Our Discipleship Project for 2018

Our part in the Jesus movement is our Call to Discipleship: to follow Jesus. Discipleship means learning to lead the lives as God’s people. Growing in discipleship involves prayer, study, worship and service.

Jesus laid out the fundamentals for any who would follow him when he said, “The first [commandment] of all is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Mark 12:29-31).

The Beloved Community is the body within which we promote the fruits of the spirit and grow to recognize our kinship as people who love God and love the image of God that we find in our neighbors, in ourselves, and in creation. It provides a positive, theologically and biblically based ideal toward which we can grow in love, rather than framing our justice and reconciliation efforts as fundamentally “against” (e.g., anti-racism, anti-oppression).

Charles Skinner describes the vision this way: “Beloved Community is not an organization of individuals; it is a new adventure of consecrated men and women seeking a new world … who forget themselves in their passion to find the common life where the good of all is the quest of each.”

Quoting Karl Barth, Charles Marsh writes of the Beloved Community, “[T]he Christian regards the peaceable reign of God as the hidden meaning of all movements for liberation and reconciliation that ‘brings us together for these days as strangers and yet as friends.’”

In other words, Beloved Community is the practical image of the world we pray for when we say, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We dream of communities where all people may experience dignity and abundant life, and see themselves and others as beloved children of God. We pray for communities that labor so that the flourishing of every person (and all creation) is seen as the hope of each. Conceived this way, Beloved Community provides a deeply faithful paradigm for transformation, formation, organizing, advocacy, and witness.

Our call to discipleship as the people of St. Peter’s Church, is to work on becoming the Beloved Community for Monroe, a place where God’s love welcomes all, where strangers become friends.

"When I act as charity bids, I have this feeling that it is Jesus who is acting in me; the closer my union with Jesus, the greater my love for all without distinction." ~ St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Our Call to Discipleship: The Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement
Follow Jesus + Love People + Change the World
Becoming the Beloved Community “brings us together for these days as strangers and yet as friends.”

On Kindness (Monastic Wisdom)

an intervention for our disquieted world
A story is told from the early centuries of Christian monasticism in the Egyptian desert. Some men came to counsel with Abba Poemen, asking him, “Tell us, when we see brothers doz­ing during the Sacred Office, should we pinch them so they will stay awake?” The Abba said to them, “Actually, if I saw a brother sleeping, I would put his head on my knees and let him rest.” This is an act of kindness.

The English word “kind” comes from the same etymological root as “kin.” We are to live kindly with one another because we belong to one another. We are humankind. Living kindly goes without saying for those whom we cherish, identify with, and to whom we feel a sense of belonging. It is easy (or at least easier) to be kind to someone we love. The New Testament word for kindness is defined as compassion, love, full of tenderness, gentleness, goodness.

However if we read the scriptures forensically, we see how kindness redresses how we could otherwise deport ourselves in the presence of those who are different – because of their culture or race, religion, class, education, sexual orientation, or age – or different because of their hopes or values. In the Hebrew scriptures, we read one time, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”; however we read in thirty-six places to “love the stranger.”[1] Jesus magnifies this teaching in his own behavior. He doesn’t exclude anyone, even those who were viewed by most people as despicable. The prevailing reason why Jesus said what he said and did what he did was tender loving mercy, which is compassion: suffering with another because we belong to one another. Whether to the lame or lost, to the pompous or to paupers, Jesus was compassionate.[2] Most people, most of the time, are doing the best they can… which is sometimes quite tragic, even deplorable. “The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness.”[3]

Jesus’ kindness is remembered in the Greek as philonexia, which is “the love of strangers.” Philonexia is the opposite of xenophobia, which is the fear or hatred of strangers, the discrimination against strangers. Philonexia, the love of strangers, becomes the New Testament norm for sharing life, living kindly with one another. “Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.”[4] Philonexia, not xenophobia. Kindness breaks down “the wall of hostility” that otherwise easily is constructed between ourselves and “others.”[5] Kindness arises from compassion, the memory that we are all kin.

Kindness also conveys dignity, by bequeathing worth to others. So many people live their lives with deafening words of criticism, inadequacy, and fear which may echo from their childhoods. They will collude with this indignity unless there is an intervention, an intervention of kindness from someone else. For many people, we must give them dignity before there is dignity in them to respect.

In this, kindness is an act of generosity. Generosity presumes life to be a gift, not a given. We participate in life on God’s terms by cherishing the gifts of life, not clinging to them, not hoarding, but sharing from God’s bounty entrusted to us. There is always more. When we are generous with our kindness, this generosity enables others to know life as a gift, and invites them to live life thankfully. Gratitude transforms life; generosity enables it. “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.”[6]

Kindness is described as one of the “fruits of the Spirit.”[7] Here are some practices to cultivate the fruit of kindness in your life.

Draw on your miracle memory. Reflect on where you were on the receiving end of kindness. Who was kind to you, and why did that make such a difference? Embrace the kindness. It’s never too late to be thankful for another’s intervention of kindness in your life.

Be compassionate toward yourself. You are an amazing person; you are also a mixed bag and, some days, a mess. An early desert monastic, Abba Mateos, said, “the nearer we draw to God, the more we see ourselves as sinners.” Don’t let this awareness imprison you; let it liberate you, because God knows you and loves you. You need to be saved from yourself every day. Surrender feigning to be your own god. Jesus is your savior, your friend. Befriend yourself. Practicing this will make a world of difference to you and to others. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.[8]

Don’t restrict. Deport yourself with kindness in the face of every living creature, toward the flowers and crops, and trees, to the air and water. We are living in a time where so many of our values and certainties are being deconstructed. We know too much, and we know too little. How then shall we live? Live kindly. St. Isaac of Syria (7th century), said “Let your heart burn with love for the whole of creation: for humankind, for the birds, for the beasts, for every creature.”

