March 27, 2019

Turning

This is the third week of Lent.

How are you doing with your Lenten discipline? Are you still maintaining it, or have you somehow turned aside from that particular discipline? If you've turned aside, you can turn back and pick it up again; because it's not the fact that we've failed which we should dwell on, but it's the fact that we can always find time to turn back to God.

We turned our clocks forward by an hour about two weeks ago. The clocks don't determine how much daylight there actually is in our lives, but I will say that I enjoy turning from the dark evenings to lighter evenings has a good feel to it. And it's always nice for me to watch the morning hours also slowly turn from dark to light.

The calendar says that Spring has come. The actual weather has yet to get that memo. Although I did receive a weather notification on my phone that indicated the weather was making a sudden turn to May-like temperatures this week. After the wet football season and the cold, wet, snowy winter, I am certainly looking forward to the turn in weather.

With all the rain we had, the sun room in our house revealed several leaks that, upon closer inspection, had been there for some time. I'm not quite sure why the previous owner(s) never dealt with them, especially since the room was under warranty at that time, but those leaks have been turned over to us. The room is now out of warranty and we had a difficult time getting the contractor out to repair the damage. But as I write this, I believe the contractor will be getting close to the end of the project. This means that we are starting to look forward to turning that room from a repository for buckets of all kinds into what it was originally designed for.

And in the office we are turning our attention toward Holy Week. Last year's bulletins are being turned into this year's bulletins. Hymns are being turned over in our minds as we make final selections. Drafts are being created, edited, and turned in for final approval, just waiting for Melonie to hit the “Print” button.

With all of the busyness of this time of year, I hope you don't get lost or overwhelmed with it all. And in all things, I hope you remember that you can always turn from that which pulls you away from God to refocus and turn back to the Lord.

Blessings,

March 20, 2019

Pain

I was at a clergy gathering last week discussing various readings and how we might preach them. One of the readings came from 2 Cor. 12:6-10 – Paul's discussion of being tormented by some physical distress and how he handled it.

As we talked, we began to mull over an idea that what binds people together is pain, because pain is universal. Whether it be physical, spiritual, or emotional, pain seems to be ever present. A child dies. Innocent people of color and other faiths are killed by angry white “Christian” men. People of all kinds are killed by random or planned acts of violence. Jobs are lost. People say hurtful things.

One of those present said, “A parishioner of mine told me that she comes to church because it's a place where she can cry.”

That sounded (and sounds) odd at first. But the more I/we think about that statement, the more I/we can see the truth in it.

So often people envision church as a holy, righteous, peaceful place full of nice, godly people. Or, as one person called it, “A hotel for saints.” As much as we would like this to be so, we are faced with the reality that the church is full of fallible human beings. Nobody can live up to the expectations placed on the church and its members at all times. So instead of a hotel for saints, the church is, in all actuality, “a hospital for sinners.”

On any given Sunday any one of us is experiencing some type of pain – whether that be internal or external, personal or environmental, intentional or accidental. It is in those moments of pain where the church body becomes so important.

Are we willing to walk with a person who is hurting? Are we willing to care for those who are suffering? Are we willing to cry with those who weep? More importantly, are we willing to recognize that it was us who inflicted pain on another person, and are we willing to ask honestly for forgiveness? If we are the injured party, are we willing to grant forgiveness.

In Lent we are reminded of the pain that Jesus suffered at the hands of family, friends, leaders, and, ultimately, humanity as he was nailed to a cross. This is what makes Christianity different from all other religions – we have a God who walked the way of pain with us and can relate in a very personal way to the painfulness of life.

If you have caused pain, come to church, confess, repent, and strive to walk in holiness. If you have been caused pain by the actions of another, come to church and work toward forgiveness. If you have pain but don't know where to go, come to church and cry at the feet of our Lord.

Pain is universal. And in this beautiful hospital of the Lord, this should be the one place where we begin to heal.

Blessings

March 13, 2019

Scarred and Dented

The other day I happened to be doing nothing in particular but sitting in my chair. I may have been pondering how I was going to tackle the next sermon. I may have been taking a break from researching something or another. I may have been trying to formulate the words of a letter just right. But at some point I happened to look down at my wedding ring. I'm probably not the only person to mindlessly looks at their ring at various times or for various reasons, so this is nothing new.

What was new, however, was that I suddenly noticed, and paid attention to, a few things about that ring.

As I looked closely, I noticed several scratches, dents, and mars in the wide band. These are really only noticeable if you take a close look. Another thing I noticed was that all the blacking was gone. The diamonds in it are placed at an angle, and there are two channels carved into either side of the diamonds. Originally the area behind the diamonds and the channels were blacked, and the combination of that blacking against the gold ring was amazing.

But over the years, that blacking is all gone. The gold has dulled somewhat. The body of the ring is marked with a few scars and dents here and there. My marriage may have lost some of its luster over time. It has a few scars and dents that a 30-year relationship endures. But the ring is still there and the marriage is still intact.

This being Lent, I also saw this as symbolizing my relationship with God. There are times when it is shinier than others. It has been scarred and dented over the years. I have been scarred and dented over the years. I'm sure that I have scarred and dented God at times. But the relationship is still intact.

In Lent we bring our scars, dents, and other imperfections into the light. We acknowledge to God and others that we are not perfect. We admit to God and others our various shortcomings. But through it all, the ring is still there and the relationship is still intact.

This Lent, know that no matter how many scars and dents you have, God still loves you.

Blessings,

March 6, 2019

Why do we do that? – Almost every visitor to an Episcopal church ever, and sometimes even Episcopalians.

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Today we will have services at 12:15 and 7 pm as we begin this season of self-reflection, self-denial, prayer, fasting, and meditation. On this day we also remember both our mortality (“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”) as well as our baptism (symbolized with the cross of ashes on our foreheads). Lent is 40 days, not including Sundays. There are a total of six Sundays in Lent, but because Palm Sunday has its own specialness attached to it, we are left with five regular Sundays in Lent.

I say this because Lent is a good time to pay attention. Pay attention to what you eat. Pay attention to your attitude. Pay attention to getting right with your neighbor and God. Pay attention to your spiritual discipline. Pay attention to your habits. Pay attention to the journey to the cross.

One of the ways we can pay attention is by becoming more familiar with what, how, and why we do things in our worship. So for those first five Sundays in Lent I will be presenting an Instructed Eucharist during the time normally dedicated to a sermon.

Have you ever wondered why there's a procession? Or where the Collect for Purity came from (or even what the Collect for Purity is)? Have you wondered what the purpose of passing the Peace is? Or why there's only one place the “Amen” is printed in all caps? Or why some people genuflect and/or cross themselves while others do not?

This is the time to find out.

I encourage you to make these Sundays in Lent part of your spiritual discipline as we walk through the Eucharist, step by step, to better understand what we do and why we do it. My hope is that you will come away with a deeper appreciation for how we worship God in body, mind, and soul.

The more we know about and understand our rituals and traditions, the more they become imbued with meaning and can help draw us closer and deeper into the holy mysteries we celebrate every Sunday.

Blessings,