April 22, 2020

Be Known to Us in the Breaking of the Bread
This coming Sunday, Easter 3, we get the gospel story from Luke about Jesus and two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  This is one of the great post-resurrection stories we have and is the basis of the short pre-worship prayer, "Be present, be present, O Jesus, our great High Priest, as you were present with your disciples, and be known to us in the breaking of the bread." -- BCP 834

The story of the road to Emmaus also gives us three stations of the Via Lucis (the Way of Light).  This is a relatively new devotional (developed in the '90's and formalized in 2001) that complements and completes the Stations of the Cross (Via Crucis).  Whereas the Stations of the Cross focus on Jesus' Passion, death, and burial, the Way of Light, or Stations of Light, focus on appearances of the risen Christ from the empty tomb through the Day of Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples in the form of fire).  These stations were designed to be walked especially during Easter week, or anytime during Easter season.

The Fifth Station is the risen Lord being recognized in the breaking of the bread.  Here the two disciples have invited their unknown guest to eat with them and spend the night because it is late.  The risen Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to the disciples.  And it was at this point that their eyes were opened, they recognized Jesus, and he vanished.  They then run back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples what had just happened.

I love this story because it reminds me that we don't need to see some big, miraculous event to witness the presence of Christ.  I mean, those are nice and all, but sometimes all it takes to see the presence of Christ is sharing a simple meal.  And in these times of physical distancing and quarantine, that can be difficult.

But Christ is present when we deliver a meal to someone who needs help after a hospital stay.  Christ is present when a group of people Zoom together and chat over their favorite desserts.  Christ is present when we try to figure out how to reorganize Community Cafe in order to provide a meal to those in our community.  Christ is present when we remember to give thanks for our food and our families who can share the meal with us.  Christ is present in so many little ways that we just might miss him if we're constantly looking for the Big Event.

As we continue to work our way through the COVID pandemic, let us continue to pray for the presence of Christ.  Let us also look for Christ in all the small things, like the breaking of the bread; because more often than not, it's when all the small things are put together that the big thing is finally revealed.

Be well,

Todd+

April 1, 2020

Stay home.

We have been in various stages of social distancing/quarantines for a few weeks now. Depending on where you live, that has been either “strongly suggested” or mandatory. On Monday, the Governor of Maryland made it mandatory, closing all non-essential businesses and telling people to remain in their homes except for necessary trips (groceries, for instance) and outside exercise (with appropriate distancing). People disregarding this order would be subject to fines and/or arrest.

I have said several times that Saint John's is essential to the mental and spiritual health of the people connected to it. Based on that fact, and doing some digging around, I found enough information to make that case should I have to. I also found . . . for lack of a better term . . . a COVID19 travel document that employers can give to their essential employees that provides proof of essential travel. I made copies for the people in the office just in case.

Melonie and I talked and she will be working from home most days, coming in maybe one day a week just to make sure I haven't burnt the place down or broken anything. We are also working on getting me set up so that I can work from home if needed. Katherine can do everything she needs to from home to ensure our finances are up-to-date. Mark comes into the office to work on the music that he can't do from home. And Dcn. Sue comes in on Mondays as needed. But we are all maintaining proper distancing and following recommended health protocols.

Sunday worship will continue to stream online via our Facebook page. We are working on also setting up a YouTube page so those who don't have Facebook can still watch live. The Sunday services are also posted to our website so that you can watch them at a later time if 9:30 on Sunday doesn't fit your schedule. Again, we are limiting the number of people in the church, and are appropriately distanced. And this is because I feel we are essential to the mental and spiritual health of our parishioners and, hopefully, people beyond our parish boundaries.

All of this is being done so that you can stay home and stay safe. We are following both the bishop's and governor's orders to the best of our ability and following health guidelines to keep us safe. The best thing for you to do is to stay home, follow recommended guidelines, stay connected to family and friends, and remain prayerful.

The Holy Week service schedule will come out later this week.

In this time when we are all classified as shut in, I hope these services and these connections give you comfort and strength. And until we can meet again in joyful reunion, I leave you with this: “Your statutes have been my songs wherever I make my home” – Ps. 119:54.

Stay home, stay safe, and

Be well,

Todd+

March 25, 2020

International Day of Prayer

This past Monday evening the Episcopal News Service (ENS) posted an article about an international day of prayer. This came about when Pope Francis invited all Christians to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic “with the universality of prayer, of compassion, and of tenderness.” The invitation to pray is specific in its request: that on March 25 (today), the Feast of the Annunciation, all Christians pray the Lord's Prayer at noon in their particular time zones.

