What Do We Do?

St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556), the Spanish priest, theologian, and founder of the Jesuit order (Society of Jesus), believed that through imagination we could draw closer to God. His Spiritual Exercises teach a practice of imaginative contemplation that draws one into a deeper relationship with God through scripture.

In one of the work’s early exercises, Ignatius invites the reader to meditate on the birth of Jesus: to imagine Mary’s home - its size, how many rooms there were; to imagine the road from Nazareth to Bethlehem; to imagine the place of the Nativity - Mary in labor, Joseph at her side, and the birth of the Christ child. When I took a moment to try this exercise for myself, it nearly took my breath away. The dirt, the smell, the sweat, the fear, the hope, the cry of the newborn child. The world-altering, boundary-crossing incarnation of Love left a lingering scent of dung and moldy straw.

I often wonder how it is that we celebrate Christmas with such pomp, when the reality of the event we commemorate was one of danger and fear, devastation and sorrow, difficulty and pain. In little more than a week’s time, we’ll celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, the manifestation of God in Jesus as revealed to the Gentiles in the persons of the Three Magi, or Wise Men. It is another event of celebration and joy, of a special wonder in children’s eyes as camels process through our beautiful Cathedral.

But what of the reality of the event?

I invite you to take a moment to try St. Ignatius’ exercise of imaginative contemplation on the Gospel Reading appointed for the Feast of the Epiphany: Matthew 2:1-12. Imagine yourself in the home of an anonymous young couple and their toddler son as Herod’s murderous campaign descends on Bethlehem. What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you see? What do you feel? What do you do?

What do we do?

That’s the question that startles me every Epiphany - what do we do? What do we do with the voices that the text has neglected or silenced - the hundreds of families whose children were murdered? What do we do with the voices with us today that are repressed, oppressed, and that no one seems to hear?

I can only wonder how popular opinion and public policy towards refugees might shift were we all to engage in St. Ignatius’ spiritual exercises.

Who are the Holy Innocents, today? And what do we do? 

Allison Duvall

Advent Meditation Series: Salvation - Not for Sale

Matthew 11:2–11
Salvation—Not for Sale

Open our eyes, O Gracious God, and bless our Advent journey.
Enable us to look beyond the familiar and observe instead your
presence before us and around us. Remove the blinders of
resentment and fear, and by your Spirit help us to see Jesus
in the face of both friend and stranger, for your love’s sake.
Amen.

What do you see? In mysteries, whether on the pages of books or on the screen, the detective is not necessarily more suave, more sophisticated, more impressive than the other people in the room. Far from it, sometimes. But the detective—at least, the successful detective—is the one who notices what others miss, who observes what others gloss over. To those who do not truly see, a half-empty glass or a torn piece of paper is simply that, but to the observant one, it can be an important clue that unlocks the puzzle.

When John the Baptist sends messengers to inquire whether Jesus might be the Messiah, Jesus tells them to go back to John and report what they have seen: remarkable healings, changed lives, unimagined possibilities. As the messengers depart, Jesus goes on to ask those around him what they expected to see when they first encountered John in the desert. Perhaps they thought they would see someone dressed to impress, someone living the easy life. But what did they see? A true prophet, someone who challenged all their expectations.

Elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel, we find the story of Jesus looking in vain for figs on a barren fig tree, cursing it when he found none. His disciples were surprised since they themselves could see that the tree would not bear any fruit. Why was he so upset? What did he expect? That is the question, isn’t it? The disciples saw what they expected to see. Jesus always sees beyond the expected. Jesus sees more.

As twenty-first century followers of Christ, it is all too easy to take up with those earliest followers and only see the expected. If so, we will miss so much. Sure, we can pray and go to church and move forward knowing that God loves us…and all this is good. All this is of God. But God wants more for us. God wants us to do more than just settle in our faith. If we just settle in our spiritual rocking chairs, we will miss out on all the miracles, we will miss out on all the divine opportunities, we will miss out on all the unexpected possibilities that God wants us to experience. If we dare to open our hearts to God’s grace, if we dare to open the eyes of our spirits, then we will discover what the beloved old hymn says, “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.”

