only our own gain, and at others' expense, choosing to remain blind to your Son's Cross of sacrifice, which is our only hope of salvation… we can only be destroyed. Help us to give all to others, to answer your call to love.