AGAIN … and AGAIN … and AGAIN

Fr. Bill’s sermon of Lent 2 asked us to consider again as a concept with theological meaning. It was introduced in conjunction with the reading from Genesis, of the giving of the covenant by God to Abram, again. And then came the question, “Why again?” Was not something as important as a promise from God Almighty worthy of being remembered from its first granting?

I have found myself musing on the concept of again. It seems to me that the word itself could indicate judgment or opportunity. “Do I have to tell you again to move the dirty dishes from the sink to the dishwasher?” Or, “Great job on that report. Could you do it again with this new material?”

I think that our relationship with God can, in a way, be described by again. Prayer C in Holy Eucharist II (BCP 370) uses these words: Again and again you called us to return.” Is this judgment or opportunity? I see both. We have fallen short of the fullness of life to which God calls us, but at the same time, we are graciously given the opportunity to try again.

The contemplative nature of the season of Lent is, I believe, a perfect time to ponder again. I find myself overwhelmed with gratitude for again, both the judgment and the opportunity. The judgment aspect calls me to assess what has gone wrong, and the opportunity aspect bids me try again. Is that not really what repentance is about?

What are the ways we can receive and embrace God’s gracious gift of again? I invite you to prayerfully allow again to become part of your spiritual life as we continue our observance of Lent. Entering again into communion with God, may new paths be open to you.
Bev+

Gifts

Matthew’s story of the birth of Jesus includes a visit from astrologers, referred to as magi or wise men. Although they would have reached the Holy Family sometime after the actual birth, and probably called in on them in a home, rather than the stable portrayed in Luke, we include them in our manger scenes of Christmas.

The biblical story tells us that these magi brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The story itself does not tell us why these three gifts are brought, but the familiar hymn “We Three Kings…” indicate the hymn writer’s understanding of how these three items would fit into the unfolding life of Jesus.

Actually the gold, frankincense, and myrrh are three types of incense or gums that produce fragrant odors when burned. The “gold” incense was intended for use in a golden censer at the gold altar in the temple in Jerusalem. These gifts were, undoubtedly, treasured and highly valuable items at the time they were delivered.

But, I ask you, how useful were they to Mary, a new mother, away from home, trying to take care of a new baby?

The church’s Feast of the Epiphany, January 6th, celebrates the visit of the magi, the wise men, to the Holy Family. This January 6th, however, we will have the opportunity to recast this story as this event: BABY SHOWER by the WISE WOMEN of GOOD SHEPHERD.

The women of Good Shepherd, and girlfriends they might wish to include, are invited to the parish hall at Good Shepherd, at 2:00 pm, Saturday, January 6th, to honor and celebrate the moms and babies who could use our help. You are invited to bring an oh-so-practical gift, like diapers (even larger sizes like pull-ups), small packages of baby wipes, baby lotion, etc. to be donated to Matt’s Ministry and the homeless shelter in Murphy. You are also invited to bring a personal care product for Mom. This could be shower wash, shampoo, body lotion, etc.

We also want to celebrate Epiphany as the Season of Light, and the spreading of the Light of Christ beyond ourselves. To that end, you are invited to bring a small candle – any kind/container – that will easily fit into a small paper lunch bag (provided at the event). If you wish, you can include an Epiphany wish or greeting for the Good Shepherd sister who will be the recipient of your candle bag. As part of our festivities we will have a candle bag swap.

As the women of Good Shepherd, we can celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany with our own wisdom and understanding of motherhood. We are Wise Women. And we have our own way of letting women in need know that we care. And we have the wisdom to know that our own sisterhood in enhanced, celebrated, and enjoyed by our gathering together. So, come to the BABY SHOWER by the WISE WOMEN, and let your light shine.

See you there.
Bev

Honoring Bishop Nicholas and Celebrating St. Nick

December 6th on our liturgical calendar is the day designated to honor Nicholas, Bishop of Myra. Much of the information we have on Bp. Nicholas is from legend; little is known historically. But this we do know: he was born to noble Christian parents, Johanna and Epiphanes, in around the year A.D. 280 in Patara, Lycia in Asia Minor, which is now Turkey.

As a child, it is said, Nicholas was sensitive to and saddened by the sickness, suffering, old age, and death that he witnessed every day. When his parents died in a plague, Nicholas inherited great wealth. He made it his purpose in life to use all of his wealth and strength to help people in need.