As Christ’s followers today, as members of the Jesus Movement, we need to throw off the blinders that prevent us from experiencing the abundant life and remarkable ministry to which God calls each one of us. Let us follow not simply in the footsteps of those early disciples, but let us follow in the footsteps of Jesus himself who offered salvation freely. There are still people to be touched, lives to be changed. But will we dare to open our eyes and see what God may be trying to show us?

Will we dare to open our eyes and be evangelists, messengers of hope to those around us who may not even realize they desperately need that hope? When the earliest disciples were afraid to accept Saul of Tarsus into their community—because all they could see was an angry, dangerous person—it took Barnabas to look at Saul/Paul through a different lens and to see…not just what was…but what could be.

Will we dare to open our eyes and be reconcilers, building bridges where chasms of hurt and resentment exist between people? When thirteenth-century crusaders looked at those who were different from them and saw only enemies, it took Francis of Assisi to view the situation in a different way, crossing through battle lines with courage and humility, and opening up crucial lines of communication with the Sultan himself.

Will we dare to open our eyes and be true stewards of God’s creation? When countless people…both those who call themselves Christians and those who don’t…continue to take this planet for granted, it takes those with eyes to see to look around, step forward, and do what is needed to preserve “this fragile earth, our island home.”

As those who would indeed follow Christ, let us open our eyes to see what we have all too often missed. Let us, by the power of the Spirit, become the evangelists, reconcilers, and stewards of creation, that God calls us to be, because salvation is not for sale. ✦


Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church (United States)

Borrowed from a series of Advent devotions prepared by the leaders of Anglican and Lutheran churches in full communion. Click here for the full booklet.

Advent Meditation Series: Creation - Not for Sale

Matthew 3:1-12

Creation - Not for Sale

Gracious God, this day you call us to actions
which speak at least as loudly as our words and to words
which indicate a change of heart and growing regard
for your creation. Bless us in our Advent journey as we seek
your incarnate presence in every aspect of our lives.
Amen.

In today’s Gospel reading we hear John the Baptist calling the crowds to repentance, to a turning around of their lives, to a turning to God. This turning must not be shallow, flaky, or fickle, but rather, deep, whole-hearted and unwavering. “Bear fruit” he cries out, “worthy of repentance” (v8). Let it be seen that your life indeed has turned around, that your focus is re-framed, and your priorities are re-set. Let it be seen that your actions line up with your expression of repentance.

This is an important message as we consider the theme Creation—Not for Sale, one of four themes adopted by our sisters and brothers in the global Lutheran community as they mark the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. (The over-arching theme is Liberated by God’s Grace. The other themes are Creation—Not for Sale, Salvation—Not for Sale and Human Beings—Not for Sale.) As we consider God’s creation, there is an urgency of concern about the global environmental crisis. We can no longer deny the harsh realities of islands drowning as sea levels rise; of deserts expanding in the face of unchecked deforestation; of weather patterns changing and growing violent as global warming continues; of lifestyles and livelihoods disappearing as the Arctic ice cap melts.

Really coming to terms with these realities was very much the focus of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference—COP21— held in Paris. “COP21” refers to the ”Conference of Parties” and to those countries which have adopted the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). In the midst of that great gathering of political and religious world leaders, and among thousands of ordinary citizens from every corner of the globe, a huge ecumenical service was held in Notre Dame Basilica. I had the great privilege of being there.

A message from the Council of Christian Churches in France included the following:

“Aware of the impact of the lifestyle of most of the developed countries, we need to call into question the logic of our consumption and to allow our attitude and witness to experience conversion— practising restraint and simplicity, not as a form of heroic renunciation, but as a form of joyful sharing. Our hope as Christians rests in our belief that our world is not destined to despair, but to transformation, and that human beings capable of self-destruction are also capable of uniting and choosing what is good.”

This “conversion” is the very thing that renowned environmentalist David Suzuki calls “the necessity for a massive change of spirit” on the part of leaders in government and industry and on the part of consumers in society…which includes us all. Suzuki has said he looks to both business communities and faith communities to provide leadership in calling for this “change of spirit”.

The liturgy in that great basilica concluded with a litany of repentance and of pledges to have us think and act differently. Here is an excerpt:

“Creation is suffering because of us.
The land has deteriorated.
Jesus Christ calls us to vigilance and commitment.

