December 25, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Merry Christmas

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.  What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”

The days are once again getting longer and we are reminded that light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not, and will not, overcome it.

May the light of Christ scatter the darkness from before your path, and may your light so shine that you become a beacon to those around you.

Merry Christmas,

December 18, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Sacrifices at the Altar of Molech

On Monday I was in Sheridan for a hospital visit.  The good news is that the necessary procedure was a success and the patient should make a full recovery.

While I was waiting for them to come out of recovery and be allowed to visit, the news channel in the waiting room was reporting on yet another school shooting in Madison, WI, at Abundant Life Christian School.  The latest report is that at least five people were killed in the attack.

Once again we are reminded that we, as a society, value the unrestricted freedom to obtain firearms over the lives of children and teachers.  Once again we, as a society, are told to not politicize gun violence.  Once again we do nothing more than send empty truckloads of “thoughts and prayers.”  We are reminded that schools based in a Christian curriculum, where daily prayers are offered, where chapel worship is offered weekly (if not daily), and where the Ten Commandments probably hang on the walls, are not immune from gun violence.  And once again we are reminded that our willingness to sacrifice children on the altar of the Second Amendment is a price we must pay for our personal freedoms.

In the Hebrew Scriptures there are several references to Molech (or Moloch) as a pagan deity requiring child sacrifice.  Other scholars have proposed that the name wasn’t a deity, but a verb signifying the act of child sacrifice.  But whether a deity or a verb, what is clear is that God demands an end to child sacrifice.  We first get a glimpse of this in the story of the binding of Isaac (Gen. 22), and then with specific commandments of God to end the practice.

After yet another school shooting, when will we decide to listen to God and end the practice of sacrificing children on our own modern altar of Molech?

May God grant us forgiveness of our sins,

December 11, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Perseverance

Yesterday during Noonday prayer (when the church is open from 12:00 – 1:00 for people to come in and pray, meditate, or just sit quietly), I read the Psalms appointed for the Tenth Day of the Month – Pss. 50-55 in the BCP.

This group of psalms has to do with sin, wickedness, persecution, and abandonment.  They are the cries of someone who is having a very bad stretch in their life.  They are also psalms to which we can all relate, as we have all had those feelings and times at one point or another in our own life.

But despite the torment and anguish of which the psalmist writes, there is always a sense of union with God.  There is always the sense that, no matter what troubles are swirling, thanksgiving, salvation, and unity with God are always the end result.

This persistent belief that God will not abandon us, or the belief that God perseveres with us, is a comfort in the very presence of trouble, for God is with us.  And, let’s face it, there are times in our lives when that is the only hope we have.  There are times in our lives that, when all seems to be going to hell in a handbasket, our persistent faith in God’s presence is the only thing that keeps us going.

To borrow from an old saying, “If your journey takes you to the depths of hell, keep on walking.”

So be persistent.  Keep on keepin’ on.  And may your faith give you the strength to persevere in all things.

Blessings,

December 4, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Holy Conversations

As a priest, I have been blessed to have many conversations with many people over the years.  Time spent with the sick and dying, the grieving, and the sorrowful have all been holy times and holy conversations.  But those times aren’t limited to the downcast.  I’ve also had those times with joyful first-time parents, with couples preparing for marriage, and with students celebrating an accomplishment.  They have included the formal confessions of parishioners who come to me seeking absolution for sins both great and small.  And more often than not, they are accidental.

At the morning prayer group led by Joan Smith this past Monday, she asked those of us gathered something along the lines of, “What are you thankful for this past year?”

When I interviewed with the two churches I eventually ended up serving in Montana, I was asked if I would be willing to visit the local bars while wearing my collar.  And that was the beginning of my monthly bar visits.  Over the course of my time in Oregon and Maryland, bar visits just weren’t the same.  I think a lot of that had to do with the size of the city, as well as my personality.  But when I arrived here in Buffalo, I returned to the local bars. 

