By Fleming Rutledge
Monday, June 22, 2009
As a visitor to a great many Episcopal churches all over this country for many years, I can attest that the general state of "The Prayers of the People" is deplorable. The revision of the 1928 Prayer Book was supposed to move us away from rote prayers. With very rare exceptions, this has not happened. Most of the prayers in most of the churches are recited in a boring, repetitive fashion, week in and week out--and changing from Form 1 to Form 6 (or whatever) does not improve the situation. We never actually ask anything; instead, we reel off a list of names without differentiation, or we say "For (fill in the blank)" without ever identifying what we are pleading with the Lord to do "for" whomever or whatever.
I can remember only two congregations in my decades of churchgoing where the prayers were prepared and offered with imagination and deep commitment. In both cases they were composed and read by lay people who had obviously been identified as gifted in this ministry. I have never forgotten the way that these lay ministers presented immediate local problems for prayer, while directly upholding community, national and world concerns. The thanksgivings were specific, the world-wide church was remembered in its various needs, and there was a sense that God was really being personally addressed. These liturgical prayers were composed Sunday by Sunday by these gifted lay people, who used the forms provided but expanded them to meet the season, the need, the location, the current situation.
It has been about ten years since I last heard this done really well. On this past Sunday, I heard it again at St. James in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. This is a congregation under great strain because their historic building, the oldest church in town, has been deemed unsafe and they have been forbidden to use it. They are meeting in a local rental hall. Yet in the main service last Sunday, the prayers were beautifully composed, earnest, and above all directly related to the concerns of the contemporary situation--from the needs of the specific congregation to the demonstrators in the streets of Tehran. Even better, they were designed to arise out of the biblical readings for the day.
The Rev. Francie Hills, rector, began by identifying two people in the congregation with these specific gifts. She gave them copies of Prayers for Sundays and Seasons, by Peter Scagnelli, published by Liturgy Training Publications (Roman Catholic). There are three books, one for each liturgical year. Francie explained, "We adapt these significantly for our use at St. James," meaning that they add and subtract according to the Episcopal Church and to the local situation, but they have a splendid liturgical template on which to base their adaptations.
Their offering certainly fell upon my ears and heart like manna.
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Reposted here with permission. Original link: http://www.generousorthodoxy.org/ruminations/2009/06/prayers-of-people-done-right.htm
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Luke 10:1-12
Some St James members and visitors may want to continue to use the Luke lesson we listened to Sunday June 7th and then we were led in an exercise to Dwell in the Word. We will continue to use this lesson throughout the PMC process over the next few years.
Peace
Elizabeth
Luke 10:1-12
Jesus Sends Out the Seventytwo
1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5"When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Peace
Elizabeth
Luke 10:1-12
Jesus Sends Out the Seventytwo
1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5"When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Vine and Branches
(Sermon preached on 5th Sunday of Easter, 2009 by The Rev Ted Cobden)
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit. (John 15:5 NRSV)
I want to explore that image of the vine and the branches with you this morning. See in your imagination a grape vine. See the main stem and the branches coming out from it. See it in May as it leafs out and buds. Then imagine that it is getting to be fall and picture the clusters of grapes hanging from the branches.
The image of the vine and the branches is powerful to us Christians for three reasons. First it shapes the way we understand our fundamental relationship with the risen Christ. Second, the image suggests how we understand our life’s purpose -- how our lives can be fruitful. And third it gives us a graphic perspective of our relationship with each other as Church.
To begin: when the risen Jesus says to us, “I am the vine and you are the branches,” he wants us to appreciate how we are connected to him -- how we abide in him. The Easter message tells us that being bound into the Risen Christ is the promise of eternal life -- life which overcomes death and those forces which challenge the energy of life. Jesus is the vine which keeps bringing newness of life to those who are open to engagement with him -- those who are open to those renewing energies in body, mind and spirit.
For thousands of years philosophers have proposed that human beings are wired in a way so that we are capable of connecting with the eternal one. They suggested that we have an innate capacity for God. For thousands of years theologians have affirmed that we are made in the image of God. We have an affinity for the divine as a wax seal bears an imprint of the divine stamp. God and human kind are made for each other.
Now, in recent decades, the neuroscientists -- those who study the human brain -- are discovering just how truly wired we are to perceive the transcendent. This next Wednesday the St. James book group will be discussing “My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey.” The author Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor was a specialist in the anatomy of the brain and was teaching at Harvard med school when she had a stroke which affected the left side of her brain. It took her 8 years to recover her faculties. She is now able to put together her scientific knowledge and her personal experience to describe the amazing capacity of our human brain. She describes how our neurological circuitry can enable us to connect to a universal source of peace and joy and compassion. She says some folks may choose to ignore this connection. Some may be unaware of the potential of this connection. But each of us has the mental capability of connecting to this inexhaustible well of peace and joy and good will.
The relationship we have with Christ -- this abiding in the Living One -- enables us to connect with the unending source of energy and hope. Each day is filled with challenges. Bad things happen. We make mistakes. We hurt others. We try to climb mountains and stumble and fail. Discouragement lies close by. We can become impatient, frustrated, fearful, exhausted. If we did not have the ability to open ourselves to the sustenance of Christ, we would lose hope. But being grafted into Christ, we can take into us the newness of life which refreshes our spirit, renews our centeredness and peace, and resets our vision to see what’s right with the world instead of only what’s wrong.
I invite you to envision on a daily basis your connectedness with Christ. Take time to be still and sense your breathing. Sense your breathing in as a taking in of the spirit of the living Christ and the breathing out of the stuff you want to let go.
A second implication of the image of the vine and the branches is the promise that as we are connected to Christ we will be very productive. Jesus promises that we will bear much fruit.
Each of us is unique and special, but the fruit we bear derives from a common vine which has the life force in it of love, peace, wisdom, justice -- all those virtues you think of when you think of God. So the manifold fruits each of us produces are discrete aspects of this common energy. So some of us having this energy of joy and celebration have special gifts of music and sing in the choir and help us all to worship more effectively. Others with this life energy and love have the ability to nurture and teach children. Others having this energy for the common good have the calling for organizing and managing economic enterprises for the well being of people and our society. Others use God’s energy within them to bring healing to others and others to bring peace and justice to our community.
I invite you to think of the work you do and see how it is connected to the Christ within you. Consider even the small things you do -- the little acts -- the phone calls you make to check on a family member or friend. Might this be Christ reaching out in concern for another through you? Being aware of the Christ within us helps us to see that we have renewable resources within us. This will help us from thinking we rely solely on our own energy. Some of our feelings of exhaustion may be due to that. Instead allow yourself to be replenished by the energy of Christ within.
The third aspect of this image of the vine and the branches that I would have you consider very briefly is the way we are connected to each other as Church.
Paul uses the image of the body of Christ to describe the church. Christ is the head and we are the various other members of the body: the hands, the feet the mouth. We each have different functions, but we coordinate as one body.
As an organizational image it’s clear. But how about the vine and the branches as an organizational chart? Everyone is intertwined. How are we going to know where everyone fits in?
I smiled to myself when I considered that Jesus used this image of the vine and the branches 2000 years before we started to envision and --use with increasing rewards-- the world wide web. How about that as an organizational chart?
What might the implications of this understanding of our organizational structure be for our congregation? From the perspective of the vine and the branches: How do we connect with each other, rely on each other, care for each other?
What might the implications of this image of the vine and the branches be for the Episcopal church as it relates to other members of the Anglican Communion in our diversity?
What are the implications of this structure of the vine and the branches as we relate to other congregations: in the way we may worship together or work together to bring compassion to our community?
Jesus’ image of the vine and branches tells us how blessed we are to be vitally connected to the source of all life. Second how we bear fruit. Third how we are interconnected with other branches of the vine as Church.
