In some ways the journey of Holy Week is not for the timid. As we move from Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, hailed by many along the way with the triumphal waving of palms, deeper into the events of the week, we are challenged, even offended, by the behavior recounted to us. The intimacy of the foot-washing prompts our discomfort with the intimacy of being served and of serving. The betrayal by Judas as the night unfolds offends our sense of honor and integrity. The abandonment by the disciples called to stay and pray with Jesus in the garden evokes our own memories of abandoning others or being ourselves abandoned. What follows is even more difficult to bear: fear and plotting by those with "authority", mob mentality and reactivity, injustice and cruelty. A crucifixion. Just listening to the retelling of "other’s" actions makes us want to turn away. Then we are called to examine ourselves and our actions as they apply to our own relationship with Jesus. We are called to realize how we have offended Jesus, others in our lives, and ourselves. In short, how have we sinned; how have we driven the nails of our own making into the cross.
If I contemplate these alone, I am really want to hide for all of this. It is part of the reason we make this journey as a community of faith. There is strength in being present with others as we each commit ourselves to this spiritual journey. In the Letter to the Hebrews (Heb. 12:1-3) we are reminded that we are "surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses." We are encouraged to "lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with perseverance the race that is set before us." It calls us to look to Jesus "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for … joy … endured the cross … so that you (each of us) may not grow weary or lose heart."
I want to applaud your courage in making the journey however challenged, or successful, you consider your effort. What really matters is that you have come, and by coming can see that Jesus has gone the whole way for you, for each of us. Our burdens and transgressions, having been taken up on the cross, have been taken away in Christ’s willing journey to the tomb. In his resurrection to new life we are raised with him. New Life for all who believe!
By observation and experience, I can say that living as Easter people is always more challenging than we anticipate. It is so easy to return to old patterns and habits: those that burdened us down, led us away from God’s calling, or those of Lenten scouring. May this celebration of new life, of Easter life, of resurrected life, be full and wondrous for you.
On behalf of the Wardens and Vestry, Chapter, all the Staff, and the Clergy,
Easter blessings,
Scott+
Friday, April 15, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Say What? The Lord's Prayer and Lent
If you happened to be at any of the Cathedral services on Ash Wednesday you are aware that during Lent we will be using "the other" form of the Lord’s Prayer provided in the Prayer Book. Rest assured this is not change just for the sake of change.
Over time we develop a combination of comfort and ease with all sorts of things familiar. They may be good for us; some may be not so good. Sometimes we become so familiar with things we do or say we can do them without giving them any thought at all. It’s as if we develop some sort of reflex or autopilot.
Now, the words of the Lord’s Prayer are so familiar they are almost elemental. They come to us from Our Lord, in response to the disciples’ request that Jesus teach them how to pray. The words acknowledge the existence of the Divine Creator in the heavenly realm, and the Creator’s holiness. It is a bidding for God’s reign to come, and for God’s will to take precedence in our realm as well as the heavenly one. The prayer recognizes God as the source of our sustenance, and is a plea for forgiveness as we ourselves forgive. Often we add a Gloria at the end in praise of God’s goodness. These words of prayer are a gift to us that is both a beginning point in our conversation with God, and something we can turn to when in times of stress, fear, woundedness, or crisis we don’t know what to pray.
However, this elemental familiarity can make us numb or lazy to the depth and power of what we are praying. In the weeks leading up to Lent, I was particularly struck by the difference between the words "trespasses" (found in the form of the prayer we are most accustomed to using) and "sins" (found in the alternate version). One can seem so minor, and the other so stark. When considered in this light, how much are we really asking, or receiving, when we ask for the release from our "trespasses." Release from our sins on the other hand …. Even more of a challenge presents itself when we then consider the enormity of being forgiven our sins, but only insofar as we are willing to meet the challenge of forgiving others.
The different words can be jarring. We might even stumble over them, but that is exactly the point. By setting aside the familiar for the next forty days, we can be challenged out of our spiritual autopilot. Challenged to be changed by the starkness of what we are really saying.
Say what? Just that this seems to be precisely what the prophet Joel (from Joel 2, one of the Ash Wednesday readings) is getting at by calling us to return to God with all our hearts. Not at all something we can accomplish on autopilot.
May yours be a holy Lent.
Scott+
Over time we develop a combination of comfort and ease with all sorts of things familiar. They may be good for us; some may be not so good. Sometimes we become so familiar with things we do or say we can do them without giving them any thought at all. It’s as if we develop some sort of reflex or autopilot.
