Rev. Valerie's Reveille

This Sunday we celebrate the Last Sunday after Epiphany, on which the Church always commemorates (regardless of when it occurs on the calendar) the Transfiguration of Jesus.  It is appropriate that this mystical event is remembered right before the start of the season of Lent as it gives us an image of the resurrected Christ to help sustain us through the days of penance and preparation.  This revelation to Peter, James and John on Mt. Tabor in the Galilee (northern Israel) was intended to help them preserve through the persecution awaiting them in Jerusalem (southern Israel).  This year we are thinking about the Transfiguration through the fruit of the Spirit of patience .  It is interesting that in the midst of the revelation, Peter wants to build booths for Jesus, Moses and Elijah, a Jewish custom of “Sukkot” that signifies the end of the wandering in the dessert with a joyous festival of harvest.  The problem with this is that Peter is trying to overcome ...

As part of our Lenten journey this year, we will be talking about the fruits of the Spirit, as mentioned in Galatians 5:22 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control). There are, however, only six Sundays in Lent, plus Easter is seven, but there are 9 fruits, so I will start this Sunday using a fruit of the Spirit as the theme for each week.  I will not be going in order, but I will be starting with love, which is appropriate both for the Gospel reading this week as well as for the occasion of baptism. We continue with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5 in Matthew’s Gospel where he is expanding the understanding of God’s law, going a bit further than what is expected.  Yes, we should love our neighbors, but we should also love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.  What?  That seems to be asking a bit much! Yes, in fact it is, because this is not human love but God’s love.  This is not an ex...

I am sad to admit that I do not know much about international situations or politics, other than what seeps in from New York Times updates and headlines on news websites.  Only recently have I become more aware of the desperate situation in South Sudan.  In July 2011, a referendum called for the African country of Sudan to become two nations - Sudan and South Sudan. Since that time, many residents of South Sudan have experienced violence and suffered inhumane treatment. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, and the Stated Clerk of the Presbyterian General Assembly and the Reformed Church in America, the Rev. Gradye Parsons, has called for a Day of Prayer for South Sudan on Sunday, February 16 th . "The world is increasingly concerned over the rampant violence in South Sudan," the Presiding Bishop said. "The recent increase in armed conflict, murder, and mayhem has been fomented in part by inaccurate reports of tribal pa...

The Winter Olympics start this Saturday in Socchi, Russia.  I have always loved the Olympics and part of the reason why is because it offers us a glimpse of international liturgy.  Yes, liturgy.  In the truest sense of the work, liturgy means “the work of the people,” and while we usually think about it in context of a religious ceremony, it is essentially any act humans engage in to make meaning of an event.  In our tradition, liturgy is influenced by Scripture, tradition and reason.  If we expand that a bit, we can see the rules of competition as the scripture of this event, years of a consistent pattern of events as tradition, and what makes sense in that particular context invoking reason. The Olympics offers a forum for countries to put aside their difference (for the most part) and allowed the international community to come together and celebrate our common humanity and desire to seek excellence in athletic pursuits.  Without romanticizing it too ...

This Sunday the Church celebrates a lesser known feast (no, not Ground Hog’s Day, though I am sure we are all sick of winter at this point!) called “The Presentation.”  It was a Jewish custom that 40 days after a woman gave birth, she was to be ritually cleansed AND the first born son was to be presented at the Temple to be offered in service to God.  Luke’s Gospel (2:22-38) depicts this scene with the Holy Family, where they encounter Simeon and Anna, who proclaim the infant Jesus to be the Messiah, the redeemer of the world.  We are told that Mary and Joseph were “amazed” and perhaps even a bit dumbfounded, but such a response.  While most proud parents enjoy imaging marvelous futures for their child, this blessing is also a huge burden to bear.  Fortunately for the child Jesus, his parents raise him wisely and don’t let his potential overwhelm his childhood. I stand in awe and humility of parents who undertake the responsibility of raising a child, especia...

As an incorporated entity in the State of New Jersey, St. Barnabas is required by law to have and Annual Meeting to review the status of the body as well as elect members to serve on the governing board, what we call a Vestry (an arcane term that is taken from the room in which that group would meet and usually where the priest would “vest” as well).   It is vital for the Episcopal Church’s form of polity and governance that the laity exercise just as much leadership and direction as the clergy in order for the Church to fulfill its purpose “to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” (BCP p. 855) Yet the idea of an Annual Meeting can fill people with a sense of dread as a boring time filled with data, statistics and financial concerns (rather than spiritual ones). It may behoove us to consider this time as a Family Reunion – the one time of year when the entire congregation - 8:30ers and 10:30ers are in one place at one time. We have the opportunity to ...

It is an exciting time at St. Barnabas.  We will be celebrating new ministries and well as re-dedicating current ministries on Sunday We are delighted to welcome Thomas Hobson Williams as our new Minister of Music.  Hopefully you read about him in The Encourager or on the website ( http://www.stbarnabas-sbnj.org/2014/01/welcome-to-our-new-minister-of-music/ ).  Thomas is a very talented musician and we look forward to working and growing with him as we make a joyful noise to God in praise and thanksgiving. We are also blessed to have Chizoba Nwanko join us as a Deacon-in-Training, which is like a seminarian, but for one in the diaconal program through the Diocese of New Jersey.  Chizoba has completed 18 months of her 3-year program and she will be with us for the next 18 months, when (God willing and the people consenting), she will be ordained into the Sacred Order of Deacons in May of 2015.  It will be an honor to participate in Chizoba’s formation and pr...