Nicholas’s uncle, also called Nicholas, was the Bishop of Myra, a nearby town. He recognized the calling and devotion of his young nephew and ordained him a priest. When the successor to Bp. Nicholas died, the priest Nicholas was ordained a bishop and made Bishop of Myra. Nicholas is said to be the youngest priest ever ordained bishop.

As a bishop in the church, Nicholas was called by Emperor Constantine I to participate in the Council of Nicea in 325. Bp. Nicholas was a signer of the document which is now known as the Nicene Creed.

The multiple legends and accounts of miracles performed by Bp. Nicholas led to his canonization by the emperor Justinian in the sixth century. St. Nicholas, through his mission, ministry, and miracles became the patron saint of children, of seafarers, and of the imprisoned, Through the years, pilgrims, travelers, voyagers, maidens, choirboys, firefighters, stonemasons, weavers, and butchers have also claimed St. Nicholas as their patron.

During the Middle Ages in Europe, St. Nicholas’s feast day became a time of great merriment and gift giving. In Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Netherlands the custom arose of giving gifts in St. Nicholas’s name during the Christmas season. In Holland in the Middle Ages, Dutch children left hay and sugar in their shoes on the eve of St. Nicholas’s feast day. Sinter Klaas, as he was known there, gave the hay and sugar to his horse and in turn, filled the children’s shoes with nuts and candies.

When Dutch Protestants arrived in New Amsterdam, now New York, they brought with them their traditions of celebrating Sinter Klaas. Because St. Nicholas’s feast day is in December, so close to when Christmas is celebrated, over time the figure of Sinter Klaas soon was transfigured into the character we call Santa Claus.

Why take the time to recall and celebrate this holy man? I find our Christmas Season to be overwhelmingly commercialized. I value the opportunity to focus on Nicholas, that saintly bishop, whose anonymous generosity so aided and transformed the lives he touched, In the Christmas Season, I like to carry the gracious and giving spirit of St. Nicholas with me as I navigate the madness of the market place. St. Nicholas helps me embrace and celebrate the opportunity for thankful giving and generous caritas.

I invite you to join me as our parish has the opportunity to honor Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, at our noon Eucharist on December 6th .
With the love of the Season,
Bev+

A Place to Call Home

Witnessing, through televised reporting, the war in Gaza has made me ever so aware of the true gift it is to have a place to call home - in a county, a state, a country where I truly belong. The feeling of security that brings is a treasure.

I feel powerless to make any difference in what is going on in Israel. But that powerlessness makes me even more motivated to pursue our declared intentions of working in the area of housing insecurity right where we are.

My sense is that homelessness can be every bit as frightening and as threatening, to individuals and families experiencing it, if it is caused by domestic dysfunction as if it is caused by war. The feelings of despair, helplessness, and abandonment, I would imagine, would be real and powerful, regardless of the source.

So, while, with the Psalmist (122:6-7), I “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” I am also inquiring of ourselves as to where we are with our own commitment.

With thanksgiving for the peace within our borders,
Bev+

From My Place in the Pew

My time of serving as Priest in Charge during Fr. Bill’s sabbatical was a very rewarding experience for me. And I do truly appreciate your expressions of thanks for my service in that capacity. I am hoping to continue to be able to serve as a priest whenever it could be helpful to the life of our parish family. But between those occasions, I am ever so happy to be returning to my place in the pew.

The vows on which I want to concentrate now are my baptismal vows. I believe one of the most beautiful pieces in the Book of Common Prayer, 1976, is the Service of Baptism. I really appreciate the Prayer Book authors augmenting the Baptismal Covenant to include the questions that follow the creedal statements. Those questions really allow us, each of us and us together as a parish family, to visualize specific ways we can live into our promises. The Baptismal Covenant can be found on pages 304- 305 in the Prayer Book. Once when I was asked to do a confirmation class with some teenagers who really were not very enthusiastic about participating, I ditched the traditional materials and concentrated solely on the Baptismal Covenant. The kids chose to make a movie illustrating the covenant and how they intended to own those promises for themselves. It was an amazing statement of faith.

