A word from Gene Robinson

Thankfully the Bishop of New Hampshire can have his say in this Church of ours. The News from the House of Bishops is encouraging. Here is what Gene Robinson has to say about recent developments from Tanzania and the House of Bishops meeting in Tanzania.

A Letter to the Episcopal Church in New Hampshire from your Bishop
March 21, 2007



I write to you on the last day of the week-long meeting of the House of Bishops, in Navasota, Texas. While an official “word to the church” will come from the House as a whole, at the conclusion of our meeting, news of actions taken yesterday at our business session will be appearing today. I want you to have my own reactions to go along with what you will read.


This has been an extraordinary meeting of the Bishops, characterized by respect, thoughtfulness and careful discernment, always done in the context of fervent prayer. There is a calm and peace about our meeting I have not experienced before, due in no small part to the non-anxious, but strong, leadership of our new Presiding Bishop.


As you no doubt know, the Primates of the Anglican Communion, at their recent meeting in Tanzania, issued a number of ultimatums to The Episcopal Church, with the demand that they be responded to by September 30. The Primates have made these demands of the Bishops of The Episcopal Church out of what seems to me to be either an ignorance of our polity (the structural ways by which we govern ourselves) or an unwillingness to accept that polity, which says that the governance of our Church is not undertaken by Bishops alone, but rather by a joint governance by bishops, clergy AND laity.


Part of those demands had to do with asking for an unequivocal moratorium on the consecration of partnered gay or lesbian people as bishops, and a moratorium on the blessing of same sex unions. Dire, although not articulated, consequences are threatened if such action is not taken. A process is being set in motion by our Presiding Bishop for us to talk with all the people of our church over the next several months in preparation for responding to these specific demands.


However, one action taken by the Primates has consumed much (but by no means all) of our time. This action was not asked of us, but rather was already set in motion to be imposed upon us by the Archbishop of Canterbury and Primates. That action, described as a “Pastoral/Primatial Scheme,” would create a Primatial Vicar, who would oversee those dioceses who feel they cannot function under the authority of our Presiding Bishop, either because they believe her to be “unorthodox” in her views (consenting to my election in 2003, and allowing same sex unions in her former diocese), or in the case of three of those dioceses, because she is a woman, and therefore unfit matter for ordination in the first place.


Our Presiding Bishop would, according to the plan, be “helped” in the appointment of this “Primatial Vicar” and the supervision of his/her work by a “Pastoral Council,” made up of people appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Primates, plus two appointed by our Presiding Bishop. This would be a Council in which our own Presiding Bishop and those appointed by her would not even constitute a majority. This process was already under way before we arrived at our meeting in Texas, with the Archbishop of Canterbury closing the nomination process for this Council prior to our arrival.


I think it is fair to say that the vast majority of our bishops – progressive and conservative alike – see this as an unfair, illegal and wholly unprecedented assault on the polity and internal integrity of The Episcopal Church. Never before has any constituent member of the Anglican Communion been subjected to the authority of such an external body. Fears were expressed by most bishops that this would move us closer to a centralized authority in the Communion, and constituted an unwarranted and un-Anglican arrogation of authority to the Primates, unprecedented in the 500 years of our Anglican tradition and practice. It seemed to most of us that it was important to put a stop to this assault on our polity now, before it went any further.


Three resolutions were passed yesterday, with considerable, and sometimes overwhelming, majorities:


The first resolution called upon the Executive Council of The Episcopal Church (the elected body of laity-clergy-bishops who act for our General Convention, between General Conventions) to decline to participate in such a Pastoral Scheme, and to seek OTHER ways of meeting the pastoral needs of those dioceses who are not happy with the actions of The Episcopal Church. (The Presiding Bishop and Executive Council have numerous options for doing so, without the interference of groups of Bishops/Archbishops external to our Church, and our Presiding Bishop has signaled that she is ready and willing to do so.)


Second, the Bishops in a unanimous vote expressed their common desire to find a way to live together in the Episcopal Church during these contentious times, and called upon the Archbishop of Canterbury to meet with our House of Bishops face to face – a request he has steadfastly refused as recently as the Primates Meeting in Tanzania, claiming his calendar is too full to meet with us this year. We have asked him to reconsider, believing that this is not too much to ask of the Archbishop of Canterbury, given the seriousness of the issues which face the Communion, and given his having NEVER met with us since assuming his office.


Third, we offered a message to the Church for study and education, outlining our attempts to meet, in good faith, the requests made of us by the larger Communion, and the consistent rebuffs we have received in response. We re-articulate our profound desire to remain a part of the Communion – a desire that is shared by us all. We go on to enumerate the reasons we cannot and will not participate in the proposed Pastoral Scheme. And finally, we state as clearly as we can, the nature of who we are as a Church and our belief that the Gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to a union in which ALL the children of God – including women and gay and lesbian people – are called to full participation in the life and ministry of our Church.


While we cannot know what the reaction will be to these statements throughout the Communion, we must be who we are – the Church struggling to live out faithfully the ministry God has given us in this place and time. Like many great reformers before us, “Here we must stand. We can do no other.”


I believe these actions are true to our polity and to our identity as a Church. No matter how the media might portray this as a “slap in the face” to the Communion/Primates, it was not! We calmly and thoughtfully have said “no” to this encroachment on our polity and authority as a Church. We have also pledged ourselves to meeting the pastoral needs of the minority within our Church who are upset by the directions we have taken and by the leadership we have elected. We will also take seriously the demands made of us by the Primates – in consultation with the lay and clerical leadership of this Church, as demanded by our polity. That is not a slap in the face, but rather a responsible and respectful response to the inappropriate demands made of us.


I think you would have been proud of us as your Bishops. The manner and tenor of our decision-making was kind, respectful and prayerful. This was not about politics, but about this part of the Body of Christ attempting to exercise its leadership in appropriate and lawful ways. It was about respecting ALL the orders of ministry in our Church. It was about protecting our Church from inappropriate encroachment on internal matters. It was in the best tradition of the Anglican Communion.


Thank you for your prayers during this time. I have felt your support and love throughout. I have appreciated your attention to these Church issues, WITHOUT losing sight of our real mission as a Church – to proclaim the Good News of Christ in our words and in our actions to a world which so desperately needs to hear it. We will continue as a Diocese to commit ourselves to the Millennium Development Goals as a way of expressing our desire to do our part to meet the needs of a hurting world. We will NOT let these issues distract us from God’s mission – to preach Good News to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to release those in captivity, to bring sight to the blind, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. May God bless us richly in that ministry.


Your bishop and brother,


+Gene

Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire

House of Bishops: "We Are a House of Prayer for ALL People!"

