Rev. Valerie's Reveille

While most of us are brought up to say “Thank you” when someone does something for us, it can feel rote or empty.  I think that part of what Thanksgiving helps us do is re-member what giving thanks is about.  It is recognizing that another has had an effect on your life (usually good) AND you want to acknowledge it in some way.  The precipitating action might be opening a door or wishing you a good day. Simple enough, yet it is the fact that the other made a small sacrifice to step outside themselves by recognizing another human and did something kind.  These gracious acts are freely given and we accept them graciously by replying, “Thank you.”  There is grace underlying our giving thanks.  Grace – a gift freely given for which we do nothing to warrant – binds our relationship with God.  We are made worthy of God’s love and salvation by grace, and for that we give thanks, always and everywhere. While God does more for us than open doors or wish us...

The term “king” may feel antiquated to us living in the age of presidents and prime ministers. Many countries that still have royal families also have some form of democratic governance that does most of the work of running the country.  While I would hesitate to call Queen Elizabeth a “figure head,” her power lies more with tradition than tactics. The examples of inherited nobility we see in Holy Scriptures leaves much to be desired. Even the great King David abused his authority to get what he wanted (Bathsheba) rather than what the people needed.  How, then, are we to reconcile our earthly understanding of the term “king” and claim it with any sort of integrity for Jesus, who we celebrate as “Christ the King” this Sunday? First, we must recognize that our language is limited and it can only go so far in capturing the meaning in which it is endowed, yet, it is the best tool we have to express our understanding of the world.  We also acknowledge that God is wholly o...

What does a commitment look like to you?  Is it an appointment on the calendar, a handshake, a ring?  We use the word “committed” to say we will attend an event and to keep our vows to a spouse or partner, but do we mean the same thing?  What do we mean when we say we are committed to God and accept Jesus as our Savior?  What does it mean that God is committed to us? These are valid and difficult questions.  Part of our life together in the community of believers we call St. Barnabas is to help support each other as we strive to understand such quandaries.  We may even say we are committed to supporting each other in our life in Christ.  (BCP p. 303) Commitment to a Christian life involves responsibilities and sacrifices.  In our Baptismal Covenant, we vow: to believe in the Triune God, to continue in the apostle’s teaching and fellowship with prayers and breaking of bread, to persevere in resisting evil and repent when needed, to proclai...

As most of you know, I am not a fan of rushing seasons, especially when it comes to Christmas and Easter.  Our secular culture has put us into a fast-forward mentality, anticipating what is next before we even have a chance to enjoy what is.  Not only is this not healthy, but also it can be detrimental to our spiritual formation, especially when we cannot recognize an encounter with the mystery of God in the here and now.  Ironically, it may seem that I am “rushing” the season of Advent by starting it 3 weeks early, however the intention is to expand our experience of Advent rather than rush it. I offer a reflection from The Very Rev. William Petersen, PhD, DD, founder and convener of the Advent Project Seminar in the North American Academy of Liturgy.  He introduced the 7-seven week Advent in 2011 and invited churches to try the practice. Why Expand Advent? Two principal reasons come to mind. First, the churches long ago lost the Advent season to what I call ...