Rejoice....this week's sermon

OK, so John the Baptist calls the people a bunch of snakes...what is he getting at and does this approach with people work. Well, John was saying that just because the people were coming to him for baptism, he did not believe that they were serious about it. If they were serious, John expected to see some changes in their lives...like sharing with those in need and not taking more in taxes than people were actually required to give. John was kind of harsh, but his central messages was about Jesus and it was Good News. Jesus would be their Savior. That is something to rejoice about...and, for us today, to share in ways that can be understood by those who don't go to church.

In his book, They Like Jesus But Not The Church, Dan Kimball explains that many people don't see joy, love, compassion when they look at churches or know from their church experience. How can we let our gentleness be known to everyone? May this Christmas be a time when many do see the joy that we share and know through our Savior Jesus Christ.

The 2nd Sunday of Advent - Preparing for Salvation

It snowed here in Winchester today, which gave me a lot of time to ponder the themes found in our readings for the 2nd Sunday of Advent. Tomorrow is also the Feast of St. Nicholas. Millions of people know who Santa Claus is, even if they don't know that Santa Claus is really St. Nicholas mispronounced in English from the Dutch, Sinter Klaas. How does all this relate to John the Baptist, you ask? Well, John called people to repent and turn to God; he wanted them to live life in a way that displayed the faith they claimed, or wanted to claim, for themselves. St. Nick was a man, who became a bishop, who lived in such away that he is still remembered today, by many who know little about the Christian faith...this is of course not a good thing one hand...but on the other hand, it shows what living our faith can do...how it can prepare the way for others to learn about the love of God. Many people celebrate Christmas because of Santa Claus - it is our job to work with the secular nature of our culture and link it back to God and to the faith that gave us Christmas...that gave us Jesus Christ.

The First Sunday of Advent

Hope to see all my people (SPOTH people that is) at church tomorrow. Advent begins! Tomorrow the sermon addresses our Advent Faith, our Advent Hope, what the season is all about...how it is countercultural.

The Gift of God's Love

This week I had a sense of the great gift of love God seeks to share with all. I met someone who had never been to church or been part of any religious tradition. She asked me what it's about - Christianity. Great question. I really felt God's gift to me in that moment - that she was a gift. What could I say in a few minutes to convey what I think it is all about! I think I talked about God's love and the community of the Church. This week's sermon is the result of that conversation and my reflections about it.

The Present and the Future - this week's sermon

As much as I would love to control the future, I know that's not happening. Just staying connected to everything going on the present can be a challenge. In the Gospel reading this week, Jesus cautions his followers about listening to those who talk about the end of time. Do not be led astray, Jesus warns.

We also have a reading from the Book of Daniel. Daniel speaks about an apocalypse when the resurrection will occur. While he is talking about the future, Daniel's words are really meant to bring comfort those in the present who are suffering. The point being, that ultimately God will bring justice, and ultimately the righteous will have all that they deserve in God's kingdom.

It is amazing to me that so many have taken these readings and used them to incite fear in others - sometimes to control members of religious groups and sometimes to exploit the fear for personal gain. There is actually a website, Eternal Earth-Bound Pets that offers to take care of your pets after the rapture. It costs only $110 for the first pet and $15 for each additional pet. The $110 fee is good for ten years, if the rapture does not come in that time, you have to pay $110 more, and so on every ten years.

Jesus encourages us to focus on the present, and trust that God will take care of the future.

Appearances vs. Reality

This Week's Sermon: Appearances vs. Reality
Theme: Doing things for the sake of appearances is a waste of time for those who seek to grow close to God and who want to live a faithful life. Check it out at www.spoth.org.

The Bazaar

Tomorrow from 8am to 2pm, St. Paul's on-the-Hill will host its Bazaar. There will be lots of great food to buy, a tasting room and cookbook that goes with admission, and items to buy that make great gifts. Come and have lunch with us.

It takes a huge amount of time and energy to plan and carry out this event. It is a great community effort. Through such parish life events, we get to build connections within the church, and we get to meet those who will come to the Bazaar.

Spiritual Direction/Discernment

First - thanks to the 10 of you who are officially following this blog!