Our common home is damaged.
The poorest are excluded.
Jesus Christ calls us to solidarity and sharing.

Before you Creator God,
we pledge to take specific actions and to change our practices.
Jesus Christ calls us to conversion.”


We pray that by our decisions, and by our actions upon them, we may “bear fruit worthy of our repentance.” ✦



Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada

Borrowed from a series of Advent devotions prepared by the leaders of Anglican and Lutheran churches in full communion. Click here for the full booklet.

Advent Meditation Series: Liberated by God's Grace

Matthew 24:36-44

Liberated by God's Grace

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come.
Come to us in all the moments of our lives.
Help us to watch so that we are amazed by
your love. Bless us in our Advent journey.
Amen.

But of that day and hour no one knows…and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man…two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left…you must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

Welcome to Advent.

This warning from Jesus comes after Jesus’ words about the end of the world. The apocalypse is upon us, there will be tribulation and the world will see the day of God’s vengeance on human sin. This doesn’t seem to quite fit with the Christmas decorations, lovely carols, and relentless merriness that has been in stores, in advertisement, and in the media since Labor/Labour Day. It is jarring to hear about judgement and the Second Coming whilst shopping for that perfect Christmas sweater or sampling figgy pudding. And what about our Lord’s admonition to be awake, be aware, be ever-vigilant? We won’t know the hour. We might be left behind. At the very least it is exhausting to be on watch all day every day.

How is this passage from Matthew good news, and how is it good news at this time of the year? Where is the grace and how do these verses help us to know that we are liberated by God’s grace? It sounds like the law to me. It seems to be about what we need to do to be ready on that great and terrible day, what action we must take so that we will be taken and not left behind. Blessed Advent? Bah humbug!

There is a secular counterpart to this apocalypse. Young children are taught that Santa Claus is keeping track of who is “naughty or nice,” meting out consequences and rewards accordingly. Popular Christmas song lyrics, while upbeat in cadence, deliver messages that instill dread. The message is clear: Be awake, be aware, be ever vigilant. The day is drawing nigh.

It is interesting that pop culture can give voice to the prevailing theology of many in our churches. We don’t trust that God’s promised grace is real and for us and so we come to believe and act that the word of God is not gracious, but vengeful and punishing. Through that lens there is no way that we can see the gospel for the first Sunday in Advent as the announcement that we are liberated by
God’s grace.

But hear the Good News. Jesus was announcing the end of the world. It is the day of God’s vengeance on human sin. And this is what God’s vengeance looks like: a helpless baby in a stable in Bethlehem, a helpless man on a cross outside of Jerusalem. The end of the old world of sin and death has come exclusively through God’s reconciling mercy.

Matthew 24: 36–44 is God’s word of promise, a gift to us that we might open ourselves, our eyes, our lives to the incredible, surprising, immeasurable and intimate love of God. It’s right there in front of us—two men working in a field, two women grinding meal—in the ordinary, in the everyday. God doesn’t want us to miss it. God wants us to watch. ✦



The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Borrowed from a series of Advent devotions prepared by the leaders of Anglican and Lutheran churches in full communion. Click here for the full booklet.

Christ is King

This coming Sunday is known as the Feast of Christ the King. It celebrates Christ's authority as King and Lord over all things in heaven and on earth. He is the One in control and has complete sovereignty over the people and animals of the earth, even the earth itself, the universe, and beyond. (1 Chronicles 29:11-12) This year, with the election being so close to Christ the King Sunday, it has caused me to think about Who is in control, Who really is King. Our nation and all of the nations on earth are in God's Kingdom and always will be.

In preparing for Sunday's music each week, I spend time with the text of the psalm and apply musical sounds to the words. For this Sunday, it is Psalm 46. After reading through it, I decided to spend some extra time studying it because the words struck me. The psalm speaks to how God is our refuge, our strength and how we should not fear even though the world is falling apart all around us. He is the One there for us. The psalm continues to speak about nations, kingdoms, and the earth being under His authority. The end of the psalm tells us to "Be still, then, and know that I am God." This verse has always had a special place in my heart, but to connect it to the opening of the psalm, the nations, and how He is King made me desire to just be still and know that He is God, know that He is indeed King.