Don’t wait. We only have now. Don’t wait to reciprocate kindness. Initiate kindness. If you are living kindly, you won’t be “on the take” for kindness, expecting it, demanding it, resenting when it doesn’t appear. Oftentimes it doesn’t. Living kindly generates kindness. You simply cannot give it away. There is always more. Live kindly, and you will have enough kindness in your heart so as not to be endlessly shopping for others’ kindness. If you are out of practice with kindness, cultivating kindness is like any other practice, e.g., learning a sport, or foreign language, or craft, or playing a musical instrument. The words “kind” and “kindle” are cousins. Kindle kindness and you will teem with kindness.

A brother asked Abba Pimenion, “How should we practice life?” And the old man said, “To live ever in loving kindness and in humbleness, and to do good to one’s neighbor.” Kindness is of our God-created essence, a necessary intervention for our disquieted world.

What does the Lord require of you
but to do justice,
and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.
(Micah 6:8)

A PRAYER FOR KINDNESS

Kindle kindness in me, O Lord. Let my heart burn with love for the whole of creation, for others, for myself, and for you. 

 

Br. Curtis Almquist, SSJE 

Learn more here.

[1] See, e.g., Exodus 22:21, 23:9; Leviticus 19:33-34.
[2] See, e.g., Matthew 6:25-34, 9:36, 14:14, 20:34; Mark 1:41, 4:40, 5:36, 6:34, 8:2f, 12:41-44; Luke 7:13, 10:41.
[3] Psalm 103:8.
[4] Hebrews 13:1-2.
[5] Ephesians 2:14.
[6] Colossians 3:12.
[7] Galatians 5:22.
[8] Ephesians 4:32.

Thou Shalt Love (a meditation)

Thou Shalt Love by Howard Thurman
(p. 46 – Meditations of the Heart)

THOU shalt love thy God. There must be for me a deep sense of relatedness to God. This relatedness is the way by which there shall open for me more and more springs of energy and power, which will enable me to thread life’s mysteries with life’s clue. It is this, and this alone, that will make it possible for me to stand anything that life can or may do to me. I shall not waste any effort in trying to reduce God to my particular logic. Here in the quietness, I shall give myself in love to God.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor. How I must seek ever the maintenance of the kind of relatedness to others that will feed the springs of kindness and sympathy in me! I shall study how I may be tender without being soft; gracious without being ingratiating; kind without being sentimental; and understanding without being judgmental. Here in the quietness, I shall give myself in love to my neighbors.

Thou shalt love Thyself. I must learn to love myself with detachment. I must have no attitude toward myself that contributes to my own delinquency. I shall study how so to love myself that, in my attitude toward myself, I shall be pleasing to God and face with confidence what He requires of me. Here in the quietness, I give myself over to the kind of self-regard that would make me whole and clean in my own sight and in the sight of God.

Thou shalt love
Thy God
Thy neighbor
Thyself

Annual Meeting Address

Come Holy Spirit, and kindle in us the fire of your love.
Take our minds and think through them.
Take our lips and speak through them.
Take our souls, and set them on fire. Amen.

“Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue…in the synagogue a man with an unclean spirit cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?”

After calling his first disciples, Jesus is made manifest to the people through the words he says at the synagogue but more importantly, through his interaction with a man with an unclean spirit.

“Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.”

This first story in the Gospel of Mark of Jesus is a story of healing. And it is a story as relevant today as it was back then.

Think about the unclean spirits of today that infect our humanity…

· how addiction overwhelms individuals and families;
· how racism has changed over time from explicit to implicit forms but continues to thrive;
· how fear & anger consumes us; how envy & greed devours us;
· how divisions divide us; and we are enslaved to being right (and our side winning)
· how sexism helped created a culture of degradation, where women & girls were harassed and abused and not believed.

We don’t think of addiction or racism or sexual abuse as demons but they are most certainly demonic. They are death dealing and not life giving. They often resist our best attempts to overcome them. And as we make those attempts, the experience can feel like wrestling with a beast.

We as a church are called to follow Jesus into such wilderness, into the dark parts of our society and our world, to bring light and healing and hope, to wrestle w/ the demonic, to set people free.

We are called to rebuke and help transform people and our society away from the death dealing demonic. But if we are to do this, then we must practice our faith outside the bounds of this beautiful place.

A recent survey of Episcopalians, found that although “many attend Sunday services, some don’t feel personally responsible for practicing faith outside of worship.” Ouch! This reminds me of the cartoon that I posted on Facebook on Friday. A husband leans over to his wife at church and says, “As if Sunday isn’t enough, he now wants us to introduce religion into our everyday life.”

Exactly. It is Jesus who calls us to practice our faith outside of Sunday morning, just as called his disciples to leave their occupations and follow him. If we truly want to follow Jesus, love people and change the world, then we need to live out our baptismal faith, 24/7 & 365. Our faith is not just for Sunday mornings and it is meant to be fully lived. How do we do this? Through prayer & study, worship & service.

Prayer is the life blood of a Christian. As Episcopalians, we have a great gift to use, the Book of Common Prayer to aid us in this. But by no means is this the only way to pray. Rosaries and singing are two other ways that people pray. And there are so many more… (I have a handout on ten ways to pray, if interested).

Study puts flesh on our faith. Biblical Study both what we do in bible study here at church and what we can do at home (or really anywhere these days with technology and books) and also study of the saints who have gone before us and lived faithful lives, all of this informs our faith. There are so many Christian classics that we can read too.

Worship, to offer our wonder and awe and thanksgiving to our creator, doesn’t just happen on Sundays but for many of us, Sunday is our worship day. A day as an old prayer puts it - in God’s holy House. Help us to keep our thoughts on you, that we may hear you speaking in our hearts… Worship is a time when we focus on our relationship with the one who created each of us & still speaks to our hearts if we listen.

