April 25, 2018

Saying Goodbye

Last week was a particularly hard one for a lot of people, myself included. Among all of the unusual stuff that got piled up on top of the usual stuff, there were a lot of deaths. A stepdaughter, an aunt, a grandson, a mother, and a friend all passed from this life to the next last week. I was affected by most of those through the simple fact that I am priest to the people most touched by death, those left behind. But one of them hit close to home.

Last week I was notified by some of my officiating colleagues in Oregon that one of our partners had died unexpectedly of a massive heart attack. The news was . . . surprising to say the least.

Officiating is an interesting hobby. It's one of the few avocations where you are expected to be perfect from the time you step onto the field or court and get better from there. It's the only job that I know of where people feel free to publicly berate you for every decision, tell you how awful you are, and scream out how anyone but you could do it better. It can be extremely stressful. Officials have been physically assaulted, some have even been killed.

But officiating is also a stress-reliever, in that game stress is totally different from job stress. It offers camaraderie like very few other things can. It can forge lifetime friendships. And it can provide stories. My friend Lou had stories.

Lou was one of the most irreverent officials I have ever come across. He never took himself or the game too seriously. No matter the game, sport, or level, he always had a good time. Despite his irreverence, he always protected the crew. And he could tell stories, because he had a way of falling into a good one.

Three of my favorites include: the time his crew had to cancel a baseball game because the home school used an inappropriate method of killing weeds and set the infield on fire; the time he spent a whole game glaring at me because I deemed the weather to be passable for short-sleeve shirts (it wasn't); and the time he saw a belligerent, loud-mouth, obnoxious fan working in a grocery store and came up behind him to berate him for stocking shelves improperly.

Yes, Lou was one of a kind. But then again, we all are. All of us have our quirks and skills. All of us have something that nobody else has. All of us have stories.

Share your stories. Have fun. But may this past week also remind you that all of us will, at one time or another, pass from this life to the next. And make sure you have things in order while you can so that the shock of your passing doesn't become a burden to those left behind.

Blessings

April 18, 2018

Clothe your ministers with righteousness (redux)

Suffrage A, Morning and Evening Prayer

Last Saturday the Vestry gathered for their annual retreat. These retreats have a different look in every place: some are done in-house (so to speak), some are held off-site; some are led by a parishioner or the Rector, some bring in outside speakers; some last one day, while others are overnight affairs. Ours lasted most of Saturday and was held in one of the meeting rooms at St. Mark's.

We gathered at 9:00 and had time for some morning coffee, juice, and a snack, and then began the day with Morning Prayer. Using a format that Lou and I picked up at the anti-racism training held a few months ago, we lined up chairs in pairs facing each other and asked everyone to share what attracts them to the Episcopal church and St. John's.

Following that exercise we divided the group up into what I am now calling Juniors, Middlers, and Seniors – first-year vestry, second-year vestry, and third-year vestry. In those groups they discussed experiences and thoughts about being on the Vestry, and then we re-gathered to share what was discussed.

After those stories and thoughts were shared we looked at both the spiritual and temporal roles of the Vestry, discussed guidelines for listening, and reviewed Vestry norms (how we as a group are expected to act). A reminder about the Safeguarding courses and which ones were required to be taken wrapped up our time before breaking for lunch.

The rest of the day was spent looking at our mission and vision statements. We did some creative work together and worked out a mission statement for the parish as well as recognizing and upholding the vision statement for St. John's that a previous Vestry had put together. I will be saying more about the mission statement in the upcoming issue of Soundings, but I will point out here that a mission statement revolves around the verbs, the actions, of what we DO as a parish. And it should also be phrased in such a way that anyone but the very youngest of us can recite.

I bring all this up because Vestries are ministers of the church. What they do is vital to the well-being and functioning of this parish. I read a comment on an article recently by a priest in England. To paraphrase, he said that “the role of the Vestry is one of contagious vision.” Yes, both the Vestry and I have certain duties that we must perform (budget, personnel, reports, etc.), but we are also ministers of the church who must never forget that we need to help create and develop a “contagious vision” that keeps St. John's holy, vital, and relevant. We're working on that.