www.episcopalchurch.org

EPISCOPAL NEWS SERVICE

Bishops' 'Mind of the House' resolutions Episcopal News Service Issue: Section: Posted: Tuesday, March 20, 2007 The following resolutions were passed by the House of Bishops March 20 during its annual Spring retreat meeting in Navasota, Texas. Mind of the House of Bishops Resolution Addressed to the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church Resolved, the House of Bishops affirms its desire that The Episcopal Church remain a part of the councils of the Anglican Communion; and Resolved, the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution of The Episcopal Church is determined solely by the General Convention of The Episcopal Church; and Resolved, the House of Bishops believes the proposed Pastoral Scheme of the Dar es Salaam Communiqué of February 19, 2007 would be injurious to The Episcopal Church and urges that the Executive Council decline to participate in it; and Resolved, the House of Bishops pledges itself to continue to work to find ways of meeting the pastoral concerns of the Primates that are compatible with our own polity and canons. Adopted March 20, 2007 The House of Bishops The Episcopal Church Spring Meeting 2007 Camp Allen Conference Center Navasota, Texas To the Archbishop of Canterbury and the members of the Primates' Standing Committee: We, the Bishops of The Episcopal Church, meeting in Camp Allen, Navasota, Texas, March 16-21, 2007, have considered the requests directed to us by the Primates of the Anglican Communion in the Communiqué dated February 19, 2007. Although we are unable to accept the proposed Pastoral Scheme, we declare our passionate desire to remain in full constituent membership in both the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church. We believe that there is an urgent need for us to meet face to face with the Archbishop of Canterbury and members of the Primates' Standing Committee, and we hereby request and urge that such a meeting be negotiated by the Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church and the Archbishop of Canterbury at the earliest possible opportunity. We invite the Archbishop and members of the Primates' Standing Committee to join us at our expense for three days of prayer and conversation regarding these important matters. Adopted March 20, 2007 The House of Bishops The Episcopal Church Spring Meeting 2007 Camp Allen Conference Center Navasota, Texas A Statement from the House of Bishops – March 20, 2007 We, the Bishops of The Episcopal Church, meeting at Camp Allen, Navasota, Texas, for our regular Spring Meeting, March 16-21, 2007, have received the Communiqué of February 19, 2007 from the Primates of the Anglican Communion meeting at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We have met together for prayer, reflection, conversation, and listening during these days and have had the Communiqué much on our minds and hearts, just as we know many in our Church and in other parts of the world have had us on their minds and hearts as we have taken counsel together. We are grateful for the prayers that have surrounded us. We affirm once again the deep longing of our hearts for The Episcopal Church to continue as a part of the Anglican Communion. We have gone so far as to articulate our self-understanding and unceasing desire for relationships with other Anglicans by memorializing the principle in the Preamble of our Constitution. What is important to us is that The Episcopal Church is a constituent member of a family of Churches, all of whom share a common mother in the Church of England. That membership gives us the great privilege and unique opportunity of sharing in the family's work of alleviating human suffering in all parts of the world. For those of us who are members of The Episcopal Church, we are aware as never before that our Anglican Communion partners are vital to our very integrity as Christians and our wholeness. The witness of their faith, their generosity, their bravery, and their devotion teach us essential elements of gospel-based living that contribute to our conversion. We would therefore meet any decision to exclude us from gatherings of all Anglican Churches with great sorrow, but our commitment to our membership in the Anglican Communion as a way to participate in the alleviation of suffering and restoration of God's creation would remain constant. We have no intention of choosing to withdraw from our commitments, our relationships, or our own recognition of our full communion with the See of Canterbury or any of the other constituent members of the Anglican Communion. Indeed, we will seek to live fully into, and deepen, our relationships with our brothers and sisters in the Communion through companion relationships, the networks of Anglican women, the Anglican Indigenous Network, the Francophone Network, our support for the Anglican Diocese of Cuba, our existing covenant commitments with other provinces and dioceses, including Liberia, Mexico, Central America, Brazil, and the Philippines, our work as The Episcopal Church in many countries around the world, especially in the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe, and Taiwan, and countless informal relationships for mission around the world. Since our General Convention of 2003, we have responded in good faith to the requests we have received from our Anglican partners. We accepted the invitation of the Lambeth Commission to send individuals characteristic of the theological breadth of our Church to meet with it. We happily did so. Our Executive Council voluntarily acceded to the request of the Primates for our delegates not to attend the 2005 meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Nottingham. We took our place as listeners rather than participants as an expression of our love and respect for the sensibilities of our brothers and sisters in the Communion even when we believed we had been misunderstood. We accepted the invitation of the Primates to explain ourselves in a presentation to the same meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council. We did so with joy. At the meeting of our House of Bishops at Camp Allen, Texas in March, 2004 we adopted a proposal called Delegated Episcopal Pastoral Oversight as a means for meeting the pastoral needs of those within our Church who disagreed with actions of the General Convention. Our plan received a favorable response in the Windsor Report. It was not accepted by the Primates. At our meeting in March 2005, we adopted a Covenant Statement as an interim response to the Windsor Report in an attempt to assure the rest of the Communion that we were taking them seriously and, at some significant cost, refused to consecrate any additional bishops whatsoever as a way that we could be true to our own convictions without running the risk of consecrating some that would offend our brothers and sisters. Our response was not accepted by the Primates. Our General Convention in 2006 struggled mightily and at great cost to many, not the least of whom are our gay and lesbian members, to respond favorably to the requests made of us in the Windsor Report and the Primates' Dromantine Communiqué of 2005. We received a favorable response from the Joint Standing Committee of the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates, which found that our effort had substantially met the concerns of the Windsor Report with the need to clarify our position on the blessing of same sex relationships. Still, our efforts were not accepted by the Primates in the Dar es Salaam Communiqué. Other Anglican bishops, indeed including some Primates, have violated our provincial boundaries and caused great suffering and contributed immeasurably to our difficulties in solving our problems and in attempting to communicate for ourselves with our Anglican brothers and sisters. We have been repeatedly assured that boundary violations are inappropriate under the most ancient authorities and should cease. The Lambeth Conferences of 1988 and 1998 did so. The Windsor Report did so. The Dromantine Communiqué did so. None of these assurances has been heeded. The Dar es Salaam Communiqué affirms the principle that boundary violations are impermissible, but then sets conditions for ending those violations, conditions that are simply impossible for us to meet without calling a special meeting of our General Convention. It is incumbent upon us as disciples to do our best to follow Jesus in the increasing experience of the leading of the Holy Spirit. We fully understand that others in the Communion believe the same, but we do not believe that Jesus leads us to break our relationships. We proclaim the Gospel of what God has done and is doing in Christ, of the dignity of every human being, and of justice, compassion, and peace. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ there is no Jew or Greek, no male or female, no slave or free. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including women, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that in Christ all God's children, including gay and lesbian persons, are full and equal participants in the life of Christ's Church. We proclaim the Gospel that stands against any violence, including violence done to women and children as well as those who are persecuted because of their differences, often in the name of God. The Dar es Salaam Communiqué is distressingly silent on this subject. And, contrary to the way the Anglican Communion Network and the American Anglican Council have represented us, we proclaim a Gospel that welcomes diversity of thought and encourages free and open theological debate as a way of seeking God's truth. If that means that others reject us and communion with us, as some have already done, we must with great regret and sorrow accept their decision. With great hope that we will continue to be welcome in the councils of the family of Churches we know as the Anglican Communion, we believe that to participate in the Primates' Pastoral scheme would be injurious to The Episcopal Church for many reasons. First, it violates our church law in that it would call for a delegation of primatial authority not permissible under our Canons and a compromise of our autonomy as a Church not permissible under our Constitution. Second, it fundamentally changes the character of the Windsor process and the covenant design process in which we thought all the Anglican Churches were participating together. Third, it violates our founding principles as The Episcopal Church following our own liberation from colonialism and the beginning of a life independent of the Church of England. Fourth, it is a very serious departure from our English Reformation heritage. It abandons the generous orthodoxy of our Prayer Book tradition. It sacrifices the emancipation of the laity for the exclusive leadership of high-ranking Bishops. And, for the first time since our separation from the papacy in the 16th century, it replaces the local governance of the Church by its own people with the decisions of a distant and unaccountable group of prelates. Most important of all it is spiritually unsound. The pastoral scheme encourages one of the worst tendencies of our Western culture, which is to break relationships when we find them difficult instead of doing the hard work necessary to repair them and be instruments of reconciliation. The real cultural phenomenon that threatens the spiritual life of our people, including marriage and family life, is the ease with which we choose to break our relationships and the vows that established them rather than seek the transformative power of the Gospel in them. We cannot accept what would be injurious to this Church and could well lead to its permanent division. At the same time, we understand that the present situation requires intentional care for those within our Church who find themselves in conscientious disagreement with the actions of our General Convention. We pledge ourselves to continue to work with them toward a workable arrangement. In truth, the number of those who seek to divide our Church is small, and our Church is marked by encouraging signs of life and hope. The fact that we have among ourselves, and indeed encourage, a diversity of opinion on issues of sexuality should in no way be misunderstood to mean that we are divided, except among a very few, in our love for The Episcopal Church, the integrity of its identity, and the continuance of its life and ministry. In anticipation of the traditional renewal of ordination vows in Holy Week we solemnly declare that "we do believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, and to contain all things necessary to salvation; and we do solemnly engage to conform to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of The Episcopal Church." (Book of Common Prayer, page 513) With this affirmation both of our identity as a Church and our affection and commitment to the Anglican Communion, we find new hope that we can turn our attention to the essence of Christ's own mission in the world, to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Luke 4:18-19). It is to that mission that we now determinedly turn. Adopted March 20, 2007 The House of Bishops The Episcopal Church Spring Meeting 2007 Camp Allen Conference Center Navasota, Texas © 2004, The Episcopal Church, USA. Episcopal News Service content may be reprinted without permission as long as credit is given to ENS.