Now, the words of the Lord’s Prayer are so familiar they are almost elemental. They come to us from Our Lord, in response to the disciples’ request that Jesus teach them how to pray. The words acknowledge the existence of the Divine Creator in the heavenly realm, and the Creator’s holiness. It is a bidding for God’s reign to come, and for God’s will to take precedence in our realm as well as the heavenly one. The prayer recognizes God as the source of our sustenance, and is a plea for forgiveness as we ourselves forgive. Often we add a Gloria at the end in praise of God’s goodness. These words of prayer are a gift to us that is both a beginning point in our conversation with God, and something we can turn to when in times of stress, fear, woundedness, or crisis we don’t know what to pray.
However, this elemental familiarity can make us numb or lazy to the depth and power of what we are praying. In the weeks leading up to Lent, I was particularly struck by the difference between the words "trespasses" (found in the form of the prayer we are most accustomed to using) and "sins" (found in the alternate version). One can seem so minor, and the other so stark. When considered in this light, how much are we really asking, or receiving, when we ask for the release from our "trespasses." Release from our sins on the other hand …. Even more of a challenge presents itself when we then consider the enormity of being forgiven our sins, but only insofar as we are willing to meet the challenge of forgiving others.
The different words can be jarring. We might even stumble over them, but that is exactly the point. By setting aside the familiar for the next forty days, we can be challenged out of our spiritual autopilot. Challenged to be changed by the starkness of what we are really saying.
Say what? Just that this seems to be precisely what the prophet Joel (from Joel 2, one of the Ash Wednesday readings) is getting at by calling us to return to God with all our hearts. Not at all something we can accomplish on autopilot.
May yours be a holy Lent.
Scott+
Sunday, January 30, 2011
2011 Annual Address
Let me begin with thank you’s. As I examine the Gospels, Jesus repeatedly offered thanks to God, even before anything had happened. If you need a bit of confirmation spend some time with the account of Jesus’ raising of Lazarus.
It has been a challenging year with discovery that a longtime member of the staff violated our trust and misappropriated our funds. But to a person the Wardens, the Vestry, the Finance Committee, our staff, our legal advisors, auditors, the bishop, and the members of this community of faith supported our every effort to be honest, transparent, and effective in the work of healing, of responding with integrity to repair the damage, and to make our operations surer and stronger.
I also want to say a special word of thanks and appreciation to Deacon Watton, who celebrates the first anniversary of her return to the Cathedral as we celebrate this feast. What a year it has been, and what a job she has done working first with bookshop matters and then as our interim financial bridge. I am sure she never anticipated this, and I know I speak for many when I say I hope you are planning to stick around for another year, and more.
I also want to acknowledge some very special work of three parts of our community of faith. The Veterans’ Day Committee has really stepped up with renewed energy and commitment. This year’s celebration was, in the voice of others, "Grand in the way it used to be." The combined work of the New Year’s Feast and Scarf Project has both inspired us, and knit together more than just yarn. It knit together people. Also, to our Cathedral Youth! This year they raised significant funds for to support the efforts of a youth group in Juneau, Alaska, to rebuild the parish kitchen after a fire destroyed the whole church, by collecting bottles and cans. They also undertook a project to build stuffed animals which were donated to children undergoing cancer treatment at the Karmanos Cancer Center radiation oncology unit. If all that sounds daunting, and scary, I assure you it is, and those cuddly animals can absorb a tremendous amount of fear.
To all who setup, sing, pray, clean-up, offer hospitality, lead worship, teach and learn and help in this place. Thank you.
In the early years of the past century the Very Reverend Samuel S. Marquis spoke in words both passionate and elegant about the nature of this cathedral, saying that it was to be "a symbol of the spiritual in the midst of all that is material … a reminder of the invisible and eternal surrounded by the visible and temporal. In the midst of the roar and rush of a materially dynamic city, what better place could be found, than in the heart of it, for a symbol and reminder that man cannot live by bread alone?"
Begun 1908, in the same year that General Motors was founded and in the midst of an industrial and technical expansion the likes of which this country, even the world, had never seen, his words, such as "materially dynamic city" ring a curious and somewhat doleful note today, harkening to a time not nearly so familiar to us a century later.
Henry Ford, a friend of Marquis, would further expand the material largess of the city, the region, with the institution of the $5. per day wage in 1914. In the midst of sprawling footprint and changing skyline the presences of this incredible and imposing structure was, and still is, a ministry unto itself. But, it was a different time, before either of the "two great wars," the Great Depression or the Great Recession.