My answer to Joan’s question was, “I’m thankful to be back in the bars.”

Holy conversations aren’t limited to hospitals, funerals, or the confessional.  Sometimes a holy conversation finds its way into the local bar, transforming it into one of the most holy places in town.

So yes, I’m thankful to be back in the bars and I’m thankful for people willing to have a holy conversation in a holy place with a guy they normally wouldn’t talk to.

We can’t make a conversation holy; but we can keep our eyes and ears open for the presence of God that will infuse a conversation with holiness.

Blessings,

November 27, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Giving Thanks

At the 10:00 service when the kids come into church from their Sunday school class, they always tell me about their lesson and then ask me a couple of questions.  Things like, “How did Noah know how big to build the ark?” and, “How did Noah hear God?” and “Did Noah need to have fish on the ark?” and such.  This past Sunday, though, they did something different.

When they came in, they announced that they changed things up and, instead of asking me a question, they each had a couple of items that they would show me and then I was to tell them what they meant to me and why I was thankful for them.  Those items included a piece of fabric with a hole cut out of it, a roll of duct tape, and a rock (there was a fourth, but I can’t remember what it was).  At this point I would normally tell you to go back and watch the recording of the service to see the whole interaction, but we lost our internet connection at that point for about ten minutes so it can only be recalled by memory.  Trust me, though, it was really good.

I said the fabric reminded me of an apron, and I am thankful for all of the wonderful meals that Joelene cooks.  The duct tape symbolized all of the people at Saint Luke’s who hold the parish together.  The rock reminded me of our faith and that we are built on a rock that cannot be moved.

The point here is that there are everyday items, people, and occurrences that we might miss or take for granted unless we remember to pay attention.  A piece of fabric is just a piece of fabric.  A roll of duct tape is just a roll of duct tape.  A rock is just a rock.  Unless, that is, we keep our eyes open for deeper meanings as to how they impact our lives.

As we move into the holiday season and a new Church year, I invite you to intentionally look for holiness in the mundane, and may that lead you to give thanks in everything.

Blessings,

November 20, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Rest

Rest is an important part of our life.  Rest was built into creation when God rested on the seventh day.  There are times in the gospel accounts when Jesus went off by himself to pray and rest.  There was a time when stores were closed on Sundays, but then companies discovered it was more profitable to be open seven days a week.  And our bodies will often tell us when we need rest, either by letting us nod off when we would/should normally be awake or by some other serious means – ulcers and other illnesses, for instance.

I don’t think I’ve been overworking myself recently, but when I came down with a sore throat overnight last Friday, my body reminded me that I need rest.  I stopped in at the clinic on Monday for a COVID test because, among other things, I have a responsibility to ensure the safety of my parishioners.  Thankfully that test was negative and it seems I have some variance of the crud.

So this week I have been working half days getting some rest and trying to beat whatever virus has invaded my system. 

Rest is important for every aspect of our lives:  physical, mental, and spiritual.  Make sure you are taking time to rest from your labors.  Make sure you schedule regular breaks for rest, relaxation, and self-care.  After all, if God and Jesus both took time to rest, we should follow their good examples.

Blessings,

November 13, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Transitions

I received an email some weeks ago inviting me to attend a diocesan workshop on transitions.  I agreed to go and spent last weekend down in Casper with about 40 other people, both clergy and lay, and a couple of trainers from the Interim Ministry Network.  The IMN is based in Baltimore and has become a nation-wide program helping train and prepare people for interim ministry.

Ultimately all clergy are interims as nobody stays in one place from ordination to death.  That said, interim ministry is a special vocation in which a clergy person is called to get a parish from where they were under the previous priest to a place where they are ready to call a new priest.  This ranges anywhere from 12 to 24 months, sometimes longer if needed.

Before anyone begins wondering – No, I am not looking to become an interim minister and I am very happy to be where I am for a long time.