Saint Francis and Brother Leo

Depression and Purity of Heart

Several days ago at a Clergy Quiet Day, Bishop Cederholm shared this story. It is a rather well known story, but it is well worth repeating here. I had never heard it before. It is perfect for this time in Lent. ~Fr. Paul

One day Saint Francis and brother Leo were walking down the road. Noticing Leo was depressed, Francis turned and asked, “Leo, do you know what it means to be pure of heart?”
“Of course. It means to have no sins, faults or weaknesses to reproach myself for.”
“Ah,” said Francis, “now I understand why you're sad. We will always have something to reproach ourselves for.”
“Right,” said Leo. “That's why I despair of ever arriving at purity of heart.”
“Leo, listen carefully to me. Don't be so preoccupied with the purity of your heart. Turn and look at Jesus. Admire Him. Rejoice that He is what He is—your Brother, your Friend, your Lord and Savior. That, little brother, is what it means to be pure of heart. And once you've turned to Jesus, don't turn back and look at yourself. Don't wonder where you stand with Him.”
“The sadness of not being perfect, the discovery that you really are sinful, is a feeling much too human, even borders on idolatry. Focus your vision outside yourself, on the beauty, graciousness and compassion of Jesus Christ. The pure of heart praise Him from sunrise to sundown.”
“Even when they feel broken, feeble, distracted, insecure and uncertain, they are able to release it into His peace. A heart like that is stripped and filled-stripped of self and filled with the fullness of God. It is enough that Jesus is Lord.”
After a long pause, Leo said, “Still, Francis, the Lord demands our effort and fidelity.”
"No doubt about that,” replied Francis. “But holiness is not a personal achievement. It's an emptiness you discover in yourself. Instead of resenting it, you accept it and it becomes the free space where the Lord can create anew. To cry out, ‘You alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,' that is what it means to be pure of heart. And it doesn't come by your Herculean efforts and threadbare resolutions.”
“Then how?” asked Leo.
“Simply hoard nothing of yourself; sweep the house clean. Sweep out even the attic, even the nagging, painful consciousness of your past. Accept being shipwrecked. Renounce everything that is heavy, even the weight of your sins. See only the compassion, the infinite patience and the tender love of Christ. Jesus is Lord. That suffices. Your guilt and reproach disappear into the nothingness of non-attention. You are no longer aware of yourself, like the sparrow aloft and free in the azure sky. Even the desire for holiness is transformed into a pure and simple desire for Jesus.”
Leo listened gravely as he walked along beside Francis. Step by step he felt his heart grow lighter as a profound peace flooded his soul (Brennan Manning, pages 209-211).

It's Official! We are a house of Prayer for ALL People!

Thanks Be to God!

From the Executive Council
March 4, 2007

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

We, the members of the Executive Council, met in Portland, Oregon on March 2-4, 2007. We are elected to represent the whole church between General Conventions.

We are conscious that this is the first meeting of a major deliberative body of the church in the wake of the Primates’ Meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We are in a process of discerning what it means to be members of a global and multicultural Anglican Communion, autonomous yet interdependent, diverse yet living a common life as a family of churches.

At this meeting of Executive Council, the following actions were taken:

*Fulfilling a mandate from the 75th General Convention (Resolution A166) [http://gc2006.org/legislation/view_leg_detail.aspx?id=207&type=CURRENT], we created a process to allow for the full participation of all Episcopalians in the response to a draft text for a possible covenant for the Anglican Communion, as envisioned in the Windsor Report. Responding to the draft covenant does not presuppose agreement with the terms and principles advanced in the draft.

*Executive Council recognizes that the requests made by the Primates, directed to the House of Bishops and the Presiding Bishop, raise important and unresolved questions about the polity of the Episcopal Church and its ecclesiology. We have authorized the appointment of a work group to consider the role, responsibilities and potential response of the Executive Council to the issues raised by the Primates. The work group will make a report and recommendations at the June 2007 meeting of the Council.

*We wish clearly to affirm that our position as a church is to welcome all persons, particularly those perceived to be the least among us. We wish to reaffirm to our lesbian and gay members that they remain a welcome and integral part of the Episcopal Church.

*Further, we offer our prayerful affirmation to all who struggle with the issues that concern us: those who are deeply concerned about the future of their Church and its place within the wider Communion, and those who are not reconciled to certain actions of General Convention. We wish to reaffirm that they too remain a welcome and integral part of the Episcopal Church.

It is our common baptism into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that binds us together. We promise in our Baptismal Covenant to respect the dignity of every human being. As we engage in conversations about these issues, may we “be eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). In so doing, may we “continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.”

The Executive Council is especially thankful for the thoughtful leadership of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and Bonnie Anderson, President of the House of Deputies, and for their wisdom and patience.

Full letter at:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/3577_83077_ENG_HTM.htm

In The Wilderness

Dispatch from Tanzania I'm sure many of you have been reading the news about the Primate's meeting in Tanzania. The American Church has been asked to refrain from blessing a certain group of people, ordaining them as Priests or consecrating them as Bishops. I hope the irony of this is not lost on you. We are told that the Primates went to a former slave market in Zanzibar and there repented of the church's complicity in the Slave trade. The silence of the church in those many years was deafening. And now finally we repent! It seems to me many ears are deafened again to the cry for justice. Can you imagine Jesus singling out any group of outcasts for exclusion from the blessing of the church? Can you imagine Jesus telling any group of people; "I will not bless YOU!" It is unthinkable to me! What are these Primates thinking about? I am convinced that at some future time another group of Primates will gather in Tanzania to repent of this action. The word "Primate" is an unfortunate name for leaders of the church in this context. It makes them seem somewhat sub-human. God have mercy on us! It is thus we tread the wilderness road of Lent.