I'm at the Episcopal Seminary in Alexandria VA, VTS, for today and tomorrow meeting with the people for whom I serve as a spiritual director. It is a joy for me to be able to work with seminarians from around the country. As a spiritual director, I am a companion with others as they seek to deepen their relationship with God.

Of course, deepening our relationship with God, or one could think of it as expanding our vision of how God is already deeply in relationship with us, is something every Christian can do/hopes to do/might want to do. We are always growing in faith and our understanding/experience of faith. One way to do this is to meet with a spiritual director one-on-one, but most people don't have a spiritual director. So how can one "do spiritual direction or discernment" in any situation. I recommend practices described in the book Sleeping with Bread by Dennis, Matthew and Shelia Linn.

I think the full title is Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives You Life.
The authors describe how children at the end of WWII were given bread to keep with them at night so that they could feel secure, knowing that they would have food in the morning. What is it that gives us life and helps us feel secure? Answering that question requires discernment, prayerful consideration of our situation in life, what is happening in the situation, what do we hope will happen, and how God is involved with it all.

While matters of discernment can seem complex, the Linns make to easy to at least get started. They suggest that at the end of the day, we consider what is that gave us energy and also what drained our energy that day - what gave us joy or did not give us joy. Much of the time, what gives us energy and joy is something we are called to. Those things that drain our energy maybe be bad for us in some way or at least not what we are called to do. This is a great exercise to do with children. The Linns make the point children can understand what it is to feel good about something and as they reflect with their parents about what is going on in their lives, they are learning about this thing we call discernment - which gives them (and us) confidence to choose wisely among the many options life presents everyday.

All Saints' Day 2009 sermon preview

When we have the Gospel reading tonight at the 5pm service, I might look out into the congregation and see someone who looks like Lazarus. Covered in strips of cloth kind of like a Zombie (if you're thinking about Halloween movies)...Lazarus emerges from the cave. Jesus commands: "unbind him and let him go." Lazarus was dead, but Jesus called him to come out of the cave...to come out of death into life.

This is a great reading for All Saints' Day because it speaks of the eternal life we share with God through Christ. Jesus says, "I am resurrection and I am life" meaning that through him, at that time, Lazarus could live. Just as through Jesus, you and I can live the life of grace now...the life we will know at its fullest after we die to live with God.

And because we share that life with God now, we also share in that life with those we love but see no longer - the saints in heaven. When we say we believe in the communion of Saints we say that we know that we, the saints on earth, are in relationship with the saints in heaven. All Saints' Day is all about connections. Jesus is connected with those who have died; we are connected to Jesus; we are connected to the saints in heaven. Every time we come to the Altar to receive the Bread of Heaven, we know we are connected.

To Really See

This week's sermon focuses on Bartimaeus and what it means to really see what Jesus and the spiritual life are all about. Bartimaeus was blind; he knew Jesus could help him. Jesus, who went to every one's help, asks that Bartimaeus come to him. And then Jesus asks him, "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asks, if there could be any question - but it was important for the man to tell Jesus want he really desired. His sight is restored and he follows Jesus without question - unlike Jesus' closest followers who had been arguing about who was the greatest among them.

Bartimaeus regains his sight and immediately follows Jesus. He does not wonder if he should go at that moment or worry about the trip, he is able to see and knows that he wants to be with Jesus. This story is in shape contrast to the accounts we have been reading about Jesus’ closest followers and friends not knowing what to do or understanding what Jesus was trying to tell them. It is ironic that the man who could not see…sees the most even before he regains his sight. He knows who Jesus is what that means for him, the difference Jesus could make for him. Then he regains his sight and follows Jesus. Seeing leads to action. Seeing is not just for its own sake for also for what will come next.

Following Jesus Part Two

This weekend's sermon continues to examine what it means to follow Jesus. James and John tell Jesus that they want to share in his glory, but they don't really understand what that means. They want places of honor next to Jesus. But Jesus' glory is another sort of glory - it is a paradox (thanks Brs. from SSJE). Jesus is clear that they will share in his glory whether they understand it or not.

How well do we understand what it means to follow Jesus? These days, many people "church shop" looking for the church that will give them what they want. But really the better way to approach that choice is to ask, "is this the church where I can give the most I have to offer - the gifts that God has given me." You certainly can at St. Paul's on-the-Hill!

