Rev. Valerie's Reveille

On January 26 th , history was made.  No, not the “blizzard that wasn’t” (more on that later), but the ordination and consecration of the Rev. Libby Lane as the first female Bishop in the Church of England (CoE). This might seem like old news to those of us in The Episcopal Church (TEC), where women have been allow to be ordained for almost 40 years (yes, when I was born, women were not allowed to be ordained!), but women’s ordination has been a huge controversy in our Mother Church.  Unlike TEC, the CoE did not chose to allow women to be elected bishops once they allowed them to be ordained to the priesthood in 1992. This capitulation to traditionalism was only part of the uphill battle. Several people filed law suits against the Church saying that women’s ordination was illegal.  Others were more passive-aggressive in their dissension and would walk out of a service if a woman was presiding.  I bore witness to this in 2004, when the first woman priest on the s...

Psalm 139:13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well. It must be January because I see all kinds of advertisements for exercise classes health clubs, “healthy” food and how to lose weight.  The start of a new year seems to remind people about their physical being and offer a moment to change their approach to the way they live.  Sometimes it works, but in order for true change to happen, a different way of thinking must take root and be nurtured in our spirits and well as in our bodies. Last year I participated in a 30-day walking program that offered reflections on health and wellness that used Psalm 139:13 as its premise.  At first it seemed a bit repetitive, but then I slowly began to understand the complexity of what this short verse offers. For the most part, I have been healthy my whole life.  Like many, I often take my health for granted and don’t think much of the freedom that it offers me.  The...

One of my colleagues likes to refer to the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany as the Nativity cycle of our Church year, when we reflect upon the need for a Savior, his birth, and then the amazing reality of having “God with us.” January 6 th marks the beginning of the Season of Epiphany, commonly thought of as the season of light.  During this time of year, as there is gradually more daylight, it is apropos to consider how the light of Christ shines in our lives, externally and internally.  For your consideration and mediation, I offer this wonderful prayer from the Mozarabic tradition. The Mozarabic language   is late Latin from the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain). The Mozarabs were descendants of   Hispano – Gothic   Christians   who lived under Islamic rule. I hope this offers you some light upon your path today. In Christ, Rev. Valerie+ An Ancient Mozarabic Prayer Hear us, O never-failing Light, Lord our God, our only Light,...

Did you know that there are six verses to Silent Night ? Most of us are familiar with the first three verses, which are beautiful and memorable, but there is more to this gift given to us by Joseph Mohr, who wrote these lyrics in 1818. (My changes to the lyrics are indicated by [ ].) 4. Silent Night, Holy Night Here at last, healing light From the heavenly kingdom sent, Abundant grace for our intent. Jesus, salvation for all. Jesus, salvation for all. 5. Silent Night! Holy Night Sleeps the world in peace tonight. God sends [the] Son to earth below A Child from whom all blessings flow Jesus, embraces [hu]mankind. Jesus, embraces [hu]mankind. 6. Silent Night, Holy Night Mindful of [our mortal] plight The Lord in Heav'n on high decreed From earthly woes we would be freed Jesus, God's promise for peace. Jesus, God's promise for peace. As I read/sing through these lyrics, I am struck by a couple of images this year.  The first is the image of Jesus as our...

There are two Sundays in the Church calendar when the liturgical color of choice is pink.  One is Gaudete Sunday, or the third Sunday of Advent; the other is Laetare Sunday, or the fourth Sunday of Lent.  Both seasons of Advent and Lent are penitential in nature, although Lent is more austere, and these Sundays offer a bit of a reprieve.  Gaudete and laetare both mean “rejoice” in Latin and the names for the Sundays are taken from the Latin wording of the introits used during worship.  While Anglican worship has never been in Latin, we acknowledge the tradition and see it reflected in our lectionary: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances .” (1 Thessalonians 5:16) And while most churches do not have pink altar appointments (I do know of a church that actually has two sets!), we do have a pink candle on our Advent wreath that we light as a way to commemorate the day. While the liturgical lesson is interesting, the reality of living ...

I always find it a little odd that the Sunday lectionary for Year B has us start the Gospel of Mark in chapter 13 on Advent 1 and then go back to chapter 1, verse 1 on Advent 2.  Even though it seems out of order from a literary point of view, theologically it makes sense as we have Jesus giving us a vision of the kingdom of God that will be established for ever more, and then we have John the Baptist inviting us into that kingdom through faithful commitment and repentance of sins.  Even while we are in the sacred and secular confluence of waiting for Christ(mas), we recognize in these readings that both John and Jesus were focused less on the Christ then on God and God’s work in the world.  As Christians, we understand the message and actions of God most directly and vividly through the work and words of Jesus, but he himself was not about self-promotion.  Jesus himself might even be a bit embarrassed by all the hubbub made about his birth (even though it is mo...

“Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they are doing.”  Even on the cross, Jesus pleaded with God to show mercy and compassion toward the stewards of creation because of our short-sightedness and inability to love our neighbor as ourselves.  I believe Jesus still intercedes for us with these same words from time to time when our broken systems perpetuate unjust structures. On Monday we learned that Darren Wilson, a police officer in Ferguson, MO, will not be indicted in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown.  I will admit I am torn about this conclusion.  I do not know all the evidence that the grand jury was presented with, nor do I know all of the particulars about this case.  But my heart aches for a community torn apart by violence and oppression.  While I want to believe that Office Wilson acted as needed in order to protect himself and the community, I can’t accept that no one will be held accountable for an unarmed young man’s death. Forgive u...