May 27, 2020

Stepping Out

Monday was the rare day in my household when all three of us had the day off. We could have opted to spend the day sleeping, which, given our recent schedules, would have been totally appropriate. We could have opted to meet with some new neighbor friends who apparently have the skills and tools to put in a patio/fire pit. Given how long the bricks have been in our driveway, that would have been even more appropriate. Instead we opted for a spur-of-the-moment, 4-hour drive up to Kinzua Bridge State Park in Pennsylvania.

The Kinzua Bridge spans the Kinzua Creek and gorge, and was originally 301' high and 2053' long. Up until about 2001 it was used as a rail excursion. But then the middle section of the bridge was destroyed by an F-1 tornado in 2003, and now the bridge ends mid-span with a viewing area and clear Plexiglas floor to see down to the bottom of the gorge. It is now known as the Kinzua Bridge Skywalk, and the remains of the bridge have been left as-is to show the power of nature.

There were a few places on that walk that gave several people pause. Looking over the edge can induce a bit of vertigo, as can looking down through the Plexiglas. And climbing up one of the supporting towers for pictures could be a bit dicey.

I began thinking about this bridge and our faith. The bridge is sturdy enough, but there can be forces at work which may cause severe damage. After that damage, though, the bridge was reworked from a railroad excursion into a sky bridge for pedestrians. And even though the bridge is sturdy enough (it doesn't sway and you won't fall through the cracks), it does take some bit of courage to step out there, peer through the Plexiglas down below, or lean over the edge a bit to get a good picture.

Sometimes our faith is the same way. Our faith may be sturdy enough, but there can be forces at work which may cause damage, sometimes severe, to our faith. COVID19 is one we are experiencing right now. Questions about what is church? How can we be church? What is the relevance and meaning of our building? How will we continue? And more, come up over and over again. But, like the bridge, our faith will not be totally destroyed. We will probably have to rework some of our old things and habits into new ways of doing and being the church. It may take a bit of courage to step out and see how things have changed, or to peer out past the safety barrier to see how things are different.

The attraction of the Kinzua bridge is not gone, it's just different. Likewise, coming through this time of pandemic will not make our faith disappear, but it may change it in some way; and that's okay. Sometimes those changes, though, feel like we've been hit by a tornado and leave us twisted and battered. But those scars are all part of our story. We are just being reworked into something new and different.

Through it all, remember those final words of Jesus and the beginning words of the Church, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In this time of stress and change, I hope you are doing well,

May 13, 2020

Structured for Holiness

I found an old article from The Living Church dated April 17, 2016 written by Zachary Guiliano detailing the spirituality of holy living while living in the midst of a PhD desert. In the article he describes what it was like to be sequestered away while he traveled, researched, and wrote his dissertation, and how that experience shaped his spiritual life.

In discussing Anglicanism, he quoted a saying he often heard: 90 percent of Anglicanism is just showing up (this mirrors Woody Allen who said, “80 percent of success is showing up,” and Yogi Berra who said, “90 percent of baseball is mental, the other half is physical”). What the author was getting at in that quote is that coming to church on a regular basis, participating in the liturgy, and praying at specific times – regardless of your state of mind, whether or not you are distracted, angry, depressed, happy, or joyful – has a way of shaping you and molding you into a state of holiness. The tenacity to worship on a regular basis, the patience to wait upon the Lord, the endurance to run the race to the end, all work to shape holy virtues.

To do this, though, requires a willingness to structure our lives around worship and faith. Faith and worship aren't (or shouldn't be) just something we get up and do if we feel like it or if we have time. The things in our lives that are important will find ways to make it into our calendar. But sometimes the things we feel are important get pushed to the side because “they'll always be there,” like family, relationships, worship.

When the author found himself floundering and being easily distracted from what was important (his dissertation), he discovered advice given to St. Antony of the Desert encouraging him to find a pattern, and within that pattern he would discover holiness.

And so, he says, he structured his days. From the time he woke up to morning coffee and prayers to working on the dissertation to lunch to household chores to more work to evening prayers and, finally, to bed, he structured his life. It was within that structure that he found productivity. It was within that structure that he also discovered holiness.

As we continue our life in quarantine, or sheltering-in-place, or limited activity, or whatever you want to call it, I'm hopeful that, by now, you have found a structure to your days. That structure may be what keeps you productive. That structure may be what keeps you sane. That structure may just lead you to a state of holiness.

The advice given to St. Antony of the Desert is certainly applicable now: “Work, pray, rest, repeat. This is the way to quell temptation. Do this, and you will be saved.”

