Pray for Myanmar

The State Department has just declared that the leadership in Myanmar is ethnic cleansing the Rohingya people that live in that country.

Just a few years ago, I help support the Karen people, a tribe of Christians who lived in that country and were persecuted.

Now the new government is scapegoating & killing the Rohingya.

Pray for Myanmar:

Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so move every human heart and especially the hearts of the people of Myanmar, that barriers which divide them may crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that their divisions being healed, that all may live in justice, freedom, and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pray for Zimbabwe

While I was in Mozambique on pilgrimage, I met a few Anglicans from Zimbabwe.  Their faith was strong but they lived in a a harsh country with a brutal dictator.

Now that dictator is gone.  Their is much celebration but also lots of work to do to help them become the prosperous country they once were.

Pray for Zimbabwe as they journey into a new season:

Lord God Almighty, who hast made all the peoples of the earth for thy glory, to serve thee in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of Zimbabwe a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that they may use their new found liberty in accordance with thy gracious will & for the common good; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sermon - November 19 (Proper 28)

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation; thank you, Lord, for all the talents you have entrusted to us. Help us to remember that all we have comes from you and is to be used to serve others in your name. Make us faithful and trustworthy servants, always ready for your return. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

We are living through some dark days…

· Gun violence at First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas – followed by another mass shooting in Rancho Tehama, California. Both began with domestic violence. (Las Vegas!)

· Each day new revelations of women and girls who have been sexually harassed or abused or trafficked at the hands of those in Hollywood, journalists, politicians, in gymnastics, comedians, and even the church.

· Far right groups marching around the world spreading their hate of Jews, immigrants, anyone who does not fit their preferred racial category.

It is hard to feel safe and secure. We have become suspicious. Fearful. We want to huddle close with our families, lock our doors, get ready to fight (or take flight!)…

But as Christians, Episcopalians, we are called to live a different life. As the Episcopal Bishops of Maryland put it: “we talk about living by a different set of rules: our message of love, compassion, hope and forgiveness in the face of evil.”

Our second reading this morning from 1st Thessalonians says we are to “put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” Fear is not to be our motivating factor, but faith & love & the hope of salvation. 1st Thessalonians gives us some instructions on what our mission is: “For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore, encourage one another and build up each other...”

The words from the MD bishops and our 2nd reading remind us that our church is a sanctuary, identified as a refuge and safety zone from physical or spiritual dangers. The red doors we enter by speak to the world of holy ground that exists inside those doors, space that has been purged and made clean by the Holy Spirit.

But even as we find such relief, we are called to go out from here in Jesus name to serve others, to witness to his love. And in the darkness, sin is ever before us…

(I recently saw it defined this way) “Sin is for one [man] to walk brutally over the life of another and to be quite oblivious of the wounds he has left behind” (Shūsaku Endō, Silence)

Such sin is the failure of us to really love thy neighbor, to encourage one another and build up each other, as 1st Thessalonians puts it. We see it in the shootings, the harassment/abuse, those spewing hate… But…

“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?” (The Gulag Archipelago (1973) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)

He reminds us that darkness is inside each of us, cuts through every heart. And yet, there are opportunities abound for us in the midst of darkness to bring light to these days…

A story from Reader’s Digest:

Years ago, there was a poor farmer who was an alcoholic. When he drank too much (which happened fairly often), he'd become abusive, forcing his family to escape into their cornfield, with him frequently shooting after them with his .22 rifle.

One day, their neighbor, an elderly Amish farmer, came by. He explained that rats had been in his corncrib and asked if the farmer knew anyone who could sell him a .22. A bargain was struck and the old Amish farmer took the rifle and ammunition and set off for home.

One of the poor farmer's children followed the Amish farmer from a distance and watched him cross the river bridge. The old man stopped midstream and the boy watched him drop the rifle and ammunition into the swift water and then continue home. [James Didlow, writing in Reader's Digest.]

