December 18, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Sacrifices at the Altar of Molech

On Monday I was in Sheridan for a hospital visit.  The good news is that the necessary procedure was a success and the patient should make a full recovery.

While I was waiting for them to come out of recovery and be allowed to visit, the news channel in the waiting room was reporting on yet another school shooting in Madison, WI, at Abundant Life Christian School.  The latest report is that at least five people were killed in the attack.

Once again we are reminded that we, as a society, value the unrestricted freedom to obtain firearms over the lives of children and teachers.  Once again we, as a society, are told to not politicize gun violence.  Once again we do nothing more than send empty truckloads of “thoughts and prayers.”  We are reminded that schools based in a Christian curriculum, where daily prayers are offered, where chapel worship is offered weekly (if not daily), and where the Ten Commandments probably hang on the walls, are not immune from gun violence.  And once again we are reminded that our willingness to sacrifice children on the altar of the Second Amendment is a price we must pay for our personal freedoms.

In the Hebrew Scriptures there are several references to Molech (or Moloch) as a pagan deity requiring child sacrifice.  Other scholars have proposed that the name wasn’t a deity, but a verb signifying the act of child sacrifice.  But whether a deity or a verb, what is clear is that God demands an end to child sacrifice.  We first get a glimpse of this in the story of the binding of Isaac (Gen. 22), and then with specific commandments of God to end the practice.

After yet another school shooting, when will we decide to listen to God and end the practice of sacrificing children on our own modern altar of Molech?

May God grant us forgiveness of our sins,

December 11, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Perseverance

Yesterday during Noonday prayer (when the church is open from 12:00 – 1:00 for people to come in and pray, meditate, or just sit quietly), I read the Psalms appointed for the Tenth Day of the Month – Pss. 50-55 in the BCP.

This group of psalms has to do with sin, wickedness, persecution, and abandonment.  They are the cries of someone who is having a very bad stretch in their life.  They are also psalms to which we can all relate, as we have all had those feelings and times at one point or another in our own life.

But despite the torment and anguish of which the psalmist writes, there is always a sense of union with God.  There is always the sense that, no matter what troubles are swirling, thanksgiving, salvation, and unity with God are always the end result.

This persistent belief that God will not abandon us, or the belief that God perseveres with us, is a comfort in the very presence of trouble, for God is with us.  And, let’s face it, there are times in our lives when that is the only hope we have.  There are times in our lives that, when all seems to be going to hell in a handbasket, our persistent faith in God’s presence is the only thing that keeps us going.

To borrow from an old saying, “If your journey takes you to the depths of hell, keep on walking.”

So be persistent.  Keep on keepin’ on.  And may your faith give you the strength to persevere in all things.

Blessings,

December 4, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Holy Conversations

As a priest, I have been blessed to have many conversations with many people over the years.  Time spent with the sick and dying, the grieving, and the sorrowful have all been holy times and holy conversations.  But those times aren’t limited to the downcast.  I’ve also had those times with joyful first-time parents, with couples preparing for marriage, and with students celebrating an accomplishment.  They have included the formal confessions of parishioners who come to me seeking absolution for sins both great and small.  And more often than not, they are accidental.

At the morning prayer group led by Joan Smith this past Monday, she asked those of us gathered something along the lines of, “What are you thankful for this past year?”

When I interviewed with the two churches I eventually ended up serving in Montana, I was asked if I would be willing to visit the local bars while wearing my collar.  And that was the beginning of my monthly bar visits.  Over the course of my time in Oregon and Maryland, bar visits just weren’t the same.  I think a lot of that had to do with the size of the city, as well as my personality.  But when I arrived here in Buffalo, I returned to the local bars. 

My answer to Joan’s question was, “I’m thankful to be back in the bars.”

Holy conversations aren’t limited to hospitals, funerals, or the confessional.  Sometimes a holy conversation finds its way into the local bar, transforming it into one of the most holy places in town.

So yes, I’m thankful to be back in the bars and I’m thankful for people willing to have a holy conversation in a holy place with a guy they normally wouldn’t talk to.

We can’t make a conversation holy; but we can keep our eyes and ears open for the presence of God that will infuse a conversation with holiness.

Blessings,

November 27, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Giving Thanks

At the 10:00 service when the kids come into church from their Sunday school class, they always tell me about their lesson and then ask me a couple of questions.  Things like, “How did Noah know how big to build the ark?” and, “How did Noah hear God?” and “Did Noah need to have fish on the ark?” and such.  This past Sunday, though, they did something different.

When they came in, they announced that they changed things up and, instead of asking me a question, they each had a couple of items that they would show me and then I was to tell them what they meant to me and why I was thankful for them.  Those items included a piece of fabric with a hole cut out of it, a roll of duct tape, and a rock (there was a fourth, but I can’t remember what it was).  At this point I would normally tell you to go back and watch the recording of the service to see the whole interaction, but we lost our internet connection at that point for about ten minutes so it can only be recalled by memory.  Trust me, though, it was really good.

I said the fabric reminded me of an apron, and I am thankful for all of the wonderful meals that Joelene cooks.  The duct tape symbolized all of the people at Saint Luke’s who hold the parish together.  The rock reminded me of our faith and that we are built on a rock that cannot be moved.

The point here is that there are everyday items, people, and occurrences that we might miss or take for granted unless we remember to pay attention.  A piece of fabric is just a piece of fabric.  A roll of duct tape is just a roll of duct tape.  A rock is just a rock.  Unless, that is, we keep our eyes open for deeper meanings as to how they impact our lives.

