My college-age sons don't go to church. The fact is that although they grew up coming to church and being in the youth group, the world presents a pretty confusing face of Christianity to them. They are, understandably, having a difficult time seeing what people do in the world in the name of Christianity and reconciling that image to what they grew up thinking of Christianity.

Today's reading gives us instructions, though, in how we as Christians are supposed to act. Peter says to "(a)lways be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." If Christians actually did this, my sons may not have as many problems with being Christians in today's world.

When I meet someone who seems perpetually happy, or kind, or gracious, I wonder if they are a Christian who lives Peter's teachings. I want to be that person. I want to be the kind of Christian that no one ever questions about my motives or why I am the way I am. I want to be a "Peter" Christian. I want to be able to tell anyone why I hope, or why I'm happy, grateful or whatever. I would love for them to ask me to give me an opportunity to tell them about God's boundless love for me. And I would love to tell them with the greatest of love and respect. So that they too can feel what I have felt.

Unfortunately, I'm not quite there yet. It may be a constant struggle throughout my life to leave aside my petty complaints, such as "Man, I worked hard today" or "Traffic was awful" or whatever I may use to forgive myself for my behavior. But, I will keep working on it because the end result is so worth it.

Today is Thanksgiving.

The great irony of the day is, of course, that very little thanksgiving will actually take place! There will be plenty of cooking, eating, and watching sports. But in terms of actually giving thanks, that will most likely be relegated to a single prayer said by a single person, a brief and customary tradition rather than an appropriately extravagant expression of thanks and praise to God.

The opening verses of today’s reading from James are instructive. They speak of giving God the proper place in our lives; of acknowledging our complete and total dependence on Him. If on Thanksgiving Day we enjoy the bounty before us without intentionally stopping, and with great focus and clarity, recognizing that it is only by God’s grace that we are enjoying such things, then we are guilty of committing the sin James describes here.

The second half of today’s reading from James, beginning in Chapter 5, talks about another very important way we acknowledge God’s place in our lives and practicing what he wrote about in the previous verses: To the best of our knowledge, we live right.

And I’d suggest that perhaps the greatest way we give thanks to God for all He has done for us is to do just that: to live in harmony with the ways and will of God. So another thing we might do on Thanksgiving Day is spend some time considering “how should we then live”.

An important way of doing that is to remember. It is to remember all the ways we have been blessed. Then we can begin to think about how we can share similar blessings with others. Otherwise, today just becomes another instance of our living a self-centered, comfortable life style marked by over consumption and excess.

So I have a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, but I also have a lot to think about. Maybe you do too?

I really like today's reading. Peter portrays the church as a living, spiritual house, with Christ as the foundation and cornerstone and each believer as a stone. This portrayal is very similar to Paul's portrayal of the church as a body with Christ as the head and each believer as a body part.

Both portrayals emphasize community. One stone is not a temple or even a wall just as one body part is useless without the others. In today's society, a very individualistic society, it is easy to forget our interdependence with other Christians.

In addition to Christian community, this passage points out the importance of Jesus Christ in our lives. When one builds a structure, what is the stone that really is important? Peter pronounces in his writing that Christ himself is that stone. However, Jesus is also called "the stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." Some stumble over Christ because they reject him or refuse to believe that he is who he says he is. People who refuse to believe in Christ are making the greatest mistake of their lives. They stumble over the one being who could save them and give meaning to their lives. Psalm 118:22 says, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,".

In closing, let's ponder a couple of questions that I feel summarize today's reading. What can you do, or what can I do, to affirm or build up someone? Who do you know that has had difficulty believing the gospel? What can you do, or what can I do, to help them believe?

Wishing you much success in your walk with Christ,
Richard Leach

I've been thinking a lot about Father Rob's sermon on Sunday. The one where he talked about his "crisis" as a decision about his life... is he happy with it? Is he committed and came back with a resounding "I'M ALL IN!" I'm hoping that those that heard that sermon really take some time to think about that message - are you happy with it? Do you like the way it turned out? What do you need to do to be truly happy? Are you committed to God? How do you live that out? Are you ALL IN?

In 1 Peter I like so much the first verse of this passage - "prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed." Are we prepared for action? Do we act? Do we act on that which is truly important? Are we involved in those things in the world that really make a difference? Are we All IN? Are we wholly committed to God and His work in the world in whatever fashion we are able? Are we a part of St. Matthews - is there more we can do to help, to really make a difference in the world around us. Is the work that we can do together as a community one that will make us finally feel completely satisfied and completely ALIVE - that feeling that like we are on top of the world for the first time? We finally found out niche, our ministry, our gift, the one that when we really give that gift back to God through ministry, we actually do make a difference in the lives of others and discover that our own lives have changed for the better? Are we prepared for action? Do we take action? Are we ALL IN???

