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,

June 14, 2023

I sat in the church on Sunday afternoon listening to the harpist practice for her recital later that day. As I listened, I took a visual tour of the stained glass windows in the nave. We are blessed to worship in one of the most beautiful spaces I've known, and I'm sure many of you feel the same way.

As I was looking at those windows that tell the story of Christ's life from the Annunciation to the Crucifixion and his Ascension, I wondered, “Which one is my favorite?” I think that probably depends on my mood at the time. So then I asked myself, “Which one speaks to me now?”

As I looked around the nave and all of the windows, and even up into the chancel and sanctuary, I kept coming back to Jesus encountering Nathanael under the fig tree. This episode can be found in John 1:48. What John tells us is that Jesus called Philip and Philip then told Nathanael about Jesus. There's an encounter and Jesus eventually says, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Using artistic license, our window appears to depict Nathanael asleep under that tree, not noticing the presence of Christ right next to him.

How often, I thought, are we like Nathanael in that window – asleep to the presence of Christ right next to us?

Maybe we no longer take time to notice the holy presence of the Lord in our midst because we see it so often. Maybe we are asleep to the presence of Christ in the form of those people who use parts of our building for shelter. Maybe we are asleep to the presence of Christ in our lives because other things always seem to take precedence. Maybe we are asleep to the still, small voice of God because we would rather see or hear something big and dramatic. The list can go on.

In his book, The Problem of Pain, CS Lewis wrote, “They wanted some corner in the universe of which they could say to God, 'this is our business, not yours.' But there is no such corner.”

There is no such corner where God is not present. There is no such corner that Jesus does not touch. Maybe what it takes for us to be awakened to that is to spend some time in peaceful quiet with our eyes and ears wide open so that we are awake to the presence of Christ right next to us.

June 7, 2023

Deacon Sue and I spent this past Saturday in Baltimore at the cathedral for two ordination services. The first was at 10:00 and saw the ordination of two deacons. The second was at 2:00 and saw the ordination of five priests.

Ordination services are always joyous affairs. The color of the day is red, so you get to see a bunch of red stoles you normally don't get to see. Clergy gather around the ordinands as Holy Orders are conferred on them by the bishop. There is a sense of hope as things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new. You get to see the joy in their eyes as they help celebrate their first Communion, and you notice the difference they feel in administering the Body and Blood to those in attendance for the first time as ordained clergy. And, for the most part, there were only one or two times when I got the liturgical heebie jeebies; which isn't bad for two services that spanned four hours or so.

After we exchanged the Peace, the bishop reminded those in attendance at both services that, through the centuries, the Church has called a small percentage of people to serve as deacons and priests. That is not because those people are more special than others, but simply because they have a different ministry. When asking, “Who are the ministers of the Church?” the Catechism clearly states they are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons. As we continue to recover from the COVID pandemic, as we see a hurting world in need of healing, we know the Church has a big job ahead of her, and it will take all of her members to bring the healing presence of Christ to the world around us.

During the Examination in the ordination service of a deacon, the bishop says, “Every Christian is called to follow Jesus Christ, serving God the Father . . .” And at the ordination of a priest, the bishop says, “All baptized people are called to make Christ known as Savior and Lord, and to share in the renewing of his world.” These two ordination services make clear that all people are ministers within different orders.

As we move into summer and people take vacations and trips, I would ask that you take some of that time to discern how you might serve the Church in general, and Saint John's in particular. Fall is not that far away, and as people begin to return to onsite worship we need everyone to participate in various ministries. John Sabine has a pick-up choir through summer; drop in and check it out, and maybe you will find a home with our music ministry. Kim Halsey and the Service & Outreach group are always looking for ways to put our faith into action. Charlie Chaney and the Fabric & Grounds group have no shortage of things needing attention around the building. We are still looking for a Treasurer. Our worship service needs people to serve in the Altar Guild, as Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, and Acolytes. What interests and skills do you have that you can offer up?

I'm reminded of the hymn, “Jesus calls us o'er the tumult of our life's wild, restless sea, day by day his clear voice soundeth, saying, 'Christian, follow me'.”

As the recovery from COVID continues, we must all answer the question: How will you serve?

May 31, 2023

“My parents live in Bonney Lake.”

