For today's readings click HERE.by: Karla Cole
Boy, today’s gospel is a tough one. Love your enemies, turn the other cheek, don’t be judgy. Jesus goes on to say that we get no credit for loving the people that love us already. We need to love the hard cases. We have to love the people that offend us, that do mean or downright evil things to us, people that we just don’t like. Loving those people is really tough. And sometimes the hurt is deep enough, or harmful enough that it seems we just can’t get past it. I had a conversation with Fr. Tim Hodapp about exactly that several years ago. I was having difficulty forgiving someone who had pretty grievously wronged me, and I was carrying all that anger around like some prized possession. My anger didn’t bother that other person one whit, but it was tormenting me, and I knew I needed to let it go. But forgiveness? That was asking a lot. Fr. Tim simply suggested that I keep praying. And try praying just for the ability to forgive that person. Being in process, so to speak and let the forgiveness come in time. It’s easy to forgive someone for a little thing. You can do it on the spot. But the big things do take time, I think. You have to be in a place where you can let go of your own anger and resentment and see the big picture. Maybe even see the other person’s point of view. And I think that just doesn’t come easily. For me, it takes a lot of one-sided conversations with God until I’ve gotten it all out and can finally give God a word in edgewise. It’s a process. For today's readings click HERE.At the 2009 General Convention, Lent was officially designated as a time to encourage dioceses, congregations, and individuals to remember and support the life-saving work of Episcopal Relief & Development. In the video below, the Rt Rev Jennifer Baskerville-Burrows (Diocese of Indianapolis) helps us (re)connect with this powerful network within our rich faith tradition. For today's readings click HERE.by: Ruth Thillen
Collect for Purity BCP p. 355 Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen. As we moved into Lent, this prayer at the beginning of our worship was set aside in favor of the Penitential Order, including the Decalogue, or Ten Commandments. First, let me say, I love hearing and responding to the Commandments; clear direction for our interactions with God and with each other, and a connection to the history of our faith. That makes the Collect for Purity, which I have heard over and over, all my life as a “cradle” Episcopalian, even stronger for me. All hearts are open, all desires known, no secrets hidden. Whoa! So God knows when I say something nice to someone, but in my head and heart, I am saying something else, something less kind. So as we recite this prayer, I am called to clean up my act, and I know that I can’t do that without God’s help. So I mean it when I say “Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts [my heart] by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit.” And when we get to the Confession (which happens earlier in the service during Lent, but later during the rest of the year), I am ready to open up to God and leave behind that nasty thought. Then I can more easily love God, and sing his praises, and glorify his name. And patiently (I hope) await the Resurrection. For today's readings click HERE.by: Scott Crow
For me Lent is a time where I return to focusing on prayer, and my favorite prayer is the one below. It is one option for Night Prayer in the New Zealand Prayer Book. I pray this prayer often throughout the year, but nightly during Lent: Lord, It Is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; What has not been done has not been done; Let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name we pray. Amen. For today's reading, click HERE.by: Bishop Skip Adams
The Episcopal Church in South Carolina The betrayer, Judas, had done his deed. Now the company of apostles was down one. Peter was clear as he rose to call the community to its responsibility to replace Judas with another and restore the number to twelve, reflecting the fullness of the twelve tribes of Israel. I have always wondered how Matthias felt to be one coming off of the bench to take his place on the first string. Did he want to be chosen? Did he lobby for the position? Did he see Joseph Barsabbas as a competitor about whom, by the description in Acts, a bit more was known? The criteria named was “one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us…” and here is the kicker – “one of these men must be with us a witness to his resurrection.” This is a criterion dear to my own heart as a bishop in God’s one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. All bishops are “called to be one with the apostles in proclaiming Christ’s resurrection…” (BCP p. 517) Yet is this not the responsibility of all baptized people? The bishop of a community is the icon or window for that glorious mission for the sake of everyone. Each person of Christ, every parish and faith community, is called to be first and above all a witness to the resurrection of Christ where we die to everything that is not of God’s perfect love for all the creation, in order that the new life of grace may take root and flourish. Our call is to name it where we see it and also to be a part of bringing it about for all to see – witnesses. Perhaps this is why we know nothing of Matthias, never named again in scripture. He is to be understood as every person taking one’s place in the company of apostles. The account in Acts is clear that Matthias was chosen by God, not a mere vote. Just as he was enrolled with the eleven apostles, so in our baptism are we. The integrity of that original community of Christ was threatened by one who had “turned aside to go to his own place.” Remaining faithful in community is hard now just as it was then. But just the fact of being in community, seeking to be a part of God’s mission, is in itself a witness to resurrection hope. Our heavenly citizenship is to be lived out in earthly application. Our security and center in this Gospel work is not to be found in our own ability to make it work. It is not even to be found in the quality of our prayer or, get this, not even in the existence of our individual churches. We discover in a mature faith that it is never merely about us. Even one of Jesus’ choices ended up not working out so well. Our hope is in the living Christ who is among us and in us. It is always about the mission for which we are called – witnesses of the resurrection. For today's readings, click HERE.Lenting in hard. And this year seems to be the Lentiest Lent that ever Lented. It is so important that while we are called to look deep within in ourselves, we are doing so in the loving support of a faith community. And it goes far beyond our family at St. Christopher's! We are fortunate to be part of the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement, as our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry likes to say. So, before moving any further, let's stop and learn more about what our Presiding Bishop is calling upon all Episcopalians to do during this 2021 Lenten journey. You can find his message HERE.
