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Trinity Sunday and Beyond
Merriam-Webster defines theology as “the study of God and God's relation to the world.” This is a simple and easily understood definition that points to an action taking place in one’s life—study. We all have an opinion about God, but how are we furthering our understanding with regards to our relationship with God?
Trinity Sunday is a celebration of this truth, that God is accessible in a very real and personal way through the specific revelation of Jesus Christ by means of the Holy Spirit. To help us understand this we can delve, ever so slightly, into the school of “Trinitarian Theology" and be confronted by some bold and marvelous proclamations of our faith. Trinitarian Theology helps us to understand that the Trinity, as revealed in Jesus Christ, is the central and foundational doctrine that forms the basis for how we read the Bible and how we understand all points of theological reflection. The "how’s" and "whys" of our faith understanding and action are wrapped in the "who" of faith, "Who is the God made known in Jesus Christ, and who are we in relation to him?" Simply put, we cannot understand ourselves, God the Father, or the Holy Spirit apart from the revelation of Jesus Christ.
The Bible confronts us with a God who has chosen to make himself known and to actually be with us in person, in Jesus Christ. This means that we cannot look outside of Jesus and the specifics of biblical revelation, to understand who God is. In Jesus we meet God as God really is, and it is in Jesus that we come to understand ourselves in reflection. But as I said, this is not “Jesus Sunday,” but Trinity Sunday, so what’s all this Jesus talk about? Well that is the point, the Holy Spirit is present and active in our lives reminding and revealing to us particulars about Jesus, and Jesus told us that to see Him is to see the Father and understand the Father as well—the Trinity is celebrated as the complete revelation of God—through Jesus Christ by means of the Holy Spirit. Trinity!
Beyond this brief theological reflection we encounter our lives, dynamic and exciting, burdened and frustrating, challenging and peaceful. No matter what the day brings though, we are ever and always in relationship, and at the end of the day those relationships will have grown whether we like it or not. The example given to us by God of life in relationship is found at the beginning of how we understand God! Trinity. God is ever and always in relationship and God’s intention for us (found in the very heart of God’s being), is to consider our relationships first based on the specific revelation of Jesus Christ.
So, as we live and move and have our being in response to God, how do we rate relationships? To move beyond the theology we must apply it practically, it is not simply a theory but a process of living. In the church, in the family, in the work place, we are called to be the example of Jesus to each other and to place each other’s welfare and well being above our own. In this, the truth of the Trinity finds expression through our relationships because we model what Jesus has showed us and share it with each other.
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Prepare for Trinity Sunday
As we draw close to Trinity Sunday, we enter into prayer for guidance and understanding so we may better serve the Lord. Read the following hymn and pray for illumination as you reflect on your relationship with God, the Holy Trinity, Three-In-One.
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire,
And lighten with celestial fire;
Thou the anointing Spirit art,
Who dost Thy sev’nfold gifts impart.
Thy blessèd unction from above
Is comfort, life, and fire of love;
Enable with perpetual light
The dullness of our blinded sight.
Anoint and cheer our soilèd face
With the abundance of Thy grace;
Keep far our foes, give peace at home;
Where Thou art Guide, no ill can come.
Teach us to know the Father, Son,
And Thee, of both, to be but One;
That through the ages all along
This, this may be our endless song.
Praise to Thy eternal merit,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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In his Letter to the Colossians, St. Paul said that the Jewish feasts and celebrations were a “shadow of the things to come through Jesus Christ” (2:16-17), so our understanding of God’s earlier revelations will deepen our understanding of our own faith and the revelation of God through Jesus Christ.
Our celebration of Pentecost finds its roots in the Jewish Shavuot or the "Feast of Weeks". Also known as the "Feast of Harvest" or the "Latter Firstfruits", Shavuot is traditionally a joyous time of giving thanks and presenting offerings for the new grain of the summer wheat harvest in Israel. The name "Feast of Weeks" was given because God commanded the Jews in Leviticus 3:15-16 to count seven full weeks (or 49 days) beginning on the second day of Passover, and then present offerings of new grain to the Lord as a lasting ordinance. Additionally, Shavuot or the pentecost day (50th day) was the day that God visited His people after their exodus from Egypt and through Moses, brought the Law down from Mount Sinai.
This 50th day, this day of visitation and gifting from human kind to God in the form of first fruits, and from God to human kind in the form of the Ten Commandments, had been and should have remained a day of rejoicing. Once marking an understanding of God's provision and then of God soverenty, this "birth day" of the people of Israel as God's promised own, is remembered also as a witness to rebellion and betrayel as the people claimed the gift but rejected the giver. We are told, because of their "hardness of heart," many of the people turned away from God and 3,000 die and are lost (Exodus 32:28).
In Acts 1, just before the resurrected Jesus is taken up into heaven, he tells the disciples about the Father's promised gift of the Holy Spirit—the Counselor—who teaches them and “leads them into all truth” (John 16:13) and who will baptize them in the form of a spiritual baptism. A few days later while gathered together in one place, "All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them" (Acts 2:4). This miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit leads Peter to preach and remind the people of what God has done in Jesus Christ and, as 3000 were lost due to their hardness of heart in the time of the Exodus, 3000 are found and proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior by the powerful and illuminating indwelling of the Holy Spirit! It was the 50th day, it was Penticost!
God has revealed himself throughout the expanse of human history and has remained faithful and true. God's presence and the pattern of God's care is easily discernible if we only look beyond our selves to become aware of God’s miraculous purpose. The Scriptures unfold to show us how God is ever present and active in our lives and how our turning and relying on God can save us from ourselves by illuminating our past with the light of eternity.
We celebrate the Feast of Pentecost as the celebration of the Birth of the Church, but it is also our spiritual birthday through which we have been brought to this moment. Bathed in the light of Scripture, we are illumined by the Holy Spirit as we grow in the likeness of Christ! From the beginning this was God’s plan, and God spoke it even as he calls your name!
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“Holy Week:”
For us to be made new.
Holy Week is a very special time during the last week of Lent in which the specific events of the Passion are singled out and emphasized, from Maundy Thursday, with Foot Washing and the institution of the Eucharist, through Holy Saturday and the Great Vigil of Easter. These services coincide as closely as possible with the events of Jesus last days are among the most important saving events that God had brought to pass through his Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
This week of worship begins with Palm Sunday, when Jesus entered Jerusalem amidst a huge demonstration of support by the common people. Many thought he was going to declare himself a Messiah in the tradition of the conquering Maccabees, who had once temporarily restored the glory of the Jewish nation, until it was conquered by the Romans in 63 B.C. But, the triumphant entry was an ironic celebration as those who hailed as King would demand his death just five days later.
“Holy Week” festivities continue on through the week, culminating in Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and a quiet Saturday, which represents Jesus’ resting in the tomb. “Holy Week” delivers us to Easter Sunday, when we gather for a Festal Eucharist proclaiming Jesus resurrection from the dead.
But the services of Holy Week are not our only observances, each day is an opportunity to reflect on the passion of our Lord:
* Palm Sunday: Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a colt (Matthew 21:1-11). He is accompanied by crowds of people who create a path for him with their cloaks and branches cut from trees.