Sociologically, it was a time when huge portions of the population would be found in church on any given Sunday, on every given Sunday. This was true for believers and even for non-believers and skeptics, so great was the sociological pressure associated with "going to church." No Lions, no Tigers, to lure us away, and Pistons were still only pieces of machined metal to be fitted onto a camshaft and into a cylinder block. A super bowl was simply a very large dish. This was a pattern that would continue even into the 1950’s. As Detroit reached closer and closer to the 2 million population figure, leaders of this cathedral discussed the possibilities and complexities of moving the nave walls out to the level of the transepts because four services a Sunday were standing room only. 2
Blink your eyes and the passing of another fifty years unfolds. We are at the beginning of the second century of this cathedral. Times have changed; circumstances are very different. GM is no longer the largest producer of automobiles in the world, much less the largest corporation, and, in fact, is only months out of bankruptcy. The city limits of Detroit hold a fraction of the people, by a factor of greater than one-half than it did fifty years ago. Its material and economic base is has eroded as well. The collar-communities are quite different, not nearly as agrarian, but not quite industrial either. These are all realities with which those of us who find ourselves drawn to place, are all too acquainted.
Today the Church is not a location or institution sought because of sociological norms: that would be Starbucks and Facebook. To be sure, the Church should never have been a place populated by sociological norms or other societal pressures, but rather by individuals inquiring about the nature or existence of God and who was this Jesus, and why does it make a difference anyway.
I invite you to blink your eyes again, and let the time machine of your imagination carry you back to the start of the second century. No, I did not lose my place … go back to the start of the second century of the Church. The challenge for the faithful of the day was so very similar. Neither government nor societal institutions brought any positive pressure in relationship to the Christian religion. Fact is, government and many societal institutions were openly hostile to it. Today’s hostilities can be found in bookstore displays with titles like, God is Not Great and others.
But, infused by the Holy Spirit, just as it continues to be infused to this day, the Church grew. It thrived. It grew, not because of glorious buildings. It has never grown simply due to glorious buildings. It grew then, as it will grow now, because of the people. Buildings, stained glass, written, assembled and published Scriptures, musical instruments … all have been, and continue to be, important and useful tools for spread, the sharing, and the nurture of "the faith." But, in the first "second century" just as in this one, the essential element at the heart of the Church was, and is, is people.
Filled with the Holy Spirit at our baptism, the state of the Church in this city, in this part of Michigan, rests firmly on our shoulders. Now my hope is that you find this truth exciting, invigorating, and even inspiring. The Church in the early centuries grew because the people who formed it easily told their stories of why believing in Christ, why life in Christ, made a difference. The Church grew because in a time when power and position and wealth were sought and used for personal gain and the oppression of others (based on news of recent times this sounds familiar) they dared to believe the message that to be first of all we are first to be servant of all. They dared to believe that giving love to others would return vastly more to the giver. They dare to believe that gates of freedom and peace and life everlasting had been flung open wide through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah of God, not just for a single chosen people, but for all who believed. It the story you and I are called to tell – with our words, and by our actions.
On the doorstep of this second century, we are called to be witnesses. We are called to be healers and reconcilers. As we anticipate the Centennial Celebration of the Dedication of this Great Cathedral building, let us renew of commitment to Christ and Christ’s Good News of loving even when we are unlovable, healing even when we are wounded, committed to reconciling a broken world to God and to one another.
Our Vision is to be an extraordinary spiritual gathering place where people of all backgrounds and ages are welcome to question and learn, pray, worship and serve; being loved by God in ways that change and improve their lives and the lives of others.
By God’s grace and through our commitment and action, may it be so. Amen.
God’s peace,
Scott+
It has been a challenging year with discovery that a longtime member of the staff violated our trust and misappropriated our funds. But to a person the Wardens, the Vestry, the Finance Committee, our staff, our legal advisors, auditors, the bishop, and the members of this community of faith supported our every effort to be honest, transparent, and effective in the work of healing, of responding with integrity to repair the damage, and to make our operations surer and stronger.
I also want to say a special word of thanks and appreciation to Deacon Watton, who celebrates the first anniversary of her return to the Cathedral as we celebrate this feast. What a year it has been, and what a job she has done working first with bookshop matters and then as our interim financial bridge. I am sure she never anticipated this, and I know I speak for many when I say I hope you are planning to stick around for another year, and more.
I also want to acknowledge some very special work of three parts of our community of faith. The Veterans’ Day Committee has really stepped up with renewed energy and commitment. This year’s celebration was, in the voice of others, "Grand in the way it used to be." The combined work of the New Year’s Feast and Scarf Project has both inspired us, and knit together more than just yarn. It knit together people. Also, to our Cathedral Youth! This year they raised significant funds for to support the efforts of a youth group in Juneau, Alaska, to rebuild the parish kitchen after a fire destroyed the whole church, by collecting bottles and cans. They also undertook a project to build stuffed animals which were donated to children undergoing cancer treatment at the Karmanos Cancer Center radiation oncology unit. If all that sounds daunting, and scary, I assure you it is, and those cuddly animals can absorb a tremendous amount of fear.
To all who setup, sing, pray, clean-up, offer hospitality, lead worship, teach and learn and help in this place. Thank you.
