Rev. Valerie's Reveille

As a faithful Christian, prayer is an important part of my life, so I should not be surprised when my prayers are answered, and yet there are times that I am.  Last Tuesday I was summoned to the hospital as Carolyn Hales was taken there after vomiting up blood.  When I saw her, she said that she was tired and wanted to be with God.  I laid hands on her and offered her ultimate unction, sometimes referred to as “last rites,” asking for forgiveness of her sins and final healing, i.e. death.  I asked others who have been walking this journey with Carolyn to pray for final healing as well, for her to be released from pain and suffering and to be at peace. Carolyn died 3 days later.  Our prayers were answered.  I am relieved that she is no longer suffering and she is at rest, yet there is a part of me that is surprised it happened so fast.  My mind knew that Carolyn was ready to die, to be received into her Savior’s arms, but my heart wanted more time....

As is our normal practice in Lent, we will be offering our Confession at the beginning of our Sunday worship services which is based on our Baptismal Covenant (BCP, p. 304-305).  This Covenant is particular to The Episcopal Church, unique even among our sister churches in the Anglican Communion.  It is how our tradition understands how to live out our faith once we become members of the Body of Christ through baptism.  We promise to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread and in the prayers – three intrinsic actions lived out in our worship services.  We also vow to: -       preserve in resisting evil, and whenever we fall into sin, repentant and return to the Lord. -       proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ. -       seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves. -      ...

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me."  Psalm 51:11 While it seems like a modern practice, self-renewal has been part of the Christian tradition from the very beginning.  Secular culture may call it “self-help” or “finding one’s self” or some equally trite phrase, but the intent is to have a better understanding of one’s authentic self.  From a Christian point of view, it is the opportunity to better understand one’s relationship with God.  It is a blessing that the Church makes a YEARLY event of offering members time for self-renewal and recommitment to serving God.  That season is Lent and it starts today. Lent is a season of self-examination in order to make our practice of the Christian faith as healthy as possible. This includes confessing sins, offering repentance and seeking reconciliation.  Lent also invites us to set aside time for prayer and study, strengthening our spiritual muscles by seeking God’s dire...

Some of my female colleagues have confessed some apathy about the Transfiguration because it is rather male-centric (Jesus, Peter, James and John go up the mountain and meet Elijah and Moses).  They say that while the men are away having a mountain-top experience, the women are in the valleys doing the real work. I think this is a dreadful over-simplification and dismissal of this dramatic and awesome event.  It is a great example of where our postmodern sensibilities (and sensitiveness) can do more harm than good, when we lose sight of the big picture –  which Jesus never does! We cannot deny that most of the Bible was written by men from a male perspective in a patriarchal society.  It is easier to accept that fact than get upset about it because there is nothing we can do to change it.  Yes, we believe that the Bible is the Word of God and it speaks to us millennia after it was written in a completely different context.  Yes, there is cultural bias ...