Rev. Valerie's Reveille

Each year, no matter how long the season of Epiphany is, the Sunday before Ash Wednesday is when the Lectionary appoints the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration.  I think of this as the Church’s way of preparing the faithful for the intense journey of Lent by reminding us of what waits at the end – being in the glorious presence of God manifest in the Resurrected Christ.  No matter the trails that we encounter in life, we are empowered with that knowledge that God is with always. The paradox we encounter is that we humans want to be reassured of God’s presence in our life and yet terrified of the revelation of God’s glory.   We see it in the story of Moses covering his face with a veil because he glowed after being in God’s nearer presence.   In the story of the Transfiguration, Peter is so befuddled by the experience that he wants to build booths for Jesus, Moses and Elijah to live in rather than acknowledging his deep fear of what God needs him to do – follow J...

I am grateful to The Episcopal Network for Stewardship for the great work they do in providing research and materials on stewardship.  For 2019, they have chosen "Shining Our Light" as the theme, which is fantastic, especial for the season of Epiphany.  Here is the Epiphany message from the Executive Director, Richard Felton. The light of God’s love as manifest in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus can shine brightly only through us — through our worship, our service and our generosity. The season of Epiphany is a pathway to discovery. We see this first in the three sages who represent “different parts of Asia, Africa or Europe” in the words of David Keck, chaplain at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, writing in Christianity Today: “Since Jerusalem is at the intersection of these three great continents, it is easy to understand how the three can represent the three portions of the known world coming together to pay homage. “There is, then, th...

Today is the “Hallmark Holiday” Valentine’s Day.  Some of us will mark the occasion by wearing red or remembering at the last minute to buy a card or flowers of one’s beloved.  But my thoughts and prayers are with the 17 families of Parkland, Florida who mark today as the first anniversary of living without a loved one who was killed in a shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.  It seems hard to believe a year has past since that awful day, which also happened to be Ash Wednesday.   Due to that fact, I was not as “plugged-in” that day and only got snippets of information between services.   As the details emerged, it was tragic and heartbreaking, taking on a surreal shimmer as most unthinkable acts do. Unfortunately, it was quite real, and the aftermath will be felt forever. I don’t know any of the victims, however I feel a connection to Carmen Schentrup, who was a 16 (almost 17) year old senior with big plans. She was also Episcopalian. ...

I thank Bobbi Gorman for all she did in coordinating having Mr. Lawrence Walker come to St. Barnabas last Saturday to share his documentary “Sweet Georgia Brown.”   It was wonderful to share this forgotten chapter of American history with our community.   The great work of our Ministry for Racial Diversity continues to inspire me, and I also thank Pauline Devonish and Leon Merriweather for their continuous efforts to engage us in ethnic and cultural awareness. As my mind sometimes does, I’ve gotten caught up in the title for this documentary.   It reminded me of the theme music that the Harlem Globetrotters use, which seemed odd.   What connection did black women serving in the military in World War II have with a team of fun-loving basketball players, other than the color of their skin?   And then when I heard the music in the documentary, I was convinced it was a completely different song.   The HG theme that I recalled was an upbeat, whistling ...

In our Anglican Tradition, worship or liturgy (the work of the people) is our central act, which we offer most usually on a Sunday morning.   Since the 1979 Book of Common Prayer (BCP) reclaimed the Eucharist [i.e. The Great Thanksgiving] as the primary form of communal worship in the Episcopal Church, most congregations offer Eucharist every week. For me, who grew up with the 1979 BCP, attending a worship service without Eucharist feels like something has been left undone. For many, it is the primary way we interact with and learn our faith, and yet we don’t spend much time actually teaching why we do what we do in worship in order to pass along the tradition in a meaningful way. The Church owes The Rev. Callie Swanlund a huge debit of gratitude for creating the “How2charist” videos that bring together the best of our tradition and graphic design in a digital Instructed Eucharist.   These videos offer a “layered” approach to participating in a Eucharist by having elemen...

Now as [Saul] was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ Acts 9:3-5 I grew up (and was deeply formed as a Christian) at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bound Brook, NJ. Like most children, I did not really understand the pattern of our worship, but I knew there was a rhythm that was repeated every year, especially Christmas, Easter and Pentecost (to a lesser extent). As for minor feast days, they were a mystery, unless they happened during Sunday worship.   For example, we at St. Barnabas celebrate our patron saint on the Sunday closest to his feast day, June 11.   I am sure that we did that for St. Paul as well – the Feast of his Conversion is January 25 th . ...

January 15, 2019 would have been Martin Luther King’s 90 th birthday.   It seems strange to think of such an icon as an old man, especially because he was killed before he was 40 years old. The irony is that his martyrdom made his legacy even more indelible than if he had lived a long life. What we missed was what else he could have accomplished, which I am sure is a great loss. There is a song in the Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing hymnal that we as a congregation haven’t sung (to my recollection) about Dr. King.   It is number 46 and I encourage you to look at all the words, but here is a sample: Holy God, you raise up prophets; Praise and honor do we sing, For your faithful, humble servant, Doctor Martin Luther King. Refrain Blessed Martin, pastor, prophet you the mountaintop did see; Blessed Martin, holy martyr: Pray that we may all be free. Champion of oppressed humanity Suff’ring throughout all the world; He offered pride and dignity Let Christ’s banner...