* Monday: Jesus drives the money changers from the temple and spends the night in Bethany (Matthew 21:12-17).
* Tuesday and Wednesday: Jesus continues to teach in Jerusalem (Matthew 21:18-26:16). The chief priests and Jewish religious elders form a plot “to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill him” (26:1-5). Judas agrees to be a conspirator and to hand Jesus over to them (26:14-16).
* Thursday: Jesus has his last meal during his earthly ministry with the disciples. He washes the disciples’ feet and institutes the Lord’s Supper or Communion. After teaching and encouraging them, he goes to Gethsemane, where he prays in anguish. He is arrested by the Jewish temple police and is taken to the Sanhedrin, where he is condemned (Matthew 26:17-75).
* Good Friday: Jesus is shuttled between Pontius Pilate and Herod Antipas. Pilate finally orders Jesus to be beaten and then crucified. Jesus dies in the late afternoon on Friday. Around sunset, Jesus is buried in the tomb (Matthew 27:1-61).
* Saturday: Jesus rests in the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66).
* Easter Sunday: Jesus is resurrected (Matthew 28:1-15).
Each year we gather during this special week of observance to immerse ourselves in the truth of sacrifice and the example of supreme love. The church has provided this time for us to receive this love and to accept this sacrifice anew, with open hearts and wanting spirits.
Come. Come to God in the spirit. Use what the church has provided and accept the Christ as He is. We may not be able to do it alone, but together our love for each other, in the light of His love for us, can break the bonds of skepticism and reveal the grace of God.
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Lent is a forty-day period before Easter. It begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday, Holy Week being the last week of Lent.
Our observance of Lent is, of course as old as the Apostolic witness, but the formal structure which we have come to recognized can easily be traced back to St. Athanasius, the Bishop of Alexandria. In 331 A.D., St. Athanasius wrote to the church in Alexandria his "Festal Letters," in which he outlined the importance of a period of forty days of fasting prior to, but not inclusive of, the stricter fast of Holy Week. By 339 St. Athanasius was writing to the entire church in Egypt proclaiming, "to the end that while all the world is fasting, we who are in Egypt should not become a laughing-stock as the only people who do not fast but take our pleasure in those days". While there was some discussion of the best methods of Lenten observance, there was not debate on the need for and the power of, Lenten discipline.
Steven R. Harmon, author of Ecumenism Means You Too, Frederica Mathewes-Green, the author of The Jesus Prayer, and Michael Horton, author of The Gospel-Driven Life, in a joint article in Christianity Today wrote:
Lent is a time of year to remember that God has seen fit to make us not airy spirits but embodied human beings living in a beautiful, material world. The soul fills the body the way fire fills a lump of coal, and what the body learns, the soul absorbs as well. Spiritual disciplines such as fasting are analogous to weight-lifting equipment. One who uses them in a disciplined way will be stronger, not just when he's lifting weights, but also for every situation he meets.
The early church Fathers recognized about the soul what we have come to understand about our physical selves, the created truth about our existence and the manner in which we are made, we must exercise or risk atrophy and decline. Modern advances in Alzheimer’s research have categorically shown the value of “mental exercise” in staving off or decreasing the advance of the disease; physically therapy is simply necessary after injury or surgery to rebuild the afflicted area, in all areas of our lives, exercise is a creation based component of how we grow and prosper. Lent is an ancient observance that has stood the test of time because it is a “training camp” for those who would recognize their need for spiritual health and growth.
I pray that you have not been too busy to observe Lent this year, the value is so great. In a time when we are confronted with personal, as well as corporate tragedies, the need of a strong faith and well conditioned spirit has never been greater. If you have not been observing Lent so far, fear not—it is not too late—start today! We still have Lenten devotional CD’s available and catching up is easy! If you are confused about fasting you may ask or read a little something, the most important thing is taking the time and energy to be focused on God—all of these “things,” are just ways of doing that. Above all, be honest with yourself and God about the life you are living and the reasons why you do—or do not do—what you do. God is aware of it anyway, but you need the opportunity to cleanse your life and accept God’s grace, be strong for what is to come.
Again, from Christianity Today:
Lenten disciplines train us like athletes, strengthening our earthly bodies and souls, healing the body of believers in our local parish, and forging union with the body of Christ throughout time. "Forgetting what lies behind" and the sins of the past, we "press on" to combat those sins that lie ahead, made stronger by our Lenten disciplines, "for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13-14, ESV).
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February 2010
Peace to you this blessed Lenten season.
Ash Wednesday is fast approaching and Lent holds the seed of new life as we enter into a state of reflection and meditation. Clement of Rome called the Corinthian Christians to focus their Lenten journey on the Blood of Christ because of what His blood signifies. Our Lenten Series focus is on the Love of God and what that love means to us and our lives in Christ’s name. To make a right start to Lent, I offer these words from Clement as a manner of preparation as we contemplate Divine Love. Peace in Him, Fr. Bill+
“Let us fix our attention on the blood of Christ and recognize how precious it is to God his Father, since it was shed for our salvation and brought the grace of repentance to all the world."
If we review the various ages of history, we will see that in every generation the Lord has offered the opportunity of repentance to any who were willing to turn to him. When Noah preached God's message of repentance, all who listened to him were saved. Jonah told the Ninevites they were going to be destroyed, but when they repented, their prayers gained God's forgiveness for their sins, and they were saved, even though they were not of God's people.
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the ministers of God's grace have spoken of repentance; indeed, the Master of the whole universe himself spoke of repentance with an oath: As I live, says the Lord, I do not wish the death of the sinner but his repentance. He added the evidence of his goodness: House of Israel, repent of your wickedness. Tell the sons of my people: If their sins should reach from earth to heaven, if they are brighter than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, you need only turn to me with your whole heart and say, "Father", and I will listen to you as to a holy people.
In other words, God wanted all his beloved ones to have the opportunity to repent and he confirmed this desire by his own almighty will. That is why we should obey his sovereign and glorious will and prayerfully entreat his mercy and kindness. We should be suppliant before him and turn to his compassion, rejecting empty works and quarreling and jealousy which only lead to death.
Brothers and sisters, we should be humble in mind, putting aside all arrogance, pride and foolish anger. Rather, we should act in accordance with the Scriptures, as the Holy Spirit says: The wise man must no glory in his wisdom nor the strong man in his strength nor the rich man in his riches. Rather, let him who glories glory in the Lord by seeking him and doing what is right and just. Recall especially what the Lord Jesus said when he taught gentleness and forbearance. Be merciful, he said, so that you may have mercy shown to you. Forgive, so that you may be forgiven. As you treat others, so you will be treated. As you give, so you will receive. As you judge, so you will be judged. As you are kind to others, so you will be treated kindly. The measure of your giving will be the measure of your receiving.
Let these commandments and precepts strengthen us to live in humble obedience to his sacred words. As scripture asks: Whom shall I look upon with favor except the humble, peaceful man who trembles at my words?