Service is what we offer each other, especially those in need, the poor, the sick, those in prison. There is an expectation that as one author puts it, there is not a hole in our Gospel, for we seek to serve the world in Jesus name. It is something we do well here… from Mozambique to Russsia, from Flint to New Haven, DCF, Monroe Food Pantry, making dresses… we reach out in love.

Growing in discipleship involves prayer, study, worship and service. Our call to discipleship as the body of Christ in this place, St. Peter’s Church – 216 years old, is to work on becoming the Beloved Community for Monroe, a place where God’s love welcomes all, where strangers become friends.

This idea of the Beloved Community, brought to our consciousness through the words of Martin Luther King Jr., and is currently a focus in our Episcopal Church - The Beloved Community is the body within which we promote the fruits of the spirit and grow to recognize our kinship as people who love God and love the image of God that we find in our neighbors, in ourselves, and in creation. It provides a positive, theologically and biblically based ideal toward which we can grow in love. Love to God, Love to our neighbors as we love ourselves. Our discipleship is connected to our living this out in a Beloved Community for everyone to find here in this place.

We have our work cut out for us, to tackle the demonic (poverty, etc.) we need to be able to fund what we want to do & to have people engaged in such ministries, to bring light, hope & love.

But first, I think we need to listen…

There is a story told about a charitable foundation that began work years ago among the mountain people of Nepal. Their focus was on supporting women and girls. But their first project was an epiphany for the organizers.

Their team was touring a small village in Nepal. They were impressed by a long concrete staircase leading up the mountain to a village perched on a ridge. The steps certainly made it easier to navigate the steep path. But they couldn't help but notice the well-worn track in the dirt alongside the steps. When they reached the top, they asked the villagers about the path. Their inquiry was met with a chorus of nervous giggles.

The villagers explained that, a year before, a visitor had a great deal of difficulty trekking up the hill to the village, sliding on the slippery path. The well-to-do and well-meaning traveler was concerned about the women carrying heavy jars of water on their heads. He vowed to do something to help them, so he arranged for the construction of the steps. After the steps were completed, he made a great display of "presenting the steps" to the village, and then he returned to his home.

The women tried to use the steps but suffered many injuries as they lost their balance and fell with their water jars. They were used to feeling their way up the dirt path in their bare feet, not having to look down and risk spilling the water they were carrying. So they bypassed the steps and created a new path along side the concrete.

What would have been a better solution? the team asked. The villagers laughed. "If he had built a well at the top of the hill, the women wouldn't have to carry the water up the hill at all!"

It was an object lesson for the foundation team. They realized that they couldn’t impose their programs from the top down. Any new projects would begin by listening to those they were trying to help. As a Nepalese woman who would become involved in one of the foundation's future projects would later remind them, "We're poor, not stupid." [From "Don't help them" by Rebecca Ordish, The Optimist, March/April 2014.]

The people who encountered Jesus saw in him a very different kind of authority, an authentic authority centered in empathy, compassion and respect. Jesus' authority inspires rather than enforces; he sees his call to lead others as a trust, as a responsibility to serve others by revealing the God who calls us to compassion and mercy for the sake of the kingdom of God. May we seek to possess the authority of the Gospel: to listen to others with the compassion of the heart, to stand with (not above) those in need, to join our hands with those who are struggling up mountain paths balancing their own water jars. (Like Lauren J. did on her mission trip!)

It all begins with you and I here, in this sacred place. There are "unclean spirits" all around us - and within us - that can be cast out by an offering of kindness and generosity or silenced by a word of forgiveness and mercy.

In the spirit of Jesus, the Good News is found in the compassionate reconciliation and humble justice that Jesus offers. We need to listen to each other so we can cast out the unclean spirits of anger, fear and hurt that isolate us, that mire us in fear and selfishness, that blind us to the love of God in our midst.

To cast out the demonic is not easy in ourselves or in our world but if we are to be faithful in our discipleship and become that Beloved Community, a place where any and everyone can come & find love – then we must listen and love our God, our neighbors & ourselves without exception.

Let me end this address with a short mediation on love.

I want you to get comfortable in our chair, close your eyes, relax, and listen…

Howard Thurman – Thou Shalt Love (p. 46 – Meditations of the Heart)

THOU shalt love thy God. There must be for me a deep sense of relatedness to God. This relatedness is the way by which there shall open for me more and more springs of energy and power, which will enable me to thread life’s mysteries with life’s clue. It is this, and this alone, that will make it possible for me to stand anything that life can or may do to me. I shall not waste any effort in trying to reduce God to my particular logic. Here in the quietness, I shall give myself in love to God.

Thou shalt love thy neighbor. How I must seek ever the maintenance of the kind of relatedness to others that will feed the springs of kindness and sympathy in me! I shall study how I may be tender without being soft; gracious without being ingratiating; kind without being sentimental; and understanding without being judgmental. Here in the quietness, I shall give myself in love to my neighbors.

Thou shalt love Thyself. I must learn to love myself with detachment. I must have no attitude toward myself that contributes to my own delinquency. I shall study how so to love myself that, in my attitude toward myself, I shall be pleasing to God and face with confidence what He requires of me. Here in the quietness, I give myself over to the kind of self-regard that would make me whole and clean in my own sight and in the sight of God.

Thou shalt love
Thy God
Thy neighbor
Thyself

(open your eyes) Amen.

Letter to the Episcopal Church - #MeToo & Our Response

January 22, 2018

Dear People of God in the Episcopal Church:

In recent weeks, compelling testimony from women who have been sexually harassed and assaulted by powerful men has turned our minds to a particularly difficult passage of holy scripture: the story of the rape of King David’s daughter Tamar by her half-brother Amnon (2 Samuel 13: 1-22). It is a passage in which a conspiracy of men plots the exploitation and rape of a young woman. She is stripped of the power to speak or act, her father ignores the crime, and the fate of the rapist, not the victim, is mourned. It is a Bible story devoid of justice.