Galilean Idol! By Paul Bresnahan The prayer we say goes "Lead us not into temptation" and so we certainly mean that, no doubt. But we are also children of a time that is fixated on the cult of celebrity. Whether it is all the publicity and attention around the tragic events of Anna Nicole Smith, O. J. Simpson, or an astronaut caught up in jealousy and capital crime, we are drawn as a moth is to a flame by the exploits of those on the "People" pages of our weekly tabloids. We live in a time when sex, money, and power are the driving engines of our culture. Even in our better moments we cannot help but be utterly charmed and drawn into the charm, beauty, and youth of our "American Idols." Compare that with the ancient virtues of our faith: poverty, chastity, and obedience and wonder with me, if you will, how far we've come. We enter now into the season of Lent. And we, like Jesus, have a wilderness to endure. How shall we, like him, find the wherewithal to stare down our deepest temptations? Is Jesus a measure in any sense against which we could compare him against the "American Idol"? THE WORLD It amazed me, I confess, when I discovered that so many in my congregation adored the television show "American Idol." There must be a puritanical streak left in me from my New England ancestry because the very notion of idolatry still evokes an automatic sense of revulsion. But then I, too, watched several episodes of the show and found that the cult of personality has indeed an especially powerful tug to it. The beauty and talent of youth and the aspirations and hopes of fame and glory are so utterly alluring. Like pure sparkling gold, the dazzling glitz of the cult of personality cannot help but draw us in unthinkingly into its grasp. How can anything so sexy, young, beautiful, and talented be anything but pure and lovely, gracious, and effervescing? But then something so often goes so horribly wrong. Marilyn Monroe and Anna Nicole Smith, while so voluptuously beautiful, are also so likely to die so young, and under the cloud of self-inflicted self-destructive behaviors. Pete Rose and "OJ" Simpson were so skillfully powerful on the field in their respective sports. But then it all slipped through their fingers in the former case because of gambling the latter under the cloud of a horrible capital crime. The hands that hold the wealth of the greatest multi-national corporations cannot escape the temptation to overreach the boundaries of ethical behavior. Even Ken Lay of Enron is gone now it seems, swept away with the excesses that left tens of thousands penniless and out of work. And so the engines that drive our culture are Sex, Money, and Power. We are drawn into their pull like a vortex pulls all that comes within its grasp. Unless we are careful, vigilant, and sober, we can become drunk with self-indulgence, and succumb to the destructive tenacity of each. It is no wonder the Bible warns us about idolatry. The golden calf is still very much with us dear friends. But its glitter and glitz is far subtler than we might at first suspect. We may not take it seriously. But when we take stock in the cold light of day of what so often happens to our idols, we might have a better sense of what it means to plod the wilderness with those people of faith who have come before us. Thus now we enter upon our Lenten journey. THE WORD It must have been tempting when Jesus faced the evil one. He could have fed the hungry with a wave of his hand. It was tempting. He was God we're told. He could do anything. Why not feed the hungry? He was famished as the devil rightly observed. So are the poor by the millions around the world. Why not just change the stones to bread? It was so tempting. And yet he knew, as do we that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8:3). How tempting it must have been to feed his beloved poor! He could have made peace, too. He could have just taken all the power of the nations into his own hands and he could have imposed an arbitrary rule of peace as imposed by God. He was God, let's remember. Talk about tempting. Feed the poor and impose peace! That must have been so alluring. They all wanted someone to come down out of the clouds and usher in the new reign from above. We still do. But Jesus would not. All he had to do was worship the evil one. He could have taken the sword into his own hands and done what we've been doing all through history. Only he could have done it once and for all! Talk about tempting. But he will not take up the sword the nations of the earth. And finally "Prove that you are God. Go ahead, jump off the pinnacle of the temple and do it where everyone can see it." The devil must have really tempted Jesus with that one. That's like doing it on CNN and Fox TV News live for everyone to see. We cannot help but wonder the same thing from time. For God sake just prove it once and for all! We cannot trust those who claim that they saw you rise from the dead. We want to see it live on television. Only then will we believe. That was tempting, too, I'm sure. So much so that Jesus said... don't tempt me! So there he was tempted in the wilderness by those matters that most deeply trouble the heart of God. Feed the poor, bring peace, prove who you are so convincingly that we will finally submit to you. If we are to believe in God it will have to be through the generosity of our own hearts that the poor will be fed. It will have to be through our own kindness and courage that we will find our way to peace with justice rather than rapacious greed. It will have to be through the discovery that the love of God and the love of our neighbors one at a time, and every group, race, orientation, and creed on the planet that God truly reigns in the human heart. There is no other way. "Everyone who calls on the name of God will be saved," Paul says in today's lesson from Romans. Notice that citation said "everyone." There were no exceptions. It appears that this is the only way. It is the way of Jesus. And so we find ourselves glued to our television sets to see who will win. What a voice that young man has. How handsome. That girl sings with such confidence and passion. Her eyes are so full of excitement and hope. How we love these young people. And how much we worship youth, with all its beauty and charm. To be sure they remind us of a time when we, too, were perhaps somewhat more alluring than we have now become. There is something of an ephemeral quality to this charismatic quality that we do indeed worship in our American Idols. Too often they, like the rest of us, are found to have clay feet, and a fatal flaw that is exploited through notoriety and self-indulgence. And so for them and for us all our true vulnerability becomes more apparent. When Jesus entered the wilderness he was very vulnerable indeed. In fact the Galilean Idol was vulnerable not just in the wilderness. He was vulnerable throughout his life. When he healed, he could feel power "go out" from him even when a woman would touch but the hem of his garment. He refused to send them all away but broke bread, said the blessing, and gave them as much as their hearts and souls desired until there were baskets of scraps gathered up that numbered as many as his disciples. He healed them. He taught them. He fed them with every word that comes from the mouth of God. And if they found themselves at wits end, or maimed, or leprous, or outcast from the temple because they were of ill repute, he found a way to bring them closer to God. Even the rich tax collector found repose in his company. This Galilean Idol was no ordinary example of a cult of personality. He was the perfect image of God made flesh. He was unafraid of the wilderness. He entered the wilds of his own deepest doubts and despairs with courage and profound honesty. He wanted to feed the hungry. But taught us to share and to live by the word of God. He wanted to impose peace in the midst of warfare and could have dispersed the Roman Legions with a wave of his hand. But he taught us not to worship Caesar's way but God's. We're still awkwardly avoiding that lesson. He wanted us to know him as the living God, but he chose instead to die on the cross, alone and accused of a capital crime. The instrument then of a shameful death became the vehicle though which he forgave us our sins and gave us eternal life. This Galilean Idol did not want us to worship him; he wanted us to worship God alone. He avoided attention, and went to lonely places where he could pray. But the multitudes sought him out because he satisfied the deepest longing of the human soul... not for sex, money, or power; but for love, forgiveness, and eternal life. It is interesting to me that the old virtues that our faith traditions used to teach with authority were poverty, chastity, and obedience. They are still the ideal of the monastic communities of Francis, Benedict, and Ignatius. We are now in our own wilderness and we are being called to face our own deepest doubts and despairs with God's own courage and profound honesty. It is an anxious time where depression is the modern epidemic. And yet we have everything we could ask for. We have ample supplies of sex, money, and power concentrated as never before in the Euro/American West. And yet we ache for something more; or is it something else? The tragic figures of Anna Nicole Smith and all the others point out to us that something is very wrong with the modern psyche. Wouldn't it be interesting if something as old and as ordinary as Lent could put us back in touch with the truth about us? Ash Wednesday in the liturgical churches calls us to mark the foreheads of the faithful the burned ash of last year's palms; not to make a "show of our religion" but as a reminder of our mortality. Somewhere between the polarities of sex, money, and power on the one hand and poverty, chastity, and obedience on the other, is Christian stewardship. We all have these superb gifts from God. Let's return them to God and share them with one another as God intended. Those of us who can walk the way of the cross will find it none other than the way of life and peace. Won't you look with me to the Galilean Idol who is no idol at all? Won't you look to the face of Jesus and gaze into the heart of the love of God and don't be afraid any more. He will walk with us, and be our companion along the way. He will guide us as surely as day follows night unto the wellsprings of God's everlasting day.

Freedom and Justice for All???

Dear friends,
The other shoe did indeed drop this week with the Primates of the Anglican Communion asking the American Church to refrain from blessing any more same sex unions and from ordaining any more priests or consecrating any more bishops who happen to be honest about the fact that they may live in a commited monogamous same sex relationship.
There are many of us who believe that this statement smacks of the same kind of institutional bigotry that we have repudiated in the past but usually long after the crime has been committed. The primates for instance released a communique in Zanzibar at a former slave trading market acknowleding the church's role in slavery and repenting now of the same.
So now, in the long tradition of Galileo, Lincoln, Darwin and others, we again refuse to embrace the knowledge we gain from science, or follow the teachings of Jesus who made it especially urgent that we reach out to the margins of the social order to bring into the fellowship of God's love those most like the lepers and outcasts of his day.
The Reverend Ed Bacon of All Saints, Pasadena has articulated the point superbly in the following words;

The Reverend Ed Bacon, rector of All Saints Church Pasadena, will
challenge the theology of the Primates of the Anglican Communion, who, in a
communiqué delivered Sunday, ordered the U.S. Episcopal Church to
refrain from creating rites to bless same-sex unions.

"We have been blessing the unions of our gay and lesbian parishioners
for 15 years and we have no intention of denying them blessings in the
future," said Bacon. He will express his objections in his sermons this
Sunday, February 25. In making such a statement, Bacon puts himself at
odds with his Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, who endorsed
"a season of fasting from authorizing rites for blessing same-sex
unions."

Bacon said, "As rector, I will reject all Episcopal invitations to
"fast" from doing the justice work of embodying God's inclusive love. The
fast to which Lent calls us is to foreswear acts of interpersonal and
institutional bigotry and discrimination with which this communiqué is
dripping." Bacon will invite all present on Sunday to stand and hold
hands in solidarity with one another, saying to the Church-at-large that
All Saints will continue blessing same-gender unions in the future. Bacon
will also encourage each worshiper to pray supportively for Bishop
Jefferts Schori in her ministry of pastoral care, compassion, and justice
for all.

