As I sit on my couch, listening to the distant singing and preaching of the Sunday evening evangelical church down the road, I can’t believe I have been here for two weeks now. Life has settled down a bit and I feel like I have finally finished moving in. My apartment has brand new peach colored curtains on the east facing bay window, which means I no longer have to wear sunglasses while eating breakfast in the morning. I have a new shelf above the sink so now I can distinguish between clean and dirty dishes. I even figured out where the Laundromat is (its called Soap Opera…) and had my laundry done. Yup, I finally live here.
The first week of classes at Holy Trinity went by in a blur. I am teaching five sections of science now. The initial plan was four, but the 7th grade teacher had to resign the first day of school for family reasons so I volunteered to pick it up. I am teaching Life Science to the 7th grade, Earth Science to the 8th grade, Physical Science to the 9th grade and Biology and Chemistry to the 10th grade. Not a lot of overlap there, but I am enjoying the variety.
The first two days of the week were orientation so I didn’t have any formal classes, just a lot of introductions and scrambling to make sure everyone had the right books. The books for 10th grade did not arrive until yesterday so I am very thankful to the Gray’s for providing me with such great resources. The math teacher volunteered to cover the 10th grade Physics class and was thrilled when I passed on the teacher’s edition to her. What a gift!
At Camp Hi-Rock, where I have worked in various positions for the past seven summers, we have a tradition in the youngest boys unit. On the second night of every session after campfire, we read the boys, “The Place You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss. If you are not familiar with the title, it is a wonderful book about moving on to new places and the journey that comes with every transition. It is one of my favorite books, but I did not actually own the book until about 4 hours before I got on the plane in Newark. I spent about a half an hour on the cell phone with Mom as she found the nearest Barnes and Noble online. I tried to key it into the GPS while Will instructed me as to which buttons I should be pushing and kept us in the correct lane. The effort proved to be well worth it. After going through the class rules and expectations, I read the book to all four of the grades (I have it about memorized by now…) and they were thrilled. I hope they take the book’s message to heart as much as I have.
If last week was any indication of the future, the lab classes are going to be a lot of fun. In an effort to strengthen its science curriculum, Holy Trinity has constructed a science lab with the help of several mission teams over the last two years. My goal is to get every class in there at least once every two weeks. Because we don’t have much in terms of traditional science supplies, each week will pose a new challenge as I try to get everything together in time. Last week, I had two classes do a lab on bubble making to practice the scientific method. Using straws, I had them test whether soap solutions with salt, sugar, or just soap would make the biggest bumbles. It was the first time most of them had ever done a lab and the kids got really into it and had a lot of fun. The only two hiccups in the operation were the 9th grader who got a little ambitious and ended drinking a gulp of the solution and the 8th grade group who missed (ignored?) the instructions, blew bumbles into their cups of solution and inundated their work station and themselves in a wave of suds. It seems like the best learning opportunities come when things don’t go quite to plan. I think those students now appreciate soapy bubbles more than I ever will be able to.
“Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” Luke 18: 16-17
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sermon, August 23, 2009 by The Rev. Frances A. Hills, Rector
Being part of St. James has become more of a major commitment than it was.
It’s not just showing up on Sunday and getting your bread and wine, maybe some inspiring words, some uplifting music, some good fellowship and food, and perhaps some kind of ministry in which to participate. And then being nicely re-charged for another week out in the world…wherever, whatever we do.
Now being part of St. James is even more than ever like being part of a big family
that has a reunion every week—Not in someone’s home, with everything you need right at hand, like before—but in a rented hall. More and more have to pitch in to get us all set up to be together, to make Holy Space in a room that was intended for commercial, secular use. And, after we’ve gathered, many have to help to make sure things are all back in place and taken away until next time.
It’s like a big family too in that the members are all going many different directions. They are interested in different things, and passionate about all kinds of things. Some are growing, changing, taking off into deeper faith journeys and new, energetic missions and ministries. Others, having “been there and done that,” just need to rest and be nurtured themselves —for once.
And like in a family, when things get complicated…financially, insurance-wise, legally, and emotionally…the members have to step-up-to-the-plate and sometime deal with things they’re not trained to do. Sometimes they have to ask for expert help.
It’s also like being part of a big family that’s in the process—a long process—
of making some very big decisions. And, like a family, each person has their own ideas
about what needs to happen. Everyone knows what we decide really matters, and it will impact many generations to come. Being part of St. James today is harder than we thought. Certainly it’s harder than I thought it would be when I came as your rector in December 2007.
Now, we don’t know their reasons, but John’s Gospel today tells us,
“Many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.”
Following Jesus was harder than they’d thought. More of a commitment
than they’d bargained for. You can here Jesus’ hurt and insecurity and a plaintive note when he asks the 12 Disciples, “Do you also wish to go away?”
(Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanael, John, Judas, Thomas, James, John, Matthew, Bartholomew and Simon…are you in?)
I know we can be tempted right now to try to find an easier way to follow Jesus
than being members of St. James. My fervent hope is that we, like the 12, will hang in there, as we have done for this past year. I hope we, like the 12, will stay and follow Him through this challenging, amazing time.
How are we going to do this? As I told you before, there was no class in seminary called, “What to do if the wall falls-101”, but I think we can take a cue from Ephesians.
We can “put on the whole armor of God.” When we first hear this word, “armor,”
we might think of physical weapons and military garb. At a psychological level,
we might think of “steeling ourselves” for what’s ahead, and so we don’t let things into us very deeply. We hope to avoid getting hurt or being “eaten alive.” We imagine putting on a thick armor, a tough coat, over our hearts.
But in Ephesians, this “Whole Armor of God” seems to be a very different thing
from either the physical, military armor or the psychological steeling armor.
Let’s look at what makes up God’s armor, and let’s think about how
this can help us at St. James through this difficult time.
The center of God’s Armor is TRUTH. That’s “the belt.” For over a year now,
we’ve been in the process of collecting the “facts,” the “truth” about the condition
of our building, In addition, the leadership of this parish has been committed to telling you the Truth about what is going on.
At a different, relational level, it behooves us to speak the “truth” in community
about our thoughts and feelings. We need to be open to what each other is thinking and feeling. In our sharing and listening to each other’s TRUTH, I believe God will show us the way forward.
Next and close to the heart is the Breastplate of Righteousness. Righteousness is right relationship with God, each other, and ourselves. Certainly this is at the heart. It is
core to us as a Christian community. In our time on the road, we’re learning more and more,“The Church is the people, not the building.” So the relationships among the people need to be right…righteous. I believe right relationship is our Breastplate, and if
we work at keeping our relationships right, our hearts will be protected.
Then when all kinds of negative voices and pressures seem to come at us
like a barrage of arrows, we’ll have the Shield of Faith: Knowing that God is with us,
that we’re not alone, that love is stronger than death, and that Jesus came so that we can have abundant life. With FAITH we can ward off the negativity and the pressure,
and eventually come out unscathed.
On our heads, the Helmet of Salvation: The promises of Jesus that we share in his life & resurrection. This can give us tremendous COURAGE because Jesus has already done everything for us.
In our hands is the Sword of the Spirit. We don’t need to fight armed with anything but God’s Spirit and word.
And finally there are those SHOES. “Put on whatever will make you ready to
proclaim the gospel of peace.” This is what we’re ultimately about: Proclaiming the Gospel. It’s a Gospel not of military war or of closing our hearts to one another.
It’s a Gospel of reconciliation and peace. This is why we are here as God’s Church.
If we remember this at St. James, we’ll figure out what shoes to wear, and we will serve God’s Church well. Then when Jesus plaintively asks us, “Do you also wish to go away?” we’ll put on that Belt of Truth and say passionately, “No, Jesus, we’re in.”
Amen.
It’s not just showing up on Sunday and getting your bread and wine, maybe some inspiring words, some uplifting music, some good fellowship and food, and perhaps some kind of ministry in which to participate. And then being nicely re-charged for another week out in the world…wherever, whatever we do.
Now being part of St. James is even more than ever like being part of a big family
that has a reunion every week—Not in someone’s home, with everything you need right at hand, like before—but in a rented hall. More and more have to pitch in to get us all set up to be together, to make Holy Space in a room that was intended for commercial, secular use. And, after we’ve gathered, many have to help to make sure things are all back in place and taken away until next time.
It’s like a big family too in that the members are all going many different directions. They are interested in different things, and passionate about all kinds of things. Some are growing, changing, taking off into deeper faith journeys and new, energetic missions and ministries. Others, having “been there and done that,” just need to rest and be nurtured themselves —for once.
And like in a family, when things get complicated…financially, insurance-wise, legally, and emotionally…the members have to step-up-to-the-plate and sometime deal with things they’re not trained to do. Sometimes they have to ask for expert help.
It’s also like being part of a big family that’s in the process—a long process—
of making some very big decisions. And, like a family, each person has their own ideas
about what needs to happen. Everyone knows what we decide really matters, and it will impact many generations to come. Being part of St. James today is harder than we thought. Certainly it’s harder than I thought it would be when I came as your rector in December 2007.
Now, we don’t know their reasons, but John’s Gospel today tells us,
“Many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him.”
Following Jesus was harder than they’d thought. More of a commitment
than they’d bargained for. You can here Jesus’ hurt and insecurity and a plaintive note when he asks the 12 Disciples, “Do you also wish to go away?”
(Andrew, Peter, Philip, Nathanael, John, Judas, Thomas, James, John, Matthew, Bartholomew and Simon…are you in?)