What role does hope play in all this? What are our expectations and our desires for our church? (Listen to the sermon tomorrow to hear how the film "Rudy" has to say about hope and who that relates to church - it does really.)

You are Witnesses

In the Gospel reading tonight for the Eucharist with healing prayers, Jesus tells his follows that they are witnesses to "all these things." (Luke 24:44-48) Those things were the events that changed lives because of all that God had done and was doing to connect with people and give them freedom and fullness of life.

We who follow Jesus today are also witnesses to the power of God in lives and in our communities. Those who attend St. Paul's on-the-Hill are witnesses to our work in feeding the hungry, the way we respect and nurture our children, the way we care for our older and sick members, the welcome that we offer to all, the joy that we share...the list goes on. We are witnesses to these ways that the power of God is active among us.

By sharing who we are as a Christian community, we are able to open up the faith to those who have no idea what we are about or what God is about. So many have negative ideas about church and even about God because of a lack of information about churches like ours, or too much information about churches that are not so welcoming. Do people know that we are about the work of God in the world, the work that we pray communicates the grace of God to all?

Share what you know about God and Christian community in ways that people can understand...people who are not yet in the church. Use words and images that relate to the world we live in today. Tell your story of life with God - not what you think someone else would say or what the priest would say - but what you know to be true about the grace of God, known through the church and in other ways.

We are witnesses. May we be inspired by God to share what we know in ways that will connect with people who do not yet know who we really are as followers of Jesus, who do not yet know God's great love for them.

Following Jesus

This Sunday at 10:00am Bishop Martin Townsend will be presiding and preaching. He is with us to confirm, receive, and reaffirm six adults. We will also be having our Saturday 5pm and Sunday 8am services, and I will be preaching for those services. My focus will be on "Following Jesus." The Gospel reading this week, Mark 10:17-31, has people asking Jesus how they can follow him and what it means to follow him. The man with many possessions was told that he would have to sell all that he had and give the money to the poor. We hear that the man was upset because he had many things and did not want to part with them. Then Peter makes the statement that he and the other disciples had given up everything to follow Jesus - what would that mean for them? Jesus says that they will gain more than they could ever imagine.

The adults who will be making a mature affirmation of their faith are, by their action, stating that they want to follow Jesus. Confirmation is a sacrament: the outward sign is the laying on of hands by a bishop and the inward grace received is strength for the journey from the Holy Spirit.

Jesus wants us all to follow him. What does that mean to you? What might we have to give up or reorder so that such a journey is possible? What does God want you to have that is more valuable than any material possession?

Looking to Job for Spiritual Direction

This weekend's sermon is on the Book of Job. Job was a very good and faithful man, and he was a successful man. But one of the heavenly court of God, Satan, the Accuser, states that Job is only faithful to God because his life is good. What would Job be like if his life fell apart - would he still love the Lord?

Job is a great model for us in that he does question God as to why he appears to be crused - Job loses everything and becomes ill. It is in the truth of his emotions and feelings that God and Job have a really heart to heart conversation. God does answer Job - not in the way Job expected, but that ends up not mattering. What does matter is that Job experiences God, that God does come to him, and that gives Job the hope and peace he needs to handle the ups and downs of life.

You Can Come to Church Tonight!

We have our mid-week service tonight at 7:00 p.m. It is a communion service with prayers for healing. It lasts about 30 minutes and children are welcome, as at all of our services. Many Episcopalians like to have communion during the week, and if one missed church on Sat or Sunday, it is a great way to connect with God through our faith community this week!

Worshipping God in Everyday Life

This weekend I'm preaching on the Book of Esther. This book of the Bible was controversial; there was debate about whether or not to include it in the Bible. God is not mentioned in the book, and there is not much traditional Jewish piety to be found. But really the Book of Esther gives is a great gift in showing us that God is at work all the time in every situation whether mentioned or not. God works through our hero Esther and she is able to save the Jewish people living under the rule of the Persian King Ahasuerus.

God works through all of us. When we are aware of God and giving thanks to God for all that God has done and does do for us, we are worshipping God in everyday life. And as is said in the letter to the Ephesians: "Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine..." Ephesians 3:20

Imagine what God is doing in your life and through your life.

