Seeking Justice
I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how we as a Church (both big C and little c) see ourselves and our mission in the world. The world is on literally and figuratively on fire and what are we supposed to do about it?
I recently took the General Ordination Exams (GOE) for The Episcopal Church. Writing the GOEs are a requirement for the priesthood in The Episcopal Church, as well as a rite of institutional passage. There are 6 essay questions taken over 3 days, with 3.5 hours allotted for each answer. It's grueling, but it can also be illuminating, fun, and a bit dangerous.
The first question of the second day was the Church History question, and we were instructed to profile 2 Episcopal Bishops, one modern (consecrated after 1945) and one historical (consecrated between 1810-1880), and to reflect on how our 2 examples could inform a newly elected Bishop today.
As a relatively new Episcopalian, I was excited to dig deeper into our history, and decided to research and report on an anti-slavery, abolitionist Bishop. Imagine my dismay and distress upon discovering there wasn't a single one. Not even one. I already knew that The Episcopal Church was the only major Christian denomination that did not split during the Civil War. I already knew that The Episcopal Church's complicity created deep wounds that we are still healing. And I know it’s quite possible that, given my research limitations, I might have missed something or someone. But for some reason, finding not a single Bishop who was courageous enough to speak out against the horrors of slavery stunned me into silence and sadness and rage. And into a writer's block that lasted an hour, before I managed to cobble together an answer that wasn't, by my own standards, sufficient.
צֶדֶק (tzedek), the Hebrew word for justice, appears over 400 times in the Old Testament, and it is crystal clear that God requires us to "Do justice and love mercy." Even when it's not convenient; perhaps especially when it's not convenient. When Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated in 1968, he had a disapproval rating of 75%. His disapproval rating was even high among African-Americans, partly because of his increasing outspokenness against the Vietnam war. MLK paid the price for the courage of his convictions with his life. And so did Jesus.
"My Bishop '' ended up being Bishop William White of Philadelphia, who was the first and fourth Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. Bishop White ordained Absalom Jones, the first Black man ordained in The Episcopal Church, in 1795, and was committed to the American Revolutionary cause. And although Bishop White was a bright light in my sea of despair, I was unable to use him in my essay because his consecration did not happen during the stated rubric of the exam question. But he gave me hope.
This is my cue to ask myself, and to ask you to ask yourself, "What do I believe and what or who am I willing to stand up for?" Our passions, our beliefs, our truths are required. Whatever the issues, whatever the needs, be they local, national, or international, we are the hands and feet of God in this world.
Jesus said "The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed." (Luke 4:18)
We as a parish, as a beloved community, have everything we need to make a difference in the world. Our Eucharistic Prayer says that we present our entire selves as a living sacrifice to God. My prayer is we all, in every way we can, continually seek out and do צֶדֶק
The Power to Bless
Dear Beloved Ones of Trinity Church,
This past week, I found myself re-reading John O’Donohue’s classic work To Bless the Space Between Us, a wonderful collection of poems and soulful wisdom. Toward the end of the book, he has a section called “Preparing the Space for Blessing.”
“When a blessing is being invoked, time deepens until it becomes a source from which refreshment and encouragement are released. As Yeats says: Feeling I was blessed and that I now too could bless.
Whenever one person takes another into the care of their heart, they have the power to bless. There are things we never do simply because it never occurs to us that we can do that. To bless someone is to offer a beautiful gift. When we love someone, we turn toward them with our souls. And the soul itself is a source of blessing.” (p.207)
In the Examination portion in the liturgy for the Ordination of a Priest, it says, “You are to preach, to declare God’s forgiveness to penitent sinners, to pronounce God’s blessing, to share in the administration of Holy Baptism and in the celebration of the mysteries of Christ’s Body and Blood, and to perform other ministrations entrusted to you.” (BCP, p.531)
Within the liturgies and sacramental rites of the Church, priests are given the privilege and responsibility of pronouncing blessing, but I pray that you never underestimate your power to bless. We are created in and through God’s blessing and love. That reality is the ground of our being and the true essence of our humanity, wonderfully restored and animated in the waters of baptism.
One does not need to raise their hand and make the sign of the cross invoking the trinitarian formula of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to bestow blessing. When you listen with compassion, see the truth of someone’s pain, speak words of tenderness and truth, open your heart and soul to another, and reach out your hands to serve and care - you offer a blessing. You become a living, breathing, loving blessing!
O’Donohue goes on to say, “Perhaps we bless one another all the time, without even realizing it.” (p.209) This offers us the possibility of a life “infused with blessing.” And this, dear ones, changes us, changes the world, changes everything.
Peace and blessings to all!
We Announce...
In the early Church, one job of the bishop was to calculate the date of Easter each year and transmit that information to every priest. It’s one duty that Bishop French is happily freed from, although she might prefer that to processing the pile of email she receives every day! Because written calendars were rare, and because few laypeople could read, the priest would in turn announce the date of Easter to the congregation. The Noveritis (Latin for “we announce”) was chanted at the Eucharist on the feast of the Epiphany. It was an appropriate time to do this, as the liturgical calendar moved from seasons governed by the fixed date of Christmas to seasons governed by the movable date of Easter.
At our Epiphany service (5 PM this Saturday), I will read the Noveritis for 2024 and announce the date of Easter to the people of Trinity Church. Why do this in an age where we have calendars on our phones as well as on our walls? Besides than the fact that I think ancient practices like this are fun, it’s above all a reminder of how central the Resurrection is to our life as a Church. Every year revolves around Easter, and every Sunday is a feast of the Resurrection of our Lord. We live our lives as Christians illumined by the light of Christ that is kindled every Easter.