Sharing then in the heritage of so many vast and glorious achievements, let us hasten toward the goal of peace, set before us from the beginning. Let us keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Father and Creator of the whole universe, and hold fast to his splendid and transcendent gifts of peace and all his blessings.”
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January 2010
Dear Creator Family,
2010 holds promise as each new year does, our hopes are for a bright and prosperous future and times of comfort and safety. I pray that for all of us theses hopes will come true, but that is all they are—hopes. We are creatures of time and are called by God to live in the moment, in fact that is all we can do! The moment is all we have and we are given the blessed opportunity to do in it what we can, and there lies our responsibility. New Year’s resolutions are all well and good, but they are only hopes, it is in the moment that we live and it is here—now—that we act.
It is important to note that worry, panic, and fear, these emotions find their energy in an unrealized future; remorse, regret, and depression, these are rooted in a stagnate and unchanging past. All we have and all we can do is act in the present in response to what has happened—yes, and in preparation for what might come-of course, but the emotion, energy and opportunity exists only now. The past is a teacher, but each new moment is new information that will expand that teaching and we choose how we will use that history. How we behave and act, the things we do and how we treat each other is happening now and it is now that we will promote love and compassion or fear and competition.
There are many opportunities and plans for our Parish life in 2010. Each new moment carries in it the opportunity to sow the seeds of a bright and prosperous future, but we must sow those seeds! Now! This moment is the time to make the change! I hope that the future looks bright to you and that your plans are pleasing to contemplate, but I pray that each moment you are filled with the love of God and the overwhelming knowledge of the presence of Christ. And I pray that in each moment, you live to the fullest and sow the seeds of love and compassion, for when those seeds are sown, when the moment arrives, what a harvest we shall have!
Peace to you in the name of Christ,
Fr. Bill+
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December 2009
Part One
Dear Creator Family,
What an uplifting and even joyful event our Annual Meeting turned out to be! Having established a quorum, we proceeded to business and the introduction of the Vestry, Don Lafoon, Eric Knopfe, and Rick Benson were in attendance. I am happy to report that Katherine Earls, Bro. Leo Campos, Sue Delancy, and Carolee Stuckey have been elected to your Vestry to serve in 2010 and we are looking forward to a wonderful year.
The meeting proceeded with good humor and light heartedness and I was particularly touched by the gift of a stole in recognition of my tenth anniversary here at Creator. This was an unexpected presentation and I greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness and kindness that was a part of the gift. It has been a privilege to serve this parish these past eleven years and I continually thank God for the opportunity to grow in His service and to walk with others as they grow as well.
The meeting ended after the presentation of the 2010 budget by Lynne Read, and all were invited to a light lunch in the Parish Hall. This was a wonderful meeting with much laughter and community spirit and I am looking forward to 2010 as we seek and serve together.
(the full Annual Report can be found in the Newsletter section)
Part Two
Advent
Suddenly, before the turkey from Thanksgiving was even digested, the world rang with Christmas carols, store windows danced in snow flakes, and glittering lights and blow up “snow globes” appeared on lawns. Our culture bills the time before Christmas as, well as “Christmas time!” Yet, it is not, it is Advent. The season of Advents is not Christmas, it is a time of preparation for the blessed event that is to come, a time of journey and a time reflection.
Christians are really “Advent people,” a people who live with a deeply rooted sense of expectation, and not just in the time before Christmas, but in all days of the year. This expectant life is not dependent on whether or not life is good for us, but on the fact that God so loves us that He came to find us in Jesus Christ and our future is safe in His hands. God came to us in the form of a child to show us that life is a journey of growth and maturity. Christmas, the feast of the Incarnation, is the celebration of new life, of birth, of beginning.
For Mary and Joseph, the time before the birth was not only a physical journey, but one of mental and emotional growth and preparation of what was to come. It was a time of planning and looking forward to how different everything would soon be, all because the birth of a Child.
Our lives are a journey of growth and maturity as we observe the opportunities given to us and the gifts we have received. Advent is one of our seasons of preparation and planning, of preparing for how different everything is because of the birth of a Child. May you find peace and revelation on your journey.
Peace in Him,
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A Christian's Responsibility
Salvation is our free gift from God. It can never be taken away, but I think that along with the gift comes responsibility.
1. To meet with other Christians
Christians are not meant to be loners, believers in Jesus Christ are ‘the family of Christ;’ we are referred to as the ‘church,’ and are also called the ‘body.’ In the book of Hebrews we are told not to give up the habit of meeting together, instead, we are to encourage one another by making it a priority and a regular habit to meet. St. Paul’s 1st Letter to the Corinthians explains that God designed the physical body as a model for understanding our lives together as the church, every part is equally important and is dependent on every other part.
As with our physical body, if members of the Christian Body (the Church) fail to cooperate or do not respond to the ministry that God has called them to, then the whole body fails to function at its best—or perhaps—at all.
2. To get along with other Christians.
Members of the body must encourage each other. In the book of Romans, Paul tells his friends to use all their energy in getting along with each other so that they can help and encourage others. He says that those of us who are strong in the faith ought to help the weak to carry their burdens. Strength comes, not for our own benefit and status, but so that we can help others. Romans 14:19 and 15:1 Likewise we are never so strong that we can’t benefit from the caring of others. Even the great evangelist, Paul, tells his friends that he is comforted by their faith, just as they are comforted by his. Romans 1:12
3. Christians are always to be humble, gentle, and patient. We must show our love by being tolerant with one another and forgive as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave us. Ephesians 4:2 and 4:32
Remember that ‘the body’ refers to all Christian believers.
We are one body.
We have one thought (mind or understanding) and one purpose (resolve).
There is one Spirit.
There is only one Lord, Jesus Christ.
Romans 10:12, 12:4-5, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 8:6, 12:13, Ephesians 4:4 and Philippians 2:2
When we achieve this, we will be like our choir: using our very lives as living songs in harmony in praise to the Father of our Lord Jesus. Romans 15:6
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November 2009
Dear Creator Family,
I was speaking with a fellow clergyman at the Clergy Conference last week and he lamented to me his recent experience with his parishes Stewardship drive. He was telling me how glad he was that it was over and how he hates this part of the year because of the pressure “of it all.” I must confess that I do not feel the same as my colleague and in fact, it is very hard for me to fully comprehend his emotions. This may be a “blind spot” for me, I cannot empathize with his experience—I can only sympathize with his situation.
I realize that talking about giving away our money (as individuals) seems like a strange thing to many people, certainly talking about financial management brings about strong emotions for a variety of reasons. We have all been raised to understand our financial responsibilities in one way or another, there is certainly common ground (and much of it) for everyone, but there are differences as well based on our individual life experience. What is often overlooked or forgotten, is that these differences are what we offer up to God as a sacrifice in response to faith.
Throughout the church at this time of year, parish Finance Committee’s are working diligently to prepare for the next year’s budget even as we as individuals are preparing to do the same in our homes. These Committees are working faithfully to protect and guide the financial resources of the church in order to help “work out the plan of salvation” and further Christ’s ministry on earth. The Vestry’s of the churches are also hard at work receiving those reports and looking forward to, not just the next year, but the years to come. Strong financial management and stability are blessings in the church (and our homes) and each one of us, as an “ambassador for Christ,” benefits and reflects that stability through the churches ministry.