It is the Spirit of God that moved the Amish farmer, for his generosity of heart and humility of spirit to buy and get rid of the rifle that caused suffering to his neighbors. It may not have solved everything but it was a step in bringing light and life to darkness and suffering.

But we don’t even have to go that far. It could be offering a listening ear at a Dunkin Donuts.

A true story, recounted in the weekly "Metropolitan Diary" column of The New York Times [March 2, 2009]:

In Dunkin' Donuts this morning an old lady wearing a tattered watch cap started speaking to no one in particular.

"I can't sleep at night. I have pains in my chest all the time. My leg hurts and my children do not love me."

People waiting in line hid in their cell phones, looked away or stared straight ahead.

"I don't know what to do. I don't know where to turn. My husband died two years ago on the 27th."

Everyone pretended she wasn't there. The girls behind the counter took the next customers. The line inched forward. At a side table, a beautiful young woman with matching purple scarf and hat looked at the old woman and said, simply,

"Honey, please sit down with me and tell me your story."

It's possible, you see, for one person to save the world.

Life can be so much easier and peaceful when we have nothing to do with others - Don't get involved, walk away, mind your own business, these are much safer approaches to life.

But Jesus is not afraid to wade into the messiness of our lives in order to transform, heal and restore, and he calls us to do the same as his disciples.

To respond compassionately to the plight of these families, those in need, becomes more important, more sacred, than the safety & security we sometimes long to have. May we imitate that same compassion of the healing Christ, use the talents we each have, risk our own sense of safety and satisfaction, in order to bring that love into the lives of others. Amen.

ECCT Bishops' Statement on Texas Church Shooting

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ in the Episcopal Church in Connecticut

Once again we awaken on a Monday morning to learn of yet another mass shooting in our country. This time the victims were Christians at prayer. Will this gun violence never stop?

We have reached out to our colleague bishops in the Diocese of West Texas, the Rt. Rev. David Reed and the Rt. Rev. Jennifer Brooke-Davidson. We have assured them of our prayers and have offered our assistance in any way possible.

As founding bishops of the network of Episcopal bishops known as Bishops United Against Gun Violence, we join with over 70 other bishops in decrying the actions in Sutherland Springs and calling on our elected officials to take action to help prevent gun violence. Our statement is below.

Please pray for all who have died, have been injured, and have lost loved ones in this tragedy.

Faithfully,

The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Bishop Diocesan
The Rt. Rev. Laura J. Ahrens, Bishop Suffragan

Bishops United Against Gun Violence calls church to pray, elected leaders to act

"One does not offer prayers in lieu of demonstrating political courage, but rather in preparation."
In the wake of the heartbreaking shooting at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, we find ourselves both calling people to prayer, and wishing that the word did not come so readily to the lips of elected leaders who are quick to speak, but take no action on behalf of public safety.

In prayer, Christians commend the souls of the faithful departed to the mercy and love of God. We beseech our Creator to comfort the grieving and shield the vulnerable. Prayer is not an offering of vague good wishes. It is not a spiritual exercise that successfully completed exempts one from focusing on urgent issues of common concern. Prayer is not a dodge. In prayer we examine our own hearts and our own deeds to determine whether we are complicit in the evils we deplore. And if we are, we resolve to take action; we resolve to amend our lives.

As a nation, we must acknowledge that we idolize violence, and we must make amends. Violence of all kinds denigrates humankind; it stands against the will of God and the way of Jesus the Christ. The shooting in Sutherland Springs brings the issue of domestic violence, a common thread in many mass killings, into sharp relief. It is not only essential that we keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, but that we, as a society, reject ideologies of male dominance that permeate our culture and the history of our churches.

Each of us has a role to play in our repentance. Elected representatives bear the responsibility of passing legislation that protects our citizenry. If our representatives are not up to this responsibility, we must replace them.

In the meantime, however, we ask that in honor of our many murdered dead, elected leaders who behave as though successive episode of mass slaughter are simply the price our nation pays for freedom stop the reflexive and corrosive repetition of the phrase "thoughts and prayers."

