Myesha and Noel wanted to be at J2A. That's why we scheduled it for last night. Then they realized that they couldn't be there last night, and last night was a really terrible time for both Cathy and Allie. So we changed it to next Sunday, April 6, which would be our regular time anyway. Confused? Me too. Next Sunday 4:30 pm-6:30 pm.
HELP!!!!
I need someone to help in the nursery on Sunday April 13. Noel will be the only nursery worker in town and we need to have at least one other person. Contact me if you are interested. The nursery is open from 8:30-12:30.
PIPER
We batted around some ideas for fundraisers to help Piper. The ideas on the table are: A Garage Sale, A Book Sale, A BBQ, a Recylcing Drive. We need to decide by next Sunday so think about it and be ready to discuss it Sunday morning.
Also it is time to firm up your confirmation sponsor--it cannot be one of the clergy (although I will stand with you as a clergy representative) and it cannot be a family member (although you can have siblings or cousins, you just need another person from the Cathedral congregation.). Email or call me if you have any questions--thanks!!!!!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Phew!!!
Sorry I have been a bit out of touch. Holy Week was really busy and this week I am at school Monday through Friday.
A couple of things:
Sunday is our monthly social gathering--4:30 pm-6:30 pm in the parish house.
Saturday (I know I am working backwards) is the EYE event at St. John's Grace--it is a dance and it costs $5 to get in. It runs from 7 pm to 10:30 pm. Cullen and John are going.
Hope to see you all this weekend!
Finally, I gave a sermon on Holy Saturday, here it is:
JESUS IS DEAD
Jesus is dead. He has been laid in the tomb.
Where is the good news in that?
Surely disbelief filled all those who loved him.
Peter plagued by his guilt of being the denier.
Judas dead by his own hand.
The beloved disciple, wracked with grief.
Mary of Magdala, inconsolable.
And then there’s his mother. Is there a pain worse than that of a parent who has lost a child?
Where is the Good News in that?
It is all so sad.
But this morning we aren’t here to lament, we aren’t here to weep, we aren’t here to mourn.
No, we gather this morning to marvel at Jesus. Not at his miracles, not at his stirring rhetoric, not at his parables. Not at Jesus, Son of God. No, we gather in our quiet exhaustion to marvel at Jesus the man. For today Jesus has made the most human of journeys. Jesus
has plunged into the depths of death. He has fallen into the abyss of nothingness, of desolation and of loneliness so that, once and for all, we will never be alone. Because Jesus has been, is and will be everywhere we could ever go.
Think about it. Feeling abandoned? Jesus has been there. Been spit upon? Jesus has been there. Been denied by your own? Jesus has been there. Raged in frustration? Jesus has been there. Jesus, on this Holy Saturday has been everywhere. For today he has descended to the dead. Today he looks death square in the eye and says, no
more, no more will death be a thing to fear, a thing to worry about, a thing to hate.
Never again do we have to feel the loneliness of Mary. Never again do we have to feel the abandonment experienced by Job. Never again will we be shrouded in the darkness of Jonah. Never again will we wail our laments alone. Because today Jesus has filled the last of our emptiness, today Jesus has plummeted himself into the abyss of darkness, despair and death so that each of us, when we inevitably fall into those dark spaces of our minds, into those hells of our humanity, into the depths of grief, is not alone. Jesus has been there. And Jesus remains there.
For Jesus, the son of the living God, the Word made
flesh, the author of our salvation has been to the heights and the depths of our human existence so that we will never again be alone. So today in the quiet solitude of this day of rest, be comforted in knowing that even as his body lies in the tomb, Jesus is with us. Tomorrow, next week next month or next year when you feel the desolation of pain, the fear of abandonment or the despair of grief,--the ups and downs of our human existence--know that you are not alone for Jesus, our Jesus, has been there too and will not, no matter how much we resist his love, abandon us. And today? Today that is good news indeed.
