Author: vicar

Pentecost 3 June 21, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date June 21, 2009

Job 38:1-11Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Mark 4:35-41Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

The Hebrew people, who wrote the Bibleâ€”both the Old Testament and the Newâ€”were a desert people. Water for them had a double, paradoxical meaning. It represented chaos, threat and danger. On the other hand, it represented life and new birth. Weâ€™ll get to that other hand in a minute, but letâ€™s start with the chaos, threat and danger side of water.

Tags atheism, baptism, chaos, creation, faith, trust, water

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Pentecost 2 June 14, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date June 14, 2009

2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 14-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Mark 4:26-34Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â — 2 Corinthians 5:17

St. Paulâ€™s, Concord, has called a new rector. Her name is Kate Atkinson and she was in town last week house hunting. Though it will not be until late August that she takes up her duties, inevitably there will be things the people of St. Paulâ€™s want to consult her about before then. At our Central Convocation clergy breakfast last week, we were talking about the pitfalls of getting sucked into a job before youâ€™re really on the ground. You never know all the ramifications of what youâ€™re being asked to decide. An innocent decision may have unknown and lasting symbolic significance, labeling you one way or another for your entire ministry.

Tags Christ, new self, transformation

Believing and Belonging

Coming to Holy Cross with No Religious Background

Post author By vicar
Post date June 13, 2009

What if you have no religious background at all? What if you’ve never stepped inside a church, or you’ve been only to a few weddings or funerals? You may haveÂ heard some terrible things about churches–that they ask you to believe “six impossible things before breakfast” as Alice Through the Looking Glass put it, that they’re full of self-righteous people or people who all have the same political beliefs, that they’ll try to get their hands on you and once they do they’ll never let you go.Â But maybe you’re also Â intrigued by the idea of being part of a group of people who believe in a mysterious higher power they call God and who care about each other and about justice and peace in the world. Maybe you’d like to explore religion a little, but are just afraid that you’ll be lost in the strangeness of a worship service, make an utter fool of yourself by doing something wrong.

Well, you’re not alone. An increasing number of people in our society have no religious background. Interestingly, New HampshireÂ has (after Vermont) the highest percentage of people with no religious affiliation of any state in the U.S. And yet, a lot of people are searching. They sense that something is missing in their lives, in the lives of their families.

Tags liturgy, newcomers, Worship

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Trinity Sunday June 7, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date June 7, 2009

Romans 8:12-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Â John 3:1-17Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you

calling in the night. â€“Daniel L. Schutte

All of us, all human beings, have heard that call in the night. The call of something or Someone beyond ourselves, greater than ourselves. A Greater-Than that offers the hope of meaning to our lives here on earth, our struggles, our joys and sufferings.

Imagine two groups of scientists. The one searches the farthest reaches of the universe with powerful telescopes, offering data on what they see, further annotations in technical treatises, passed on to other experts who may be interested. The other group of scientists are standing around the rim of a huge crater in the surface of the earth, or perhaps in a submarine inspecting a deep concavity under the ocean. They are trying to work out what happened, what force, what dimensions and at what speed caused this impact, and what its consequences have been or are or will be for life on our planet.

I owe this analogy of the two groups of scientists to the Catholic theologian James Alison,* who says that it is the second group of scientists, those looking at the crater, who are most like us when we think about God.

Tags doctrine, God, Jesus, Trinity

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Day of Pentecost May 31, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date May 31, 2009

Acts 2:1-21Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

Romans 8:22-27Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

Letâ€™s call him Adam. He was one of the unhappiest people Iâ€™ve ever known. Nothing and nobody could please him. Everything was always against himâ€”and against him personally. If there was a new policy at work, it was a terrible idea and instituted by his boss for the express purpose of making Adamâ€™s life miserable. If his daughter was having trouble at school, she was having trouble just so as to reflect badly on her father. And churchâ€”well, every change, every experiment, every new hymn tune, every sermon, was a direct insult to Adam. I had a special file folder labeled â€œAdam lettersâ€ telling me so.

I was on my guard big time therefore when Adam made an appointment to come and talk to me. I dressed carefully, so there would be nothing for Adam to criticize in that department, one of his favorites. I went over in my mind all the things in the last month or two that he might find fault with, preparing my defenses. And still I dreaded our meeting; my heart rate rose as I watched Adam pull into the church parking lot and get out of his car and I felt my breathing constricted.