In the early years of the past century the Very Reverend Samuel S. Marquis spoke in words both passionate and elegant about the nature of this cathedral, saying that it was to be "a symbol of the spiritual in the midst of all that is material … a reminder of the invisible and eternal surrounded by the visible and temporal. In the midst of the roar and rush of a materially dynamic city, what better place could be found, than in the heart of it, for a symbol and reminder that man cannot live by bread alone?"
Begun 1908, in the same year that General Motors was founded and in the midst of an industrial and technical expansion the likes of which this country, even the world, had never seen, his words, such as "materially dynamic city" ring a curious and somewhat doleful note today, harkening to a time not nearly so familiar to us a century later.
Henry Ford, a friend of Marquis, would further expand the material largess of the city, the region, with the institution of the $5. per day wage in 1914. In the midst of sprawling footprint and changing skyline the presences of this incredible and imposing structure was, and still is, a ministry unto itself. But, it was a different time, before either of the "two great wars," the Great Depression or the Great Recession.
Sociologically, it was a time when huge portions of the population would be found in church on any given Sunday, on every given Sunday. This was true for believers and even for non-believers and skeptics, so great was the sociological pressure associated with "going to church." No Lions, no Tigers, to lure us away, and Pistons were still only pieces of machined metal to be fitted onto a camshaft and into a cylinder block. A super bowl was simply a very large dish. This was a pattern that would continue even into the 1950’s. As Detroit reached closer and closer to the 2 million population figure, leaders of this cathedral discussed the possibilities and complexities of moving the nave walls out to the level of the transepts because four services a Sunday were standing room only. 2
Blink your eyes and the passing of another fifty years unfolds. We are at the beginning of the second century of this cathedral. Times have changed; circumstances are very different. GM is no longer the largest producer of automobiles in the world, much less the largest corporation, and, in fact, is only months out of bankruptcy. The city limits of Detroit hold a fraction of the people, by a factor of greater than one-half than it did fifty years ago. Its material and economic base is has eroded as well. The collar-communities are quite different, not nearly as agrarian, but not quite industrial either. These are all realities with which those of us who find ourselves drawn to place, are all too acquainted.
Today the Church is not a location or institution sought because of sociological norms: that would be Starbucks and Facebook. To be sure, the Church should never have been a place populated by sociological norms or other societal pressures, but rather by individuals inquiring about the nature or existence of God and who was this Jesus, and why does it make a difference anyway.
I invite you to blink your eyes again, and let the time machine of your imagination carry you back to the start of the second century. No, I did not lose my place … go back to the start of the second century of the Church. The challenge for the faithful of the day was so very similar. Neither government nor societal institutions brought any positive pressure in relationship to the Christian religion. Fact is, government and many societal institutions were openly hostile to it. Today’s hostilities can be found in bookstore displays with titles like, God is Not Great and others.
But, infused by the Holy Spirit, just as it continues to be infused to this day, the Church grew. It thrived. It grew, not because of glorious buildings. It has never grown simply due to glorious buildings. It grew then, as it will grow now, because of the people. Buildings, stained glass, written, assembled and published Scriptures, musical instruments … all have been, and continue to be, important and useful tools for spread, the sharing, and the nurture of "the faith." But, in the first "second century" just as in this one, the essential element at the heart of the Church was, and is, is people.
Filled with the Holy Spirit at our baptism, the state of the Church in this city, in this part of Michigan, rests firmly on our shoulders. Now my hope is that you find this truth exciting, invigorating, and even inspiring. The Church in the early centuries grew because the people who formed it easily told their stories of why believing in Christ, why life in Christ, made a difference. The Church grew because in a time when power and position and wealth were sought and used for personal gain and the oppression of others (based on news of recent times this sounds familiar) they dared to believe the message that to be first of all we are first to be servant of all. They dared to believe that giving love to others would return vastly more to the giver. They dare to believe that gates of freedom and peace and life everlasting had been flung open wide through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah of God, not just for a single chosen people, but for all who believed. It the story you and I are called to tell – with our words, and by our actions.
On the doorstep of this second century, we are called to be witnesses. We are called to be healers and reconcilers. As we anticipate the Centennial Celebration of the Dedication of this Great Cathedral building, let us renew of commitment to Christ and Christ’s Good News of loving even when we are unlovable, healing even when we are wounded, committed to reconciling a broken world to God and to one another.
Our Vision is to be an extraordinary spiritual gathering place where people of all backgrounds and ages are welcome to question and learn, pray, worship and serve; being loved by God in ways that change and improve their lives and the lives of others.
By God’s grace and through our commitment and action, may it be so. Amen.