I hope that you take some time before Sunday to read through it, study it. Let the words penetrate to the depths of your heart and may you know that Christ is your King.

PSALM 46 

God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved,
and though the mountains be toppled into the depths of the sea;
Though its waters rage and foam,
and though the mountains tremble at its tumult.

The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy habitation of the Most High.
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be overthrown;
God shall help her at the break of day.
The nations make much ado, and the kingdoms are shaken;
God has spoken, and the earth shall melt away.

The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
 

Come now and look upon the works of the LORD,
what awesome things he has done on earth.
It is he who makes war to cease in all the world;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear,
and burns the shields with fire.

“Be still, then, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations;
I will be exalted in the earth.”

The LORD of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold.
 

Compassion

On Monday at Theology on Tap we were joined by Carolyn Witt Jones, who spoke to us about compassion, and the city of Lexington's initiative to take on the Charter for Compassion. As Carolyn explained what the Charter for Compassion was and how individuals sought to use it to make a difference in our community she shared with us her own experience at Yates Elementary School where she recently lead a Mix It Up Day. On Mix It Up Day the students were "mixed up" into different lunch table arrangements; instead of sitting with their usual friends (where races were typically parceled out into clumps around the lunch room), students had the oppertunity to make new friends as they ate lunch in a "mixed up" group of peers. Through this experience the students were able to find that they had more in common with their peers of different races then they may have previously thought before.

Carolyn's experience with the students of Yates Elementary School reminded me of my own experience in Israel. During seminary I had the oppertunity to travel to Israel and stay at St. George's College. Here we were able to learn about a lot of the efforts taking place in the community to support the Palestinian and Israeli relations. One of those efforts was lead by a former Hassidic Jew, who started an after school program for Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims. This program allowed for children from two very conflicted communities to come together and do what children do best, play. Here children were able to see through their national and religious differences and get down to the serious business of fun and games. The most moving and astonishing aspect of this program was the difference it made in the lives of these children's parents. While the children had no problems quickly putting their differences aside, the parents were a different story. But, as they continued to pick their children up week after week, they slowly but surely began to interact and communicate with one another, sharing the common bond of their children's friendships.

Today, in the wee hours of the morning, the long awaited announcement  from what seemed like an even longer presidential campaign was made. No matter my feelings on the outcome, it is obvious that we find ourselves in the midst of a very torn and divisive country. As we look forward to our future it is our call not only as members of a democratic country, but moreover as Christians, to find compassion for our neighbors in this nation. Never before has our country seen this much division, or felt this much pain from overdue reconciliation. It is our duty to love our neighbors as ourselves, and find a way to come together. Before we can begin this work, we will need to show ourselves a little compassion, being sensitive to the fresh news we have just received. As we continue to move forward as a country, we need an intentional return to the compassion that Christ showed the world, and calls us to show each other. We can be active participants in our future, as we come together, and bring the kingdom of God closer to this broken world, starting first by showing our neighbors a little more compassion.

As we seek to find solace and comfort, let us look to the words of our most compassionate God, in Psalm 46:
God is our refuge and strength,
   a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
   though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
   though the mountains tremble with its tumult.
God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
   God will help it when the morning dawns.
‘Be still, and know that I am God!
   I am exalted among the nations,
   I am exalted in the earth.’
The Lord of hosts is with us;
   the God of Jacob is our refuge.

If you are in need of conversation or prayer know your clergy are here for you. We are happy to make ourselves available during this time. 

Walking The Way With Those Who Have Gone Before

Almost four months home from walking the Way of St. James, I am still pondering what it was all about. I now have an icon of James in my office that I look at daily. But who was he really and why do almost 300,000 people walk the path every year to honor him?

James was the brother of the apostle John and son of Zebedee and Salome. It is believed that James had an ordinary education and led a common Jewish life. One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he spotted James and his brother mending nets on the fishing boat with their father. He asked them to come and follow him. The nets were dropped and they followed immediately.

I am sure that those few short years were packed. We know that James heard many stories from Jesus. We know that he was one of the few who witnessed the transfiguration as well as the raising of Jairius’ daughter.  We also know that he could be pretty narrow, fickle, narcissistic and arrogant. He actually asked to sit on either the right or left hand of Jesus in the kingdom. He incited violence on a few Samaritans because they were not welcoming.