"There is already too much exceptionalism and exclusion in the history
of Christianity without extending our institutional practice of making
outcasts of our LGBT sisters and brothers. I believe that one day
Anglican primates will gather somewhere for a corporate confession of this
prejudicial act of February 19, 2007, just as the Anglican primates
gathered last Sunday and confessed that slavery was an evil practice in
which the Anglican church played a sinful role. In order for All Saints to
exercise its role of leadership in the larger Church, to move us toward
that day of repentance, we need the energy of every one of our members
and friends at All Saints to help us transfigure the Church from within
so that it can become what God has always envisioned."

All Saints Church is located at 132 N. Euclid Avenue, Pasadena, Ca.
91101.
For further information or to schedule interviews,
please contact Director of Communications Keith Holeman at
626.583.2739.

I find these words compelling at a time when many in my own church and family will find the statement of our Anglican Primates nothing less than a rebuff and a cold shoulder to those we love so much. NO! NO MORE! All people will have our blessing!
We are a house of prayer for ALL PEOPLE!!!
May God have mercy on us.
And may God Bless us EVERYONE!
Fr. Paul

New York Times Article on The Episcopal Church

Here's a fine article in today's New York Times that takes note of our New Presiding's bishop's preparations for her journey to the gathering of 38 Primates of the Anglican Communion in Tanzania. Given the controversies we're embroiled in in present times, the meeting promises to have some interesting moments. Her new book is also catching some special attention.
A primate by the way, is not a chimpanzee or other such sub human species, though the behavior of some of those bearing that moniker would seem to reflect that. No indeed! A primate in the parlance of the Anglican Communion is the "prime" bishop of a province of the church of which there are 38 in the world wide Commion. The American Church known as the Episcopal Church in the United States of America is one of those Provinces. We are now the third most widely spread church in the world.
Here then is the article.

---

February 11, 2007

New Episcopal Leader Braces for Gay-Rights Test

By LAURIE GOODSTEIN

At a book party last week at the New York headquarters of the Episcopal Church, a line of more than 100 fans waited to have the church’s new presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, sign copies of her new book of sermons, “A Wing and a Prayer.”

Bishop Jefferts Schori, the first woman presiding bishop in the history of the Anglican Communion, appeared a bit surprised at the celebrity treatment but clearly enjoyed the sentiment.

She is about to head off to a hostile reception.

This week, Bishop Jefferts Schori will represent the Episcopal Church at a meeting in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with the presiding bishops of the 37 other provinces in the global Anglican Communion, the world’s third-largest church body. Some of those bishops, known as primates, have broken their ties with the American church after it ordained an openly gay bishop and permitted the blessing of same-sex unions.

Some primates have said they will not sit at the same table with Bishop Jefferts Schori. Some have threatened to walk out of the meeting.

In an interview in her office last week, Bishop Jefferts Schori said the conflict was more about “biblical interpretation” than about homosexuality.

“We have had gay bishops and gay clergy for millennia,” she said. “The willingness to be open about that is more recent.”

She said that what she wanted to convey to her fellow primates was that despite the highly-publicized departure of some congregations (a spokesman said 45 of 7,400 have left and affiliated with provinces overseas), the Episcopal Church has the support of most members, who are engaged in worship and mission work, and not fixated on this controversy.

“A number of the primates have perhaps inaccurate ideas about the context of this church. They hear from the voices quite loudly that this church is going to hell in a handbasket,” she said. “The folks who are unhappy represent a small percentage of the whole, but they are quite loud.”

In the global picture, however, those unhappy with the Americans are a significant bloc, and some are ready to cut off the American branch of the Anglican Communion. Conservatives were emboldened recently when an influential bishop, N. T. Wright of Durham, England, said in an interview, “Even if it means a bit of pruning, the plant will be healthier for it.”

Bishop Jefferts Schori said the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Rowan Williams, had accommodated the conservatives because he also presides over the Church of England, where the conservatives are a more substantial presence than in the United States, and are increasingly assertive.

Bishop Jefferts Schori, who is 52, exudes a cool presence, sitting erect in a crimson shirt and white clerical collar. She uses few words to make her points. In her previous career, she was an oceanographer, specializing in squid and octopuses.

Ordained a priest only 13 years ago, she is the former bishop of Nevada, where she permitted blessings for gay couples and voted to confirm the Rev. Canon V. Gene Robinson, who is openly gay, as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. She was elected presiding bishop last June, a nine-year assignment.

She said opposition came primarily from a “handful of primates,” led by Archbishop Peter Akinola of Nigeria, with support from those in Uganda and Rwanda. She said they had made it appear as if the bulk of the Anglican Communion was arrayed against the Americans, when that was not the case.

“It’s abundantly clear that there’s a diversity of opinion in the provinces of the Communion” she said. Asked why they are not more vocal, she said, “I think that has to be tenderly nurtured. You don’t want to put people in a precarious situation” by encouraging them to speak out against their own primates.

One African bishop recently did so. After the House of Bishops in Tanzania voted in December to cut ties to the Episcopal Church and stop accepting its donations, Bishop Mdimi Mhogolo, who leads the Diocese of Central Tanganyika, wrote a letter saying, “The issue of homosexuality is not fundamental to the Christian faith.”

At the meeting in Tanzania, Bishop Jefferts Schori is to sit down with the primates of 13 provinces that do not ordain women as priests, not to mention as bishops. But she said her sex was not the reason some primates were preparing to shun her. The problem is that some bishops say the Episcopal Church has failed to repent or to declare a moratorium on gay blessings, steps required by a committee of officials commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2004.

She is likely to be face to face with Archbishop Akinola, who has created a rival network of conservative churches in the United States.

Bishop Jefferts Schori said that if she is rebuked at the meeting, it will not be anything new; she experienced that before as an oceanographer: “The first time I was chief scientist on a cruise, the captain wouldn’t speak to me because I was a woman.”

Asked how she would respond if primates walked out on her, she said, “Life is too short to get too flustered.”

Membership in the Episcopal Church

For those of you who are excited about a church that really believes in a fully inclusive church, here's some language that we could use to articulate our understanding of what Jesus was and is all about.

St. Peter`s Episcopal Church

24 St. Peter Street

Salem, Massachusetts 01970

Office: 978-745-2291 & www.stpeterssalem.org

Come visit anytime; “We are a house of Prayer for ALL People”

-Isaiah 56:7

Membership at St. Peter’s

Theology:

When Jesus lived on earth, he sought out all sorts and conditions of people. He recruited fishermen, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, the blind, the halt and outcasts of all sorts to teach us that God’s love embraces everyone. He gathered a remarkable group around him to be his disciples. Whether they were rich or poor, Jew or Greek, male or female; to him there was a special place in the heart of God for everyone.

The Episcopal Church has in recent years embraced the teachings of Jesus by opening its ordained and lay leadership to men and women of all races, and in all conditions of life whether divorced, single, gay or straight. There is now no barrier to ordination. There is no barrier to membership. We have embraced ALL people who seek to love Jesus with all their hearts, and souls and minds. And so now we welcome YOU and those you love to the household of God.

God’s love for YOU

When Jesus died for you, he did so for whoever you are and whoever you become. He forgives you and all your sins: the big ones as well as the little everyday ones you simply can’t quite overcome. We believe that he is our Advocate with God, that he is the Righteous One, and he has paid the price for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. (see 1 John 2:1-2)

Welcome to St. Peter’s a house of Prayer for All people; and a House of Prayer for YOU.

Membership

All that is required to be a member here is your regular attendance at worship, and your financial commitment to God’s work. God expects us to respond to human suffering and to seek peace with justice wherever possible. We work with God in the creative, redemptive and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to bring the Hope of God into reality. We work in concert with God and one another to pattern our lives after the life of Jesus.

Baptism

Our salvation was earned for us by the Gift of Jesus on the Cross two thousand years ago. His death and resurrection was the guarantee of our salvation. Nothing we can do can change that fact. The Grace that he has given to us is total and complete. We are now invited to embrace what God has already done for us. To help us see what has happened by what Jesus did on that cross, we are invited to come into that fellowship through Baptism. In Baptism we joyfully embrace the church which is the body of Christ.

If you have not been Baptized or would like to arrange for Baptism, please speak with the Rector or call the office.

Baptismal Procedures

Typically, we celebrate the sacrament of Baptism 4-6 times a year at public worship.

