October 25, 2020 - The Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Be with us, O Lord, for if you are with us nothing else matters; and if you are not with us, nothing else matters. Amen.

            “Lord, you have been our refuge from one generation to another.” That word, “refuge,” is often translated as “dwelling place.” But the Psalter that we use comes from the Book of Common Prayer and it is an absolute treasure of our tradition. So much so that there have been other denominations, that when deciding which version of the Psalms to use, borrow our version. This isn’t to say it is a perfect translation, but it is splendid. There is a certain poetic cadence to the Book of Common Prayer Psalter that helps to preserve the beauty and rhythm of the Hebrew poetry. This is, in part, because the translation committee that oversaw this work included not only Biblical scholars but English poets, including the renowned WH Auden. Now, why do I bring this up? Because the choice to go with “refuge” instead of “dwelling place” is what makes our souls to find rest in this Psalm.

October 18, 2020 - The Feast of St. Luke & the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Lectionary Readings (St. Luke)

O God, grant us the will, the trust, and the strength to render unto thee our hearts, our minds, and our lives; for all things come of thee, O Lord, and of thine own do we give thee. Amen.

            One of the complaints that all of us are hearing, and maybe even making, these days is how everything is being politicized. Certainly, we’ve come to expect that in elections. But now things like masks and vaccines have been “politicized,” even Halloween is going to be swallowed up by divisive rhetoric and taking sides. What I think we have to understand about this is that we’re actually using the wrong vocabulary. “Politics” comes from the Greek word poliõ, which just means “city,” hence our neighboring Kannapolis means “The City of Cannon.” Politics is simply about the affairs and governance of the city, but the word doesn’t only apply to cities – churches have a politic, colleges have a politic, so do workplaces, and even families. Those rules, customs, and norms that drive the community, whether a household or a nation, are politics.

October 11, 2020 - The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Blessed are you, O Lord God, King of the Universe, for you sustain our lives and make our hearts joyful ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

            “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” I’ll confess, I’ve been thinking about other things. Like many of you, this pandemic has upended my routines and daily life. Granted, I’m incredibly thankful to have a job that affords me flexibility, but that doesn’t mean it’s all been easy. I’ve been thinking about how frustrating it is that I can’t meet with you all for lunch or coffee. I’ve been thinking of how much I’d like to just get up in the morning and come to the office – because I really love my job and being here. But I’ve been home with our daughters since mid-March. Again, I’m thankful that I can work from home, but I’ve been thinking about how old that’s getting and how balancing my duties to the parish and my attention to a nearly 5 and 8 year old is a balancing act that I’ve never quite sure about. I’ve been thinking about how exhausted I am by partisanship that is destroying civility and prosperity in this nation. I’ve been thinking about my fears around what happens if we have a contested election in November. I’ve been thinking about how anxious I am about our stewardship campaign this year – because of the pandemic, the majority of the congregation hasn’t been physically present in seven months. Yes, we’ve had lots of spiritual connections, but how does that translate to stewardship? I’ve been wondering. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what the future of the Church will look like as we slowly emerge from this pandemic. Every time I am around others, I’m thinking about masks, distancing, and handwashing, wanting to avoid transmission of the Coronavirus. And amid all these things, I’ve been thinking about how drained I am. These are the sorts of things that I’ve been thinking about.

October 4, 2020 - The Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Lectionary Readings

Almighty God, grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, the courage to change the things that we can, and the wisdom to know the difference ☩ in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Why is it that we reject God’s grace? In this morning’s passage from Matthew, Jesus quotes from Psalm 118: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” It would seem that building on the cornerstone would be the best action, but so often we reject it and it becomes a stumbling block to us. How can anyone hear the beautiful message of the Gospel and say “No thanks, I’m good” or how can Christians say “Well, sure, I watch church online most weeks, but I don’t take my faith with me to work, or to the voting booth, or when I’m making out my budget or calendar”? To be clear, as St. Paul reminds us in Romans, “For there is no distinction, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So this isn’t about us versus them righteousness, it’s a serious question – why do we turn away from the grace of God?