Way of the Cross

We often use the language of path or journey to describe the shape of our spiritual life, and we understand ‘walking with Jesus’ to mean living our lives in accordance with his. Walking with Jesus is a metaphor, and yet there is a sense in which walking is also not a metaphor – we must quite literally take steps toward God sometimes. Nowhere did this concept become clearer for me than on a particular walk in January when I joined my fellow pilgrims on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem’s Old City. This walk is commonly called “The Stations of the Cross,” but those who have prayed the Stations know that experience of it can be both literally and metaphorically the Walk of the Cross.

Our walk began at St. George’s College at 6:00AM, early enough that the city was still dark and quiet. We carried with us an eight-foot-tall wooden cross as we silently made our way to Station I where Jesus is judged. (For those who may be curious, the Old City has all fourteen stations marked on along the Via Dolorosa leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is the traditional site of Jesus’ death and resurrection). Our group walked from one station to the next, pausing at each one to read Scripture and to pray.

Growing Self-Awareness

As we walked, the sun began to peak over the outer wall of the Old City, vendors began to unlock their shops, and residents and tourists alike began to walk the narrow cobblestone streets. I noticed that my self-awareness (and perhaps my self-consciousness) grew as the commotion about us grew. Even in a city where public displays of religion are so common that they are basically expected, I was seeing just how public our Walk of the Cross had become. When it was my turn to carry the big wooden cross to the next station, I was aware of the gaze of every passerby along the way. I was aware of the cross’ weight in my hands. I was aware of how slow my pace was, how awkward my grip on it felt, and how deafening the silence was in between stations.

Gratitude for the Opportunity

My self-consciousness on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem was quickly matched by my gratitude for the opportunity to express my faith in this profoundly visible way. I wear a cross sometimes, I tell people I am in seminary, and I read my Bible in coffee shops on occasion, but walking down a busy market street carrying a cross that is taller than I am brought a whole new level to my public faith-sharing. Those who have left an Ash Wednesday service to go to the grocery store may know what I mean here. Such experiences are rare gifts – they can bring discomfort at first, but they invite us to encounter God through our physical bodies in visible and unavoidable ways.

Closer to God

This Holy Week we will gaze upon and venerate the cross and we will remember Jesus’ death. I doubt any of us will be carrying a big wooden cross down the street during Holy Week, but I know that our walk with Jesus these past 40 days has (literally) brought us closer to God. May God continue to bless and surprise us as our Lenten journey comes to an end this week, and may our steps bring us ever closer to our risen Lord!

Dorota Pruski

The Sharing of Gifts

Every time I walk into my nearby Walgreen’s, I am reminded by Hallmark what holiday is “in” for celebration and giving. If you get into the Hallmark tradition, would you become a constant giver of material things? After a brief nod at New Year’s, you move into Valentine’s Day, then St. Patrick’s Day, then Easter, then Mother’s Day, then Father’s Day, into a brief summer free of Hallmark Days, then into Halloween and a quick nod at Thanksgiving, already surrounded by Christmas!

The questions that keep coming up in my mind are twofold. Are these the kinds of gifts that God would have us share? And, do we need a “holiday” to just give gifts of ourselves, or is this an everyday part of being a Christian?

To answer the first question, we have but to look to God as the ultimate giver. We start with God the Creator, who created all of creation. And, within that creation, the creation of humankind, with the ability to think and the ability to feel and most of all, the freedom to do the same: to enable us to understand the greatness of His love. He placed constant reminders of His presence and power in our lives. We need only to enjoy the beauty of a sunset to be aware of the beauty of creation. We look at the majesty of the mountains and know the majesty of God. We look at the oceans and seas and see His overwhelming power and love. All of these are reminders of God’s love which transcends the physicality of creation and is planted within each one of us.

If all of this is not enough, God gave us the gift of Himself in His son, Jesus Christ, to live in our world. He came to show us how He would have us live and to teach us about God’s love. He came to heal God’s people. Then God showed His ultimate love for us and sacrificed Jesus for us on the cross that our sins might be forgiven and followed with the resurrection of Jesus, that we might have the hope for eternal life.

Our Part of the Action

Having seen the gifts we have from God, having the realization, as followers of God and Jesus Christ, that these gifts are there for us to use and to guide us and share with others, does it take a Hallmark moment for us to act? Can we, with all these gifts at hand to share, really think that our part of the action is only an occasional thing? No!

We may each have special gifts we can share every day of our lives no matter where we may be. I would suggest, however, that there are some gifts we all have that we can add to those. Some may need cultivation. Some may make us step out of our comfort zone.