Prayer is an important part of our lives. Prayer, essentially, reflects our relationship with God; because prayer is relationship. Prayer is not the quarter that you drop into the great vending machine in the sky, hoping to receive your specific request. Instead, prayer is where we express our joys and sorrows, our delights and our burdens, our victories and our failures. Prayer is essentially a conversation with the beloved.

You know that Pope Francis understands this because of what he requested: Let's all come together and in unison pray the prayer that Jesus taught us. He didn't say, “Let's all pray for an end to the pandemic,” (although that would be great), nor did he ask for people to pray for anything specific. He asked that we pray a common prayer: “Hallowed by your name . . . Your will be done . . . forgive us as we have forgiven . . . deliver us from evil . . .”

So today at noon, in whatever time zone you happen to be, I invite you to join with me, with other Christians, both lay and clergy, and the Pope, in praying a prayer we have known since our earliest days.

I have written several times about the need to stay connected even as we are having to keep our distance. I don't know what affect this international day of prayer will have. I am hopeful that at 12:30 local time, coronavirus cases miraculously end. But maybe even more so, I am hopeful that this international day prayer helps remind people that praying in common is yet another way we are connected. I am hopeful that it reminds us of the need, as Jesus showed us, to pray always.

On this day when we celebrate the Annunciation of Christ to Mary, on this day when we remember a young woman who said, “Let it be with me according to your word,” let us gather together in our respective time zones and lift our voices in prayer, “On earth, as it is in heaven. Amen.”

Be well,

March 18, 2020

We're all in this together.

My how things change in a week's time.

When I wrote last week's Wednesday Word we were beginning to hear of major closings around the state, country, and world. The Dioceses of Washington and Virginia closed all churches for the time being. Our bishop came out with a statement giving protocols for Communion and coffee hour, with the focus on a “low touch” or “no touch” Eucharist.

On Thursday we learned that the Diocese of Maryland would also require churches to suspend worship services and other gatherings until at least March 27 after the governor closed schools. My ecumenical colleagues followed suite, with some opting to close until April 1.

Yesterday the governor closed all restaurants and bars, gyms, and movie theaters. Washington County has declared a state of emergency. The City of Hagerstown has canceled council meetings through March. And the governor has just delayed the presidential primary, Preakness, and reduced public transit.

I spoke with my neighbor yesterday and she asked, “Have you been to the grocery store?? People are nuts. One man was buying up cases of bottled water because he thought the water lines would be shut off. And people are being mean.”

All of this reminded me of the bank scene in, “It's a Wonderful Life.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VIk4FIshp0

I bring this up because, yes, we need to be careful. Yes, we need to practice healthy habits. Yes, we need to practice social distancing. But we also need to practice restraint. We need to realize that we aren't the only ones in this crisis. We've got to have faith in each other. We need fewer Toms and more Eds, Mrs. Thompsons, and Ms. Davis'.

We are living in times most of us have only read about – the plague, the cholera outbreak, the Spanish flu. We need to take this seriously and do what we can to remain safe and flatten the infection curve. But we also need to understand that we are all in this together. To forget that is to forget that our society, and our faith for that matter, are based in community. Because really, how much water, hand sanitizer, or toilet paper will one person actually need?

Be well,

March 4, 2020

The foundation of things is not so much a ground of being sustaining its existence from beneath as it is a power of attraction toward what lies ahead.

The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution, and the Power of Love, Ilia Delio, p. 15

Through most of Epiphany and into Lent, I have been discussing the topic of transformation. Jesus transformed the law from black and white enforcement to looking at the heart of the law and what God was really after in our relationships. Jesus was transformed/transfigured on the mountain with Peter, James, and John present to see him for who he truly was – God incarnate. And on Ash Wednesday and the First Sunday in Lent, I discussed how Lenten disciplines shouldn't be seen as something to give up for a season, but something that transforms us into living more fully in our relationship with God and others.

This idea of transformation is based on a continual movement from where we are to where we want to be, from who we are to who God is calling us to be.

I'm currently working my way through this book about how evolution and God tie together.

For most people, I think, evolution is understood by looking backward – starting small (one-celled organisms) and ending big (us). When discussing evolution, I think most people look back and wonder if our ancestors really were monkeys.