For more than two decades, African women from marginalized communities have studied this passage of scripture using a method called contextual Bible study to explore and speak about the trauma of sexual assault in their own lives. Using a manual published by the Tamar Campaign they ask, “What can the Church do to break the silence against gender-based violence?”

It is, as the old-time preachers say, a convicting question. As our societies have been forced into fresh recognition that women in all walks of life have suffered unspoken trauma at the hands of male aggressors and harassers, we have become convinced that the Episcopal Church must work even harder to create a church that is not simply safe, but holy, humane and decent. We must commit to treating every person as a child of God, deserving of dignity and respect. We must also commit to ending the systemic sexism, misogyny and misuse of power that plague the church just as they corrupt our culture, institutions and governments.

Like our African siblings in faith, we must create contexts in which women can speak of their unspoken trauma, whether suffered within the church or elsewhere. And we must do more.

Our church must examine its history and come to a fuller understanding of how it has handled or mishandled cases of sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse through the years. When facts dictate, we must confess and repent of those times when the church, its ministers or its members have been antagonistic or unresponsive to people—women, children and men—who have been sexually exploited or abused. And we must acknowledge that in our church and in our culture, the sexual exploitation of women is part of the same unjust system that also causes gender gaps in pay, promotion, health and empowerment.

We believe that each of us has a role to play in our collective repentance. And so, today, we invite you to join us in an Ash Wednesday Day of Prayer on February 14 devoted to meditating on the ways in which we in the church have failed to stand with women and other victims of abuse and harassment and to consider, as part of our Lenten disciplines, how we can redouble our work to be communities of safety that stand against the spiritual and physical violence of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Neither of us professes to have all of the wisdom necessary to change the culture of our church and the society in which it ministers, and at this summer’s General Convention, we want to hear the voice of the wider church as we determine how to proceed in both atoning for the church’s past and shaping a more just future. May we find in our deliberations opportunities to listen to one another, to be honest about our own failings and brokenness, and to discern prayerfully the ways that God is calling us to stand with Tamar in all of the places we find her—both inside the church and beyond our doors, which we have too often used to shut her out.

Faithfully,

The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry & The Rev. Gay Clark Jennings
Presiding Bishop                               President, House of Deputies

Prayers for a #GovernmentShutdown

For Sound Government

O Lord our Governor, bless the leaders of our land, that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to other nations of the earth. Lord, keep this nation under your care.

To the President and members of the Cabinet, to Governors of States, Mayors of Cities, and to all in administrative authority, grant wisdom and grace in the exercise of their duties. Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To Senators and Representatives, and those who make our laws in States, Cities, and Towns, give courage, wisdom, and foresight to provide for the needs of all our people, and to fulfill our obligations in the community of nations. Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

To the Judges and officers of our Courts give understanding and integrity, that human rights may be safeguarded and justice served. Give grace to your servants, O Lord.

And finally, teach our people to rely on your strength and to accept their responsibilities to their fellow citizens, that they may elect trustworthy leaders and make wise decisions for the well-being of our society; that we may serve you faithfully in our generation and honor your holy Name. For yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Amen.

For the Diversity of Races and Cultures

O God, who created all peoples in your image, we thank you for the wonderful diversity of races and cultures in this world & our country. Enrich our lives by ever-widening circles of fellowship, and
show us your presence in those who differ most from us, until our knowledge of your love is made perfect in our love for all your children; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayers for the Week of Christian Unity

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began in 1908 as the Octave of Christian Unity, and focused on prayer for church unity which begins on the Feast of the Confession of Peter on January 18 and concludes with the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul on January 25. (Wikipedia)

Some prayers:

Lord Jesus Christ, who prayed for your disciples that they might be one, even as you are one with the Father; draw us to yourself, that in common love and obedience to you we may be united to one another, in the fellowship of the one Spirit, through all of our Churches in Monroe, that the world may believe that you are Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Amen. (William Temple (1881—1944))

O God who has called men and women in every land to be a holy nation, a royal priesthood, the Church of your dear Son; unite us in mutual love across the barriers of race and culture, and strengthen us here in Monroe in our common task of being Christ and showing Christ to the world he came to save. Amen. (John Kingsnorth (USPG))

O God, be with thy Church everywhere and particularly in the Churches of Monroe. May she walk warily in times of peace and quietness, and boldly in times of trouble. Do thou remove all harshness and bitterness from amongst us, towards those who walk not in all things with us, but who worship our Lord in sincerity and truth. And all this we ask for the sake of thy dear Son. Amen. (Helen Waddell, 1889-1965)

Prayers for the Feast Days (from the BCP):

Confession of Saint Peter January 18

Almighty Father, who inspired Saint Peter, first among the apostles, to confess Jesus as Messiah and Son of the living God: Keep your Church steadfast upon the rock of this faith, so that in unity and peace we may proclaim the one truth and follow the one Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Conversion of Saint Paul January 25

O God, by the preaching of your apostle Paul you have caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world:Grant, we pray, that we, having his wonderful conversion in remembrance, may show ourselves thankful to you by following his holy teaching; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

January 2018 #PrayFastAct for National Anti-Poverty Programs

As we head into 2018, public interest in anti-poverty programs is rising. Contributing factors include limited wage growth, limited access to training and educational opportunities, and automation and innovation that further limit opportunities. Yet some in Congress are seeing opportunities ahead to cut these programs under the auspices of “reform.”

Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security supplement retirement income and provide essential healthcare to the working poor and those unable to work. These programs along with SNAP, disability income, and unemployment insurance represent our nation’s commitment to seniors, the poor, hungry, disabled, jobless and sick.

The funding for these programs has largely been excluded from annual budget debates, as funds are designed to meet demand. In recent decades, budget cuts have been made to other public programs, including those that fund economic, community, workforce development, and general education. The result has been decreased investment in opportunities for Americans to gain the skills necessary to succeed in a 21st century economy, resulting in fewer paths to independence for those dependent on public assistance.