So why was I asked to be part of this weekend session of interim ministry?  Because, as it turns out, the focus wasn’t on interim ministry as much as it was on transitions and how to work through a time of transition.

We here in the Diocese of Wyoming are in a period of transition.  After Paul-Gordon Chandler resigned, the diocese entered a period of transition.  The Standing Committee, and SC President Mtr. Megan Nickles, stepped in to assume canonical authority, and they called the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori as our Assisting Bishop.  The Standing Committee is currently in a search for an interim bishop under whom the work of searching and calling a Diocesan Bishop will take place.

We are in a period of transition.  What came out of the weekend was a recognition and understanding that we, as a diocese, need to first do some good, internal work about defining who we are so that we can call a bishop who will join us on our journey.  What we can’t do, and shouldn’t do, is to call a bishop as a quick-fix solution.  Transitions take time.

A good example is Moses and the people of Israel.  Notice that the Israelites didn’t go from Egypt to the Promised Land immediately.  It took time – 40 years as a matter of fact.  As someone once said, “It took 40 days for the Israelites to get out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of the Israelites.”

So, while I am not an interim minister, we are all on a journey of transition and we will make that journey together, eventually ending up where God is calling us to be.  I ask you to be patient and open to this process and, if possible, refrain from grumbling, “We have nothing to eat and we hate this detestable food.”

Blessings,

Todd+

November 6, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Set in Stone?

Our first lesson this coming Sunday comes from Ruth.  While one of the shortest books in the Bible, it’s one of the longer stories – and what a story.  A Jewish man, his wife, and two sons lived in Bethlehem.  When a famine strikes, he moves the family to Moab in order to survive.  The man dies and the two sons take wives.  After about ten years, both sons also die, so the wife/mom, Naomi, decides to return to Bethlehem and her extended family.  Ruth refuses to let her go alone, so she accompanies her mother-in-law on the long journey.  Eventually Ruth meets Boaz, they get married, and everyone lives happily ever after. 

This is a story of loyalty, perseverance, love (and lust), and kindness; and it’s one of those stories that makes you feel good about people and God.

The story is set in the time of the Judges, and the book is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel because it turns out that Ruth and Boaz become the great-grandparents of David, son of Jesse, who will become king of Israel after Saul.

The Book of Deuteronomy is the last book of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and records Moses’ narration of the Law to the Israelites before he dies and before they cross over into the Promised Land.  This is both Moses’ farewell address and his instruction to the people about the importance of loyalty to God.  Toward the end, Moses requires the Israelites to swear an oath upholding the law and their covenant with God.

In this recitation of the Law there’s this:  “No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.  Even to the tenth generation . . . because they did not meet you with food and water on your journey out of Egypt . . .” (Deut. 23:3-4)

God’s law is clear and is not to be broken:  Foreigners are not to be admitted into the assembly of the LORD (this basically prevented intermarriage) for ever.

But Ruth, a Moabite, married Boaz, a Jew, and became the great-grandparents of David, only three generations later; AND she gets a book in the Bible named after her.

Be very careful around people who quote Scripture as an unchangeable monolith carved in stone for all time; because Scripture will contradict itself in places and even God is willing to revise the law when appropriate. 

The point of Scripture isn’t to lay down laws set in stone to hold us accountable – the point of Scripture is to provide a guide to a right relationship with God.  And when it comes right down to it, God will always choose justice, kindness, and mercy over an unchanging monolithic law.

Do justice.  Love kindness.  And walk humbly with God.

Blessings,

October 30, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Surprising Offers

The weather was absolutely gorgeous this past weekend.  If I were in charge of the weather, that’s what fall would look like all the time around here.

Joelene and I took advantage of that beautiful weather and made our first drive through Crazy Woman Canyon, something we had been told we needed to do since we came out for the interview.  On our first attempt last spring we made it to the lower entrance only to find the road closed.

