August 30, 2023

Earlier this year Bishop Sutton had diocesan clergy read, Do I Stay Christian? by Brian McLaren.

You may have heard of him. He was raised in the Evangelical tradition of Christianity and over time left that branch to align with a more inclusive form of Christianity. He was also big in the emergent church movement. He has also written over 15 books that deal with inclusivity of all kinds and calling into question (or simply renouncing) simplistic black and white answers that focus more on following rules and punishment than in pursuing God's love of all people.

At various spots in the book he makes some of the following statements:

“I must renounce all forms of Christianity that claim to defend supremacy, privilege, domination, and violence.”

“Nobody is born a religious jerk. It takes a religion to help someone become that way.”

“The Christian community still remains largely ignorant of or in denial about its detestable history of anti-Semitism.”

“When you observe the passion and persistence with which [conservative Christians] speak out against LGBTQ equality, and the nonchalance with which they seek to eradicate abuses of power by their own, you have to wonder.”

There are many other quotable lines in there coming from a place of inclusion and a place of regret in having been part of a system that looks to punish people in the name of God.

As I read the book, it occurred to me that, without knowing it, Brian was quoting from the Book of Common Prayer. The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God, not to separate them into the blessed and the damned. All people are created in the image of God, therefore we must love our neighbor as our self. Because all people are created in God's image, we must strive for justice and respect the dignity of every human being.

These things Brian is saying are things that the Episcopal church has been saying for a long time. So it both amuses me and frustrates me that our overall position of inclusivity and equality seems to be generally ignored while someone like Brian McLaren can write about these things and garner a following.

The Episcopal church has been on this bandwagon, as I said, for a long time. We have fought our own internal battles over the full inclusion of women, LGBT people, and minorities. We have come to a place where who you are or how you define yourself is generally less important than whether or not you work to follow Christ, resist evil, and proclaim the Good News of God in Christ.

We have good news to share.

Saint John's Day is Sunday, September 10, and the theme is “Bring a Friend.” You have a week and a half to think about how and whom you will invite to church that day so they can experience here at Saint John's the same thing that Brian McLaren has been writing about – inclusivity and equality are gifts from God.

Blessings,

August 23, 2023

Have you noticed the morning change?

Over the past few days the mornings are cooler than they have been. The sun rises incrementally later each day, adding to the length of time it remains cool. Driving into the office with the windows down feels good. And I can almost catch the faint scent of autumn in those few early morning hours.

But it doesn't stay that way for very long. At least, that wasn't the case late last week and into Sunday and Monday of this week. Very quickly the temperature rose into the upper '80's and the humidity also rose. I spent most of Monday in my car, driving from one meeting to the next, and from one visitation to the next. The A/C would just start to get the car cooled off when I had to park and make my visit; only to climb back into a car that felt like it was 110 degrees. By the time I got home I was exhausted from dealing with the heat.

In the big picture, things don't seem to have changed. It's still hot and humid, and summer, while winding down (school starts next week), still has a hold on us and the weather. Last trips to the lake or the beach are still being made. Children may still be running through sprinklers. It still feels like summer overall.

But there are moments when we catch a glimpse of a seasonal change. There are moments when we think, “Fall is in the air.”

God works in a similar way. We look around and it seems things are as they always have been. Sometimes things are hot and humid and it's difficult to move through the oppressiveness. But then there are small signs that a change is coming. There are small, incremental moments when we catch a glimpse of something new, or of some coming relief. When the change comes, we are most often taken by surprise.

We need to pay attention to those small indicators that can make us aware a change is coming. Whether that is a little cooler weather in the morning or something that made you stop for a moment, if we don't pay attention it'll take us by surprise.

What would it be like if we weren't continually taken by surprise, but, instead, if we paid more attention to incremental signals that let's us know God is doing something different?

So pay attention, because you just might notice God working in your life sooner than expected.

Blessings,

August 16, 2023

What do you think Communion is? – Question asked on a social media account by an Anabaptist who will “likely be preaching on Worldwide Communion Day in October.”