The effect of this focus, this emphasis on finance, can be very productive and produce good fruit both for the church and for the individual. It presses upon us the need to prioritize what is important and to acknowledge what is appropriate. For us as individuals this prioritization includes our understanding of the providence of God and the provision of the Holy Spirit, it also includes acknowledging God’s presence and purpose for our lives and resources. For the church the process is the same, prioritization and acknowledgement of God’s presence and God’s purpose for the ministry of the church and the witness that ministry produces.
The foundation for the individual and therefore for the church, is the provision and purpose of God. The difficulty my colleague is experiencing is founded in the artificial separation of “financial stewardship” from Christian Stewardship and a misplaced emphasis on the self instead of God. The grace and mercy we recognize through God’s blessings on us in our individual lives and the presence of God’s provision and purpose for us as his children, is the same grace, mercy, provision and purpose that we find present in the church. Our strength and comfort comes from understanding God’s provision and purpose because we are told understanding brings us closer to God.
I pray that our Stewardship experience this year has not caused the type of anxiety or stress that my colleague has experienced, but if it has I am sorry. This past year your Vestry expressed a desire to re-evaluate our Stewardship program and I am looking forward to that process in the comming year. I pray that you are richly blessed in your giving—that is—the giving of yourself, and that as you continue to give, in light of God’s providence and provision, you experience the grace and peace that accompanies God’s presence and purpose.
Peace in Christ,
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October 2009
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice" Philippians 4:4.
Christian joy is a crucial part of the Christian life as Christian faith has a fundamentally positive way of perceiving life in God's world. This positive view flows from the realization of God’s presence with us and purpose for us as we live this earthly life. In all things, we are upheld by our Creator and through all things we are accompanied by His love. When the psalmist declared,“Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful!” (149:1) he gave voice in response to God, who promised through Christ, “I am with you always, even to the end of the ages.” (Matt. 28:20b)
Christian joy, the ability to rejoice in creation, is not a thing held in reserve for some rainy day or as a sacred possession to be brought out only at church services, Christian Joy is a manner of life based on divine revelation. This past year may have been a difficult one for our nation and for us from a financial perspective, but there is no reason why our joy should be diminished. Our joy in God—in Christ Jesus—is not based on the economy or the environment or whether or not we have a new car, it is based on the divine revelation of God in our midst. Our families, wives, husbands, children mothers, fathers, grandparents and our friends, all of these provide ample opportunity to recognize God’s hand at work in our lives, for without God—there would be none.
The Church was founded on the joyful revelation that God was made flesh and has, through the flesh, united us to himself and made all things new. The church has continued for two thousand years based on the fact of the resurrection and the good news of eternal life though our Lord Jesus and the intervention of the Holy Spirit. The focus of our Parish must be the “possibilities of God within our grasp” for with God “all things are possible.” Through faith we believe and act as ambassadors for Christ, and what we say and do—and the manner in which say and do—reflects our understanding God’s provision. Our Parish is a place of faith and belief and we will continue to look ahead in joy for what is to come and for the challenges that God has given us to draw us closer to Himself.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice" Philippians 4:4.
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September 2009
Grace and peace to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
This summer has been a busy one around the parish with many of our members traveling and taking much deserved vacations. Additionally, there has been a constant buzz of activity, as many of our Church Family worked in preparation for the Church Yard Sale. The Yard Sale, held this past Aug. 28th, was a wonderful witness of our parish family working and serving together to the glory of God and for the ministry of the Church. To all you who donated, worked, or shopped—blessings and grace be upon you!
As many of you have seen, I am now wearing a new vestment in church, a black shoulder length “cape” with hood, this is called a capuce or capuche. The capuche finds its origin in the traveling cloaks of the middle ages; in effect it was the equivalent of the shoulder cape and hat. It wasn’t until the late13 century that the capuche came to be recognized as a specifically religious garment worn by Franciscan and Dominican Friars.
The Dominican Order, also known as The Order of Preachers, was founded by St. Dominic de Guzman in 1216 for the purposes of preaching the Gospel and for the salvation of souls. The Order specifically required its members to adhere to a regiment of study and prayer as well as preaching ad teaching, this set it apart from the contemplative orders and as such, was a innovation in the church. Members of the Order were called friars instead of monks because they were not tied to a particular monastery, but were called into the world and served as lay preachers and secular clergy (clergy who serve in parishes). “Friar” is derived from the Latin word frater, simply meaning “brother.”
As I have studied, prayed and served over the years, I have come in contact with Dominicans through their writings and teachings. I found that Dominican spirituality and sense of call mirrored my own and it was a joy when I came in contact with the Anglican incarnation of the Dominican Order. Over the past year, I have been in dialogue with the Order and on the 15th July I traveled to Savannah, Georgia to be accepted into the Order as a novice. The service of profession and reception took place during the Chapter meeting at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul the Apostle with The Rt. Rev. Henry I Louttit, Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia, Bishop Visitor in attendance.
I am now wearing a capuche as a symbol of being admitted to the Anglican Order of Preachers and will soon be wearing a second garment, a white scapular, under the capuche. The scapular is a long white strip of cloth placed over the head and hanging in the front and back.
The wearing of these garments is not simply for looks, they represent spiritual actions and a state of awareness not unlike that of the clerical collar. The black capuche represents the sin of the world as well as the sin of the friar; to wear it is to be aware of the heavy burden of sin and the need for penance in the face of unworthiness. The white scapular represents the purity of God and God’s mercy and forgiveness which is laid upon us. It is God’s mercy and grace that make the burden of sin bearable.
The requirements of the Order are summoned up in the Dominican motto: To Pray, To Bless, To Preach. This motto grew out of the understanding that to preach well and effectively in the face of dis-belief or un-belief, prayer and contemplation must be primary. Once a life of prayer and contemplation is embraced then study is pursued and community is achieved. To be a member of the Order of Preachers requires dedication to prayer and study and to preach what is learned to the glory of God. My novitiate will last three years during which I will continue to discern the call to the Dominican Order. Please pray for me as I seek God’s guidance and direction.
Peace in Christ,
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August 2009
The Strengths of the Good Steward
1. Good Stewards are freed from an attitude of scarcity to live in the abundance of God. Individuals experience the joy of giving as they respond to God's call to live as faithful stewards. “Good Stewardship" is a spiritual act that shows trust and understanding.
2. Effective stewardship leaders are confident, courageous and competent. Good Stewards are the leaders who activate the spiritual vitality of those they serve. Good Stewards invigorate the Christian community with love and the Joy of Christian giving.
3. Words have power. Good Stewards encourage the Christian community by sharing their faith and showing their trust in God.
4. Congregations have stories to tell. People have been transformed by their life in Christ, we all must tell each other of our experiences and encourage one another to grow in our understanding of Good Stewardship.
