June 26, 2024

Wednesday Word:  John the Baptist

This past Monday, June 24, was the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.  If you are paying attention, this is six months before Christmas Eve.  We don’t actually know when John or Jesus were born, as there are no specific dates mentioned in any of the gospels.  Based on Luke 1:26, however, we are told that the angel Gabriel visited Mary six months after John was conceived.

Unlike Christmas, June 24 often goes unnoticed by most people (except it’s my daughter’s birthday, but that’s a different story).  There are no “John the Baptist” Hallmark movies.  We don’t have “A Charlie Brown John the Baptist” tv special.  There are no greeting cards commemorating this holy day.  I suppose that’s appropriate.

John was the forerunner of Jesus.  He was the voice crying out in the wilderness preparing the way of the Lord and working to make his paths straight.  He was the one who proclaimed a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  He was the one calling people to reform their lives.  And when some of his disciples complained to him that they were losing people to Jesus, he replied, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

In some sense this is our role as well.  We all have our particular parts to play in the life of the Church.  We must always remember, though, that we do not do any of this for our own glory, but we do it for the glory of God.  Our goal is to help make disciples.  Through that process – inviting, shepherding, growing – the Church will grow, it will increase.  If we follow John’s example and attitude, then “It must increase, but I must decrease.”

John was wholly devoted to the coming of the Messiah and the inbreaking of God’s kingdom into this world.  He also knew who was the more important of the two.  May we be as focused and devoted as John while also doing those things that help Christ and the Church increase.

Blessings,

June 19, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Juneteenth

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal . . .  – Declaration of Independence

In all such [new] territory the institution of negro slavery, as it now exists in the Confederate States, shall be recognized and protected by Congress . . . – Constitution of the Confederate States, Article IV, Section 3(3)

From April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865 (officially speaking), the United States engaged in a brutal civil war that tore the country apart and resulted in more US casualties than any other war.  On January 1, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that all slaves in southern states were legally free.

Because the war was still being fought, and because mass communication was not yet a thing, it took awhile for news to make it into the deep south and westernmost parts of Texas.  So it was that on June 19, 1865, 2-1/2 years after the Proclamation, approximately 2000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, TX, and announced to some 250,000 enslaved black people that they were, indeed, free.  That day, June 19, came to be known as Juneteenth.

In order to understand the joy of Juneteenth, you must first come to terms with the horrors of slavery.  And while we have far to go to live into the ideals that “all [people] are created equal,” that is certainly a far better goal than that of living into the goals of the CSA Constitution. 

As Christians, we proclaim and live into the belief that all people are children of God.  As Episcopalians, we proclaim and work “for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.”

May we never forget the horrors and errors of our past, while always working to achieve God’s justice in the present.  Juneteenth, as with the Resurrection, reminds us to never give up hope.

Blessings, 

Go here for more information on Juneteenth

June 12, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Of Desert Monks and the Trinity

You may have heard me say something like, “I really need to be a desert monk in a cave somewhere.”  This sentiment usually comes when I’m frustrated about church life in one way or another.  Most recently I said it to Marilyn when we were trying to figure out why the copier wasn’t working (which, of course, happened when Monica was away).  I just need to be a monk in a cave where I don’t have to deal with persnickety copiers.

Joelene was in Seattle from May 25 to June 2 for our nephew’s high school graduation and our niece’s final track meet of the year.  While not in the desert, and most definitely not in a cave, it certainly felt like I got that wish of isolation.

As Christians we hold God to be three-in-one and one-in-three.  This trinitarian view of God holds that God exists in relationship, each part of the Godhead in perfect relation and community with the other parts.

“And God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness’.”  Scholars and theologians have said one of the reasons for the creation of humans was so that God could further live into relationship and community.  The doctrine of the Trinity establishes that God is not alone (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), but that God also desires a wider community of love.

That week without Joelene wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, for even desert monks share in a wider community.  That week was a reminder that we were created to be in community. 

May we work to make Saint Luke’s not only a place where individuals find solace and strength, but where the bonds of community are created and strengthened.  May we live into the trinitarian love of God.

Blessings,

June 5, 2024

Wednesday Word:  You Never Know

Today is the Feast Day of Boniface, Archbishop of Mainz.  He was born in England about 675 with the name of Winfred.  Eventually he became a monk and was ordained to the priesthood.

Inspired by others, he decided to become a missionary to what is now known as the Netherlands in 716.  This journey was a failure, so three years later he gained a meeting with Pope Gregory II who changed his name to Boniface and sent him to Germany.  While serving as Archbishop of Mainz, he anointed Pepin as King of the Franks in 752.  Pepin eventually had a son who was named Charlemagne.  That son became the first person to rule a united western Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire 300 years earlier, eventually taking the title of Holy Roman Emperor and impacting Europe for centuries.