I know we can be tempted right now to try to find an easier way to follow Jesus
than being members of St. James. My fervent hope is that we, like the 12, will hang in there, as we have done for this past year. I hope we, like the 12, will stay and follow Him through this challenging, amazing time.
How are we going to do this? As I told you before, there was no class in seminary called, “What to do if the wall falls-101”, but I think we can take a cue from Ephesians.
We can “put on the whole armor of God.” When we first hear this word, “armor,”
we might think of physical weapons and military garb. At a psychological level,
we might think of “steeling ourselves” for what’s ahead, and so we don’t let things into us very deeply. We hope to avoid getting hurt or being “eaten alive.” We imagine putting on a thick armor, a tough coat, over our hearts.
But in Ephesians, this “Whole Armor of God” seems to be a very different thing
from either the physical, military armor or the psychological steeling armor.
Let’s look at what makes up God’s armor, and let’s think about how
this can help us at St. James through this difficult time.
The center of God’s Armor is TRUTH. That’s “the belt.” For over a year now,
we’ve been in the process of collecting the “facts,” the “truth” about the condition
of our building, In addition, the leadership of this parish has been committed to telling you the Truth about what is going on.
At a different, relational level, it behooves us to speak the “truth” in community
about our thoughts and feelings. We need to be open to what each other is thinking and feeling. In our sharing and listening to each other’s TRUTH, I believe God will show us the way forward.
Next and close to the heart is the Breastplate of Righteousness. Righteousness is right relationship with God, each other, and ourselves. Certainly this is at the heart. It is
core to us as a Christian community. In our time on the road, we’re learning more and more,“The Church is the people, not the building.” So the relationships among the people need to be right…righteous. I believe right relationship is our Breastplate, and if
we work at keeping our relationships right, our hearts will be protected.
Then when all kinds of negative voices and pressures seem to come at us
like a barrage of arrows, we’ll have the Shield of Faith: Knowing that God is with us,
that we’re not alone, that love is stronger than death, and that Jesus came so that we can have abundant life. With FAITH we can ward off the negativity and the pressure,
and eventually come out unscathed.
On our heads, the Helmet of Salvation: The promises of Jesus that we share in his life & resurrection. This can give us tremendous COURAGE because Jesus has already done everything for us.
In our hands is the Sword of the Spirit. We don’t need to fight armed with anything but God’s Spirit and word.
And finally there are those SHOES. “Put on whatever will make you ready to
proclaim the gospel of peace.” This is what we’re ultimately about: Proclaiming the Gospel. It’s a Gospel not of military war or of closing our hearts to one another.
It’s a Gospel of reconciliation and peace. This is why we are here as God’s Church.
If we remember this at St. James, we’ll figure out what shoes to wear, and we will serve God’s Church well. Then when Jesus plaintively asks us, “Do you also wish to go away?” we’ll put on that Belt of Truth and say passionately, “No, Jesus, we’re in.”
Amen.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Rain Drops On The Roof
I am sitting on the couch in my living room, listening to the rain pound on the steel roof and watching the Red Sox – Yankees battle unfold. While I am guessing that it isn’t 85 degrees and humid back home and your windows aren’t leaking in the Berkshires, I have a feeling many of you are doing the same. It is amazing how satellite TV can make you feel at home even when you are a long ways away.
Returning to La Ceiba on my second mission trip has inspired me to reflect upon my first trip here in March as I navigate in between familiar and unfamiliar ground. Our Colorado mission team met a couple times after church beginning in late January before heading down to Honduras the first week of March. Our first meeting was mostly focused on logistics and fundraising, but I remember two parts very distinctly because they were when I really felt like I meant to go to Honduras.
The first part was learning the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish. As the only person familiar with the Spanish language in the group, I was asked to lead. I was reluctant as I did not know the people in the group well at all and was not very confident in my Spanish abilities. However, I was coming off a boot sale to a very expressive Catalan man at the boot shop that week. The Barcelona native came into the shop late one evening and spoke almost no English. My boss came to the back where I was doing repairs and told me to have fun. While he was being sarcastic, I actually became friends with the man as I modified his boot over the next week for him. During our frequent choppy conversations, he chastised me for not practicing my Spanish more because “I had it in my head, I just needed to get it out of my mouth” (rough translation). So I went for it. It wasn’t the most fluid instruction, but I was able to get everyone to stress the right syllables. We looked pretty good when we could mumble in rhythm while at services in Honduras.
The second part was deciding what our Word of Execution would be for the trip. Our leader had selected passages from John and Galatians as suggestions and we were flipping through, reading them out loud, and discussing them. I had one of those great moments when you open the Bible not knowing what you are looking for and finding exactly what you need. Looking for Galatians, I ran into Ephesians 4: 2-3 and it just seemed to fit. I read the passage to the group and we had our Word of Execution. It continues to help me on my second go through.
