Striving for justice and peace and Respecting the dignity of every human being in North Carolina

North Carolina bishops issue statement regarding HB2

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

In our baptismal covenant, we commit “to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” For many, this is the most difficult promise in the covenant, as it calls us to move beyond our differences, expectations, fears, prejudices and misunderstandings about other people and meet them where they are. At times, it means standing up in the world and speaking truth to power, knowing that there will be resistance. This promise takes us out of our comfort zone and into the uncharted territory of God’s grace.

In the highly polarized and political environment in which we live, we may be tempted to take sides on an issue or to back off entirely and be silent. But the issue of discrimination is not partisan, nor is it secular. The practice of discrimination by a state or institution limits, even prohibits, us from respecting the dignity of another human being. It inhibits our very capacity to care for one another and to work for the common good. This affects all people.

On March 23, 2016, the North Carolina General Assembly passed House Bill 2 (HB2). This bill overtly discriminates against LGBT people and goes further by cutting back on protection against discrimination for anyone in the state. HB2 does this by:

• Refusing to understand the complexity of the lives of transgender persons and criminalizing nonproblematic behavior by members only of that community; • Overturning the local passage of laws by the city of Charlotte to allow transgender persons to use the gender-specific facilities matching their identities, and requiring all people to use facilities according to the biological sex listed on their birth certificates;

• Preventing cities and counties from establishing ordinances extending protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender persons, while making no effort to call for protection at the state level; • Making it more difficult for people who are being discriminated against for reasons of race, age, sex, religion or disability to take legal action by making them take their cases to federal court instead of to the state;

• Discriminating against the working poor by restricting a community’s ability to demand that contractors raise minimum wages to living wages and pay for vacation and sick leave.

In the weeks since the passing of HB2, other states have followed suit, putting forth bills openly supporting discrimination against LGBT persons. Such discrimination by the state reinforces the fear and prejudices of people who do not know or understand the lives of people who are already marginalized in our society. It cultivates an environment in which we do not respect the dignity of each person but instead fight to hold on to personal power and privilege.

The response against HB2, in North Carolina and around the world, shows evidence that this bill affects the lives of more than a few people using the bathroom; it touches on the ongoing struggle for equality.

As a Church, we seek to love unconditionally as witnessed in the life of Jesus and follow his example by embracing those who are marginalized by society.

We affirm that all people are created in the image of God and are loved by God.

We oppose laws supporting discrimination against anyone by race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political affiliation, genetic information or disability.

These are complex issues with wide-reaching ramifications. HB2 was introduced and passed into law in one day, without sufficient time to listen to the voices of all who are affected by the bill. The mounting economic losses for North Carolina show this hasty process did not leave room to consider what impact HB2 would have on our state. We are all paying the price.

Because we strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity every human being, we call on the North Carolina State Legislature to repeal HB2. We encourage our leaders to listen to the experiences of LGBT citizens and to seek to understand their lives and circumstances. Furthermore, we offer our prayers and support for the LGBT community, and for all who are affected by this bill.

Yours faithfully,

The Right Reverend Anne E. Hodges-Copple
Bishop Diocesan Pro Tempore of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

The Right Reverend Porter Taylor
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina

The Right Reverend Robert S. Skirving
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina

The Right Reverend Peter James Lee
Bishop Assisting of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina

Remembering Chernobyl

It has been 30 years since Reactor 4 exploded at the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl_disaster

What we can learn from this disaster, is found in this reflection by the Ecumenical Patriarch:

https://www.patriarchate.org/-/the-power-of-memory-chernobyl-thirty-years-later

This new kind of thinking—this new ethic that aspires to “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21.1) —is what should be taught in every parish and every corner of the world. Chernobyl should be a lesson about restraint and sharing. We must show compassion; we must demonstrate respect; and we must make peace, not just with our neighbors, but also with the whole of creation.

Season of Prayer III & IV

Presiding Bishop calls for a Season of Prayer

The Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has called for a season of prayer for regions of the Anglican Communion which are experiencing violence and civil strife. “In this season of Resurrection, I call on everyone to pray for our brothers and sisters in areas where there is much burden and little hope,” the Presiding Bishop said.

Citing Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ

Presiding Bishop Curry called for prayer throughout the holy season of Easter. Beginning on April 3, the First Sunday of Easter, and proceeding through Pentecost May 15, The Episcopal Church is asked to pray for a particular province or region: Burundi, Central America, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Middle East, Pakistan and South Sudan.