All Saints Day: November 1 or the Sunday following

Baptism of our Lord: The Sunday following Epiphany which is January 6

Easter Eve at the Easter Vigil

Pentecost, fifty days after Easter

At the time of the Bishop’s Visit

Confirmation

The great “Episcopal” moment of a Christian’s Pilgrimage in the Episcopal Church is that moment when we proclaim our faith in the presence of the Bishop and receive the laying-on-of-hands. This ancient ritual represents the physical and spiritual connection we have to Jesus through the Apostles. Down through the ages this connection has remained a constant. In Confirmation our proclamation of faith strengthens us to do the work we are given to do by God in remaking this world in God’s image. The Bishop represents our connection to Christians throughout the world and throughout time. The laying-on-of-hands is that moment when we receive that gift that makes our relationship with Jesus a physical and spiritual one.

Classes

Typically, the rector will provide classes and tutorials to prepare people for baptism and confirmation.

Consult the office or the rector for particulars.

Transfer

When we move from congregation to congregation in the Episcopal we typically transfer our “letter” from one congregation to another. Contact the office to have you “letter” transferred when that seems appropriate.

Giving

Generosity is a matter of central significance in our discipleship. The amount we give is not as important as the amount of love we put into our giving. We give in a thousand ways. We give through our care for one another, the offering of our time and our skills and talents in concert with God’s purposes and through our financial commitments to God’s mission through the church. Our gifts include our tireless work for the transformation of human suffering into joy; the diligent search for peace and reconciliation and the search for justice. The holy places God provides for us to gather are signs of God’s presence in this dark, dangerous and sinful world. Without your generosity these holy places cannot continue. Members are asked to used their envelopes and we also hope you will consider a gift to the church in your estate

Salem, safe and sound

Hi folks,
Lots of folks have been asking me to bring my blogspot up to date with some news from Salem...so here's the latest. It is getting cold here tonight. Josh went see a movie tonight up in Danvers and needed a ride. There is a biting wind and a blowing snow outside tonight. It is the kind of chill that goes to the bone! Welcome home :-)
We arrived here two weeks ago tomorrow. Josh and his friends did an outstanding job in moving us here...not a thing was broken...we are indeed grateful. We're finding our way around the local services...e.g. post office, banks, shopping, hardware stores etc. My first service was Sunday and we were warmly welcomed. I've attended my first finance committee meeting and Cindy has been this very night to her first Fair meeting. The big conversation is over the date of the Fair (which we called a bazaar). It is somehow reassuring to know that there are some things that are ever constant as we make our way toward heaven.
Josh and his buddies made it into town several times on the commuter rail and got on the wrong train only once. Everyone played their part to the hilt...a Boston bawn conductah called out the stops: "Ceedah Paaahhhk"...and Aaron, one of Josh's buddies on spending five hours at the Museum of Fine Art, said..."Sure is a lot of perty pictures in thar!" The guys ate raw oysters at the Union Oyster House...and as for me I'm sure you know that Salem's finest paid a visit to me on my first night in town!
Oh, the other important news is that Alcibiades ate the rim of my cap tonight! He is still alive to bark about it! But I am none too pleased with him just now. He's been giving me wide berth during the past few hours.
Thank you folks for your wonderful send off from St. Mark's.
And thank you folks for your wonderful welcome to St. Peter's.
God is good to us all. And may God be praised for every blessing.
Fr. Paul

I Owe it All to My Dad

(The following sermon was delivered on Christmas Eve in 2006 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Saint Albans, West Virinia. I was my last Christmas Eve service there as Rector. I now enter semi-retirement, collect my full pension and take a smaller congregation back home in Massachusetts. The following was an articulation of my gratitude to the people of St. Mark's and to God, Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier of us all.)

I Owe it All to My Dad

I owe it all to my Dad. In Aramaic, the word Abba means “dad”. Jesus speaks of his abba. And when Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to say; “Our Abba, who art in heaven.” When Christmas comes I cannot help but think of my Abba as well as “Our Abba”. My abba gave his life for me too in a way at Christmas years ago when I was a child. Neither he nor I knew at the time that his loss would be the gain of my soul.

But in the fullness of time I came to know of God’s goodness and the generosity of God.
I came to know of Abba’s extravagant salvation plan.

Our Abba who art in heaven; I owe it all to my dad, “Our abba”.

Think of it, Jesus is referring quite literally to the family when he thinks of God. He talks not of a theological construct, but of someone as familiar as dad. The one who loves, teaches, corrects, scolds and plays with you. The one who give you security, and somehow makes you feel better when things look so bleak, who knows just the right things to say, whose soothing voice, whose twinkling eye, and whose no nonsense honesty is the very core of growing up in this unsteady world. Abba.

And so it is when I say “Our Abba” I cannot help but stop short and call to mind of all those special people.

When I think of my dad, I think too of my mom, that feisty and difficult woman. Oh how we fought, but she did the best that she knew how.

I think too of my maternal grandmother who introduced me to the story of scripture. I loved those stories then. I love them now. Like the one of the call of Samuel and of course the one we tell this holy night of the sleeping child and the young girl Mary who was his mother, and Joseph her betrothed. And the animals were there, I always thought that was a nice touch by God for the story. I love the animals. And then the Angels sang and the shepherds hurried to see this thing that had come to pass, and eventually Kings and those with wisdom from near and far away came to do him homage.

Our Abba who art in heaven; I owe it all to you, my abba.

My uncle and his partner Jimmy who took me to see the Red Sox. All the moms and dads along the way, the teachers, the priests, the families of my friends who took me in; I owe so much to all these people. When I say that prayer, I find myself stopping short and thinking of so many people.

My professors in College and in Seminary, my Bishops, and my parishioners all my companions along the way; those I baptized, those whose marriages I have blessed, the sick that I visited, those I’ve buried, and all their families. I think of the bible study classes, and the children who were the source of so much hope and joy. And there were those struggles in the community where we sought the healing touch of Jesus.

When I think of my abba, I think of all of these people who Jesus told us to love. I cannot help but remember his command that we love one another and then I think again not just of my abba, I think of Our Abba who art in heaven. I say Our Father and then I stop and remember and the prayer is hardly begun.

The Glory of God is here tonight. It shines as brightly as the first star of Christmas that shone the night that the savior was born. Those who are wise enough to follow the light of that star will find their way to heaven…heaven: a place in the human heart and in the heart of God where the light of God shines.

Jesus loved his abba as I love mine. He was obedient to his abba, we’re told, even unto death on a cross. And there on the cross he called out again, Abba, Father…dad…daddy…and then he died.

He owed everything to his dad. And we all owe everything to Our Abba. For in our goodness as well as in our darkness, the love of God shines through every corner of our lives. I owe everything to him and so do you. We all owe everything to Our Abba who art in Heaven. The little one that is born tonight is born so that we might have life and have it in all of its wonderful abundance.

Just as a for instance, the wonderful years of my ministry, the blessing of my life with Cindy, my children David, Joshua, and Michael, the dogs and cats too…don’t forget the animals…God didn’t not tonight on this holy night…most certainly not. For all the creatures of God owe their lives to him.

You see we have the good sense to know that all that we have and all that we have is from God. And so now my Abba says come on home. And to you your Abba says I too will bless you in the fullness of time with another priest who will love you, tend you, care for you and celebrate the sacraments with you. And thus the church of God in her faithful witness to Jesus processes on toward heaven.

Our Abba who art in heaven; it is an ageless prayer that the savior taught us in order that we might see the inexorable march of life’s many blessings. And so now he calls me home to the salt sea. But I shall never forget the mountains of West Virginia, the country roads, the accents the beaming faces of a genuine and remarkable people. You let me into your lives and together we have done some pretty remarkable things together. And we owe it all to Our Abba.

And so Merry Christmas to you. Goodbye is not a bad word. It means in the old English, literally, God be with you. And so God is. Born in a manger, a sweet little baby born “Emmanuel” or God with us. And so if I say Good bye…all I’m saying is God be with you.

God be with you all this Christmas. And thus let the Glory of God shine on this holy night. AMEN.

Joy to the World

Joy to the World

When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the child in her womb leaped for joy.

And so when I heard the story of the birth of that baby I too greeted the news with joy.

Ever since the first Christmas that I can remember, the happiness of our home was filled with people, decoration, generosity of spirit and great joy.