Summer and better weather came, but so did schedules, the move into the new house, and other obligations; not to mention a strong desire to not be in the canyon with a thousand other tourists at the same time.  So we put it off until last weekend.

It was as advertised and well worth the drive.  Joelene and I took a slate of obligatory pictures to share with friends, and she found a couple of spots that she wanted to get the two of us together.  In one, someone driving the opposite direction saw us balanced precariously on a rock with Joelene trying to get a good selfie and me trying not to fall off.  They stopped, the woman stuck her head out the window and said, “Would you like me to take your picture?”

At another, less precarious spot, Joelene was taking another selfie of the two of us when a woman who was also stopped with her group, asked, “Would you like me to take your picture?”

Neither of these two people were asked if they would take our picture, they simply volunteered to do so. 

This got me thinking about two things.  First, what if we kept our eyes open to noticing when people were in need and stopped what we were doing to offer assistance?  That could be anything from offering to take someone’s picture to helping carry groceries to you name it.  Rather than look to explain away why they need help, we just offer it.

And second, what if, when we think we’re doing fine, we accept help when it’s offered?  There are so many instances when graciously accepting help is as much of a gift as offering help.

If this became our primary way of operating, we just might find ourselves living into Jesus’ example of servanthood.  And that would be a very good thing.

Blessings,

October 23, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Holy Visions

I may have told part of this story before, and I know I’ve told a few people here at Saint Luke’s, so forgive me if I’m repeating myself. 

There are spaces, places, and times that seem to grab you as being holy:  a holy space, a holy place, and a holy time.  I’ve come across several of those in my life:  a sitting rock overlooking the lake at the summer camp of my youth; the cathedral where I was ordained to the diaconate; the way the sun shone through the stained glass windows at Saint John’s at certain times of the year; and there are others, but you get the idea.  I’m sure you can think of your own places.

One particular time for me was during the COVID shutdown.  On Sundays we had five people in the building:  the organist, the lector, the livestream tech, the deacon, and myself.  It didn’t take much wine in the chalice to handle Communion.  One Sunday, as we were reciting the Lord’s Prayer, I looked into the almost-empty chalice and there, reflected on the inside of the cup, was the wrought iron rood screen and cross behind me.  As time went on, that was a holy vision I looked forward to seeing every Sunday.  It eventually went away when the people returned and more wine was poured into the chalice.

Fast forward to now.  We don’t have a rood screen, nor do we have a nearly-empty chalice at Communion.  As we were reciting the Lord’s Prayer a few weeks ago, however, I noticed that the way the light hits the chalice causes a double ring reflection to appear on the corporal.  This ring of light encircles the paten and chalice.  It’s a holy vision of light encircling the consecrated elements of the Body and Blood of Christ.

This is one reason why I don’t rush through the service, taking time for silence, moving slowly and deliberately through the liturgy – because if we rushed through the service, we might miss those holy visions.

What spaces, places, and times are holy to you?  Where have you seen holy visions of God?

You might see more if you take the time to slow down and look.

Blessings,

October 16, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Rest

Last weekend took an unexpected turn when I received a phone call Thursday evening confirming the fact that I would officiate the funeral of Korina Bartlett on Saturday.  I had had a conversation earlier that this might happen, but I was never contacted . . . until Thursday evening.

So Friday morning I met with a family member and ironed some things out, then I went into the office where Monica and I quickly produced a funeral bulletin.  And on Saturday I did the funeral where Korina was laid to rest.

Sunday was Sunday with our first livestream worship on the new system.  There were a few glitches that we’re working out, but in general it went well.  And then Joelene and I met with the youth group later that afternoon.

Monday, Indigenous People’s Day, was a day off for me.  It came at just the right time and I didn’t do a single productive thing.  I slept in.  I thought about what needed to be done, and then just planted myself on the couch, watched a few mindless shows, and dozed off a few times.  It was a day of rest that I needed.

