July 30, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Better With You

Last September I was in Gillette for a Soul Shop seminar.  Soul Shop is a faith-based suicide prevention/awareness program and I went to learn more about how to identify and speak to people about suicide.  I was then asked to be trained as a Soul Shop facilitator/trainer, which is what I was doing in Casper most of last week.

One of the things Soul Shop says is that we are better with you than without you.  As I was going through the training I recalled the sermon I preached on the lost sheep and lost coin – that we lose things we value, we need, and/or we love.  When we think of finding the lost sheep or lost coin in relation to other people, we should change our perspective and think about how we need those people in our lives – that we are better with them than without them.

We are all going through our own stuff.  Whether that stuff is financial, work or family related, health related, an addiction of one kind or another, or any number of other things, everyone has stuff they’re going through.  Sometimes that stuff is insignificant, other times that stuff can be overwhelming.  And the thing is, very few of us know exactly what others are going through; which is why, in a world where you can be anything, it’s so very important to be kind.

Our faith tells us that the two greatest commandments are:  Love God and Love Neighbor.  As the parable of the Good Samaritan shows us, our neighbor includes those in need.  People considering suicide are in need – they are in need of being seen, they are in need of coping skills, they are in need of love.  In our regular interactions with our neighbors we might see hints, discrepancies, or things that are just off from what we normally see.  If we see that, we need to have the courage to ask them how they’re doing and invite them into a conversation.

Wyoming is one of the top three states for suicide rates in the country.  I’m working on scheduling a Soul Shop event in September because it’s important we all know how to recognize and help prevent our friends and neighbors from ending their own lives.  If you need to talk but don’t know who to call, start with the 988 hotline that is always staffed to take calls.

With that in mind, I want to remind you that, as your priest and as your neighbor, I am available to talk if your stuff starts to get too overwhelming.  And I also want you to know that my life is better with you in it.

Blessings,

July 23, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Home

Last month Joelene traveled back to Maryland for the wedding of a former co-worker, to visit old friends, and to see our daughter.  While she had a good time and enjoyed catching up with people, she was also glad to be back home.

Earlier this month our friend Pol came out from Maryland for a visit.  During his weeklong stay, he saw several new birds he’d never seen before and saw a whole lot of Wyoming.  But after a week of staying in our guestroom, I’m sure he was also glad to be back home.

For the past three weeks we have been worshiping according to the 1789, 1892, and 1928 Books of Common Prayer.  It’s been interesting to see where we, the Episcopal church, came from, how things have changed, and how things have remained the same or similar.  And we’ve had some good discussions about those books, their similarities, and their differences.

But I gotta tell you . . . I’m looking forward to coming home to the 1979 BCP.  Are there some things about that book I would change?  Certainly.  But that book is home.  The services, rubrics, and cadences are familiar and well-worn roads that allow me to be fully present with you as we worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.  It’s also a bit like Linus’ blanket in that the 1979 BCP provides a sense that I can sit with that book and feel secure in the presence of God.

So while the past three weeks have been an interesting little side trip in our worship, it will be good to be home again.

I hope to see you this coming Sunday for our homecoming.

Blessings,

July 16, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Thank you

We have had a busy first few weeks of July.

First, we began our historical journey through the various BCP’s of the Episcopal church.  This meant putting together bulletins reflecting Holy Communion from 1798, 1892, and 1928.  It also meant moving the altar back against the reredos and modifying how the Altar Guild prepped for service.

Second, we had two memorial services only a few days apart.  On Saturday, July 12, we hosted the memorial and luncheon for Dawn Crain Moreland.  And on Tuesday, July 15, I officiated the graveside service for Debra Rubottom with a reception held back in the parish hall.

And on Sunday, July 13, we served breakfast following the 1892 worship service.

All of these events required the time and talents of a lot of people.  And while all of these people do these things as part of the life of Saint Luke’s, it’s important to thank them.

Thank you to JoAnn Pearson and her team for organizing and putting together the two funeral receptions almost back-to-back.  Pam McFadden, JoAnn Palmer, Marilyn Novotny, Mildred Johnson, Bettina Nimick, Marsha Parker, and Margo Mader (I hope I’m not missing anyone) all deserve thanks for their hard work and hospitality for these two events.

