October 26, 2022

We are teaching ourselves to embroider and I did not expect the most difficult part of this to be untangling thread – Twitter post by “Ansley Is Livid

I responded to that tweet by saying, “Untangling is always the most difficult part of everything.”

I mean, sure . . . thread is a pain to untangle. So are extension cords, the chains of a thurible, and knots in long hair. That's why I'm always careful to wind things up nice and neat, or as best I can, so I don't have to deal with untangling in the future.

It occurred to me, though, that other things get tangled up and the most difficult part of it all is getting untangled. Whether that thing is a job, a project, a relationship, sometimes we get so tangled up that we aren't sure how to get untangled.

There's also a difference between being entangled and being entwined. Both of those generate images of two or more things wrapped around each other, or of one thing looped in and over itself. The difference is that being entangled generates a sense of knotted up, or of a mess needing to be straightened out. On the other hand, being entwined creates a sense of togetherness that generates strength.

The suspension cables on a bridge, for instance, are entwined. Good friends may have entwined lives. A good marriage consists of two people entwined together. The three persons of the Holy Trinity are entwined together. Hopefully we are entwined with God.

I hope you find yourself entwined with this community, with family and friends, and with God. And if you find yourself tangled up, I hope you find someone who can calmly and gently help get you untangled.

Blessings

October 19, 2022

Attempting to live like Jesus requires art, not science. – When One Religion Isn't Enough, pg. 4. Duane R. Bidwell

This is a book I picked up while on retreat last July, and this sentence comes from the introduction.

So often it seems that people look for the right rules to follow, or rules to keep them in line, or rules to affirm their own prejudices. For too long, people and clergy espoused a set of rules that, if followed, would ensure a person would get to heaven and keep society prim and proper. For too long, people and clergy espoused a set of rules that would ensure their vision of religion, society, and God were enforced. The Puritans were awfully good at the first (think about requirements for church attendance or enforced behaviors which, if not followed, led to public punishments, or worse). The Southern Baptist denomination was established to uphold the institution of slavery and segregation.

And on and on it goes with rules being created to uphold systems of power and to disenfranchise and shun the Other. Think about how churches have treated, and continue to treat, minorities, gays and lesbians, transgendered, inter-racial marriages, women in general and in leadership in particular.

On my Twitter feed recently, someone asked, “Where does the idea of biblical inerrancy come from?” There were a lot of answers, but I replied, “I'm guessing it probably started when the first guy said, 'The Bible clearly says' and then went looking for proof-texts to shore up his position.”

But while rules are necessary in some (many?) cases, following Jesus, discipleship, is less about rules, or the science of the matter, and more about art, because art can capture our imagination.

Art allows us to imagine the infant Jesus at Mary's breast. Art allows us to imagine Joseph playing peek-a-boo with toddler Jesus. Art allows us to imagine who is our neighbor. Art allows us to imagine finding an empty tomb. Art allows us to imagine Jesus asking us, “Do you love me? Then feed my sheep.”

The law (rules) Jesus lived by was twofold: Love God, love neighbor. In his life he constantly looked for ways in which those two laws could be lived out.

I watched a Safe Church module yesterday in which Presiding Bishop Curry quoted Ab. Desmond Tutu: “Without us, God won't. Without God, we can't. Together we can.”

In loving God and loving neighbor there is a lot of room for artistic imagination. In our attempt to live like Jesus, may we put our artistic imaginations to use as we bring the Church to the world around us.

October 12, 2022

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me.” – Is. 6:8

At the dilapidated church of San Damiano, Francis of Assisi prayed, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” Francis heard a reply, “Go and rebuild my church, which, as you see, is falling down.”

“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body.” – St. Teresa of Avila

Isaiah saw a vision of the LORD in his holy temple and attending seraphs who called out, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” While in that vision Isaiah realizes God is looking for someone to send and speak a message to his people. Isaiah famously replies, “Here am I; send me.”

Initially Francis thought God was telling him to repair the little church in which he had prayed. Eventually, however, he came to learn that he was being called to repair the larger church which was, at this point in time, close to collapsing due to corruption and strife.

Neither Saint John's nor the wider church is collapsing, but both are in need of attention. As we move out of the COVID pandemic there are challenges we face. We are learning how to be the church in a different world than we were just three years ago, and certainly different than from 20, 30, 40-plus years ago.