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
My first week in Honduras had many frustrating points. I was told that I would be the tenth grade homeroom teacher for the first three days, only to be told that the position had been given to another teacher. The class schedule did not come out until Wednesday and does not have any lab periods built in. I wasn’t shown the books I would be teaching from until Thursday. The books for the 10th grade chemistry and biology classes have not arrived yet. Tomorrow is the first day.
Humility. Gentleness. Patience. Love. Unity. All these words remind me of why I am here and help me refocus and dwell only on the positive things that I continue to be a part of: a growing school with a fresh coat of paint, caring and dedicated teachers, and a committed administration, ready (enough) to welcome 230 students and commence a year of learning and growth. The rest are just raindrops on the steel roof that make a lot of noise then flow away.
A special thanks this week to the choir for their generous gift and prayers, and for Charles’ great contribution to St. James’ ministry. I certainly miss the music!
Returning to La Ceiba on my second mission trip has inspired me to reflect upon my first trip here in March as I navigate in between familiar and unfamiliar ground. Our Colorado mission team met a couple times after church beginning in late January before heading down to Honduras the first week of March. Our first meeting was mostly focused on logistics and fundraising, but I remember two parts very distinctly because they were when I really felt like I meant to go to Honduras.
The first part was learning the Lord’s Prayer in Spanish. As the only person familiar with the Spanish language in the group, I was asked to lead. I was reluctant as I did not know the people in the group well at all and was not very confident in my Spanish abilities. However, I was coming off a boot sale to a very expressive Catalan man at the boot shop that week. The Barcelona native came into the shop late one evening and spoke almost no English. My boss came to the back where I was doing repairs and told me to have fun. While he was being sarcastic, I actually became friends with the man as I modified his boot over the next week for him. During our frequent choppy conversations, he chastised me for not practicing my Spanish more because “I had it in my head, I just needed to get it out of my mouth” (rough translation). So I went for it. It wasn’t the most fluid instruction, but I was able to get everyone to stress the right syllables. We looked pretty good when we could mumble in rhythm while at services in Honduras.
The second part was deciding what our Word of Execution would be for the trip. Our leader had selected passages from John and Galatians as suggestions and we were flipping through, reading them out loud, and discussing them. I had one of those great moments when you open the Bible not knowing what you are looking for and finding exactly what you need. Looking for Galatians, I ran into Ephesians 4: 2-3 and it just seemed to fit. I read the passage to the group and we had our Word of Execution. It continues to help me on my second go through.
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
My first week in Honduras had many frustrating points. I was told that I would be the tenth grade homeroom teacher for the first three days, only to be told that the position had been given to another teacher. The class schedule did not come out until Wednesday and does not have any lab periods built in. I wasn’t shown the books I would be teaching from until Thursday. The books for the 10th grade chemistry and biology classes have not arrived yet. Tomorrow is the first day.
Humility. Gentleness. Patience. Love. Unity. All these words remind me of why I am here and help me refocus and dwell only on the positive things that I continue to be a part of: a growing school with a fresh coat of paint, caring and dedicated teachers, and a committed administration, ready (enough) to welcome 230 students and commence a year of learning and growth. The rest are just raindrops on the steel roof that make a lot of noise then flow away.
A special thanks this week to the choir for their generous gift and prayers, and for Charles’ great contribution to St. James’ ministry. I certainly miss the music!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sermon, August 9, 2009 by The Rev. Frances A. Hills, Rector
In a sense we’ve been in a “holding pattern” this past year since the wall fell and we vacated the church building. And we’ve been “on hold” because we’ve had to wait to get a lot of information…from the engineers, the insurance, and the Town of Great Barrington.
So, we’ve made the best of it. We’ve been blessed to have Crissey Farm and Wheeler & Taylor for our worship, and the open arms of our sister churches and the Diocese for most anything we’ve needed.
In this year, we’ve been given a special measure of FLEXIBILITY…Now that’s not one of those gifts that comes on the usual list of Gifts of the Spirit in the Bible, but I firmly believe it is a much-needed gift that God’s Spirit has graciously given us. So we’re able to continue with our ministries and even start new ones. We’ve remained in good spirits, and we’ve remained very generous. (A sign of that generosity, by the way, is the $3,540 we will present to Jake later in the service. It will help support the teaching mission he begins in Honduras in a few weeks.)
Yes, we’ve been “on hold,” but in the past few weeks, we’ve gotten out of the holding pattern: We’ve gotten some more information. It’s not ALL the information we need,
but it’s MORE information than we’ve had about the building. This new information will help us discern how we might move forward.
Now I’ve noticed with our moving out of the old “holding pattern” and into this new place, the stress level among us is increasing. There’s still information (facts) we need
before we can actually discern what God’s preferred future is for us, but we all know
we’re closer to the time of making some decisions. So, of course the stress level is up.
