Invitation

I can remember as a child one  of my favorite activities with my mother was creating invitations. It was always a treat when my mom would let me tag along to Kinkos or the party supply store to assist her in picking out the paper or themed invitations for our next event. As we put together the final product we would hem and haw over which font or what wording to use. And, in the end, we would marvel at freshly printed product and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done… until realising that those same invitation still needed to be folded, stuffed, sealed, addressed, and stamped.

These memories of creating and distributing invitations with my mother hold a special place in my mind for two reasons. One, because they involve a person I love (my mother); and two, because having the opportunity to share an exciting event or a fun party with friends and family is always wonderful way to connect.

In a few weeks Christ Church Cathedral has it’s own exciting event to share, as we welcome Presiding Bishop Michael Curry to our pulpit for Pentecost Sunday, May 15th. As the 27th Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry has made Evangelism one of the platforms for his time as the Episcopal Primate. For many Episcopalians, Evangelism, or the “E” word can sometimes, be a bit much to swallow, as it has, in the past, carried the negative undertones of misuse within Christian circles. But Bishop Curry is calling us to reclaim this word as members of the “Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement.” In his first address to the Episcopal Church, Bishop Curry states: "Now is our time to go.  To go into the world to share the good news of God and Jesus Christ.  To go into the world and help to be agents and instruments of God’s reconciliation.  To go into the world, let the world know that there is a God who loves us, a God who will not let us go, and that that love can set us all free."

As we welcome this invigorating, dynamic, and awe-inspiring preacher, and our 27th Presiding Bishop, to Christ Church Cathedral we have been given the unique and exciting opportunity to go into the world and share the good news. During the next few weeks I invite you to participate in the spiritual practice of invitation. Consider and pray about who you might invite to hear the good news of the Jesus Movement from our Presiding Bishop, as we celebrate together the birthday of our Church this Pentecost.

Diamonds

For those of us who were born in April, we get an amazing birthstone – diamonds. Diamonds are the strongest mineral on earth and one of the most beautiful gemstones. Diamonds are pure carbon in its most concentrated form. For a diamond to form, there needs to be carbon, pressure, heat, and time. Natural diamonds that occur in the earth’s mantle take years to form. Man-made diamonds can be formed through a process of subjecting carbon to heat and pressure. 

I am one of the lucky women who were born in April, and with my birthday coming up and the coming of spring, comparing diamonds to new life and transformation struck me.

As humans, we are sinful creatures, prone to choosing a different path than the one God has for us. Through our walk of life, we are put under intense pressure. Life throws us curveballs all the time. We lose a family member, we stress over pressure from work, we receive a bad diagnosis, we lose focus on others, we lose our jobs, we move to a new town, and so on. Life and being human can cause chaos in our lives, but there is hope in life as well. Just like a diamond, we are put under heat and pressure in a variety of ways. Through time and with our focus on Christ and our walk with Him, we can become a diamond in the walk of life. James 1:2-4 states, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” 

Paul also wrote to the Philippians, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14) God has each one of us on earth for a purpose, and He wants us to keep striving each and every day to become a diamond. When the pressure gets to be too much, ask God to help you stay under that pressure with joy and hope, so that the diamond that you are inside can come to life. 

All We Like Sheep

          One day last month, I came home from taking one of my dogs for a long walk. As we turned onto the road on which we live, I saw a few dozen sheep in the front yard of a house at the far end of the street. I was fairly sure I knew where the sheep belonged. I put my dog in the house and then started down the road to do something (I had no idea what) to get the sheep to go peacefully back where they belonged. The closer I got to the sheep, the more they began to bleat and run away from me. The faster they moved, the faster I tried to follow. The faster I followed, the more they scattered. They had no idea where they were going and I had no idea of how to stop them. Since most of my experience with sheep was feeding them in petting zoos and occasionally getting to hold baby lambs, I decided to seek help. I stopped walking and decided to seek advice from someone more familiar with herding the fuzzy white bleating creatures than I.

          I thought I knew to whom the sheep belonged, but I didn't have her number. I called the man she had once dated, but he no longer had her number. After I tried to call a few other farmers, I finally got in touch with a farmer friend. Bobby's advice was that I get an empty bucket and then locate the ram in the herd.  If I showed the ram the bucket, Bobby said the ram would follow me wherever I wanted him to go. I went back home, got a bucket and cut through neighbors' back yards until I ended up ahead of the sheep. Shaking the bucket in front of me, I walked toward the large wooly ram. He looked up at the bucket and started to amble towards it. Shaking the bucket behind me, I started up the drive to the farm where they sheep belonged. Our slow moving parade made it

to a fenced pasture. I walked into the pasture, the ram right at my heels still trying to get a look into the bucket. Once all the rest of the sheep were in the field, I shut and locked the gate then sat in the grass and watched them do what sheep do best- peacefully graze.

          Thinking of those sheep, Handel's "Oh We Like Sheep" comes to mind. In so many ways, we are like those sheep, only we are more fortunate. Those sheep were dependent on me, or whoever would have come upon them. We have Jesus as our shepherd. He has laid down his life for us. He has gathered us to himself. He has filled us with a spirit of love and compassion. When we feel lost, Jesus in his great mercy has the power to lead us back home. Jesus feeds us, loves us and when we have gone astray, he takes us into his loving arms and forgives us our human sins. Fortunately for us all, Jesus is a much better shepherd than am I.