Rev. Valerie's Reveille

One of the things I love about Bible Study is the opportunity to read one book, one chapter at a time and focus on what it says, rather than looking for themes between several different pericopes (a fancy, academic word meaning “selection”) like we do with the Sunday Lectionary.   As I read Chapters 6-9 of Luke’s Gospel this week I was struck by the numerous accounts of Jesus’s interaction with women and the lack of information about John’s the Baptist’s death.   The Gospel according to John, Chapter 4 has Jesus’s longest recorded interaction with a woman, specifically the Samaritan woman at the well.   However, Luke’s Gospel has more references to women, starting with Elizabeth, Mary and Anna, all the way to Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and other women who went to the tomb on Easter morning. While a woman is not listed as one of Jesus’s 12 apostles, it is presumed that there were many women who were Jesus’s disciples and followed that motley cre...

The Gospel of Luke Chapters 3-6 It has been an interesting experience going back to read significant portions of the Gospel of Luke just for the story and not (necessarily) studying the text with an eye toward preaching on a shorter passage.   The arch of the narrative is more evident and interesting details between the different Gospels are brought to life. One of the most awesome parts of Luke’s Gospel that is never read in the course of our Sunday lectionary cycle is Jesus’ genealogy (3:24-38).   This list traces Jesus’ heritage through Joseph for 77 generations with ancestral connections to King David, Noah, Abraham, and all the way back to Adam.   Many scholars and commentators have argued about the veracity of this lineage and how or if it can be proven.   For others, the more important result is the number “77” itself, as it is the number of times Jesus says we should offer forgiveness. I find the list challenging because the mothers are non-ex...

“Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, ‘This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’” Luke 2:34-45 Throughout Lent and Easter, my blog will be dedicated to reflecting on the readings from the Good Book Club ( www.goodbookclub.org – a program sponsored by Forward Movement to encourage the Church to read the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts) from the previous week.   For this week, there are only 3 days of readings since the program started on Sunday and it was the first two chapters of the Gospel of Luke. Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of the season of Lent when the Church is called to repentance,   reflection and fasting.   It is also the beginning of Jesus’ journey toward the cross and ultimately his death, so the juxtaposition of reading about his birth is a bit startling. ...

Just in case you are unaware, the Church season of Lent begins next Wednesday, February 14 th .   Yes, it is early because Easter is early (April 1 st ), based on the timing of the full-moon after the spring equinox (which happens to be on March 20 th this year).   The season of Lent is a time of reflection and renewal, and opportunity to strengthen our relationship with God and each other.   While some associate that with “giving up” or “taking on,” it is better to think about our priorities and order of our life.   Do we give God our time and attention?   If so, how much?   Would we benefit from more? Absolutely – and Lent gives us the opportunity to make the time to focus on developing our faith. Fortunately, there are many resources to help us on this journey.   I’ll highlight the 3 we will be using at St. Barnabas: On the lighter side of things is Lent Madness – “Want to be inspired by some saintly souls this Lent and have fun along ...

The older I get (and I know I am not that old), the more speedily time seems to move.  This Friday, February 2 nd , marks 40 days after Christmas, which seems like it was less than a week ago.  And this year, due to the timing of Easter, the season of Lent starts in just 2 weeks.  It feels too soon!  I want more time to celebrate the light, more time to enjoy the reality of Jesus’s incarnation. I don’t want to think about his death just yet – he was just born! Indeed, there is never a good time to think about unpleasant truths nor to escape the reality that time goes on at the same pace it always had; our awareness just changes.  The impatience of childhood gives way to the responsibilities of adulthood, which can feel overly burdensome if we let it. We can give into the model of scarcity – that there is never enough of anything – or we can seek another way. Thank God there is another way! We can receive the present as a present.   That is, we...

One of the tenets that builds the foundational freedoms in the United States is the separation of Church and State: The Church cannot dictate what the government does and the State cannot interfere with the function and beliefs of the Church.  It is a beneficial relationship as it separates foci of power, but sometimes the separation is not as clear as we might believe. In fact, the Protestant Episcopal Church is referred to in the Statues of the State of New Jersey (Title 16:12-26). Mostly these statues are about how to legally establish a church and who is in charge, as well as making the congregation an incorporated entity in the State and as such setting the time for an annual meeting of the Corporation. St. Barnabas follows these statutes in our By-Laws (as well as the Canons of the Protestant Episcopal Church and the Diocese of New Jersey).  As such, our Annual Meeting is usually held on the last Sunday of January, which is this Sunday, January 28 th .  All...

I am one of those annoying people who love snow.  There is a Sunday Peanuts cartoon (i.e. full-color!) on my refrigerator showing Snoopy doing his happy dance and exclaiming “It’s snowing!”  That is an outward expression of my inward joy when it snows.  Granted, I don’t have to shovel it – save for cleaning off my car – and usually I am observing it from the comfort of my warm living room (sometimes even with a cup of hot chocolate), so my experience is skewed, but I still claim my love of snow. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that we (and by that, I mean the immediate community) has to slow down, even stop, because of something we have no control over.  The regular hustle and bustle just stops for reasons of safety.  During last week’s snow storm, I received numerous text updates from the local police saying that if you didn’t need to drive, don’t!  I didn’t, so I got to observe and enjoy. I did offer prayers for all those who did have ...