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit. (John 15:5 NRSV)
I want to explore that image of the vine and the branches with you this morning. See in your imagination a grape vine. See the main stem and the branches coming out from it. See it in May as it leafs out and buds. Then imagine that it is getting to be fall and picture the clusters of grapes hanging from the branches.
The image of the vine and the branches is powerful to us Christians for three reasons. First it shapes the way we understand our fundamental relationship with the risen Christ. Second, the image suggests how we understand our life’s purpose -- how our lives can be fruitful. And third it gives us a graphic perspective of our relationship with each other as Church.
To begin: when the risen Jesus says to us, “I am the vine and you are the branches,” he wants us to appreciate how we are connected to him -- how we abide in him. The Easter message tells us that being bound into the Risen Christ is the promise of eternal life -- life which overcomes death and those forces which challenge the energy of life. Jesus is the vine which keeps bringing newness of life to those who are open to engagement with him -- those who are open to those renewing energies in body, mind and spirit.
For thousands of years philosophers have proposed that human beings are wired in a way so that we are capable of connecting with the eternal one. They suggested that we have an innate capacity for God. For thousands of years theologians have affirmed that we are made in the image of God. We have an affinity for the divine as a wax seal bears an imprint of the divine stamp. God and human kind are made for each other.
Now, in recent decades, the neuroscientists -- those who study the human brain -- are discovering just how truly wired we are to perceive the transcendent. This next Wednesday the St. James book group will be discussing “My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey.” The author Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor was a specialist in the anatomy of the brain and was teaching at Harvard med school when she had a stroke which affected the left side of her brain. It took her 8 years to recover her faculties. She is now able to put together her scientific knowledge and her personal experience to describe the amazing capacity of our human brain. She describes how our neurological circuitry can enable us to connect to a universal source of peace and joy and compassion. She says some folks may choose to ignore this connection. Some may be unaware of the potential of this connection. But each of us has the mental capability of connecting to this inexhaustible well of peace and joy and good will.
The relationship we have with Christ -- this abiding in the Living One -- enables us to connect with the unending source of energy and hope. Each day is filled with challenges. Bad things happen. We make mistakes. We hurt others. We try to climb mountains and stumble and fail. Discouragement lies close by. We can become impatient, frustrated, fearful, exhausted. If we did not have the ability to open ourselves to the sustenance of Christ, we would lose hope. But being grafted into Christ, we can take into us the newness of life which refreshes our spirit, renews our centeredness and peace, and resets our vision to see what’s right with the world instead of only what’s wrong.
I invite you to envision on a daily basis your connectedness with Christ. Take time to be still and sense your breathing. Sense your breathing in as a taking in of the spirit of the living Christ and the breathing out of the stuff you want to let go.
A second implication of the image of the vine and the branches is the promise that as we are connected to Christ we will be very productive. Jesus promises that we will bear much fruit.
Each of us is unique and special, but the fruit we bear derives from a common vine which has the life force in it of love, peace, wisdom, justice -- all those virtues you think of when you think of God. So the manifold fruits each of us produces are discrete aspects of this common energy. So some of us having this energy of joy and celebration have special gifts of music and sing in the choir and help us all to worship more effectively. Others with this life energy and love have the ability to nurture and teach children. Others having this energy for the common good have the calling for organizing and managing economic enterprises for the well being of people and our society. Others use God’s energy within them to bring healing to others and others to bring peace and justice to our community.
I invite you to think of the work you do and see how it is connected to the Christ within you. Consider even the small things you do -- the little acts -- the phone calls you make to check on a family member or friend. Might this be Christ reaching out in concern for another through you? Being aware of the Christ within us helps us to see that we have renewable resources within us. This will help us from thinking we rely solely on our own energy. Some of our feelings of exhaustion may be due to that. Instead allow yourself to be replenished by the energy of Christ within.
The third aspect of this image of the vine and the branches that I would have you consider very briefly is the way we are connected to each other as Church.
Paul uses the image of the body of Christ to describe the church. Christ is the head and we are the various other members of the body: the hands, the feet the mouth. We each have different functions, but we coordinate as one body.
As an organizational image it’s clear. But how about the vine and the branches as an organizational chart? Everyone is intertwined. How are we going to know where everyone fits in?
I smiled to myself when I considered that Jesus used this image of the vine and the branches 2000 years before we started to envision and --use with increasing rewards-- the world wide web. How about that as an organizational chart?
What might the implications of this understanding of our organizational structure be for our congregation? From the perspective of the vine and the branches: How do we connect with each other, rely on each other, care for each other?
What might the implications of this image of the vine and the branches be for the Episcopal church as it relates to other members of the Anglican Communion in our diversity?
What are the implications of this structure of the vine and the branches as we relate to other congregations: in the way we may worship together or work together to bring compassion to our community?
Jesus’ image of the vine and branches tells us how blessed we are to be vitally connected to the source of all life. Second how we bear fruit. Third how we are interconnected with other branches of the vine as Church.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Episcopal Tourist in Brussels
Some of you may know that I am in Brussels singing Mendelssohn's Elijah. Today is his 200th birthday and the concert is tomorrow.
This morning long before any of you were awake (I hope), I got up, had breakfast, walked down to the Central station and caught a train to Waterloo, yes, that bad place for Napoleon.
It was about a 20 minute ride with lovely , o so green Belgian fields spread out everywhere. It is spring here with trees in full bloom. At the station, I grabbed a taxi for a short ride to All Saints Episcopal Church. How many of you know of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe? It was started in the 19th century to provide for the spiritual needs of Americans in Europe. The convocation is now multicultural, multinational, multiracial and multilingual.
I was greeted warmly as soon as I opened the front door of the church.The gentleman said "You look lost" to which I replied "But now am found". He quickly introduced me to several people including a Franciscan who preached the sermon.
I went and took my seat. The church has moved to this new building quite recently. I understand it is a former nightclub, a real switch from churches turning into nightclubs. It is a lovely very bright space with clear windows letting in the rare Belgian sunshine. , It is just a bit bigger that our Crissey Farm space.
As I prayed, the organ, an old Allen electronic, began playing the opening hymn "At the Lamb's High Feast". The style here is to just play a short intro, not the whole verse, so by the time I found the correct page we were nearly halfway through the first verse. Except that no one was singing. So I chimed in loudly and soon had them going.
It was Low Sunday and there was not a large crowd. There were maybe 40 or 50, but quite a few children came in later
We began with the collect for purity and launched into the readings. Texts were not provided and the reader's clarity made in unnecessary. The Epistle, however, was read in excellent though not native French with a translation provided. Belgium is made up of Walloons, French speakers, and Flamands who speak Flemish. English is widely spoken also, especially by Flamands.
The Gospel procession was lead by the very young Crucifer who took his job with great seriousness.
The sermon was by Mark Barwick , a Franciscan and Priest who was without his stole today. He preached on the Gospel. Doubting is good he said going back to ancient Judaism where skepticism was very much respected. He encouraged us to think very hard of the meaning and importance of the words while saying the Creed. We need to see with our heart through eyes of faith.
The prayers of the people were led in impeccable Queen's English. We exchanged the peace and the rector introduced me and another visitor , an EU representative who lives in Seoul Korea.
We celebrated Communion with Prayer C, AKA the Star Wars Eucharist. I was impressed and moved that the rector addressed me by name when serving the Host. The recessional was Alleluia, Alleluia, by Sir Arthur Sullivan.
I listened to the brief postlude and went out to the coffee hour. Everyone was very friendly and I had no moments of feeling lost. Coffee was served in china cups and there were some lovely cakes to be had also. When I spoke with the rector Kempton Baldridge, I found out that I will see him in Anaheim this summer for General Convention as he is a clergy alternate deputy. Amazingly, he had just returned yesterday from Northampton,Ma as his daughter is in Smith College. This is a very interesting and diverse group of people. There are quite a few British Anglicans. One lady said how she loved the familiarity of the service even if it is a bit different than the C of E. The Organist and I chatted. He is also carillon player. He pointed out another older gentleman nearby who had studied with Maurice Durufle the famous French organist and composer. Episcopalians are just interesting people!