One does not offer prayers in lieu of demonstrating political courage, but rather in preparation.

Bishops United Against Gun Violence is a group of more than 70 Episcopal bishops working to curtail the epidemic of gun violence in the United States.

Put on the Armor of God

from the Episcopal Bishops of Maryland - November 16, 2017

At the beginning of the month we were stunned at the mass shooting inside First Baptist Church, Sutherland Springs, Texas. Since then much of the discussion has focused on how to make churches safer. Similar conversations happened after the Las Vegas massacre: How can we make open crowd venues safer?

Talk of armed guards, using metal detectors or locking church doors during services has been
showing up in the media and on the internet. Reporters are surprised when we talk about living by
a different set of rules. Some of them can’t understand our message of love, compassion, hope and
forgiveness in the face of evil.

This week’s Sunday epistle from 1st Thessalonians (5:1-11) says we are to “…put on the breastplate
of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” The gospels say nothing to Christians
about arming ourselves. And the reading gives instructions on what our mission is: “For God has
destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us,
so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. Therefore, encourage one another
and build up each other…”

Fear is a powerful motivator. It’s often associated with ignorance. Fear of someone different than
ourselves can be overcome when we find common ground. Fear can provoke the basic human
response of fight or flight. But we are called to a different way of being as Christians.

That’s why some version of “be not afraid” shows up in the bible more than 300 times. Instead of
“fight or flight,” the response for Christians is to have faith. Or, as we are told in the Letter to the
Ephesians (6:11-12), “Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual
forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

Our churches are sacred spaces. Senseless violence has visited houses of God for as long as there
have been churches. In recent years, African American churches have been burned, bombed and
scenes of shootings. Archbishop Oscar Romero was gunned downed in a church in El Salvador while
celebrating the Eucharist. And, of course, we know the heartbreak here in Maryland when evil
visited St. Peter’s, Ellicott City, and gun violence took the lives of the Rev. Mary Marguerite Kohn,
Brenda Brewington and Douglas Jones.

Our response should be to encourage one another to put on “the breastplate of faith and love” and
wear the helmet of hope. Let’s not be paralyzed by fear. Let’s be freed by Jesus’ promises of eternal
life, and live into the Kingdom of God on earth here and now. It’s not the will of God that we turn
our church buildings into armed fortresses. Yes, we should be attentive and put emergency
precautions into place. But the gospel calls us to engage the risk of radical welcome and inclusive
hospitality.

Paul encouraged the Ephesians (6:14-17) with these words: “Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of
truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on
whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of
faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet
of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Faithfully,

The Right Rev. Eugene Taylor Sutton
Bishop of Maryland

The Right Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen
Assistant Bishop of Maryland

Matthew 25: 1-13 (As laid out by Rev. David R. Henson)

At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

— “But if you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.”--
The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

— In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus came to his disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour?” –
At midnight the cry rang out: “Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!” Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.”

— A smoldering wick he will not snuff out —
“No,” they replied, “there may not be enough for both us and you.”

— Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you —
“Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.”

– Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” –
But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived.

– In the city of God, they will not need the light of a lamp, for the Lord God will give them light. –
The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet.

– But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. –
And the door was shut.

– “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. –
Later the others also came. “Sir! Sir!” they said. “Open the door for us!” But he replied, “I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.”

– If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered. —

November 12 Sermon (Offering Sunday)

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP)

Today is Offering Sunday. A day in the life of the parish where we offer our financial resources for the coming year. It is a way to honor our relationship with God, and our connection to this community of faith.

Such faithful giving allows the church to be wise in the decisions it makes to sustain all of our members as they live out their ministry in the world and what we do through St. Peter’s Church. The challenge before us for 2018 is to continue to stay on top of our finances & mission and not go further in debt. Using the image of the Gospel we heard this morning, it is to be wise with our oil and to make sure we do not run out.

