November 24, 2021

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Tomorrow is the day where, for those of us of a particular socio-economic class, we will gather with family, or friends, or both, and eat way too much. Maybe we'll watch a football game or two. Maybe we'll play in our own backyard version of a Turkey Bowl, or take part in a Turkey Trot. Maybe we'll spend time handing out meals to those less fortunate than ourselves.

Thanksgiving can be complicated. It can bring family tensions into play, but it can also bring a sense of unity. Who is bringing what always seems to be a topic of debate, and the seating chart can be an interesting point of conversation (just when is someone allowed to graduate from the kids' table to the adult table?). I fondly remember Thanksgivings in Montana when we would gather with some seminary friends to spend together, having our unity bound up in our friendship.

Add to all of this is that this year will be the first time back celebrating Thanksgiving with people after most of us refrained from participating in the holiday festivities last year, so there may be extra pressure on us to “get it right.” Or, maybe, it will be much more laid back and enjoyable as we are just thankful for being able to gather again.

There are a lot of layers to Thanksgiving and it's probably best to not try and examine all of them at once. So whether you want to enjoy the day alone, whether you are gathering with family, whether you are gathering with friends, whether you are cooking a ham, whether you are cooking a turkey, whether you order your meal from Bob Evans, whether your meal includes pickled eggs, or whether it includes yam casserole, I hope this year's Thanksgiving gathering helps to bring joy into the lives of you and those whom you love.

As a remembrance that Thanksgiving is complicated in many ways, here's an article about the holiday itself, its origins, what we got wrong, and what we can get right:

https://www.capecodtimes.com/in-depth/news/2020/11/19/plymouth-400-mayflower-first-thanksgiving-pilgrims-wampanoag-massasoit/6283891002/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=gh-capecodtimes-main&fbclid=IwAR3LmiLZamC_WqcJFt5c7ARh0Rg-ooaP629X-YzzeG2y5-x9e-FvkiLGk4U

No matter how you choose to celebrate, or not, may you always remember that you are a beloved child of God and that God is thankful for your very presence; and know that I am thankful for having you as part of my life with Saint John's.

Blessings,

November 17, 2021

COVID-19 has been many things over the past 21 months or so, but it has probably never been referred to as a blessing. It may not have been a blessing, but it did cause us to learn, adjust, and adapt at a different pace than before – which may or may not be a good thing depending on your point of view.

I remember hearing stories of people learning to reconnect with their families. I heard stories of people learning to bake. I heard stories of people learning new skills and trying new things. Those were the good stories that we all craved to hear about during months of lock-downs and worries.

Now that things are beginning to loosen up, now that vaccinations are becoming more common and people are getting their booster shots, now that people are feeling more safe and comfortable (despite our infection numbers telling a different story), it seems people are eager to get “back to normal.” It seems people are eager to put this chapter behind them and move on. But we will never “get back to normal,” because this is our normal. And we will never put this chapter behind us because too much of it will move forward with us.

As we move forward, I think it's worth asking ourselves, “What was the good during the worst of the pandemic that we can take with us?” Because it does seem that, in our rush to get back to normal, we are leaving behind some practices that we could stand to take with us.

Maybe you began a family game night, but now that things are back to normal that has been left behind. Maybe you developed a new prayer practice, but now that things are back to normal you find you don't have the time. Maybe it was baking bread on Saturday, but now that things are back to normal it's just easier to buy a loaf from the store. Or maybe it was just having the time to slow down, but now that things are back to normal you find you can't even do that.

In the midst of tragedy or difficult times or even global pandemics I think we can always find something good to appreciate. The trick is to figure out how to carry those good things forward so that we don't get back to what was normal but to help create a new normal that is more conducive to our good health – mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

And it just might be that those good things you found during difficult times are what will anchor you and keep you from being pulled into ever more chaotic waters.

