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Trinity Episcopal Church-DeRidder, LA, 629 N Texas Street, DeRidder, LA (2026)

05/29/2026

Trinity Sunday 2026 Genesis 1-2:4; Psalm 8: 2Corinthians; Matthew 28:16-20

When reading the bible, especially Genesis 1-11, keep in mind that this section of the Book of Genesis is one, written late in Jewish history, probably around the time of the Babylonian exile, and two, these eleven chapters set the tone for the rest of what we call the old and new testaments.

How so? Well, for the sake of this sermon and brevity, throughout the long first reading we are reminded with the verse, 'And God saw that it was good.' That phrase explains the outpouring of Love known to us as God. The phrase describes the goodness and graciousness of the Father the source of all creation. The phrase describes the reason the Father sent his only Son to touch the earth and to assure human beings they are basically good and redeemable despite their choosing to go against Love itself. The phrase finally describes the power of Love termed the Holy Spirit, that Spirit of Jesus who empowers us to put Love above all creatures, who, though created good, are not Love itself.

Trinity Sunday, Three Persons in One community of Love is the core of our belief when we speak of 'God', which is an old English term that falls short of our belief and is the best we can do to describe a higher power Who forever reminds us, despite our short comings, we are created good.

In a state penitentiary sits a minister sentenced to life in prison because of his horrible misdeeds. He has no chance of parole. The question he asked of himself and was asked of him by those he offended, ‘of what good am I?’ That is certainly a valid question; when one knows the crimes he committed it is very easy to ask that question, and certainly have doubts as to what is told us in Genesis. Yet, there came a moment in this minister’s life to state that his life had become unmanageable, that without the higher power he so spoke about on the pulpit while at the same time committing his crimes, he would never have come to realize the Triune God saw that he was good.

The Father in heaven to whom Jesus told us to pray as in the Our Father created the minister as good. Jesus, the only begotten Son of the Father assured the minister through the power of the Holy Spirit that at his core, the minister was good, the minister was redeemable and capable of doing good once he admitted his sin and let go of his own ego, submitting to a Love greater than himself.

Make no mistake about the situation. Those he offended to this day see the minister as pure evil, the devil on earth. His family members fight anger, knowing their son and brother have almost ruined the reputation of other ministers who are now seen as evil monsters. “He acted as if he had no family”, one member lamented. No matter how good they are told God made this man, they are still processing what the word of God says. Some religions would have immediately put the man to death as he had chosen evil; they have no belief in Jesus or the Holy Spirit. You are either good or evil, case closed. Trinity Sunday reminds us as bad as we are, we can never out sin the Father’s love through Christ Jesus.

As this reflection is being written, that minister now practices his calling within the walls of the penitentiary. His fellow prisoners who are now his congregation. We can read the story of creation and argue till we die over creation in seven days or evolution and miss the whole point of what the Holy Spirit is telling us. “And God saw that it was good.” Those words include you and I, not to be taken for granted, but to be a source of hope in our darkest moments.

05/16/2026

7 Easter 2026: Acts 1;Psalm 68; 1Peter 4&5; John 17

We've all heard of the shootings of the eight children in Shreveport and the one young lady in the mall in Baton Rouge. Of course, in our personal lives we know of the moment we got the call, or realized someone we love has died. At those moments it is as if time stands still, grief takes over, we gather with family and friends to try and make sense of it all and figure out how to cope with the loss. That is the circumstance we read of in Acts.

As I have said before, the disciples had high hopes for Jesus. They themselves felt powerful in his presence; they were on the inside of something great in the lives of the Jewish people of the day, seeking power and their own place here on earth. “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” is a question that summarizes their hopes and dreams. To have Jesus hung from a cross in the worst fashion one could be put to death brought unimaginable grief. So, they gathered with one another and with Mary to hide, pray and wonder what is next. They were grieving.

What about grief? One priest told his congregation, “When someone dies, get over it!” My mother came home furious after hearing those words, as her husband, our father had recently died. “Get over it you widows” the priest remarked. “Have you no faith?” he asked. Grief comes from a word meaning ‘heavy laden’ ‘burdened’. The apostles and Mary were grieving, they were burdened at the loss of Jesus and like all who grieve, they gathered together, prayed and wondered what Jesus meant when he said they would receive power when the Holy Spirit comes. The angel tells them to stop looking at the sky and to go to Jerusalem. They did and gathered with their friends to grieve.

