Gregorian Chant - "Dies Irae"

Emmaus

Emmaus

CIVILITY

As the Episcopal Church prepares to create a liturgy for the “Blessing of Same Gender Unions,” it is important that no matter what our stance or convictions regarding the topic, that we remember to exercise civility towards those we are in disagreement. Otherwise we exercise divisive behavior that splinters the Body of Christ.

Civility describes the standards of behavior expected of users when they interact, and appropriate ways of dealing with problems that may arise. Civility means to always treat each other with consideration and respect. Civility helps maintain a pleasant environment for discussing difficult issues. Civility requires parties on both sides of an argument to behave politely, calmly and reasonably, even during heated debates.

People such as Abraham Lincoln were masterful at the use of civility and are great examples to follow. In the days that lie ahead as difficult issues are debated and differing opinions expressed, it is my most sincere hope that no matter what the outcome, we remember to treat one another with kindness, respect and civility. 

The Sadness of Division

It genuinely saddens me when people break with the church over issues they cannot agree. We are after all members of the same Body of Christ. We may not agree on every difficult issue that arises in the Church, but we are called to be One, just and God the Holy Trinity is One. The world is not a black and white place in which we exist; and neither is the Church. It is in the gray areas of life where we struggle that are most important. For it is in the gray areas we meet the Risen Christ. It is in the gray areas that God calls us into deep discernment and prayer. It is in the gray areas that we wrestle with God and even one another. But in the end, what make the Episcopal Church so special is that it makes room for the gray areas; it is called the Via Media (the middle way). The gray areas are where we experience spiritual growth and the place where God forges and reforges our lives. While it can be a painful place of change, it is also a place of genuine revelation (God speaking to us) and transformation. 

My heart breaks when we lose people and congregations due to our differences and the view that there are different “sides.” When we create “sides” we create division and are doing exactly what Satan wants for God’s people. I don’t condemn or hold anything against those who leave the church because of their unhappiness with the direction she may take; rather I desire more than anything to reunite with them in faithful reconciliation and love.

As for me, I will stand with my beloved Episcopal Church through thick and thin. She was there for me when no one else was. She was my banner in the dark that beckoned me home with open, forgiving and loving arms. She accepts people for who they are and where they are in life. I stand proudly, yet humbly with the Episcopal Church USA. 

Discovering the “Self”

All to often we look for purpose and meaning for our lives within ourselves. There are countless self-help books that attempt to assist us in discovering the “meaning of our lives.” Yet beginning with the “self” in order to find our purpose and meaning in life is looking in the wrong place. One may ask, “What?! Well just where am I supposed to begin? After all, isn’t it my life I’m trying to enhance and further explore?” The answer to these questions is “yes,” it is our life that we seek to find a deeper purpose and more profound meaning, but the source in which we begin is not within ourselves, but with God.

Our lives begin with Christ and our lives as Christians are centered in Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us, “He is the image of the unseen God, the first born of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers- all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:15-16).  In other words, rather than looking to our inner most selves for our purpose in life, we are called to look to Christ; Christ who is begotten (meaning there before all time) and Christ who knew us before we were even formed in the womb. This is revelation (God speaking to us) rather than self-formation (speaking to ourselves!).

In order for us to truly find and better understand our purpose in life we must begin with Christ. For it is by him and with him and in him that our lives take on new meaning and transformation. The “self” becomes less important as we listen, pray and seek God’s will for our lives. We suddenly find newness in life that comes from the Holy Spirit.

So turn to God as we walk this journey called life, and we will discover not only our spiritual gifts but our genuine purpose in life as well. 

Finding God in Child Like Wonder

Standing the top of North Mountain, I gazed out across the rolling and lush green hills of the Shenandoah Valley. In the distance, like unmovable bulwarks were the Blue Ridge Mountains, while far bellow us on the valley floor the sunlight glimmered and bounced off the tin roof tops of Shrine Mont and the community of Orkney Springs, Virginia. With incense burning on our make-shift rock altar, we lifted our voices up to the highest heaven in song to the energizing rhythm of an acoustic guitar. As I prepared to celebrate the Holy Eucharist in this natural cathedral, God’s Living presence was overwhelming and very real. Along with eighteen middle school campers and several councilors we praised God as one voice, and one people. In that holy moment as deep shadows lightly danced across the valley floor then leapt over the mountains beyond, all I could think was that God is surely in this place; the Incarnate Christ is an integral part of all creation. How could he not be?

For ten days during the month of July, I had the wonderful experience of serving as chaplain to Explorer’s III Middle School Youth Camp at Shrine Mont. I went to camp not knowing what to expect, hoping I would be able to provide some sort of spiritual guidance to these eighteen youth and their councilors. Today as I reflect on my time spent with these wonderful young people, I hope I was able to give them half as much spiritual nurturing and substance as they gave me. I arrived at Shrine Mont tentative and a little uneasy, I left full of the Spirit with an incredible reminder of just how many gifts our children have to offer our community of faith. Like all generations of people in the parish, our children and youth provide a unique and delightful perspective of God’s church and the world. Like a bright ray of sunlight bursting forth through dark and heavy clouds, my ten days of ministering to these young people reinvigorated the absolute importance of never losing the need or ability to play, to act a little crazy and have fun in this life. While life’s burden’s will always be around, attempting to weigh us down, I was reminded by these children that life is simply too short and too important to allow stress and worry to overwhelm us. When we become like children we touch that often hidden or even forgotten place in our hearts that is still full of innocence, vulnerable and hungry for what is new.

While I realize that it is unrealistic for most of us to go off to summer camp, it is very feasible to seek out the child like wonder and love that still exists in every one of our hearts. Through an old but long forgotten lens we may just find a renewed hope and child like freedom in an often troublesome world. We may also encounter the Incarnate Christ, who says, “Bring the children to me. Anyone who wishes to enter the Kingdom of Heaven must first become like one of these.”