No Snow

It doesn't look like it will snow tonight. Too bad. Those Christmas Days I had in Vermont as a kid - now that was snow. But when I would visit my Dad in Miami FL for Christmas, well...not so much. Wherever we find ourselves tonight - snow or no snow, merry or not, - this is where God meets us. The birth of Jesus happened, in sense, so that it doesn't matter where you live or who you are, how much you have or how little. Jesus, our Emmanuel (which means God-with-us), was born for us all. Through Christ we know peace and joy - we see the signs of it all around when people choose to help instead of hurt - when the poor receive good things and the sick find comfort.

It's fine to hope for snow or to remember years past when Christmas seemed so perfect. But the story of Jesus' birth is a living reality that addresses the concrete situations in which we find ourselves. Jesus, the Light of the world, was born long ago to bring us close to God. Jesus, the Light of the world, seeks us still. Merry Christmas to all.

The Peace of Advent

Advent is coming to a close. This Sunday will be the 4th and last Sunday of Advent. The Gospel focuses on Mary; she is greeted by an angel who tells her that even though she is a virgin, she will be the mother of Jesus--for nothing is impossible with God. During Advent we have been preparing for the great gift of Jesus' birth. On Wednesdays during Advent, we have gathered to rest in the peace of God and prepare ourselves through prayers and communion. We have used the Episcopal Peace Fellowship's litany for Advent; I recommend it to you. It speaks of putting on the things of God--Advent is a time to put on the things of God. I think, however, that you can pray this litany at all times and benefit from it.

Advent
Litany by Rev. Gary Commins

O God, you inspired your servants the prophets with visions of a new earth, where wolf and lamb dwell together, where cries and weeping are uttered no more, and where elders are healthy and infants live in safety; inscribe your hopes in our hearts that casting away the works of darkness and putting on the armor of light, we may seek first your reign on earth, and prepare the way for the coming of Jesus Christ, our Deliverer. Amen.

That nation will not war against nation, that they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks

Let us cast away the works of violence

And put on the armor of peace

That the fruits of the earth will be distributed so that each will have their own vine and fig tree and none shall make them afraid

Let us cast away the works of greed

And put on the armor of justice

That our city/community will no more be called forsaken or desolate, but will be a place of light and glory

Let us cast away the works of neglect

And put on the armor of passion

That the Church will fulfill our mission to be ambassadors of reconciliation and emissaries of truth

Let us cast away the works of indifference

And put on the armor of the Spirit

That those who are ill will feel Jesus’ healing hand, those who hunger will taste the Bread of Life, and those scarred by violence will be given the balm of Christ’s wounds

Let us cast away the works of anguish

And put on the armor of love

That we may be blessed to be Christ’s hands, to share Christ’s feast, and to soothe Christ’s people; and that the blessings already in our lives and those yet to come will awaken us to your grace

Let us cast away the works of anxiety

And put on the armor of joy

That you will remember with mercy those who have died and embrace them with compassion

Silence

O God of hope, before we turn to you, you run to us, before we call out to you, you answer; by the might of your Spirit lift us from the numbing uncertainties of life to joyful expectation of Christ’s appearing that, when he comes again, he may meet us as people who anticipate his reign with eagerness and who welcome him with praise. Amen.

God and Dogs

Last night Jonathan Bryan came to SPOTH to lead us in a discussion of his book Nonetheless, God Retrieves Us. The book is about Bryan's huge yellow Lab, Jocko, and how Jocko helps Bryan to understand the nature of God. All dog lovers, get this book. All who are interested in great metaphors that help us all understand God better, get this book. Like God, Jocko is "hardwired" to retrieve. Jocko cannot resist retrieving a stray tennis ball, even if it means risking his own safety by running into traffic. God will risk everything to retrieve us! As Bryan states, that is a great way to understand Jesus...hardwired to come to us and to be with us and to retrieve us even if it means risking everything. About 25 people came to our book group, the Rector's Read, last night. It was great to welcome Jonathan and his wife Judy to SPOTH -- and others who had come to hear Jonathan speak.

Healing Retreat

Last Saturday 18 persons attended the Advent retreat we held. The retreat was intended to help people center themselves in God during these times of change and, often, stress. God works to bring about our healing and wholeness, and we can be partners with God in the process of healing.