In spite of all of his hang-ups, James was given the power to proclaim the good news of the Gospel. This he did with all of his humanity. We now know him to be a saint. Many go on pilgrimage yearly to catch a glimpse of who he was and to get close to him in some mystical way.

A dear friend of mine just died. She was in her eighties and I had not even known her for 10years, though it seems like a lifetime. She gave me many life lessons. Change was something that she embraced. She loved to learn and be stretched in her thinking and beliefs. She was doing this till her last breath. A friend who was with her near the end said that she even voiced,  "I can't wait to see what is next.  I am so curious about it all.  People say it will be more beautiful than we can imagine."  She obviously had a deep faith. Her theology had changed quite a bit in the last few years as she grew in depth spiritually. She was honest, always telling things like she saw them. She was not afraid to rock the boat. If she felt that she had wronged someone, she was quick to apologize and make amends. She was comfortable with her humanity. God had definitely given her the power to proclaim the gospel. She too is another saint along with James that I have come to know on this pilgrimage of life.

As we approach All Saints Day, take a little time to remember and celebrate saints of old and those saints that you have come to know recently. We have all been given this power to proclaim the gospel through our humanity. We have to choose to embrace this gift daily.

The Way of Saint James is helping me to see the many saints who walk this way with me. “God help me to be one too."

Preach

Yesterday we celebrated St. Francis of Assisi, one of the most popular and admired saints. Known for his love of animals and dedication to Lady Poverty, St. Francis is known for his devotion to the teachings of Christ. The Society of Saint John the Evangel, in their Word of the Day email blast yesterday, reflected on the word “Preach” using St. Francis’ famous quote  “preach always, using words only when necessary.” Their reflection on his quote spoke to the importance of our actions in our everyday life as they mirror the teachings of Jesus to those who we meet throughout our day, and echo the message of the Gospel in the world.

On Monday, at Theology on Tap, we looked at a recent article from the Episcopal Cafe, “The Shadows that Follow Us” by Robert Azzi (an American-Arab-Muslim columnist, photojournalist, and active in interfaith worker, especially with the Episcopal Church). The article covered the history of racism in America, and our need for repentance instead of avoidance. As we reflected on Azzi’s words and the recent tragedies in our country, surrounding issues of race, we asked ourselves “what could we do?”. How do we respond as Christians seeking to fulfill our Baptismal covenant within our community and the world?

Reading the SSJE Word of the Day on “Preach” I was reminded of exactly what we could do. We can, and our called to, act as Christ in the world. We are living testaments to the good news of the Gospel as we share Christ’s love, peace, and grace with all whom we meet and encounter. St. Francis life is a testament to the fact that we are all called to preachers, both in our actions and our words. What are you called to preach today? How will you spread the good news in your actions, and when necessary with your words?

Thou Shalt Love

          There are some traditions from my Jewish background that have followed me into my life as a Christian. The menorah my family used when we celebrated Chanukah sits on one of my bookcases. On the anniversaries of my parents’ deaths, I put on my father’s prayer shawl, such as Jesus would have done at the Temple before he read from the scrolls, and recite the Kaddish, the prayer for those who mourn.  On both my front door’s frame and my back door’s frame, hang two small boxes, the tops of which point to the east. In those boxes, those mezuzahs, are these words, written in Hebrew, from Deuteronomy II: 18-21, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words which I command thee this day shall be upon thy heart. And thou shalt teach them to thy children when thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest by thy way, and when thou liest down and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the doorposts of thy house and upon thy gates that ye may remember and do all my commandments and be holy unto your God.”

Several months after my father died, my stepmother gave me a box of my items that belonged to my father, things she thought I might like to have. She had no idea what treasures she was giving me. The box contained my father’s prayer shawl, given to him on the occasion of his 13^th birthday. Also in the box was a small blue velvet bag tied with a gold cord. Contained in that pouch were my father’s tefellin, the small black boxes I had seen my father wear on his head and on his left arm from time to time, such as after his parents died and when he headed out to synagogue with a friend for Sabbath services. I recall the time I had asked him why and how he wore those strange boxes, especially one that was tied by leather straps to his forehead. He started to explain and then stopped and told me to go get my bible. After he tied the boxes, one to my left arm and the other to my forehead, he opened the bible to Deuteronomy II and read verses 18-21.