Amen.
A couple of things:
Sunday is our monthly social gathering--4:30 pm-6:30 pm in the parish house.
Saturday (I know I am working backwards) is the EYE event at St. John's Grace--it is a dance and it costs $5 to get in. It runs from 7 pm to 10:30 pm. Cullen and John are going.
Hope to see you all this weekend!
Finally, I gave a sermon on Holy Saturday, here it is:
JESUS IS DEAD
Jesus is dead. He has been laid in the tomb.
Where is the good news in that?
Surely disbelief filled all those who loved him.
Peter plagued by his guilt of being the denier.
Judas dead by his own hand.
The beloved disciple, wracked with grief.
Mary of Magdala, inconsolable.
And then there’s his mother. Is there a pain worse than that of a parent who has lost a child?
Where is the Good News in that?
It is all so sad.
But this morning we aren’t here to lament, we aren’t here to weep, we aren’t here to mourn.
No, we gather this morning to marvel at Jesus. Not at his miracles, not at his stirring rhetoric, not at his parables. Not at Jesus, Son of God. No, we gather in our quiet exhaustion to marvel at Jesus the man. For today Jesus has made the most human of journeys. Jesus
has plunged into the depths of death. He has fallen into the abyss of nothingness, of desolation and of loneliness so that, once and for all, we will never be alone. Because Jesus has been, is and will be everywhere we could ever go.
Think about it. Feeling abandoned? Jesus has been there. Been spit upon? Jesus has been there. Been denied by your own? Jesus has been there. Raged in frustration? Jesus has been there. Jesus, on this Holy Saturday has been everywhere. For today he has descended to the dead. Today he looks death square in the eye and says, no
more, no more will death be a thing to fear, a thing to worry about, a thing to hate.
Never again do we have to feel the loneliness of Mary. Never again do we have to feel the abandonment experienced by Job. Never again will we be shrouded in the darkness of Jonah. Never again will we wail our laments alone. Because today Jesus has filled the last of our emptiness, today Jesus has plummeted himself into the abyss of darkness, despair and death so that each of us, when we inevitably fall into those dark spaces of our minds, into those hells of our humanity, into the depths of grief, is not alone. Jesus has been there. And Jesus remains there.
For Jesus, the son of the living God, the Word made
flesh, the author of our salvation has been to the heights and the depths of our human existence so that we will never again be alone. So today in the quiet solitude of this day of rest, be comforted in knowing that even as his body lies in the tomb, Jesus is with us. Tomorrow, next week next month or next year when you feel the desolation of pain, the fear of abandonment or the despair of grief,--the ups and downs of our human existence--know that you are not alone for Jesus, our Jesus, has been there too and will not, no matter how much we resist his love, abandon us. And today? Today that is good news indeed.
Amen.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Palm Sunday
This week Cullen and Eric are the two youth acolytes at 9 am.
At Confirmation we will finish our discussion of the Eucharist by going through the Eucharistic Prayer. Be prepared--you may be asked to play the role of priest---
Below is the sermon I was supposed to preach at St. Phillip's Church last Sunday. But they were closed because of snow so I am preaching it tonight at their Lenten study:
Lazarus Laughed.
Lazarus Laughed?
That’s the title of a play written by Eugene O’Neill: It is the playwright’s thoughts about what Lazarus did upon his resurrection. And the first thing he thinks Lazarus would have done? Laugh.
When my friend Lynn tries to tell a joke she starts to laugh about halfway through. Usually you never hear the punch line but it doesn’t matter if you don’t hear the rest of the joke, you’re laughing right along with her, because laughter is contagious.
My nephew, John, who has cerebral palsy can’t speak. But boy can he laugh. He has this deep down, belly laugh which shakes his entire body. He has tipped over laughing so hard. No one can resist that laugh when he gets going. His laughter is infectious.
People who are depressed have a hard time laughing. The trigger in the brain which causes laughter is broken, so laughter doesn’t come easily.
