Have you ever wondered why peoples of the Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) specify one day out the week to not work and to pray together? Although we may designate a different day (Sunday, Saturday, and Friday, respectively) to do this, it is due to our common origin in faith – observing the Sabbath: “16Therefore the Israelites shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath throughout their generations, as a perpetual covenant. 17It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.” -Exodus 31 (NRSV)
Jewish Observance
You might be interested in how our Jewish sisters and brothers consider this today: From my favorite source on practicing Judaism: http://www.jewfaq.org/shabbat.htm:
“The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew) is one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish observances…to those who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from God, a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits.”
“Shabbat is the most important ritual observance in Judaism. It is the only ritual observance instituted in the Ten Commandments. Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The word "Shabbat" comes from the root Shin-Beit-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest.”
Another way that we observe Sabbath, although this is not a common practice, is that in our professional life we designate a time to cease, to end and to rest. We call this Sabbatical. It is when one takes the time to break away from the routines of life and work to rest, to refresh, to rejuvenate. (In today’s world I only know of two professions that still acknowledge or observe this practice: the Church, and collegiate academia.)
Seven Years
We encourage our clergy to take a Sabbatical every seven years. (So 6½ years from now we should be encouraging Mtr. Lisa to go on Sabbatical.) It is not vacation – it is far more intentional for renewal of direction, gifts of the Spirit, and study, as well as for rest.
It’s Time
In my twenty-five years as a deacon, I have taken one Sabbatical. I feel that it is time (way past time, actually) for me go on Sabbatical, now that St. James has a rector. I have not worked out details around this yet, except that I am planning to do this after our Easter celebration. I will work with Loraine, Bp. Miller, and Mtr. Lisa on this and will pass on the details as we get them set. I ask you to pray for me as we discern how best to use this opportunity to refresh and renew.
Deacon Terry Garner
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Soul Friends
On Saturday, March 3, seven couples participated in a special Lenten retreat day, “The Romance Between our Hearts and Souls with God.” Developed and led by Deacon Terry Garner (with a little help from wife Loraine), the day began with a lively discussion, with each couple telling how they met, and how each person knew that their partner was special. The tag-team of Robert and Susan Wilson told their story in flawless symmetry, completing each other’s thoughts in absolute agreement. Some of the other couples, however, had very different recollections about the circumstances of their meeting, with highly entertaining results.
Morning Prayer
During Morning Prayer, we focused on the famous readings about love from I Corinthians 13 and the Song of Solomon. Afterward, we took a self assessment using a tool from Dr. Gary Chapman’s “Five Love Languages” program. The purpose of the exercise was to identify what makes each person, as well as their partner, feel most loved: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving of Gifts, Physical Touch, or Quality Time.
Scriptural Passages and Quotes
We took time after lunch to examine as a couple several scripture passages and quotes from the Cowley Fathers about how Christ is a part of our couple-hood, a union of three rather than two. The day concluded with Eucharist with Mother Lisa, with sharing about the day’s experiences. Deacon Terry shared this quote from Irish poet John O’Donohue, “In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship, the idea of soul-love; the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is the word for friend. With the anam cara you can share your innermost self, your mind, and your heart. In everyone's life there is great need for an anam cara, a soul friend; in this love you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. Where you are understood, you are at home.” In every Christian home, Christ desires to be the anam cara to each individual, couple, and family.
Loraine Garner
Morning PrayerDuring Morning Prayer, we focused on the famous readings about love from I Corinthians 13 and the Song of Solomon. Afterward, we took a self assessment using a tool from Dr. Gary Chapman’s “Five Love Languages” program. The purpose of the exercise was to identify what makes each person, as well as their partner, feel most loved: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving of Gifts, Physical Touch, or Quality Time.