The Episcopal Church’s Middle East Partnership Officer the Rev. Canon Robert Edmunds shares a reflection this week:

“Not a day goes by without news of violence from somewhere in the Middle East. Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank are all locations seared into our minds. Hundreds of thousands are dead and something above four million human beings are refugees in foreign lands and tens of thousands more are identified as “internally displaced persons.” The horror of barrel bombs, IEDs, knife attacks, brutality at borders, house demolitions, and the de-humanizing impact of occupation by military forces of civilian areas are painfully commonplace. Christian churches are desecrated and others destroyed. Innocent men, women, and children are lost to the violence every day. Muslim, Christian, and Jewish families grieve, each in their own neighborhoods or far from their homes.

In this same region is the Anglican Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Anglican Christians throughout the region continue to hope, work, and pray for peace in their respective homelands and for their neighbors. Education, health programs, and pastoral care for one another and those who seek help, both locally and from afar, benefit from the compassionate efforts of indigenous Christians whose faith is rooted in the Anglican tradition.

A Prayer for Peace: O Holy One, we know that violence between your children is not according to your will and we pray that you will help and guide all the peoples of the Middle East who are caught in the violence find both justice and reconciliation. We pray for open hearts for all sides to listen and work for peace. We pray for a change of heart for everyone involved in this struggle that they will realize that solutions to this conflict are to be found in negotiations and not weapons. We ask also for safety for our fellow Christians in the Holy Land that they may continue to serve as living representatives of your Son in the land of his earthly birth. We ask all this in His Name, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen

The Anglican Church of Congo (Province de L'Eglise Anglicane Du Congo) was established in 1896 but remained part of the Church of Uganda until 1980. Today the Province includes nine dioceses and focuses its ministries on evangelism, education, social development and well-being, and reconciliation.

The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen decades of violent conflict and bloodshed. From 1997 to 2003, a brutal civil war raged throughout the country and saw troops from a number of neighboring countries participate in the fighting. In the years since the official cessation of that war, armed conflict has continued to be a part of the daily life for many Congolese citizens, particularly in eastern Congo. In the midst of this reality, the Anglican Church of Congo works to improve the daily life in communities across the country. It has embraced an asset-based development approach in its ministries and addresses physical, emotional, and spiritual needs through programs focusing on HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and gender-based violence. The Church also has a special ministry for women who have been victims of sexual violence during the years of conflict.

The Anglican Church in Congo participates in an ecumenical Great Lakes peace campaign along with neighboring countries and churches, including Burundi and Rwanda. In 2015, the Province organized peace, justice, and reconciliation-themed events ranging from cultural activities and workshops to soccer matches. 2016 brings new tensions surrounding the upcoming presidential election. The Anglican Church of Congo plans to continue their public witness about the importance of peacebuilding across the country.

A Prayer for Peace: Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 815)

Remembering Prince

There is an interesting NY Times article that looks at Prince & his Spirituality:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/24/opinion/sunday/princes-holy-lust.html

You can remember Prince as one of the most sexual artists of all time, and you would be right, but he was also one of the most important religious artists of all time. He put the thought of an inescapable Judgment Day and a vision of a glorious afterlife into the ears of millions of people. And Prince’s musical ministry was not about preaching to the choir like most gospel artists. He was outside the church, in the proverbial street, preaching to people who didn’t realize he was putting spiritual messages in their heads.

My favorite of his is the song The Cross that Prince wrote in 1987

Black day, stormy night
No love, no hope in sight
Don't cry, he is coming
Don't die without knowing the cross

Ghettos 2 the left of us
Flowers 2 the right
There'll be bread 4 all of us
If we can just bear the cross
 

Sweet song of salvation
A pregnant mother sings
She lives in starvation
Her children need all that she brings

We all have our problems
Some BIG, some are small
Soon all of our problems
Will be taken by the cross

Black day, stormy night
No love, no hope in sight
Don't cry 4 he is coming
Don't die without knowing the cross

Ghettos 2 the left of us
Flowers 2 the right
There'll be bread 4 all, y'all
If we can just, just bear the cross, yeah

We all have our problems
Some are BIG, some are small
Soon all of our problems, y'all
Will be taken by the cross

The cross

Easter 5 Sermon (April 24)

Be present, be present, O Risen Christ, as you were with your disciples, and be known to us in the breaking of bread and in the Scriptures, we pray. Amen.

“Dearly beloved - We are gathered here today - To get through this thing called life”

Those are the opening words of the song Let’s Go Crazy by the musician, artist, composer, Prince (Rogers Nelson), who died on Thursday. In that same song from 1984, which is a song about living one’s life to the fullest and not getting down, he says:

“You better live now - Before the grim reaper come knocking on your door”

He is right. We are here to help one another get through life, and we need to live because none of us knows when death will come.

In her memoir Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son, Anne Lamott writes about getting through life in the face of death:

"The only son of some people that Sam (her son) & I know from town has died. How on earth can the parents survive that? How can the grandparents?

"Same old inadequate answer: They will survive with enormous sadness and devastation. I don't see how this is possible. But looking back over the years, I see that people do go on against absolutely all odds, and truly savage loss.

