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.