“Through Christ, we find redemption”

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Pentecost 2C (1 Kings 17:8-24; Lk 7:11-17)  06/06/2010

This morning, we appear to have a single story to consider as we listen to our Scripture lessons. And the story is this: a poor widow is met at the gate of the city by a man who is busy fulfilling the mission of God. The widow, living with very little to her name (other than her only son), eventually loses her child…her last great treasure. Through the divine will of God, the dead son is brought back to life. And the man who has acted on God’s behalf to bring about this miraculous event is proclaimed to be a great prophet and God’s favor is believed to be with the people. Surely, this story is an amazing story to tell and retell throughout the generations. A story that exemplifies the power and authority of God, but when we hear this story from Luke’s Gospel account, the meaning of the story expands beyond the power and authority of God and speaks of Christ’s particular mission of redemption…and as a people redeemed through the saving grace of Jesus, the redemptive power of this Gospel lesson holds special meaning and is a lesson for how we might live our lives with each other. Continue reading →

“The Spirit of God leads us on a journey of unfolding truth”

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Trinity Sunday Yr C (Jn 16:12-15)  05/30/2010

During this season of school graduations, I am reminded that shortly after my college graduation I moved to Florida to attend the Navy’s Nuclear Power School. The school was an intensive 6-month training course designed to teach the details of nuclear power plant operations. The course work kept everyone very busy, with 40 hours of classroom time and usually 30-40 additional hours of study time each week. After several weeks of this rigorous routine, nearly everyone was exhausted. And although we were exhausted, as new Naval Officers we tried to keep a low profile and quietly maintain the demanding study routine…with the exception of one particular student. The one member of the student body that was not a young officer hoping to make it through school and report to their first ship was a Navy pilot – a Captain who had been selected to serve as commanding officer of an aircraft carrier. As the future commanding officer of a nuclear powered ship, he needed to understand how the nuclear power plant worked, so he was sent to school…much to his dismay. One day the Captain raised his hand and said to the instructor, “All of this information is very interesting, but I would like you to teach us only what we really need to know.” Perplexed, the instructor replied, “Captain, this is all important information.” “Oh, I’m sure it is,” replied the Captain, “but the information on the test is probably the most important information, so why don’t you take special care to highlight that information for us.” The instructor, a young junior officer himself, stood speechless in front of the room, wondering how to respond to the Captain’s rather direct request.

Difficult topics require the very best we have to offer. The complexities of our lives and our relationships can demand our very best thinking; demand that we live through moments of uncertainty; demand our patience as we live into the unfolding truth as that truth is revealed. Continue reading →

“Unexpected Grace”

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Seventh Sunday after Easter Yr C (Acts 16:16-34)  05-16-2010

Nearly 20 years ago, Steven Spielberg introduced many people to the story of Oskar Schindler in his dramatic and powerful movie, Schindler’s List. The movie tells the story of a businessman who saves hundreds of Polish Jews from the horror and almost certain death of the concentration camps of the Nazi regime. But the fact that Schindler saved hundreds of Jews is actually the end of the story and not how the story begins. In the beginning of the story, Oskar Schindler set out only to establish a factory that he hoped would be a successful business venture. He began hiring workers for his factory and in an effort to make the greatest profit he hired people who would accept the lowest wage…and the Jewish people of Krakow were paid the lowest wage. His factory was run and staffed by Jewish workers and throughout the difficult days of World War II, things began to change between Schindler and his workers. Unexpected events occurred and gifts of unexpected grace entered their lives and changed their futures. Unexpected grace would change the lives of hundreds of Jews. And unexpected grace would forever change Oskar Schindler. Unexpected events point us toward the grace that is present in our lives, but sometimes comes to us in unexpected ways. Continue reading →

“Following Christ beyond our boundaries”

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Fifth Sunday of Easter YR C (Acts 11:1-18)  05-02-2010

Boundaries. The order of our lives is often maintained by boundaries. We create boundaries by establishing laws, drawing lines, and setting limitations. Much of my recent vacation was defined by various boundaries, beginning with my airline boarding pass, which told me I had a seat on the Southwest plane and the order in which I was to stand in line. There were lines for the boundaries of the baggage check line; lines for the roller coaster rides at the amusement park, and nearly every restaurant required that you place your name on a list so they could establish the boundaries of when you would eat and the table that was most appropriate for the size of your party. Boundaries followed me throughout my vacation…and as we were ending our vacation, standing in the very long baggage check line at the Tampa airport, an employee of Southwest airlines came forward to pass along some news about the boundaries of the baggage check line. She told us that it is not permitted to check bags prior to 4 hours in advance of your flight time. She then requested anyone whose flight was more than 4 hours from the current time to please leave the baggage check line. For those people, their time had not yet come…and the established boundaries did not permit their participation. Continue reading →

“Blessed are we who are called to serve others”

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Second Sunday of Easter Yr C (Jn 20:19-31)  04-11-2010