There are lots of ideas out there among us…ideas as different as night and day. And there are lots of feelings…grief, fear, pain, anxiety and excitement. With this kind of stress, and being human beings (and human beings being what we are), we are ripe for a level of conflict we have not known in the past year.
So I think it’s really fortuitous that we have today’s reading from the Ephesians.
The passage ends, remember, with the familiar Offertory Sentence “Walk in love, as Christ loved us.” This passage in Ephesians is a kind of manual for right relationship,
“Rules of the Road for a Christian Community.” I’m going to quote quite a bit from the Ephesians, but I’ll be using (Peterson’s) The Message paraphrase, instead of the NRSV,
which was read earlier.
In Ephesians, Paul tells us first, “No more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth.” And in our situation, I think “neighbor” means not only our fellow parishioners,
but also the people in our community, who seem to have a lot of thoughts & feelings
about our situation at St. James. Ultimately, of course, our “neighbors” are everyone.
Paul reminds us that as neighbors we are “all connected to each other”. We’re not isolated or apart from, but part of each other. Then we get the famous Pauline admonition about anger. I really like this because Paul says, “Go ahead be angry.” From a psychological point of view, Paul is acknowledging not discounting our feelings. He’s saying it’s ok to be angry. Feel what we feel. (We can’t help how we feel anyway.) Now that’s good news because we do get angry from time to time. In fact, anger is really a gift from God that tells us something is threatening to our well-being: Our physical safety, our sense of what’s right, our sense of self-worth, our attachments to things as they’ve always been, or our concern for anything we value. So Paul says, “Be angry. You do well to be angry,” but adds the caveat, “But don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge.” It’s not feeling angry that’s wrong, it’s what we sometimes do with our anger that’s not OK. And one of the worst things we can do with our anger is stay angry. Paul says, “Don’t go to bed angry because that gives the devil a real foothold in your life.” Don’t let anger fester inside instead of seeking to talk it out with the hope of reconciliation.
In today’s passage, Paul encourages us to deal with our feelings of frustration and anger before they fester and tempt us to act out in ways we will regret. That’s a good “Rule of the Road” for our community here at St. James.
Then in the reading there’s that lovely part about no evil talk coming from our mouths and about “saying only what is useful for building up.” We’ve had a wall collapse. We don’t need to tear each other down. In fact we must be about building each other up:
Giving words of grace during this time of discernment so that God’s Spirit has room to lead us and guide us into the future God wants for us. Paul says, “Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive (tenderhearted). Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.”
God’s forgiving us through Jesus is the SOURCE of our being able to forgive our neighbor. I’m reminded of a quote from James Alison that Lee sends at the bottom of
her emails, “Give someone who is wrong a soft landing.” There is a kindness, a gentleness, in Paul’s “Rules of the Road for Community.” And what I like about them
is they recognize our human condition. They acknowledge we as human beings can be less than angels. And yet, Paul and God call us to our higher selves: To be a community that, even under a lot of stress, is kind and gentle and forgiving.
With THAT Spirit, we at St. James will find our way into the future God wants for us,
and we will “Walk in love as Christ loved us”. Amen.
So, we’ve made the best of it. We’ve been blessed to have Crissey Farm and Wheeler & Taylor for our worship, and the open arms of our sister churches and the Diocese for most anything we’ve needed.
In this year, we’ve been given a special measure of FLEXIBILITY…Now that’s not one of those gifts that comes on the usual list of Gifts of the Spirit in the Bible, but I firmly believe it is a much-needed gift that God’s Spirit has graciously given us. So we’re able to continue with our ministries and even start new ones. We’ve remained in good spirits, and we’ve remained very generous. (A sign of that generosity, by the way, is the $3,540 we will present to Jake later in the service. It will help support the teaching mission he begins in Honduras in a few weeks.)
Yes, we’ve been “on hold,” but in the past few weeks, we’ve gotten out of the holding pattern: We’ve gotten some more information. It’s not ALL the information we need,
but it’s MORE information than we’ve had about the building. This new information will help us discern how we might move forward.
Now I’ve noticed with our moving out of the old “holding pattern” and into this new place, the stress level among us is increasing. There’s still information (facts) we need
before we can actually discern what God’s preferred future is for us, but we all know
we’re closer to the time of making some decisions. So, of course the stress level is up.
There are lots of ideas out there among us…ideas as different as night and day. And there are lots of feelings…grief, fear, pain, anxiety and excitement. With this kind of stress, and being human beings (and human beings being what we are), we are ripe for a level of conflict we have not known in the past year.
So I think it’s really fortuitous that we have today’s reading from the Ephesians.
The passage ends, remember, with the familiar Offertory Sentence “Walk in love, as Christ loved us.” This passage in Ephesians is a kind of manual for right relationship,
“Rules of the Road for a Christian Community.” I’m going to quote quite a bit from the Ephesians, but I’ll be using (Peterson’s) The Message paraphrase, instead of the NRSV,
which was read earlier.