In the Gospel, the parable of the ten maidens that Jesus gives us today, is a story about living into hope & the encouragement to stick with it even when we have to wait, be patient, and be prepared which is what we are trying to do as a parish.

As Jesus tells it, 10 bridesmaids were given the honor to meet the bridegroom. 5 were wise and prepared (extra oil), 5 were foolish and had only oil in their lamp. The Bridegroom was delayed and all 10 fell asleep. When he finally arrived the foolish ran to get more oil because their lamps grew dim & no one would give them their extra and they were not welcomed back when they returned.

Now Jesus tells us that this parable is how the Kingdom of Heaven will be like, so Keep awake says Jesus, be prepared, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the kingdom will come, for the bridegroom in the story is Jesus. And he is looking at our lives, and seeing how unprepared we are to live, how we don’t have that hope oozing through us, we don’t have that extra oil to be ready for what delays may come, we are not fully living out the faith in us.

“Readiness in the Gospel of Matthew is all about living the quality of life described in the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes. Many can do this for a short while; but when the kingdom is delayed, the problems arise. Being a peacemaker for a day is not as demanding as being a peacemaker year after year when the hostility breaks out again and again, and the bridegroom is delayed…” (New Interpreters Bible)

I think of the stories Bishop Sengulane shared with us about trying to keep peace before the eyes of the warring parties in Mozambique, year after year after year, until it finally came to fruition.

It is the challenge of living out our faith not just on Sundays, or when its convenient, or when we want to, but at every moment of our lives, to live out those Beatitudes as I talked about last week, climbing the ladder of the Beatitudes, living out of our faith every day of every year.

Recently, I read the words from a hospice nurse, about the valuable lessons she has learned from her care of the dying. In her words:

"Although I struggle, like every other human being, with the daily challenges of overwork, impatience, fear, anger, and disappointment, I know that it is always my choice instead to choose happiness, forgiveness, compassion, and joy, to live each day as if it were my last, and to be grateful for every day that I have.

"Working with the dying has brought light into my own life, illuminating the shadowy corners of negativity that I alone have the choice to relinquish or to transform into something more positive. Even though the work I do is with the dying, it has also been work within myself, and I thank God every day for both of those opportunities.

"So, in the end, what is it that the dying teach others around them? They teach how to love and how to allow ourselves to be loved; how to forgive and how to ask for forgiveness; how to find our joy and how to spread that joy around to others. They also teach us how to spend valuable time connecting our earthly self with our spiritual self so that these two separate but vital aspects of our being aren't strangers when they meet as the time of our own death draws near.

"And so it is perhaps meant to be that, with every person's dying, another person is learning to live well. Although I can't know for certain, I suspect from what I have witnessed that, possibly, the very best part of living might actually be the dying." [From Peaceful Passages: A Hospice Nurse's Stories of Dying Well by Janet Wehr.]

The parable of the ten bridesmaids reflects what this dedicated hospice nurse has learned from those entrusted to her care: that we have only so many opportunities to become part of Jesus' work of mercy and reconciliation in our world; that we have only so much oil in our lamps to illuminate the love of God in our lives, and we must be ready for what may come.

There is so much we want to accomplish in our lives - but the many demands on our time to make a living can derail us from making a life, a life that is centered in the love of family and friends, in an awareness of God's loving presence in our midst, in a yearning to contribute to the greater good of all, through what we do and what our church can do.

Christ warns us not to fall into the trap of the five foolish bridesmaids who squander their time before the Bridegroom's arrival & are not ready, but to embrace the wisdom of the five wise bridesmaids, trimming our lamps with the oil of faith: that is compassion, generosity and forgiveness in the precious time we have until Christ's coming.

On this offering Sunday, may we offer our support to this parish in a very tangible and meaningful way through our offering cards. May they inspire us in our work in this world, living those lives God would have us live: to be ready each day and live those good works so all may come to see Jesus in our midst. Amen.