Often people are surprised that we have healing services in the Episcopal Church. So many have been turned off to the idea of healing as an activity of the Divine because of the messages coming from the fundamentalists. Sometimes people have actually been told that if they had more faith they would be healed. Do you see how a theology like that is about guilt and actually gives all the control to the person rather than to God? God does not give out healing as a reward for faith! God wants everyone to experience healing. I believe strongly that healing occurs when I lay my hands on a person and pray for him or her, asking Jesus to fill the person with grace that he or she may know the healing power of Christ's love. The healing may not be physical, most often it is not, but healing of a person's spirit often occurs. God supports each of us--to be with people who affirm that truth and live accordingly is a great joy.

Advent

We are deep into Advent now! Advent is that time of year before Christmas to prepare ourselves in spiritual ways to celebrate the birth of Christ. Not too long ago someone who does not go to church was telling me how she can't stand the consumer culture that surrounds Christmas. Advent is the answer! From Nov. 30 to Christmas, we in the Episcopal church choose to do things that the "world" might not understand - slow down, take time for quiet reflection, worship together, and appreciate the many things in life that speak to us about God.

The Body of Christ

There are so many terms that we use in the church that are not easily understood by many. The Body of Christ refers to the members of the church. All who have been baptized are members of the Body of Christ. As such, we are always connected with each other. As such, we seek to serve as Jesus did; we feed the hungry, visit the sick, welcome the stranger, and show compassion in many other ways.

When members of our church move, we are sad but we understand that God is sending them forth as members of the Body of Christ to serve in another place. On Sunday, we sent two of our teenage members off to Texas. This is the prayer we used during the service:

Your Spirit, O God, keeps us moving ever forward in faith as you call us to new places and new beginnings. Your servant Lindsay and your servant Katie are leaving the home they have known to make a new place home. We give thanks for all the good times we have had together at St. Paul’s on-the-Hill, for the friendships we have made, and the ministry we have shared. May they go forth from here in your service to share the grace we have known with others.

Lindsay and Katie, we promise you our continued prayers as we send you forth to share the light of Christ with all. Go forth in faith, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Speaking the Word

Every Christian is called to share what we call the Good News. We seek to share our belief in God as revealed through Christ and our faith that God is with us and active in every life. Given that many people have had negative experiences with the Church, it is so important for we who have known God in a positive way to speak of God's love in ways that reach the people of our time. We want to speak the words of grace in ways that can be heard. Using the Internet is one way to do this. I am delighted that the sermons given at SPOTH are now available from iTunes. You can go to our website, www.spoth.org, and hear the sermons there, and if you like, subscribe to them through iTunes. You can download the iTunes program for free and of course the sermons are free too!

Why Belong to a Church?

Well, there are many reasons. Today I was thinking about how great our church bazaar was this past Saturday and how members of our church worked together to make it happen. People I meet who do not go to church often say to me, "I'm spiritual; I don't need to go to church to connect with God." That's true--we can connect with God anywhere. God is with us all the time. But to be a Christian is to be part of the faith community, which is the Body of Christ. One's faith journey is enriched beyond measure by worshiping and working with others to the glory of God. The church bazaar is a good example of why being part of a church is so important. We raised over $3,000 to fund our Food Pantry, which helps the working poor of our area. Together we can so much for God. We are the hands of Christ in the world.

So you have bishops?

On October 26, Bishop Shannon S. Johnston visited our church to confirm, to receive, and to reaffirm a number of people. We had a great service and a great day -- you can view pictures from the day on our website, http://www.spoth.org/gallery.htm . People who are new to the Episcopal church often ask why it is, or what it means, that we have bishops. People wonder, are we Protestant or Catholic? We combine elements from both the Roman Catholic tradition and the Protestant tradition. We have bishops, priests and deacons, and we also value highly the ministry of the laity. All people, both clergy and lay, are ministers of the church. We respect our bishops and look to them for guidance and leadership, but our commitment to a democratic system of church governance makes us different than the Roman Catholic Church. We believe in the great reformation idea of the "priesthood" of all believers. At the same time, every Episcopal Church is a member of a diocese. We are in the Diocese of Virginia. We have responsibilities to our diocese, and we benefit greatly by sharing in the resources of the diocese. When you join an Episcopal Church, you are joining in the ministry of a diocese, the national Episcopal Church, and the world-wide Anglican Communion.