Throughout this past week, I have been drawn to the unfolding events of the mining disaster in West Virginia. The challenges to the recovery efforts persisted throughout the week, like unrelenting nightmares that refuse to loosen their hold on a community already grief-stricken with the loss of 25 people. Every morning, I turned on my television to hear the latest information and hoped to discover at least some good news from the brave efforts of the men and women who were working to rescue those miners who were unaccounted for in the initial search. Every morning, the media would ask the same question: can we believe the missing miners are still alive? And then the reporters would respond to their own question: the chances of anyone surviving are slim, but the families and all of us can still believe a miracle can happen. Continue reading →

“Renewed and reconciled by the resurrected Christ”

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Easter Morning Yr C (Jn 20:1-18)  04-04-2010

Among the many learning opportunities that are required of someone going through seminary training, I found that the 10 weeks I spent serving as a Chaplain intern especially rewarding. I spent the summer with some wonderful people at a continuing care retirement center in VA. After some introductory training, I was told to spend some time visiting folks in the assisted living and nursing care areas of the center. The vast majority of my visits were made to folks who lived alone, but there was one couple who lived together in one double room. This couple had been married for more than 60 years and I was looking forward to meeting them. I was told that they both suffered from varying degrees of dementia, in addition to other physical challenges, but I would be welcomed to visit them and the nurses were sure I would have a nice visit. As I entered the room, the man warmly greeted me as the woman slept in her bed next to him. He invited me to sit down and we started a nice conversation about many different topics…and throughout our conversation I noticed the room was full of many beautiful and interesting pictures and works of art. I suppose when you condense 60 years of life together in one room, only the most memorable pieces are selected. I asked the gentleman about one particularly beautiful wood carving of a Native American Chief riding on a stallion. He looked at the carving, agreed it was beautiful and then nodded his head toward his sleeping wife. He said, “I guess the carving his hers, I don’t know where she got it from.” I said, “Oh, your wife bought the carving.” He replied, “My wife, oh no, that’s not my wife. I have never seen her before they put us together in this room. I don’t know where my wife is right now.” I was struck by his reply: not because he couldn’t recognize his wife of 60 years – that was caused by the dementia. I was struck by his comment because this man and woman, after more than 60 years together, now lay in this room together, and he had lost his wife. Continue reading →

“Help save the world” – The Millennium Development Goals

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The extreme challenges of global poverty and need can easily overwhelm those who take up the fight to beat these challenges. The Millennium Development Goals have been established to provide a structure to reduce the extreme conditions of those in need and begin the process of eliminating of the horror of poverty and suffering throughout the world and act as responsible citizens of the world. BUT WHAT CAN WE DO? Glad you asked – read on! Continue reading →

“Is repentance enough? Forgiveness vs. Justice”

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Fourth Sunday in Lent Year C  (Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32)  03-14-2010

At the beginning of this season of Lent, we gathered on Ash Wednesday and prayed for the observance of a holy Lent, “by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” And throughout Lent we have started each service with the Penitential order, to remind ourselves that our repentance shapes our Lenten journey and brings us closer to God. We invest much hope that our repentance brings forgiveness for our wrong doings, but if we have been wronged, is repentance enough for us…or do we need something more? Do we desire some compensation for the wrongful acts that have been committed in order for justice to be served? This morning, we are asked to reflect on repentance and forgiveness…and how these charitable acts challenge our understanding of justice. Continue reading →

“Faithfully waiting for God’s Grace”

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Second Sunday in Lent Year C (Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18)  02-28-2010

Just over six years ago, I started the discernment process for ordained ministry. The decision to begin the process of discernment has many considerations, especially if that journey is started in the middle of one’s life. There are practical matters of family and finances to consider; there are the important spiritual matters of God’s call to consider; and there is the seemingly “all important” question to consider: what time seems to be the “right” time to begin such an undertaking. All of these considerations were elements of the many discussions we had regarding my possible call to the priesthood, especially with two teenagers living at home. We initially considered waiting until the kids were off to college, but finally decided the present time was best, as long as everything moved along as we expected. The process went smoothly during my parish discernment and I promptly submitted my paperwork for the Diocesan discernment weekend, which is held only once per year. After submitting my paperwork to the Diocese in early June, I waited to hear about my participation in the discernment weekend that would be held in February. After weeks of waiting, I heard nothing; the weeks turned into months, and I still heard nothing. Continue reading →

“Living in the tension between heaven and earth – and transformed by God’s glory”

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Last Sunday of Epiphany Year C (Lk 9:28-43a) – 02/14/2010

This morning we celebrate the last Sunday of the season of Epiphany. Not so long ago we started our journey through Epiphany by watching the bright star rise above Jesus, the Christ child, as he lie in the manger; and we now draw close to the end of this season by watching the dazzling light of the transfigured Son of God. Whether a bright star in the heavens or the transfigured face of Jesus, the season of Epiphany joyously proclaims the glory of God given to us in the gift of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Yet as we listen to our Scripture readings this morning, the joyous light and glory of Epiphany does not seem to appear before us without complication; without controversy; without a very present tension between the glorious gifts given from heaven and the difficult realities of our earthly life. As we experience the tension between heaven and earth, we might find ourselves drawn one way or the other (perhaps clinging to all things sacred at the expense of the world or maybe we are pulled into the busyness of the world and leave our relationship with God for another time), but if we stand fast in the center of the tension: we experience something completely different – we become transformed and we discover that Christ has acted to redeem and renew us in the midst of our humanity. Continue reading →