As we come out of the pandemic and look to return and minister in ways that are new, different, and the same, the call of Isaiah and Francis are particularly apt for us today. Saint John's has a lot of moving parts, both with our Commissions that offer a variety of ministries, and in a liturgy that offers a variety of opportunities to serve.

This Sunday, October 16, is Commission Sunday. Each Commission will have a table set up after each service with information about what they do and a chance to sign up to participate. You don't have to sign up for everything, but over the next few days I encourage you to prayerfully consider what talents you might offer for the good of the church. Are you a singer? Do you enjoy gardening? Are you a financial whiz? Would you like to play a larger role in the Sunday liturgy? All these and more are areas we are working to build up as we continue to learn how to move forward in our post-pandemic world.

We find ourselves at a time of rebuilding. God is asking, “Whom shall I send?” It has been a difficult 2-1/2 years, and we are being called to rebuild the church. As St. Teresa of Avila reminds us, we are the body, feet, hands, and eyes of Christ, and now is the time to put them to good use.

I look forward to seeing you this Sunday. And if you can't be with us in person, please return a Time and Talent sheet offering your gifts to the church as we look to actively be the church in the world.

Blessings,

October 5, 2022

Be present, be present, O Jesus, our great High Priest, as you were present with your disciples, and be known to us in the breaking of bread. – BCP 834, adapted from Luke 24:30

All [the disciples] were constantly devoting themselves to prayer – Acts 1:14

“And the four living creatures . . . without ceasing sing, “Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” And . . . the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever;” – Revelation 4:8, 10

“The duty of all Christians is . . . to come together week by week for corporate worship . . .” BCP 856

Worship is, above all else, the purpose of the church. There are a lot of things we are commanded to do (see this past Sunday's sermon, for instance); but the main purpose for gathering as a body and community of faith is to worship the Lord.

“Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness,” says Psalm 29:2 (BCP). Whether that beauty of holiness is in the splendor of the main Saint John's worship space, whether it is in a grand cathedral, whether it is in a tiny and tight-knit community, whether it is at an outdoor chapel that looks out on lake and mountains, or whether it is a small group of people praying Morning or Evening Prayer, the beauty of holiness can be interpreted in many different ways. Certainly the beauty of holiness is found in the visual aspects of the worship space; but the beauty of holiness can also be found where two or three are gathered together in his name.

And, yes, there are a lot of other things we do as the body of Christ (feed, clothe, shelter, etc.) that many other organizations also do; but what those other organizations don't do is worship. It is our worship that sets the church apart from those other organizations.

I mention all this because today, October 5, is the return of the mid-week worship service in Saint Mary's Chapel at 12:15. The last service of Holy Eucharist held at Saint John's before the pandemic shut everything down was on a Wednesday. The service was always small, but it provided an intimacy that people enjoyed. Because of that small, intimate setting, there was a different feel to the beauty of holiness.

If you participated in that service before COVID struck, I invite and welcome you back. If your life has changed because of COVID in such a way that you are now free in the middle of the week, or if you are new to Saint John's and have time on Wednesdays, I invite you to join us. You are welcome to come and worship with us in the beauty of holiness that this small, intimate setting provides.

Blessings,

September 28, 2022

The weather seems to have suddenly shifted into autumn. The temperature is beginning to consistently drop and even the sunny days have a crispness to them. Morning walks now require a sweatshirt. It can't be long before we start seeing snow.

But between now and that first snowfall on what will probably be a gray, blustery day, we have these early days of autumn. The early days of a seasonal change when we need sweaters or light jackets in the morning, only to forget them at the office because it's warmed up. The early days of autumn when leaves change from the long, green season to the season of reds, yellows, oranges and all shades thereof. The early days of autumn when hot chocolate is a comfort drink rather than a drink of necessity.

This seasonal change is a reminder that change is all around us. By virtue of being alive we are subject to change. We do not live out our lives as toddlers, but we change and learn and grow and, eventually, die. The church lives a yearly cycle of change beginning with Advent and cycling through the seasons of Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Individual parishes also live through cycles of change throughout its life. As we look back over the life of Saint John's, there have certainly been changes and cycles from our beginning on Mulberry Street to the fire at Antietam and Summit to where we are now.

As we enter this seasonal change, this is a good time to evaluate changes in our own lives. As the trees begin to lose their leaves, are there things we can lose – extra coats or clothes we no longer use, for instance? Before those leaves are lost, they provide the world with radiant colors. How might we provide the radiant colors of God's love to the world around us? Before long, the world will be cold, bleak, and dark. When that change comes, may we be warm, cheerful, and bright.