The birth of any baby and the sight of a mother carrying her little one all wrapped in blankets or swaddling bands, is a sight that brings joy to the human heart.

Nowadays we show one another pictures of the mother and her baby.

In ancient times, the church too, showed the holy mother with her sacred child in beautiful iconography.

And out of joy and hope the faithful have lit candles and said prayers for millennia.

The devotion of the ages rings out like church bells across the land.

And so the news with which the Church greets the world then as it does to day is the same forever; “Joy to the World”!

Mary sang of the joy she had in her heart.

It was she who was to become the chosen instrument of God to bring Peace and Justice into this world.

Through her child, the proud, the powerful the rich and those who exploit the poor would be put on notice.

In her Child, the poor would be filled with good things while the rich would be sent away empty.

At the very least, it was the hope of the church throughout the ages that the disparity between those who have and those who don’t would be somehow closed. It is a perversity of the Gospel when the hope of Mary and the mandate of Jesus is ignored.

We cannot read the Gospel without at least noticing that this is what the book says!

“Joy to the World!”

The message is one of Justice. It is a justice that brings Peace.

It is one of joyous music with Angels bending near to earth…to bring the message of God; “Peace on Earth and Goodwill to ALL”.

The message is one so replete with joy that Mary sings it and the church joins her in her song throughout the ages. Her song is a song of Justice and compassion and is set within an indelible image of tenderness-a mother holding her child.

Mind you it is the same mother who holds her child too some years later.

Michelangelo’s image of the Mother holding her child in the “Pieta” is an unforgettable image of a mother’s exquisite agony at the loss of her baby.

A child that was executed by the state for blasphemy and other trumped up and unjust charges lay dead in the tomb for three days.

Joy to the world!

The greatest surprise of faith that is!

There is room in God’s heart for the love of everyone now!

The risen Christ is alive in us now.

Our sins are forgiven us. Therefore we can repent and live anew!

The silent child asleep in a manger is alive forever and Mary’s song rings out across the world with renewed joy.

Whatever the newspapers, CNN or Fox News says, the Good News of Jesus is the last Word.

Jesus is the Word made flesh to dwell among us forever.

There are armies and insurgents, multinational corporations, and schemers and dreamers of allsorts and all may have their day, but then God has the last Word and the Word became Flesh and the Word dwelt among us, and we beheld the Glory of God…the Glory as of the only begotten of God.

The Word made flesh is now and forever the Word of God.

And the Word of God says; “Joy to the World”!

Advent

Advent is a grand and glious season. Here's a few ways to enjoy thinking of the nearness of heaven; a frequent theme of the season from John the Baptist and Jesus.

Advent examples

#1

Robert Lewis Stevenson, grew up in Scotland around the turn of the century and his family’s house was on a hillside outside of town. Each evening, he would sit in the kitchen and look down on the town, watching the lamp lighter ignite each of the town’s street lamps. He remembered one evening saying to his mother, "Look, there is a man down there who is punching holes in the darkness."

And so this Advent we proclaim the nearness of the Kingdom of God. The Book of Common Prayer calls on God to "give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and to put on the armor of light”. Thus may we too have grace to “punch holes in the darkness”.

#2

A woman in my congregation recently returned from a retreat at Gethsemane, the monastery in Kentucky where Thomas Merton journeyed so diligently in his pilgrimage toward God. When she returned I asked her how her time there was. She beamed and said it was “Heavenly”.

So it is with those of the spirit. We journey on with all the saints here on earth and those who have gone before. Hardly do we realize with such busy and anxious lives how close heaven lies. The kingdom of heaven is indeed “at hand”. Only when we stop and listen to the heart of God beating in ours do we realize that Heaven is close. Indeed it is “at hand” as both the Baptist and as Jesus said.

#3

Tolstoy, in latching on to Luke 17:21 proclaims that the Kindom is Heaven is “within” us. That is why it is so very close at hand and why it is so near. He goes on to say that the connection between God and humanity is within the grasp of love.

“God is the infinite ALL. Man is only a finite manifestation of Him.
Or better yet:
God is that infinite All of which man knows himself to be a finite part.
God alone exists truly. Man manifests Him in time, space and matter. The more God's manifestation in man (life) unites with the manifestations (lives) of other beings, the more man exists. This union with the lives of other beings is accomplished through love.
God is not love, but the more there is of love, the more man manifests God, and the more he truly exists”
--Tolstoy

A Fond Farewell

Dear friends,

This is a difficult letter for me to write because my time with you here in Saint Albans has been the some of the happiest time in my personal and professional life. It has also been the most fruitful in terms of the kinds of things that we have been able to achieve together. There is no doubt that we hold one another in very deep affection.

More than a year ago, as I approached my 60th birthday and my 10th year with you I began to ask in my prayers what it was that might be next for me in my life personally and professionally. Subsequently, several congregations approached me to consider a position as rector. I had not sought out a change; they just seemed to come to me. None of the possible positions made much sense to me or to Cindy. In the meantime the Church Pension Fund sweetened up the retirement alternative very nicely and we began to consider that possibility. Still we needed to have some kind of a part-time position for us to meet financial obligations incurred when our children attended college.

Then this summer, when Cindy and I went home for a visit to Maine, we both got a sense that it was time to consider being closer to family. Cindy’s mom and dad are getting on a bit in years, and we are getting to the point where we just plain miss our native home. As much as we love this our adopted one, we began to miss our family. I did explore some possibilities in Maine but nothing there turned out to be a practical alternative. We returned to Saint Albans and decided to hunker down to the fall schedule as always.

Then on the eve of our Diocesan Convention, a dear friend of mine called from the North Shore of metropolitan Boston. It seems that the rector of St. Peter’s in Salem, Massachusetts had just resigned. They needed a Priest-in-charge to go in there for about a 3 year period and steady out things until they get the wind back in their sails. They are a good parish with a group of outstanding people like yourselves.

I called the senior warden and began a series of conversations that led in turn to a visit in Salem on Thursday and Friday October 19 & 20. I spoke with the Bishop of Massachusetts, and with the Assisting Bishop for urban congregations of which St. Peter’s is one. Both Bishops gave their blessing to the possibility of this new ministry.
Cindy and I spent all kinds of time calculating what our retirement check would be as well as what this part-time position offered. It turned out to be a very attractive offer that will give us a very significant increase in income and our ticket home. It will also give me more time to write and time for Cindy and me to travel to be with our children more.

Last Wednesday, November 1, 2006, All Saints Day, on the 11th Anniversary to the very day of my beginning my ministry here, the vestry of St. Peter’s formally offered me the position as Priest-in-charge of that parish. I have prayerfully considered that offer. It seemed like an answer to a prayer. It gives us a chance to move back home. If we take retirement and accept this position, we will establish a very significant increase in income. It gives me a chance to work part-time in a delightful small and very historic congregation on Boston’s North Shore. Therefore, after much soul searching, I have decided to accept the offer.

I have spoken at some length with Bishop Mike Klusmeyer about my possible retirement and about accepting this position. He is not looking forward to my leaving this diocese. Neither am I. I have spoken to the members of the vestry of St. Mark’s. We also will find it difficult to go our separate ways. But there is never a good time for a change like this. That being said, I believe that it is time for Cindy and me to go home. I believe that we have been led to this moment faithfully. It appears to be an abundant answer to an honest prayer.

Therefore on Monday evening, November 13, 2006 I will submit my resignation to the vestry of St. Mark's Episcopal Church to take effect at the end of this year. My last services will be on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. That will allow me to be here with you at a very important time and also to bid my fondest farewell to the folks at Christ’s Kitchen.

My dear friends, these have been among the very best years of my life. Cindy, David, Joshua, and Michael want to join with me in thanking you for this time together. And we want you to know of our prayers, and our deepest affection as together met we now prepare to go our separate ways. May God Bless our coming in and our going out both this time forth and for evermore.

Faithfully yours,


Fr. Paul Bresnahan

Whose soldiers are we anyway!!!

This past Sunday, St. Paul asked the church to "put on the whole armor of God".
Not a bad idea all in all, especially considering the times in which we live. They are not unlike the times in which the early Christians lived as a matter of fact. So here's a few ways to look at the matter just for something to think about.

