Deacon Jared Jared Johnson

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2:1-11WHEN THE DAY of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontos and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."




































It feels like just a few years ago, but I think we’re heading on two decades. It just a couples years before Thomas came home. Beth and I spent a week touring Paris with Beth’s sister Becky. I have to say Paris was amazing and that I’d go back in a heartbeat, but one of the most interesting parts of our trip - something that was a bit unique - was the timing. You see, it was 2003 and we landed in Paris on the same day that President George W. Bush launched the US’s invasion of Iraq. It was the beginning of our nation’s military response to 9/11, which you could say finally ended just last year with our withdrawal from Afghanistan. The US launched that invasion with support from an international coalition that included the United Kingdom, Poland, and Australia, but we weren’t in England, Poland, or Australia. We were in France. And France had taken a stand against our invasion.
I remember seeing posters at bus stops with French headlines reading “Guerre Bush” or Bush’s War. I have photographs of the protestors outside the US Embassy and French police lining up in riot gear including bulletproof shields shields and batons, all standing at the ready, waiting to keep the peace by force if necessary. I don’t remember any personal trouble related to our presence as American tourists in Paris, but I do remember one time, as I was browsing a little gift shop, the owner of that shop had the radio playing.  It was a talk show, and I couldn’t understand a thing, of course, because the announcer and his guest were speaking French, but then in the middle of his monologue, I heard two English words and I had to laugh because I knew exactly what they were talking about. Those words were: “Freedom Fries.”
You see, in reaction to the French pushback to our invasion, some Americans had decided to shun anything French. And that included the most popular fast food side dish in America, French Fries. And so a small number of restaurants and the Congressional Cafeteria renamed French Fries as Freedom Fries. Forget the fact that French Fries were invented in America, that “French” in the name is a reference to a style of cutting, not the country. But who ever really started saying “Freedom Fries.” It was 100% a stunt. And a laughable one, at that.
But 2003 was notthe first time Americans had decided to change the names of their foods to reflect their negative feelings about other ethnicities. Have you ever heard of “Liberty Cabbage” or “Libe

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 16:16-34IN THOSE DAYS, as we apostles were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by soothsaying. She followed Paul and us, crying, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation." And this she did for many days. But Paul was annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I charge you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of gain was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market place before the rulers; and when they had brought them to the magistrates they said, "These men are Jews and they are disturbing our city. They advocate customs which it is not lawful for us Romans to accept or practice." The crowd joined in attacking them; and the magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods. And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely. Having received this charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and every one's fetters were unfastened. When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried with a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." And he called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out and said, "Men, what must I do to be saved?" And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their wounds, and he was baptized at once, with all his family. Then he brought them up into his house, and set food before them; and he rejoiced with all his household that he had believed in God.
JOHN 9:1-38At that time, as Jesus passed by, he saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him. We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night comes, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." As he said this, he spat on the ground and made clay of the spittle and anointed the man's eyes with the clay, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means Sent). So he went and washed and came back seeing. The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar, said, "Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?" Some said, "It is he"; others said, "No, but he is like him." He said, "I am the man." They said to him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, 'Go to Siloam and wash'; so I went and washed and received my sight." They said to him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know. They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. The Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to

The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. (2:1-12) At that time, when Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that He was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, not even about the door; and He was preaching the Word to them. And they came, bringing to Jesus a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had made an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now, some of the scribes were sitting there, reasoning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” And immediately Jesus, perceiving in His spirit that they thus reasoned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you reason thus in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your pallet and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” – He said to the paralytic – “I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.” And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all. So that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

































Today we read the story of the paralyzed man who was healed in Capernaum. It is also the day we remember St. Gregory Palamas, the 14th century priest and monk remembered for defending the Orthodox practice of hesychasm, or “stillness.” In preparing this for this short homily, I spent time reading St. Gregory’s homily on this same gospel passage, delivered just like this one, on the second Sunday of Lent. There was a moment as I was reading when St. Gregory talks about hearing two weeks ago about the Last Judgement, and then last week about Adam and Eve’s expulsion from paradise, and I realized that 700 years ago these same Sundays of the Triodion and of Great Lent were already in place. Little did he know that a couple centuries later he would be remembered specifically on this day. I am not going to tell his story today, but by way of honoring his memory, I will be leaning very heavily on the sermon he delivered on this day all those 700 years ago.
All three synoptic Gospels contain this story and place it near the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus has come to Capernaum, a major city near the sea of Galilee. Capernaum functioned in many ways as Jesus’ home base. Matthew goes so far, when he tells this story, as to call Capernaum Jesus’ “own city.” So when Jesus arrives he is a known entity. He has already taught and healed in the streets and synagogues of Capernaum and almost immediately a crowd begins to form around him. Why? Why did the crowd form around Jesus?
For exactly the same reason a crowd forms when a circus comes to town. For exactly the same reason there are lines around the block whenever the next Star Wars movie hits the theater. They want to see the show! For most of this crowd, Jesus is a performer. He tells stories, gives little lessons, and sometimes does magic tricks. Word of Jesus has begun to spread and the masses have gathered from far and wide to see the show.
But now, for the first time in the Gospel story, we begin see a second tier form within the crowd. Before this point in all the Gospels, Jesus has only ever spoken about the scribes and Pharisees. He is not yet leveling his harshest criticisms, but he is calling u

LUKE 18:35-43At that time, as Jesus drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And he cried, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He said, "Lord, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has made you well." And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

