"Some of us have a raggedy faith. You cry for a long time, and then after that are defeated and flattened for a long time. Then somehow life starts up again. Other people set up foundations so other kids don't die the way theirs did, and so their kids didn't die in vain, or they do political work for the common good. Your friends surround you like white blood cells . . . Some aching beauty comes with huge loss, although maybe not right away, when it would be helpful. Life is a very powerful force, despite the constant discouragement.

So if you are a person with connections to life, a few tendrils eventually break through the sidewalk of loss, and you notice them, maybe space out studying for them for a few moments, or maybe they tickle you into movement and response, if only because you have to scratch your nose."

If we look carefully, with persevering trust, we will realize the love of God breaking through like flowers through the cracks in the sidewalk of our brokenness and pain. Such compassion and care is ours to give and receive in our "raggedy" attempts to follow Jesus and when others suffer trauma and loss, may we possess the grace of God to be a "tendril" of God's love for them.

For Jesus at the last supper, told his disciples, “I give you a new commandment that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

The greatest challenge that we have as Christians & our raggedy faith, is to be that open, loving person that Christ calls us to be for others. Who we are as disciples of Jesus is defined by that love we give for one another.

In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter responds to the criticism that he has begun reaching out to Gentiles, by explaining how it was that the Holy Spirit guided him to this work.

“The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, `John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?"

In many ways Peter is not only talking about faith, but about love too. The Holy Spirit helped him see that he shouldn’t be making a distinction (us vs. them), that if they [gentiles/uncircumcised] were called to receive the same gift as he has, he needed to respond in faith and love to them.

I am reminded of a beautiful collect from the Book of Common Prayer, which begins with… "Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace."

What Jesus asks of us, is to help with that saving embrace, how we reach out our arms of love to this world. A world that is so filled with hate, spite, violence, inequality, and death. And yet, it is the little acts of love that can transform our world. A young woman remembers her beloved grandfather:

"Grandpa was a man of integrity. He was a rancher who loved his family fiercely and passed down simple yet important life lessons. My dad tells a story about helping his dad tediously wash borrowed farm equipment before they returned it to a neighbor. 'Why are we cleaning this?' he asked. 'It was dirty when we got it.' 'Always return something a little better than you found it,' was Grandpa's reply.

"A week after Grandpa's funeral, I helped my dad vacuum, wash, and refuel a car he had borrowed from a friend. After accepting the vehicle, the friend leaned over to me a remarked, 'Whenever I loan something to your dad, I know it will come back in even better shape.'

"And that is my grandpa's legacy. He left the world just a little better than he found it. I hope I can do the same." [Katharine Hanschu, writing in Reader's Digest, March 2012.]

A legacy of respect and generosity passed down through the generations and recognized by others. That same legacy of love is the legacy of Christ to us - our very identity as disciples of Christ is centered in such complete and constant love.

Our faithfulness in imitating the compassion and forgiveness of the Risen One is lived in our openness of heart and spirit to love selflessly, completely and unconditionally, as God has loved us in Christ.

Jesus the Healer and Reconciler, Jesus the Footwasher, Jesus the Crucified & Redeemer, entrusts to his Church, the Body of Christ, love that places others first and the common good before our own, love that renews and re-creates all human relationships, love that transforms the world and helps make it a better place.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to get through this thing called life, with God’s Spirit empowering us together to live and give such love and hope to make this a better world. Amen.

Sermon: Easter 4

Be present, be present, O Risen Christ, as you were with your disciples, and be known to us in the breaking of bread and in the Scriptures, we pray. Amen.

What does it mean to be the Church today?

The Church is the Body of Christ. We are the disciples of Jesus today, doing the work he has called us to do. Our discipleship calls us to prayer and worship, service and fellowship: I think of the refrain from the Song of the Body of Christ:

• We come to share our story.
• We come to break the bread.
• We come to know our rising from the dead.

The words from David Haas, a contemporary hymn writer, speak to our coming together every week as the Body of Christ in this beautiful & holy place. We come to share our story.

We each have a story. In fact, we each have lots of stories. About family, about play, about work. Our loves and hates. Lots of things…

It is here, in this place, where we can share our story with one another. Stories of struggle, stories of despair, stories of hope, stories of loss, stories of love, stories of you and me. And these stories are connected to the stories we hear each week from Scripture, from Hymns, from the service itself. In sharing our story, we are connected to the Body of Christ here at St. Peter’s and in our more symbolic sense, with the Body all over the earth.

We come to break the bread. Each week we gather for a meal, a ritual done since the time of Jesus when he broke bread and shared wine, asking the disciples to do this in remembrance of him.

We now remember as we gather around the altar, inviting young and old, newcomer and old timer, rich and poor, welcoming everyone to the Lord’s table. And here we offer bread and wine, we bless the elements, we break the bread, and we give the bread and wine to all who have gathered.