In Ephesians, Paul tells us first, “No more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth.” And in our situation, I think “neighbor” means not only our fellow parishioners,
but also the people in our community, who seem to have a lot of thoughts & feelings
about our situation at St. James. Ultimately, of course, our “neighbors” are everyone.
Paul reminds us that as neighbors we are “all connected to each other”. We’re not isolated or apart from, but part of each other. Then we get the famous Pauline admonition about anger. I really like this because Paul says, “Go ahead be angry.” From a psychological point of view, Paul is acknowledging not discounting our feelings. He’s saying it’s ok to be angry. Feel what we feel. (We can’t help how we feel anyway.) Now that’s good news because we do get angry from time to time. In fact, anger is really a gift from God that tells us something is threatening to our well-being: Our physical safety, our sense of what’s right, our sense of self-worth, our attachments to things as they’ve always been, or our concern for anything we value. So Paul says, “Be angry. You do well to be angry,” but adds the caveat, “But don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge.” It’s not feeling angry that’s wrong, it’s what we sometimes do with our anger that’s not OK. And one of the worst things we can do with our anger is stay angry. Paul says, “Don’t go to bed angry because that gives the devil a real foothold in your life.” Don’t let anger fester inside instead of seeking to talk it out with the hope of reconciliation.
In today’s passage, Paul encourages us to deal with our feelings of frustration and anger before they fester and tempt us to act out in ways we will regret. That’s a good “Rule of the Road” for our community here at St. James.
Then in the reading there’s that lovely part about no evil talk coming from our mouths and about “saying only what is useful for building up.” We’ve had a wall collapse. We don’t need to tear each other down. In fact we must be about building each other up:
Giving words of grace during this time of discernment so that God’s Spirit has room to lead us and guide us into the future God wants for us. Paul says, “Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive (tenderhearted). Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.”
God’s forgiving us through Jesus is the SOURCE of our being able to forgive our neighbor. I’m reminded of a quote from James Alison that Lee sends at the bottom of
her emails, “Give someone who is wrong a soft landing.” There is a kindness, a gentleness, in Paul’s “Rules of the Road for Community.” And what I like about them
is they recognize our human condition. They acknowledge we as human beings can be less than angels. And yet, Paul and God call us to our higher selves: To be a community that, even under a lot of stress, is kind and gentle and forgiving.
With THAT Spirit, we at St. James will find our way into the future God wants for us,
and we will “Walk in love as Christ loved us”. Amen.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
I Have Arrived!
I am hot, sweaty, but oh so happy to finally be in La Ceiba, Honduras. After a round-about ride to and through Newark, NJ with Brother Will, a quick flight to Atlanta, an almost sleepless night on a pay-as-you go massage chair in Atlanta next to a dinosaur, a packed flight to San Pedro Sula, and a 3 hour drive along the northern coast of Honduras, I have finally arrived at my home for the next 10 months.
I was greeted at the airport by Mike, the principle of Holy Trinity Episcopal School and Javier, my friend from my last mission trip to Honduras and the new father of a 3 month old baby girl. Javier guided us through the moving maze that is Honduran traffic all the way to my new apartment right in the center of the city where Betty, Mike’s wife and a teacher at Holy Trinity was waiting. What a spectacular place. It is a two room apartment with lots of windows, a bed with leopard print sheets, very little water pressure, and a built-in breakfast counter. Paradise! I am about seven blocks from school and two blocks from the mall where I can shop in the comfort of air conditioning. Mike and Betty spent a ton of time finding the place for me, which will covered by Holy Trinity as part of my stay. Muchas gracias a ellos.
Mike and Betty took me out to dinner (Chinese food) and we got to talking about the school year and living in La Ceiba. Betty counseled me to ask every question that comes to me because if I do, I will probably get what I need and if I don’t, I probably won’t. It made me remember the plane ride I took this morning.
I of course skipped breakfast, forgetting in my sleep deprived haze that Delta did not serve complementary lunch on the planes anymore. So when it came time for the free drinks and snacks, I pleaded for some extra pretzels. When the flight attendant asked why, I explained my predicament and the he laughed and gave me some extra bags. He asked if I was allergic to peanuts then walked to the back of the plane. Puzzled, I expected I had scored a couple bags of peanuts as well. However, when he came back, he had a huge peanut butter and jelly sandwich, his plane ration that he didn’t want to eat. It absolutely made my day.
I hope that this mission trip is full of these exchanges and I can be on the other side, providing what I have to offer to those who need it. I just have to figure out what they need, which I don't think will always be as easy as a PB&J sandwich. With God's Help. Off to bed. Meetings all day tomorrow with the other teachers. Thanks for all your support and prayers!