Illustrations

Illustration #1 Compare and Contrast

Think about the idealists and the realists in life. Here’s your chance to size them up and pick a side you feel comfortable with.

On the side of the idealists let’s look at these two folks;

• Gandhi, for instance, said that there are many causes on earth for which he would give his life, but not one for which he would take a life.
• Jesus said, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them. He also said love your enemies, and that he would give his life as a ransom for many.

These are hard sayings in the scripture. We are told many left Jesus because of what he said and probably what he did as well. However, because of these very things Peter called him “The Holy One of God.”

Now think about these realities

There is a UN Security Council Resolution establishing the means for achieving a cessation of hostilities and perhaps peace in southern Lebanon and northern Israel.

Israel said it achieved its military objectives.

Hizbollah claimed victory.

Almost 1200 men, women, and children, the vast majority of which were civilians, on both sides of the border lie dead in the desert sands of the border between Israel and Lebanon.

Now then, are you an idealist or a realist in heaven as it is in earth?

Illustration #2 The Armor of God

Picture if you will an American soldier or an Israeli Soldier. Now picture those who fight for Hizbollah, and other military and para-military organizations.

They are all equipped with an impressive array of weapons.

Now picture the Armor of God as Paul describes it in his letter to the church in Ephesus. (Ephesians 6:13-17). Shall we review?

Buckle around your waist the belt of truth.
Place over your heart the breastplate of righteousness
On your feet you may wear shoes called the Gospel of Peace.
For a shield you will have Faith with which you can ward off the flaming darts of the evil one.
The helmet of salvation will save your head.
And finally the sword you wield is the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

Which weapons will people of faith choose to protect the ones they love? Without being overly simplistic, how shall we weigh these weapons in the scales of Justice and Peace, tempered with the Mercy and Love of God?

Illustration #3 Is Jesus Still Lord?

The name for Caesar in the time of Jesus was “Kyrie” or literally; “Lord”.

The Early Church made it clear that Jesus was "Lord" to that fellowship. And when they sang Kyrie Eleison: “Lord, have mercy” there was a special sense of shared irony. They all distanced themselves from the Empire. To them Jesus was the flesh and blood of heaven on earth to them. He was their bread, and their flesh and blood and the foundation stone of their belief.

There have been many Caesars, Emperors, Kings, Potentates, Sultans, Kaisers, Tsars, Prime Ministers and Presidents.
In a time when we increasingly fuzzy up the line between church and state, who then is our Lord, King or President?

Is it still Jesus? Or is there another?

During a three week period, near the end of August and the beginning of September, 2006, St. Mark's will be running 54 radio spots. The exact language of those radio spots is what follows next.

Moments with God

1. Behold the Lilies of the Field

This is Fr. Paul bringing you a moment with God.

There is much to worry about in life, but listen the words of Jesus;
“Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.” Matthew 6: 26

This moment with God was brought to you by St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Saint Albans We are a church with a worship ritual rooted in Biblical and Apostolic times. Weekly we gather as his disciples did to break bread together in remembrance of Him. Daily with others who care, we feed his sheep as He told us to do at Christ’s Kitchen. Come worship with us anytime. We are a “House of Prayer for ALL People.”

We’ll leave a candle burning for you.

2. Waiting for God in Silence

This is Fr. Paul bringing you a moment with God.

When you pray try not to ask for too much. Sometimes its better just to be still and listen to the voice of God beating in the human heart. List to what the Psalmist says;
For God alone my soul in silence waits; *
From God comes my salvation. Psalm 62
"Be still, and know that I am God! Psalm 46:10
He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed. Psalm 107:29

This moment with God was brought to you by St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Saint Albans We are a church with a worship ritual rooted in Biblical and Apostolic times. Weekly we gather as his disciples did to break bread together in remembrance of Him. Daily with others who care, we feed his sheep as He told us to do at Christ’s Kitchen. Come worship with us anytime. We are a “House of Prayer for ALL People.”

We’ll leave a candle burning for you.

The Wisdom of Solomon

The Love of Wisdom

Solomon’s love of Wisdom has become a universal prayer for all people of faith. The practice of Wisdom is the Practice of the Presence of God. Let me suggest several ways for us to put the notion of Wisdom to work for our own lives.

Abide in Me

The Hymn “Abide in me” is a nice old chestnut. The tune is easy to sing or hum, and the sentiment is simplicity itself. The turn of phrase comes to us from today’s Gospel (John 6:56). The wisdom of the prayer is obvious. Still who can actually put into practice the ancient instruction from scripture that Paul gives us to live by today; “Give thanks to God the Father at all times for everything”? (Ephesians 5:20) Can we really pray at ALL times?

When I think about it, the idea of being “present” to God may not be as difficult as one might first suspect. It is as easy as singing a favorite Hymn. In and out; breathing, Abide in Me! It makes the Journey somewhat less burdensome; somewhat more joyous and certainly makes way for Wisdom as we “abide” in Him.

The Practice of the Presence of God

It is an absolutely delightful little book written by Brother Lawrence. It is the simplicity and the sincerity with which it is written that is so persuasive. Many of us have read it. I hope you have a chance to if you haven’t yet. There are so many ways to practice the presence of God. Some of us like to carry rosaries, prayer ropes, or wear a cross; tokens that we do indeed “Abide in Him”. I like to light a candle when I journal. There seems to be a “spirit” with me in my room in moments of silence as I write.

In Judaism there are prayer shawls, in Islam, there are prayer beads. There are many who have managed to put it into practice, the actual Practice of the Presence of God. It is as though we put on Christ as a “garment”, as we live out our lives “in” him.

The notion is that we are to Pray at all times. Paul says so again in Ephesians, “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication”. Ephesians 6:18. There’s a challenge for you. If you cannot be quite perfect, then accept what time you do spend with God. Both you and God will be pleased that you do, and Wisdom will find a home in your life.

The Jesus Prayer

From ancient times the notion of a “breath prayer” has been central to our shared traditions. The Jesus Prayer is one such “breath prayer”. Many of us know it by heart; “Come Lord Jesus, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” It is said that if we put into practice the repetition of such a prayer, it eventually becomes part of our being. Thus with every breath we take, the “in and out” of the words comes and goes and so too the reality that goes with it. Thus with our breathing we pray at all time and in all things, and Wisdom is born in the human heart.

The Bread of Life

“Love is the bread of life: you have to make it everyday if you want it fresh.”

Anonymous

His Name is Christopher

His Name is Christopher

His name is Christopher. He is named after that now demoted saint, who is said to have “carried” Christ on his shoulders over perilous streams in Germany centuries ago, before bridges made such travel somewhat safer. For a fee, weary travelers could engage the services of a stalwart sort to carry them and their belongings across rivers and streams especially in stormy times. On one especially stormy night, it is said that the heroics and humanitarian work of an especially conscientious practitioner of this kind of service discovered, he was carrying none other than our Lord as he carried the poorest to safety; someone unable to pay. The story is dismissed by historians in the church, but the name and the myths have stuck. Hence the name Christopher means literally “Christ carrier”.

But the Christopher I speak of is a young man who had been around the block a couple of times. I’m afraid he fell victim to drug abuse. He developed quite a reputation around town. He came to a priest one time as he struggled to move away from the old ways of sin that were leading him toward death. There were conversations that led into the small hours of the night because the priest thought he was worth saving. Eventually he began to read several books the priest thought would be helpful. And they were.

But ultimately Christopher began to read the Bible. He was led somehow to read the Sermon on the Mount and the Gospel of Mark. Imagine the young man’s surprise when he discovered in those few pages how much God loves him, forgives him, and seeks eagerly to reconcile him to the entire community of faith.

So now he wants to be baptized. He wants to put to death the old way of life that leads to sin and death. Indeed he wants to embrace and hold fast the New Life that he can have in Jesus. He can share that life as a peer counselor with others who are struggling to overcome their addictions to drugs and alcohol.

The priest asked him what it was that finally did the trick of conversion. “Reading the Bible”, he said without a moment’s hesitation. “There is so much love and forgiveness in that Book and it sounds so different from those who seem to use it as a weapon for judgment. It was Good News to the likes of me to discover how much God loves even ME!”

Christopher is a Christ carrier indeed. And for Chris, Jesus is the Bread of Life.