For us, grieving is a necessity, like it was for the disciples. When someone we love dies we are burdened at the loss if we really loved that person. Our grief comes out of our love. But what about those who after someone dies just ‘get over it’? I know of several incidents where the spouse after a husband or wife died, are out on the town within a day or so. No grief. It certainly looks cheap. It is as if the widow or widower are happy the other one is gone.

Also, some people manipulate grief. Getting over it takes time, but some people milk that time, using grief as a way to manipulate others, often becoming a burden to children and the like, always using the loss of a spouse as an excuse to get attention.

When the apostles were urged to go to Jerusalem, or when Jesus told them they would receive the Holy Spirit, and when they went to meet their friends to pray and wait, we have an example of the necessity for grief, but also the necessity to know our personal life must go on. As Peter tells us in our second reading, ‘Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. Cast your anxiety upon him as he cares for you because the devil, the evil one will use your loss, your grief to dissuade you and discourage you, hoping you will give up on life.

I might add, you may have heard of Roman Catholics talking about novenas, nine days of prayers dedicated to asking for divine help with a particular problem. Those nine days of prayer have their roots in our reading from Acts where the disciples and Mary gathered, hoping and in anticipation of what will come next now that Jesus is physically gone. It was a custom in those days to grieve for nine days. Why nine? No one knows for sure, but time was set aside to grieve, to gather oneself and in the case of the apostles and Mary, wait and see what this Holy Spirit event would be. There was respect for the deceased and no ‘just get over it’ mentality. Next Sunday is Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church and the grieving disciples find out their purpose in the world, as do we.

05/08/2026

This story is so true, told to me by someone who has witnessed its unfolding. I use it so that perhaps someone reading will see the lady has an example to follow, or, perhaps, bring someone to seek forgiveness from a parent or some elderly person they have taken advantage of.

6 Easter 2026 Acts 17; Psalm 66; 1 Peter 3; John 14: 15-21

In an elementary school there is a teacher who is 85 years old. Why, you ask is she still showing up every day to teach some first graders? Two reasons. One will warm your heart and the second will make you shutter and perhaps help you understand today's scripture readings.

The first reason why she shows up at her age is because she loves what she does. Not only is it that she pours her heart into her work, but also the children love her because as one child says 'she hugs us, and we know she cares for us.' The lady never, ever uses technology as a tool. She uses herself, her blackboard and her ability to give the children personal attention which they crave. “I am old school and I know computers and promethian boards cannot sit with a child, hug a child or wipe a child's tears or give the child a snack if the boy or girl is hungry. I can do that and they love it.”

The second reason she works is because her children, grown children steal from her. Somehow, she says, although I have changed my credit cards, they know how to access them and I get bills of 300 dollars from hotels, shops and eating places to which I never go. My son and daughter take their children to places or they go to places themselves and they charge it to me. My only hope is live my own life as God would want me to. I have no money for lawyers and I cannot figure out how they can get to my money and why they only come to my house to take something.

That elderly lady's life is a perfect example of what our readings are for today. For example in our reading from Peter, Peter tells his fellow Christians, “Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned (that is offended in any way) those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.’ The elderly lady has a clear conscience, that is, a clean heart as she dedicates her life to those children each day, but what is more she dedicated her life to the two children who are now stealing from her. She fed them, she helped with their education, she has baby sat their children and they see her only as someone to steal from.

She is a perfect example of living as Jesus did, for Jesus was put on the cross by many whom he helped. Jesus didn’t just die physically, he died misunderstood. He was crucified because people misunderstood his mission on earth, to spread on earth a taste of the kingdom of heaven. However, he was seen both as a threat to those in power and a failure to those seeking power such as the disciples who followed him. That is why he uttered those haunting words’ Father forgive them they know not what they do.’

Thus the grown children of the 85 year old lady don’t see her as the mother who fed them, clothed them, nursed them when they were ill but see her as an old woman who doesn’t need the money like they do despite their having good jobs. This is where the reality of Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection reveal to us a God who understands us in the darkest of moments when we feel most betrayed.

