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.