Mark Barwick gave me a ride to the station and I got my train back to Brussels.
Peace to you all!
This morning long before any of you were awake (I hope), I got up, had breakfast, walked down to the Central station and caught a train to Waterloo, yes, that bad place for Napoleon.
It was about a 20 minute ride with lovely , o so green Belgian fields spread out everywhere. It is spring here with trees in full bloom. At the station, I grabbed a taxi for a short ride to All Saints Episcopal Church. How many of you know of the Convocation of American Churches in Europe? It was started in the 19th century to provide for the spiritual needs of Americans in Europe. The convocation is now multicultural, multinational, multiracial and multilingual.
I was greeted warmly as soon as I opened the front door of the church.The gentleman said "You look lost" to which I replied "But now am found". He quickly introduced me to several people including a Franciscan who preached the sermon.
I went and took my seat. The church has moved to this new building quite recently. I understand it is a former nightclub, a real switch from churches turning into nightclubs. It is a lovely very bright space with clear windows letting in the rare Belgian sunshine. , It is just a bit bigger that our Crissey Farm space.
As I prayed, the organ, an old Allen electronic, began playing the opening hymn "At the Lamb's High Feast". The style here is to just play a short intro, not the whole verse, so by the time I found the correct page we were nearly halfway through the first verse. Except that no one was singing. So I chimed in loudly and soon had them going.
It was Low Sunday and there was not a large crowd. There were maybe 40 or 50, but quite a few children came in later
We began with the collect for purity and launched into the readings. Texts were not provided and the reader's clarity made in unnecessary. The Epistle, however, was read in excellent though not native French with a translation provided. Belgium is made up of Walloons, French speakers, and Flamands who speak Flemish. English is widely spoken also, especially by Flamands.
The Gospel procession was lead by the very young Crucifer who took his job with great seriousness.
The sermon was by Mark Barwick , a Franciscan and Priest who was without his stole today. He preached on the Gospel. Doubting is good he said going back to ancient Judaism where skepticism was very much respected. He encouraged us to think very hard of the meaning and importance of the words while saying the Creed. We need to see with our heart through eyes of faith.
The prayers of the people were led in impeccable Queen's English. We exchanged the peace and the rector introduced me and another visitor , an EU representative who lives in Seoul Korea.
We celebrated Communion with Prayer C, AKA the Star Wars Eucharist. I was impressed and moved that the rector addressed me by name when serving the Host. The recessional was Alleluia, Alleluia, by Sir Arthur Sullivan.
I listened to the brief postlude and went out to the coffee hour. Everyone was very friendly and I had no moments of feeling lost. Coffee was served in china cups and there were some lovely cakes to be had also. When I spoke with the rector Kempton Baldridge, I found out that I will see him in Anaheim this summer for General Convention as he is a clergy alternate deputy. Amazingly, he had just returned yesterday from Northampton,Ma as his daughter is in Smith College. This is a very interesting and diverse group of people. There are quite a few British Anglicans. One lady said how she loved the familiarity of the service even if it is a bit different than the C of E. The Organist and I chatted. He is also carillon player. He pointed out another older gentleman nearby who had studied with Maurice Durufle the famous French organist and composer. Episcopalians are just interesting people!
Mark Barwick gave me a ride to the station and I got my train back to Brussels.
Peace to you all!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Easter Day Sermon April 12, 2009 by Rev. Frances A. Hills, Rector
It’s been a long, hard, dramatic week. We excitedly waved Jesus into Jerusalem Last Sunday with our palm branches, and we danced in procession to Tyler’s great, jazzy saxophone. But then the mood changed. We heard the passion story. We were reminded he had to die.
On Thursday, there it was again. We heard the passionate stories of the women who loved and followed him, “The Other 12 Apostles.” Then we heard about the foot washing and the meal…the last meal before Friday, the day he was brutally crucified. We participated with Christ Church-Trinity in getting ready for that Friday Story as we helped them strip the altar of its adornments.
And then Friday came with its cold, hard, awful story about the hard wood of the cross (unvarnished) and those seven words he spoke in agony.
It’s always hard for me to try to write the Easter morning sermon during Holy Week because I so like “walking through the drama.” To me it seems a bit schizophrenic to be writing about “the glorious resurrection” when we haven’t had the Supper or the Cross.
But of course living in the 21st century on this side of Easter, we really always know about the Cross and the Resurrection.
Well this year in the process of going through The Week and reading the prayers for Holy Saturday yesterday morning before daylight, it occurred to me how very important it is for us, right now at St. James, to remember the Resurrection. It’s important because there’s a sense in which as a parish, we’re sort of caught right now in Holy Saturday. What I mean by that is that we know only too well about Good Friday. It’s fresh in our minds. If we need a refresher, all we have to do is take a drive around the backside of the building at Main and Taconic.
But right now although it IS Easter morning, for us as a parish it’s still in a sense a time before the Resurrection. It’s that time between. That time when we, like the disciples, are a bit bewildered and tired, wondering what will happen to us. What will happen next? Maybe on that Saturday not only the disciples but also even Jesus himself was wondering exactly what was next. That’s why it’s so important for us to hear the God News today…
THE LORD IS RISEN! THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED!
One contemplative (Richard Rohr, Richard’s Daily Meditations)http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/subscribe.php) wrote about Holy Saturday, “Jesus trusted enough to outstare the darkness, to outstare the void, to wait upon the resurrection.” Now I think that’s what we at St. James are called to do right now: We’re called to outstare the darkness because we live in faith and hope. We can live in faith and hope because Jesus conquered all darkness…even death itself! We live on this side of Easter. WE KNOW!
In today’s Easter Gospel from John, after Mary tells them the stone is rolled away, Peter and the Beloved Disciple hot-foot-it to the tomb. John, the Beloved, looks in. Peter goes in, and John follows. The gospel tells us simply, “(John) saw and believed.” The empty tomb, the linen wrappings were signs enough for the Beloved Disciple.
I’m reminded of that enigmatic Holy Week story in Mark about the fig tree. It comes the day after Palm Sunday. “As they left Bethany the next day, Jesus was hungry. Off in the distance he saw a fig tree in full leaf. He came up to it expecting to find something for breakfast, but found nothing but fig leaves. (It wasn’t yet the season for figs.) He addressed (cursed?) the tree: ‘No one is going to eat fruit from you again—ever!’” (The Message, a paraphrase of the Bible by Eugene Peterson) This story has always puzzled me: Since it’s not the season for figs, why is Jesus so upset?
The Bishop of Virginia Peter Lee ponders this question and suggests that Jesus asks of us, his followers, to be Signs of New Life, Signs of Resurrection…even when we’re “out of season.” (The Living Church, April 16, 1995) We’re called to be signs of new life even during this in-between time of exile for the parish, even during this time of such uncertainty in our nation and world, even during this time when some of us and/or our loved ones are in the midst of serious health problems and real suffering. In these “out-of-season” times, it would be easy to give up and give in to negativity, the “what ifs,” and the “worst-case-scenarios.” But as Resurrection People we’re called to act differently. We don’t deny that these difficult things are real. They are very real. But we’re called to look in them (like a tomb), to outstare the darkness, and to find within them Signs of New Life. We’re called to be Beloved Disciples: to look in the tomb, see the signs: To see and believe.
In fact in our ironic, last-are-first/first-are-last Christian faith, it’s exactly in these dark places, in the tombs, that we will find new life…in season or out-of-season. The core, the essence of our Christian faith is this very thing…this dying and rising cycle, which Jesus embodies in his life, death, and resurrection. So with confidence we can look in those dark places and be assured that THERE (exactly THERE) we will find New Life! ‘Even more amazing is that from THERE (exactly THERE) from those dark places of our lives, we will find our most valuable and authentic gifts. And the gifts we will find in the darkness will be the things that best proclaim to others the profound reality of our faith in a crucified and risen God.