Be well,

May 6, 2020

"To be sent as Jesus was sent is to be part of that community of learners and at the same time to do life-giving signs.  And the signs are not just for his own community, they are about abundant life for all -- whoever was at the wedding, whoever turned up as part of the five thousand needing food."  David F. Ford, Who is Jesus Now? Maxims and Surprises, Anglican Theological Review, Vol. 101, Number 2, pp. 222-223.
This article by David Ford, in his own words, attempts to "articulate seven maxims in answer to the question, Who is Jesus now?"  As you would imagine, there's a lot packed into his article, so maybe it was because we've had several Sundays where the gospel reading has come from John that I found it particularly timely.  Especially since we are dealing every day with the fallout from COVID.
We are followers of Christ.  We are part of a community of learners.  The disciples learned from following Jesus as he walked hither and yon, having conversations with men and women, Jews and Gentiles, Pharisees and Samaritans.  They saw him perform miracles and signs not only for them, his disciples, but for those outside that community.  The wine at Cana wasn't only for the disciples, but for all the guests.  The loaves and fish were not only meant to be shared among the disciples, but with everybody gathered together in that place. 
One of the things we are grappling with during this COVID pandemic is how to be a community that offers abundant life for all.  We are trying to maintain our community as best we can during these times, everything from online services (which have continually improved) to thinking about various small groups and studies to virtual coffee hours.  And, of course, finances are bound to come up in any of these discussions with the concern that, as people's income dwindles so too will our donations.  And we wonder how that will impact us.
But we also must consider the wider community.  How can we, as followers of Christ, as a prominent church in Hagerstown, as a Christian community in a particular area of Hagerstown with a surrounding population in need, proclaim and live a message of abundant life for all?  Now more than ever we must not become so inwardly focused that we are of no outwardly good. 
Christ appeared in difficult times, and it is in these difficult times today where we must reflect the image of Christ not only to our own community but to those around us.  We have work to do with each other, and this is where we shall stay.  But we also have work to do with the 5000 who are desperately looking for the face of God, and this is where we must go.

Be well,

April 29, 2020

A Gathering of Leaders

Several years ago I attended a few conferences of Episcopal clergy called the Gathering of Leaders. This was designed for clergy who were under 50-years old, and it was the brainchild of the former bishop of Texas. The overall goal of these conferences was to help shape clergy leaders, make contacts, and help us help our parishes move forward.

While I am well-past being under 50, and I no longer attend these gatherings, I still find myself surrounded by a gathering of leaders here at Saint John's. You're probably tired hearing me tell this story, but one of the biggest reasons I submitted my name to be a part of the search process here was because, as I read the profile, it was clear to me that the people of Saint John's “got it.” Worship was a big part of the life of this parish, but so was the variety of outreach efforts. The people here knew that “church” meant more than Sunday mornings. I still find that to be true.

This COVID pandemic has been tiring for us all. Many of us have been stuck at home for longer than we would care to be. Reports of the infection rate declining are then followed by reports of outbreaks because people got careless, or were allowed to gather prematurely, or, or, or. And as of now, we are limited to gatherings of 10 or fewer, maintaining a 6-foot distance between people, and we have a target date of May 17 when we might be allowed to worship at church again (but, based on current trends, I'm not holding my breath about that timeline).

But even so, as this pandemic has dragged on and we have lived with stay-at-home orders, and are unsure of a realistic time of regathering, leaders of this church have begun to surface. A few people have contacted me about starting a book study, or bible study, or some other adult study. The J2A group meets regularly on Sundays for a game night and again on Thursdays for Compline (affectionately dubbed Zoompline). The Community Cafe group is having a brainstorming session next Tuesday, May 5, to discuss how they can effectively get food and toiletries to those people who have come to depend on the Cafe. And yesterday morning I had a long conversation with Peg Brown about how we might utilize various leaders to help keep us connected, involved, and engaged.

Peg will be reaching out to a few people to see about being the point person for a few small groups. I don't know who those people are, but I am confident that, with the leaders that are gathered here at Saint John's, they will be more than capable. If you get that call, don't be shocked. Instead, think of it as an opportunity to help the people of Saint John's remain connected, involved, and engaged during this time of disconnection, isolation, and loneliness.

As I think about all of this, I am reminded that we are a gathering of worshipers. We are a gathering of disciples. We are a gathering of servants. And we are a Gathering of Leaders.

May we all look for ways to help lead the people around us through this pandemic.

Be well,

Todd+

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,