I would go to work and teach those children no matter what, she says. That is who I am. And when I opened the credit card envelope and saw where my son had charged his vacation hotel and restaurant to my credit card, I put his life into the hands of Jesus who suffered the same loneliness and betrayal. One day, she walked one of those little children having a bad day down to the nurse’s station to see what could be done; the child grabbed her legs and pulled her to the floor, all the while laughing and calling her an old woman. Her response as she got up? “I see you are having a bad day. Let’s go see if we can get you some help.” Hurt by her grown children and the children she loves, she suffers for doing good.

05/03/2026

5 Easter 2026 Acts 7;Psalm 31;1 Peter 2; John 141-14

For those who read the letters of Paul and think they are written by some pointy headed person with no life experience, having nothing to do but make up stuff to play with our minds, you forget who these people in the bible really are. Case in point, at the stoning of Stephen stands a man name Saul. People laid their coats at the feet of Saul because he was in charge of Stephen's stoning. Yes, that Paul who wrote all those letters participated in the killing of Christians such as Stephen, often called the first martyr or witness to the Christian faith. Paul’s writings didn’t come from a make believe world.

Our tendency is to make 'saints' out of people like Saul, later named Paul, as if they were nothing but a bunch of lily pure, intellectuals, with their heads in the clouds. In doing so we miss the grit and the grind, the human part of what we call the bible. As Rabbi David Fohrman wrote when commentating on the story of the fall, 'read it from the perspective of the snake’ and you will get the real message. Read Acts 7 from the viewpoint of Saul, and you will get the true story of what he was like before realizing he was sadly mistaken. Jesus confronts Saul's conscience, puts Saul's macho attitude in perspective. “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” The zeal of Saul to defend his belief led to murder. This zeal was in time channeled to preaching the message of Jesus whom Saul thought to be his enemy. As Anglican Bishop, NT Wright explains in his book Surprised By Hope, that is what happened to Saul when his name changed to Paul.

When we read in John's gospel that Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life, we are not reading words of selfish pride on the part of Jesus. We are reading words that challenge us to the core; to see Jesus as our only hope for decent living. By that is meant we humans have to discipline our egos, our desire to be one up on others, to be in charge or else we are out to destroy as was Saul, not because the Christians like Stephen were destructive, but simply because they did not see things Saul’s way. This day and age it happens within the Christian community among so called religious people who have nothing to do but call Christians who disagree with them heretics, lost souls, tools of satan and worst of all unsaved and bound for hell. Jesus refers to himself as the Way and Truth, not to my denomination or belief system I use to hijack Jesus’ message for all peoples.

There seems to be a bit of Saul in all religious folks, regardless of denomination, some worse than others. When I read people’s reflections on religious affairs there seems to be an air of one up manship, a sort of pride and misguided zeal Paul had. It’s as if the denomination one belongs to is more the truth, way and life than is the Living Christ whose last words we know of were, “Forgive them Father, they know not what they do.” The air of condemnation negates all the fancy prayers, hymns, vestments and other trappings.

At the price of being repetitive, and singing the praises of someone I admire, read the book ‘I Am With You Always’ by Fr. Benedict Groeshel, a man who firmly believed Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life, but also recognized there were many ways, many denominations striving to follow this Jesus. With his doctorates in theology and psychology, along with this staunch Roman Catholic faith, no where in his study of Christianity will you find a demeaning word about any denomination or individual. He was not out to stone his fellow Christians. His proper knowledge of his own faith expression led him only to recognize and respect the search others have in following Jesus as the Truth, The Way and the Life. He reminds us to be less like Saul and more like Paul.

04/26/2026

Father Drew Christenson, Rector of St. Michael's and All Angels Church in Lake Charles shared some personal thoughts about Martha Odom, the girl caught in the cross fire at the Baton Rouge Mall. She was a kind and gentle soul who would speak quietly. She was a generous and caring young lady. Fr. Drew taught her religion at Ascension and remembers her as a special type of person, spiritually grounded. Perhaps, I think, as a photo of her with angel wings suggests, Jesus may have a more important role for her to play in the life of young people and everyone, I suspect. Perhaps if we remember her and even ask her, she may be of spiritual assistance in a far greater role. I would suspect her parents are dazed and befuddled, still waiting for their child to come home safe and sound, waking up not believing the finality of it all. Perhaps, in time, they will with human grief in their hearts also see their Creator having a role for their daughter to fulfill as she looks down from above. May we keep Martha's presence in our lives and the lives of her parents as they work through their grief. Fr. Luke

04/18/2026

I've been asked my opinion on the US vs Iran situation. I have learned that words can get misconstrued, twisted and made to sound far different than what they are meant to convey. So, I just recommend we pray for all governments involved in the conflict, for one. And for another, I am not an expert in Middle East affairs. Fr. Luke.