I would also remind you that you also are a minister of the church. You also are asked to help keep St. John's holy, vital, and relevant. May we all, as ministers of the church, be clothed in righteousness as we work together to make this parish a place of holy worship, a place that welcomes all, a place that serves a variety of people, and a place that encourages everyone to grow in the love and knowledge of Christ.

Blessings,

April 11, 2018

Clothe your ministers with righteousness

Suffrage A, Morning and Evening Prayer

This past Sunday we heard the story of the risen Christ encountering the disciples on the evening of the Day of Resurrection; “but Thomas, who is called 'the Twin,' was not with them.” In that first encounter, Jesus tells the gathered disciples, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

In the sermon I pointed out that the disciples represent us. As the Father sent Jesus, so are the disciples sent. As the disciples are sent, so are we sent. We are sent to proclaim the good news of God in Christ. We are sent to help reconcile all people to God through Christ. We are sent to preach, teach, proclaim, and heal. We are Christ's ears and mouth, his hands and feet. As the disciples have become apostles, so have we become apostles.

This apostolic aspect is reflected in that charge of being sent to carry out Christ's mission to all people. It is the corporate body of those who are sent, all of us, that make up the corporate body of the Church. And it is this body that is described as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. Unified in Christ, consecrated by the power of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the faith to all people, being sent to carry out Christ's mission, this is who we are. By virtue of our baptism, by virtue of living into our faith, by virtue of participating in the life of the church, we are all ministers with a variety of ministries. The ministry of the church can't be done by one person, so we are all called and we are all sent.

Which brings me back to Suffrage A.

We offer Evening Prayer every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, at 5:30. Most of the time we pray Suffrage A. When we pray that prayer, and specifically the line above, I tend to think that Episcopalians' brains default to equating “ministers” with “people who wear a collar.” I tend to think our brain defaults to the Archbishop of Canterbury, our Presiding Bishop, our Diocesan Bishop and/or Assistant Bishop, and our parish clergy.

But based on the fact that we are all part of the body of Christ, that we all make up the church, and that we are all being sent as Jesus himself was sent, we must remember that the ministers of the church are us. We are all ministers in one way or another. So when we pray that God's ministers are clothed with righteousness, we are praying for everyone in the church.

Know that every evening between 5:30 and 6, when I pray that God's ministers are clothed with righteousness, I am praying for you.

Blessings,

April 4, 2018

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who made this past Holy Week such a great experience. It always seems that the second Holy Week of my tenure in a parish is one of the more memorable. The first one is usually a time of figuring things out in the new place, getting used to how the new priest does things (“Is he REALLY going to make us start at 6 a.m.?”), and just sort of seeing/learning how things will go.

But that second one . . . that second one seems to be when it all comes together for the first time. Oh, there were still a few glitches here and there, but it was a wonderful week, even if it did start out a bit chilly on Palm Sunday.

People participated in the Stations of the Cross and the other services. We shared a meal and washed feet. We once more endured the emotional turmoil of betraying and crucifying Christ. Holy Saturday was an amazingly somber and meaningful liturgy as we wept over Jesus in the grave. And both Easter Day services should have made us all happy to be Christians.

Thank you to Mark King and the choir for their dedication and beautiful music. Thank you to Joyce Chabot and the altar guild for their hard work in preparing the church for all the services. Thank you to Kristy and Chad Gross for their work with the acolytes. Thank you to Jennifer Sealing, Tracey Happel, and Betty Markle for coordinating the Maundy Thursday supper and Easter breakfast. Thank you to the Lectors and LEM's who performed their jobs admirably. Thank you to Melonie who prepared the bulletins. And thank you to everyone who participated in the various liturgies – because without you none of this could have happened.

On this Wednesday of Easter Week, and throughout the Easter season, let us not forget those mighty acts of Jesus' Passion, nor let us become indifferent to the power of his Resurrection. May we continue to celebrate with awe the Paschal feast, abide in his presence, rejoice in hope, and open our eyes to all his redeeming work in the world around us.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Blessings,