Rev. Valerie's Reveille

The Lord said to Elijah, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the   Lord , for the Lord  is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the   Lord , but the   Lord  was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the   Lord  was not in the earthquake;   and after the earthquake a fire, but the   Lord  was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence .   1 Kings 19:11-13 A year ago today, most of us woke up to that strange “sound of sheer silence” after Superstorm Sandy blew through. There was something holy in that silence, even with all the downed trees and power lines, and water being places it shouldn’t be. Nature gave us its worst, and we survived.  People and places still bear the scars from the storm, but we survived and prevailed.  God was and is with us in these trying times. Anniversaries offe...

On Monday, the State of New Jersey became the 13 th  state to allow same-sex couples to get married, which is a legally defined relationship according to the laws of the state.  “Married” couples have more rights and privileges than “civil unions” or “domestic partnerships,” particularly around health care benefits and advocacy, and income taxes.  These are all laws established by the  S tate, not the  C hurch. On Tuesday, our Bishop and Bishop-Elect co-issued a Pastoral Letter to the Diocese in regard to the change of the marriage law in New Jersey.  Following the previous statement of pastoral oversight, the clergy of the diocese are allowed to marry same-sex couples using the authorized liturgy passed by the 2012 General Convention  I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing: Resources for the Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant in a Same-Sex Relationshi p.  Clergy must, however, offer the same canonically mandated pre-marital couns...

In honor of St. Luke the Physician, whose feast day is October 18th, we will be having a Healing Service for our Sunday Worship this Sunday, October 20th.  The service includes the opportunity for the congregation members to come forward for laying on of hands and prayers.  It is an ancient tradition found in the Book of James (5:14) to gather the community together with the special intention of seeking health. What is health?  In our modern context, it is usually considered something we possess, such has having good health.  It is also something we pursue as we expend lots of effort (and money) to "get healthy." It is something we measure and quantify through scales and blood tests, charts and ranges, but in someways, all those numbers distance us from the what true health is? I offer to you a different way of thinking about health - as a state of being of not only yourself but all of creation.  To be "healthy" is to be one with the Creator, the one who made th...