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July 2009
Independence Day is a wonderful celebration of pride and recognition for those who dreamt a bold dream and risked all to bring it about. Men like George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Jefferson (to name the most famous)dreamt of a nation where liberty and justice were more than words, they were rights by which men and woman could live and prosper secure in the knowledge that fairness and respect were the rules by which they lived. These men dreamnt of a nation that based its foundational principles on Christian morals and ethics, a nation that recognized God as the final authority and the example of Christ as the standard by which all should live.
"I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth -- God Governs in the Affairs of Men, And if a Sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, Is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid?"Benjamin Franklin
"Except the Lord build the house, They labor in vain who build it." "I firmly believe this. "Benjamin Franklin, 1787, Constitutional Convention
"The religion which has introduced civil liberty is the religion of Christ and His Apostles.... This is genuine Christianity and to this we owe our free constitutions of government." Noah Webster
"The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed." Patrick Henry
"Of all systems of morality, ancient or modern, which have come under my observation, none appear to be so pure as that of Jesus." Thomas Jefferson,
"If we make religion our business, God will make it our blessedness." John Adams
"I hold the precepts of Jesus as delivered by Himself, to be the most pure, benevolent and sublime which have ever been preached to man..." President Thomas Jefferson
"The highest story of the American Revolution is this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." President John Adams
"Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine....Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other." James Wilson, a signer of the Constitution and an original Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court
"The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were.... the general principles of Christianity." President John Quincy Adams
"The Bible is the Rock on which this Republic rests." President Andrew Jackson
"It is extremely important to our nation , in a political as well as religious view , that all possible authority and influence should be given to the scriptures , for these furnish the best principles of civil liberty , and the most effectual support of republican government. The principles of all genuine liberty , and of wise laws and administrations are to be drawn from the Bible and sustained by it's authority. The man therefore who weakens or destroys the divine authority of that book may be accessory to all the public disorders which society is doomed to suffer...." Noah Webster
"The Bible must be considered as the great source of all the truth by which men are to be guided in government as well as in all social transactions...." Noah Webster
"The moral principles and precepts contained in the Scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws...." Noah Webster
Words such as these were not a unique utterance from our founding Fathers, they were a bold and constant proclamation and belief, and a constant reference to the founding principles from which they worked to guide and govern our new nation.
As Christians celebrate Independence Day, we should remember these words and the principles that guided these men. We are just as responsible to promoting Christian values, morals, and ethics as we are to promoting liberty and justice for all. Our celebration of freedom for all Americans is deeper than its historic value conveys, our celebration—like that of our Founding Fathers—lifts up freedom in Christ for all.
God Bless America! and Happy Independence Day!
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June 2009
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.Luke 3:16
So there it is! Jesus will baptize us with fire! So now what? “I’m baptized,” you say, “Where’s the fire?” Ahh, inside, inside us all.
Now this is really not that strange an answer or proposition, after all phrases that depict a “fiery” interiority abound; “Your glowing,” “I’m lit,” “I’m on fire/you’re on fire,” “I’m burning up” etc. These phrases witness to our recognition of an interior energy or excitement that is recognizable to the outside world and this recognition may come by the way of proclamation or even physical change. In either case, it is a inner state of being that effects our mood/look and is discernible by those around us.
In the case of the first Pentecost God rested “tongues of fire” on the heads of the Apostles
(certainly an outward sign) but the real impact came by what the Apostles did—how they acted—and that is what stopped the crowd. Their actions were not based on what rested on their heads, but by what resided in their hearts. The Holy Spirit, entering into them, empowered them to preach and teach in the name of Jesus Christ, but the Spirit entered into them, not by force, but by invitation. The Apostles invited the Holy Spirit to dwell in them and through that inner dwelling the ministry was carried out.
In Baptism we invite the Holy Spirit to dwell in us—to empower us—and we respond to God’s indwelling presence by living our live emphasizing God’s presence.
This formula or pattern of life is a familiar to us as life itself, after all, we have been taught this since we were children. With admiration we looked to our mother or father, they entrusted us with a job and we, because we loved them and wanted to be closer to them, devoted ourselves to the task. We worked hard and diligently knowing that our best effort would show our love for them and that they would be pleased with our devotion. This pattern repeats itself throughout our life time, our work and civic involvement both are good example, oh we don’t have the “love” component we had at home, but the pattern is the same:
1. Belief in the person/process
2. Desire to excel/show our devotion
This is the pattern of our marriages, our parenting, our relationship with God.
Too often we fall into a waiting pattern based on the epiphanies of God to significant Bible persons, a bush bursting into flame or the dove descending from on high, but this is not the pattern we live with—this is the pattern we desire.
The Apostles obeyed the Lord and were willing to receive the Holy Spirit when the Spirit came upon them, we show our obedience by living into the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit and by living our lives in accordance to His will. In this way we are partners, fanning the flame and feeling the fire! He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
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May 2009
Praise and Adoration! Praise and Adoration!
Praise and adoration! That is the call of life in Christ! We are celebrating the Easter season once again, the resurrection of our Lord and the promise of new life fulfilled in His holy sacrifice, but isn’t it so that our days are all too often afflicted with worry and depression? Isn’t it so that our responsibilities weigh heavy upon us as we struggle to persevere through a time of hardship with apparently no end in sight? How can we raise ourselves up to praise and adoration amidst the pressures of these lives we live?
Can we not hear the voice of Jesus, calm and assured, speaking gently to us?
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will fi nd rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-29
At first it seems counterintuitive, “take my yoke upon you” He says, “take my yoke,” but we are already carrying so much, that is part of the problem—how much we having to carry! And still He says “take my yoke,” could it be that bearing this new burden we will be somehow liberated from the old?
We must understand that Jesus was not just speaking about the yoke of the Law by which the people were affl icted; He was speaking about the yoke of solitude, of pride, of self suffi ciency. You will notice that Jesus does not say, “I will throw off your yoke and set you free,” for we would not be free, remember that a care-free life is not a life free from care.
Our generation knows that all too well, we pride ourselves on our independence and yet we are not free of spirit, or emotion, or even of mind. We are not going to raise ourselves up to praise and adoration, we can’t, if we could we would have done so already. Jesus tells us to take His yoke, to bear His life in relationship and service, to do so does not mean we abdicate our responsibilities or are suddenly free from our chosen path of work and family—it does mean that as we fulfi ll those same responsibilities we are doing so by relying on Christ and His love. It means that His sacrifi ce and call to us to follow Him are more than just words once spoken, they are the actions of our lives that we depend upon and He is the Savior that provides and transforms our burdens.
In Him we fi nd perfect service and peace and that peace covers all of our goings and comings, our efforts are sanctifi ed because we are striving in Him and it is His love that covers us and make our burdens light and easy to bear. He promises us that His love will bring new light into the gloom of our responsibilities and free our spirits to soar with His energy as we joyfully overcome that which was insurmountable before.
Praise and Adoration! Praise and Adoration!
That is the call of life in Christ because when we are deep in the service of our Lord we are liberated to be more fully who we are meant to be, God’s free daughters and sons.