Can you imagine that? Not being able to laugh? Rarely if ever tossing your head back howling in laughter? Laughter is good for us. It is a medically proven fact. Laughing is contagious, infectious and absolutely necessary to our health
Now, laughter isn’t an unfamiliar action in the Bible, Sarah laughed when she heard God tell Abraham that she—at 90 years old—would have a baby.
Absurd! Outrageous! Ridiculous! How could such an old couple have a baby?
But they did, and they even named him after laughter-----translated
Isaac means “God laughed.” Surely, God laughed, right? After all it was indeed outrageous, unbelievable and quite comical for a baby to be born in such a circumstance.
But babies do that don’t they?
They bring smiles, giggles and laughter.
We call them bundles of joy.
Think about a baby’s laugh-- Isn’t it the greatest thing? The worst day at work melts away at the sound of a baby’s giggle. It is pure and full of delight.
It’s a little bit of heaven right here earth.
So to me it makes sense that Lazarus, upon exiting the tomb, laughed. I bet it was a low guttural chuckle building up to a good ol’ belly laugh. In the play, all Lazarus does for the first day or so after resurrection is laugh.
When he finally speaks Lazarus says he laughed because, after death all he heard was laughter. The laughter of Jesus filled his heart.
Laughing Lazarus proclaims that there is no death, there is no fear, there is only life and that life is full of laughter. Lazarus has been to the other side and what he saw there was a life full of laughter.
Nothing else, just eternal life and laughter.
In the play, Lazarus exclaims:
Laugh! Laugh with me! Death is dead! Fear is no more! There is only life! There is only laughter!
Yes, Lazarus laughed.
But Jesus? Jesus wept.
As Jesus saw the sadness of all those who loved Lazarus, he was overcome with sorrow. Was it remorse for being late, for not being able to save his friend?
Or was it sadness at the lack of faith displayed by Mary and Martha? They both had yelled at Jesus---“if you had been here, he wouldn’t have died.” Talk about guilt. They were laying it on Jesus. But that wasn’t it, he wasn’t guilty or ashamed or remorseful. He was sad…sad that people were still so afraid of death, sad that people still didn’t get it.
Jesus said it as clear as can be:
I am Resurrection and I am Life.
Jesus, through his Father, and through the Holy Spirit, assures us that there is no death, no end, just life eternal.
That’s the whole point isn’t it? Christianity 101: believe in Christ and have eternal life.
But, really, why would Lazarus laugh?
Because it was so absurd that he had been brought back to life?
That could be it.
But in the play he laughs is because that is what heaven is full of: laughter. God laughs all the time, and so everyone else does too. After all, laughing is contagious. But back among the living on earth? Lazarus’ laughter was not funny. Those first few days outside of the tomb everyone was trying to snap him out of it: Lazarus, stop your laughing, there is nothing funny about what happened to you.
But Lazarus says he laughs because there is nothing to fear. Death is not the end; death is not the enemy, death is not scary. Death, says Lazarus, is really nothing at all. Now that is a pretty outrageous thing to hear: death is nothing at all! Death is certainly something for those who have experienced it, those who have lost a loved one or someone who is struggling with the imminent death of a loved one.
So when Jesus calls Lazarus out from the tomb, he is telling him that it isn’t time yet, that he has more to do on earth. So Lazarus comes back. With a new attitude, one free from fear. One free from death. For death is just a human construct, it is of human design. Life, a life in Christ, a life in love with our Creator God—is not complicated. It is simple. Let God’s love wash over us. Be tickled by that love.
I think this story is telling us to die.
We must die.
We must die to death.
Jesus wept because that is what we don’t get .We don’t get that dying is just another step toward the full glory of God.
At baptism, we are figuratively plunged into the deep, into the depths of a life without living, of an existence marred by sin and sorrow and regret. But, during the Easter Vigil when new Christians across the world emerge from those waters and are sealed as Christ’s own forever they are alive in a new way. Christians have died to the old way and been born into the new.