The Interior Life

Today I was asked by a newspaper reporter what it is I preach about if it is not politics. He is writing a story about how different churches deal with the up-coming election. I explained that in the Episcopal Church we do not instruct our members on how they should vote. We respect each other's points of view on politics even when we disagree because we know that it is our faith in God that unites us in ways that politics never can. So what have I been preaching about? Today at a local retirement center, I spoke about prayer and the interior life. No matter what our circumstances, God is with us and at work in us. No matter what is going on in the world, our life with God is stable and dependable--and it is often in prayer that we have the most clear sense of what is important in life. Even as age may limit us in external ways, our interior life can flourish. Even for those in the prime of life, it is the life of prayer and the practices of faith that keep us grounded in what is really true. Last week, I preached about the current financial situation and how we can rely on our Christian faith to deal with the anxiety so evident in the world around us and sometimes within us. It is through the nurturing of our interior life that we can put the rest of life into the proper perspective. Thanks be to God.

It Is So Good

One Sunday a few weeks ago, one of our young members, just turned two, was in the pew with her parents. As I broke the bread during the Great Thanksgiving, into that holy silence came the loud joyful words, "It is so good," from the two-year old. She was speaking of the bread, but I had a sense of the entire church experience being SO GOOD. As the 10:00am Sunday service ended this week, I was thinking about the goodness of God and our parish - the way we come together to celebrate our faith every week, the way members of our church care for each other, the energy of our services that are so blessed by God, the devotion of our people, the commitment of our youth...much more could be said but it really needs to be experienced to be understood. The more we take part in Christian community, the more we give ourselves to God and each other, the more we grow in our knowledge of how good it is.

Do you plan to vote?

That was the question that our youth group asked people in Winchester tonight. We had nine kids come out for our activity. We met at the Daily Grind with our youth group friends from Christ Church. That coffee shop is on the Old Town Mall, and tonight many people were out walking around enjoying the nice weather. Of the 40 people interviewed, 39 are planning to vote - the one who is not is not yet old enough to do so. We also asked people to tell us what they would like to ask the new president or tell him. Many people were thinking about the financial situation in which we find ourselves as a nation; some were concerned about the environment; some mentioned health care. The activity was fun, and it gave us a chance to talk about why we want to be involved in the political process. Why do we, as Christians, want to be informed and involved? It was great to hear what the teens were thinking.

Why do bad things happen?

Yesterday, as I went about my tasks, I was asked to explain my understanding of why bad things happen. What are we to make of God when the innocent suffer? Now, this conversation did not take place at the church. Some of the best conversations about God happen when I'm walking around Winchester. As you can imagine, this topic comes up often for clergy. What I find is that those who have been taught that God predetermines everything are at a loss when tragedy strikes. It is really hard not to blame God when a loved one dies young if you believe that God made that happen. This is one of the number one reasons people stop going to church. I believe, and the Episcopal Church teaches, that we have free will. God did not kill the innocent person, but the person who made the choice to shot the gun is the responsible party. God suffers with us; God cries with us. God became one of us and died on a cross to be with us in our suffering. Christianity does not promise that all will go well, but that God will be with us and, in the end, bring us to new life.

In Communion, In Community

Today after the 10am service, a member of the church and I gave communion instruction to children. Nothing gets to the heart of what one thinks about communion faster than trying to explain it to kids - it's really a lot of fun to try. We talked about how God wants to be with us always and comes to us in the communion - the body and blood of Christ. We are connected to God and strengthened by God and in communion with God. We also come to the table as a community; we find unity there and are brought closer to each other. Everyone receives this gift from God - there no tests or questions about what one believes. Through the communion we receive the grace of God; God is fully present to us. If you were not with us at the table today, we missed you - it is a community experience as well as a deeply personal experience.

We Really Do Welcome You

"The Episcopal Church Welcomes You," is a phrase seen on many Episcopal Church signs. I think that most churches say that they welcome all, but have a limit to how welcoming they will really be based on who they think you are. We are surrounded by big fundamentalist churches here in Winchester---St. Paul's on-the-Hill offers a distinctly different church experience. Often people who find the Episcopal Church are amazed that we really do welcome everyone. Often people who find our church have had negative experiences at other churches, and are amazed that there really is a faith community where they can feel comfortable. I am thankful that when I was a young adult I found the Episcopal Church - I had not known that such a church existed.

The Glory of Giving and Caring

Last Sunday, one of our parish children presented a check to the church for our food pantry. She is 6 years old, and this summer organized a concert for the purpose of raising money to help people. She, one of her sisters, and another child from the church sang for a group of friends and family. When she handed me the check, saying it was for "the poor" I was struck by a deep sense of thankfulness for this child, and all who think of others before themselves. It was a beautiful moment. This was our "Stewardship Moment" for the Sunday, and it was one of the sweetest moments of stewardship that I have witnessed.