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Poem of Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus
The seasons blush varied with the flowery, fair weather , and the gate of the pole lies open with greater light. His path in the heaven raises the fire-breathing sun higher, who goes forth on his course, and enters the waters of the ocean. Armed with rays traversing the liquid elements, in this brief night he stretches out the day in a circle.
The brilliant firmament puts forth its clear countenance, and the bright stars show their joy. The fruitful earth pours forth its gifts with varied increase, when the year has well returned its vernal riches. Soft beds of violets paint the purple plain; the meadows are green with plants, and the plant shines with its leaves. By degrees gleaming brightness of the flowers comes forth; all the herbs smile with their blossoms. The seed being deposited, the grain springs up far and wide in the fields, promising to be able to overcome the hunger of the husbandman.
Having deserted its stem, the vine-shoot bewails its joys; the vine gives water only from the source from which it is wont to give wine. The swelling bud, rising with tender down from the back of its mother, prepares its bosom for bringing forth. Its foliage having been torn off in the wintry season, the verdant grove now renews its leafy shelter. Mingled together, the willow, the fir, the hazel, the osier, the elm, the maple, the walnut, each tree applauds, delightful with its leaves. Hence the bee, about to construct its comb, leaving the hive, humming over the flowers, carries off honey with its leg.
The bird which, having closed its song, was dumb, sluggish with the wintry cold, returns to its strains. Hence Philomela attunes her notes with her own instruments, and the air becomes sweeter with the re-echoed melody. Behold, the favour of the reviving world bears witness that all gifts have returned together with its Lord. For in honour of Christ rising triumphant after His descent to the gloomy Tartarus, the grove on every side with its leaves expresses approval, the plants with their flowers express approval.
The light, the heaven, the fields, and the sea duly praise the God ascending above the stars, having crushed the laws of hell. Behold, He who was crucified reigns as God over all things, and all created objects offer prayer to their Creator. Hail, festive day, to be reverenced throughout the world, on which God has conquered hell, and gains the stars! The changes of the year and of the months, the bounteous light of the days, the splendour of the hours, all things with voice applaud.
Hence, in honour of you, the wood with its foliage applauds; hence the vine, with its silent shoot, gives thanks. Hence the thickets now resound with the whisper of birds; amidst these the sparrow sings with exuberant love. O Christ, You Saviour of the world, merciful Creator and Redeemer, the only offspring from the Godhead of the Father, flowing in an indescribable manner from the heart of Your Parent, You self-existing Word, and powerful from the mouth of Your Father, equal to Him, of one mind with Him, His fellow, coeval with the Father, from whom at first the world derived its origin! You suspend the firmament, You heap together the soil, You pour forth the seas, by whose government all things which are fixed in their places flourish. Who seeing that the human race was plunged in the depth of misery, that You might rescue man, Yourself also became man: nor were You willing only to be born with a body, but You became flesh, which endured to be born and to die. You undergo funeral obsequies, Yourself the author of life and framer of the world, You enter the path of death, in giving the aid of salvation.
The gloomy chains of the infernal law yielded, and chaos feared to be pressed by the presence of the light. Darkness perishes, put to flight by the brightness of Christ; the thick pall of eternal night falls. But restore the promised pledge, I pray You, O power benign! The third day has returned; arise, my buried One; it is not becoming that Your limbs should lie in the lowly sepulchre, nor that worthless stones should press that which is the ransom of the world. It is unworthy that a stone should shut in with a confining rock, and cover Him in whose fist all things are enclosed.
Take away the linen clothes, I pray; leave the napkins in the tomb: You are sufficient for us, and without You there is nothing. Release the chained shades of the infernal prison, and recall to the upper regions whatever sinks to the lowest depths. Give back Your face, that the world may see the light; give back the day which flees from us at Your death. But returning, O holy conqueror! You altogether filled the heaven! Tartarus lies depressed, nor retains its rights. The ruler of the lower regions, insatiably opening his hollow jaws, who has always been a spoiler, becomes a prey to You. You rescue an innumerable people from the prison of death, and they follow in freedom to the place whither their leader approaches.
The fierce monster in alarm vomits forth the multitude whom he had swallowed up, and the Lamb withdraws the sheep from the jaw of the wolf. Hence re-seeking the tomb from the lower regions, having resumed Your flesh, as a warrior You carry back ample trophies to the heavens. Those whom chaos held in punishment he has now restored; and those whom death might seek, a new life holds. Oh, sacred King, behold a great part of Your triumph shines forth, when the sacred laver blesses pure souls!
A host, clad in white, come forth from the bright waves, and cleanse their old fault in a new stream. The white garment also designates bright souls, and the shepherd has enjoyments from the snow-white flock. The priest Felix is added sharing in this reward, who wishes to give double talents to his Lord. Drawing those who wander in Gentile error to better things, that a beast of prey may not carry them away, He guards the fold of God.
Those whom guilty Eve had before infected, He now restores, fed with abundant milk at the bosom of the Church. By cultivating rustic hearts with mild conversations, a crop is produced from a briar by the bounty of Felix. The Saxon, a fierce nation, living as it were after the manner of wild beasts, when you, O sacred One! Apply a remedy, the beast of prey resembles the sheep. About to remain with you through an age with the return of a hundred-fold, you fill the barns with the produce of an abundant harvest.
May this people, free from stain, be strengthened in your arms, and may you bear to the stars a pure pledge to God. May one crown be bestowed on you from on high gained from yourself , may another flourish gained from your people.
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It is often said in the Episcopal Church regarding private confession, that "all may, some should, but none must."
In the weekday services as well as in all of the ordinary Sunday services, we include a prayer of confession (Book of Common Prayer, page 360). Prayers of confession said in public have been with us since the Reformation and for many, this prayer is sufficient. It allows us to pause for a moment before the Eucharist, and examine our lives in order to offer to God those things that have separated us from God and one another and then the bishop or priest pronounces the words of absolution, reminding us that in Christ Jesus we are forgiven.
For most people and at most times, this “public confession” or “general confession” is sufficient. One feels freed and unburdened from sin, but at other times, sin can be obstinate. It is a nuisance and seems to taunt us making us feel powerless over particular sins. Other times we may be confused about whether something is in fact, sinful. It is then that private confession can be a great spiritual help.
In the 1554 Prayer Book of the Church of England, the need for private confession at particular times was made explicit in words that counseled that if anyone’s conscience was not quieted by “their humble confession to God, and the general confession to the church,” then such a person should seek out a “discreet and learned priest taught in the law of God, and confess and open [his or her] sin and grief secretly … that the person’s conscience might be relieved."
The words of the 1549 Prayer Book went on to suggest that each person should act with charity toward a brother or sister with regard to confession. In other words, your neighbor’s need for private confession is none of your business, just as your own peace with general confession is none of your neighbor’s concern.
If you would have never made a private confession with a priest, you might want to read the BCP service starting on page 447, and then pray about this powerful and moving Christian Rite. One of the best books on confession is Reconciliation, by The Reverend Martin Smith. In prporation,some find it helpful to spend some quiet time simply thinking and praying, others find it helpful to write a little bit about their spiritual life, particularly if there have been "bumps along the road" that continue to burden or bother. These notes are not read aloud or even shared except by the individual, it is the action of the exercise that can sometimes be helpful.