So wherever we are in our journeys…in season or out-of-season or somewhere in-between, let us proclaim the joy we share this Easter morning…Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.
On Thursday, there it was again. We heard the passionate stories of the women who loved and followed him, “The Other 12 Apostles.” Then we heard about the foot washing and the meal…the last meal before Friday, the day he was brutally crucified. We participated with Christ Church-Trinity in getting ready for that Friday Story as we helped them strip the altar of its adornments.
And then Friday came with its cold, hard, awful story about the hard wood of the cross (unvarnished) and those seven words he spoke in agony.
It’s always hard for me to try to write the Easter morning sermon during Holy Week because I so like “walking through the drama.” To me it seems a bit schizophrenic to be writing about “the glorious resurrection” when we haven’t had the Supper or the Cross.
But of course living in the 21st century on this side of Easter, we really always know about the Cross and the Resurrection.
Well this year in the process of going through The Week and reading the prayers for Holy Saturday yesterday morning before daylight, it occurred to me how very important it is for us, right now at St. James, to remember the Resurrection. It’s important because there’s a sense in which as a parish, we’re sort of caught right now in Holy Saturday. What I mean by that is that we know only too well about Good Friday. It’s fresh in our minds. If we need a refresher, all we have to do is take a drive around the backside of the building at Main and Taconic.
But right now although it IS Easter morning, for us as a parish it’s still in a sense a time before the Resurrection. It’s that time between. That time when we, like the disciples, are a bit bewildered and tired, wondering what will happen to us. What will happen next? Maybe on that Saturday not only the disciples but also even Jesus himself was wondering exactly what was next. That’s why it’s so important for us to hear the God News today…
THE LORD IS RISEN! THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED!
One contemplative (Richard Rohr, Richard’s Daily Meditations)http://www.cacradicalgrace.org/getconnected/subscribe.php) wrote about Holy Saturday, “Jesus trusted enough to outstare the darkness, to outstare the void, to wait upon the resurrection.” Now I think that’s what we at St. James are called to do right now: We’re called to outstare the darkness because we live in faith and hope. We can live in faith and hope because Jesus conquered all darkness…even death itself! We live on this side of Easter. WE KNOW!
In today’s Easter Gospel from John, after Mary tells them the stone is rolled away, Peter and the Beloved Disciple hot-foot-it to the tomb. John, the Beloved, looks in. Peter goes in, and John follows. The gospel tells us simply, “(John) saw and believed.” The empty tomb, the linen wrappings were signs enough for the Beloved Disciple.
I’m reminded of that enigmatic Holy Week story in Mark about the fig tree. It comes the day after Palm Sunday. “As they left Bethany the next day, Jesus was hungry. Off in the distance he saw a fig tree in full leaf. He came up to it expecting to find something for breakfast, but found nothing but fig leaves. (It wasn’t yet the season for figs.) He addressed (cursed?) the tree: ‘No one is going to eat fruit from you again—ever!’” (The Message, a paraphrase of the Bible by Eugene Peterson) This story has always puzzled me: Since it’s not the season for figs, why is Jesus so upset?
The Bishop of Virginia Peter Lee ponders this question and suggests that Jesus asks of us, his followers, to be Signs of New Life, Signs of Resurrection…even when we’re “out of season.” (The Living Church, April 16, 1995) We’re called to be signs of new life even during this in-between time of exile for the parish, even during this time of such uncertainty in our nation and world, even during this time when some of us and/or our loved ones are in the midst of serious health problems and real suffering. In these “out-of-season” times, it would be easy to give up and give in to negativity, the “what ifs,” and the “worst-case-scenarios.” But as Resurrection People we’re called to act differently. We don’t deny that these difficult things are real. They are very real. But we’re called to look in them (like a tomb), to outstare the darkness, and to find within them Signs of New Life. We’re called to be Beloved Disciples: to look in the tomb, see the signs: To see and believe.
In fact in our ironic, last-are-first/first-are-last Christian faith, it’s exactly in these dark places, in the tombs, that we will find new life…in season or out-of-season. The core, the essence of our Christian faith is this very thing…this dying and rising cycle, which Jesus embodies in his life, death, and resurrection. So with confidence we can look in those dark places and be assured that THERE (exactly THERE) we will find New Life! ‘Even more amazing is that from THERE (exactly THERE) from those dark places of our lives, we will find our most valuable and authentic gifts. And the gifts we will find in the darkness will be the things that best proclaim to others the profound reality of our faith in a crucified and risen God.
So wherever we are in our journeys…in season or out-of-season or somewhere in-between, let us proclaim the joy we share this Easter morning…Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
The Episcopal Tourist, Write III
This morning at the suggestion of Ed Hutchinson, Lee and I attended All Saints Church in Dorchester just outside of Boston. This is an Anglo Catholic Parish founded in 1867. The present building dates from 1897 and is an architecturally significant structure of great beauty.
We arrived about 15 minutes before the service, found a bulletin and made our way to a pew. The magnificent interior featured high ceilings and clerestory windows with some fine stained glass. The altar was of elaborately carved stone with a richly detailed last supper and painted scenes with gold leaf above. The choir stalls were made of intricately carved wood and there was an elaborate cross high above the choir that also appeared to be part of a rood screen. There were also side chapels. The pews were of wood with no cushions.
The relatively new Fisk tracker organ was shown off to great advantage in the prelude, Improvisation in F# Minor by Buxtehude. The conclusion filled the church with mighty and beautifully balanced sonorities.
The congregation was a diverse mixture. There were many African Americans including two elderly church ladies in matching pink skirt, jacket and wide brim hats. All appeared devout and most everyone genuflected entering and leaving the pews.
The service was called a Solemn Mass, which indicates the presence of incense and chanting. Ed had told us that the church was a training ground for acolytes and this was evident in the precision of the service team. The choir, torchbearers, thurifer, Sub Deacon, Deacon, and Priest entered from the rear and executed some precise choreography reverencing the altar.
I should note that in the pews were the 1940 Hymnal and the Anglican Service Book which seemed to be mostly rite I with some additions. Today we had just the trebles from the choir of Men and Boys. There were only 5 of them, but they were very well schooled and confident, needing only occasional direction from the choirmaster. They sang an introit in Anglican Chant. We began with an opening acclamation and then knelt for the Decalogue, confession and absolution.
Lee noted that they were following the Roman Catholic lectionary, not the RCL. No amplification appeared to be used during the service and it was definitely needed. We both had difficulty understanding readers, priests and others.
The congregation was censed 3 times during the gradual. All bowed their heads each time. The gospel procession was executed with exquisite precision, and then chanted superbly right next to us as the incense rose heavenward. The children were joyfully led out by a torchbearer to Sunday school. Lead kindly light!
The sermon was delivered by the rector, Father Michael J. Godderz. He preached on the Epistle, Ephesians 2:4-10. It concerned the gift of God’s grace. We do not have to do good works to be saved. We are already saved, and our good works are the fruits of that gift of salvation. Lee took exception to some other conclusions of Father Michael and had a lively impromptu discussion with him on the way to coffee hour.
After the creed, prayers of the people, and peace, the trebles sang a lovely anthem by William Byrd I have longed for thy saving health.
Portions of the Eucharistic prayer I were chanted. The priests celebrated in the old manner with their backs to the congregation facing the high altar. All movement was done with great reverence and grace. We went up and received at the altar rail to the strains of Bach’s Bist du Bei Mir, Be thou with me, sung in quite decent German by the boys.
After prayers and dismissal we sang the final hymn. This was followed by a recitation of the Angelus. All stayed to listen to the Voluntary, Buxtehude’s O Sacred head sore wounded, as the altar candles were extinguished by another team of acolytes. This must have been the training class as they had a few small missteps along the way.