The Blog from the Hill Lives On

Hi everyone, those who wondered if I would ever blog again are now in shock.

I'm about to leave for church to lead the 7:00pm Eucharist with prayers for healing. This is one of my favorite services. It is small but powerful. We pray for everyone and anyone in need, those who care for them, and all who love them. If desired I also offer the laying on of heads for healing. This is also a communion service; through the sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood we also receive healing and are strengthened to deal with any problem, illness, or stress.

After the Eucharist, there will be a Stewardship Committee meeting. Stewardship is all about being aware that God has entrusted us with many gifts and resources to be used for the good of all. The Stewardship Committee works to communicate the joy of being a steward and the call to be stewards that we all have from God.

A Place for Your Children to Grow in Faith and Love

Come to St Paul ’s for three fun-filled nights -- Praying and Playing in Community -- for families with young children from infants up to age 10! People with older children –or with no children—are welcome to join in and help with the program.

Dates and Time: Tues, July 28-Thurs, July 30, 2009

6:30 to 8PM



Our goal is to build Christian community, both at church and at home.

Each evening will begin with a simple meal, followed by time for children to play together, a short program for adults, followed by a group activity with parents and children, ending with a brief closing worship.

We will be considering some ways that parents can pray with and for their children, we will travel together along the Christian way by learning about labyrinths and walking and playing on a labyrinth, and we will celebrate the fact that we who are many, are one body in Christ , by making bread together.

Everyone at St Paul ’s is invited to participate. Volunteers can help prepare, set up and clean up the simple evening meal each night. Volunteers can also help lead games for children for a thirty minute time period each night.

Please sign up if you plan to attend on any of these evenings, at church or by email office@spoth.org. Please email if you have questions or give us a call 540-667-8110. You can also sign up to volunteer.

A Place to know God and Make Friends

If you are looking for a church or have just moved to the area, I hope that you will visit St. Paul's on-the-Hill Episcopal Church. Recently, a new member told me that she felt at home at our church right away - it does not take years to be included at SPOTH. Many of our members and families have moved here in the last few years or even in the last year. We do not slow down for the summer. Our summer seminarian Catherine Hicks is planning fun summer activities for families with children. Check out our pictures and video of the Parish Picnic held on June 14th, www.spoth.org. Adult Education meets on Sundays on at 9am and we are studying the Gospel of John. Much more is happening; see our website for details. Welcome!

The Impact one church can have

Tonight at the 7pm service we gave thanks for Will, who grew up at SPOTH, as we also prayed for all who fight discrimination.

Checkout Will's blog about the events of yesterday http://yearnsandgroans.blogspot.com/2009/05/testifying-to-love-why-i-was-arrested.html

Here is the first part of what Will wrote:

Testifying to Love - Why I was arrested

I grew up in a small Episcopal Church in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley where that tiny mid-century A-frame building on a hill and its odd mixture of congregants became for me as a gay person an oasis of encouragement, love, and support. When most other churches were campaigning for prayer in schools, we were learning about what we could do to end apartheid in South Africa, other churches encouraged their flock to listen to James Dobson while we were invited to listen to the words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. There at St. Paul's on-the-Hill, as a young acolyte I first heard about how faith compels us to stand with those pushed to the margins, and to work for justice. Yesterday was not the first time I’ve been arrested seeking to bear witness to a faith that calls us to honor the dignity of every person --- it is not likely to be my last.

Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter everyone. I hope that Easter Day was filled with joy for you, and I also hope that Easter Sunday will not be the end of your Easter celebration. We spend so much time in Lent focused on deepening our relationship with God that by the time we get to Easter it can seem like we are done with that spiritual intensity. What if we were to develop practices for the Easter season that help us to connect with Jesus, deepening that relationship in a similar way as in Lent, but with a focus on the Joy of the Resurrection?

This weekend at St. Paul's on-the-Hill, for all of our services, we are doing something called the Stations of the Resurrection. Members of our parish developed this devotional practice for Easter, during which we consider moments of resurrection found in the Bible and in the world. We hope that these Stations will be a jumping off point for your reflections about your personal moments of resurrection. We will post the Stations on our website in the next day or two. Enjoy.