An interesting study can be had by doing a comparison of the Service of Baptism in the 1928 Prayer Book and today’s Book of Common Prayer. The ’28 service seems to me to be filled with “the world, the flesh, and the devil” language. Not only does this approach seem misdirected to me, it seems far less than helpful in empowering us for active ministry.

Active in ministry is how I hope to be as a member of the Good Shepherd family, working with several different ministry groups and offering what talents I might to further the mission. I treasure my relationship with you, my parish family. And I look forward to working with you, from my place in the pew.

Love and gratitude, Bev+

Feed Them and They Will Come

While in seminary at the University of the South at Sewanee, I had the opportunity to take a class in the College division of the University. It was an upper level course in the Anthropology Department: The Anthropology of Religion. This course is the one course, of all my studies, that had the most immediate impact, and has had the most long-lasting impact on my thinking. It introduced me to something I have come to accept as true: there is a spiritual component to Homo sapiens. Spiritual experiences and the practice of religion seem to be common to humanity around the globe and across time, embracing all cultures and ethnic groups.

Along with rites of passage (how one moves from one stage of life to another), rites of incorporation (how one joins the faith group) and rites of maintenance (how one stays a member) are common elements to most religions. It is the rites of maintenance, in the larger group of Christianity, and in the more specific group of Episcopalians, and even more specifically in the faith community of Good Shepherd Church, that I would like to think about here.

We at Good Shepherd gather weekly to participate in two maintenance rites 1) to tell our sacred story and 2) to share our sacred meal. Looking at The Holy Eucharist in our Book of Common Prayer, either Rite I or Rite II, we can see the two divisions of the service: The Word of God (This is where we tell our sacred story.) and The Holy Communion (This is where we share our sacred meal.).

The sharing of our sacred meal took on some additional meaning for me recently, when I found myself ducking into one of my favorite eating places, Happy Hawg, in Hiawassee. Those of you who have been there know that the indoor area is replete with signs on the walls. I sat down at a small table with a sign right next to me that read, “Feed them and they will come.”

I am not sure that the sign-maker had in mind our Holy Eucharist, but that is what settled into my thoughts upon encountering that sign. “Feed them, and they will come” might not be found in those specific words on the lips of Jesus as recorded in our Gospels, but I have no doubt that it is the essence of those words that was sent forth with Jesus’s disciples as he encouraged them to spread the good news of the Kingdom of God. All of God’s children need to be fed – with physical food, with spiritual food, with the food of the Good News.

Our life together at Good Shepherd includes so much feeding. At our recent Friday night Reel Theology event, where we shared pizza and a movie, we had some visitors who had not been to Good Shepherd before. “Wow! This is some feed!” was a remark I heard. And I thought to myself, “Yes it is. We do feeding very well.” And I found myself so very thankful, as I thought of all the feeding activities and ministries in which the good folk of Good Shepherd engage. And the one element that inspires all this feeding activity that we do is the gift God gives us of the opportunity to feed spiritually and physically with the bread and wine, that for us makes present the body and blood, of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we celebrate The Holy Communion.

Anthropologists may look from the outside at what we are doing when we celebrate The Holy Eucharist and say that we are participating in our group’s maintenance rites. From the inside, however, as a member of the Good Shepherd family, gathered around our Table, I am hearing Jesus say, “Feed them and they will come.” Please join me at our Table.

Bev+

Independence Day - A Day of Thanksgiving

We hear much today about how divided our country is: left - right, blue - red, liberal – conservative. While these divisions are undeniable, strong, and ideologically combative, I find myself being thankful that I have those choices. As I watch and read the news, I am aware of so many places where choice of personal political opinion is not an option. As I grieve for victims of oppressive and violent governments exercising totalitarian control, I am, at the same time, rejoicing that I live in the United States of America. And not only do I live here, I belong here. My voter registration card reminds me that I belong to the USA, and the USA belongs to me.

There is no doubt that the political and social differences that we have and express make it difficult for us to find the solutions so desperately needed for all of our citizens to thrive. But the gift of democracy is that it is possible. I believe that celebrating our Independence Day reminds us of possibility and hope.

I am currently reading a book titled, The Bill of Obligations: the Ten Habits of Good Citizens, by Richard Haas. The premise of the book is much the same as the famous quotation from John F. Kennedy’s first inaugural address, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” What are attitudes and guiding principles that every citizen should have? Haas invites his readers to consider the possibility of exercising obligations, rather than demanding rights. The book is providing me new food for thought.