A member in an adjacent pew invited us to coffee hour and gave us directions. We went as instructed to the back and up some stairs. There was handicap access via a motorized chair lift. Their Great Hall is a large and graceful space with high ceiling and beautiful wood. It is flooded with light from many large windows. There were a number of happy children running around. It took a while, but we were finally approached by a man and later his wife who engaged us in conversation. This gentleman had been at this church since 1935!
Our impression of this church was of a very devout, vital and engaged community. From my childhood and some other experience, I have always pictured the Episcopal Church as an essentially patrician and definitely white community. What was truly heartening about this church for me was the diversity of the congregation and the obvious strength of their devotion. This is not a wealthy community for the most part and it appears that this church provides much needed structure in the lives of its members, especially the children in this working class neighborhood. The music program is of special interest to me. It is obvious from the musical skills the boys displayed that they have been taught with great care and intensity. One announcement concerned prayers for a choirboy whose home had been destroyed by fire. The bonding, sense of purpose, and community this program fosters must be of great value here.
We heard hints that there had been controversy in the church, presumably something to do with the “current unpleasantness” over sexual matters.
Personally, I might have trouble making his my spiritual home because of the conservatism of the theology and liturgy. The priest did depart slightly from the printed liturgy at one point by using more gender inclusive language, but this was the exception. The old liturgy, while very beautiful, poetic, and majestic, seems to me now to be a relic of an earlier era. I also question the use of the fine, but very outdated 1940 hymnal. Nevertheless, the Anglo Catholic tradition is well represented here with beautiful ceremony, liturgy, music, and community.
This morning at the suggestion of Ed Hutchinson, Lee and I attended All Saints Church in Dorchester just outside of Boston. This is an Anglo Catholic Parish founded in 1867. The present building dates from 1897 and is an architecturally significant structure of great beauty.
We arrived about 15 minutes before the service, found a bulletin and made our way to a pew. The magnificent interior featured high ceilings and clerestory windows with some fine stained glass. The altar was of elaborately carved stone with a richly detailed last supper and painted scenes with gold leaf above. The choir stalls were made of intricately carved wood and there was an elaborate cross high above the choir that also appeared to be part of a rood screen. There were also side chapels. The pews were of wood with no cushions.
The relatively new Fisk tracker organ was shown off to great advantage in the prelude, Improvisation in F# Minor by Buxtehude. The conclusion filled the church with mighty and beautifully balanced sonorities.
The congregation was a diverse mixture. There were many African Americans including two elderly church ladies in matching pink skirt, jacket and wide brim hats. All appeared devout and most everyone genuflected entering and leaving the pews.
The service was called a Solemn Mass, which indicates the presence of incense and chanting. Ed had told us that the church was a training ground for acolytes and this was evident in the precision of the service team. The choir, torchbearers, thurifer, Sub Deacon, Deacon, and Priest entered from the rear and executed some precise choreography reverencing the altar.
I should note that in the pews were the 1940 Hymnal and the Anglican Service Book which seemed to be mostly rite I with some additions. Today we had just the trebles from the choir of Men and Boys. There were only 5 of them, but they were very well schooled and confident, needing only occasional direction from the choirmaster. They sang an introit in Anglican Chant. We began with an opening acclamation and then knelt for the Decalogue, confession and absolution.
Lee noted that they were following the Roman Catholic lectionary, not the RCL. No amplification appeared to be used during the service and it was definitely needed. We both had difficulty understanding readers, priests and others.
The congregation was censed 3 times during the gradual. All bowed their heads each time. The gospel procession was executed with exquisite precision, and then chanted superbly right next to us as the incense rose heavenward. The children were joyfully led out by a torchbearer to Sunday school. Lead kindly light!
The sermon was delivered by the rector, Father Michael J. Godderz. He preached on the Epistle, Ephesians 2:4-10. It concerned the gift of God’s grace. We do not have to do good works to be saved. We are already saved, and our good works are the fruits of that gift of salvation. Lee took exception to some other conclusions of Father Michael and had a lively impromptu discussion with him on the way to coffee hour.
After the creed, prayers of the people, and peace, the trebles sang a lovely anthem by William Byrd I have longed for thy saving health.
Portions of the Eucharistic prayer I were chanted. The priests celebrated in the old manner with their backs to the congregation facing the high altar. All movement was done with great reverence and grace. We went up and received at the altar rail to the strains of Bach’s Bist du Bei Mir, Be thou with me, sung in quite decent German by the boys.
After prayers and dismissal we sang the final hymn. This was followed by a recitation of the Angelus. All stayed to listen to the Voluntary, Buxtehude’s O Sacred head sore wounded, as the altar candles were extinguished by another team of acolytes. This must have been the training class as they had a few small missteps along the way.
A member in an adjacent pew invited us to coffee hour and gave us directions. We went as instructed to the back and up some stairs. There was handicap access via a motorized chair lift. Their Great Hall is a large and graceful space with high ceiling and beautiful wood. It is flooded with light from many large windows. There were a number of happy children running around. It took a while, but we were finally approached by a man and later his wife who engaged us in conversation. This gentleman had been at this church since 1935!
Our impression of this church was of a very devout, vital and engaged community. From my childhood and some other experience, I have always pictured the Episcopal Church as an essentially patrician and definitely white community. What was truly heartening about this church for me was the diversity of the congregation and the obvious strength of their devotion. This is not a wealthy community for the most part and it appears that this church provides much needed structure in the lives of its members, especially the children in this working class neighborhood. The music program is of special interest to me. It is obvious from the musical skills the boys displayed that they have been taught with great care and intensity. One announcement concerned prayers for a choirboy whose home had been destroyed by fire. The bonding, sense of purpose, and community this program fosters must be of great value here.
We heard hints that there had been controversy in the church, presumably something to do with the “current unpleasantness” over sexual matters.
Personally, I might have trouble making his my spiritual home because of the conservatism of the theology and liturgy. The priest did depart slightly from the printed liturgy at one point by using more gender inclusive language, but this was the exception. The old liturgy, while very beautiful, poetic, and majestic, seems to me now to be a relic of an earlier era. I also question the use of the fine, but very outdated 1940 hymnal. Nevertheless, the Anglo Catholic tradition is well represented here with beautiful ceremony, liturgy, music, and community.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Episcopal Tourist part II
This Sunday I attended Emmanuel Church. Several things brought me here. First they are unique in that they incorporate a Bach Cantata into their service, second they share space with a Jewish Congregation and their Rabbi preached the sermon today, third, they describe themselves as a Church that welcomes everyone and strives for justice and peace.
Instead of the snows of last week, it was a very bright sunny day. Only a strong wind kept it from feeling really balmy. So it was a long but pleasant walk for me over Beacon Hill and across the Public Garden.
I was greeted warmly at the door and ushered inside. This is a truly grand Gothic space with very high ceilings and beautiful stained glass including what looks like a Tiffany. The altar is huge with very elaborate stone carvings. The choir stalls are of intricately carved wood. I would estimate the congregation at 150 or more. There is room for many many more. The organist played Bach’s Praeludium in G minor
We began with announcements, followed by the opening hymn. In contrast to last week, this was definitely low church, though there was a nice procession with adult choir and guest children’s choir, crucifer, torchbearers and two priests, both women. After the collect for purity, came the lessons and a very nice unattributed plainsong Kyrie. In place of the psalm, the children’s choir sang a moving anthem Make me one with the darkness,with music by James Primosch and words by Wendell Barry
At night, make me one with the darkness
In the morning make me one with the light
When I rise up, let me rise joyful like a bird
When I fall, let me fall without regret like a leaf.