I was greeted at the airport by Mike, the principle of Holy Trinity Episcopal School and Javier, my friend from my last mission trip to Honduras and the new father of a 3 month old baby girl. Javier guided us through the moving maze that is Honduran traffic all the way to my new apartment right in the center of the city where Betty, Mike’s wife and a teacher at Holy Trinity was waiting. What a spectacular place. It is a two room apartment with lots of windows, a bed with leopard print sheets, very little water pressure, and a built-in breakfast counter. Paradise! I am about seven blocks from school and two blocks from the mall where I can shop in the comfort of air conditioning. Mike and Betty spent a ton of time finding the place for me, which will covered by Holy Trinity as part of my stay. Muchas gracias a ellos.
Mike and Betty took me out to dinner (Chinese food) and we got to talking about the school year and living in La Ceiba. Betty counseled me to ask every question that comes to me because if I do, I will probably get what I need and if I don’t, I probably won’t. It made me remember the plane ride I took this morning.
I of course skipped breakfast, forgetting in my sleep deprived haze that Delta did not serve complementary lunch on the planes anymore. So when it came time for the free drinks and snacks, I pleaded for some extra pretzels. When the flight attendant asked why, I explained my predicament and the he laughed and gave me some extra bags. He asked if I was allergic to peanuts then walked to the back of the plane. Puzzled, I expected I had scored a couple bags of peanuts as well. However, when he came back, he had a huge peanut butter and jelly sandwich, his plane ration that he didn’t want to eat. It absolutely made my day.
I hope that this mission trip is full of these exchanges and I can be on the other side, providing what I have to offer to those who need it. I just have to figure out what they need, which I don't think will always be as easy as a PB&J sandwich. With God's Help. Off to bed. Meetings all day tomorrow with the other teachers. Thanks for all your support and prayers!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Sermon, July 26, 2009 by The Rev. Frances A. Hills, Rector
In Ephesians, Paul prays for his readers (who by extension include us, because we’ve just read it!) that we may be “strengthened in our inner beings…as we are being rooted and grounded in love.” What an incredible prayer! And I love to think that someone is praying that for you and me…praying we are inwardly strengthened and rooted and grounded in love!
It is a wonderful prayer, yet how could it possibly happen to us—this strengthening and rooting and grounding in love? Well, one way I know it is happening is through our children. These past few months have been a time when over and over again, it’s been our children who have strengthened, rooted and grounded us in love. They’re the ones with what we need.
We are reminded of this today as Tyler plays the saxophone and so freely and graciously shares with us his amazing talent for jazz improvisation.
We were reminded of this in April when Peter and Lucas, our rising rock musicians, so generously gave the proceeds of the sales of their CDs at St. James to enhance our outreach programs.
Then a few weeks ago Jake strengthened and grounded us in love
when he asked us, his home parish, for some help so he can spend next year as a teaching missionary at an Episcopal School in Honduras.
Jake will teach math to 9th and 10th graders in a country where a 6th grade education is the norm.
And I don’t know about you, but I am also strengthened and grounded
in God’s love whenever I look at Dorree’s paintings…such joy and generosity of spirit comes from this Little One among us who’s been our July Artist of the Month! And Dorree is the one who says she’d like to return someday to her native Tanzania, and become the Prime Minister, so she can “help all the poor people.”
On Friday night, I had the privilege of spending the evening with parishioners and their granddaughter Christy. Christy shared with us about the two-month mission trip she took to Ivory Coast. She told of the people, their simple life-style, their suffering, their joys, and their needs. Christy hopes to complete her B.S. in nursing next year then dedicate her life to doing medical missionary work wherever God sends her. Knowing about her call and commitment strengthens me in my inner being. She strengthens all of us, and roots us and grounds us in God’s love.
Finally, there’s Gideon’s Garden. Remember it started as a dream, just a kernel of an idea some of our youth had last December: “Wouldn’t it be nice to grow a vegetable garden and to give the food to hungry people?” Yesterday I was looking on our web page at the pictures of the day in early June when we blessed and planted Gideon’s Garden. There were about 30 people there, half youth and half adults. There were some tiny seeds and a lot of small plants. There was a third-acre of land that frankly looked like an awful lot of ground for us to garden. In those pictures, it seemed to me there was a lot more dirt than people or plants. But the youth had taken their dream, planted the seeds in the ground, dedicated the ground to God and asked for God’s blessing. They wanted to supply food for the Breaking Bread Kitchen, the Stockbridge Open Table, and the People’s Pantry. On that day in early June, I couldn’t imagine how we were ever going to raise enough food for all of that.
But I understand there’s already been at least one generous donation to the Pantry. And last Tuesday, as the rains came down, a handful of kids harvested an amazing amount and variety of food: Carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, onion, all kinds of lettuce, cucumbers, green peppers, Swiss chard and some tomatoes! Sally said her Prius was packed to the gills with vegetables. I also heard Darra’s car needed to be detailed after the muddy harvesting crew got home!