As we move into the holiday season and a new Church year, I invite you to intentionally look for holiness in the mundane, and may that lead you to give thanks in everything.

Blessings,

November 20, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Rest

Rest is an important part of our life.  Rest was built into creation when God rested on the seventh day.  There are times in the gospel accounts when Jesus went off by himself to pray and rest.  There was a time when stores were closed on Sundays, but then companies discovered it was more profitable to be open seven days a week.  And our bodies will often tell us when we need rest, either by letting us nod off when we would/should normally be awake or by some other serious means – ulcers and other illnesses, for instance.

I don’t think I’ve been overworking myself recently, but when I came down with a sore throat overnight last Friday, my body reminded me that I need rest.  I stopped in at the clinic on Monday for a COVID test because, among other things, I have a responsibility to ensure the safety of my parishioners.  Thankfully that test was negative and it seems I have some variance of the crud.

So this week I have been working half days getting some rest and trying to beat whatever virus has invaded my system. 

Rest is important for every aspect of our lives:  physical, mental, and spiritual.  Make sure you are taking time to rest from your labors.  Make sure you schedule regular breaks for rest, relaxation, and self-care.  After all, if God and Jesus both took time to rest, we should follow their good examples.

Blessings,

November 13, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Transitions

I received an email some weeks ago inviting me to attend a diocesan workshop on transitions.  I agreed to go and spent last weekend down in Casper with about 40 other people, both clergy and lay, and a couple of trainers from the Interim Ministry Network.  The IMN is based in Baltimore and has become a nation-wide program helping train and prepare people for interim ministry.

Ultimately all clergy are interims as nobody stays in one place from ordination to death.  That said, interim ministry is a special vocation in which a clergy person is called to get a parish from where they were under the previous priest to a place where they are ready to call a new priest.  This ranges anywhere from 12 to 24 months, sometimes longer if needed.

Before anyone begins wondering – No, I am not looking to become an interim minister and I am very happy to be where I am for a long time.

So why was I asked to be part of this weekend session of interim ministry?  Because, as it turns out, the focus wasn’t on interim ministry as much as it was on transitions and how to work through a time of transition.

We here in the Diocese of Wyoming are in a period of transition.  After Paul-Gordon Chandler resigned, the diocese entered a period of transition.  The Standing Committee, and SC President Mtr. Megan Nickles, stepped in to assume canonical authority, and they called the Rt. Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori as our Assisting Bishop.  The Standing Committee is currently in a search for an interim bishop under whom the work of searching and calling a Diocesan Bishop will take place.

We are in a period of transition.  What came out of the weekend was a recognition and understanding that we, as a diocese, need to first do some good, internal work about defining who we are so that we can call a bishop who will join us on our journey.  What we can’t do, and shouldn’t do, is to call a bishop as a quick-fix solution.  Transitions take time.

A good example is Moses and the people of Israel.  Notice that the Israelites didn’t go from Egypt to the Promised Land immediately.  It took time – 40 years as a matter of fact.  As someone once said, “It took 40 days for the Israelites to get out of Egypt, but it took 40 years to get Egypt out of the Israelites.”

So, while I am not an interim minister, we are all on a journey of transition and we will make that journey together, eventually ending up where God is calling us to be.  I ask you to be patient and open to this process and, if possible, refrain from grumbling, “We have nothing to eat and we hate this detestable food.”

Blessings,

Todd+

November 6, 2024

Wednesday Word . . . Set in Stone?

Our first lesson this coming Sunday comes from Ruth.  While one of the shortest books in the Bible, it’s one of the longer stories – and what a story.  A Jewish man, his wife, and two sons lived in Bethlehem.  When a famine strikes, he moves the family to Moab in order to survive.  The man dies and the two sons take wives.  After about ten years, both sons also die, so the wife/mom, Naomi, decides to return to Bethlehem and her extended family.  Ruth refuses to let her go alone, so she accompanies her mother-in-law on the long journey.  Eventually Ruth meets Boaz, they get married, and everyone lives happily ever after. 

This is a story of loyalty, perseverance, love (and lust), and kindness; and it’s one of those stories that makes you feel good about people and God.

The story is set in the time of the Judges, and the book is placed between Judges and 1 Samuel because it turns out that Ruth and Boaz become the great-grandparents of David, son of Jesse, who will become king of Israel after Saul.

The Book of Deuteronomy is the last book of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and records Moses’ narration of the Law to the Israelites before he dies and before they cross over into the Promised Land.  This is both Moses’ farewell address and his instruction to the people about the importance of loyalty to God.  Toward the end, Moses requires the Israelites to swear an oath upholding the law and their covenant with God.

In this recitation of the Law there’s this:  “No Ammonite or Moabite shall be admitted to the assembly of the LORD.  Even to the tenth generation . . . because they did not meet you with food and water on your journey out of Egypt . . .” (Deut. 23:3-4)

God’s law is clear and is not to be broken:  Foreigners are not to be admitted into the assembly of the LORD (this basically prevented intermarriage) for ever.

But Ruth, a Moabite, married Boaz, a Jew, and became the great-grandparents of David, only three generations later; AND she gets a book in the Bible named after her.

Be very careful around people who quote Scripture as an unchangeable monolith carved in stone for all time; because Scripture will contradict itself in places and even God is willing to revise the law when appropriate. 

The point of Scripture isn’t to lay down laws set in stone to hold us accountable – the point of Scripture is to provide a guide to a right relationship with God.  And when it comes right down to it, God will always choose justice, kindness, and mercy over an unchanging monolithic law.

Do justice.  Love kindness.  And walk humbly with God.

Blessings,