Let me wake in the night and hear it raining and go back to sleep
Rabbi Howard Berman’s sermon was riveting, expertly delivered, and very well constructed. He began by referring to the Genesis reading and reminding us that three faiths have arisen from Abraham. He spoke of the rise of monotheism and its novel concern for how we treat each other. He compared Noah and Abraham noting that Noah was not as righteous as the scriptures have him appear. Noah blindly obeys God. He does not question what will happen to the righteous during the flood. When God will destroy Soddam and Gomorrah, Abraham takes great risk by asking God what will happen to the righteous and the innocent when those cities are destroyed. Rabbi Berman reminded us that in Jewish tradition and increasingly in Christian tradition also, that the sins of Soddam and Gomorrah are not thought of as sexual sins, but those of lack of hospitality and violence to strangers. This was a powerful reminder of our duty to care for and respect the dignity of every person.
After the prayers and the peace, we celebrated Communion. The choir sang a short anthem by the acting Music Director John Harbison, a very distinguished composer and conductor.
It was now time for the Cantata. Many of you may remember hearing recordings from here on the late Robert J. Lurtsema’s Sunday morning NPR program. The musicians quickly set up. There were 2 recorders, 2 violas de gamba, portative organ and strings. This was # 106 Gottes Zeit ist die Allerbeste Zeit. God’s time is the best time. Also known as Actus Tragicus, this is one of Bach’s early masterpieces. Atypically, it is made up of a number of smaller segments rather a few large ones. It is intended for use at funerals. It begins with a Sonatina a gently weeping piece for recorders and gambas. Then follows the first chorus Gottes Zeit. The tenor arioso follows “Ach Herr, Lord teach us to consider that we must die so that we may become wise. The bass solo answers Bereite Dein Haus, Put your house in order for you will die. The soprano arioso answers Komm Herr Jesu Come Lord Jesus, and the chorus accompanies saying It is the ancient law, human, you must die. The instruments also play a chorale against all of this. It is the miracle of Bach that he can present this deeply gloomy text and still uplift the spirit. The alto sings In Deine Hande” Into your hands I commend my spirit. You have redeemed me Lord God. The bass answers with Heute Wirst du mit mir, Today you will be with me in paradise. Against this is juxtaposed the chorale With peace and joy I depart. The final chorus is a miracle of lightness and joy. Glory Praise, honor and majesty be prepared for You, God the Father and Son, for the Holy Spirit by name. The divine power makes us victorious through Jesus Christ, Amen.
We said the final prayers and sang the recessional. I went out to greet the tenor soloist, an old colleague.
There was much to ponder here with great texts and great music to illuminate the meaning. It is a beautiful sacred space with a fantastic music program. But what was missing for me in my experience today was a sense off community. Unfortunately no one spoke to me or welcomed me during or after the service. Now I did not hang around very long, but no one invited me to coffee hour or even shook my hand except during the peace.
This Sunday I attended Emmanuel Church. Several things brought me here. First they are unique in that they incorporate a Bach Cantata into their service, second they share space with a Jewish Congregation and their Rabbi preached the sermon today, third, they describe themselves as a Church that welcomes everyone and strives for justice and peace.
Instead of the snows of last week, it was a very bright sunny day. Only a strong wind kept it from feeling really balmy. So it was a long but pleasant walk for me over Beacon Hill and across the Public Garden.
I was greeted warmly at the door and ushered inside. This is a truly grand Gothic space with very high ceilings and beautiful stained glass including what looks like a Tiffany. The altar is huge with very elaborate stone carvings. The choir stalls are of intricately carved wood. I would estimate the congregation at 150 or more. There is room for many many more. The organist played Bach’s Praeludium in G minor
We began with announcements, followed by the opening hymn. In contrast to last week, this was definitely low church, though there was a nice procession with adult choir and guest children’s choir, crucifer, torchbearers and two priests, both women. After the collect for purity, came the lessons and a very nice unattributed plainsong Kyrie. In place of the psalm, the children’s choir sang a moving anthem Make me one with the darkness,with music by James Primosch and words by Wendell Barry
At night, make me one with the darkness
In the morning make me one with the light
When I rise up, let me rise joyful like a bird
When I fall, let me fall without regret like a leaf.
Let me wake in the night and hear it raining and go back to sleep
Rabbi Howard Berman’s sermon was riveting, expertly delivered, and very well constructed. He began by referring to the Genesis reading and reminding us that three faiths have arisen from Abraham. He spoke of the rise of monotheism and its novel concern for how we treat each other. He compared Noah and Abraham noting that Noah was not as righteous as the scriptures have him appear. Noah blindly obeys God. He does not question what will happen to the righteous during the flood. When God will destroy Soddam and Gomorrah, Abraham takes great risk by asking God what will happen to the righteous and the innocent when those cities are destroyed. Rabbi Berman reminded us that in Jewish tradition and increasingly in Christian tradition also, that the sins of Soddam and Gomorrah are not thought of as sexual sins, but those of lack of hospitality and violence to strangers. This was a powerful reminder of our duty to care for and respect the dignity of every person.
After the prayers and the peace, we celebrated Communion. The choir sang a short anthem by the acting Music Director John Harbison, a very distinguished composer and conductor.
It was now time for the Cantata. Many of you may remember hearing recordings from here on the late Robert J. Lurtsema’s Sunday morning NPR program. The musicians quickly set up. There were 2 recorders, 2 violas de gamba, portative organ and strings. This was # 106 Gottes Zeit ist die Allerbeste Zeit. God’s time is the best time. Also known as Actus Tragicus, this is one of Bach’s early masterpieces. Atypically, it is made up of a number of smaller segments rather a few large ones. It is intended for use at funerals. It begins with a Sonatina a gently weeping piece for recorders and gambas. Then follows the first chorus Gottes Zeit. The tenor arioso follows “Ach Herr, Lord teach us to consider that we must die so that we may become wise. The bass solo answers Bereite Dein Haus, Put your house in order for you will die. The soprano arioso answers Komm Herr Jesu Come Lord Jesus, and the chorus accompanies saying It is the ancient law, human, you must die. The instruments also play a chorale against all of this. It is the miracle of Bach that he can present this deeply gloomy text and still uplift the spirit. The alto sings In Deine Hande” Into your hands I commend my spirit. You have redeemed me Lord God. The bass answers with Heute Wirst du mit mir, Today you will be with me in paradise. Against this is juxtaposed the chorale With peace and joy I depart. The final chorus is a miracle of lightness and joy. Glory Praise, honor and majesty be prepared for You, God the Father and Son, for the Holy Spirit by name. The divine power makes us victorious through Jesus Christ, Amen.
We said the final prayers and sang the recessional. I went out to greet the tenor soloist, an old colleague.
There was much to ponder here with great texts and great music to illuminate the meaning. It is a beautiful sacred space with a fantastic music program. But what was missing for me in my experience today was a sense off community. Unfortunately no one spoke to me or welcomed me during or after the service. Now I did not hang around very long, but no one invited me to coffee hour or even shook my hand except during the peace.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The Episcopal Tourist, an occasional series
Today in
It was snowing as I made my way up the steep front steps. I found out later that handicap access is not available because of difficulties complying with historic district regulations.
As I entered, a special needs woman gave me a service leaflet. I found a pew, sat and took in the lovely interior of the church, built in the mid 19th century. It had begun as a congregational church, but the Episcopalians have tarted it up quite well. The focal point is a beautiful reredos with wood carving and painting with gold leaf. The altar faces out, above it were seven brass lanterns and above that a large elaborately carved ornamental Cross hanging from the ceiling. There are also wooden choir stalls that are not used as such. The choir, organ and organist are in the rear balcony. Everett Titcomb, the noted organist and composer of church anthems played here for many years. The organ prelude was Bach’s O Mensch Bewein Dein Sünde Gross.
The Crucifer, Priests and Thurifer entered engulfed in clouds of incense. We began immediately with the Great Litany in procession. The congregation followed along as instructed. We processed out to the narthex and up and down both aisles and across the Altar. The lay chanter was expert and his words were crystal clear. Copious clouds of incense wafted throughout the sanctuary.