Reducing the national debt will require a reduction in the number of people dependent on safety net programs. Unfortunately, these programs are often misunderstood and overly simplistic explanations often result in calls to simply cut funding or restrict access.

To seriously address the issue of systemic poverty, reforms must focus on increasing opportunities for people to qualify for better jobs and wages so that they no longer depend on the safety net programs.

ON JANUARY 21, JOIN THE EPPN AND PRESIDING BISHOPS OF THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND THE ELCA AS WE PRAY, FAST and ACT.

Pray for those trapped in cyclical poverty and for our nation to heed Christ’s call to adequately care for those in need.

Consider Christ’s words from the Gospel of Matthew:

"Then the king will say to those on his right hand, 'You have my father's blessing; come, enter and possess the kingdom that has been made ready for you since the world was made. For when I was hungry, you gave me food; when thirsty, you gave me drink; when I was a stranger you took me into your home, when naked you clothed me; when I was ill you came to my help, when in prison you visited me.' Then the righteous will reply, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and fed you, or thirsty and gave you drink, a stranger and took you home, or naked and clothed you? When did we see you ill or in prison, and come to visit you?' And the king will answer, 'I tell you this: anything you did for one of my brothers [or sisters] here, however humble, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left hand, 'The curse is upon you; go from my sight into the eternal fire that is ready for the devil and his angels. For when I was hungry you gave me nothing to eat, when thirsty nothing to drink; when I was a stranger you gave me no home, when I was naked you did not clothe me; when I was ill and in prison you did not come to my help.' And they too will reply, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and did nothing for you?' And he will answer, 'I tell you this: anything you did not do for one of these, however humble, you did not do for me.' " Matthew 25:34-45

Reflect on how we must obey Christ’s command to care and provide for those in need. If we truly love our neighbor as ourselves we will not only help them, we will empower them to be independent in the future. As part of the Jesus Movement, we must consider how we live this out daily in our personal life, parish community, and public policies.

Fast to remember the millions of Americans who, even with jobs and public assistance, are still unable to feed their families, and struggle to afford retirement or medical care.



Join us on social media using #PrayFastAct and @TheEPPN. On the 21st, post a picture of a dinner place setting with the reason you are fasting this month.

Act: Read this one-pager on the three most commonly discussed anti-poverty programs

We hope that the information in this resource will help clarify some misunderstandings and confusion around Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

(taken from http://advocacy.episcopalchurch.org/ForSuchaTimeasThis?2 )

January 21 Sermon (3 Epiphany)

Eternal God, the refuge and help of all your children, we praise you for all you have given us,

for all you have done for us, for all that you are to us. In our weakness, you are strength, in our darkness, you are light, in our sorrow, you are comfort and peace. We cannot number your blessings, we cannot declare your love: For all your blessings we bless you, May we live as in your presence, and love the things that you love, and serve you in our daily lives; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ~ written by St. Boniface (ca. 672-754)

“Follow me and I will make you fish for people.”

Last week it was Jesus who called Philip to come follow him; this week in the Gospel it is Jesus calling to the fisherman Simon Peter & Andrew followed by James & John, the sons of Zebedee.

How strange those words must have sounded to them…

“Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And yet something must have stirred in their hearts, in their souls, for they leave their livelihood behind and go and follow Jesus.

All that they knew was behind them and walking in faith and trust in what Jesus said, they ventured forth from the sea of Galilee. I think of Martin Luther King Jr’s words… “Faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.”

And they took the first step and so many more…

But I also think of Nathaniel who resisted the call. Nazareth. Nothing good comes from there. But he did go with Philip and his life too was transformed.

For Jonah, in our first reading, he resisted the call from God too.

The Ninevites, a neighbour to the north, were an enemy of Israel.  God was looking for a prophet to send to them to have them repent of their evil ways. So God called Jonah - Twice!  When God first called him to send him to the Ninevites, Jonah ran the other way as fast as he could go, even jumping on a ship to go in the opposite direction.

Eventually a big fish brought Jonah back and as we heard this morning, God then called Jonah a second time and sent him to the Ninevites.  He proclaimed what God asked of him and the people of Nineveh listened. God did not destroy them because they repented of their evil ways.  Jonah, though, was angry.  He knew God might forgive them.  And now the hated Ninevites were saved.

God said to Jonah the reluctant prophet, "can’t I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than one hundred twenty thousand people who can’t tell their right hand from their left, and also many animals?" (Jonah 4:11 CEB)

Jonah could only see the hated enemy, but God saw his creation, a people who had erred and strayed like lost sheep, but who also deserve pity and a chance to mend their ways. And so called Jonah.

God calls the Simon Peters and the Philips, but he also calls the Nathaniels and Jonahs too.  He calls you and me to follow him and to do more than that, to minister to all in God’s name…

Such ministry is as simple as how we love; like a mother’s kiss to a child…

One writer put it this way: “My youngest daughter always had me kissing her boo-boos.  I did it because, as every mother knows, it makes it feel better.  What I never understood was the thought process behind the action.

 

“One day my daughter asked me to kiss her boo-boo when I was pressed for time, so I hurriedly obliged.  She cried, telling me it wasn’t any good because my kiss didn’t have any love in it.  I realized that kissing boo-boos was really about loving the pain away. 

“This simple truth, along with the value of mindfulness my daughter taught me, has encouraged me to slow down, to become more aware and present in the moment.  Slowing down is a conscious decision to live at a gentler pace and to make the most of the time I have. 

“When my own mother passed away, I did not forget the love she gave me; it will live on in my heart forever.  She gave me life, but beyond that, she gave me love . . . 

“With that errant kiss, I realized it was my responsibility as a mother to watch over my child’s spiritual growth . . . By simply showing my child kindness through listening, I believe I have satisfied my child’s earliest spiritual needs.  By being genuine — that is, personally connected and physically present — I have satisfied my child’s developing spirit.” [Mary Ann Rollano, writing in Spirituality & Health, November/December 2005.] 