As I stood feeling the pressure of the boxes strapped to my forehead and my bottom side of my upper arm, my father explained to me that he wore the tefellin out of a sense of duty to God. I had long been taught that with faith in God came responsibilities to God. Verses 18-21 were a summation of some of those responsibilities.

For as long as I can remember, I have had the habit of kissing my fingertips and then reaching up and touching the mezuzah that is affixed to the back doorpost of my house. I am certain it is a habit I developed from watching my father do the same thing each time he exited the house in which I was raised. That simple act, as I head out into the world, reminds me of God’s presence in my life and of my responsibility as a result of that presence. I try daily to live up to those responsibilities. I admit, some days I think I am much more successful than on others. But with each new day, as I head out the door, I tap my kissed fingertips on the box on the doorpost of my house and hope people whose paths I cross that day are able to see the love God has for each of them reflected in me.

                

When in Our Music

One of my favorite hymns is When in our music God is glorified. The tune and the text really speak to me and explores the main reason behind why I love working in the church. The hymn text was written in 1972, and it is set to Charles Villiers Stanford’s tune ENGELBERG, which was composed in 1904.

This hymn text encompasses what our music should bring to the worship service. Our music should always glorify God and the entire creation should rejoice with music toward God. Music is sound, and as musicians, we take the sound and compress it into time through rhythm, notes, dynamics, and words to take the sound to a deeper meaning, which hopefully stirs our hearts closer to God. Through our music, we speak the Truth, and we can learn much about our faith through music. Singing and music in the church have been around for hundreds of years. David wrote the psalms, which were set to music, and he played the lyre, calming Solomon. Mary, the mother of Jesus, rejoiced in song when she learned she would birth Jesus. Jesus sang a hymn the night He was betrayed. Cathedrals around the world have sustained choirs for hundreds of years. Through the centuries, music has always been an avenue to draw us closer to God.

At Christ Church Cathedral, our choirs - Girls, Boys, Mens, Singers, Schola, Imps - and music staff spend hours upon hours each week on the details of music to produce beautiful, artistic music on a weekly basis that ensures we will be able to give our highest praises and worship to God on Sunday. Our prayer is that through our worship, music, and sound, you will be moved to a more profound alleluia and draw closer to the One who gave us the gift of music. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-OiHpNK6XA

When in our music God is glorified,
and adoration leaves no room for pride,
it is as though the whole creation cried
Alleluia!

How often, making music, we have found
a new dimension in the world of sound,
as worship moved us to a more profound
Alleluia!

So has the Church, in liturgy and song,
in faith and love, through centuries of wrong,
borne witness to the truth in every tongue,
Alleluia!

And did not Jesus sing a psalm that night
when utmost evil strove against the Light?
Then let us sing, for whom he won the fight,
Alleluia!

Let every instrument be tuned for praise!
Let all rejoice who have a voice to raise!
And may God give us faith to sing always
Alleluia! Amen.

Trembling on the Pilgrimage of Life

     Phil Cousineau writes, “If your journey is indeed a pilgrimage, a soulful journey, it will be rigorous.  Ancient Wisdom suggests that if you aren’t trembling as you approach the sacred, it isn’t the real thing.  The sacred, in its various guises as holy ground, art or knowledge, evokes emotion and commotion.” After returning from our pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago, I am realizing that the journey of faith, is really a pilgrimage.  All of those steps that I took this summer, just emphasize a little bit more the how to do it.  

     Rigorous can certainly describe my walk on many regular days here at home as I expect it can describe yours.  It seems that the older that I get the more rigorous it becomes.  Sometimes, the rigor is more emotional than physical but it is still rigorous! 