So I was surprised when, once weâ€™d settled into our chairs in my study, Adam pulled out a small white card and handed it to me. â€œMy therapist said I was to work on these things. And he said if I had trouble, to come and talk to you.â€ This was news to me: that Adam would seek help in therapy! But there was more. On the card was written: â€œPractice praying before the Altar in church. Put yourself in the presence of God. Let God show you how much he loves you. Be with God in the light of love.â€

â€œIâ€™m having trouble with this,â€ Adam said. â€œI canâ€™t do it. I canâ€™t even begin. I donâ€™t know what heâ€™s talking about.â€

Tags Advocate, baptism, Holy Spirit, love, Pentecost, Satan

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Easter 7 May 24, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date May 24, 2009

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

1 John 5:9-13Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 17:6-19

Our Christian religion is full of paradoxes. Indeed, we could almost say that the presence of paradox is our best indicator that we are in the presence of God. For instance: Jesus is truly and fully human, but at the same time truly and fully God. God is One, but at the same time Three. You and I are sinners, but also saved. And all that is just the beginning. All through our history, people have tried to rationalize or clarify away these paradoxes. To say that Jesus wasnâ€™t fully human or wasnâ€™t really divine. That God was not Trinity. That we are not really sinners or not surely saved. We call those attempted simplifications heresies. By eliminating the paradoxical element of our faith, they take the life out of it. There is something about the tension in paradox that is necessary, that is the heart of Christianity.

Tags Ascension, beauty, immanence, liturgy, music, paradox, ritual, transcendence, Worship

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Easter 6 May 17, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date May 17, 2009

Acts 10:44-48Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

1 John 5:1-6Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 15:9-17

This wonderful little reading we have this morning from the Book of Acts. Letâ€™s listen to it again:

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers [that is, the religious insiders] who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles [that is, the religious outsiders], for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” [That is, for bringing them into the Jesus movement that became Christianity.] So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

One of the great figures of history will surely be Pope John XXIII. He was elected pope in 1958 as an old man, a placeholder, a transitional figure. But out of the blue one day, at a routine church meeting, he announced that he was convening a great council of all the bishops from around the world, to reform the Church, to bring it into the modern era. And he did, in ways that dramatically changed not only the Roman Catholic Church, but all of Christianity.

There are many little stories told of this old and gentle saint. One of the ones that I think of most often is that when he would lie awake at night, worrying about the council he had convened, about the Church and its future, he would say to himself, â€œAngelo, Angelo [for that was his baptismal name, Angel], whoâ€™s in charge of the Church? You or the Holy Spirit?â€ And then he would fall to sleep like a baby.

Tags change, Holy Spirit, Jesus, love, tradition

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Easter 5 May 10, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date May 10, 2009

Acts 8:26-40Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 15:1-8Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

(Members of the youth group presented a dramatization of the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. The congregation renewed their baptismal vows, sprinkled with water from the Font by the children.)

Our lives are shaped by little coincidences that arenâ€™t coincidents at all, but the workings of Godâ€™s Holy Spirit. We can plan our lives, our childrenâ€™s lives, so carefully. We can work so hard at fulfilling dreams. But in the end, the power of the Spirit working largely unseen trumps whatever we try to do. Would I be here this morning, would I be an Episcopalian, let alone a priest, if a college friend had not invited me to come with him early one Sunday morning to the S.S.J.E monastery in Cambridge? I doubt it. The working of the Spirit.

So this drama weâ€™ve just witnessed, about the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, is about the working of the Holy Spirit.

Tags Acts of the Apostles, baptism, Communion, Good News, Holy Spirit, mission

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Easter 4 May 3, 2009

Post author By vicar
Post date May 3, 2009

Acts 4:5-12Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

1 John 3:16-24Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â

John 10:11-18

Halfway through Jesusâ€™s earthly ministry, his journey from the shores of Galilee to Jerusalem, he asks his disciples a pivotal question: â€œWho do you say that I am?â€ You may remember that St. Peter blurts out the answerâ€”â€œYou are the Christ, the Son of the living God.â€â€”what is called the Confession of Peter. I say this is a pivotal question in the gospels, because it begins to prepare the disciples for what is ahead: for the crucifixion and the resurrection. â€œThe Son of Man must suffer, and be crucified, and on the third day rise from the dead.â€

But the question can be turned around: Who does Jesus say that we are, each of us? Here, too, it is pivotal. For how we answer has everything to do with how we go through life, with all its challenges, its deaths and resurrections. It has everything to do with our discipleship.

Tags Good Shepherd, soul

Worship

History and Basics of Anglican Worship

Post author By vicar
Post date May 2, 2009

During May, we at Holy Cross will be engaged in a review of our liturgy, the way we worship. (The word liturgy comes from Greek meaning “work of the people.”) As an introduction to this project, I offer a very brief summary of the history and basics of worship in our Episcopal/Anglican tradition.

Tags Anglicanism, Come With Joy, history, liturgy, music, Worship