It is Jesus who entrusts to each one of us — whether we are a fisherman or a mom or even reluctant like Jonah or Nathaniel — the work of discipleship: to extend, in whatever our circumstances, the love of God to all whom we meet; in our own homes and communities, to proclaim that love with the compassion & forgiveness that is bound in the life of Jesus. 

As God is present to us in the person of Jesus, we are called to be present to one another in our love and care.  To be the fishers of people that Jesus calls all of us disciples to become and to cast out God’s love that we have experienced upon the waters of our time and place, to reach out and grasp the hand of those who struggle and stumble, to love away the hurt and pain and fear in ourselves and others.

We might not know where God is calling us to love, but God calls us to make that first step in faith, knowing the Holy Spirit will be with us in each and every step we take.

Jesus calls you and me, today, to leave all that would hold us back and come follow him.

How will you answer?  Amen.

Prayers of the People using the Words of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Intercessor: Let us before all else give thanks for the love of God revealed to the world in the life and death of Jesus Christ:

People: "The Cross is the eternal expression of the length to which God will go in order to restore broken community."

Intercessor: Let us give thanks for the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and for the enduring power of his dream:

People: "I have a dream that one day 'every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low... and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.'... With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day."

Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to pray and work for peace:

People: "One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal… How much longer must we play at deadly war games before we heed the plaintive pleas of the unnumbered dead and maimed of past wars?"

Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to walk in the way of nonviolence:

People: "The non-violent approach... first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage that they did not know they had. Finally, it reaches the opponent and so stirs his conscience that reconciliation becomes a reality."

Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to pray and work for a just ordering of our world:

People: "Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals…This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is the time for vigorous and positive action."

Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to the vision of a world without poverty and disease:

People: "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits."

Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to seek the spiritual renewal of our nation:

People: "A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

Intercessor: Let us commit ourselves to seek the spiritual renewal of the Church:

People: "In spite of being disappointed, in spite of being left out without any initial response, millions of people are still knocking on the door of the Church and turning to it for the answers to the basic problems of life. The great challenge facing the Church today is to keep the bread fresh."

All: "And now unto God who is able to keep us from falling and lift us from the dark valley of despair to the mountains of hope, from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy, to God be power and authority, for ever and ever." Amen.

--------- Quotes are from the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and prayers are organized by Bishop Jeffery W. Rowthorn. --------

MLK Beloved Community

 

THE BELOVED COMMUNITY
(The Rev. Martin Luther King., Jr.’s Philosophy)

“The Beloved Community” is a term that was first coined in the early days of the 20th Century by the philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce, who founded the Fellowship of Reconciliation. However, it was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., also a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, who popularized the term and invested it with a deeper meaning which has captured the imagination of people of goodwill all over the world.

For Dr. King, The Beloved Community was not a lofty utopian goal to be confused with the rapturous image of the Peaceable Kingdom, in which lions and lambs coexist in idyllic harmony. Rather, The Beloved Community was for him a realistic, achievable goal that could be attained by a critical mass of people committed to and trained in the philosophy and methods of nonviolence.

Dr. King’s Beloved Community is a global vision, in which all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the Beloved Community, international disputes will be resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will prevail over war and military conflict.

Dr. King’s Beloved Community was not devoid of interpersonal, group or international conflict. Instead he recognized that conflict was an inevitable part of human experience. But he believed that conflicts could be resolved peacefully and adversaries could be reconciled through a mutual, determined commitment to nonviolence. No conflict, he believed, need erupt in violence. And all conflicts in The Beloved Community should end with reconciliation of adversaries cooperating together in a spirit of friendship and goodwill.

As early as 1956, Dr. King spoke of The Beloved Community as the end goal of nonviolent boycotts. As he said in a speech at a victory rally following the announcement of a favorable U.S. Supreme Court Decision desegregating the seats on Montgomery’s busses, “the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the Beloved Community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opponents into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.”

An ardent student of the teachings of Mohandas K. Gandhi, Dr. King was much impressed with the Mahatma’s befriending of his adversaries, most of whom professed profound admiration for Gandhi’s courage and intellect. Dr. King believed that the age-old tradition of hating one’s opponents was not only immoral, but bad strategy which perpetuated the cycle of revenge and retaliation. Only nonviolence, he believed, had the power to break the cycle of retributive violence and create lasting peace through reconciliation.

In a 1957 speech, Birth of A New Nation, Dr. King said, “The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community. The aftermath of nonviolence is redemption. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation. The aftermath of violence is emptiness and bitterness.” A year later, in his first book Stride Toward Freedom, Dr. King reiterated the importance of nonviolence in attaining The Beloved Community. In other words, our ultimate goal is integration, which is genuine inter-group and inter-personal living. Only through nonviolence can this goal be attained, for the aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation and the creation of the Beloved Community.

In his 1959 Sermon on Gandhi, Dr. King elaborated on the after-effects of choosing nonviolence over violence: “The aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community, so that when the battle’s over, a new relationship comes into being between the oppressed and the oppressor.” In the same sermon, he contrasted violent versus nonviolent resistance to oppression. “The way of acquiescence leads to moral and spiritual suicide. The way of violence leads to bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers. But, the way of non-violence leads to redemption and the creation of the beloved community.”

The core value of the quest for Dr. King’s Beloved Community was agape love. Dr. King distinguished between three kinds of love: eros, “a sort of aesthetic or romantic love”; philia, “affection between friends” and agape, which he described as “understanding, redeeming goodwill for all,” an “overflowing love which is purely spontaneous, unmotivated, groundless and creative”…”the love of God operating in the human heart.” He said that “Agape does not begin by discriminating between worthy and unworthy people…It begins by loving others for their sakes” and “makes no distinction between a friend and enemy; it is directed toward both…Agape is love seeking to preserve and create community.”