God’s peace,
Scott+
Friday, December 24, 2010
Christmas Greetings 2010
You have heard me say that the Great Crossing of the Cathedral is the place where many conversations rightly occur. The conversation between art and science; faith and reason are but two examples. This year, at this time just before the celebration of the Nativity of our Lord, I find myself keenly aware of the crossing of years.
2010 is drawing to a close. Around the Cathedral there still seems to be so much to do: the final preparation for our festival celebration on Christmas Eve, to finishing touches on the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day Service (Dec. 21), pastoral visits, letters that so need to be written for so many wonderful things, the business aspects of year end, and so forth. All before the year’s end. I am sure you can quickly rattle off an even more impressive personal list.
2011 is drawing close, and with it the centennial anniversary of the dedication of this great Cathedral (save the weekend of May 22nd) -- living stones, if you will, continuing to make a living witness of people, presence, mission and ministry. So much to anticipate and celebrate … and therein lies the risk.
We cannot, we must not, allow ourselves to become so caught up in the business of holidays and year end, or in the anticipation of a new and better year, that we forget the miracle right before us. More than angels coming to shepherds on a hillside, and Magi sojourning to a child, God came down to earth that humanity might be raised to heaven (with apologies to St. Athanasius). Salvation has come into the world!
At the heart of the Christmas message, St. John’s Gospel tells us "The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." As we all stand at the various crossings of life, may the light of Christ that breaks forth again, as it has for two thousand years, illuminate us now and ever.
A holy Christmas to you all,
The Dean, Wardens & Vestry
The Staff & the Chapter of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul
2010 is drawing to a close. Around the Cathedral there still seems to be so much to do: the final preparation for our festival celebration on Christmas Eve, to finishing touches on the Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day Service (Dec. 21), pastoral visits, letters that so need to be written for so many wonderful things, the business aspects of year end, and so forth. All before the year’s end. I am sure you can quickly rattle off an even more impressive personal list.
2011 is drawing close, and with it the centennial anniversary of the dedication of this great Cathedral (save the weekend of May 22nd) -- living stones, if you will, continuing to make a living witness of people, presence, mission and ministry. So much to anticipate and celebrate … and therein lies the risk.
We cannot, we must not, allow ourselves to become so caught up in the business of holidays and year end, or in the anticipation of a new and better year, that we forget the miracle right before us. More than angels coming to shepherds on a hillside, and Magi sojourning to a child, God came down to earth that humanity might be raised to heaven (with apologies to St. Athanasius). Salvation has come into the world!
At the heart of the Christmas message, St. John’s Gospel tells us "The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." As we all stand at the various crossings of life, may the light of Christ that breaks forth again, as it has for two thousand years, illuminate us now and ever.
A holy Christmas to you all,
The Dean, Wardens & Vestry
The Staff & the Chapter of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thanksgiving and Advent 2010
There are several things I want to share with the Cathedral Community on this Thanksgiving Eve, and in anticipation of the beginning of Advent (can you believe it) this coming Sunday.
About Thanksgiving: I believe it is a wonderful thing to be intentional in reflecting on the people and circumstances for which we are thankful. I believe it is a spiritually dangerous thing to think that we can actually count our blessings. If we start out numbering and find that we reach a certain finite figure, the only thing we will know for sure is that we have reached the capacity of our immediate recollection. No matter the circumstances of one’s life, the effort to "count blessings" is tantamount to trying to count the number of grains of sand on the beach one-by-one. Ultimately such an endeavor will leave us frustrated, and we risk losing our ability to look at the whole of the beach and the magnificent convergence of sky, sand and sea, dunes and tides, dusks and dawns. It is a far better thing to know that the breadth and depth of God’s blessings eclipse something as uncountable as the sands, and to give thanks, than to lose a lifetime in the self-absorbing task of numbering them.
Advent begins across the Church this coming Sunday. Recall with me that the focus of the season is preparation, not penitence (that’s Lent). As a way of preparing, our worship will be composed of some elements unique to the season and one or two that are simply new to many of us in the context of our Sabbath worship.
Returning to our Advent worship will be a form of the Prayers of the People that we have been crafting here over the past two Advent seasons. It is built on the O Antiphons which have been a traditional part of Advent for centuries. Modern familiarity with the O Antiphons comes in the singing of the hymn "O come, O come, Emmanuel." The return of the Advent responsory at the beginning of the liturgy signals an invitation to cast aside the manic pace of the season foisted on us in advertisement and merchandizing.
New to this year’s Advent experience will be the use of a Eucharistic Prayer from the Episcopal Church’s supplemental volume titled, Enriching Our Worship. Supplemental volumes of liturgical texts are not new in the life of the Church. The Church of England and Anglican Church of Canada have been offering such resources to the worshipping community for decades. Enriching Our Worship is a volume that makes sound use of ancient and traditional liturgical structures while employing a broader scope of biblical images in the text of the prayers. Language, as we all know, is never static, but always changing. Enriching Our Worship has brought to our liturgy prayers which reflect greater balance in gender, and other ways, using imagery present in the Scriptures but not often applied for various reasons.
