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Showing posts from 2018

'Twas a week before Christmas (an oldie, but goodie)

‘Twas a week before Christmas and all through the land The Church reminded us that the Savior’s birth was at hand. The season is not about the perfection of glitter But about a loving God who would not leave us bitter. And so God sent us his Son wrapped up like a present In the garb of our mortality, the human flesh of a peasant. The cookies may not be made, the decorations may not be hung, The cards may not be sent, the lights may not be strung. Yet let us all make the true preparations for the coming of our Savior And open our hearts and lives to the Lord’s loving favor. No more precious gift has ever been received. It is up to us to remind the world what we truly believe. Not in jolly old elves, talking snowmen or reindeer in flight But in God, who loves us with all of his might. So stop for a moment and take a deep breath, As we await the Christ, the true conqueror of death. Let go of the need to fulfill a secular call to perfection And allow Jes

Advent Wreath

A couple of weeks ago I as asked about the “meaning” of the candles on the Advent Wreath.  As with most symbols, the question has several different responses. As a whole, the candles help us mark time by offering us a visual reminder of time passing as the candles burn down.  Also, as each week passes and more candles are lit, the entire wreath offers more light, reminding us that Christ is the Light of the World – a light that burn brighter the more it is shared. Each week of Advent has a theme that is connected to the readings appointed for that Sunday. The first Sunday is hope, “But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, God’s mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in the Lord.” Lamentations 3: 21-24 If you are familiar with the Book of Lamentations, it is not known to be very hopeful, so it is an interesting t

Advent Word

Rather than go through a litany of Advent resources for you this year, I am focusing on one – Advent Word ( www.Adventword.org or www.facebook.com/StBarnabas-sbnj.org ), which Steve Welch mentioned during announcements last Sunday.  For the 24 days of Advent this year, there is one word offered to reflect upon as we prepare our hearts and minds for Christ’s coming.  So far the words offered have been: Journey, Focus, Watch, Night.  Many people are posting their reflections on these words.  You can find them by searching on #Journey, #Watch, etc., or just spend 5 minutes on your own and consider that word for yourself.   Today (December 5 th ) would have been my maternal grandmother’s 105 th birthday.   I never knew my paternal grandmother, so my mom’s mom was the example I had of a what a grandmother was.   She was a petite woman who suffered a stroke before I was born.   She seemed perfectly normal to me, but I was told her sparkle was about 93% of what it was before she had a

Structure – Globally and Locally

I just returned from Baltimore, MD, where I attended a meeting for The Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Governance, Structure, Constitution and Canons. If you haven’t fallen asleep or clicked on another page, thank you.  Yes, the topic seems dry, perhaps even boring, and yet I am invigorated by the conversations we had and hopeful that what this group is engaged in will indeed support the work of the Spirit in every congregation. Structure is a helpful as it makes our common life have order.   Jesus organized his ministry with 12 apostles and the sending out of least 70 others in pairs. He established a pattern of repentance (turn), study, prayer, worship, support, work and rest that calls his followers into a deeper relationship with God as our foundation and source of well-being. Over the last two centuries, the Church has continued to develop structures, most of which are to support its ministry of reconciliation.   And yet, as society changes, so to must the Ch

Prayer

In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, he tells them to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ( 1 Thessalonians 5:16b-18) In one short sentence, he invites the Church into a closer relationship with God through prayer and practice of seeking the good, the positive in life. Part of the human condition (for some of us!) is to see only the negative, the difficulties, the failures.  That is not helpful because it diminishes our ability to imagine, be creative and hope.  Even (or maybe especially) in the more difficult circumstances, we need to pray to seek God’s presence and peace – the peace that passes all understanding.   If we let the chaos around us overtake us, we loose part of ourselves.   Rather, we need to take a moment to breathe and seek God’s wisdom, and we may even be surprised by finding an opportunity to be thankful in the midst of difficulty. As Father Hubbard reminded us th

A Blessed All Hallow’s Eve

The American tradition of Halloween finds its origins in the Christian tradition of All Saint’s (those people that are considered holy, or hallowed) Day, which is on November 1 st .   Since many religious celebrations begin at sundown the night before, on the eve of the day, October 31 st became All Hallow’s Eve. During the time when this tradition started (as early as the 4 th century), superstition was much more prevalent than science. Many people feared talking about the dead because many thought the dead would come back as ghosts and haunt those who talked of them.   It didn’t take much to prove people’s fears, especially during a time of year when it is dark and cold in the northern hemisphere. The Irish  brought the tradition of carving pumpkins into Jack O'Lantern to America. But, the  original  Jack O'Lantern was not a pumpkin. Pumpkins did not exist in Ireland.  Ancient  Celtic cultures in Ireland carved turnips on All Hallow's Eve, and placed an ember in t