The psalm was done in simplified Anglican Chant and the gospel was accompanied by much more incense. The thurifer stood beside me and I was engulfed.
The priest in charge was on vacation in the
I had been concerned that the small congregation of about forty seemed rather distant, but all exchanged the peace with warmth and inclusiveness
The choir, actually a quintet of excellent voices, sang an offertory anthem by Alessandro Scarlatti
As we sang the hymn Forty Day and Forty Nights, the thurifer censed the altar and vessels, unfortunately also knocking over the chalice. At this point we had just finished the penultimate verse, and the organist skillfully improvised for about 5 minutes as the mess was cleaned up and a new chalice prepared. We were led into the last verse and then a guest presider, the Rev Kathryn Piccard celebrated the Eucharist. We came up to the Altar and received standing up. The choir sang a short anthem by Richard Farrant. The closing hymn Lead us heavenly Father was played with spirit and I enjoyed singing it.
The postlude was more Bach Ich Ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ.
I spoke with the celebrant and preacher on the way out and they invited me to coffee hour. There was quiche and Irish soda bread. I chatted with several people including the organist Jeffrey Mills and a retired priest whose son is an opera singer in
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Reading for Lent
Lent is nearly here and I've been considering what to read during these forty days in preparation for Holy Week. I've settled on re-reading Raymund Schwager's Jesus of Nazareth: How He Understood His Life (1998, Crossroad Publishing). Father Schwager, who died in 2004, was Professor of Dogmatics and Ecumenical Theology at the University of Innsbruck, but don't let that scare you. This is a readable and compelling dramatic narrative of Jesus who is in constant engagement with the faith of Israel as he accepts and shapes his mission.
I've also been catching up on things Anglican in the mainstream press. First, be sure to see the very interesting article about Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury since 2003, by Paul Elie in the March edition of The Atlantic: "The Velvet Reformation." I came away with a much better understanding and appreciation of his responses, actions and leadership since our General Convention 2006. (There is also a very interesting web-only interview with the author.)
The article cites a talk, “The Body’s Grace,” that Williams gave to the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement in 1989 at a grave moment in the AIDS crisis. In it Williams "stands back from the tug-of-war over church teachings on sexuality in an attempt to 'do justice to the experience, the pain and the variety, of concrete sexual discovery.' " This is an exquisitely graceful article about human sexuality. It bears more than one reading.
Finally, if you like your theology in bite-size pieces, you may wish to subscribe to Barbara Crafton's daily email meditations during Lent through Episcopal Relief and Development http://www.er-d.org/
Let us know what you are reading for Lent.
I've also been catching up on things Anglican in the mainstream press. First, be sure to see the very interesting article about Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury since 2003, by Paul Elie in the March edition of The Atlantic: "The Velvet Reformation." I came away with a much better understanding and appreciation of his responses, actions and leadership since our General Convention 2006. (There is also a very interesting web-only interview with the author.)
The article cites a talk, “The Body’s Grace,” that Williams gave to the Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement in 1989 at a grave moment in the AIDS crisis. In it Williams "stands back from the tug-of-war over church teachings on sexuality in an attempt to 'do justice to the experience, the pain and the variety, of concrete sexual discovery.' " This is an exquisitely graceful article about human sexuality. It bears more than one reading.
Finally, if you like your theology in bite-size pieces, you may wish to subscribe to Barbara Crafton's daily email meditations during Lent through Episcopal Relief and Development http://www.er-d.org/
Let us know what you are reading for Lent.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
In these days of financial turmoil, we begin to think about scarcity and loss. Are we going to have enough money to make it? What is happening to our country and financial institutions? The media stirs the pot of anxiety.
It is well for us to keep oriented and know that we have a God of abundant love. Jesus says to us as reported in Matthew's gospel:
19-21"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
It is well for us to keep oriented and know that we have a God of abundant love. Jesus says to us as reported in Matthew's gospel:
19-21"Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.
22-23"Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a dank cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!
24"You can't worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you'll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can't worship God and Money both.
(Translation: The Message, by Eugene Peterson)
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Closing Prayer from the Post-Inaugural Prayer Service
National Cathedral January 21, 2009
The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church
On this radiant day we give thanks to you, O God,
for the freedom to gather united in prayer.
Strengthen and sustain Barack, our President,
that in the days to come he may lead your people
with confidence and compassion.
Grant patience and perseverance to the people of this Nation.
With malice toward none, with charity for all,
may we strive to finish the work you have given us to do
that we may achieve a just and lasting peace.
In this time of new beginnings, new ventures, and new visions,
light in us the fire of justice, and the passion for forgiveness.
Give us the strength to hold fast to what is good
that we may go forth renewed and committed to make hope a reality.
Amen.
Drawn in part from Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
March 4, 1865
http://www.nationalcathedral.org/presidents/service.html
National Cathedral January 21, 2009
The Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church
On this radiant day we give thanks to you, O God,
for the freedom to gather united in prayer.
Strengthen and sustain Barack, our President,
that in the days to come he may lead your people
with confidence and compassion.
Grant patience and perseverance to the people of this Nation.
With malice toward none, with charity for all,
may we strive to finish the work you have given us to do
that we may achieve a just and lasting peace.
In this time of new beginnings, new ventures, and new visions,
light in us the fire of justice, and the passion for forgiveness.
Give us the strength to hold fast to what is good
that we may go forth renewed and committed to make hope a reality.
Amen.
Drawn in part from Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
March 4, 1865
http://www.nationalcathedral.org/presidents/service.html
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inaugural Prayer by the Rev. Dr. Lowry
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/28738420#28738420
The Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery began with James Weldon Johnson's hymn text, Lift Every Voice and Sing:
Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand true to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day.
We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration.
He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations.
Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.
For we know that, Lord, you are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.
And while we have sown the seeds of greed -- the wind of greed and corruption -- and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.
And as we leave this mountain top, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques or wherever we seek your will.
Bless President Barack, first lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.
We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone.
With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around . . .
. . . when yellow will be mellow . . .
. . . when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/28738420#28738420
A Prayer for new beginnings. New beginnings for President Obama. New beginnings for the United States and the family of nations.
Ground of all being, Mother of life, Father of the universe,
Your name is sacred, beyond speaking.
May we know your presence,
may your longings be our longings
in heart and in action.
May there be food for the human family today
and for the whole earth community.
Forgive the falseness of what we have done
as we forgive those who are untrue to us.
Do not forsake us in our time of conflict
but lead us into new beginnings.
For the light of life, the vitality of life, and the glory of life
are yours now and for ever.
Amen
(The Casa del Sol Prayer of Jesus)
Ground of all being, Mother of life, Father of the universe,
Your name is sacred, beyond speaking.
May we know your presence,
may your longings be our longings
in heart and in action.
May there be food for the human family today
and for the whole earth community.
Forgive the falseness of what we have done
as we forgive those who are untrue to us.
Do not forsake us in our time of conflict
but lead us into new beginnings.
For the light of life, the vitality of life, and the glory of life
are yours now and for ever.
Amen
(The Casa del Sol Prayer of Jesus)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Bishop Gene Robinson's Prayer
A Prayer for the Nation and Our Next President, Barack Obama
By The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Opening Inaugural Event
Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC
January 18, 2009
Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God’s blessing upon our nation and our next president.
O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…
Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.
Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic “answers” we’ve preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.
Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be “fixed” anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.
Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.
Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger.
Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion’s God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.
And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States.
Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln’s reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy’s ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King’s dream of a nation for ALL the people.
Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times.
Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead.
Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.
Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims.
Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters’ childhoods.
And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we’re asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace.
AMEN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWWAnitUCw4Saturday, January 10, 2009
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams' New Year Message
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, in his New Year Message delivered on BBC television on January 1, questioned the importance placed on material wealth, and emphasized the need to "turn outwards" and appreciate the treasure that is "our fellow human beings" during this time of financial crisis. The YouTube video is available here. The full text follows.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's always a relief to have a bit of space after the busyness of Christmas to relax at home and mull over the past 12 months and the hopes and possibilities of the year ahead. The prospect of this coming year, though, is one that produces a lot of anxiety and insecurity for countless people. There are fears about disappearing savings, lost jobs, house repossessions and worse. While the headlines are often about the big figures, it's the human cost that makes it real for us.