Bread and wine, gifts of the earth, the work of human hands. Bread and wine, the body and blood of our God, lovingly given to us in the Eucharist, as a gift, and in return we give our thanks for what God is doing all around us and in our very lives. In the act of the breaking of the bread, we are connected to the Body of Christ.

We come to know our rising from the grave. For in our Easter lives, Jesus has conquered death, and has brought us into his new life.

We hear from our scriptures, our tradition, of how God has entered into lives, bringing seemingly dead things back to life. As the biblical scholar, Walter Brueggemann puts it, “Biblical faith attests that God, creator of the world, is the giver of life, even in a world of deathliness. While that claim is pervasive in faith, it is rooted in specific, nameable moments when God’s power for life was particularly concentrated and effective in contexts of death.”

Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles illustrates this beautifully.

Tabitha (or in the Greek Dorcas) was a disciple of Jesus and she was a pillar of her faith community in Joppa. She was a widow, which would have meant that she was on the margins of that society and not financially secure.

But what she had was faith. It was that faith that the widows and other disciples also had in that community. They felt her love and her care. She fell ill and died.

They learned Peter (Yeah Peter!) was nearby and asked him to come at once. Peter learned from the widows of the good works & charity of Tabitha, the clothing she made for other widows.

Peter puts them all outside the room where they beautifully laid their beloved Tabitha. He prays and asks Tabitha, to get up. (Reminiscent of the prophet Elisha who raises the widows’ son and of course, Jesus who raised Lazarus from the dead, a little girl from the dead, to name just a few).

She does get up and Peter returns her to her community alive. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, raised Tabitha. It was a reminder to the early Christian community that God’s Spirit was still active in the world, just as it is for us today.

God’s spirit is still active, still bringing new life, still resurrecting people from their dead lives.

As we come to know our rising from the dead, we come also to know our place in the Body of Christ. And sometimes when we share our story, we can help others rise from the dead…

A man was walking along the East River promenade in New York City in a very dejected state of mind. He was more than dejected—he was suicidal, was seriously contemplating climbing over the railing that separated the promenade from the river and throwing himself in. Life felt empty, meaningless, hollow. He felt that the writing he had devoted himself to for decades had no real value, and didn't amount to much, what had he really accomplished in life?

As he stood staring at the dark, swirling water, trying to summon up the courage to do the deed, an excited voice interrupted his thoughts. "Excuse me," said a young woman, "I'm sorry to impose upon your privacy, aren't you John Doe,* the writer?" He nodded indifferently. "I hope you don't mind my approaching you, but I just had to tell you what a difference your books have made in my life! They have helped me to an incredible degree, and I just wanted to thank you." "No, my dear, it is I who have to thank you!" he said as he wheeled around, turned away from the East River and headed back home. (from Small Miracles & is a true story.)

We come to share our story. We come to break the bread. We come to know our rising from the dead. And then we go from here, to share the story with love, hope, & peace for all, sharing bread to those in need, and spreading the Good News of our rising from the dead with the world God has made and redeemed in Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.

The Holy Communion

The 1979 prayer book restores the most ancient name for this tradition on making Eucharist: the Great Thanksgiving. there are four primary actions within the Great Thanksgiving, and these are based on the actions of Jesus in the Last Supper as well as on the Jewish pattern of thanksgiving suppers: we offer bread and wine, we bless them, we break the bread, and we give the bread and wine to all who have gathered. In the church's vocabulary, these four actions of offering, blessing, breaking, and giving are called the offertory, consecration, fraction, and communion.

In the Episcopal Church today we receive communion in a variety of ways. In some congregations you will go forward to the altar and kneel at an altar rail. In others, you may stand and receive in front of the altar or at various communion stations located throughout the church.

Some people receive by eating bread first and then drinking directly from the cup; others prefer to did the wafer or morsel of bread into the wine and then consume the bread and wine together-a process known as intinction, or to receive just the bread. (Gluten Free wafers are often available.)

Source: Vicki K. Black, Welcome to the Book of Common Prayer. Morehouse Publishing: Harrisburg, PA, 2005, pp.53, 56, 57.

Easter 3 Children's Sermon (April 10) - 10:15 AM

Sometimes in our life, we have to have our eyes open to what God might be doing right in front of us. This is what happened to St. Paul, when his name was Saul. And he thought he knew what he was supposed to do with his life.

He was not one of the first 12 disciples, in fact, he was a persecutor of some of them, but in a flash of light, his life changed. Saul came so close to God and God came so close to him in that event that he would come to a new understanding of what God wanted him to do. His life and his name changed in the encounter with God!