Scriptural Passages and Quotes
We took time after lunch to examine as a couple several scripture passages and quotes from the Cowley Fathers about how Christ is a part of our couple-hood, a union of three rather than two. The day concluded with Eucharist with Mother Lisa, with sharing about the day’s experiences. Deacon Terry shared this quote from Irish poet John O’Donohue, “In the Celtic tradition, there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship, the idea of soul-love; the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is the word for friend. With the anam cara you can share your innermost self, your mind, and your heart. In everyone's life there is great need for an anam cara, a soul friend; in this love you are understood as you are without mask or pretension. Where you are understood, you are at home.” In every Christian home, Christ desires to be the anam cara to each individual, couple, and family.Loraine Garner
Monday, March 12, 2012
Redirection
Recently, when I went to hear the Milwaukee Symphony, I found the seating arrangement for the orchestra was all new. Before the concert started, the conductor explained that after trying several plans, the new arrangement was done to 1.) create better sound for the audience, 2.) allow the audience to hear different sections of the orchestra better, and 3.) allow members of the orchestra to hear each other. All of the changes were meant to improve the quality of the orchestra’s performance. It worked!
We are now in the season of Lent in the calendar of our church year. It is a season for us to reflect upon ourselves and our relationship with God. It is a season to make changes in our lives perhaps as a result of reflection. It is also a time when we give up, be it food or a bad habit, for 40 days. The “giving up” part is probably what most of us are most aware of.
As a kid, I always gave up candy. Why? Because that’s what kids gave up even if it wasn’t really a sacrifice. I would dutifully put what I might have spent in my mite box being sure it was suitably full when turned in at Easter! That became more difficult when I learned from my neighborhood buddy who came from a devout roman Catholic family, that Sundays were free days so my candy penance did not apply. So, of course, I hit the candy store across the street from church on Sunday!
The way the words “give up” can be a roadblock. They sound so definite. They don’t allow for wavering. They don’t allow for a period of adjustment.
I shudder to think of the number of times I said, “I’ve got to give up smoking.” The thought of having no room for failure made action on those words seem impossible and gave rise to enough excuses to foreclose actions.
We all have at some time or other realized that we needed to change our eating habits. Diets always had items we had to give up. Again it became easy to let “give up” become a roadblock.
Perhaps, then, as with Lenten discipline and every day living disciplines, we need to think in terms of redirection, not “giving up.”
A starting point may be to redirect where we put our emphasis during Lent: away from symbolic “giving up” to a time of reflections upon our relationship with God and Jesus Christ in our lives. And, based on these reflections, how can I redirect my life to strengthen that relationship.
Redirection can take many forms. For example, we may look at our priorities in our life. Do we need to redirect our lives away from self towards God? Do we need to consider where we put our emphasis in daily living as between the material and spiritual? Do we need to redirect our feelings towards others from tolerance to acceptance? Do we need to redirect ourselves from passive believers to activist believers?
We may want to reflect on our living habits and how we can redirect them towards a healthier lifestyle. Diets, for example, are less give up, give up, give up and more eating healthy and measuring quantities and including some of the “no nos” in limited ways.
We all throughout lives have intentionally or by osmosis from those around us adopted attitudes. Perhaps, here too, we may want to reflect upon and redirect these attitudes, I.e. towards race, towards sexuality, towards homelessness, towards those who disagree with us. Upon reflection, we should begin to really realize how contrary these attitudes may be to what we profess to believe Jesus taught and stood for and still stands for.
The conductor of the symphony changed the seating of the players. In doing so, he redirected the sound to benefit his audience. He placed the orchestra’s sections in a better position so all would be heard by the audience. By his redirection, he allowed the players to bond into a better orchestra because they could hear each other better and create a cohesive sound.
Instead of symbolic “giving up”, perhaps we can rearrange our lives with reflective redirection this Lent that will continue as a part of our lives beyond 40 days and without “free Sundays” to run to the candy store.
Deacon Ned Howe
We are now in the season of Lent in the calendar of our church year. It is a season for us to reflect upon ourselves and our relationship with God. It is a season to make changes in our lives perhaps as a result of reflection. It is also a time when we give up, be it food or a bad habit, for 40 days. The “giving up” part is probably what most of us are most aware of.