Lenten Retreat

The Rev. Jonathan Bryan led a great retreat at SPOTH on Saturday March 21. Sharing stories from his own life, he helped us understand movements in our lives as being incarnational, crucifixional, and resurrectional. We had small group time to share with each other - being with each other, knowing each other better, and connecting our stories to the saving "story" of Jesus' life, was just what was needed by many. We concluded are time with the Holy Eucharist designed to bring our thoughts and discussions during the morning into focus through the lens of scripture and communion. Thanks Jonathan for a great retreat.

Group Spiritual Direction

Today we had the third meeting of the people taking part in group spiritual direction. There are five people in this group, plus me and I'm there as the facilitator. Next Tuesday our second group of five will begin to meet. Spiritual direction can be done as a one-one-one experience or as a group experience. In the group setting, everyone listens prayerfully to what one of the group decides to share about his or her life and understanding of God's action in his or her life. There is a lot of silence as we hold what is shared reverently. When a person feels call to ask a question in order to help the person move more deeply into relationship with God, she or he does so. Everyone in the group takes turns sharing.

There are many different reasons that people decide to attend a church. And churches have many functions in the lives of individuals and in the life of the wider community. For me, the most important thing that churches do, and the primary reason that we exist, is to help every person, and our community as a whole, grow closer to God. As individuals and communities of faith grow in the knowledge and love of God, the individuals benefit, the church matures, and the wider community is blessed. This can happen in many ways, and at different times in a person's life it can happen in different ways --it can happen through fellowship, outreach (helping others), worshipping, Bible study, singing in a choir - the list goes on and on. Sharing our spiritual journeys as we do in group spiritual direction is one way that God works through us to help each other notice the movements of God in our lives.

What is Lent?

No, I have not given up the blog for Lent. :) We have had a lot happening at SPOTH - the Shrove Tuesday dinner on Feb. 24 was a fun time of fellowship; about 60 people attended. The next day, Ash Wednesday, we began the historic journey through Lent to Easter. Easter is on April 12 this year, so we are about half way there. For me the most important part of Lent is the focus we have on the grace of God. We give things up or take things on so as to deepen our relationship with God. Lent is what we call a "penitential" time - meaning that especially during Lent we take the time to consider the ways that we distance ourselves from God by what do or what we choose not to do. "Sin" is defined as action or inaction on our part that damages our relationship with God. But as I said, the most important part of this Lenten time of self-examination is the fact of God's love for us that never waivers and is always reaching out to embrace us. During Lent, we make a special effort to focus on our spiritual lives and the ways that God calls us into communion and community as we prepare to celebrate Easter.

It is not too late to attend our Wednesday night program for Lent, which is about spiritual practices. We are considering different ways of praying and connecting with God. This weekend, on Saturday March 21, we are delighted that the Rev. Jonathan Bryan will lead a retreat at SPOTH. Jonathan wrote that cool and creative book about what his dog taught him about God, so you know that the retreat will be creative too. He is going to help us reflect upon the ways our life experiences enable us understand the incarnation, the crucifixion, and the resurrection - and conversely, how those events in Jesus' life help us understand and frame our experiences. Check back next week and I'll let you know how it went.

Everybody's Birthday

On February 6th we had a great time celebrating Everybody's Birthday. About 60 people came to share in the fun and fellowship. Check out the photos on the front page of www.spoth.org. Our community continues to grow and these sorts of events are a great way to get to know new folks and make new friendships. The connections we have with each other are an important part of our life on the Hill. Our next big parish life event will be our Shrove Tuesday covered dish dinner - join us on February 24th at 6pm.

Epiphany

The season of Epiphany gives a bridge from Christmas to Lent. These days before Ash Wednesday (February 25th this year) are a time to think about how God has been made known to you in your life. When have you had a moment of knowing that God created you and loves you? The Bible gives us many examples of God at work in the world - God reaching out in often unexpected ways to get a person's attention. This Sunday we will hear the account of Jesus' baptism - when God spoke clearly about the identity of the Chosen One. I think that many of us long for such a clear pronouncement of our identity as a child of God. Often that clear sense of God and our place in God's heart comes over time and in different ways at various points in our lives. The church and the way we communicate the love of God to all is an essential part of God's communication plan. If you are looking for a clear message about the depth of God's love for you, you can find it at our church.