Saul would become Paul, and he would become a saint in the church because of his witness to the world. But we must remember how this all began…

1. Paul’s (or should I say Saul’s) life began in Tarsus, in south central Turkey, (the place of the first meeting between Mark Antony and Cleopatra). He was named Saul after the first King of Israel. He and his family were both Jewish and Roman Citizens. He loved learning, he knew the Greek language well but he loved Hebrew and his faith.

2. This led him to leave Tarsus and to make his first journey as he went to study at the temple in Jerusalem. Scripture tells us that he was as a student of Gamaliel the Elder, or at least within his school of the Sanhedrin. He worked hard to keep all the laws of the Torah. But Saul was troubled by the Christians who claimed Jesus was the Messiah. Saul persecuted Christians.

3. And then as he traveled to Damascus because he heard there were Christians there, He experienced God on that road to Damascus. A blinding light knocked him down – the voice of Jesus asked why he was persecuting him. And his companions took him to Damascus because he could not see. Taken from Acts 9:1-9.

4. He stayed with Ananias in Damascus, a Christian who was reluctant to minister to Saul because he knew he was a persecutor of Christians. But God told him to take care of him and Ananias did. Saul was healed from his blindness and no longer persecuted others, instead his name changed to Paul and he proclaimed the Good News of Jesus. When others wanted to arrest him for this change of heart, he escaped from Damascus, being lowered over the wall and he spent time in the desert.

5. He taught about Jesus. He took many journeys along the Mediterranean to tell others his experience. A story from Acts 17, tells of Paul before the Athenians on Mars Hill, helping the Athenians learn that this unknown God that they worshiped was the God Paul knew. For Paul listened to the longing in their hearts for faith and hope and love, he saw their intellectual curiosity and their restless creative spirit, and spoke boldly of God who is near each one of us, “in whom we live and move and have our being.”

5. He wrote letters to new churches. We remember their names from the people he wrote to… Corinthians, Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, Romans…and nearly every Sunday its one of his epistles (letters) that we hear that help us how to live as Christians in our world today, just as he had written to the Christians so long ago guiding them on how to live in that love that he found in Christ, that they can share in their places (churches). Some of those letters may also have been written by students of Paul.

6. Then finally, he went to Jerusalem for the last time, in a ministry that probably lasted around 30 years, he went to preach the Good News and while there he was arrested by the Romans. And being a Roman citizen from Tarsus, they sent him to Rome to await his punishment.

7. Even in house arrest in Rome, he continued to write and support the Churches. And then it came time for Paul to face his punishment, and he was martyred by the Romans; years later the Roman Emperor Constantine who converted to Christianity would build a church on the spot where tradition said St. Paul died. (The church of St. Paul Outside the Walls was built there in 324.)

and the early church who Paul helped develop, though of him as a saint and St. Paul still lives, because his letters are still read in churches today. We hear the accounts of his life from the Acts of the Apostles and we continue to try to live as Christ would have us live. Much of his work was to try to say how his hate had turned into love and how everyone (jew or greek, male or female, slave or free – from Galatians) has a place with Jesus. He begin to settle churches where people could show how this was to be done, to love one another. And he preached to everyone whom he met.

God opened the eyes of Paul on a road to Damascus long ago.

Now I wonder…

· What part of the story you like best? Most important part? Story is about you?

Paul came so close to God and God came so close to him that he would understood what God wanted him to do, to share the love of God & not hate others in God’s name and now it’s up to you & I, to go share that love with others. Amen.

(for the adults)

Paul blinded being led into Damascus by Malcolm Guite

He cannot see the crescent moon, but feels
This night’s wide wilderness. He is afraid,
And holds the hand of one he used to lead,
Through folds and shadows where the moonlight falls
He holds his counsel and still holds the road,
As it winds northward. Rounding a last bend,
Paul senses each slight change in scent and sound;
A gradual Damascus just ahead,
Whose pre-dawn hush is filling him with dread,
For what awaits him there is his true end.

Slowly from Ananias he will learn
To touch the body and to break the bread
And, as the scales fall from his eyes, discern
How Love himself has risen from the dead.

Easter 3 Sermon (April 10) - 8 AM

Lord, open our eyes that we may see you in our brothers and sisters, both nearby and far away. Open our ears that we may hear the cries of the hungry, the cold, the frightened, the oppressed and those in prison. Open our hearts that we may love each other as you have loved us. Amen.

We continue our Easter celebrations, of Jesus who would not be stopped by a cross or tomb, not stopped by locked doors. Nor would Jesus be stopped by his disciples who have failed to see what Jesus had been asking of them all along. The Risen Jesus had called them to a new life, but their eyes did not see…

So Jesus appeared to his disciples again, the Gospel of John tells us, for they had returned to their old ways, they had gone fishing. And in the miracle of the large catch of fish, the disciples realized that they were seeing Jesus even if they didn’t voice it. And in a shared meal, Jesus became fully present to them.

