Tag Archives: discipleship

“Walking with God”

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Pentecost 13 (1 Kings 8:1-30)  08/26/2012

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A few weeks ago while on vacation with my family I had the wonderful opportunity to go on a cruise to Alaska! The cruise was a trip to one of the last frontiers in the United States. Although tourists descend upon Alaska every year, much of the landscape has retained its rugged natural beauty: glaciers stretching toward the ocean; mountain peaks reaching toward the heavens; and clouds, fog and rain seemingly ever-present, covering the entire region in a soft white blanket. Once I had finally accepted the idea that “water” (in its various forms) was simply part of the trip, the clouds and fog seemed to enhance the beauty of the landscape rather than detract from it. Throughout the week, the fog never fully obstructed our view; but instead seemed to rest like a delicate white stole, draped over the majestic mountains, shrouding the sacred beauty of the area. As we stood on the deck of the ship and looked out and up, the landscape appeared mysteriously beautiful and incredibly large, so large, in fact, that keeping objects in perspective was often difficult. The 250 foot wall of the glacier face appeared to be half that high and mountains that appeared close enough to touch were in fact miles away (which meant a lot more rowing during the river boat excursion than first expected!). The might and majesty of nature seemed beyond containment and the vast beauty of the region had no end. Continue reading →

“One small step in a journey with Christ”

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Fifth Sunday of Lent (John 12:20-33)  03/25/2012

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Last weekend we were blessed to have The Rev. Minka Sprague lead us in a wonderful Lenten Quiet Day. During the course of our time together Minka provided us with several insightful images of the grace of God, as shown in the lives of King David, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Apostle Paul, and St. Francis of Assisi. We were treated to a thoughtful day of reflection and prayer on the grace and love of God made manifest through these four people. Throughout this past week I have been particularly mindful of the reflections of Francis of Assisi, the one person of the group not mentioned in Holy Scripture. And although the life of Francis may appear quite extraordinary, there is quite a bit of his story that we might easily connect with our own story. Continue reading →

“Remove the obstacles that hold you back from Christ”

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Ash Wednesday (2 Cor 5:20-6:13)  2/22/2012

Welcome to the season of Lent. And if your lives are in any way fashioned around the academic calendar of the town school system, welcome back from a long weekend. A long weekend, formerly known as “Winter Recess,” but that was before the events of October came upon us all, in the form of “Storm Alfred.” A time that was unfortunately longer than a long weekend. As I reflected on this coming season of Lent and the Scripture readings that we heard today, I could not get the vivid images of that storm and the many days that followed out of my thoughts. I began to wonder if the Apostle Paul had in some way experienced some similar type of event; an event that required “great endurance, afflictions, hardships, calamities…and sleepless nights.” (2 Cor 6:4) Paul’s life, the life of a first-century apostle in foreign lands, was likely not isolated to one or two of these difficult events, but these challenges were familiar occasions throughout his days. Today, we hear Paul sharing his experiences with the community in Corinth; his highs and his lows, his fears and his hopes, and ultimately, his love for Christ and his confidence that the road of discipleship to Christ will vindicate all the challenges that he has endured. Continue reading →

“The Road to Calvary: Prepare to prepare”

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Lent is just a short week away and we need to get ready. Lent is the season of preparation for the coming of Easter; the coming of the day in which we celebrate our gift of eternal life – the death and resurrection of Christ and our reflection of what it means for us to participate in Christ’s death and resurrection. So you mean that Lent is a time of preparation and I have to prepare to prepare? Exactly. Lent is 40 days (not counting Sundays, at least in most Western Christian traditions) and 40 days is not a lot of time. At least not enough time in our crazy time-constrained culture to begin wondering how we might effectively “reflect” and “open ourselves” to the possibilities of Christ in our lives if we begin our wondering some time after the second Sunday of Lent. So, why not be the first one on the block to have your Lenten practices decided? You can tell your friends that this weekend is to Lent what “Black Friday” is to holiday shopping…and you don’t even have to sleep in a tent in front of Best Buy!