In a little while when we approach the altar for the nourishment of communion we must die to everything we fear-- everything we cling to. At the Eucharist we let go of this world and are transformed into the new world of everlasting life.
When Jesus told Lazarus to come out of the tomb! He was telling him to die, die to the shackles of a life without hope, die to a life filled with fear, die to a life with limited love. And Lazarus did, he died to all of that and was born anew to an everlasting life full of indescribable happiness. He was born anew to a life full of eternal love and never ending laughter.
This is what we are called to do, tonight at communion, tomorrow at work and next week at the grocery store. We are called to die to all the petty jealousy, the fear of each other, the old hurts and resentments Because nothing, not death, not dry bones, not doubt and not despair is enough to keep us from the giggling, chuckling never-ending love and laughter of God. That’s why Lazarus laughed and why we should too, for the joy of a new life in Christ is contagious, infectious and absolutely necessary to our health. So join me in chuckling at death, giggling away fear and embracing a God who laughs and loves us forever. AMEN
At Confirmation we will finish our discussion of the Eucharist by going through the Eucharistic Prayer. Be prepared--you may be asked to play the role of priest---
Below is the sermon I was supposed to preach at St. Phillip's Church last Sunday. But they were closed because of snow so I am preaching it tonight at their Lenten study:
Lazarus Laughed.
Lazarus Laughed?
That’s the title of a play written by Eugene O’Neill: It is the playwright’s thoughts about what Lazarus did upon his resurrection. And the first thing he thinks Lazarus would have done? Laugh.
When my friend Lynn tries to tell a joke she starts to laugh about halfway through. Usually you never hear the punch line but it doesn’t matter if you don’t hear the rest of the joke, you’re laughing right along with her, because laughter is contagious.
My nephew, John, who has cerebral palsy can’t speak. But boy can he laugh. He has this deep down, belly laugh which shakes his entire body. He has tipped over laughing so hard. No one can resist that laugh when he gets going. His laughter is infectious.
People who are depressed have a hard time laughing. The trigger in the brain which causes laughter is broken, so laughter doesn’t come easily.
Can you imagine that? Not being able to laugh? Rarely if ever tossing your head back howling in laughter? Laughter is good for us. It is a medically proven fact. Laughing is contagious, infectious and absolutely necessary to our health
Now, laughter isn’t an unfamiliar action in the Bible, Sarah laughed when she heard God tell Abraham that she—at 90 years old—would have a baby.
Absurd! Outrageous! Ridiculous! How could such an old couple have a baby?
But they did, and they even named him after laughter-----translated
Isaac means “God laughed.” Surely, God laughed, right? After all it was indeed outrageous, unbelievable and quite comical for a baby to be born in such a circumstance.
But babies do that don’t they?
They bring smiles, giggles and laughter.
We call them bundles of joy.
Think about a baby’s laugh-- Isn’t it the greatest thing? The worst day at work melts away at the sound of a baby’s giggle. It is pure and full of delight.
It’s a little bit of heaven right here earth.
So to me it makes sense that Lazarus, upon exiting the tomb, laughed. I bet it was a low guttural chuckle building up to a good ol’ belly laugh. In the play, all Lazarus does for the first day or so after resurrection is laugh.
When he finally speaks Lazarus says he laughed because, after death all he heard was laughter. The laughter of Jesus filled his heart.
Laughing Lazarus proclaims that there is no death, there is no fear, there is only life and that life is full of laughter. Lazarus has been to the other side and what he saw there was a life full of laughter.
Nothing else, just eternal life and laughter.
In the play, Lazarus exclaims:
Laugh! Laugh with me! Death is dead! Fear is no more! There is only life! There is only laughter!
Yes, Lazarus laughed.
But Jesus? Jesus wept.