As a kid, I always gave up candy. Why? Because that’s what kids gave up even if it wasn’t really a sacrifice. I would dutifully put what I might have spent in my mite box being sure it was suitably full when turned in at Easter! That became more difficult when I learned from my neighborhood buddy who came from a devout roman Catholic family, that Sundays were free days so my candy penance did not apply. So, of course, I hit the candy store across the street from church on Sunday!
The way the words “give up” can be a roadblock. They sound so definite. They don’t allow for wavering. They don’t allow for a period of adjustment.
I shudder to think of the number of times I said, “I’ve got to give up smoking.” The thought of having no room for failure made action on those words seem impossible and gave rise to enough excuses to foreclose actions.
We all have at some time or other realized that we needed to change our eating habits. Diets always had items we had to give up. Again it became easy to let “give up” become a roadblock.
Perhaps, then, as with Lenten discipline and every day living disciplines, we need to think in terms of redirection, not “giving up.”
A starting point may be to redirect where we put our emphasis during Lent: away from symbolic “giving up” to a time of reflections upon our relationship with God and Jesus Christ in our lives. And, based on these reflections, how can I redirect my life to strengthen that relationship.
Redirection can take many forms. For example, we may look at our priorities in our life. Do we need to redirect our lives away from self towards God? Do we need to consider where we put our emphasis in daily living as between the material and spiritual? Do we need to redirect our feelings towards others from tolerance to acceptance? Do we need to redirect ourselves from passive believers to activist believers?
We may want to reflect on our living habits and how we can redirect them towards a healthier lifestyle. Diets, for example, are less give up, give up, give up and more eating healthy and measuring quantities and including some of the “no nos” in limited ways.
We all throughout lives have intentionally or by osmosis from those around us adopted attitudes. Perhaps, here too, we may want to reflect upon and redirect these attitudes, I.e. towards race, towards sexuality, towards homelessness, towards those who disagree with us. Upon reflection, we should begin to really realize how contrary these attitudes may be to what we profess to believe Jesus taught and stood for and still stands for.
The conductor of the symphony changed the seating of the players. In doing so, he redirected the sound to benefit his audience. He placed the orchestra’s sections in a better position so all would be heard by the audience. By his redirection, he allowed the players to bond into a better orchestra because they could hear each other better and create a cohesive sound.
Instead of symbolic “giving up”, perhaps we can rearrange our lives with reflective redirection this Lent that will continue as a part of our lives beyond 40 days and without “free Sundays” to run to the candy store.
Deacon Ned Howe
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Adult Education: Spring and Summer 2012
In January, Mother Lisa and the people who have come together for Adult Christian Education on Sunday mornings, got together and thought over what might be the next stage of our studies. We have completed the three-year cycle of Gospel readings, and perhaps – we thought – it would be time to do something new.
Background Explored
The something new we agreed upon was to concentrate on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) readings given us each Sunday. But before we could devote our time to the exploration of the Old Testament readings, it would be necessary to provide ourselves with the background that we needed for understanding: context, history, culture, literary, geographic and linguistic information – much as we had originally sought when we looked at the Gospel readings.
So, we decided on several “lenses” to look through in our readings: and each participant that day agreed to be one of the leaders at a specific Sunday. Our “lenses” include: What is the Good News in the Old Testament; what did Jesus know about the Hebrew Scriptures, and such topics as the building of the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures; the archaeology and geography of the Old Testament; the language/s of the Old Testament, and so forth.
Our Leaders
During Lent, the Rev. John Hickey of Seedling Ministries will be leading us through a study of the Prophets. In April and May, Mother Lisa and Sheryl Slocum will look at the Psalms and their various genres, and in June, Jill Littlefield and Mother Lisa will be looking at the Midrash (how the Jewish scholars interpret the Hebrew Scriptures), and topics such as History, Culture, Custom and Context will take us to early July (thank you to leaders, Linda Steiger, Sheryl Slocum, Robert Wilson and Mark Shaw).