The formulators of the Lectionary of our Book of Common Prayer, in their wisdom, consigned a set of lessons and prayers to be used for worship on Independence Day. We will be using those lessons and prayers in our worship on Sunday, July 2nd, at both services.

Independence Day is an opportunity to give thanks PLUS an opportunity to have fun. Join in some Good Shepherd fun at a Get Ready for the Fourth Picnic, provided by our own Parish Life Committee, after the 11:00 service on July 2nd. Holy Smokers will be grilling hotdogs, hamburgers, and mushroom caps (for our vegetarian family members) and providing ice cream for dessert. They ask that we supply our favorite 4th of July side dishes.

I hope you can join us for worship and fellowship on this special day.

Bev+

The Same but Different

When Fr. Bill asked me to be with you as your priest while he is on sabbatical, I was honored, and I was pleased to accept his request. As I told him at the time, my sense is that he does not take lightly the tending of his flock. And so I am aware that my new relationship with you comes with great responsibility on my part. Summer is a perfect time for this new relationship, I believe, as summer brings with it a time for a break sense of being. I am hoping we can celebrate summer at Good Shepherd together, continuing some of our traditions, giving some of them a rest, and maybe trying a few things that are new.

As we proceed together, there are two things I think I need to share with you: 1) I will not be singing, for any occasion, the Great Thanksgiving. For this you can be grateful. 2) There is something I do very, very poorly – mindreading. Because I am so bad at this activity, I am going to need to ask you to do this: If you want me to know something, please tell me. All my contact information is in the Good Shepherd Directory, or our parish administrator extraordinaire, Tawanna, will be able to direct you to me. She will always know where I am and how to reach me.

Our Sunday services will continue on their same schedule. And I will rely on the Sunday Support Services to use their same methods for assuring that the ministers with varying responsibilities are in place each week. However, know this: if something comes up at the last minute for you and you can’t make it, please do not stress. I have had supply work situations present themselves to me where I was the only one, doing every function, and doing it in an unfamiliar place. And our noon service on Wednesday will also continue on its same schedule. For those of you unfamiliar with this service, it might be an opportunity to try something new. I truly enjoy the informality of this service and the opportunity to share in worship with others in a more personal setting. The lectionary study which usually follows this service is taking a break for the summer. This break opens up an opportunity: lunch together. I have learned and come to appreciate one activity that the good folk of Good Shepherd do very well – the consumption of food.

And last, for right now, is an opportunity where new and food come together: Church at the Lake Sunday. Pam Roman, head of our Parish Life Committee, has secured a pavilion for us for Sunday, June 11th. This will be the site of our 11:00 service that day. To make it easier for folks to attend, everything needed for lunch following the service is being provided. Worship booklets will be provided. Some of our very talented and dedicated musicians will be offering their gifts. The only thing you will need to bring is a chair. Please watch the Sunday bulletin and weekly newsletter for more details for this event.

Again, honored is the word that describes the trust I have been given. I look forward to our Sabbatical Summer together, at Good Shepherd and in the presence of the Holy Spirit.

In God’s grace,
Bev+

Recalculating

The GPS (navigation system) in my prior automobile was a portable device, not integrated to the car itself. I had it precariously mounted on the dashboard where I could hear directions, rather than try to focus on a screen the size of a credit card, while trying to stay alive and not be a hazard on the road.

I have since ditched that system, but I have carried with me, and found myself using, a feature of that system. RECALCULATING was the voice that sounded when I missed a turn or turned the wrong way. What is important here is that the voice did not say, “You stupid idiot; I told you where to turn.” Recalculating is non judgmental, and the system is assuming the responsibility to fix the situation.

I like to see this as at least somewhat congruent with “Your sins are forgiven.” In no way am I saying that a navigation system is equal to the grace of God. But what I am observing is that each enables me to feel affirmed and enabled to go forward, despite my mistakes or my sins. Each of us wants to feel valued, loved, and cared for, as opposed to feeling criticized, rejected, or condemned.