But Ms. Delio puts forth a different idea in this book – namely that evolution is all about looking forward. She posits that God is a God of newness (“I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” – Is. 43:19). That God is a God of ever evolving communion becoming “ever more deeply in love through the generation of the Word and Spirit.” And that evolution “thrives not on 'rugged individualism' but on communal interdependence.” These thoughts, then, don't look backward to where we originated as much as they look forward to what lies ahead.

The foundations of Christianity also look forward. We look forward to resurrection. Holy Communion is forward looking as it is a “foretaste of the heavenly banquet.” In the burial service we are reminded that life is changed, not ended. And the Catechism is forward looking when it states that the mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and others.

God is the power of attraction moving us forward. God asks us to look toward what lies ahead.

With this in mind, let us look to our Lenten journey and Lenten discipline not as a period of time we need to endure until we get back to the way it was, but as a period of transformation that focuses on what lies ahead.

Blessings,

PS:  I am also reminded that, on this day, we March Forth!

February 26, 2020

Things happen fast.

Yesterday morning, early, I was a guest on the morning show of 100.9 FM called, “My Town: Live with Rod Hocker.” The segment aired from 7:35 to 7:50, and if you didn't get a chance to listen, you can click on this link and, hopefully, listen there (unfortunate note: the recording ends early):

https://thelinenews.com/podcasts/?fbclid=IwAR2VuTZt-4EeaWBkU9E2XCgt_76aW-EfdU3JWFwaJ3cjkpfcdPV9IoaYReY

I went into the interview with a couple sheets of paper and bullet points of things I wanted to be sure to cover, as well as hopefully keep the interview on track. I wanted to make sure I touched on our various outreach programs, our involvement in REACH, Mayfest, and the Family Shelter. I also wanted to make sure to touch on immediate upcoming events such as the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, Ash Wednesday services, Holy Week and Easter services, as well as our music program.

The conversation got stuck on our outreach programs, so I ended up talking mainly about our involvement with Bester Community of Hope, Community Cafe, Potomac Tower Lunches, and the Family Shelter. Fifteen minutes is just not enough time to cover everything I wanted to cover, and it was over before I was ready to end. But that's life in radio, everything is up against the clock.

As I reflected on this experience, I was a little upset I wasn't able to cover everything on my list. Butin going back and listening to it, I did a pretty good job of talking about some of the major programs Saint John's is involved in. And I once again remembered that we are an active, vital parish in Hagerstown.

This interview also was a little like life in general. That is, we often try to cram too much into too little time, ending up frustrated that we didn't accomplish what we set out to do. But then, upon reflection, it turns out we didn't do to badly after all. As I said in the interview (in the cutoff portion), “We all can't do everything, but all of us can do something.”

Do what we can. Appreciate what we've done. And try not to get frustrated about not fitting everything into your plans.

In the words of a wise philosopher, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.”

Blessings,

February 19, 2020

The word “routine” has several definitions, one of which is, “a customary or regular course of procedure.” When people ask me how things are going, I often say, “Oh, the usual . . . get up, go to work, come home, eat dinner, go to bed.” That's a sarcastic way of relaying my daily routine.

And although the daily routine is pretty much the same (see above), there are variations within that routine. A hospital visit, for instance. Or a person who drops into the office needing to talk. Or who knows what else that give the day some creative spice.

One of my routines is to find something on Monday that forms the basis for the Wednesday Word which then gets written Tuesday and entered into the queue to be sent out Wednesday morning. But sometimes something happens which throws that routine off, such as a holiday on Monday. When holidays fall on a Monday, I have to be extra-intentional about making sure the Wednesday Word gets written because all of Tuesday feels like Monday. And then, like today, I wake up Wednesday morning and realize I didn't get it written.

Sometimes we need something to throw our routine off to help remind us either a) how important that routine is, or b) that maybe our routine needs to change.

Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent is next week. Lent is a time for self-examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, self-denial, and reading and meditating on God's holy Word. In other words, Lent asks us to examine our routines and confirm their importance or work to change them. Lent intentionally disrupts our routines so we can examine how they benefit us, our relationships (both with God and others), and see which routines have wormed their way into our lives slowly pulling us away from God and others.

What are your routines? Which of them would you like to change or eliminate? Which of them would you like to strengthen or reinforce?

As we prepare to enter Lent, take some time and list your routines; and then maybe make this Lent a season of routine review, working to strengthen those that are beneficial and remove those that are not.

Because it just may be that the practice of Christianity is the practice of good and holy routines.

Blessings,