If you have any curiosity about all “that stuff” that happened before Jesus came about, come join us on Sunday morning in the lounge at 9:00AM. We love to ask questions about these things, and sometimes even provide some answers!
Gust Olson
Background Explored
The something new we agreed upon was to concentrate on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) readings given us each Sunday. But before we could devote our time to the exploration of the Old Testament readings, it would be necessary to provide ourselves with the background that we needed for understanding: context, history, culture, literary, geographic and linguistic information – much as we had originally sought when we looked at the Gospel readings.
So, we decided on several “lenses” to look through in our readings: and each participant that day agreed to be one of the leaders at a specific Sunday. Our “lenses” include: What is the Good News in the Old Testament; what did Jesus know about the Hebrew Scriptures, and such topics as the building of the canon of the Hebrew Scriptures; the archaeology and geography of the Old Testament; the language/s of the Old Testament, and so forth.
Our Leaders
During Lent, the Rev. John Hickey of Seedling Ministries will be leading us through a study of the Prophets. In April and May, Mother Lisa and Sheryl Slocum will look at the Psalms and their various genres, and in June, Jill Littlefield and Mother Lisa will be looking at the Midrash (how the Jewish scholars interpret the Hebrew Scriptures), and topics such as History, Culture, Custom and Context will take us to early July (thank you to leaders, Linda Steiger, Sheryl Slocum, Robert Wilson and Mark Shaw).
If you have any curiosity about all “that stuff” that happened before Jesus came about, come join us on Sunday morning in the lounge at 9:00AM. We love to ask questions about these things, and sometimes even provide some answers!
Gust Olson
Monday, March 5, 2012
Lenten Discipline
My earliest memory of a Lenten discipline involved forgoing meat on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. I didn’t really understand why our household wasn’t eating meat, and, for a long time, I didn’t know that is was meant to be a sacrifice. If anything, it seemed like a treat because we usually ate fish or shrimp instead, and these were rarities at our table. Later, more at the prompting of my Catholic friends than my Lutheran mother, I went through the process of attempting to give up chocolate or ice cream, but these efforts, again, didn’t involve much spiritual forethought; I was just succumbing to the lunch table norms.
Purpose of sacrifice
It wasn’t until well into my adulthood that I began to ponder the reasoning behind this tradition and concluded that my “sacrifice” was meant to mimic, in some small and superficial way, the sacrifice of Jesus at the end of the Lenten journey. Later I consulted the Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, in his Handbook for the Discipline of Lent. There he asserts that in a Lenten discipline “we focus our lives on Christ's self-sacrificing passion, death and resurrection, which has brought us acceptance, forgiveness and redemption by God. Through that same discipline, we make a loving response to God.” These days I prefer to think of a Lenten discipline, the commitment to take on or give up a specific activity, as a means of bringing me closer to God in some small (or large?) way.
Taking Lenten Discipline Seriously
But where to begin? If I’m truly going to take my Lenten discipline seriously, I feel it needs to be much more intentional than those junior high days of ice cream deprivation. If I give something up, I want it to be something that I’ll miss frequently and significantly enough to give me pause, and, ideally, in that pause I’ll focus on praising God and refocusing my day in Him. If I add an activity to my life, I want it to be meaningful and ultimately lead to more joy and peace, not just become another checkable item on my perpetual to-do list. And so I brainstormed and researched, assembling a list of potential disciplines. Maybe there’s one that will call to you, as well:
· attend more (all?) of the Lenten activities at church – Wednesday night Lenten study, the Sunday School class on the prophets, the couples’ retreat, Holy Week services . . .
