Rev. Valerie's Reveille

On January 26 th , history was made.  No, not the “blizzard that wasn’t” (more on that later), but the ordination and consecration of the Rev. Libby Lane as the first female Bishop in the Church of England (CoE). This might seem like old news to those of us in The Episcopal Church (TEC), where women have been allow to be ordained for almost 40 years (yes, when I was born, women were not allowed to be ordained!), but women’s ordination has been a huge controversy in our Mother Church.  Unlike TEC, the CoE did not chose to allow women to be elected bishops once they allowed them to be ordained to the priesthood in 1992. This capitulation to traditionalism was only part of the uphill battle. Several people filed law suits against the Church saying that women’s ordination was illegal.  Others were more passive-aggressive in their dissension and would walk out of a service if a woman was presiding.  I bore witness to this in 2004, when the first woman priest on the s...

Psalm 139:13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well. It must be January because I see all kinds of advertisements for exercise classes health clubs, “healthy” food and how to lose weight.  The start of a new year seems to remind people about their physical being and offer a moment to change their approach to the way they live.  Sometimes it works, but in order for true change to happen, a different way of thinking must take root and be nurtured in our spirits and well as in our bodies. Last year I participated in a 30-day walking program that offered reflections on health and wellness that used Psalm 139:13 as its premise.  At first it seemed a bit repetitive, but then I slowly began to understand the complexity of what this short verse offers. For the most part, I have been healthy my whole life.  Like many, I often take my health for granted and don’t think much of the freedom that it offers me.  The...

One of my colleagues likes to refer to the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany as the Nativity cycle of our Church year, when we reflect upon the need for a Savior, his birth, and then the amazing reality of having “God with us.” January 6 th marks the beginning of the Season of Epiphany, commonly thought of as the season of light.  During this time of year, as there is gradually more daylight, it is apropos to consider how the light of Christ shines in our lives, externally and internally.  For your consideration and mediation, I offer this wonderful prayer from the Mozarabic tradition. The Mozarabic language   is late Latin from the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain). The Mozarabs were descendants of   Hispano – Gothic   Christians   who lived under Islamic rule. I hope this offers you some light upon your path today. In Christ, Rev. Valerie+ An Ancient Mozarabic Prayer Hear us, O never-failing Light, Lord our God, our only Light,...