Then, when you're ready, call the Rector and make an appointment for your confession to be heard, or simply to have an exploratory conversation about confession. Formal confessions are offered during Lent each Thursday night at from 6:00 to 6:30 in the church, using either From One (page 447) or Form Two (page 449) in the Book of Common Prayer. These forms do not consist of magic words, but like much of our prayer book, simply help us to organize our thoughts and let the Holy Spirit move through us.
Through regular confession, we come to realize that sin only becomes stronger when we obsess over it and give it more power than it deserves. By confessing, ridding ourselves of the things that burden us and slow us down, we move more deeply into the Body of Christ and into the presence of God. Sin has ultimately been defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus, private confession can be a powerful spiritual event that helps us to understand and truly embrace this truth. With God’s grace, we are brought again and again to the place where the words of the Prayer Book, from the Second Book of Samuel, resonate within us: “The Lord has put away all your sins.”
Please contact Fr. Bill+ if you would like to talk about this Rite or to arrange a time.
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In the beginning God created…and God saw that it was good.
The only meaning we can give to the constant refrain, “God saw that it was good,” is God’s approval of a work as having been fashioned in accordance with that art which is His own wisdom.” St. Augustine, City of God.
These winter months have not been to cold as winter months go, but in order to combat energy costs, Jenny and I have made our share of fires to supplement our electric heat. These days and nights with a fire burning evoke images from classic literature of families gathered lovingly and playfully around the hearth with tea and cider enjoying the warmth and glow and mystery of the blaze. But, as any who have tended the fire know, those beautiful images of hearth song and tale are punctuated by the tender feeding and “straining” of the fire.
The familiar refrain, “Just a minute, I have to check the fire,” rings out through my house as I leave the dining table, pause the movie, or prepare kids for bed. Neglecting the fire for too long means more work to bring it back to a blaze, and if the fire is allowed to smolder, the greatest care must be taken to preserve that precious original spark. No matter what has transpired, how long the fire has burned or how bright, I know that in that original spark resides the blaze, from that original effort grows the fire and in that last ember I will put my effort to begin again.
In the beginning God created, we know this though the study and recitation of scripture, but as Christians, we also know this through sensitivity to the transmitted revelation of the Holy Spirit. God created is truism of our lives because not only are we in relation with the triune God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but also because we are a part the whole of creation as created beings. Even in its flawed and fallen state, creation itself resonates with the power of God as it reflects the wisdom of God. As the fire, brightly burning or lowly smoldering holds at its core the purity of the spark that gave it life, so to creation bears deep within its witness to the heart and mind of God.
The seasons of Christmas and Epiphany are seasons of “brightly burning” efforts and emotions. They are times when we energetically tend the fire, and show forth our Christian heritage. As we approach Lent the feelings changes and the image of a lowly burning or smoldering fire is thought more appropriate, but that image (as that state of the fire in my fire place) is not helpful. A smoldering fire does not provide heat, and the work needed to rekindle the blaze is waste of previous efforts.
Lent, is a time of introspection and meditation, it is quietly begun with the imposition ashes and the sober proclamation of eventual earthly death, but to succeed in Lent—to reflect and embrace change—we must be ablaze with the Holy Spirit, tending the fires of the soul and fanning the flames of the Holy! A smoldering Lent is a wasted Lent. To allow or to promote the dwindling of the fire of the Holy Spirit in order to achieve a state of quietude is to misunderstand the purpose of God’s indwelling presence. The fire, once kindled in our hearts, is to be fanned, maintained, fed and tended to shine forth in all seasons, waiting for the coming of Easter to rebuild is to admit neglect of the fire already burning. And we need that fire (perhaps in Lent more than other times) because of the meditations and reflections our Lord calls us to.
In Lent we seek, through the flames, the original spark of God’s wisdom, and that spark is illumined by the fire it produces. As we tend the fire, we are bathed in warmth and illumined by light, and are given freedom to share with others the fruit of our labor all the while growing in wisdom and understanding.
May you find Lent to be a time of warmth and illumination as you grow in His own wisdom.
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January 2009
“We have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him” Matthew 2:2b
With the January Newsletter comes the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated on January 6th, but for those who remember, the December newsletter was centered around Advent in anticipation for Christmas, where then do we speak of the Blessed Birth? Perhaps the Christmas season has received too much attention these days, perhaps as “Advent People” we are better served by emphasizing Epiphany just a bit more—let me explain.
Christmas will always be a primary feast of the Christian year, indeed the incarnation celebration is an event of the highest order, a time when Christians around the world stop and focus on the miracle of life and the unbelievable love of God. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son,” these words are more than words—they are life in proclamation and witness to God’s plan in full. Christmas is, for Christians, a time that witnesses truth to God’s presence throughout prophetic history and sets the foundation stone for all that is yet to come. Yes for those who believe, Christmas is a wonder and time of great devotion to God, but for those who don’t believe it is merely a party, or a reminder of better times—enter Epiphany.
"Epiphany" comes from the Greek word Epiphania, and means "to show, make known, or reveal" and we celebrate Epiphany as a revelation of the first order. Where Christmas stands as the witness of Christ as the fulfillment of God’s promise to Israel, Epiphany stands as the proclamation of Christ as the savior of the world. The coming of the Magi to worship the Child King marks the showing forth of Christ beyond the confines of Shepherds and townspeople of Israel, the Magi are prophets from a foreign land who become heralds to a foreign people.
Epiphany is the event that marks the reality of Christ as the one true God regardless of language or birth. The Magi take this event back with them to share with a people who do not yet believe, who look on the Magi’s travels as a opportunity to celebrate or a waste of time, either way, the Magi are empowered to tell the story and make the paths ready for what was to come.
Epiphany, for Christians, is the empowerment to go beyond the Christmas celebration to reveal to those who do not believe the reality of the Christmas event, it is our responsibility to reveal Jesus as the Divine Son and Savior sent by God the Father to atone for the sins of humankind. After the Christmas parties are over and the bill’s come due, we are commissioned to proclaim Christ-mas, not as a cute cultural event that comes around once a year, but as the pivotal, world changing entry of the Savior who would call all people His own. We are commissioned to show forth the reality of Jesus—not as the world disbelieves, but as the factual revelation of a God who loves so much that He would give His only begotten Son.
As Advent people we wait for the second coming of our Lord, but we wait in epiphania, showing forth Christmas beyond our own, showing Jesus Christ the Savior—to the world.
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December 2008
Advent points us backwards to the initial Christ event, the birth of Jesus, and points forward to the second coming of Christ. In the 65th chapter of the Book of Isaiah, we hear of how things are and how they shall end. God foretells of a day when “the lion will lie down with the lamb” and all things will be restored to how they once were and should be. During his imprisonment on Patmos, St. John saw visions of God and wrote down the events that were to come, in the Book of Revelations John says,
And I saw an angel come down from heaven… And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.
What does this tell us about our lives and more importantly, what do these words tell us about how we are to live?