What can you do; what should you do? ANYTHING. Just do anything, preferably something that you have never done before unless “that previous thing” was incredibly helpful to your spiritual life. If you have some time available for vacation and a retreat center is nearby (and nearly everyone has some type of retreat center nearby), go on a Lenten retreat. Read a book, read the Bible, follow the Daily Office using the Episcopal Prayer Book (or go online here if it’s easier). If you are incredibly busy (and who isn’t incredibly busy, unless you have recently retired and you haven’t told anyone yet, so they can’t ask you to do several things in your “free” time), then simply find a few spare moments to pray for those you love, those who love you, and especially for those you don’t love, and pray for the world while you are at it…the world could use a prayer or two. Just do anything throughout the 40 days of Lent, and do it consistently. Lent, after all, is a time for thoughtful and disciplined attention toward God so we are prepared to receive His gift of saving Grace on Easter morning.

As for me, I will be reading Jane Shaw’s new book, A Practical Christianity: Meditations for the Season of Lent. You can purchase the book online at Cokesbury bookstore by following the link here. I have not read the book, but am following Bishop Jeff Lee’s (Episcopal Bishop of Chicago) invitation to read the book throughout the season of Lent. I look forward to walking with you as we travel the road to Calvary to Easter morning. I invite you today to prepare for the season of preparation; to get ready for Lent so that your Lenten journey may be fruitful and you may hear God calling you in the unique manner that God speaks to all His children.

“You have been chosen and now you must choose!”

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6th Sunday after the Epiphany (Mark 1:40-45)  2/12/2012

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The leper said to Jesus, “If you choose, you can make me clean.” (Mark 1:40) “If you choose…” Every day we are all confronted with decisions that must be made; in the course of our lives we discover new opportunities that cause us to make choices. Two weeks ago today I had the opportunity to spend the morning education hour with the J2A Youth group, helping them prepare for their approaching confirmation at the Cathedral. Our discussion was based upon a lesson that was entitled, “Decisions, Decisions.” As young adults in the church, they are already becoming familiar with the idea that their decisions are more informed by their own choices than with the choices of their parents or their guardians. And they, like the rest of us, have some choices to make. The Sacrament of Confirmation, according to the Prayer Book, is a mature commitment to Christ; a choice to affirm and renew the vows taken at one’s Baptism. The lesson prepared and challenged these young folks to consider how they might react when confronted with choices, especially choices made under difficult circumstances.  Every Christian has choices to make and many of the choices we are confronted with are not easy choices; and they are not always choices that are obvious or popular to the society in which we live. Continue reading →

“Blessed are you, saints of God”

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All Saints’ Day (Matthew 5:1-12)  11/06/2011

This morning we celebrate the feast of All Saints’ Day. The feast of All Saints’ is a day of celebration and thanksgiving for the saints who have gone before us. In the most stringent understanding of “saint,” those given the saintly title have been those who have exemplified a Christian life of sacrifice and loving care toward others; a life that has been carefully examined and granted a status that is seemingly beyond the reach of most of us. However, the more modern understanding (and by modern I mean the last 500 hundred years or so) of a saintly life is typically more broad, hoping to capture the essence of what the saints of God strive to be – the life of one who claims to be a child of God and a follower of his only Son, Jesus Christ. As we sang in our opening hymn this morning, “I sing a song of the saints of God,” and we can all hope to be one too! Continue reading →

“Maundy Thursday: Humble service to others”

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Maundy Thursday (John 13:1-17, 31b-35)  4/21/2011

Many years ago, as I was preparing to become confirmed, I was required to complete a certain number of service hours as part of the program. After participating in many different activities, I had two hours of service remaining to complete my goal. As I considered how I might fulfill these final two hours, the thought occurred to me (as I looked at the snow outside) that I might offer to shovel snow for a few of my neighbors. I grabbed a snow shovel and started down the street. I soon approached the house of a neighbor who had not shoveled the front walk. I had occasionally talked with the folks that lived there (they were friends of my grandparents) but I did not know them very well. I knocked on the door and the man soon opened the door. “I would like to shovel your front walk this morning,” I said to him. “No thank you, I always shovel my own walkway,” he replied. “But I am providing community service for my Confirmation class and there will be no charge; can I shovel your walk for free?” I protested. “For free? I suppose you can shovel the walk for free,” the man agreed. I quickly began shoveling, hoping to quickly finish the very long walkway so I could find another walk to clear. One hour later, I had finally finished and I was so tired I decided to go home. I did not go back and tell the man I was leaving because the job was free and I didn’t think there was anything to say. A few days later we had another snowstorm (you know the feeling, right?) and I returned to the same house – one more time and all my service hours would be done. I knocked on the man’s door and asked if I could shovel one more time. He agreed, but asked if I would come back to the house when I was done shoveling the walkway. One hour later, I was done and knocked on the door. The man answered the door and asked me if I would like to come inside and join him and his wife for something warm to drink. We had a wonderful conversation and they showed me many pictures and souvenirs that they had collected during the past 50 years of their life together. My time with them was an unexpected opportunity to share some of their most important memories. Continue reading →

