Rev. Valerie's Reveille

Flat Jesus sends greetings from Salt Lake City!  I was hanging out with him at the Temple Square of the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS – which is what they prefer to be called rather than Mormons).  The building behind FJ is the Assembly Hall, built in 1880 with granite left over from the construction of the main Tabernacle.  The building is as beautiful inside as it is outside.  We met Sister Bennett from Canada, who talked a bit about the building and what it was used for – mostly presentations.  She also reminded us to think about Jesus Christ as we walked the grounds and reflected on the blessings in our lives.  Granted we were on the property of a church, so it shouldn’t be surprising for someone to talk about Jesus.  In fact it was very refreshing to hear someone be open about her faith and share that with visitors.  It was a testament to knowing one’s story and being willing to share that with others. While I don’t claim to agree...

The Hebrew Scripture appointed for the Proper 7 is the story of David and Goliath, as told in 1 Samuel 17.  It is one example of where secular culture has consumed a biblical story and digested it to simply refer to an underdog facing a formidable opponent.  I cannot count the times I have hear a sports announcer say, “This is a David and Goliath match-up.”  It does vary on who the announcer believes will triumph, which is contrary to the biblical account. David of course wins, but that is almost a codicil to the narrative. His triumph is told in 1 verse (v. 49).  What is more important to the story – and what secular society tends to forget – is the build up to the great event that has little to do with Goliath and more about the relationship between David and King Saul. God had already written off Saul as the king of Israel (see 1 Samuel 15) and had Samuel anoint David, a young boy, as the future king of Israel.  Saul was not happy about this prospect, an...

June 11 th is when the Church remembers the martyrdom of our patron saint, Barnabas.  Most of what we know about this man and his ministry to the Church is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, especially in chapters 11-14.  Barnabas was a Levite (the priestly clan of the Jews) from Cyprus (a small island southeast of Greece.  Like Peter, Barnabas was given a new name when he became an apostle, and, as many know, his name means “son of encouragement.” Perhaps Barnabas’s most inspiring action is recorded in Act 9, when he advocates for the newly converted Saul (eventually known as Paul) to the apostles in Jerusalem.  Saul was known to be an adamant persecutor of people who followed the Way of Jesus Christ.  He was present at and supported the stoning of Stephen, the first deacon.  It is no wonder that the apostles were afraid of Saul and wary of accepting him into their community.  Yet Barnabas attested to Saul’s conversion on the road to Damascus a...

This coming Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost.  This is the day the Church remembers the coming of the Holy Spirit, the gift of Jesus Chirst promised to his followers - to send a Comforter to them after his death, as told in the Book of Acts chapter 2.  However, you may not be aware that Pentecost is originally a Jewish festival called Shavuot that takes place 50 days [ pente- means 50] after Passover.  The Jewish festival celebrates the anniversary of the day God gave the Torah (the Law) to the nation of Israel assembled at Mount Sinai. These Pentecost events parallel each other in several ways. The Israelites, wandering in the desert after being freed from slavery, were complaining about life and reminicing about how much “better” it was in Eygpt.  The early disciples were wandering a bit as well, unsure of what to do after Jesus death.  The Israelites were assured of the Promised Land, but were too anxious of their current circum...

Following a recent service, I was approached by a person who had never been to an Episcopal service before.  He said, “I liked the service very much, but can you tell me, where is the Bible?” I was a bit taken aback by the question and said that the book the Deacon read the Gospel from was the Bible, and that the majority of the words of the service in the bulletin are taken from the Bible, and that we did have 3 readings from Scripture plus a Psalm.  Concerned that this man thought that Episcopalians didn’t read the Bible, I continued on by saying that we have two lectionaries, one for Sunday worship that is on a 3-year rotation and one for daily study that is on a 2-year rotation. While that was all good and interesting, he still wanted to know where the Bible was, and it dawned on me that this man (who I believe was from the evangelical tradition) wanted to know where the Bibles were IN THE PEWS.  I explained that since we used the Book of Common Prayer and several ...