One person responded that Communion is a Christian ritual based on the Passover, gathered together, in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice and the new covenant of which we are a part, and a sense of being part of the body of Christ, not only with those gathered, but with those gathered in other places and stretching back to the Last Supper and, ultimately, the Exodus.

I responded that it not only stretches back, but it also stretches forward. It's a foretaste of the heavenly banquet where we join with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven, and it's a moment in time when all that was and all that will be now is.

Holy Communion is a sacramental and sacrificial act that connects us with the body of Christ throughout time, binding us together with saints before and saints after, with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven in a moment when God, the Great I AM is present in a moment in which we ARE. Additionally, Holy Communion is not something which we take, for that implies force, but is a gift of God which we receive.

Holy Communion is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. When consecrated, the bread and wine become body and blood, not through a change in substance, but through a substantial change in which Christ becomes present in the elements. As we reflect on that, we believe that we, also, are substantially changed to reflect the presence of Christ in our lives.

Holy Communion is THE central act of our Sunday worship. It unites us with Christians past, present, and future. It unites us with Christians who are participating in this holy meal at that time all over the world. It brings us to the table with all the heavenly host.

As you approach Sunday and prepare yourself to worship God in the beauty of holiness, spend some time reflecting on this question: What do you think Communion is?

Blessings,

August 2, 2023

And while Jesus was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. – Luke 9:29

This coming Sunday, August 6, is the Feast of the Transfiguration, the time when Jesus' appearance changes and he meets with Moses and Elijah. It's also when a cloud overshadowed those three along with the disciples, and they heard a voice say, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!”

This story has a parallel in Exodus 34 when Moses, also on a mountain, experiences a transfiguration in which his face shines so intently that he has to cover it when around people.

The question we should always ask ourselves when reading/studying Scripture is this: How does this passage or story affect me/us today? With the story of the Transfiguration just a few days away, how does this story (or these stories, if you're looking at both the gospel and the reading from Exodus) of Jesus and/or Moses being changed to such an extent that they radiate brilliance affect me today?

Looking at it with that question in mind might lead us to understand that the story isn't necessarily about Moses and Jesus being transfigured before our eyes, but that the story is about how an encounter with God changes a person. And not just a physical change, because I have seen people who have had a close encounter with God and seem to have a certain glow about them. That glow, though, if you read the full stories, is short-lived.

How would an encounter with God change us? How does our encounters with God – daily prayer, Sunday worship, etc. – change us?

We encounter God at least on a weekly basis. Are we allowing ourselves to be transfigured in such a way that people can recognize we have had an encounter with God?

May you see your time with God not as something normal and expected, but as something amazing that overshadows you and changes you in such a way that others notice you have been touched by the presence of God.

Blessings,

July 26, 2023

I need a new crazy with different people – Anonymous

It's summer. We are seven weeks into the twenty-five week Season after Pentecost. The forecast is calling for temperatures around 100 degrees this Friday.

I was talking with a person recently who was mentioning all of the above, along with an additional general feeling of worn outedness. Motivation was down. Patience was down. They were beginning to feel worn down. They openly wondered if it was time for a change of some kind.

That can happen to all of us at one time or another. Whether we start thinking about a career change, or a different role in the same career, or experience a midlife crisis, or develop a case of wanderlust, or simply think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, we can all fall into the desire of wanting a new crazy with different people.

Sometimes it's not the doldrums, or a midlife crisis, or the need to make a career change. Sometimes, to be healthy, we really do need to make a change. Sometimes a move is needed.

Deacon Sue wrote a little about this earlier this month when she wrote about discernment. In her piece, she asked the question, “Is this my goal or is this God's goal?”

That's a good question to ask; but I would add to that, “With whom are you talking to about this?” Discernment doesn't happen in a vacuum. You need to have someone, or many someones, to bounce your thoughts off of. You need to have someone you trust ask you hard, clarifying questions. You need someone who will tell you, “That's just crazy talk,” or, “You might be right – what would happen if you did make a change?”

The dog days of summer happen, I think, because we have a lot of time on our hands. So whether you think you need a new crazy with different people, or a new crazy with the same people, spend some time with God in prayer as well as time with trusted people who can provide good input in order to help figure out where you might be called to next.