Also on that day, the Diocese of Wyoming returned a couple of hundred Native American artifacts that had been in its possession since the 1940’s back to the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone from where they came.  Click here to read the story.  After being stored away in Casper for many years, these items were returned home to rest.

Rest can show up in a variety of ways, and my idea of rest may not be the same as your idea.  Nevertheless, we all need to find space to rest.  I hope your rest really is restful, and you can recharge, reconnect, and be at peace.

Blessings,

October 9, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Shine

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.

This is the opening line of Canticle 11, The Third Song of Isaiah, from Morning Prayer and most often said on Wednesdays.  It also happens to be one of my favorite Canticles.

It goes on to say, “darkness covers the land, deep gloom enshrouds the peoples,” and, “Nations will stream to your light . . . Your gates will always be open.”

Looking around, Canticle 11 certainly seems to be speaking to us today.  Everything from the current political climate to the drought and fires around us to the devastation of Hurricane Helene and the impending disaster of Hurricane Milton to war in the Middle East and Ukraine, darkness covers the land and deep gloom enshrouds the peoples.

In the midst of all of that, though, we are called to shine the light of the Lord into the world.  We did a little of that when we gave $5000 to the Fire Relief Fund.  We do a little of that by providing Meals for the Soul for individuals who need a quick meal or a supplement between grocery trips.  We do a little of that through our support of the Food Pantry. 

Our gates aren’t always open, but we’ve begun opening them every weekday at noon for a time of prayer and/or quiet meditation for those who need the space.  Nations may not be streaming to us, but beginning on 10/13 or 10/20, we will be streaming out to the nations when our video feed goes live.  And I’m working out the details of putting a labyrinth on our grounds that will always be open for people to come and participate in that prayer walk.

Canticle 11 is a song of hope . . . hope in the fulfillment of God’s promises and hope that God’s people will do their part to shine the everlasting light of God onto the world around them.

I pray that each of us individually, and all of us corporately, shine the light of God onto a world covered in darkness and people shrouded by gloom.

Blessings,

October 2, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Serving as Holy Angels

This past Sunday was the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels; and it was also the day we baptized Hope into the household of God.  Last Thursday I came across a podcast from The Living Church where the host, Amber Noel, interviewed Fr. James Dominic Brent, a Dominican Friar who lives at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, and the title of the episode was, “Angels and Demons (but mostly Angels).”

In that episode Fr. James was discussing the mystery of the angelic hierarchy (which, by the way, was a word coined by a priest to divide the angels into orders) and he pointed out something interesting:  the mystery of the hierarchy is based in service; and not only service, but reversed service.

If you think about all of creation, the order of beings is God àAngels àHumans.  This is reflected in Hebrews 8:7 when the author writes, “You have made [humans] for a little while lower than the angels.”

You might normally think that humans, being the lowest of those beings, would serve the angels, who would then serve God.  But Fr. James pointed out that this wasn’t necessarily so.  The mystery of the hierarchy is that the higher serve the lower.  Angels serve and protect humans (think guardian angels, or the angels that protected Lot and his family from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah).  Archangels serve angels.  And God, in a stunning turn, also serves humanity.  This is most clearly shown in Philippians 2:6-8 when Paul writes that Jesus, though in the form of God, took human form and humbled himself, and in John 13:5 when Jesus washes the feet of the disciples.

If this angelic hierarchy is arranged in a “reversed service,” with even God serving us, the lowest of these forms, then what does that say about how we are to act and behave toward others?  Is there not only a mandate to care for the lowly, oppressed, and outcast because that’s the right thing to do, but shouldn’t we be serving the lowly, oppressed, and outcast because that is, in fact, the system God has ordained: the higher serves the lower.

Who do you see as “lower” than yourself, and how are you serving them?

Blessings,

September 25, 2024

Wednesday Word:  A New Life of Grace

This coming Sunday is the Feast of Saint Michael and All Angels.  Michael is one of four archangels mentioned in scripture (the others being Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel).  We are most familiar with Michael and Gabriel, as it is Michael who leads the other angels to battle against Satan and Gabriel who is God’s main messenger (appearing to Zechariah and Mary to announce the births of John and Jesus).

