The Collect

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ?s glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Old Testament

1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20)

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. The word of the LORD was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.

At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The LORD called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, `Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” [Then the LORD said to Samuel, “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. For I have told him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be expiated by sacrifice or offering forever.”

Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” He said, “Here I am.” Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, “It is the LORD; let him do what seems good to him.”

As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was a trustworthy prophet of the LORD.]

The Psalm

Psalm 63:1-8 Page 670, BCP
Deus, Deus meus

1
O God, you are my God; eagerly I seek you; *
my soul thirsts for you, my flesh faints for you,
as in a barren and dry land where there is no water.

2
Therefore I have gazed upon you in your holy place, *
that I might behold your power and your glory.

3
For your loving-kindness is better than life itself; *
my lips shall give you praise.

4
So will I bless you as long as I live *
and lift up my hands in your Name.

5
My soul is content, as with marrow and fatness, *
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips,

6
When I remember you upon my bed, *
and meditate on you in the night watches.

7
For you have been my helper, *
and under the shadow of your wings I will rejoice.

8
My soul clings to you; *
your right hand holds me fast.

The Epistle

1 Corinthians 6:11b-20

You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, “The two shall be one flesh.” But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

The Gospel

John 1:43-51

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Nathanael replied, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.” And he said to him, “Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

The Episcopal Diocese of Washington has started a blog for discussion of the NBC series: Blog of Daniel

The series premieres tomorrow night, and has sparked controversy and plenty of news items. We’ll have something new to talk about at coffee hour – see you there!

A television series about an Episcopal priest that premieres this Friday is generating a lot of interest – and a lot of controversy.

On the interesting side, “The Book of Daniel” features a man of God who struggles with personal demons, family conflict, parish problems, and a more conservative (but female) bishop. Also, his best best friend Jesus often drops by for a chat.

On the controversial side, at least one prominent conservative religious group has organized a letter-writing and emailing campaign to protest the series, claiming that the series “mocks Christianity.” Which is ironic, when you consider the gulf that divides conservative and progressive Christians over most issues – this particular group is more interested in objecting to the portrayal of a (secondary) gay character in a positive way than defending Episcopal priests from being portrayed as human, fallible, or conflicted.

They are very quick to condemn Daniel’s addiction to painkillers and his wife’s fondness for her afternoon martinis. They disapprove of the They also have a problem with the way the “very unconventional white-robed, bearded Jesus” is portrayed. However, from all reviews I’ve read, Jesus is shown to be a kind, supportive figure who refuses to be Daniel’s fortuneteller, but who offers him insights and friendship.

It’s up to each of us to decide for ourselves whether this series is worth watching. It may turn out that it’s just not that good – in that case, it will end its short run of 8 episodes and no one will care. On the other hand, it might turn out to be compelling, thought-provoking, and even entertaining, as it’s billed as a comedy-drama.

The cast includes Aidan Quinn as Daniel, Ellyn Burstyn as Bishop Congreve, and occasionally Phyllis Diller appears as one of Daniel’s parishioners (I bet she’s a lot of fun at potluck suppers).

Here’s a description of the show from the NBC website:

Emmy nominee Aidan Quinn (?An Early Frost,? ?Plainsong,? ?Legends of the Fall?) stars as Reverend Daniel Webster, an unconventional Episcopalian minister who not only believes in Jesus – he actually sees him and discusses life with him. Webster is challenged on many levels as he struggles to be a good husband, father and minister, while trying to control a nagging addiction to prescription painkillers, and an often rocky relationship with the church hierarchy, led by Bishop Beatrice Congreve (Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn, ?Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,? ?Requiem of a Dream?), Roger Paxton, a senior warden of the parish and stalwart churchgoer (Dylan Baker, ?Kinsey,? ?Happiness?).

The reverend also has loving, but challenging relationships with his three children: Peter (Christian Campbell, ?Trick?), his 23-year-old gay son, who struggles with the loss of his twin brother; Grace (Alison Pill, ?Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen?), his 16-year-old daughter who doesn’t try to push her father’s buttons but succeeds at it nonetheless; and Adam (Ivan Shaw, ?All My Children?), his 16-year-old adopted Chinese son, a handsome and cocky high school jock with a wicked sense of humor. Keeping Webster grounded is his strong and loving wife Judith (Susanna Thompson, ?Now and Again?), who is fighting her own fondness for mid-day martinis, as well as Jesus (Garret Dillahunt, ?Deadwood?), whose frequent chats with Daniel serve to remind him of his strengths and weaknesses.

“The reverend?” Well, it’s rare that the entertainment industry gets the details right on the proper way to refer to an Episcopal priest. For unintentional comedy alone, this may be an interesting series to watch. It’s generating a lot of heat, but what is more interesting is the issues that it raises.

Some of us may be troubled by the rather excessive number of challenges Daniel faces, but no one has ever said that the life of a man or woman of God is easy, or that perfection is a requirement for the clergy.

The pilot for the new series was shot in Pasadena, Calif., at All Saints Episcopal Church to the great delight of the congregation.

?How cool is it that a progressive Episcopal priest has a shot at being a prime-time drama protagonist,? says the Rev. Susan Russell, associate rector. ?How surprising might it be to many who tune in to find out there actually is a church where women can be bishops ? clergy can be human ? and there?s enough good news around to extend to everybody?? NBC has ordered 13 episodes.