Rev. Valerie's Reveille

I love the musical “Hamilton.”  Like Stephen Sondheim, Lin-Manuel Miranda was able to tell an intricate, interesting story using rhyme, alliteration and witty turns of phrase.  Not only does the story re-introduce a pivotal person from the American Revolution, but it also does so in a “catchy” way that allows the listener to remember what was said and the lessons learned from the adventures and misadventures. Alexander Hamilton was himself a brilliant writer, which George Washington recognized and used for his own benefit, both when he served as a General and as our first President.   In the musical, there is a song dedicated to the critical juncture of when Washington wanted to step away from being President and hand that power and authority over to the next elected person.   Doing this well was vitally important for this new country and form of government because it had never been done before!   Hamilton didn’t want Washington to leave, but Washington ...

The ministry of the deaconate is a labor of love.  Most deacons are not compensated much for the ministry they offer both in and out of the Church.  Their directive is, “to bring the World to the Church and the Church to the World,” being that vital bridge between the cares and concerns of the world and the (sometimes inward looking) Church.  I have been blessed in my vocation to share the ministry with several dynamic deacons, including The Rev. Cathy Brunson. Deacon Cathy has faithfully served St. Barnabas for over 10 years, serving during the transition of The Rev. Frank Hubbard to me.   It is pro forma for a deacon to take a sabbatical after a new priest arrives to give her a bit of pastoral space with the congregation.   After meeting Cathy and learning about her ministry, I knew I wanted to work with her, and was delighted she decided to return to St. Barnabas after a brief respite in 2011. We have all benefited from Deacon Cathy’s dedication ...

First, I wish you all a Belated St. Barnabas Day!  Our Patron Saint’s Feast Day is June 11th, and this year it fell between 2 major Sunday Feasts – Pentecost and Trinity Sunday – so we could not transfer our commemoration to the closest Sunday like we usually do.  However, we do give thanks for the life and example of Barnabas, who ENCOURAGES us to give abundantly of ourselves in our life in Christ.    On Pentecost, I offered the teaser that my blog this week would be help you understand my sermon on Trinity Sunday more deeply.  In an effort to offer the congregation an internalized spiritual experience, the sermon will be a meditation on the icon of “The Trinity”, written by Andrei Rublev. Yes, icons are “written” rather than “painted.”  As PBS anchor, Bob Abernathy, states, “In the Orthodox Christian tradition, icons are said to be written, not painted. The Orthodox consider making icons more a form of prayer than art, and they believe the iconograph...

I make a big deal about Pentecost and encourage everyone to wear red on the day the Church commemorates the arrival of the Holy Spirit. The color red symbolizes the tongues of fire that appeared over the heads of the believers in Jerusalem on that Pentecost morning. This tradition flows from Scripture and makes sense to our modern sensibilities, but this was not always the tradition. Dating back to the 13 th century, white was the color most associated with Pentecost as it was traditionally a day for people to be baptized (that is still true).  Those that were to be baptized usually wore white clothing to symbolize their cleansing from sin, so the day was known as “White Sunday.”  It appears that other members of the congregation also wore white, perhaps in solidarity, to reflect their own washing away of sin.  And culturally at that time, red was considered vulgar, only worn by those of ill repute. As with many old English terms (i.e. “God’s Friday” became “...