As Jesus saw the sadness of all those who loved Lazarus, he was overcome with sorrow. Was it remorse for being late, for not being able to save his friend?
Or was it sadness at the lack of faith displayed by Mary and Martha? They both had yelled at Jesus---“if you had been here, he wouldn’t have died.” Talk about guilt. They were laying it on Jesus. But that wasn’t it, he wasn’t guilty or ashamed or remorseful. He was sad…sad that people were still so afraid of death, sad that people still didn’t get it.
Jesus said it as clear as can be:
I am Resurrection and I am Life.
Jesus, through his Father, and through the Holy Spirit, assures us that there is no death, no end, just life eternal.
That’s the whole point isn’t it? Christianity 101: believe in Christ and have eternal life.
But, really, why would Lazarus laugh?
Because it was so absurd that he had been brought back to life?
That could be it.
But in the play he laughs is because that is what heaven is full of: laughter. God laughs all the time, and so everyone else does too. After all, laughing is contagious. But back among the living on earth? Lazarus’ laughter was not funny. Those first few days outside of the tomb everyone was trying to snap him out of it: Lazarus, stop your laughing, there is nothing funny about what happened to you.
But Lazarus says he laughs because there is nothing to fear. Death is not the end; death is not the enemy, death is not scary. Death, says Lazarus, is really nothing at all. Now that is a pretty outrageous thing to hear: death is nothing at all! Death is certainly something for those who have experienced it, those who have lost a loved one or someone who is struggling with the imminent death of a loved one.
So when Jesus calls Lazarus out from the tomb, he is telling him that it isn’t time yet, that he has more to do on earth. So Lazarus comes back. With a new attitude, one free from fear. One free from death. For death is just a human construct, it is of human design. Life, a life in Christ, a life in love with our Creator God—is not complicated. It is simple. Let God’s love wash over us. Be tickled by that love.
I think this story is telling us to die.
We must die.
We must die to death.
Jesus wept because that is what we don’t get .We don’t get that dying is just another step toward the full glory of God.
At baptism, we are figuratively plunged into the deep, into the depths of a life without living, of an existence marred by sin and sorrow and regret. But, during the Easter Vigil when new Christians across the world emerge from those waters and are sealed as Christ’s own forever they are alive in a new way. Christians have died to the old way and been born into the new.
In a little while when we approach the altar for the nourishment of communion we must die to everything we fear-- everything we cling to. At the Eucharist we let go of this world and are transformed into the new world of everlasting life.
When Jesus told Lazarus to come out of the tomb! He was telling him to die, die to the shackles of a life without hope, die to a life filled with fear, die to a life with limited love. And Lazarus did, he died to all of that and was born anew to an everlasting life full of indescribable happiness. He was born anew to a life full of eternal love and never ending laughter.
This is what we are called to do, tonight at communion, tomorrow at work and next week at the grocery store. We are called to die to all the petty jealousy, the fear of each other, the old hurts and resentments Because nothing, not death, not dry bones, not doubt and not despair is enough to keep us from the giggling, chuckling never-ending love and laughter of God. That’s why Lazarus laughed and why we should too, for the joy of a new life in Christ is contagious, infectious and absolutely necessary to our health. So join me in chuckling at death, giggling away fear and embracing a God who laughs and loves us forever. AMEN
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
For Sunday March 9
This past Sunday we didn't have Confirmation class, because of some scheduling sanfus. This coming Sunday, March 9, Fr Paul will discuss the Eucharist as I will be at St. Philip's Episcopal Church. Youth preparing for Confirmation will meet with Fr Paul in the Youth Room, youth not being confirmed meet with Allie in my office. 10:15 am-11:00 am.
Our next social gathering will be March 30 from 4:30 pm-6:30 pm. Any ideas for an activity are welcome--let me know.
Our next social gathering will be March 30 from 4:30 pm-6:30 pm. Any ideas for an activity are welcome--let me know.
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