     The below picture was taken in Padron, Spain while walking the camino pilgrimage this summer. It was a time of trembling for me.  It came as a surprise.  Bernie and I got off course on the fifth day of our time with all of the pilgrims.  Yes, we did get lost and it was very hot.  We however had heard of a spot where James had actually preached and we wanted to see it.  It was away from our prescribed path but there was a strong inner pull for both of us.  Because of being lost and asking many people for directions, we put way more steps in our day than we had planned.  We had been told that our destination was right behind the Convento do Carme.  You can’t miss the convent when coming into the town, but this mountain where James had spent time was not right behind it.  We walked down the convent steps and around on a back street where there was a woman helping anyone who came by.  Fortunately, she spoke English and directed us down the street a little farther where we climbed 115 steps to the Monte Santiaguino.  It was very late in the day but a pull was still calling to both of us.  We climbed these rugged, ancient steps that were lined with the Stations of the Cross.  As I approached the top, my insides were doing flips and turns.  I could sense the tears welling up in my eyes as well as a trembling deep within.  I was approaching ground on which a man who had known Jesus in the flesh was trying to live out his call.  We sat on that mountain together in silence, imagining and praying.  I felt changed somehow.  I knew that I was being touched by the holy.

These trembling times always come as a surprise.  This community of Christ Church Cathedral, is surrounded by the sacred in many guises.  The opportunity to tremble is ever present!  We can't however make it happen.  What we can do is what people of faith on pilgrimage do every day:

• ·        continue our search for God by worshiping with the community

• ·         be faithful to personal spiritual practices

• ·         wrestle with our questions

• ·         ask for support and guidance

• ·          keep going even when we are tired by putting one foot in front of the other.

     Then to our surprise, in the blink of an eye, we tremble.

     I look forward to being with you as we study, wrestle and support one another in so many ways in this new year.  I would love to hear about your moments of trembling if you would like to share.  Just as I struggle for words to describe my pilgrimage experience on the camino, I know it is hard to put this journey of faith into words.  We can try however as we exchange our stories with another.


Dr Elizabeth Conrad, Minister of Christian Formation

I Love You Despite Ourselves

          Earlier this week, I received an email from a former colleague lamenting the state of her relationship with her brother. What began as a disagreement last summer has grown into a full blown argument, one so intense my friend and her brother can not even be civil to one another at family gatherings. How, my friend wondered, could she and her brother be so far apart sociologically and politically? How could she ever forgive him for some of the things he had said and implied? Why would he/could he want to forgive her for the things she had said in anger?

          As I thought about that email, I remembered the reading from Luke 12:49-56 in which Jesus said He had come to bring fire and division rather than peace to the earth. Jesus' anger in that passage is all but palpable. The image of Jesus in that passage is not the peaceful, lovingly tending-His-sheep Jesus we generally envision Him to be. Rather, He is full of anger and frustration, tired of people being so dense and hypocritical. He is fed up with people not being able to see the forest for the trees. I get the impression He is angry at me, but I am not even sure why.

          Yet, I am reassured. I know Jesus loves me like a sister, as one of His bumbling stumbling flock, who would be lost were it not for Him. I know Jesus loves me like the beloved child of God that I am. He loves me in spite of myself, in spite of my foibles and my occasional hard-headedness. (Truth be told, my frequent bouts of hard-headedness.) He loves me when I have trouble loving my neighbor. Jesus even loves me when I am having a difficult time loving myself.

          I have not yet replied to my friend's email, but I think I know what I am going to say. when the smoke up the upcoming election clears and life is measured in more meaningful ways than measured sound bites, allegations and accusations, it will be long past time to look beyond politics and heated discourse. It will be long past time to practice what Jesus has commanded us to do: to love one another even as we love ourselves. I believe with all my heart that if God forgives us and still loves us, despite all our faults and differences, then we can surely forgive one another as well. I believe my friend and her brother love one another regardless. They need to remember the reasons they love one another rather than focus on the reasons that divide them.  Amen.

Meditation In Song

This week's Meditation is a prayer in sound. The Cathedral Choir sings Magnificat (The song of Mary) in B Minor by T. Tertius Noble. It was recorded on Sunday, June 26, 2016 during Evensong at Washington National Cathedral.

Magnificat in B Minor - T.Tertius noble

My soul doth magnify the Lord:  and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the lowliness of his handmaiden.  For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.  For he that is mighty hath magnified me:  and holy, holy, holy is his Name.  And his mercy is on them that fear him throughout all generations.  He hath shewed strength with his arm:  he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.  He hath put down the mighty from their seat:  and hath exalted the humble and meek.  He hath filled the hungry with good things:  and the rich he hat sent empty away.  He remembering his mercy hath holpen his servant Israel:  as he promised to our forefathers Abraham and his seed for ever. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son:  and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be:  world without end.  Amen.