An undeniable part of the Advent season is the telling and retelling of the events that foretell and prepare us for the Messiah’s birth. Mary and her role, along with that of Elizabeth, are so integral to this narrative. Eucharistic Prayer 2, which is the one we will be using, picks up on the mothering image is a way that resonates for me with role of these vital women. The strong movement of the Spirit in creation and the Incarnation is present as well.
We pray you find this worship inviting you ever deeper into the mystery of God and the transforming holiness of the season.
With thanksgivings for you all,
Scott+
About Thanksgiving: I believe it is a wonderful thing to be intentional in reflecting on the people and circumstances for which we are thankful. I believe it is a spiritually dangerous thing to think that we can actually count our blessings. If we start out numbering and find that we reach a certain finite figure, the only thing we will know for sure is that we have reached the capacity of our immediate recollection. No matter the circumstances of one’s life, the effort to "count blessings" is tantamount to trying to count the number of grains of sand on the beach one-by-one. Ultimately such an endeavor will leave us frustrated, and we risk losing our ability to look at the whole of the beach and the magnificent convergence of sky, sand and sea, dunes and tides, dusks and dawns. It is a far better thing to know that the breadth and depth of God’s blessings eclipse something as uncountable as the sands, and to give thanks, than to lose a lifetime in the self-absorbing task of numbering them.
Advent begins across the Church this coming Sunday. Recall with me that the focus of the season is preparation, not penitence (that’s Lent). As a way of preparing, our worship will be composed of some elements unique to the season and one or two that are simply new to many of us in the context of our Sabbath worship.
Returning to our Advent worship will be a form of the Prayers of the People that we have been crafting here over the past two Advent seasons. It is built on the O Antiphons which have been a traditional part of Advent for centuries. Modern familiarity with the O Antiphons comes in the singing of the hymn "O come, O come, Emmanuel." The return of the Advent responsory at the beginning of the liturgy signals an invitation to cast aside the manic pace of the season foisted on us in advertisement and merchandizing.
New to this year’s Advent experience will be the use of a Eucharistic Prayer from the Episcopal Church’s supplemental volume titled, Enriching Our Worship. Supplemental volumes of liturgical texts are not new in the life of the Church. The Church of England and Anglican Church of Canada have been offering such resources to the worshipping community for decades. Enriching Our Worship is a volume that makes sound use of ancient and traditional liturgical structures while employing a broader scope of biblical images in the text of the prayers. Language, as we all know, is never static, but always changing. Enriching Our Worship has brought to our liturgy prayers which reflect greater balance in gender, and other ways, using imagery present in the Scriptures but not often applied for various reasons.
An undeniable part of the Advent season is the telling and retelling of the events that foretell and prepare us for the Messiah’s birth. Mary and her role, along with that of Elizabeth, are so integral to this narrative. Eucharistic Prayer 2, which is the one we will be using, picks up on the mothering image is a way that resonates for me with role of these vital women. The strong movement of the Spirit in creation and the Incarnation is present as well.
We pray you find this worship inviting you ever deeper into the mystery of God and the transforming holiness of the season.
With thanksgivings for you all,
Scott+
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
An Open Letter on the Proposed Quran Burning
September 8, 2010
A constitutional republic which maintains as one of its essential components the freedom of speech is a beautiful and challenging thing. Freedom of speech, if taken seriously, means that you and I have to be willing to protect the right of another person to proclaim at the top of his or her lungs that which we would spend a lifetime opposing. For me, the light, life, love and reconciliation found in the fullness of the Christian Faith and communicated in the sacred writings of Holy Scripture is even more beautiful. Our Christianity informs us that just because we have a legal right to do something, doing it may be far from right.
Dr. Terry Jones, of Dove World Outreach Center, says he is planning a Quran burning. According to the United States Constitution it appears he has the right under freedom of expression to do that. Governmental, political and military leaders have spoken to suggest that doing so is not a good idea; in fact a very bad idea. Lives, innocent lives, will be put at risk. This argument does not seem to compel Dr. Jones and those loyal to his cause.
I would like to appeal to him based on an understanding of the Scriptures he and I both declare to be God’s holy word. I do not for a moment think that what I have to say will change his mind, because what I say will not get him to understand that he has confused Terrorists with Muslims. Terrorists seek to press their agenda through destruction and death. They are no respecter of nationality, race, religion, age, property or life. Remember the Unabomber and Timothy McVeigh. Muslims, people who are adherents of Islam, trace their roots, like Jews and Christians, to Abraham. Abraham’s firstborn child was Ishmael, and about Ishmael God tells us, "I will bless him, and make him fruitful … and I will make him a great nation" (Gen. 17:20).