“Father,” Langdon said, his tone challenging, “we’re all familiar with the Revelation of Saint John and the literal meaning of the Apocalypse, but biblical prophecy hardly seems—”

“Oh, heavens, the Book of Revelation is a mess!” the dean said. “Nobody knows how to read that."

In this scene from Dan Brown's latest thriller, The Lost Symbol, Professor Robert Langdon and the Reverend Colin Galloway engage in a classic scriptural debate: just what on Earth (or in Heaven) does this book mean? Is Revelation in fact a divine message or just a godawful mess?

Much of the action in The Lost Symbol hinges on the tension between the literal interpretation of codes and ciphers, and the layers of true meaning which underlie the literal. For thousands of years many have tried to read John's Revelation as a coded guide to unfolding history. Numerous schemes have sought to decipher the number '666' to reveal the name of a pope, a potentate, or a president. All, thus far, in vain, because at the heart of all the would-be mapmaking and codebreaking is a desire to do what is plainly warned against here in chapter 22: to add manmade words to the divine Word.

This is the end of The Book. There will be no further words of Holy Scripture. Enough has been written and the message now goes out to the seven churches in Asia (Minor) and from them to the wider Church: Come. Here is your share in true life and in the community of all the saints. Come as you are--no more but no less. Just Come.

"The Apocalypse is not the end of the world, but rather it is the end of the world as we know it."
--Peter Solomon, in Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol

Even so, Come quickly Lord Jesus. Maranatha!

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>At this time of year, things are getting shinier. In the stores, the Christmas retail push has started. We are all attracted to shiny things. Glitter can be entrancing.

John, in this final chapter of Revelation is being shown the future by an angel. Angels are wonderful beings in Scripture. They come from the presence of God and yes, sometimes they are spoken of having shiny garments. They frequently have to say first, “fear not,” because they, well, scare people. They are impressive and awesome.

This angel showed John what would take place as the world we know would come to an end. John fell down to worship at the feet of the angel. Would the angel accept John’s worship? After all, angels are not human. They are special messengers of God. But wait! The angel told John. Don’t worship me! I am a fellow-servant with you!

The angel knew. We all serve God. Some of us are more- angelic? Shiny? Glorious? And some of us are plain. But God’s most faithful servants are humble in their knowledge that we all are equal and serve God as equals.

When I think of a humble servant I think of Harry and his potato soup. Harry was a wonderful, godly man at our church when I was a teenager. He was a good, loving, humble person who never basked in the spotlight. His family had the custom of having families over to share potato soup. There was nothing too glamorous about that but we all, as fellow servants, shared and served together. In humility as fellow servants, let us serve God together and worship Him only.

Can you imagine life without light? Of course not. Life as we know it needs light to thrive. Green plants need sunlight for photosynthesis, and animals depend on greed plants for food and oxygen. But it’s not just a matter of physical survival. Let makes it possible for us to see. It lifts our spirits. It brings out the beauty of the colors around us.

Can you imagine life without water? Of course not. Life as we know it needs water to thrive. Without water, living things shrivel up and die. But it’s not just a matter of physical survival. Think of how enjoyable it is to drink a glass of ice cold water when you are feeling parched from working hard in the hot sun. Now that’s refreshing!

In sum, light and water are needed for life. And it is for that reason that they are picked up here in this passage as symbols of God’s power not just to sustain life but to cause it to blossom and flourish. The point is that the way of Jesus is the way of Life, of life in abundance, life to the full.

We are, of course, confronted with a variety ways to do life each and every day. Many of these ways compete with the way of Jesus and seek to replace it. Many of these ways of destroy or denigrate life rather than cherish and encourage it.

A good exercise might be to make a list of ways that compete with the way of Jesus, and then think of how they entice us to follow them. Some examples might be the way of perfectionism, the pursuit of bigger and better and more and more, the way of impersonalizing others for own ends, or demonizing those with whom we disagree, and so on. None of these are the way of Jesus, and none promote the life he died to bring.

Will you and I choose this day to walk in the way of Jesus, to be people who bring light to a world that often lives in darkness, and refreshment to a dry and weary land where there is no water?