In his 1963 sermon, Loving Your Enemies, published in his book, Strength to Love, Dr. King addressed the role of unconditional love in struggling for the beloved Community. ‘With every ounce of our energy we must continue to rid this nation of the incubus of segregation. But we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege and our obligation to love. While abhorring segregation, we shall love the segregationist. This is the only way to create the beloved community.”

One expression of agape love in Dr. King’s Beloved Community is justice, not for any one oppressed group, but for all people. As Dr. King often said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He felt that justice could not be parceled out to individuals or groups, but was the birthright of every human being in the Beloved Community. I have fought too long hard against segregated public accommodations to end up segregating my moral concerns,” he said. “Justice is indivisible.”

In a July 13, 1966 article in Christian Century Magazine, Dr. King affirmed the ultimate goal inherent in the quest for the Beloved Community: “I do not think of political power as an end. Neither do I think of economic power as an end. They are ingredients in the objective that we seek in life. And I think that end of that objective is a truly brotherly society, the creation of the beloved community” (taken from http://www.thekingcenter.org/king-philosophy)

***

The Episcopal Church, in keeping with Dr. King’s teachings and living out of our discipleship with Jesus, embraces the conviction that the Beloved Community can be achieved through our commitment to nonviolence and loving our neighbors as ourselves. The idea is to carry out the Christian faith in such a public way that others see the Gospel of Jesus Christ being lived out today. How might we in our lives and in our congregation, work towards becoming the Beloved Community? How might we live out the Gospel in a way that our neighbors will take notice, not for the sake of our church but for the sake of the Good News of Jesus? Read + Remember + Celebrate + Act

Sermon: January 14 (2 Epiphany)

Our Insistent God, by night and day you summon your slumbering people,
So stir us with your voice and enlighten our lives with your grace
that we may give ourselves fully to Christ's call to mission and ministry. Amen.
(© 2002 Consultation on Common Texts admin. Augsburg Fortress.)

How will you respond to the voice of God?

Our first reading from Samuel tells us that the Word of God was rare in those days, visions were not wide spread. The Israelites who always had God right there for them must be feeling a bit lost, not so sure of themselves or what to do next.

But the lamp of the Lord had not gone out in the temple; the ark was still there and Eli one of the priests was doing his sacred duty. Samuel would hear the voice of God calling to him. But he did not understand. He thought it was Eli who was calling him.

Three times he went to Eli, “Here am I, you called me,” and finally the third time Eli understood that it was the Lord who was calling and he told Samuel what to do. And when the Lord called again, Samuel said, “speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

It is Samuel and Eli who remind us to listen, really listen for the voice of God in our lives. The Light of the World has come and the light that we celebrate this season of Epiphany has not gone out! We are called to listen and to respond, “speak Lord, for your servant is listening.”

For the Lord is calling to you and me this morning. How will you respond to the voice of God?

We might remain skeptical. Like Nathaniel in the Gospel reading.

Philip heard Jesus say, “follow me” and that is all he needed. He heard the voice of God and he responds! He runs to tell Nathaniel. “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.”

This is good news in the days of Roman occupation. The messiah has come. Philip is ready. And so what does Nathaniel say… “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

Reminds me of a certain pres…oh never mind.

Nathaniel is not impressed. Jesus of Nazareth. But Philip is not deterred by his friends prejudice or his lack of enthusiasm. “Come and see.” says Philip.

And Nathaniel goes to see Jesus and his interaction with Jesus changes everything. “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” And Philip and Nathaniel both follow Jesus.

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from, God is calling all of us to this ministry.

In South Sudan, he became their vessel used to help at a very crucial season of their life. Every week at Parolinya camp (the second largest refugee camp) in northern Uganda, Anglican Bishop Emmanuel Murye’s congregation – made up mostly of South Sudanese refugees, meet under a tree for Sunday service.

They came to the camp at the start of 2017 from their homes in Kajo Keji, South Sudan – as the government and two rebel groups battled for control in a war sparked by a feud between the President and his former deputy.

The Bishop said, “We told them the position of the church, we are a church and we are neutral. Both of you are ours, whether in the government or in the opposition.”

Bishop Murye had been installed as the new Anglican bishop of Kajo Keji county just days before the fighting broke out. He sheltered dozens of families in his church compound until the fighting died down. Thousands of people fled to Uganda.

Murye stayed and organized trucks to carry over 100 people across the border.

Kajo Keji became a ghost town – almost everyone left and Bishop Murye decided to follow his church.

“The kind of test of my faith and maybe of my leadership is when the people move out in big number and I was left with no people and it was terrible, all people moved out. And as a Bishop, as your Bishop also, I could not stay there, it is a great temptation and I was asking God ‘why, why am I consecrated, called a leader at this time’. And even the government, the army barracks, they expect us to be there. But the only thing we did actually was, we could not stay there without people because I was called to be leader of people, not a custodian of the soil, of the tree or of the houses, but I have to take care of the people,” he said. (from africanews.com)

Bishop Emmanuel Murye listened to the voice of God and he went and found the people he was called to minister to, refugees from a war not of their making…

In our country…

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, and uncle were all preachers. When he became the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, however, he still hadn’t had a firsthand experience of God. But then Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus and Martin found himself in the middle of a boycott. Although he had only been in Montgomery a year and he was only twenty-seven years old, he quickly became a leader of the movement. It wasn’t long before his family started getting threatening phone calls. He wondered if he could take it. He wanted out. Then one night, around midnight, another threatening call came: “We’re tired of you, and if you aren’t out of this town in three days, we’re going to blow your brains out and blow up your house.”

Dr. King prayed aloud that night. He reports hearing a voice calling him to stand up for righteousness, justice, and truth; the voice of Jesus promising to be with him through the fight. Dr. King’s life from that moment on is a testimony to his response to that prayer. What would we hear if we listened for God’s voice? (from Ministry Matters, Brett Younger)

Today Addison Meng Waller Hickey will respond to the voice of God and she will be baptized in our midst. What will you do this MLK weekend? How will you respond to the voice of God?