And then Jesus addressed Peter three times, do you love me (feed or tend my sheep). Each time I can imagine with greater emphasis, you love me? Feed my sheep. Because out on their boat, Peter could not feed or tend to God’s sheep. He wasn’t reaching out to others.

Then Jesus called them to “follow me” as he did when he first called them to be his disciples. Jesus once again opens their eyes to their ministry. They had seen Jesus after the resurrection but they failed to see how it changed their lives & what they were supposed to do. They did not look for his redeeming work. That fear and doubt crept back in and they did what they knew they could do…

The Risen Jesus helped open the eyes of Peter and the other disciples, raising them from their fear and doubts, to help tend to the ministry that was there’s to live into.

Sometimes in our life, we have to have our eyes open to what God might be doing right in front of us and what God might be calling us to do. This is what happened to St. Paul, when his name was Saul & he thought he knew what he was supposed to do with his life.

I think of our first reading about from the Acts of the Apostles – Saul whose vision is clouded with hate for the disciples until he encounters Jesus on the way to Damascus. Saul came so close to God and God came so close to him in that event that he would come to a new understanding of what God wanted him to do. His life and his name changed in the encounter with Jesus in a flash of light on the road!

But he still can’t see until Ananais ministers to him and scales fell from his eyes. And then Saul the Persecutor becomes Paul the Evangelist.

Sometimes, we can’t see the road we have before us until someone like Ananais ministers to us and scales fall from our eyes and we are opened to God’s work.

20 year old Merle Haggard had been in and out of jail and prison for most of his teen years. Imprisoned for burglary, his life seemed to be heading down the road of a hardened and repeat convict. On New Year’s day in 1968, Haggard heard Johnny Cash sing at San Quentin Prison, and his life changed. He had begun to change his ways, but now he had a purpose and would become a country music legend. When asked if he had any positive experiences in prison, Haggard would always talk about seeing Johnny Cash and how it helped him become a better man. (multiple sources)

And something like scales fell from his eyes in that prison and Haggard would for the next 59 years put his soul into his country music.

Jonathan Lawler is a successful farmer living outside of Indianapolis, Indiana. He owns a large farm in a rural farming community with the farm selling about 700,000 pounds of food.

One day last fall, Jonathan’s son returned home from school. When Jonathan asked him about his day, “He talked about kids who take home food from the food pantry,” Jonathan says. He was stunned to hear that his son’s classmates were ‘hungry’ and couldn’t eat enough food in a day.

The area they lived in was full of farms and food, yet kids were still not eating enough in school. This notion troubled Jonathan, and it kept bothering him. He didn’t believe any child should feel hungry, so he came up with a solution, to help families and those who were food insecure.

Jonathan restructured his farm. Rather than only being a for-profit farm, he transformed it into a food aid organization where it provides local food banks, soup kitchens, and “hungry” folks with food to eat. The idea is to use the farm to feed those in need rather than make a profit off the harvest. Jonathan is now encouraging other farmers to pitch in and donate a portion of their harvests to help others in the region. (shareably.net)

And it was like scales falling from his eyes and he began to see the need all around him.

As Mother Teresa put it, "People are hungry for God. Do you see that? Quite often we look but do not see. We are all passing through this world. We need to open our eyes and see."

Lawler and Haggard are both examples to us, of those who lives were going in one direction and then their lives changed, and became so much fuller when their eyes we opened.

The Risen Jesus makes his presence known to Peter and his fishing companions by calling them to cast their nets, despite their doubts and frustrations, they do as Jesus instructs and end up with an incredible catch. In the midst of our own disappointments and failures, our fears and doubts, the Risen Jesus challenges us to open our eyes to what God is doing right before us.

Indeed, may we “open our eyes to see God’s hand at work in the world about us” and in our lives too, may the scales that hold us back from seeing fall from our eyes so that our lives may be so much richer and that we can help others on their journey.

New life is ours by the gift of the Risen Christ, can we see it? May our lives say yes to that gift and share it with others. Amen.

Season of Prayer II

Presiding Bishop calls for a Season of Prayer

The Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has called for a season of prayer for regions of the Anglican Communion which are experiencing violence and civil strife. “In this season of Resurrection, I call on everyone to pray for our brothers and sisters in areas where there is much burden and little hope,” the Presiding Bishop said.

In addition, in his Easter Message 2016, Presiding Bishop Curry addressed the situation in Brussels, noting, "The truth is even as we speak this Holy Week, we do so not only in the shadow of the cross but we do so in the shadow of those who have been killed in Brussels, of those who have been wounded and maimed, of those who weep and mourn. And of a world mourning, and not too sure how to move forward.” Citing Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ...