The Holy Bible tells us many things; here are three. From the Old Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures, Genesis 56), God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah says, "…my house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples." The point is made of including foreigners. In Paul’s compelling first letter to the Church in Corinth he tells us that "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way…" 1 Cor. 13:4-5a). Finally, Jesus sums up everything when he says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind … and love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt 22:37 ff).
So I ask of those intent on a legal expression of malice and hatred, bound by cords of confusion equating people of other faiths with terrorists, where is the breadth in your heart, like the breadth in God’s heart, to include others? Where is the patience of your love? Where is the absence of your arrogance? Where is the love of your neighbor who may be Christian, Jew, Muslim or atheist; from any race or nation; male or female; gay or straight; young or old? I did not see any qualifiers or conditions in Jesus’ command to love your neighbor.
What you espouse does not look like any Christianity I know. But I know this: While the Constitution I know says you can do this, Baptism says you must not do this.
Finally, to my Islamic brothers and sisters: Many of us who are Christian hold you and your safety in our prayers. You do not deserve this. We understand that your conclusion of Ramadan is already constrained for fear that many will confuse your religious celebration with some celebration of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. We know that is not true. We bid you salaam.
In Christ’s peace,
S. Scott Hunter+
10th Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul
A constitutional republic which maintains as one of its essential components the freedom of speech is a beautiful and challenging thing. Freedom of speech, if taken seriously, means that you and I have to be willing to protect the right of another person to proclaim at the top of his or her lungs that which we would spend a lifetime opposing. For me, the light, life, love and reconciliation found in the fullness of the Christian Faith and communicated in the sacred writings of Holy Scripture is even more beautiful. Our Christianity informs us that just because we have a legal right to do something, doing it may be far from right.
Dr. Terry Jones, of Dove World Outreach Center, says he is planning a Quran burning. According to the United States Constitution it appears he has the right under freedom of expression to do that. Governmental, political and military leaders have spoken to suggest that doing so is not a good idea; in fact a very bad idea. Lives, innocent lives, will be put at risk. This argument does not seem to compel Dr. Jones and those loyal to his cause.
I would like to appeal to him based on an understanding of the Scriptures he and I both declare to be God’s holy word. I do not for a moment think that what I have to say will change his mind, because what I say will not get him to understand that he has confused Terrorists with Muslims. Terrorists seek to press their agenda through destruction and death. They are no respecter of nationality, race, religion, age, property or life. Remember the Unabomber and Timothy McVeigh. Muslims, people who are adherents of Islam, trace their roots, like Jews and Christians, to Abraham. Abraham’s firstborn child was Ishmael, and about Ishmael God tells us, "I will bless him, and make him fruitful … and I will make him a great nation" (Gen. 17:20).
The Holy Bible tells us many things; here are three. From the Old Testament (the Hebrew Scriptures, Genesis 56), God, speaking through the prophet Isaiah says, "…my house shall be a house of prayer for all peoples." The point is made of including foreigners. In Paul’s compelling first letter to the Church in Corinth he tells us that "Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way…" 1 Cor. 13:4-5a). Finally, Jesus sums up everything when he says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind … and love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt 22:37 ff).
So I ask of those intent on a legal expression of malice and hatred, bound by cords of confusion equating people of other faiths with terrorists, where is the breadth in your heart, like the breadth in God’s heart, to include others? Where is the patience of your love? Where is the absence of your arrogance? Where is the love of your neighbor who may be Christian, Jew, Muslim or atheist; from any race or nation; male or female; gay or straight; young or old? I did not see any qualifiers or conditions in Jesus’ command to love your neighbor.
What you espouse does not look like any Christianity I know. But I know this: While the Constitution I know says you can do this, Baptism says you must not do this.
Finally, to my Islamic brothers and sisters: Many of us who are Christian hold you and your safety in our prayers. You do not deserve this. We understand that your conclusion of Ramadan is already constrained for fear that many will confuse your religious celebration with some celebration of the tragedy of September 11, 2001. We know that is not true. We bid you salaam.
In Christ’s peace,
S. Scott Hunter+
10th Dean of the Cathedral Church of St. Paul
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Our Vision
Where there is no vision the people perish:
but he that keepth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 KJV
On the day you were baptized you became a Christian. The distinctive element of Christian Baptism is the gift of the Holy Spirit being imparted upon the person being baptized. It is worth saying here that there were all kinds of “baptisms” going on throughout the various religious cults and practices of the ancient Middle East before, during and after Jesus’ time. Again, the distinct nature of Christian Baptism is the gift of the Holy Spirit and the adoption by God through Grace of the one being baptized.