Blessings

September 21, 2022

And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? – Micah 6:8

Most of yesterday was spent in two meetings. The first was an organization meeting of sorts with Circles, USA (https://www.circlesusa.org/), a community based organization designed to help reduce poverty and remove the barriers that stand in the way of that goal. This program is reaching out to local government officials, businesses, and faith organizations. The goal is to have it up and running by November or December. They are looking for what they call Allies to walk with people for 18 months through the program and to have groups volunteer to sign up for one month and serve a meal once a week.

I followed that up by attending the HARC meeting. At that meeting we discussed how HARC could help faith communities work together, how we could support children in the community, how we could work for justice and equality for those who are not treated equally or as less-than, and how we might help each other create stronger houses of worship. I also had a brief conversation with the chaplain at Meritus who said that, because of the shift in how Meritus runs their Spiritual Care Department, they are looking for people willing to be trained as volunteer chaplains.

When I got back to the office I had three messages waiting for me from people who needed financial assistance of one kind or another. And after a few other tasks that needed to get done, it was time for Evening Prayer.

I mention all this not to complain about how yesterday went, but as a reminder.

Doing justice is difficult work and seems never-ending. The work to help people escape poverty is ongoing. The work we do, both with ourselves and in our organizations, toward racial equality and other aspects of unjust systems is ongoing. It is also tiring. It can be exhausting. It is also work the Lord requires us to do.

There are days when the pleas for financial assistance seem never-ending and they come back to back to back. Sometimes it's easy to get frustrated with those requesting help. It's almost always painful to have to turn someone away or come to terms with the fact that I can only help in limited ways. But I must always remember that these people by simply by the nature of their humanity and divinity deserve to be treated with kindness.

And finally, at the end of the day, no matter how difficult the struggle for justice, or how often my patience has been tested, I still need to make time to pray.

Doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with the Lord are not three separate things, but three things intertwined. To do justice means to love kindness; and doing those things over and over again can wear us out. So it's vitally important to remember to walk humbly with the Lord and allow him to have a space in your life.

Blessings,

September 14, 2022

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross that he might draw the whole world to himself: Mercifully grant that we, who glory in the mystery of our redemption, may have grace to take up our cross and follow him – Collect for Holy Cross Day

Know for certain that thou must lead a dying life; and the more a man dieth to self, so much the more doth he begin to live unto God. – The Imitation of Christ, Thomas A' Kempis

Today is Holy Cross Day, one of those days I think we don't pay much attention to. Other than Good Friday, with its Veneration of the Cross, or the weekdays in Holy Week when we walk the Way of the Cross, we tend to avoid it. If I were to guess why that is it would be because we don't like that it reminds us of suffering and death.

To be sure, the empty cross symbolizes Christ's victory over death. Almost every Easter hymn recognizes and celebrates this fact (Christ is alive! Let Christians sing. His cross stands empty to the sky – Hymn 182). But in order to be a symbol over death, you have to have experienced death in the first place – there is no Easter without Good Friday. As much as the cross is that victorious symbol, we are also confronted with the fact that it was an instrument of torture on which Jesus had his hands and feet nailed through and hung in agony for three hours.

So we have a complicated relationship with the cross, in that in order to live we must first die.

Today's Collect leads us in that reflection. Our redemption is a glorious celebration that is achieved through the mystery of the cross and crucifixion. Through the lifting up of Christ on the cross the whole world is drawn to him in that salvific act. As Jesus took up his cross to destroy death, we are also called to take up our cross to destroy that which would destroy us.

Thomas A' Kempis recognized this when he wrote his meditation on the cross. We tend to be selfish creatures. We tend to live for ourselves. But it is in dying to self that allows God to dwell more fully with us. Each time we allow ourselves to get out of the way, we give God room to get in the way. Unfortunately that is neither easy nor painless.

Christian discipleship is hard work. It requires steadfastness when we would rather give up. It requires dedication when we would rather take a nap. It requires self-control when we would rather indulge our senses. It requires us to put to death those desires and habits which would keep us apart from God.

On this Holy Cross Day may you reflect on the humility of Jesus as he suffered and died on a cross which now stands empty and leads to the way of life and peace. And may you have the strength and courage to carry your own cross, putting to death that which keeps you from living a full life in God.

Blessings,