First, the world will be restored under God and evil will be defeated once and for all, the second coming means that the evil of this world is doomed. As St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Colossians, evil will be judged and burned by fire because God in the incarnation—in Christ—has already dealt the decisive blow to the powers of evil. God has dethroned these powers and taken away their ability to have ultimate control over history and over our lives (2:15).
Second, the second coming tells us that God’s power is absolute and irrevocable. God has a plan for all things and all things will be made anew or cast aside in the final consummation. By faith we are promised that evil will be judged and done away with and all will be made whole. So how does this help us in our Advent preparation?
We live lives filled with strife and discord, but amidst all of the trials and tribulations our hope is not a thing of fancy, but a assurance of things to come! Our vision of our own future and that or the world is a vision of light and love and joy triumphing over death and destruction. Advent is not merely the season of preparation for the Christmas celebration, it is the manner in which we should live our lives—in constant preparation of what will come—of what is happening.
We find ourselves faced with the choices of life and death every day, we may not see them as such, but they are just the same. Our attitude of preparation, our vision of the future determines how we act, what we say, and how we are perceived by others. How we respond to events, how we speak and act fosters peace or kills hope. We are bearers of either the Good News or of doom, of new life in Christ or death under the weight of our own sin.
This Advent—2008—is a chance to be honest with ourselves and embrace the truth of God’s plan and the reality of His promises. Advent 2008 is a gift meant to change our lives by stripping away the fanciful and embracing the divine hope in Christ. The liturgy of the church recites this hope and proclaims it every Sunday:
Father, you loved the world so much that in the fullness of time you sent your only son to be our Savior. Incarnate by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, he lived as one of us, yet without sin. To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation; to prisoners, freedom; to the sorrowful, joy. To fulfill your purpose he gave himself up to death; and rising from the grave, destroyed death, and made the whole creation new.
Reflected in this prayer is the hope by which we live, a hope to shape our attitude about life, a hope that determines our relationships to the events of the world, a hope that gets us through the bitter times of sickness, disappointments, shattered dreams, and the fear of death. In this prayer we find the power to change and assurance of the future, the Season of Advent is upon us and the time for realization and renewal is full at hand.
The Season of Advent is upon us and the time for realization and renewal is full at hand. Of course we experience Advent as a time of preparation for the coming of the Christ child, the joyful celebration of new life and new potential in Him, but Advent is so much more than that.
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November 2008
Driving the back roads of Mechanicsville in the late October sun, I see once again we are in the season of plenty, a season that times past welcomed with harvest fairs and festivals. Abundance from the fields made the Christian farmer and his family happy, grateful. Thankful to the Lord of the Harvest.
Today, abundance has come to mean too much. It is an abundance of things not of God: abundance of activities. Abundance of demands. Abundance of bills. Abundance of homework. Indeed, it’s hard to “Thank we all our God” when the abundance is overwhelming, time is so darn fleeting, our resources are stretched, and our energy is limited. Hard to know whether I am being a good Steward, hard even to find the time to think about it.
It is a troubling fact of our lives in the 21st century that, despite technological efforts to “save us,” our time, energy and focus can be starkly fractured and compartmentalized. In many instances this is an emotional defense method we employ to protect ourselves and our families from the pressures of work and the world. The danger comes when this defense method integrates into other areas of our lives and we begin to compartmentalize without realizing it, then a method that is meant to set us free binds us instead. In times such as these we need to feel the love of God as an assurance of our own well-being, we need to know everything is going to be OK. Tragically, we find that we have inadvertently compartmentalized even our relationship with God, excluding God from the very areas of our lives where we most desire to feel God’s presence.
Our mission to grow as a faithful community through our love of Christ and each other is sorely tested by the pressures we are under. It is difficult to concentrate on our spirit when our mental and physical well-being is under attack. This is however, exactly the time when we must turn all the more to God for guidance and reassurance. Being good Stewards is a charge we live out in good times and bad because God protects us and watches over us no matter what assails us. God is faithful, God’s provision constant; and it is a blessing that we can to turn to God and give back what we have been given in the faith that God will not abandon us or leave us to ruin. The pledge of our lives and our resources is an outward affirmation of the reality of God’s inward provision.
Every year, we are asked to pledge or provide an estimate of giving for the mission and ministry of the church for the coming calendar year. This opportunity to witness to our Stewardship of God’s provisions is a blessing we must embrace. In that way we are like the farmer harvesting plenty, for to reflect on the works of God in our lives is a welcome abundance indeed. Only in this way can we put together all the fractured pieces and compartments of our modern lives and allow God’s grace to act in us and through us a powerful witness of God’s faithfulness. Yes, it may require sacrifice and the re-ordering of our priorities, but we do that gladly in thanksgiving and in communion with Christ.
Together we can we are a powerful witness of Christ in Mechanicsville and beyond.
Together we can continue to minister in Christ’s name and provide assistance for those in need.
Together we can witness that cultural or economic troubles cannot deter the people of God.
Together we can show that it is faith that binds us and love that sets us free.
Thanks be to the God of Abundance!
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Fr. Bill's Monthly Message
October 2008
A Desert Father was visited by a young monk seeking his advice.
After describing his "little fast, his little prayer and his little work"
which consisted of weaving baskets,
the younger asked the elder,
"What more should I do?"
To which the older monk replied by raising his hands.
As he did so fire shot forth from his fingers and,
speaking through the flames he said to the young monk,
"Why not become totally fire?”
This ancient story is a favorite of mine that attempts to direct our minds and spirits out past the “small and satisfying,” to the boundless possibilities of God. We are blessed to be able to take subtle satisfaction in what we achieve, so much more the spiritual satisfaction we feel when we have fulfilled a spiritual discipline. These “little fasts” and “little prayers” have the ability to lead us to new heights or depths of spiritual connectedness, but these “satisfying accomplishments” are only the fore side of a double edged sword.
The elder monk has posed a question that is far more profound than it might at first seem. Recognizing the younger monk's accomplishments and his dedication, the elder asks not only what could stop the younger from achieving the elder's state of spiritual maturity, but what has stopped him thus far? What are the factors that have kept the younger so satisfied and stationary in his spiritual growth? At once we feel the brush of the aft blade as the sword swings past.
With love and encouragement the elder monk shows that, while the dedication of the younger has served him well thus far, he may have become dependent on the “little” accomplishments which still lift him spiritually but no longer lead to new depths. The question looks backward as well as foreward, challenging his rationale as well as his perception.
We are all meant for grander things! God has given us and continues to provide for us methods of spiritual renewal “that satisfy and delight us,” but these are meant as stepping stones, providing ready passage though doldrums; or stairs on which to climb to new heights. They are points of transition which lead us to a new place and open to us new avenues through which God’s love may be manifest in our lives.
God is shown forth in the fact of our existence and though our own capacity to love. All good things come from God, and we are surrounded by the bountiful witness of grace every day and every minute. Our journey in spiritual growth is blessed with “little fasts” and “little prayers” that help us through and enable us to climb, and what miraculous provision they are. They are meant to be gifts that move us beyond themselves, until we become Totally Fire!
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