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 “...

“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send [her] to you.” John 16:7 Recently, I had to do some minor home repairs and I thought about how convenient it would be to be able to reach through a door in order to adjust a knob as my body could not contort in the way it needed to be able to see what I was doing.   Regardless of what marvels appear in movies (through the power of CGI and other special effects), the laws of physics still rule our world and the simple truth is two objects cannot occupy the same space (at least not in this dimension!).   You might ask what such musing have to do with Jesus’s ascension into heaven – and the truth is that physics plays a very important role in this situation.   Jesus in any bodily form (resurrected or otherwise), could not be in more than one place at one time.   He was still bound by...

I know many of you were surprised by my announcement that my ministry at St. Barnabas is coming to an end.   Keeping the details of discernment private is an unfortunate aspect of our deployment process, but it is done so that trust is not violated should a call not happen, and the priest remains in his or her current position. I do want to assure everyone that my departure is not because of something that did or did not happen. This entire process was guided by the Holy Spirit and the Spirit was insistent that it is time for me to leave.   And I want to go when things are good! That being said, I am physically present at St. Barnabas for 6 more weeks and there is a lot of work we need to do!  I am here and available to meet with anyone who wants to talk.  If you have any questions that I can answer, I will do so.  There are baseball games to be watched, graduation parties to attend, worship to be offered and ministry opportunities to be explored.  T...

I attended The General Theological Seminary in New York City.  The main worship space is called the Chapel of the Good Shepherd and is presided over by 9 large marble statues, with this depiction of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in the center.  It is a hauntingly beautiful statue that I spent many hours looking at, trying to discover all its mysteries.  I only discerned a few while I was a student, so I still love gazing at it and reflection on it. This Sunday, the 4 th Sunday of Easter, is know as Good Shepherd Sunday, when the Church remembers the promises Jesus fulfilled when he called himself “the Good Shepherd.”   This year it is also Mother’s Day, and I think it is very fitting for us to consider how Jesus is both our Shepherd and our Mother (as Anselm of Canterbury called him).   When we look at the Good Shepherd statue, it is not difficult to meld the two images of shepherd and mother together.   Jesus is looking at the lamb he is tenderly...