04/18/2026

3 Easter 2026 Acts 2:14-41;Psalm 116;1 Peter 1;Luke:2413-35

A couple of weeks ago I quoted from an archaeologist, Johannes Quasten, where he tells of the historical fact of Jesus' crucifixion from pagan writings. He often said go to a source outside your belief system to prove your point. Well, I think I mentioned that when you read the scriptures, especially the gospels you will find as much skepticism from Peter, James, John, Thomas etc. as you would from a pagan governor. Today's gospel read from Luke confirms this. The disciples on the road to Emmaus lamented “but we had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel..” They were fixed on Jesus' being crucified and their political hopes dashed.

Jesus pops up in the middle of their conversation and speaks to them of his real purpose. This caused their hearts to burn inside them as they knew him in the breaking of the bread. This is how you and I know him every time the Love Meal or Eucharist is celebrated.

Also, last week we spoke of Christ not being Jesus' last name and our reading from Acts is where we get proof of that when Peter says “God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified” Thus technically speaking we should say Jesus THE Christ, but as we read inn Acts and elsewhere the name Jesus Christ is used.

We also mentioned that the name Jesus The Christ is the basis for some theologians referring to Jesus as the Universal Christ because, as the hymn Amazing Grace tells us, Jesus is as active in being present as Savior today as much as when he was on the cross. In the breaking of the bread we find Jesus as Messiah or Savior available to us every time the words of the Last Supper are spoken. Jesus is for all times and available to be received by all who are open to receiving Him as Messiah, not by the touch of a minister but by the touch of Jesus Himself; as we take Him and He enters our physical body, totally in Communion with us as a Gift of Love, a Gift that need not be analyzed but simply received.

The term Universal Christ is an attempt to tell us not to pigeon hole the person of Jesus, confine him to our mental parameters, saying what He can and cannot do in and through all of creation for all time. Such is the basis of missionary work, to introduce Jesus as Messiah for all peoples, doing so not merely by word but by deed. Missionaries build hospitals, schools as a way of preaching the Good News that Jesus is as Peter says the Father’s gift to us as Lord and Messiah or Savior whereby we are saved from selfishness, pessimism, despair and nothingness, led to live lives that see in everything and everyone a divine imprint.

The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus wherein Jesus comes into their midst and eats with them is a story for all times and all peoples. Each person born walks a certain road filled with doubts, challenges and destinies. The Universal Savior, like the author of the hymn when he realized his despairing life, offers the Holy Spirit to assure us Jesus is our companion, the one who breaks bread with us and, as Peter reminds us ‘we are given a genuine mutual love for one another deeply from the heart.’

The Universal Christ, in short, is explained by Peter’s message wherein he tells us we are born anew by the imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. Those last words, living and enduring, imply Jesus’s as the Word of God is not limited by space and time, but speaks to all ages in and through all of creation be it in a storm that prompted Amazing Grace, or in a breaking of bread wherein Jesus warmed the hearts of the doubtful.

04/03/2026

Easter 2026:Acts 10; Psalm 118;Colossians 3; Matthew 28:1-10

A former neighbor once told me he had no understanding as to why anyone would be so adamant, so obsessed and determined to believe in Easter, or the celebration of Jesus' Resurrection. He went along with it, went to church with the wife and kids, did the easter bunny thing, but couldn't wrap his brain around the importance of some guy supposedly rising from the dead. Well, go back to the early Christians, Peter and Paul in particular, to find two people going from place to place with only one message, Jesus the Christ had risen from the dead and all peoples are given a message of hope and not fear. And belief in Jesus' death and resurrection brings with it forgiveness of sin. Who would make that message up for some earthly reason?

If you notice the New Testament is made up mostly of Paul's Letters to the churches he established. He traveled by foot, by ship and whatever means available to spread one message, Jesus the Christ rose from the dead and that event shapes who we are and what life is about. When one thinks about it, like my former neighbor, how many of us would spend our life doing what Paul did only to get ridiculed, jailed and put to death.