For today's readings, click HERE.by Chad O'Leary
Today's entry didn't quite arrive in time for time for posting and, as it turns out, it was a bit of a Holy Spirit experience -- as I was working through a little somethin' somethin' See, yesterday morning, I was at the grocery store picking up some supplies to make my mom's killer lasagna. For some reason (yes, this is a chronic problem) I never have tomato paste but always assume that I do. My best friend died of COVID-19 complications in October and I have been preparing meals and spending time with his widow and young children on Sundays. As I was standing in line to check out (too annoyed with the self check machines telling me that there is an unexpected item in the bagging area), I overheard a fellow customer talking with his partner about how great it was to be back in church again. He had missed the ritual, the sermon (even though it was probably 5-7 minutes too long), and see his friends. Unfortunately, everything took a horrible turn right after that. The cashier greeted the customer and he ignored her. Then he commented about how dirty her belt was (it wasn't dirty, it was old) and when she accidentally rang an item twice (and was in the process of fixing her error), this individual went on to belittle and demean her as being ill-trained. He threw down cash at her and ignored her again when we she thanked him and apologized. It felt all wrong. Sadly, we have all been this guy before to varying degrees. Today's readings are a stark reminder that we are called to let our actions show that we are members of The Way. Today's readings remind us that being a follower of Christ is beyond any "personal relationship" with God. Any personal relationship must be transformational on our part and transcend into our interactions with others. So, who can I show that I am Christian through my actions -- not just my words -- today? For today's readings, click HERE.by: St. Christopher's Youth
Today's reading from the Hebrew Testament ends with "I will feed you with the heritage of your ancestor Jacob, for the mouth of THE LORD has spoken." What a cool statement. These powerful words are a stark reminder of just how much we are sustenance there is to be had through the love and support of our faith community. A light can be seen at the end of the tunnel; think of how wonderful it will be to re-engage in the fullness of community in the days ahead. The author today's Psalm calls for the Lord to "Teach me your way so that I can walk in your truth." Chances are we have a learned a little bit about God through our sisters and brothers at St. Christopher's. So let's take a moment to reflect on:
For today's readings, click HERE.by: Karen Hartman Growing up I was surrounded by people helping people. My grandparents were always giving their time to church and charitable causes. My Grandmother was a woman whose motto was “take time to smell the roses” and was a proud Episcopalian who played the organ at church for over 25 years. Grandma lived to be 105+ years old. Until she was over 100, she could be found playing music for her senior apartment residents for their weekly sing-alongs, chapel services and of course visiting the “older people” next door at the nursing home.Serving those around her. At home, I watched as my mother gave back to the community. From befriending seniors and helping them in their homes to working at the coffee/gift shop (25+ years) at the nursing home my grandmother lived next to. Today she continues checking in on her friends that are no longer living independently with phone calls and visits when the pandemic protocols allow. This summer the social climate in Minneapolis provided many opportunities for my family to give our time and energy to. As I reflect on our service to others, I find myself asking what more can I do? We are in a pandemic! Helping and serving others has been challenging with social distancing. We feel limited in what we can do but it’s not impossible! A phone call to someone who is alone or a simple meal delivered to a grieving neighbor demonstrates compassion and caring for others. As we move through the lenten season instead of giving up something consider making a commitment to care and serve others. Hebrews 13:16 "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." The Good News: One of the ways you can demonstrate your love for the Lord is to be compassionate and caring towards those you encounter here on Earth. Even small gestures can mean a great deal. For today's readings, click HERE.by: St. Christopher's Youth
Wow! Today's Gospel message speaks LOUD and CLEAR that it is all about taking up the cross beside Jesus (action!!) rather than just simply using our words to make proclamations about Jesus's true identity as the Holy Other in flesh. We believe that this prayer, from our own Book of Common Prayer (1979), illustrates this point beautifully! Everlasting God, because of your tender mercy toward all people, you sent your Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, to take upon himself our flesh, and to suffer death upon the cross, that all should follow the example of his great humility. Mercifully grant that we may follow the example of his patience and also be made partakers of his resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, U.S.A., 1979, p. 166., ALT.) |
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