Canon Erich Balling

How We Respond to God's Beckoning

Last Sunday, Father Brent preached on prayer, and as he reviewed the prayer practices most meaningful to his life I began to think back on my own journey. As I thought about the prayer practices that had made the biggest impact and influence on my relationship with God I recalled my teen years when I kept a journal. The journal was my “direct line” to God, where I felt I could freely talk and express myself, and where I heard God’s response in return.

During the St. Louis Urban Adventure, a few weeks ago, with the Cathedral Youth we practiced the discipline of journaling as we reflected each evening on where we lived out our Baptismal Covenant during the day. This practice only took a brief moment, five minutes, where the youth used the silence of the evening to process all that had taken place that day, and how it had impacted their journey as baptized persons. At the end of the week one of the youth commented on how meaningful this practice had been to her, and her hopes to continue it at home.

Prayer practices are just that, practices, that take our time and energy to reveal true fruit. One of this week’s words from the Society of Saint John the Evangel, in their daily email “Brother Give Me a Word,” was “beckoning”. As Br. David Vryhof reflected on the act of God beckoning us to prayer he recalled a classmate's daily call to passer by’s in the student lounge, “talk to me.” Prayer is God’s call to us to “talk”, to engage, and to participate in the most meaningful relationship we will ever have, with our creator. It is not a demand, but an invitation from the one who simply desires to be a part of our lives.

As I reflect on the meaningful practice I kept during my teen years I am reminded that our prayer practices change and grow as we move throughout life. They take time to develop and bear real fruit. And, they are always available to us to return to wherever we are. Br. Vryhof was intentional to point out that God does not call us to prayer with a finger wagging in disapproval, but with arms outstretched beckoning. It is an invitation to communion and relationship, and it is our to decide how we respond.

"The path around our home is also the ground of awakening." Thich Nhat Hanh

Coming home from a pilgrimage to a foreign place is unlike any other coming home that I have ever experienced.  Bernie and I stumbled home late Friday night from roughly 24 hours of travel.  We had just walked the Portugese route of the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James.  I can see that it will be a long time before I am able to make sense of it all.

There was so much walking and fatigue in those few blessed days away that I could not catch my breath or begin to ponder what was happening inside of me.  Every day we rose early, were given a hearty breakfast and then headed out on the path.  Some days were hotter than others, some were hillier and dustier than others.  Some days held more encounters that caused one to pause.  Every day however the walking continued for all of us.  Walking continued to stir together every scent, landscape, memory, person, song and ache that arose.  There was no time to wonder what kind of mixture was being created.  We just kept walking.

T.S. Elliot wrote that pilgrimage often reorients one's life.  Now as I sit at home in Lexington, Kentucky, I begin to look over the map of my life from those days on the Way.  How am I being asked to change by things encountered both inside and out along the way?  Why in this particular summer did my pilgrimage in life call me away to a distant land?

One memory that stands out is depicted in the picture above.  On Monday, July 4th as we made our way from Caldas de Reis to Padron I was stopped in my tracks by what I would normally consider a very ordinary and unexciting scene.  What looked like twinkling lights peeked through some wilderness brush, lighting up a shaded path.  I had to stop and just stare.  Bernie must have wondered why I was stopped by this tangled mess.  It was different though - just for a moment in time I was able to see the more.  It was a burning bush moment.

I believe that these scenes are everywhere around us - in our own back yard.  We don't have to travel thousands of miles away in order to wake up to the beauty in life.  Most often in the day to day grind however, we are blinded to God's wonder.  I encourage you to take a short walk - see yourself put on glasses which allow you to see deeper into things.  As you intentionally walk with these new glasses,  pay attention.  What do you see that you had not seen?  Maybe you see something different in another or in yourself.  Or maybe you will catch a glimpse in nature.  Walking helps us to unwind as it frees the mind of its chatter.  

Perhaps the biggest gift of the pilgrimage is the realization that I can wear these glasses every day.  It is my choice.  Do I choose to get caught up in chaos or do I choose to wear these glasses which enable me to embrace this pilgrimage that we call life?  This is available for all of us every day...