I hope to see you on Saturday evening! Not only will you find out when Easter is happening, you will also hear some wonderful music from the choir - and you can take home some chalk to bless the door of your house. But in case you can’t make it, here is this year’s text:
Epiphany Proclamation 2024
Dear friends, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us, and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return. Through the rhythms of times and seasons let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.
Let us recall the year’s culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord: his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial, and his rising celebrated between the evening of the twenty-eighth day of March and the evening of the thirtieth day of March, Easter Day being on the thirty-first day of March.
Each Easter — as on each Sunday — the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death. From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy.
Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, will occur on the fourteenth day of February.
The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the ninth day of May.
Pentecost, joyful conclusion of the season of Easter, will be celebrated on the nineteenth day of May.
And, this year the First Sunday of Advent will be on the first day of December.
Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the Passover of Christ in the feasts of the holy Mother of God, in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints, and in the commemoration of the faithful departed. To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come, Lord of time and history, be endless praise, for ever and ever. Amen.
Yours in Christ,
Kara
The Road Ahead
Dear Good People of Trinity,
As we stand on the threshold of a new year, we will most assuredly reflect upon all that was and all that was not in this past year. Each year changes us, shapes us, and forms us. Sometimes, in dramatic and visible ways, and other times, the changes are quite subtle and go seemingly unnoticed. As time passes, we are becoming a new creation. The realities of life wash over us like the flowing of a river cutting its way through the land and, over time, shaping and changing the contours of the terrain as it finds its way to its destination.
As we ready ourselves to begin this new year, I share with you one of my favorite prayers from Thomas Merton. This prayer brings me great comfort as we live with the uncertainties of life. For as much as we may like to think we have some kind of control, the truth is we have very little. How we live amid all that life brings to us defines who we are, and knowing that God is with us every step of the way changes everything.
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always, though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.” -Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude
For all that was, for all that is, and for all that is yet to be – Thanks be to God! Peace and Blessings,
Are We Ready?
Dear Beloved of Trinity Church,
Tomorrow, our Advent journey comes to a close, and we transition swiftly and seamlessly into the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord. In our case at Trinity Church, this will happen between the 8 AM Advent IV service and the first service of Christmas Eve at noon. The hangings will change. The vestments will change. The readings, hymns, and prayers will change. The Baby Jesus will find his way to the creche. We will transition from expectation and preparation to a celebration of the truth of the Incarnation of God’s word made flesh in Jesus.
However, the transition is so much more than changing hangings, colors, readings, and hymns. This transition is about changing our hearts, souls, minds, and lives. For Christ has been born, and that truth changes everything about who we are, who we can be, what the world is, and what the world can be and indeed will be in and through the redemptive love of Jesus.
And we must remember that Christ came not to celebrate the perfection of the world but to redeem its brokenness. Christ came not because of our successes and achievements but rather quite the contrary because of the truth of our tears, fears, longings, and loneliness. So, I ask you and me and all of us - Are we ready? Are we ready to allow Christ into those places of our lives where light so desperately needs to shine? Are we ready to let Christ’s loving hand touch the places where pain and resentment reside? Are we ready to allow Christ into our hearts so we might not only believe in Christ but trust in Christ? Are we ready to go to the manger and see in the innocence of an infant the power to change the world, the source of life that animates all of creation, the one in whom and through whom we are saved? Are we ready?
Christmas blessings to all,
Christmas Pageant
Dear Good People of Trinity,
This Sunday is the joyous celebration of our annual Christmas Pageant, a time when the youngest members of our church family not only narrate the story of our Savior's birth but also breathe life into its very essence. They don't just tell the tale; they embody it, infusing it with vibrancy and life. Their portrayal of gentle lambs, angels, shepherds, and figures like Gabriel, Mary, Joseph, brings the story alive for us in new and wonderful ways.
In their roles, the children extend an invitation for us not merely to witness but to actively discover our own roles within the beauty and power of the Christmas story. Moreover, they invite us to discern our place in the ongoing narrative of God and God’s people. As the children transition through the roles of the pageant, so do we, as we mature and evolve in our faith. This becomes a living testament to the dynamic nature of our spiritual journey, as God continually works within us in unexpected and transformative ways. I invite you to join us this Sunday, not just to hear the familiar recounting of our Savior's birth but to fully immerse yourself in the profound experience. Come, discover your role in the ongoing narrative of healing in our world. Your presence is not merely that of an audience; you are the living words of the ever-unfolding story.
Advent Blessings to all,
Advent Credo
I love this poem by Allan Boesak. It speaks to the mystery of Advent, and particularly to the reality of the in-breaking of Christ into our lives in a profound way. Allan Boesak is a South African pastor and theologian in the Dutch Reformed Church, politician, anti-apartheid activist, and author. This poem is taken from his book Walking on Thorns. As you read these words, I invite you to reflect on how Advent challenges us to hope; yes even hope against hope.
Advent Credo
It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss—
This is true: For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life;
It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction—
This is true: I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.
It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word, and that war and destruction rule forever—
This is true: Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, his name shall be called wonderful councilor, mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of peace.
It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world—
This is true: To me is given authority in heaven and on earth, and lo I am with you, even until the end of the world.
It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the Church before we can be peacemakers—
This is true: I will pour out my spirit on all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions and your old men shall have dreams.
It is not true that our hopes for liberation of humankind, of justice, of human dignity of peace are not meant for this earth and for this history—
This is true: The hour comes, and it is now, that the true worshipers shall worship God in spirit and in truth.
So let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope. Let us see visions of love and peace and justice. Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage: Jesus Christ—the life of the world.