Presiding Bishop Curry called for prayer throughout the holy season of Easter. Beginning on April 3, the First Sunday of Easter, and proceeding through Pentecost May 15, The Episcopal Church is asked to pray for a particular province or region: Burundi, Central America, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Middle East, Pakistan and South Sudan.
The Anglican Church of the Central Region of America (La Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America or IARCA) began as a network of chaplaincies first administered by the Church of England and then transferred to The Episcopal Church. The chaplaincies became a missionary district and then missionary dioceses. At the 72nd General Convention (1997), the Dioceses of Panama, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Nicaragua officially became an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The Diocese of Honduras, initially part of the Missionary District and a missionary diocese, remains a part of Province IX of The Episcopal Church.

The Church in Central America has a strong history of social justice and community service. Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in violence and civil strife in several countries in the region. The Church has played an active role in supporting those who have been displaced by violence and working with local and international human rights organizations to “address the root causes of violence and engage in advocacy and dialogue with their governments to serve the needs of and create safe spaces for internally displaced persons and refugees.” (Resolution D033) In November 2015 the bishops of IARCA and Honduras met with human rights ombudsmen and NGO and civil society organizations to discuss forced migration, internal displacement, and human trafficking in Central America. The bishops began work to create a regional Anglican commission on human rights which will enable greater collaboration and help raise awareness locally and internationally.

A Prayer for Social Justice: Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of Central America; that barriers which divide us may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 823)

Feed People

(from the sermon at 8 AM)

Human Sexuality

I read this article from the NY Times and was struck by how we often fail our children around the topic of human sexuality:

When did porn become sex ed?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/20/opinion/sunday/when-did-porn-become-sex-ed.html

The statistics on sexual assault may have forced a national dialogue on consent, but honest conversations between adults and teenagers about what happens after yes — discussions about ethics, respect, decision making, sensuality, reciprocity, relationship building, the ability to assert desires and set limits — remain rare. And while we are more often telling children that both parties must agree unequivocally to a sexual encounter, we still tend to avoid the biggest taboo of all: women’s capacity for and entitlement to sexual pleasure.

Where is the church in this? How can we help children and parents engage in this topic?

Lo and behold, a resource is coming!

These Are Our Bodies: Talking Faith & Sexuality
Learn more here:  http://rowsofsharon.com/2016/03/30/these-are-our-bodies/

Season (Easter) of Prayer

Presiding Bishop calls for a Season of Prayer

The Presiding Bishop Michael Curry has called for a season of prayer for regions of the Anglican Communion which are experiencing violence and civil strife. “In this season of Resurrection, I call on everyone to pray for our brothers and sisters in areas where there is much burden and little hope,” the Presiding Bishop said.

In addition, in his Easter Message 2016, Presiding Bishop Curry addressed the situation in Brussels, noting, "The truth is even as we speak this Holy Week, we do so not only in the shadow of the cross but we do so in the shadow of those who have been killed in Brussels, of those who have been wounded and maimed, of those who weep and mourn. And of a world mourning, and not too sure how to move forward.”

Citing Galatians 6:2 - Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ – Presiding Bishop Curry called for prayer throughout the holy season of Easter. Beginning on April 3, the First Sunday of Easter, and proceeding through Pentecost May 15, The Episcopal Church is asked to pray for a particular province or region: Burundi, Central America, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Middle East, Pakistan and South Sudan.
A Communion-wide call to pray for the crisis-torn country of Burundi (in Africa) and the role that the Anglican Church of Burundi plays in in bringing peace and reconciliation has been issued.
The situation in Burundi is deeply concerning and remains tense and unpredictable despite high level visits to mediate a settlement to the current political crisis. Both Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi of the Province of the Anglican Church of Burundi and Archbishop Justin Welby have stressed the importance of prayer for the country. Archbishop Justin says: “Following my recent visit to Burundi I encourage churches and individuals urgently to pray for the deeply troubled nation of Burundi. Pray for its political, church and civic leaders. Cry to the God of all nations and peoples for its peace and the well-being of all its people.” Please join the Church in Burundi in prayer on the 2nd Sunday of Easter to ask God for an end of violence, a return to real peace & a political solution that will last and be the foundation for the development of one of the poorest nations in the world.

A Prayer for Burundi

For the beautiful but poor country of Burundi, we pray dear Lord. For the population living in fear and dread, afraid of the unknown and the uncertain, we ask for hope. For those fleeing in Burundi or abroad, we pray for safety, freedom from disease and famine and the security that they may return home. For those seeking the way of violence that they would instead seek reconciliation between all parties. For the surrounding countries that they may remain at peace, act justly and broker a just settlement. Enable an end to violence so that Burundi may become a beacon of peace rather than a place of fear and death. Strengthen your church to stand for the ways of justice and righteousness and to reach out in love to the suffering. We ask these things in the name of Him who carried all our human failings on the cross, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Sermon: Easter 2

Be present, be present, O Risen Christ, as you were with your disciples, and be known to us in the breaking of bread and in the Scriptures, we pray. Amen.