Every day since your baptism has been a journey, as has mine, to become more completely that
which we already are: a Christian. This does not mean that there is a drip-faucet of the Holy Spirit within you. The gift of the Spirit is full, but our ability to live into the richness of the Spirit’s gifts is, as far as I can tell, a journey without a conclusion. Some are relentless in this journey. Others, it would seem, drift off to the side of the way and never get up and on the path again. What is the difference?
Good question! I believe that the difference is found, in part, when one gets separated from the
community of faith and separated from a vision – a vision of what the Spirit is inviting, calling, even challenging us to be and become as individuals and as a community.
There are two things in the Pentecost story that strike me. First it was not a solo event. There was
a community gathered. Jumping ahead a bit, even the Saul was the only one blinded by the light, there were others present and the event was confirmed by Ananias at the direction of the Holy Spirit. Our baptisms are not solo events either, they are community events. Second, closely associated with Pentecost, Peter tells us, is the seeing of visions. (Read all of Acts 2 for the full excitement!)
Just over a hundred years ago there was a vision to create a Cathedral community and ministry. A
vision to create something new that had not been before in this part of Christ’s Church. The vision became a reality, but as with all visions imparted by God, it continues to change as we come close so that our journey into the breadth and depth of Jesus’ healing, reconciling, sanctifying love becomes more and more profound. More life giving and more life imparting.
Over the past year your Vestry has invested many hours in prayer, conversation, and discernment
about the vision God is giving to the Cathedral community – a vision of what we are called to be, but have not yet fully become. Today is the day we share that vision.
Our Vision is to be an extraordinary spiritual gathering place where people of all backgrounds and ages are welcome to question and learn, pray, worship and serve; being loved by God in ways that change and improve their lives and the lives of others.
I invite you take this vision into your hearts and into your prayers and into your actions. God has
blessed us richly over the past hundred years as a Cathedral, and for the eighty-or-so years before that in our beginnings in 1824. God is blessing us now. The more we press toward the vision, as faithful Christians and as a Christian Community, the more we will experience the richness of the Grace and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that are already within us.
Come Holy Ghost our souls inspire, enlighten with celestial fire.
Pentecost blessings,
Scott+
but he that keepth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 KJV
On the day you were baptized you became a Christian. The distinctive element of Christian Baptism is the gift of the Holy Spirit being imparted upon the person being baptized. It is worth saying here that there were all kinds of “baptisms” going on throughout the various religious cults and practices of the ancient Middle East before, during and after Jesus’ time. Again, the distinct nature of Christian Baptism is the gift of the Holy Spirit and the adoption by God through Grace of the one being baptized.
Every day since your baptism has been a journey, as has mine, to become more completely that
which we already are: a Christian. This does not mean that there is a drip-faucet of the Holy Spirit within you. The gift of the Spirit is full, but our ability to live into the richness of the Spirit’s gifts is, as far as I can tell, a journey without a conclusion. Some are relentless in this journey. Others, it would seem, drift off to the side of the way and never get up and on the path again. What is the difference?
Good question! I believe that the difference is found, in part, when one gets separated from the
community of faith and separated from a vision – a vision of what the Spirit is inviting, calling, even challenging us to be and become as individuals and as a community.
There are two things in the Pentecost story that strike me. First it was not a solo event. There was
a community gathered. Jumping ahead a bit, even the Saul was the only one blinded by the light, there were others present and the event was confirmed by Ananias at the direction of the Holy Spirit. Our baptisms are not solo events either, they are community events. Second, closely associated with Pentecost, Peter tells us, is the seeing of visions. (Read all of Acts 2 for the full excitement!)
Just over a hundred years ago there was a vision to create a Cathedral community and ministry. A
vision to create something new that had not been before in this part of Christ’s Church. The vision became a reality, but as with all visions imparted by God, it continues to change as we come close so that our journey into the breadth and depth of Jesus’ healing, reconciling, sanctifying love becomes more and more profound. More life giving and more life imparting.
Over the past year your Vestry has invested many hours in prayer, conversation, and discernment
about the vision God is giving to the Cathedral community – a vision of what we are called to be, but have not yet fully become. Today is the day we share that vision.
Our Vision is to be an extraordinary spiritual gathering place where people of all backgrounds and ages are welcome to question and learn, pray, worship and serve; being loved by God in ways that change and improve their lives and the lives of others.
I invite you take this vision into your hearts and into your prayers and into your actions. God has
blessed us richly over the past hundred years as a Cathedral, and for the eighty-or-so years before that in our beginnings in 1824. God is blessing us now. The more we press toward the vision, as faithful Christians and as a Christian Community, the more we will experience the richness of the Grace and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit that are already within us.
Come Holy Ghost our souls inspire, enlighten with celestial fire.
Pentecost blessings,
Scott+
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