So now I hear, not my prior navigation system, but the Holy Spirit say to me, recalculating. I may have, metaphorically, missed a turn or gone the wrong way, but I am empowered by God’s grace to go forward. And that navigation system will, I am certain, guide me to my destinations, both intermediate and final.

Happy navigating, Bev+

We Believe...

“Why do we have to say the Nicene Creed every Sunday? It really doesn’t describe what I believe.” I have been asked this question several times, in every location where I have served. So, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you how I connect with this creed.

My connection begins at the beginning: WE. That word, in that place, for me, is a statement in itself. We reminds me that I am not on this believing journey alone. Rather, I am in the company of fellow travelers, pilgrims on a journey of discovery that we share. We implies connectedness and, moreover, a commitment to that connectedness.

When I regard my worshipping community on any given Sunday, whether from the pew as a congregant or from the front of the church as the celebrant, I feel spiritual embrace – a profound sense that we are in this together, that our individual life journeys have brought each of us to a specific place at a specific time. Our individual reasons for being there are as varied and as different as we are. Yet, there we are.

And there is another word in the creed that indicates for me not what we believe, but how we believe. That small, and you might think insignificant, word is in. The Nicene Creed does not state, “We believe that….” This is very important to me. When I recite the creed, what I am thinking is not of a list of tenets of theological doctrine and dogma. Rather, I am professing, with gratitude, my being in God, in Christ, in the Holy Spirit, and in the fellowship of the Church. In this spiritual place is how I believe. Being in this spiritual place enables me to believe. This is the spiritual place from which my believing comes.

If there were only one true and right way for Christians to express their beliefs, and if this expression had to be in creedal form, then we would see excluded from the faith many groups, denominations, and individuals. Creedal statements associated with Christianity abound. One of my favorites is one I use every time I do a chapel service for a school or school class of young children, or when I do a service focusing on children for a congregation. It came to me as the CHILDREN’S CREED. It is my pleasure to share it with you:

I believe in God above;
I believe in Jesus’ love.
I believe the Spirit, too,
Comes to teach me what to do.
I believe that I can be
Kind and loving, Lord, like thee.

My hope is that together we can be in a spiritual place where believing brings us joy and grace and peace.

Bev+

It's About Time

January 1st, New Year’s Day, falls on a Sunday this year. I will be doing the services at All Saints in Franklin on that day. I have requested parishioners to bring their 2023 calendars to church that morning, as I want to incorporate a Blessing of the Calendars in each service.

The ancient Hebrew faith, and the Hebrew faith at the time of Jesus, saw all of life as life under God. There was no concept of a division between sacred life and secular life. God was just as much in charge of the selling of chickens in the marketplace as God was in charge of accepting sacrificial offerings brought to the Temple. All time was God’s time. I think we have lost that perspective, and I think our culture is oriented toward a division between Church and the Marketplace, between sacred and secular activity. In asking God’s blessing upon our new calendars for the new year, I believe we are asking God’s blessing on the activities that will occupy every one of the days of 2023.

In my preparation for the doing of these January 1st services, I took some time to look through my 2022 calendar and my 2023 calendar. I found myself musing over the difference between one’s having almost every square with something written on it (2022) and the other’s squares being mostly blank (2023). Then I noticed that every written-on square had an indication of some involvement with another person or group of people. Whether it was an appointment, medical or business, or a repair service call that was to happen; whether it was a class to attend or a church service, or a social event, other people were involved.

So the squares on my new calendar, mostly empty, some filled in, began to speak to me as both invitation and opportunity: each day ripe with the possibility of entering into a relationship with another person or people, whether the relationship be casual or serious, long or short, lasting or fleeting. I would like to approach each new day as an invitation to travel through that day intentionally in the presence of the Holy Spirit. And then I want, also, to view each day as an opportunity to invite the love of Christ to be present with me in such a way that the presence can be felt with the person or people with whom I will be in contact that day.

In a sense, I think I am trying to reclaim a unity of all of life as life under God. And in that sense, my calendar will be a spiritual aid in that endeavor. I invite you to spend some time with your not-yet-filled-in 2023 calendar. Hold it. Ask God’s blessing upon it and upon all the days of invitation and opportunity it represents. Treasure the possibilities of the many ways that lie ahead for the sharing of God’s love.

May each of our 2023s be filled with blessing and hope. With gratitude, Bev+