Sunday’s Readings From The Lectionary Page

The Collect

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Old Testament

1 Kings 19:9-18

At Horeb, the mount of God, Elijah came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”

He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.” Then the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

The Psalm

Dominus illuminatio

1
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom then shall I fear? *
the LORD is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?

2
When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, *
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who
stumbled and fell.

3
Though an army should encamp against me, *
yet my heart shall not be afraid;

4
And though war should rise up against me, *
yet will I put my trust in him.

5
One thing have I asked of the LORD;
one thing I seek; *
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days
of my life;

6
To behold the fair beauty of the LORD *
and to seek him in his temple.

7
For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe
in his shelter; *
he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling
and set me high upon a rock.

8
Even now he lifts up my head *
above my enemies round about me.

9
Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation
with sounds of great gladness; *
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

10
Hearken to my voice, O LORD, when I call; *
have mercy on me and answer me.

11
You speak in my heart and say, “Seek my face.” *
Your face, LORD, will I seek.

12
Hide not your face from me, *
nor turn away your servant in displeasure.

13
You have been my helper;
cast me not away; *
do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.

14
Though my father and my mother forsake me, *
the LORD will sustain me.

15
Show me your way, O LORD; *
lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.

16
Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, *
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and also those who speak malice.

17
What if I had not believed
that I should see the goodness of the LORD *
in the land of the living!

18
O tarry and await the LORD’S pleasure;
be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; *
wait patiently for the LORD.

The Epistle

2 Peter 1:16-19(20-21)

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. [First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.]

The Gospel

Mark 9:2-9

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

ebar.com | The Bay Area Reporter Online

An openly gay man and lesbian woman are among the five candidates vying to become California’s eighth Episcopal bishop. The church announced the list of potential candidates on Monday, February 20.

Both Chicago’s Bonnie Perry and Seattle’s Robert V. Taylor are talented financial administrators with strong experience in congregational renewal and mission outreach. They preside over vibrant, growing churches and both earned their Masters of Divinity Degrees from New York’s progressive Union Theological Seminary. Each is in a long-term partnership.

Congratulations, Bonnie! Like the Oscars, it’s an honor to be nominated.

If elected, it will be California’s gain and Chicago’s loss, because Bonnie is a dynamic priest who’s done a lot of work for congregational development (somnething with which Holy Innocents is very much concerned).

Best of luck to Bonnie and to all the other nominees. Our prayers will be with you all.

Amazon.com: Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation: Books: Parker J. Palmer

Bishop’s Committee meets tonight at Holy Innocents at 7pm. In the course of the last few months, we have been reading Parker Palmer’s Let Your Life Speak, as we worked toward changing the way we thought about “church at Holy Innocents” and “church in general.” Those of us on the committee had been content until soon after Fr. Ted’s arrival to simply discuss the financial challenges we face – that was more than enough for us! But under Ted’s leadership, we’ve all done a lot of thinking and making attempts at personal growth. We all had to come to terms with the fact that we are leaders, not simply sheep in the flock.

Parker Palmer’s book has added a pleasant dimension to the meetings – we start with a reading, discuss it amongs ourselves, have some reflection time, and then move on to business matters.

I’m not sure many of us have passed this along to friends and family in the Holy Innocents community, but the meetings have helped us to shape our thoughts about what we’re about here at Holy Innocents.

Tonight, we finish with the book. It deals a lot with facing fears and recognizing the strength we all carry within ourselves. Here is an excerpt from what we’ll be discussing tonight:

“We have places of fear inside of us, be we have other places as well — places with names like trust and hope and faith. We can choose to lead from one of those places, to stand on ground that is not riddled w/ the fault lines of fear, to move toward others from a place of promise instead of anxiety. As we stand in one of those places, fear may remain close at hand and our spirits may still tremble. But now we stand on ground that will support us, ground from which we can lead others toward a more trustworthy, more faithful way of being in the world.” From Letting Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer.

Also, since we moved the meeting times to the evening hour, we’ve been in the habit of reciting the Night Prayer from the New Zealand Prayer Book. I have come to love this prayer – it is very different from anything in the US BCP, but it’s very moving.

Lord, it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name, we pray. Amen.