A little before Christmas I visited a new academy in Scunthorpe named after St. Lawrence. Lawrence was a Christian minister in Rome in the days when you could be arrested and executed for being a Christian, nineteen hundred years ago or so.
When he was arrested, he was told to collect all the treasures of the Church to be given up to the courts. He got together all the homeless, the orphans and the hungry that the Church looked after in the city, and presented them to his judges, saying, 'These are the Church's treasures.'
Like any really good school, St. Lawrence's treats its children as treasures. In the last few months we've had to think a lot about wealth and security and about where our 'treasure' is.
But it set me thinking - what would our life be like if we really believed that our wealth, our treasure, was our fellow-human beings? Religious faith points to a God who takes most seriously and values most extravagantly the people who often look least productive or successful- as if none of us could really be said to be doing well unless these people were secure.
And as we look around in our own country as well as worldwide, this should trigger some hard questions – whether we think of child soldiers in Africa or street children in Latin America, or of children in our midst here who are damaged by poverty, family instability and abuse, street violence and so much else. Children need to be taken seriously, not just as tomorrow's adults but as fellow-inhabitants of the globe today, growing human beings whom we approach with respect and patience and from whom we ought to learn.
One of the most damning things you could say about any society is that it's failing its children. That's why I was really encouraged recently to be invited to open a project in Springfield in Birmingham - a church-based initiative supporting children and their parents from across the whole community. Here the church community took the brave decision to open up their church building for work with local families and to seek funding for further buildings and resources from the local authority. What's more, they've worked throughout in close collaboration with the local mosque and have a joint program with them for young people. There's a community with its eye unmistakably on its real treasure.
So what about a New Year in which we try and ask consistently about our own personal decisions and about public polices, national and international, 'Does this feel like something that looks after our real treasure, something that keeps our real wealth safe - the lives and welfare of the youngest and most vulnerable?'
Jesus said where our treasure is, that's where our hearts will be. Our hearts will be in a very bad way if they're focused only on the state of our finances. They'll be healthy if they are capable of turning outwards, looking at the real treasure that is our fellow human beings. A very happy and blessed New Year to you.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's always a relief to have a bit of space after the busyness of Christmas to relax at home and mull over the past 12 months and the hopes and possibilities of the year ahead. The prospect of this coming year, though, is one that produces a lot of anxiety and insecurity for countless people. There are fears about disappearing savings, lost jobs, house repossessions and worse. While the headlines are often about the big figures, it's the human cost that makes it real for us.
A little before Christmas I visited a new academy in Scunthorpe named after St. Lawrence. Lawrence was a Christian minister in Rome in the days when you could be arrested and executed for being a Christian, nineteen hundred years ago or so.
When he was arrested, he was told to collect all the treasures of the Church to be given up to the courts. He got together all the homeless, the orphans and the hungry that the Church looked after in the city, and presented them to his judges, saying, 'These are the Church's treasures.'
Like any really good school, St. Lawrence's treats its children as treasures. In the last few months we've had to think a lot about wealth and security and about where our 'treasure' is.
But it set me thinking - what would our life be like if we really believed that our wealth, our treasure, was our fellow-human beings? Religious faith points to a God who takes most seriously and values most extravagantly the people who often look least productive or successful- as if none of us could really be said to be doing well unless these people were secure.
And as we look around in our own country as well as worldwide, this should trigger some hard questions – whether we think of child soldiers in Africa or street children in Latin America, or of children in our midst here who are damaged by poverty, family instability and abuse, street violence and so much else. Children need to be taken seriously, not just as tomorrow's adults but as fellow-inhabitants of the globe today, growing human beings whom we approach with respect and patience and from whom we ought to learn.
One of the most damning things you could say about any society is that it's failing its children. That's why I was really encouraged recently to be invited to open a project in Springfield in Birmingham - a church-based initiative supporting children and their parents from across the whole community. Here the church community took the brave decision to open up their church building for work with local families and to seek funding for further buildings and resources from the local authority. What's more, they've worked throughout in close collaboration with the local mosque and have a joint program with them for young people. There's a community with its eye unmistakably on its real treasure.
So what about a New Year in which we try and ask consistently about our own personal decisions and about public polices, national and international, 'Does this feel like something that looks after our real treasure, something that keeps our real wealth safe - the lives and welfare of the youngest and most vulnerable?'
Jesus said where our treasure is, that's where our hearts will be. Our hearts will be in a very bad way if they're focused only on the state of our finances. They'll be healthy if they are capable of turning outwards, looking at the real treasure that is our fellow human beings. A very happy and blessed New Year to you.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
The Magi, Gordon Cosby and Transformed Hearts
I had been thinking since Sunday about Francie's Epiphany sermon, especially about her description of the demeanor of the Three Magi as portrayed in the Boar's Head Feast at the cathedral in Cleveland. Amidst a wildy boisterous procession they arrive unhurriedly, with dignity and composure, focused on their journey in a non-emergency kind of way.
Since Sunday I have been imagining what might have possessed them of such calm focus and dispossessed them of anxiety and striving. I also imagine them to be quietly pleased about being on the journey.
Then today I read the story in the Washington Post (cited below) about Gordon Cosby's last sermon and the changes afoot at Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC. I remember with immense gratefulness our meeting with Gordon last summer arranged by the Berkshire Servant Leadership Center. He, too, was calm, unhurried, dignified, composed, pleased to be with us.
Two days ago, at our executive committee meeting, we prepared for the vestry meeting and the upcoming annual meeting. With the budget deficit and the closed, fallen, broken building, it has been easy for me to forget the most basic reason for our existence as part of this body of Christ--the transformation of hearts.
Remembering Gordon's journey these many years, one thing that has remained constant and evident is his fidelity to that transformation of heart that can only but result in transformed relationships with others.
It is breathtaking when I think that that may be, after all, what we are really called to do here in Great Barrington. Could my own heart really be transformed into one that would greet everyone with peace, calmly and with dignity, no matter how I have been treated by them? I do not yet know. But I do know that there is no way I can begin to do this without others. Their prayers, their companionship, their teaching, their examples.
Since Sunday I have been imagining what might have possessed them of such calm focus and dispossessed them of anxiety and striving. I also imagine them to be quietly pleased about being on the journey.
Then today I read the story in the Washington Post (cited below) about Gordon Cosby's last sermon and the changes afoot at Church of the Saviour in Washington, DC. I remember with immense gratefulness our meeting with Gordon last summer arranged by the Berkshire Servant Leadership Center. He, too, was calm, unhurried, dignified, composed, pleased to be with us.
Two days ago, at our executive committee meeting, we prepared for the vestry meeting and the upcoming annual meeting. With the budget deficit and the closed, fallen, broken building, it has been easy for me to forget the most basic reason for our existence as part of this body of Christ--the transformation of hearts.
Remembering Gordon's journey these many years, one thing that has remained constant and evident is his fidelity to that transformation of heart that can only but result in transformed relationships with others.
It is breathtaking when I think that that may be, after all, what we are really called to do here in Great Barrington. Could my own heart really be transformed into one that would greet everyone with peace, calmly and with dignity, no matter how I have been treated by them? I do not yet know. But I do know that there is no way I can begin to do this without others. Their prayers, their companionship, their teaching, their examples.
Church of the Saviour
I am posting here a link to a story about the Church of the Saviour. You may recall that several of us from the diocese went to a retreat there this summer. They are entering a new phase and may change into something quite different. It is like no other church.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010503341.html?wprss=rss_print/asection
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010503341.html?wprss=rss_print/asection
Saturday, December 13, 2008
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