To aid us in our gift sharing, we always have Jesus at our side. We have His example to follow. We have His love in our hearts to strengthen us.

Let us look then at some of those gifts which we have within us that we can share as conduits of God’s love.

God’s Love

Each one of us has experienced God’s love. It may have been that feeling within that has lifted us up when we were troubled and enabled us to move forward. God was there for us. Or it may have been that overwhelming swelling up of joy and love at a time of success. If we recognize in our hearts that God’s love was within us and acting for us, we now can share this gift with others. Walk into St. James at any given time and you will feel it from everyone you meet.

We can share the joy we feel from knowing we have Jesus in our hearts. Dick, a 29-year volunteer at The Gathering reminds the volunteers of the importance of their smiles in the lives of our guests. With our smiles we project the joy we have serving them and sharing the time we are with them.

We can give the gift of hope that grows within us as we strengthen our faith. As we live our lives with hope, we show others that they, too, can have the gift of hope.

Listening Hearts

We can share the gift of a listening heart. God listens to our prayers. We all have times when we need someone to listen. Just as God listens to us, we can be there to listen and in listening share our love and understanding.

Just as Jesus sent His disciples out to serve, we, too, know that we are called to share our gifts in service to others.

We Can Share God’s Presence

God is present in our lives 24/7. We feel His presence. We are reassured by this presence. We also can be present in the lives of others. Being there to stand by others in times of need assures them they are not alone.

None of these gifts is designated for a special day. None of these gifts call you to a “Hallmark moment”. By their very nature they are always a part of every day of our lives. By their nature we are constantly cultivating them as we grow in our faith.

The best reminder that we have to keep God’s gifts a part of our lives is not a card but that word we feel in our hearts that needs to be filled and our lives refreshed.

Deacon Ned Howe

Worship Time Changes

Starting Wednesday, April 18, 2012, our Wednesday Evening Eucharist will begin at 6:30PM. Why change the time for our Wednesday Evening Eucharist? Usually, we have two to four members from our community at the Wednesday service. When asked why they do not attend the Wednesday service, many have responded, “I can’t get from work to church by 5:30PM.” If you haven’t worshiped on Wednesday evenings, we invite you to come. The Wednesday service is an intimate service of prayer, reflection and Holy Communion.



Starting Sunday, June 3, our Sunday worship service will begin at 10:00AM. Why change the time for our Sunday worship? In our history as a parish, we have changed the service time in the summer, due to the summer heat. This year, come September, we will keep the 10:00 AM service time. Sunday School for Children and Adults will be after the service, ending by noon. The main reason for this change is that providing Christian education for children or parents with children is difficult with our current schedule. Parents with children cannot attend morning class because childcare is not offered. With only one service, teachers do not worship, because they are in class. You will receive much more information on the Child and Adult Christian Education in the coming months. We know that changes to the schedule make a change to routine. We pray that through our communications in the coming months, we will make this a smooth transition, rich with opportunities to grow in faith.

The Rev. Lisa Saunders

Youth in our Diocese

Here are some highlights of upcoming youth events in the Diocese of Milwaukee:

May 19, 9:00AM to 4:00PM
Happening Reunion
Happening is a Christian experience presented by teenagers for teenagers with the help of clergy and lay adult leadership. It challenges youth to find their spiritual realities based on the love of Jesus Christ. Happening’s purpose is not only to have a fantastic weekend, but also to build a foundation for a lifelong commitment to Christian living – a life based upon Christian values, beliefs and actions. Happening is a weekend full of fun and fellowship, but it is also a weekend full of learning, sharing, growing, loving and experiencing the gifts of God.
http://www.diomil.org/christian-formation

June 11, 9:19AM to 6:46PM
Middle School Youth Event
This Middler’s Event is a special day put together for people in grades six through eight and the adults who work with youth. Its purpose is to help them grow in love of themselves, others, and Jesus Christ. Activities include laughing, sharing, playing, praying. Youth who attend will learn to grow while having the time of their lives. More details coming soon!