Blessings,

November 10, 2021

As we get strength, but one extended act of faith (so to call it) influences us all through the day, and our whole day is but one act of obedience also. – from a sermon entitled, “The Spiritual Mind,” John Henry Newman

In preaching about how we might attain a deeper spirituality, or how we might draw closer to God, Newman made the above statement. As I thought about it, I was reminded of St. Paul when he referenced his faith as if he were running a race (2 Tim. 4:7). It might be appropriate here to compare our lives of faith and spirituality to that of a physical endeavor – swimming, running, walking, cycling, climbing, etc., or maybe to that of playing an instrument.

Very few of us, if any, have the ability to fall out of bed on a Saturday morning and run a marathon. Likewise none of us have the ability to jump in a pool and swim 100 meters, or decide to summit Mt. Everest. These things take training. We need to train our bodies to swim or run or whatever a little at a time. Our muscles need to be strengthened and our lung capacity needs to develop. We need to get to a place where we willingly put one foot in front of the other when others tell us to sit down and relax.

Our faith and spirituality can benefit from the same process. We don't suddenly decide to spend an hour each day on our knees in prayer. Instead, we begin with something we can accomplish. We train. Maybe we begin with five minutes in silent prayer at the beginning of the day. Maybe we spend a few minutes of our lunch hour in prayer. Maybe we begin by closing out our day praying Compline (p. 127 of the BCP if you were wondering). As we develop that, we “get strength” so that those small, self-contained periods of prayer or acts of faith develop to become one extended act of faith.

And then, when we have seen that develop over time, we hopefully come to place where prayer and acts of faith are no longer reserved for specific times and places, but they infuse our whole day so that each day becomes an act of obedience to God; which then, slowly but surely, molds our whole life into a life of obedience, faith, and prayer.

Just as we practice to swim farther, run longer, climb higher, just as we practice to sing clearer and play more smoothly, we should also practice our faith so that it isn't relegated to convenient times or places, but so that it may so infuse our daily lives in a way that draws us more closely to the Lord.

Blessings,

November 3, 2021

My floppy Orioles hat has a story – Dcn. Sue

This past Sunday was declared “Hat Sunday” by the Parish Life Commission and people were encouraged to wear their favorite hat to church that day. It was a fun event that brought smiles to those who opted to wear their hats and those who didn't.

Before service Dcn. Sue told me she had brought her floppy O's hat because it was her favorite and it had a story. “Of course it does,” I said, “because all good hats have a story.”

If you have been in my office you will probably notice two things: First, I have a large collection of crosses above the fireplace, and second, I have a large hat collection scattered around the office. All of those hats have stories behind them. Some stories are better than others (like the story behind the softball helmet painted with black & white stripes). Some stories are more memorable than others (like the hat from Carmel's Goosetown Mafia). Some stories I can barely remember (like the hat from Oklahoma and trying to remember if I was ever even in Oklahoma). But they all have stories and they all represent a piece of my overall larger story.

This past Monday was All Saints' Day, the day the Church commemorates those people of the faith who had died, and especially those who “had crowned their profession of faith with heroic deaths,” or people of the faith who lived exemplary lives. Yesterday was All Souls' Day/All Faithful Departed, an extension of All Saints, when the Church remembers the vast body of faithful departed known only to God, family, and friends. These people, whether Saints of the wider church or any number of faithful departed known only to family and friends, all have stories to tell; and by virtue of being part of the Church, they all represent a piece of our overall larger stories as faithful members of the body of Christ.

This coming Sunday we will be celebrating/commemorating All Saints'/Souls' Day as we transfer the appropriate lessons, read the necrology of those who have died this past year, and remember all those who have previously died. Those people all had/have stories to tell; and, to some extent, they all represent a piece of our overall larger story.

As part of the body of Christ we all have stories to tell. As part of the specific branch of the family tree known as Saint John's, we all have stories to tell. Some of those stories are better than others. Some stories are more memorable than others. Some stories we might barely remember. But we all have stories about the larger body of Christ; we all have stories about this specific place. And all of those stories represent a piece of our overall story.

This is the time of year when we remember the stories of those who have gone before us, and that is good and appropriate to do so. But let us also remember to share our own stories of our faith and this place with those who need to hear stories of hope, stories of tears, stories of joy, stories of resurrection, stories of faith. Because when all is said and done, it is our stories that enable us to connect with others.

Blessings,