· increase church attendance
· pray for a specific person or cause
· devote prayer time to listening for God
· serve in a new way—at church or in the community
· better care for my body/His vessel in some way—exercise, meditation, time outdoors
· try prayer journaling
· visit someone who needs company—a shut-in, the elderly, that neighbor or relative I’ve “been meaning to call”
· work for reconciliation in a relationship
· start (or increase the amount of time) reading the Bible
· choose a specific book of the Bible to read over the course of Lent
· read and pray my way through the Psalms
· replace tv or Facebook or video games with more time for family or service
· go out of my way to do something nice for a friend or stranger on a daily or weekly basis
· give a special monetary gift to the Haitian Relief Fund or some other worthy organization
· organize a clothing drive in my workplace to benefit Red Door Clothes
· read a book that focuses on my spiritual growth, Max Lucado’s He Chose the Nails or He Still Moves Stones
· give up some form of food that doesn’t benefit me (top contender: candy or soda)
· spend intentional time enjoying and appreciating His creation in nature on a regular basis
· consciously slow down the pace of my life
· attempt to turn anxiety/worry into prayer
Loving Response to God
With Ash Wednesday looming in front of me, I still have not yet finalized my decision, and by the time you’re reading this, Lent will be well underway. If you have not taken on a Lenten discipline this year and still feel called to it, don’t fret about “being behind”. Remember that the original purpose of this practice is to make a “loving response to God” and intentionally find a way to bring yourself closer to God. And that goal, I’m happy to say, doesn’t have a deadline. Lent gives us “an excuse” to try something new in our perpetual, life-long journey of deepening our relationship with our Savior, but one of the amazing things about having an omnipresent God is that He’s always there, tending to us, waiting for us, and celebrating our desire to know Him better. May that knowledge bring you joy and peace and propel you forward into a holy Lent.
Susan Wilson
Purpose of sacrifice
It wasn’t until well into my adulthood that I began to ponder the reasoning behind this tradition and concluded that my “sacrifice” was meant to mimic, in some small and superficial way, the sacrifice of Jesus at the end of the Lenten journey. Later I consulted the Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, in his Handbook for the Discipline of Lent. There he asserts that in a Lenten discipline “we focus our lives on Christ's self-sacrificing passion, death and resurrection, which has brought us acceptance, forgiveness and redemption by God. Through that same discipline, we make a loving response to God.” These days I prefer to think of a Lenten discipline, the commitment to take on or give up a specific activity, as a means of bringing me closer to God in some small (or large?) way.
Taking Lenten Discipline Seriously
But where to begin? If I’m truly going to take my Lenten discipline seriously, I feel it needs to be much more intentional than those junior high days of ice cream deprivation. If I give something up, I want it to be something that I’ll miss frequently and significantly enough to give me pause, and, ideally, in that pause I’ll focus on praising God and refocusing my day in Him. If I add an activity to my life, I want it to be meaningful and ultimately lead to more joy and peace, not just become another checkable item on my perpetual to-do list. And so I brainstormed and researched, assembling a list of potential disciplines. Maybe there’s one that will call to you, as well:
· attend more (all?) of the Lenten activities at church – Wednesday night Lenten study, the Sunday School class on the prophets, the couples’ retreat, Holy Week services . . .
· increase church attendance
· pray for a specific person or cause
· devote prayer time to listening for God
· serve in a new way—at church or in the community
· better care for my body/His vessel in some way—exercise, meditation, time outdoors
· try prayer journaling
· visit someone who needs company—a shut-in, the elderly, that neighbor or relative I’ve “been meaning to call”
· work for reconciliation in a relationship
· start (or increase the amount of time) reading the Bible
· choose a specific book of the Bible to read over the course of Lent
· read and pray my way through the Psalms
· replace tv or Facebook or video games with more time for family or service
· go out of my way to do something nice for a friend or stranger on a daily or weekly basis
· give a special monetary gift to the Haitian Relief Fund or some other worthy organization
· organize a clothing drive in my workplace to benefit Red Door Clothes
· read a book that focuses on my spiritual growth, Max Lucado’s He Chose the Nails or He Still Moves Stones
· give up some form of food that doesn’t benefit me (top contender: candy or soda)
· spend intentional time enjoying and appreciating His creation in nature on a regular basis
· consciously slow down the pace of my life
· attempt to turn anxiety/worry into prayer
Loving Response to God
With Ash Wednesday looming in front of me, I still have not yet finalized my decision, and by the time you’re reading this, Lent will be well underway. If you have not taken on a Lenten discipline this year and still feel called to it, don’t fret about “being behind”. Remember that the original purpose of this practice is to make a “loving response to God” and intentionally find a way to bring yourself closer to God. And that goal, I’m happy to say, doesn’t have a deadline. Lent gives us “an excuse” to try something new in our perpetual, life-long journey of deepening our relationship with our Savior, but one of the amazing things about having an omnipresent God is that He’s always there, tending to us, waiting for us, and celebrating our desire to know Him better. May that knowledge bring you joy and peace and propel you forward into a holy Lent.