Rationally speaking, Resurrection Sunday makes no sense. Not only that, who in the world would concoct a message such as that? Who in their right mind would come up with such an idea and travel miles and miles to tell people about it? For sure the message and all it implies is counter culture, counter reasoning. We are asked to live in this world as if we were meant for another, all the while our passions our erotic side is calling us to live and be merry for tomorrow we die. Who would make up a message that tells us to curb our senses, not give into our impulses, because our worth is defined by our spiritual longings?

Here is where we wrestle with the Divine. What happens after death? Is this life all that there is? Does the fulfillment of our erotic drives lead us to any kind of happiness or does following our impulses lead us to a loss of self and destructive behavior? Paul had to come to grips with that and when he did, preaching about a resurrected Savior meant he could live in this world a much happier person.

As Peter tells the gentile or non believing Cornelius, God shows no partiality and whoever fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. All are called to live in this world with a higher purpose. In doing so one lives a more healthy and happy life. This is what the Christian Churches were called to do and set an example to the non Christian world. Believing in the resurrection had practical consequences. It was a new way of living for those who freely accepted the message, a message that, in reality, cannot be institutionalized which causes more bickering and back biting, negating the essence of Jesus' purpose, where in the name of Jesus people seek the things that are on earth such as power, prestige, bragging about who is saved and who isn't.

Resurrection Sunday is about what Paul tells the Colossian Church, we through baptism have been raised with Christ and our life is hidden with Christ in God. In other words, we can enjoy the gifts of creation, our erotic desires which are embedded within us, but we do so using them for a higher purpose, not making them gods which leads to our destruction.

We are called each day to begin with the joy Mary Magdalene felt when Jesus asked her why she was weeping, and when she told the disciples, “I have seen the Lord.” I am obsessed with the joy of Resurrection Sunday simply because in my darkest moments when I weep over the burdens, fears and regrets of life, I have the assurance my life has purpose and death does not have the last word.

03/28/2026

Palm Sunday 2026: Isaiah 50:Psalm 31;Philippians 2; Matthew 26 (Passion)

As a student, I often wondered how boring it must be for those people who spend their life plowing through libraries, archaeology sites, research institutes and the like. All kinds of head work, and for what reason? It dawned on me that a professor I had, a priest by the name of Johannes Quasten was one of those kinds of people. I came to appreciate his efforts when I found out the reason he was on this intellectual quest. It was because he wanted to find out if the faith he had and preached to others had a foundation in reality. In short, did Jesus really die and rise from the dead? Is there any historical proof, not only from early Christian sources, but from pagan, Roman sources.? Always, he said, prove your point from outside of your belief system, from a non prejudiced point of view where one may try to prove the theory by manipulating the facts. Thus, I thought it might be helpful to cite some of the sources Dr. Quasten used to let us know the faith we have is not some made up theory without an historical basis. The following is a bit heady, but Jesus’ death was not a feel good event for those who experienced it first hand. Only after they realized its impact did the emotions of joy and hope spring forth.

I know I have spoken on this before, as a former McNeese professor challenged me to show the facts. He passed away before I could show him my sources, but, as all educators desire, here is what I was going to show him from Patrology volume 1 by Johannes Quasten. Patrology meaning a study of the fathers, as in the beginnings of Christianity. On pages 115 and following, Quasten presents his sources. One of his sources is from Justin the Martyr who in his work the Apology says of the passion and crucifixion “And these things happened you can ascertain from the Acts of Pontius Pilate”. Also, according to the historian Tertullian, Pilate made a report to the emperor Tiberius of the unjust sentence of death pronounced against an innocent and divine person; the Emperor so moved by the report of the miracles of Christ and his resurrection that he wanted Christ placed among the gods of Rome.

Thus, the works called the Acts of Pilate, which include his reports to to the emperor, solidify the fact that the crucifixion and resurrection happened as those events are recorded in pagan records and had an effect on even the government officials. However, don’t discount the testimonies of Peter, Thomas and the other disciples who lived with, learned from, and still did not believe. They were not blind followers who, in modern terms, ‘drank the kool aid’. They ran away from him, denied him, tried to talk him out of his mission. They were as bad as or worse than Pilate. The gospels are brutally honest about the skepticism of those closest to Jesus. That skepticism brings with it some objectivity.