“The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive involves beholding God.”

These words come from St. Irenaeus of Lyons of the 2nd Century. They are from his famous book "Against Heresies" which was written to refute the teachings of various groups in his region who were teaching that the material world was the accidental creation of an evil god, from which we are to escape by the pursuit of gnosis (special wisdom). Irenaeus argued that the true gnosis is in fact knowledge of Christ, which redeems rather than escapes from bodily existence.” (Wikipedia)

So the glory of God is when we are fully alive, living in that abundant life that Jesus talked about, redeeming our lives. And through such a full life, we behold our creator, the great ground of our being.

So what is this abundant life? It is a resurrected life for sure, living life not enslaved to death, for Jesus conquered death on the cross for us and in this Easter season we will consider what it means to be fully alive.

This week the Gospel of John tells us that to be fully alive in light of Easter is to live in peace & not fear.

After the crucifixion, the disciples (or at least most of them) had locked themselves away. They feared being caught, jailed, and even crucified. Hidden away they could not proclaim their faith. Hidden away they could not really live. They had effectively cut themselves out of the world.

It’s not that they hadn’t heard the Good News, Mary Magdalene & the other women had already told them about the empty tomb and Jesus being raised from the dead. Did they believe her? Did they doubt the resurrection?

Whatever it was, they couldn’t practice resurrection, they couldn’t celebrate, they couldn’t let go for fear had taken hold of their lives. But they never guessed it would be Jesus who would end that fear, for Jesus burst into their midst, standing among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

Peace. Something the disciples had not known for days after the betrayal and arrest of Jesus.

Peace. It was an unexpected gift, much like the resurrection, and to remove any doubt, Jesus shows his wounds and the disciples rejoice and they begin to feel that peace.

But his peace is not just a sit and be quiet sort of peace, this is a peace that is full of go and do. “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

Jesus presence, his incarnation, helps set them free from their fear, and it begins their ministry in the world.

When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."”

And we should notice that Jesus’ appearance in the locked room culminates with the practice of forgiveness. “As a practice, forgiveness entails doubting our own fear-based conclusions. Forgiveness calls us to trust in God’s power to initiate resurrection in our midst, precisely where we least expected it.” (Workingpreacher.org)

This morning, Jesus comes into our lives this Easter, bursting into our locked rooms, letting his light on our fears. Peace he says to you and me; and we need to cast off the fear that can envelope us, for God is with us, calling us to go forth and practice forgiveness and be fully alive…

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it: “Strange, that again and again, precisely in the hour we most ardently hope for Jesus' presence, we lock the door to him in fear of many other things. But far more wonderful, that Jesus does not let himself be hindered by those locked doors. The resurrected one does not let himself be held up by humanity on his way to humanity.”

Jesus will not be held back by our fears or locked doors, he still comes into our lives. Breathing that same Spirit he gave the disciples, a Spirit that when embodied in us will not let our faith sit still or stay in fear.

An example of this for me, is a story from last fall…

On Monday afternoon in October, Washington D.C. police officers broke up two groups of fighting teenagers. A few minutes later, a female officer approached the lingering crowd and told the teens to disperse.

That’s when Aaliyah Taylor, a 17-year-old senior at Ballou High School, walked up to the officer and started playing “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” on her phone. Then she did the Nae Nae dance. (If you are not sure what it is, ask Norah later.)

The officer, according to Taylor, laughed and said she had far better dance moves than that.

What happened from there on the 200 block of K Street SW was a rather impressive dance-off between the police officer and the teen, and an example of positive community policing at a time when national attention is focused on discriminatory and abusive police tactics. The onlooking teens caught the dance battle on their cell phones while a song by rapper Dlow played in the background.

“Instead of us fighting, she tried to turn it around and make it something fun,” Taylor said. “I never expected cops to be that cool. There are some good cops.” (Washington Post)

On Easter night, Jesus greets his terrified disciples with "Peace." But the peace of the Risen One is not merely the absence of conflict nor the quiet, unchallenged acceptance of others' expectations. Christ's peace is the hard work of putting aside our own doubts and fears to imitate his compassion; it is the hard work of pulling ourselves out of our own tombs of despair and anger to live our lives in a spirit of joy and gratitude and forgiveness.

On a fall afternoon on a block in DC, a police officer offered the teens gathered peace and forgiveness in a situation fraught with fear, on both sides.

The peace of Christ is realized in loving when it is most difficult to love, in putting aside our own disappointments and doubts for the sake of another, in forgiving when we are too angry or disappointed to forgive, in reaching out when we expect to be rebuffed or rejected. The Risen One's gift of peace is centered in Christ himself: it is the peace that mirrors his selflessness, his compassion, his joy.

“The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive involves beholding God.”

And to do that we must live into and share his peace & forgiveness and let go of our fear. Amen.