THUG - The Hate U Give

It is probably not a surprise that I don’t listen to rap or hip-hop music.  (Of course, I also don’t listen to country or punk music, so don’t judge my musical tastes to harshly.)  Because of my limited knowledge and exposure to hip-hop, I don’t know much about the artists and musicians of the genre, expect for some big names like Will Smith, Run-D.M.C., & TLC.  I am sure I heard the name Tupac Shakur, but I couldn’t tell you any songs he sang.  However, I recently found out he was 2 years older than I and was killed 2 days after my birthday in 1996 at the age of 25.  I don’t recall if I heard much about Tupac’s death when it happened.   I realize now what a tragic loss his death was, mostly after reading Angie Thomas’ novel The Hate U Give . In the book, the character Khalil explains that Tupac’s motto “THUG LIFE” is an acronym meaning, “the hate you give little infants f**ks everyone.”   Yes, the language is crude, but the message is painfully true – the cruelty people in

Physician, Heal Thyself

The title of this blog is probably familiar even if you haven’t read the Bible recently.  With so many medical dramas on TV, this quote gets used at least once a season! This is the King James Version of Luke 4:23. Jesus has returned to Nazareth after his time of temptation to begin his ministry.  He goes to the temple and reads from the prophet Isaiah, ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ (61:1) After he finishes reading and proclaims that the words of the prophet have been fulfilled, and those around him, who think they know him best, believe he is delusional. I find it interesting that Jesus then quotes a Greek proverb from an ancient play by Aeschylus entitled Prometheus Bound . Translated into English, the line is: Like some inferior doctor who's become

Transforming Generosity

I am grateful for the resources of The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) and their resources as we focus attention on our stewardship practices.  This year the TENS theme is “Transforming Generosity,” which is an intriguing idea. Our relationship with Jesus invites us into a new way of life where we are transformed – changed from living for ourselves to being for God. In the chapter entitled “What Would Jesus Have Me Do?” in Peter Gomes’ book   The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus , he writes:   Our situation would be easier if Jesus were less clear about the priorities he sets for us. At the heart of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” “All these things” refers to such things as food, clothing and other fundamental necessities of life, plus security, safety and moral clarity. The priority that Jesus asks us to seek is God’s kingdom, God’s righteous

Reconciliation (Part 2)

This blog post is a continuation of the reflections I started last week after attending a conference called “Racial reconciliation and discipleship in the missionary church.” As disciples of Jesus Christ, we promise to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.   Our cultural context has fallen quite short of tenet.   My England ancestors established a strict understanding of social standing from royalty to the commoner, with the royals holding all the prestige and privilege.   Those standards were exported with English expansion around the world and imposed on people and places that had much different world views or approaches to living. Whether by force, coercion or subterfuge, the European standards for social standing became the standard in many places, including the United States. As a result of this influence, those who were forcibly brought to the United States as indentured servants and slaves were treated as less worthy than their fellow inhabitants.   Those who

Reconciliation (Part 1)

For the last day and a half, I’ve been attending a continuing education retreat called “Gathering of Leaders.”  This year, the topic is “Racial reconciliation and discipleship in the missionary church.” I will freely admit that my brain is overloaded at the moment and I am writing this blog knowing that I need much more time to sit and reflect on all the presentations, conversations and discussions we have engaged in in 36 hours.  I am acknowledging that this short reflection will not do this topic justice and so I will revisit this next week when I’ve had a little time to digest.  In the meantime, I offer a few observations that I already know are vitally important to our work as Christians. 1.       The work of reconciliation starts with admitting I am sinful and am in need of redemption, which I mercifully receive through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.   2.       Part of my sin is choosing comfort over hardship.   My white privilege allows me to not engage in