Palm Sunday is the beginning of the study or recalling that skepticism during what we call Holy Week, the special week set aside to reflect on our own skepticism which can only be erased by the affirmations of the disciples on the First Day of the Week, Resurrection Sunday, aka Easter Sunday. For anyone who in one way or another has experienced that thin line between hope and despair, existence and non existence, Resurrection Sunday has a far deeper meaning than rabbits, eggs, bonnets and candy. For me, I am thankful people like Fr. Quasten dedicated his life to delving into the most significant event in history. Sad to say its essence is lost in all the arguments or to master money makers. The trick is to tune all of that out and allow Jesus to surprise us as he did his own followers.

03/21/2026

5 Lent 2026: Ezekiel 37;Psalm 130;Romans 8; John 11

In his book Failure of Nerve: Leadership In The Age Of The Quick Fix, Edwin Friedman spends a chapter on the notion of self. Friedman was a Jewish Rabbi as well as a sociologist studying the dynamics of the individual, family, as well as the social structures of synagogues, churches, schools, business and military. The book has one chapter that focuses on the notion of 'self' and the many references to that term as an individual lives in a societal context. We have the sayings of 'know thy self'; 'to thine own self be true'; 'be self confident'; the tension between the 'ideal self', 'social self' and 'real self'; then there is 'just be yourself'. These few references in comparison to 'don't be selfish'. Finally, scripture tells us in Mark 12 'love thy neighbor as thyself'.

So, how do we define self? How do we know we are being ourselves? When are we selfish and when are we selfless? At what point do we know we are confident with our self and not over self confident? All of these definitions, descriptions and suggestions can drive one to go off to 'find oneself’, seeking to feel at home in one’s own skin yet meeting demands of societal living.

Paul in his letter to the Romans gives us a hint as to how we as Christians are able to handle these conflicts within ourselves, conflicts that challenge us as to how to live spiritually in a material world, conflicts that see our humanity and divinity wrestling for first place in our psyche. “To set the mind on the flesh (material world only) is death (spiritual death), but to set your mind on the Spirit (Holy Spirit) is life and peace. He adds ' But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.' In other words in our daily prayer and meditation as we feel the tension within as to what to do, what decision to make, we pray that our conscience be guided not by impulse or the earthly need to belong, but that we be guided by a higher power seeing evil for what it is. Or as Friedman says, we need an immune system that helps us distinguish our true self from our non-self. The Holy Spirit, by prayer and meditation, provides that immune system, even when we are wrong. It’s called a ‘spiritual awakening’ in recovery programs, when the addict regains a sense of self, able to endure pain, able to handle the conflicts of daily life without looking for an escape. Loving one’s neighbor becomes a priority fueled by silent meditation whereby the urge to react to life by self destructive behavior is quieted. The Holy Spirit revives the addict’s sense of self and his or her’s ability to become influential members of society.

Examples are numerous as Friedman points out. Parents may expect children to be their slaves, to follow their business ideas, achieve academic goals the parents desire; husbands and wives may expect their partner to reflect what their mother or father were like; CEOs in business might be closed to suggestions as if employees are mere robots. Respecting the self or individuality of another as I want mine respected is the task of any leader and it takes a Spiritually grounded person to respectfully lead a group of individuals towards a common goal.

Here is where the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead can be applied. Death comes in all forms, physical, emotional, spiritual. We may be as they say 'the walking dead', numb and in loss of one self through our own bad choices, from the abuse of another or absorbed in the challenges of daily living as we see in the gospel reading where Mary says 'If you had been here my brother would not have died.” There is the expectation put on Jesus as expectations are placed on us. However, Jesus sets an example by staying true to who he was. It was the power of Jesus’ relationship with the Father that unwrapped the cloths of death from Lazarus and it is the power of our relationship with Jesus fueled by the Holy Spirit that allows us to rise from the depths of confusion, ‘unbound and let go’, not as a selfish person with a false sense of freedom to do as one pleases, but as a Spirit filled person spreading the message of selflessness to others and finding one’s true self in the process.

Trinity Episcopal Church-DeRidder, LA

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