God is calling us to serve in a variety of ways. Just make sure that you are answering God's call and not a simple desire to find a new crazy with different people.

Blessings,

July 19, 2023

I have been holding an Evening Prayer service on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday in the South Transept for the past six-plus years. At one point, someone offered to lead it on Fridays, but that hasn't always been dependable. I haven't offered it on Wednesdays due to offering a mid-week Eucharist and other meetings that take place on Wednesday evenings. But you can count on an EP service every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 5:30.

Most of the time I am the only person there. A few people came by when I first started the service. Some people made it a Lenten discipline one year. Before being hired by her current employer, Dcn. Sue was there regularly. And, depending on work or other schedules, a few people drop in every so often. But for the most part, it's a service of one.

I was asked recently why I continue to hold Evening Prayer if nobody shows up.

The short answer is that the Baptismal Covenant asks us to “continue . . . in the prayers.” Offering a regularly scheduled service of EP helps me be faithful in the prayers.

A longer answer is that EP, or any type of prayer service, should not be based on whether or not people attend or some sort of return-on-investment formula. The cycle of prayer allows one to spend time with God. The cycle of prayer adds a particular rhythm to the days, weeks, months, and years. It also offers a specific time where I spend praying for the people of Saint John's by praying through our directory every month and other concerns that have come up.

Spending time in prayer shouldn't be an afterthought. Spending time in prayer shouldn't be a quick fly-by when we are rushed. Spending time in prayer shouldn't only be reserved for Sundays.

Instead, spending time in prayer should be as intentional as the time you spend with your beloved. It should be a time set aside for the important work of being with God. And whether that is quiet time in the morning, whether it is time away at noon, whether it is praying Morning Prayer before the busy-ness of the day sets in, whether it's praying Evening Prayer in the South Transept or when you get home at night, or whether it's praying Compline before going to bed, it should be regular, intentional time with God.

Wherever you are and whatever your circumstances, don't let the distractions of the world take you away from spending time with God.

Blessings,

June 21, 2023

We have officially entered the long, green Season after Pentecost, otherwise known as Ordinary Time.

We have also officially entered the summer season – the season of vacations, trips to the beach, family visits, bbq's, and other activities.

One of the things summer also brings us are visitors to the church. People may just be passing through the area and want to worship on a Sunday morning. Some people may want to see something different from what they're used to. Some people may be new to the area and are searching for a spiritual home. Some people, for whatever reason, may have left their old church and are looking for a new home as well. Whatever the reason, summer is a time we may see new people come through our doors.

I recently read an article written by a retired ELCA pastor who visited several churches in an effort to find a spiritual home. Although not surprising, she was surprised by the spectrum of welcoming to non-welcoming churches she visited. A lot of what she wrote about is obvious and already incorporates how we interact with visitors here at Saint John's; but she made a few points that bear repeating.

“Hospitality,” she said, “is about spotters and scooters.”

Spotters are those people who keep a lookout for new people or people they don't recognize. A spotter will then make a point to introduce themselves to the new person with something like, “I don't believe we've met . . . I'm NN.” They will then offer to accompany them to coffee hour or, if before the service, ask if they are familiar with the Episcopal liturgy. In both cases they will also look to spot a parishioner who will then take them under their wing, so to speak.

Scooters are those people who move to invite the new person to join them. If this is at coffee hour, they notice (or are told by the spotter) the visitor in the room and move to interact with them. They ask non-threatening questions (“Where are you from?” or “Do you have any questions about the church?” but NOT, “Would you like to chair our pledge campaign this year?”). If this is before the service, a scooter can ask if they are familiar with the liturgy and, if not, offer to sit next to them and help guide them through the BCP & Hymnal. Even if they are familiar, asking to share a pew and then inviting them to stay afterward shows you care about not leaving them alone.

The best way to bring people into the faith and into the church is by inviting them. The second best way is by taking an interest in them when they are visiting and not leaving them alone.

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the elect, “I was a stranger and you invited me in.” This summer let's make sure we spot the stranger in our midst, scoot up next to them, and invite them in.

Blessings,