Michael is also known as a healer and as the angel who guards people at the time of their death, leading them to everlasting life.

Adding to all of that, this coming Sunday is the baptism of Hope.  She is about 1-1/2 years old and the daughter of Joshua.  She is also fearless, which makes her a great companion to Michael.

This Sunday Hope and her family will attend Saint Luke’s for the first time.  She will be presented, renunciations and affirmations will be made, support will be given, prayers will be offered, she will be baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and she will be marked and sealed as Christ’s own for ever.  And in that moment, Hope will be raised to a new life of grace in our Lord Jesus Christ.

I once heard someone in another congregation say something along the lines of, “Why are they being baptized here if they aren’t part of our congregation?”  I have a snarky response to that question, but, instead, I’ll give you my best answer.

We baptize people who aren’t part of our congregation because they ask.  Baptism is the official entry point into the household of God.  Unlike Communion, the only requirement to being baptized is a desire to do so.  Baptism is the beginning.  We can hope that people who present themselves or their children for baptism have a desire to be part of a Christian community.  It then becomes our job to welcome them, feed them, pray and worship with them, and walk with them on the Christian journey.

This coming Sunday, let us welcome the newly baptized.  Let us affirm that we will stand with the family and Saint Michael as we do battle against spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God.  Let us offer a place of warmth, joy, and support so they know we appreciate their presence.  And let us celebrate this new life of grace to which we are all a part.

I look forward to sharing this special day with you.

PS:  Did I mention there’s cake?

September 18, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Faithful

I am part of a program that works to support and strengthen clergy for the challenges we face.  My group has clergy from Virginia, Alabama, Wisconsin, New York (near Buffalo!), and Nebraska.  None of that is important, other than to say that clergy in vastly different settings tend to share the same issues.

I met with my group facilitator last week and she talked about her time in Burundi, Africa.  While there the bishop of the Anglican Church made a trip to England and Wales.  When he returned, she asked him, “What was it like to be in those English cathedrals or churches where you only had a handful of worshipers compared to the several hundred you regularly have here?”

After thinking about it for a moment, she said, he replied, “I was amazed at the faithfulness of those few people.”

I attended a Resolution Committee hearing on Sunday as we reviewed several resolutions that will be brought before the Convention.  The one that got the most attention and discussion was a resolution about how we spend our money at the diocesan level.  One of the speakers was bemoaning the fact that church numbers were dwindling and if we didn’t address that, there was no point in arguing about how a shuttered church will spend its money.

And while there is a decline in church membership across all denominations, if we focus on trying to get people to attend and pledge so we can keep the doors open and lights on, we will be focusing on the wrong thing.  The mission of the Church isn’t to pay the electric bill.  The mission of the Church is to “restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ” through “prayer, worship, evangelism, and the promotion of justice, peace, and love.”

There is something about the Episcopal Church at large, and Saint Luke’s in particular, that continues to draw people in.  We have a particular message to proclaim and a particular way of living out our faith.  It is this faith and hope in the midst of widely publicized despair that we live and move and have our being. 

Numbers aren’t the only indicator of a vital church.  Do we serve others?  Do we publicly proclaim the gospel?  Do we provide love and support?  There are other indicators, but you get the idea.  The point is this:  Yes, numbers are helpful, but what is more important than simple numbers is whether or not we are being faithful to the gospel and our mission.  It will be that faithfulness that grounds you and encourages you, and it will be that lived faithfulness that will attract and draw people in. 

Our challenge, as it always has been, is to remain faithful even in the face of despair.

Blessings,

September 11, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Thank you

Sometimes saying, “Thank you,” conveys everything you want it to mean.  When you get a birthday or anniversary call or text, saying thank you is good.  When someone puts an unexpected piece of pie on your desk, saying thank you is good.  When someone with a grocery cart full of stuff lets you in front because you only have a couple of things, saying thank you is good.