Let me tell you the story of a blind man. Not a physically blind man, but a spiritually blind man. The man I would like to tell you about was born in 1725 and his name was John Newton. I don’t want to judge him too harshly, but using his own words, John Newton described himself as a wretch. And if you listen to the stories I am about share with you, I think you’ll be prone to agree.
Now, I must say, that John Newton was not born a wretch. In fact he had been born to a kind, Christian woman in London who did her very best to love and provide for her boy and to give him religious instruction. Newton remembered her fondly, but unfortunately she passed away when he was just seven and his step-mother was not the same kind of woman. And then after some time with his step-mother, and some more time at a boarding school, finally, at the young age of eleven, John Newton joined his father at sea.
As you could probably guess, growing up among the sailors was not work out well for John. He picked up many of the habits that sailors of his day were renowned for, drinking, gambling, and boy did that man have a mouth. And after about six years at his father’s side, the elder John Newton retired from the sea and the younger John Newton began his own career. He spent a short time as a merchant sailor, but his bad behavior got him into trouble and he was pressed into the service of the British Royal Navy. And then after attempting to desert his first ship, he was flogged, demoted, and transferred to a second ship, a slave ship. Even aboard this ship his behavior remained remarkably despicable. Martin Bernard writes that, “In a culture where sailors habitually swore, Newton was admonished several times for not only using the worst words the captain had ever heard, but creating new ones to exceed the limits of verbal debauchery.” At one point Newton even plotted to kill the captain and was chained up amongst the slaves that they were carrying.
Eventually Newton was abandoned by his shipmates in West Africa and for three years he himself served as a slave West Africa, at the service of Amos Clowe and his wife, the Princess Peye of the Sherbro people. John Newton would later write about his life in Africa, and specifically about slavery in West Africa, an institution he experienced firsthand. He describes a civilization organized into districts, governed by a council with representatives from each district, all maintaining a set of laws that prevented theft, fraud, and other crimes, and specifically included a prohibition on drawing blood, even from a slave.
Slavery itself was generally penal in nature, saved for those who had broken laws too big to be satisfied in other ways, significant theft, murder or assault, the stealing of another man’s wife. Most of those who went into slavery could expect to co

The Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians. (3:23-4:5)Brethren, before faith came, we were confined under the Law, kept under restraint until faith should be revealed. So that the Law was our custodian until Christ came, that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a custodian; for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no better than a slave, though he is the owner of all the estate; but he is under guardians and trustees until the date set by the father. So with us; when we were children, we were slaves to the elemental spirits of the universe. But when the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

































Today’s epistle reading is taken from the third and fourth chapters of Galatians. I am not going to speak on that passage today, but there is a link which I would like to highlight between these chapters and the story I will be sharing today. In Galatians chapter 4, actually in the portion of the chapter we would have read yesterday on the liturgical calendar, Paul makes a comparison between Ishmael and Isaac, turning them into an allegory of the law and of faith. He specifically looks at the mode in which they were begotten. The first, Ishmael, was begotten by Abraham and an enslaved woman Hagar, because Abraham’s wife could not conceive. But Isaac was begotten by a miracle in his barren wife Sarah’s old age. For Paul this story presents a contrast between the law and faith; between humanity seeking to fulfill God’s plan in a worldly manner, and God fulfilling his own plan in the way He sees fit. Paul then quotes this passage from Isaiah: “Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which has a husband.”
This passage from Isaiah would have been well known in Christian circles because it comes immediately after the suffering servant passages that are seen as prefiguring or prophesying Christ’s humiliation and death on the cross and they also speak to God’s mission to the entire world. I’ll read the full passage from Isaiah here: “Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of she that has a husband, saith the Lord. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
Pay attention to the phrases here: “More are the children of the desolate than the children of she that has a husband” and “you will forget the shame

Deacon Jared RSS




























































































The Reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark. (10:32-45) At that time, Jesus took His twelve Disciples, and began to tell them what was to happen to Him, saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit upon Him, and kill Him; and after three days He will rise.” And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Him, and said to Him, “Teacher, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire” And Jesus said to them, “What do you want Me to do for you?” And they said to Him, “Grant us to sit, one at Thy right hand and one at Thy left, in Thy glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” And they said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized. But to sit at My right hand or at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to Him and said to them, “You know that those who are supposed to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be servant of all. For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

































“O Lord and Master of my life, give me not the spirit of sloth, meddling, lust for power and idle talk. But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of integrity, humility, patience and love. Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see mine own faults and not to condemn my brother or sister. For blessed art Thou unto the ages of ages. Amen.” This is the prayer, attributed to St. Ephrem, that we Orthodox pray all of Lent. And today, on the last Sunday of Lent, we are offered two different stories, both about people who struggled with lust for power and idle talk, and who eventually learned humility and love.
Let me begin with the story from our Gospel reading. In today’s reading from St. Mark Jesus tells his disciples, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of man will be delivered to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles. And they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit upon Him, and kill Him; and after three days He will rise.” Now, as regularly happened, the disciples hear what they want to hear. Two weeks ago, Jesus began to teach these same things to the disciples, and we heard Peter rebuke his master, unable to accept that Jesus’ path to glory lead through suffering and death.
Today we get to hear two disciples make the opposite mistake. James and John hear these same teachings and seem miss the suffering and death part. They hear Jesus claim to be the Son of Man, the promised Messiah, and want to get some special reward for following him all the way. They figure they got in early, they were loyal, and they should end up in a special position. With this in mind, James and John approach Jesus and  ask to be seated with him in His glory, “o