As the Savior so taught, listen…go now and overcome.
Overcome racial hatred with love and understanding.
Overcome sexism with mutual honor and respect.
Overcome social inequities with fair and equal educational and employment opportunities.
Overcome mean-heartedness with a kind word or good deed.
Overcome war, poverty, hunger, and suffering throughout our urban streets and lands abroad,
by sharing the love of Christ Jesus with your neighbor.
Listen to the word of the Lord. Go now and overcome!
(adapted from The AfricanAmericanLectionary.org.)

Amen.

Epiphany 2018 Proclamation

#SilenceisnotSpiritual - Speaking of #MeToo in the #ChurchToo

As we have been having a discussion in our society as of late regarding the violence and abuse that women (and others) have suffered at the hands of the powerful. These three articles grabbed my attention that I think the church needs to respond and speak out:

Female Evangelical Leaders Call on Church to Speak Out on Violence Against Women

The Golden Globes Held a Funeral. Now Let's Hold One in Church

No, #MeToo Is Not a Witch Hunt

Much for us to ponder, think about and act.  No more silence.

January 7 Sermon (1 Epiphany)

O God of grace, by the power of the Holy Spirit you have given us new life in the waters of baptism; strengthen us to live in righteousness and true holiness, that we may grow into the likeness of your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

A New Beginning

We just celebrated New Years – a new year has begun, a time when many people make resolutions for the upcoming year, most of the resolutions are along the self-improvement side, never a bad thing.

Which reminds me of a sticker that was next to the light switch in my room when I was growing up…

“Today is the first day of the rest of your life” & so each day like New Years can be a new beginning for us.

As we gather today, we heard the words from Genesis, words from the beginning of the bible, that get us to think about God – God who created light in the midst of darkness. And it was good. A New beginning.

For Jesus, the light of the world – today’s Gospel story is a new beginning for him –in the Gospel of Mark, we don’t start with the birth of Jesus or his childhood. We begin day 1 – at his baptism.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased…”

“Today, Jesus hears those words from his Father in heaven - and, in the waters of our own baptisms, God has spoken those same words to us. We are the beloved of God with whom God is well pleased; for God claims us as his own. The voice of the Father - our Father - speaks to all of us in the sacrament of Baptism; the Spirit of God descends upon us, enabling us to give to others the love, God joyfully gives to us.” [Adapted from The Pastor as Minor Poet by M. Craig Barnes.]

Just think that when we were each named and presented to God in baptism; we were adopted, grafted in to God’s family, and in that baptism is a gift. It was a new beginning for all of us as Christians.

We are baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire as one Gospel puts it. We are cleansed and given a new life in Jesus’ name. It is that same Spirit and fire that touches all that we are, from our beginning to our end. As St. Ephraim the Syrian of the fourth century wrote:

See, Fire & Spirit in the womb that bore you
See, Fire & Spirit in the water where you were baptized
Fire & Spirit in our Baptism.
In the bread and Cup, Fire and Spirit.

It is a gift that enlivens us, and reminds us that God dwells with us, in all our steps, has been with us from our birth to our baptism and continues to be with us, and is in the midst of our communion, of bread and wine, God is there in Fire & Spirit. And that same fire and Spirit will carry us to God on our final day.

Today (at 10:15 AM), Lily Rose Bender will join us in being part of God’s holy tribe, and the fire and Spirit will be given to her, and we will recognize in her as we are reminded ourselves that God is at work in our lives and has given us things to do.

In this time after the Epiphany, when we are to manifest Jesus to the world with our lives, even as we continue to learn and grow in what it means to follow him, for the gift of Jesus, who came down for us at Christmas, we will share with the world, by making his love, his joy, his light manifest in our lives, and the Fire and Spirit will guide us…

To that ministry and to our God we live our lives today and every day, so let the light of God shine forth in your lives, by the fire and Spirit given to us at Baptism for God is present in our lives, in what we say and do…

A story: Kailey was about to turn eight. When her mom and dad asked her what she wanted for her birthday, Kailey's request stunned them. She wanted shoes. Three-hundred-fifty pairs of them, to be exact.

Her parents did not take her request too seriously, but Kailey asked again and again.

Kailey saw a story on the Disney Channel about another girl who collected shoes for children from families in need and Kailey decided that's what she wanted to do. Kailey thought it would be neat to pass shoes on to other kids who needed them to be able to do the same things she enjoys doing, like go to school and play outside.

So, for her birthday, she asked for 350 pairs of shoes. Her parents posted the request on Facebook and Kailey's birthday request went viral. The response exceeded their wildest expectations. Kailey was receiving packages and donations every day for weeks after the posting. "Kailey's Fantabulous Footwear," as she named the project, collected more than 400 pairs of shoes. Kailey and her family donated the shoes to Cradles to Crayons, a nonprofit organization that provides children living in homeless or low-income situations with the essential items they need to thrive at home, at school and at play.

Kailey's parents are understandably proud. Her mother says the lesson in generosity was the greatest gift. "Listen to your kids when they want to do something . . . get them involved in the community, let them come and help."

"It's emotional," Kailey's proud dad says. "It just makes you feel so good that we've raised a child who cares to take care of others before she takes care of herself."

A little girl's generosity manifests the light of God, enabling the love of God to come down and fill her small corner of the earth with hope and joy. As God expresses his pleasure in his Beloved Son at Jesus' baptism in today's Gospel, God speaks his same joy and love in our own simple and ordinary attempts to imitate Jesus' compassion, justice and reconciliation in our world.

May the Spirit we received at our own baptisms continue to move us to do the work of Jesus' Gospel, to share the light of God and give voice to the love of God in our homes and schools and communities and churches.

Amen.