And sometimes saying thank you doesn’t even begin to cover it, but it’s the only phrase we have.

This past Sunday was the annual Harvest Hoedown.  The event had some good music, good food, good conversations, many good items up for auction, and a good spirit.  It was a huge effort by many, many people:  from the Committee who organized and planned it, to all those who set up and tore down, to those who cooked the meal, to those who donated items for both the silent and live auctions, to everyone who sold dinner and raffle tickets, it took the efforts of many people and the extra hard work of a few people.

Early reports are that this may have been the most successful Hoedown to date, and I think a good reason for that, besides the work of the planning committee, was the decision to give 25 percent of the proceeds to fire relief.

“Thank you” doesn’t seem to begin to cover all of what needs to be said; but it’s also the only phrase I have.

So . . . Thank you to everyone involved in this amazing event.  You are greatly appreciated.

Blessings,

September 4, 2024

Wednesday Word:  988

We all seem to be under more stress than usual.  Whether it’s fretting about politics, trying to figure out the aftermath of the recent fires, jobs, grades, difficult or harmful interactions with other people, or whatever the case may be, we all at one time or another have to deal with more stress than we normally do.

That additional stress can be fleeting.  Other times it lasts for a long time.  And sometimes it resurfaces later in life, being triggered by a word, a smell, a place, or who knows what.  The phrase associated with the latter is “Post Traumatic Stress,” and it can wreak havoc on a life.

Sometimes, when we are going through a difficult time, people will tell us (or we might think this), “God won’t give us more than we can handle.”

First off, God never says that.  That statement is very bad theology wrapped up in a bow and presented as words of wisdom and comfort.  The truth of the matter is that there are people who are dealing with way more than they can handle, and they may be holding on to life and sanity by a thread.

Second, despite what is depicted in the Book of Job, God is not playing with our lives as if he’s some kind of psychotic stage director looking for more and more burdens to drop on people.

And third, it implies that we can, in fact, handle everything in our lives on our own.  The reality, though, is that we might be so overwhelmed that we need help.

If you are struggling with a difficult situation, and ESPECIALLY if you are to the point where you think it would be better if you weren’t around, pick up your phone and call 988.  There are people who staff that number and are trained to help people who are having suicidal thoughts.

Additionally, if you know of someone who is struggling, you can call 988 on their behalf and work on getting them help.

Wyoming consistently ranks in the top three states for suicide deaths.  This is something we can help prevent.  It’s something we all need to be aware of.  And it’s something that has a lifeline.

We all go through a lot at one time or another.  Know you aren’t alone and know 988 is there.

Blessings,

August 28, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Fire

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. – Matt. 3:12

We have seen enough of fire over this past week.  As of Monday, the fire report was as follows:

Flat Rock Fire at 52,500 acres with 35% containment; Remington Fire at just over 196,000 acres with 0% containment; Constitution Fire at roughly 25,000 acres with 28% containment; and the House Draw Fire at about 175,000 acres with 88% containment.  That’s just under 450,000 acres that have been burned in NE Wyoming.  Not to downplay the scope of the disaster, but the good news is that no lives or homes were lost, although people did lose grassland and cattle, and wildlife was also lost.

The Bible has something like 630 references to fire – some good, some bad, and some just as a matter of fact.  Fire can help or it can harm.  It can comfort or it can terrorize.  It can help create and it can destroy.  We know this all too well.

In the above passage, John the Baptist is preparing the crowds for the coming of the Messiah.  It sounds like a hell-and-damnation sermon:  “Get right with God or be prepared to burn.”

But chaff is the name given to the outer husk of things.  It’s the protective coating around the seed.  In this passage, what is being burned isn’t the good wheat but the outer husk.  I think of this as the wheat being all the good things that we give to God and all the good fruit we produce.  The husk, that which is burned, is all the other stuff we use to shield ourselves or the images we project to protect ourselves. 