Susan Wilson
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Who Are You Going To Invite?
Recently at a vestry meeting Mtr. Lisa used a check-in question that still resounds with me, which was something like: What are you going to do at St. James during Lent, and who are you going to invite? Everybody on the vestry had the opportunity to respond, and it was heartwarming.
So what about you? What are you doing at St. James during Lent? As we are now in the season of Lent, you may have already started a ‘Lenten discipline.’ You know, kinda like a New Year’s resolution, only with a focus on growing/strengthening your faith. People often talk about giving something up for Lent. Some will mention that they take on something. Hopefully all of us have some type of focus on our faith during Lent: denial of self to follow Christ. This is a major emphasis of the season, and has been a faith tradition for centuries.
So what about you? Whom are you going to invite? While determining a Lenten discipline may not be easy, you may find it much more difficult to invite others to join you at St. James for the worship and/or fellowship and/or service opportunities that we have. After all, isn’t your faith something just between you and God?
Prayer
Perhaps you should consider the following quote from one of the Cowley Fathers (Society of St. John the Evangelist – SSJE, in Cambridge, MA):
Re-start your Faith
Lent is a wonderful time to ‘re-start’ and ‘re-fresh’ our faith, however strong or weak it may be. The first part of the check-in question from the vestry meeting is an invitation to each of us. You are invited to a number of opportunities at St. James for worship, fellowship, and service. Bring yourself! The second part of the check-in question is also an invitation to each of us. Bring someone (or multiple people) with you to share in your faith, as God calls you to do.
Deacon Terry Garner
So what about you? What are you doing at St. James during Lent? As we are now in the season of Lent, you may have already started a ‘Lenten discipline.’ You know, kinda like a New Year’s resolution, only with a focus on growing/strengthening your faith. People often talk about giving something up for Lent. Some will mention that they take on something. Hopefully all of us have some type of focus on our faith during Lent: denial of self to follow Christ. This is a major emphasis of the season, and has been a faith tradition for centuries.
So what about you? Whom are you going to invite? While determining a Lenten discipline may not be easy, you may find it much more difficult to invite others to join you at St. James for the worship and/or fellowship and/or service opportunities that we have. After all, isn’t your faith something just between you and God?
Prayer
Perhaps you should consider the following quote from one of the Cowley Fathers (Society of St. John the Evangelist – SSJE, in Cambridge, MA):
You’ll notice that what we call the Lord’s Prayer is in first person plural, not first person singular. We don’t begin the prayer by saying, “My Father in heaven.” Nor do we pray, “Give me today my daily bread.” Our Father; our bread. Our relationship with God is quite personal, but it is not private.
–Br. Curtis Almquist
This is why we go to St. James – we call it “community.” Our worship, our fellowship, our service, our faith: these are all very personal to us. And we are called to share. As we mature as Christians we transition our focus in faith from the self to the other.
Re-start your Faith
Lent is a wonderful time to ‘re-start’ and ‘re-fresh’ our faith, however strong or weak it may be. The first part of the check-in question from the vestry meeting is an invitation to each of us. You are invited to a number of opportunities at St. James for worship, fellowship, and service. Bring yourself! The second part of the check-in question is also an invitation to each of us. Bring someone (or multiple people) with you to share in your faith, as God calls you to do.
Deacon Terry Garner
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