Then on Thursday night at Breaking Break Kitchen, seven of the youth came and joyfully served their harvest, along side our wonderful adult crew. Pennie introduced the Gideon’s Garden Gang to the diners, and they received a hearty round of applause. There was salad and cooked mixed vegetables for the 60 diners. Although I couldn’t be there, I heard it was, “Absolutely delicious because it was so fresh”. And, I might add, because it was so rooted and grounded in love!
After the meal, there were tables full of bags of fresh vegetables for everyone to take home. And there were salad and cooked vegetables for everyone to take home. There were even fresh vegetables for Margaret to take home to her chickens!
Jesus looked up at the crowd of 5,000 and asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Philip said, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” But then Andrew said, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” ‘Didn’t seem like much, but it was the child who had what they needed. So Jesus took the boy’s fishes and loves and blessed them. And the people ate and were satisfied. Then they gathered up the food that was left over. “They filled 12 baskets.” Amen.
It is a wonderful prayer, yet how could it possibly happen to us—this strengthening and rooting and grounding in love? Well, one way I know it is happening is through our children. These past few months have been a time when over and over again, it’s been our children who have strengthened, rooted and grounded us in love. They’re the ones with what we need.
We are reminded of this today as Tyler plays the saxophone and so freely and graciously shares with us his amazing talent for jazz improvisation.
We were reminded of this in April when Peter and Lucas, our rising rock musicians, so generously gave the proceeds of the sales of their CDs at St. James to enhance our outreach programs.
Then a few weeks ago Jake strengthened and grounded us in love
when he asked us, his home parish, for some help so he can spend next year as a teaching missionary at an Episcopal School in Honduras.
Jake will teach math to 9th and 10th graders in a country where a 6th grade education is the norm.
And I don’t know about you, but I am also strengthened and grounded
in God’s love whenever I look at Dorree’s paintings…such joy and generosity of spirit comes from this Little One among us who’s been our July Artist of the Month! And Dorree is the one who says she’d like to return someday to her native Tanzania, and become the Prime Minister, so she can “help all the poor people.”
On Friday night, I had the privilege of spending the evening with parishioners and their granddaughter Christy. Christy shared with us about the two-month mission trip she took to Ivory Coast. She told of the people, their simple life-style, their suffering, their joys, and their needs. Christy hopes to complete her B.S. in nursing next year then dedicate her life to doing medical missionary work wherever God sends her. Knowing about her call and commitment strengthens me in my inner being. She strengthens all of us, and roots us and grounds us in God’s love.
Finally, there’s Gideon’s Garden. Remember it started as a dream, just a kernel of an idea some of our youth had last December: “Wouldn’t it be nice to grow a vegetable garden and to give the food to hungry people?” Yesterday I was looking on our web page at the pictures of the day in early June when we blessed and planted Gideon’s Garden. There were about 30 people there, half youth and half adults. There were some tiny seeds and a lot of small plants. There was a third-acre of land that frankly looked like an awful lot of ground for us to garden. In those pictures, it seemed to me there was a lot more dirt than people or plants. But the youth had taken their dream, planted the seeds in the ground, dedicated the ground to God and asked for God’s blessing. They wanted to supply food for the Breaking Bread Kitchen, the Stockbridge Open Table, and the People’s Pantry. On that day in early June, I couldn’t imagine how we were ever going to raise enough food for all of that.
But I understand there’s already been at least one generous donation to the Pantry. And last Tuesday, as the rains came down, a handful of kids harvested an amazing amount and variety of food: Carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, onion, all kinds of lettuce, cucumbers, green peppers, Swiss chard and some tomatoes! Sally said her Prius was packed to the gills with vegetables. I also heard Darra’s car needed to be detailed after the muddy harvesting crew got home!
Then on Thursday night at Breaking Break Kitchen, seven of the youth came and joyfully served their harvest, along side our wonderful adult crew. Pennie introduced the Gideon’s Garden Gang to the diners, and they received a hearty round of applause. There was salad and cooked mixed vegetables for the 60 diners. Although I couldn’t be there, I heard it was, “Absolutely delicious because it was so fresh”. And, I might add, because it was so rooted and grounded in love!
After the meal, there were tables full of bags of fresh vegetables for everyone to take home. And there were salad and cooked vegetables for everyone to take home. There were even fresh vegetables for Margaret to take home to her chickens!
Jesus looked up at the crowd of 5,000 and asked Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” Philip said, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” But then Andrew said, “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish.” ‘Didn’t seem like much, but it was the child who had what they needed. So Jesus took the boy’s fishes and loves and blessed them. And the people ate and were satisfied. Then they gathered up the food that was left over. “They filled 12 baskets.” Amen.
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