Leadership Camp (9th - 12th grade) June 17 - 22
Intermediate Camp (3rd - 6th grade) June 17 – 22
Middle/Senior High Camp (7th – 12th grade) June 24 – 29
Camp Webb
Camp Webb is an outdoor ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. Everyone who comes to Camp Webb is given the opportunity to learn more about themselves and others, to discover more about the Episcopal Church, to develop a greater spiritual awareness, and to encounter Christ through living and learning in God's creation. Campers learn new skills, make new friends, create lasting memories and explore who they are and who God is in their lives. This year camp will be held at the beautiful and centrally located Lutherdale Camp near Elkhorn. It is has a lake, large playing fields, basketball court, archery range, large campfire pit, volleyball court, ropes course and more.
http://www.campwebb.org/

For more information, contact Kate McKey, Youth and Camp Coordinator at 608-770-5299 or McKey@diomil.org. You can also sign up for emails by clicking on the “Diocesan E-News” link on the right side of the www.diomil.org webpage!

Robert Wilson

Music Notes

Beginning April 15 (Easter 2), members of the parish will see the blue Hymnal 1982 in the pew each Sunday, alongside the red Book of Common Prayer. The Hymnal 1982 will be our anchor hymnal, and the one a visitor will always see. Ministers of Hospitality will no longer need to hand out hymnals. However, we will continue to incorporate music from other hymnals and traditions (“Gather”, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, “Wonder, Love and Praise”, and various Christian contemporary or folk hymns for which we either have copyright permission or do not need it.) The musical selections that are not in Hymnal 1982 will be in the worship booklet.

We will continue to change service music by season. It will be like the weather in Wisconsin: if you don’t like it, don’t worry; soon it will change…

We will also try to have a song leader each Sunday to help us with congregational participation. So, sing out joyfully!

Music Director

We have begun the search for a part time music director for St. James Parish. A short advertisement for the position has been approved by the Rector and is being posted at local music venues and with the American Guild of Organists. The Rector will review the applications and she, along with a committee comprised of Paul Cooke, Lucy Cooper, and Robert Wilson, will interview candidates. We are looking for a musician proficient on organ and piano. If anyone reading this article has a candidate in mind, contact the Rector and she can send that person the job announcement. We are hoping to have a Music Director by August.

Lucy Cooper

Spiritual Spring Cleaning

When the weather turns to Spring-like warmth during the day and lengthening opportunities of sunshine, does part of your brain turn to “spring cleaning”? As this was a routine of my life when growing up, spring cleaning has certainly come to my mind early this year along with the wonderful weather. As much as I want to spend more time outside our home cleaning up, I also need to pay attention to sprucing up inside the house.

Focus More on Growing

As we come to the end of Lent and head into Holy Week, the weather coincides perfectly with the thought of spring cleaning our spiritual home: ourselves! We should be eying our spiritual habits and lives with a slightly more discerning view than we typically do at other times of the year. We pray for guidance to take on a Lenten discipline – abstaining (fasting) from something that may take our focus away from God and/or taking on something that we hope to help us focus more on growing our relationship with God. This is the clean up opportunity of our spiritual home, and it often creates more of a mess or chaos in our routines – which is similar to when we take on a cleaning project around the house. But we keep at it because we are looking forward to the end result being better (cleaner, less clutter) than what we had previously. We want our spiritual selves to be more presentable to celebrate the risen Christ at Easter!

Preparing Ourselves

Perhaps the best opportunity to put the ‘final touches’ on preparing ourselves for that celebration is participating in Holy Week. Walking along with each other, together with Jesus, opens our eyes even further to the fine details in our spiritual lives that we might need to address. Participating in Holy Week we transition and transform: from shouting “Hosannah!” to screaming “Crucify!” – from the joy of singing “Gloria” to humbly allowing our feet to be washed to intimately share in Christ’s Body and Blood only to abandon Jesus – from acknowledging the Cross to leaving in silence.

Christ Cleanses Us

When we follow Jesus as He walks to His death, Christ cleanses us as we allow Him into our hearts. Although this is true throughout the year, take on the opportunity to offer yourself, your heart… and this spring cleaning will result in a deeper and broader relationship with God that will make Easter that much more of a celebration.

Deacon Terry Garner

Communion Bread

Sunday, March 25, was a Sunday all about BREAD for the children of our parish. They learned of Jesus’ presence with us in bread that is blessed. They made communion bread, with their own hands, and with much joy and concentration (as you can see in the photos on this page).

During Holy Week and throughout the season of Easter, we all will see that it is through bread, and other pieces of our daily lives that Jesus is made known to us.

We give thanks to Deacon Terry (and helpers Liz, Loraine, Sue and Tim) for sharing our faith with our children in such a beautiful, joyful way. We give thanks to the children, for making bread which we will bless and receive on Easter morning.

 

This Holy Week and Eastertide, may you experience the Risen Jesus very near to you,

The Rev. Lisa Saunders