Thank you to Jim Wood and his Crew of Capable Cooks – Tom Berry, Joey Killian, and Perry Smith (and Monica Smith for the GF waffles and blueberry topping) – for cooking a great breakfast on the 13^th, and for cleaning up afterward.

Thank you to everyone on the Altar Guild who adapted to a different way of prepping the altar for these special services.  They all work behind the scenes to help make our Sunday worship what it is.

And thank you to Monica who worked so very hard to put together the bulletins for the month.  It was more complicated than anticipated, but she pulled it off.

In conclusion, don’t forget to thank all those people in your life who help in both obvious and not-so-obvious ways.  Because, really, none of us are as independent as we might think we are.

Blessings,

July 9, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Holy Food for Holy People

This past Sunday was our first in the BCP series that fills our July calendar.  As you know by now, we are looking at Communion services from the 1789, 1892, 1928, and 1979 prayer books.  As we go through those services, take note of what’s familiar, what has changed, and the overall feel of each service.

As I said earlier, the services are just similar enough that they might throw you for a loop if you rely on your liturgical memory.  I did this right off the bat when I was so preoccupied with the differences that I forgot to light the altar candles and play the opening hymn.  Oops.  That aside, this first service on Sunday went fairly well.

If you either attended in person or watched online, one of the things you no doubt noticed was how very clergy-centric the service was.  I lead all the prayers.  I read all the lessons.  I even read a few things that we normally think of as being said together. 

Even with all of that – with the priest doing most of the work, with the constant reminder that we are miserable sinners, with an east-facing altar, and with any number of other differences – the thing that still bound us together was Holy Communion.  The words of institution have not changed all that much and the words of administration, though a little different, are probably still familiar to people.  In the end, it was holy food given to holy people.

So as we go through the different forms of Communion this month, take time to notice the differences; but also take time to notice the similarities.  As an Episcopalian, I find it reassuring to know that our style of worship has been in place for some 450 years, and is probably even recognizable to the liturgies of the early Church from the 2^nd century. 

You are part of a long chain of holy people partaking of the holy food of God.  No matter what comes your way, hold onto that fact.

Blessings,

July 2, 2025

Wednesday Word . . . Spiritual Disciplines

I was supposed to be at the diocesan clergy retreat in Evanston this week, but I received an e-mail last Tuesday saying it had been canceled due to low turnout.  The topic of the retreat was Spiritual Disciplines as a Foundation for Life and Ministry, and I was looking forward to it, even if it was in Evanston.

The topic, though, got me thinking about spiritual disciplines in general.  Whether we realize it or not, we all have a variety of disciplines we follow in our lives – some more meaningful than others, some more rigorous than others.  One discipline we have might be getting up early in the morning to exercise or spend time in quiet prayer/meditation before the busy-ness of the day.  Maybe we have a discipline of intentional family conversations.  Or maybe that Lenten discipline you followed has stuck with you and you continue to make it part of your daily life.

There are as many spiritual practices as there are people, I would imagine.  Sometimes people get hung up about these, though.  They want to do something meaningful.  They want to do something regularly.  And they want to do it correctly.  About this last point, I remember a monk who came to lead a clergy retreat when I was in Maryland talking about this very thing.  He said, “The spiritual or prayer discipline/practice that you DO is the right one.”  The implication, of course, being that as long as you are doing something, you’re doing it correctly.

Read a chapter from the gospels each morning.  Read a chapter from the gospels each evening.  Pray through the Psalms each month (the BCP breaks the Psalms into groups that can be read/prayed morning and night).  Take some time and pray from the Daily Devotions we have available at the church.  The BCP has a list of prayers for all sorts of occasions beginning on page 810 – find a prayer there to pray daily.  Find a short, meditative prayer you can easily repeat in times of silence (I find the trisagion on the bottom of pg. 356 to be helpful).

As the Chinese proverb says, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

When it comes to spiritual disciplines, start small, stay consistent, and go from there.

Blessings,