Failure

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This is a picture of a fragment of the World Trade Center.   It was found in this cross-shape on September 13, 2001, right at the beginning of the recovery efforts at Ground Zero. It was prominently displayed throughout the clean-up and is now part of the exhibit in the 9/11 Memorial Museum.   I first saw this cross when I visited Ground Zero in January 2002, while visiting General Theological Seminary. I was awed that this found relic presided over the somber activities in “the Pit,” as the recovery workers called it.   And yet it made absolute sense. The cross is one of the most recognizable symbols of Christianity, and yet it signifies utter failure.   Jesus was executed by the state for treason, even though he was innocent.   Our faith proclaims that through the willing sacrifice of his life, Jesus shows us the way to eternal life.   But that doesn’t negate the fact that the cross is a mechanism of death, and a cruel death at that. On Good Friday, we reflect on Jesus’s pass

Being a Good Steward (a.k.a. Adulting)

As a member of “Gen X” (i.e. those born between 1965 and 1980), when I first heard the term “adulting,” I just laughed.  Since I enjoy etymology, I found out that this term was named the 2016 “Word of the Year,” basically because of its overuse by Millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996).  Essentially “adulting” means acting like an adult, being responsible for ALL the things adults are to be responsible for like going to work, paying bills ON TIME, perhaps even living in one’s own space (rather than with one’s parents!).  While for generations the transition from adolescence into adulthood seemed to be the natural progression of life, for some that step seemed too steep to navigate.  And to be honest, there are days when I would rather not “adult.”   I would love for someone to take care of me and not have to worry about cooking, cleaning, laundry, bills, or all the other minutia that makes up life. But I know that isn’t going to happen.   I could be overwhelmed with all t

Change

As a child, I was the ideal Episcopalian.   I hated change.   I wanted everything to stay the same – predicable, expected, easy.   I knew would happen and I knew how to respond.   Essentially, I didn’t have to think and I wasn’t challenged, which was fine by me.   Life was hard enough and there were so many things I had no control over, so keeping church the same was perfect. And then, when I was in fifth grade, our priest decided that he would change the long-held tradition of kids waiting until Confirmation (which was done in 6 th grade) to receive communion and instruct my cohort to receive communion BEFORE we were Confirmation (a whole year early).   I was not happy.   I didn’t want to participate because it was different, and not for any grand theological reason but because it was a change!   Even after I heard the explanation that Baptism was full initiation into the Christian faith and that I was (essentially) eligible to receive communion since I was 3 months old, I stil

Expanding Our Understanding of God

What do you think of when you hear the word, “God”?   Does it conjure up an image or a feeling?   Do you think of a human-like entity?   If so, what gender would you say that entity is?   For centuries, most of the images portrayed as “God” depict an old, white man, and as a result, many people have engraved that image on their hearts and minds when thinking about who and what God is. This forced limitation stops our creative imaginations about how we encounter, and even interact, with God depending on our interactions with other old, white men.   The unfortunate reality is that many people have negative associations with men who have held positions of authority over them, and as a result, picturing God as such is a difficult, even traumatic, experience, and hence something to be avoided. The institutional church has been complicit in this approach by only allowing men to have authority for centuries – even though there was a biblical precedent counter to that. At the sam

The Feast of St. Mary (aka “The Assumption)

August 15 th is a Feast Day honoring St. Mary, mother of our Lord. In the Roman Catholic tradition, it is a holy day of obligation (meaning the expectation is that the faithful go church).   While we don’t have that tradition in the Episcopal Church (nor, unfortunately, did we at St. Barnabas have a service), Mary is absolutely worth our recognition and glorification. I wrote a lot about Mary in my blog post before Christmas which you can read here. She is NOT a meek and mild character to be dotted upon and then disregarded.   She is fierce and should be regarded as such, even emulated. Beyond Mary’s saying, “Yes,” to Jesus’s birth and watching her son die on the cross, she bore witness to Jesus’s ministry, even pushing him at times, like any good mother would. “On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘T

The Way of Love

A little more than 3 months ago, our Presiding Bishop, The Most Reverend Michael Curry, offered a stirring reflection on love that was seen by millions of people.  The occasion was the wedding of Price Harry and Meghan Markle, and the Bishop Curry still claims he has no idea how he got that “gig.”  However he got there, Bishop Curry used that platform to remind the world of the power of love, and if that power was ever harnessed as Jesus intended it to be, the world would be set on fire! That is all well and good – go out and love!   Seems easy enough.   Those of us who attend church on a regular basis know the great commandments of loving God, loving our neighbors and loving ourselves.   And yet we also know how difficult this can be.   We can love God, but it can feel that that love is not reciprocated if we haven’t developed a relationship with God.   Loving our neighbors can be “tricky,” especially if we disagree with them.   And our secular culture continually reminds us of