“Living Lent throughout Christian History – Renaissance & Reformation”

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Each period of history throughout the Christian tradition has offered its unique contribution to our understanding of Lent. Select the link below to view an outline of the particular experiences of the Renaissance and the Reformation era and I hope you will discover new insights that will help you on your Lenten journey.

Living Lent throughout Christian History – Renaissance & Reformation

“‘The King’s Glory’ – listen to Him and have confidence”

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Last Sunday after Epiphany (Matthew 17:1-9)  03/06/2011

(Transfiguration of Christ)

The amazing growth of hi-tech devices has created a number of ways to watch movies these days…and my usual preference is the fairly low-tech method of receiving a disc in the mail from Netflix. But this past Sunday, Carol and I decided to catch a movie in the theater before watching the Academy Awards that evening. We decided to go to “The King’s Speech,” a movie about the life and challenges of Prince Albert, the Duke of York. The movie dramatically tells the story of Prince Albert’s challenging life: challenges that would be faced by any member of Britain’s royal family and challenges that were unique to Albert – most notably the difficulties of public speaking for a man who suffered from a stammering speech problem since his earliest days. Everyone faces challenges throughout their lives – some challenges can be avoided or accommodated through the decisions we make; but some challenges must be faced head-on because these difficulties stand in the center of our road of life, they block the very path we must travel if we are true to who we are as individuals. Public speaking (for Prince Albert) was the immovable, center-of-the-road type of challenge. The story tells us that the Prince had already tried several methods of correction before he met a man who had a reputation for his success and for his unorthodox methods of correcting speech problems. The reluctant Prince is finally introduced to his new instructor and after some awkward conversation the teacher asks the Prince to try recording his voice by reading aloud from a book while he listens to music through headphones. Shortly after beginning the test, the Prince is not convinced his teacher’s methods have any merit and he abruptly leaves, but not before he is given a copy of his voice recording. The unhappy Prince returns home and soon his curiosity gets the better of him and he listens to the recording – to his surprise the recording of the bizarre experiment proved that the Prince read the book aloud with perfect speech. The story of Prince Albert’s struggle to overcome his speech problems had really just begun that day, but at the beginning of that long road was this recording – an amazing recording that seemed to be from some different place breaking into the “now” of today…a day that remained to be full of challenges and difficulties. Continue reading →

“Reflection of the Daily Office: Do not hide under a bushel basket”

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Daily Office for 01/20/2011 – Gospel reading: Mark 4:21-34

Today’s Morning Prayer lessons presents us with a few short parables, beginning with the reasonable advice that one does not place a lighted lamp under a bushel basket. Beyond the concern that the basket will go up in flames, the parable means to teach that a light is intended to lighten its surroundings, not quietly live a peaceable life in solitude. This advice might seem rather obvious, but if we can imaginatively place ourselves in the role of the light we might find a certain level of discomfort with the attention and responsibility of sharing our gifts with others…24/7, as is the popular saying these days. The parables in Mark’s Gospel account that follow the “light & the bushel basket” parable emphasize this lesson – the growing seed and the might of the tiny mustard seed both point to the strength and vitality of appropriately nurturing one’s gifts as God intends.

Today we remember Fabian, Bishop of Rome and Martyr of the Church in the year 250. Fabian is famous for his election as Bishop because he was elected by the favor of the crowd that gathered to select the bishop – and Fabian was not even an ordained minister at the time. Although not familiar with all the details of church administration, he put his gifts to good work and was able to serve the people of Rome with great result. Never fearing to do what was required of him, Fabian was eventually martyred during the Christian persecutions ordered by Decius. Fabian is remembered as an example to us that we have been given gifts, for the good and happiness of our lives and for the good of others. But we must not be content to sit at home and quietly use our gifts…or not use them at all. We must boldly go into the world and share what has been given to us and, like a tiny mustard seed, the impact of our actions will make a mighty difference in the world.