Boniface could not have known that the man he anointed king would have a son who would become emperor of all Europe.  In the same way, we don’t always know how our words or actions will impact or influence people and events years from now.

In a world filled with animosity, greed, distrust, violence, and other such antichrist behaviors, choose to be different.  Choose to be kind, to share your wealth, to trust others, to strive for peace and justice, and to reflect the love of Christ to all you encounter.  Because, like Boniface, you will never know how your words and actions will impact the world.

Blessings,

May 29, 2024

Wednesday Word:  The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is this Friday and commemorates her visit to her elderly cousin Elizabeth, who was herself six-months pregnant with John the Baptist.  After Elizabeth meets her at the door, Mary replies with the song that has come to be known as the Magnificat, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord . . ."

This event is recorded in the Gospel of Luke, and takes place after the angel Gabriel visits Mary to announce that she will conceive and give birth to Jesus.  There are a few things from this story that are worth considering:

During this time, Zechariah, Elizabeth's husband, has ben struck mute because of his encounter with Gabriel.  After Elizabeth conceived, she spent five months in self-imposed seclusion.  Mary, unmarried, pregnant, and probably more than a little scared, left her home and stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, most likely trying to sort things out with a trusted confidant.  Mary may have been present for the birth of John before she returned to her home and the protective care of Joseph.

Thinking about this particular Feast and everything associated with it, I am most intrigued with those three months Mary spent with Elizabeth.  We all need a trusted friend and quiet place to go when we are faced with difficult and/or confusing times.  Who is that person, and where is that place, with whom can you have sacred, trusted conversations and feel the presence of God? 

Life can be difficult.  The Feast of the Visitation reminds us we don't need to make this journey alone.
 
Blessings,

May 22, 2024

Wednesday Word:  Not Human Enough?

I read something the other day that made me stop and rethink the idea of being human. 

We have all said, I’m sure, at one time or another, “Hey, I’m only human.”  This is often said in response to some mistake we’ve made, or following some instance that highlights our fallibility.  The sentiment is derived from our sinful nature and the many examples, both in Scripture and in life, of people making mistakes of all kinds and any number of lapses in judgment.

Examples include, but are not limited to, Adam & Eve eating forbidden fruit, Noah getting drunk, the golden calf incident, all of Judges, Peter’s denial of Jesus, Paul admitting he doesn’t do what he should, and other incidents of which I’m sure you can recall.  We tend to blame our shortcomings on our humanness.

Jesus, however, didn’t have any of those shortcomings that I know of.  “Well, yes,” you might say, “that’s because he was God incarnate.”  That is certainly true, as we hold that Jesus was fully divine. 

But Jesus was also fully human.  One of the beautiful things about the Incarnation was that it gave us the example of how to live as humanly possible in relationship with God.  Through his death and resurrection, Jesus destroyed sin and death, making the whole creation new. 

Instead of blaming our shortcomings on being human, what if we tried to be more human in the same way that Jesus was human, living into that new creation that he made possible?  Our humanity is a gift from God, and Jesus showed us how to unite that humanity to God. 

May we look at our humanness not as a defective state of being prone to mistakes, but as the way we are drawn into relationship with God, and then work to live like Jesus – being more human.

Blessings,

May 15, 2024

Wednesday Word:  The Time of Thanksgiving

Two weeks ago, I wrote about time and how our concept and perception of time played into our lives.  I talked about visiting a friend without your watch, and of having your time in church focused on what you put into worship rather than what you get out of it.

In discussing time and church, the author of Life on the Vine used the example of Thanksgiving.  To paraphrase, when we visit friends or family for Thanksgiving, we don’t pay attention to the clock.  Unless we have to make a run to the airport, we don’t come into a Thanksgiving event with the expectation that it will be over in an hour and a half.  Our expectation is to arrive mid-morning or early afternoon, to help prepare a meal, to visit with people, maybe to play a few games, to share that meal, maybe watch a football game, help clean up, and then say our goodbyes sometime later that evening.

In the best of circumstances there is no drama, there are no worries about how long one stays, there is plenty of fellowship, and everyone shares a good meal.

Church should be the same way.

Our Sunday liturgy is called “The Holy Eucharist.”  Eucharist is a Greek word meaning “thanksgiving.”  Our Sunday liturgy is literally, “The Holy Thanksgiving.”  Everything we do on Sunday is done in thanksgiving:  We give thanks to God for the Holy Scriptures which we have received over the ages, and we give thanks for the sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood in which we partake as a foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

Every Sunday is a time of Thanksgiving in which we leave the time constraints of the world behind and enter into God’s time – a time of mystery, fellowship, and the sharing and partaking of a holy meal. 

May we learn to treat the Holy Eucharist, the Holy Thanksgiving, with the same excitement and involvement as we treat our own Thanksgiving Day in November.

Blessings,