We tend to be fiercely independent people, surrounding ourselves with a protective outer husk, which is just so much chaff.  But in the aftermath of these fires, what I have seen is a lot of chaff that has been burned.  What is left is the wheat – the wheat of a community coming together to help those in need; the wheat of people offering spaces for people to set up camp as needed; the wheat of one landowner opening up their land for others to send cattle; the wheat of companies pooling resources for the common good.

Fire can be devastating, but it can also burn away the chaff so that the good wheat can be gathered up.  May we continue to be the good wheat.

Blessings,

August 21, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Balance

I recently finished re-reading The Benedictine Handbook.  This is a manual written by St. Benedict of Nursia in the 6^th Century that lays out how monks and nuns are to live.  It’s not terribly long – roughly 88 pages broken down into 73 chapters, and it covers topics from hospitality to diet to prayer to work to discipline and everything in-between.

It’s thought that Benedict wrote The Rule in about 540, and almost 1500 years later it is still being used in monasteries and other contexts around the world.

One of the things that gives The Rule its staying power is its simplicity.  Benedictine monks and nuns take a vow of “stability, amendment of life, and obedience.”  Within that vow, and within the life of the monastery, is a simple balance of life that revolves around the body (dormitory, refectory, and grounds), mind (library), and soul (chapel).  In seeking that balance, he divided the day up into neat sections of work, prayer, study, nourishment, and sleep.

In this Rule, everything matters, and God is at the center of everything – God is present in our work, in our play, in our hospitality, in our study, in our worship, and in everything we do.

We can get so busy with certain aspects of our lives that we get “out of balance.”  This is not new to the 21^st Century – it was something of which Benedict was aware close to 1500 years ago.  It would behoove us to pay attention to The Rule, if not to join a monastery at least to pay attention to our lives.  Do we have a good work/life balance?  Are we getting enough sleep?  Do we eat sensibly and regularly?  Are we spending the same time in prayer as we are watching TV?

The list and examples of how we could obtain balance are as varied as the number of people reading this, but you are the only one who can decide what’s appropriate.  I would urge you, however, to examine your life and find that balance where God gets as much attention as your phone.

Blessings,

August 14, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Jonathan Myrick Daniels

Today, August 14, is the Feast of Jonathan Myrick Daniels.  If you’ve never heard of him, don’t worry, I hadn’t heard of him either until I attended seminary.

Jonathan was a seminarian attending the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, MA, in the early ‘60’s.  In 1965 he answered Martin Luther King, Jr.’s plea to come to Selma and help secure voting rights for all citizens.  He was arrested and jailed on August 14 for joining a picket line, and then was unexpectedly released.  As he and his companions approached a store, a white man with a shotgun accosted 16-year-old Ruby Sales.  Jonathan moved between the two to protect her from the attack, whereby he was shot and killed.

Almost 60 years later, this country is still racked by acts of racism, both overt and covert, and with the ghosts and sins of slavery and a war fought over the right to own other human beings.  People of color face more societal obstacles than do white people.  Women have their own unique challenges.  Certain groups of people are working to disallow other groups of people from voting.  Attacks on people “not like us,” both in word and deed, seem to be on the rise.

Jonathan Daniels understood that following God meant opposing certain acts and policies of man.  He said he knew he had to go to Selma when the words of the Magnificat filled his soul:  “He has put down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly.  He has filled the hungry with good things.”

In one paper he wrote before his death, he says, “I began to know in my bones . . . that all life . . . [is] indelibly one.”

When we are faced with hatreds of all kinds wrapped up as patriotism or as Christian values, may we remember the courage of Jonathan Myrick Daniels who sacrificed himself for the protection of another human being.  And let us also work to renounce evil powers bent on destroying the creatures of God while also striving for justice and peace among all people.

Todd+