I was talking with someone recently who had a general knowledge of western Washington. They had friends or family or something who lived in Enumclaw or Maple Valley, which is near Bonney Lake.

So, of course, during the conversation, I mentioned that my parents live in Bonney Lake, and it's always nice to talk with someone who knows the geography of where you're from.

I don't remember exactly, but I want to say this conversation happened about three or four weeks ago; which is significant for this.

Sometime after that conversation it occurred to me that my parents do not live in Bonney Lake. My parent lives in Bonney Lake. My mom lives in Bonney Lake. My dad died on March 27.

In the big picture I know that we all die. Death is part of the business of being a priest. Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. For to your faithful people, O Lord, life is changed, not ended. And my dad had suffered from COPD for several years. I watched from afar as his quality of life continued to deteriorate, barely able to walk from the living room to the bathroom, continually tied to an oxygen tank, spending all his time in the recliner because he couldn't breathe while laying down and couldn't move very far because he could barely breathe while walking. Add to all of that his more frequent hospital visits and, in the end, death became a blessing.

That's not to say I'm glad my dad died. But there is a relief that comes at the end of suffering when you believe someone has arrived at a place of peace. My faith tells me that he is resting with the saints, where sorrow and pain are no more, neither sighing, but life everlasting.

That is what I believe.

But there are days when not everything has sunk in. There are days when you haven't yet fit a death into your normal operating system. That conversation was one of those days.

At some point I'll remember that my parents don't live in Bonney Lake – my mom lives in Bonney Lake. And no matter what my faith tells me, that is a hard adjustment to make.

I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord. Whoever has faith in me shall have life, even though he die.

Amen.

May 24, 2023

Sometimes I don't even know where to begin. Sometimes I just have to sit with the news and try to take it all in. And sometimes what I'm taking in is so overwhelming, so paralyzing, so beyond belief that I sit in stunned silence and whisper, “Lord, have mercy.”

This past Holy Week a story broke detailing the sexual abuse of over 600 children by more than 150 Catholic clergy during a sixty-year period in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore. These are staggering numbers. In a week where we remembered the abuse and eventual death of an innocent man at the hands of the religious authorities and the state, we were also confronted with the ongoing abuse of innocent children at the hands of religious authorities and the associated cover-up.

Yesterday another report broke stating more than 450 offenders sexually abused more than 1900 children over a seventy-year period in Illinois in the Catholic Church.

In both of these, Baltimore and Illinois, the number of abusers and abused was far greater than had previously been disclosed. To quote from one report about the Baltimore findings, “Church documents reveal with disturbing clarity that the Archdiocese was more concerned with avoiding scandal and negative publicity than it was with protecting children.”

Bishop Sutton addressed the Baltimore story at Clergy Conference and again at the Diocesan Council meeting last weekend. He reminded both of those groups that the Episcopal church doesn't have clean hands, as we have had clergy who have abused children. He reminded us to pray for the victims, that they may be healed physically, emotionally, and spiritually from the abuse they suffered. He also asked us to pray for the people in the Roman Catholic Church who are also having to deal with these awful events and the lasting impact they have on people both inside and outside the Church.

I can't even begin to process the fact that well over 600 clergy sexually abused more than twenty-five HUNDRED children. TWENTY. FIVE. HUNDRED. I don't even know where to begin with that. So I sit with the news and try to take it all in. And after a bit, I remember where I can begin.

I can begin here. I can begin by reminding people that here at Saint John's we do all we can to keep our most vulnerable parishioners safe. In our bathrooms we have posters with information on how to report abuse or suspected abuse. All people in positions of authority, all employees, and all volunteers who work with vulnerable parishioners are required to take the Safe Church program. Some of those people are also subject to a background check. We do these things not because we think people are inherently abusive, we do these things to let people know we are serious about protecting our people. So I begin there.

And for those who have been abused, I pray: Lord God, you called us into being in a state of fragility and vulnerability. Look with mercy upon those children who suffered abuse at the hands of those who were supposed to protect them, set them free of the trauma that engulfs them, bring to light and accountability those evil acts done in the dark, and may your tender mercy lead them to health and wholeness. Amen.

Lord, have mercy.

Todd+