Come and See!

Sermon preached at Grace Episcopal Church, Monroe, La., 8/2/15

Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Come and see!

 

Nathaniel is the questioner; Philip is the answerer. Or so it was 2000+ years ago on a dusty road to Galilee!

 

Which are you at this moment in time and in this place? Nathaniel? Or Philip? I ask because I can see and hear myself in both of these guys.

 

I ask because, as I read the Gospels, over and over I see myself, and all of us, in the disciples—both when they are getting it, and when they are missing the point entirely.

 

This morning I would rather be Philip, the one pointing the way to the Good News of Jesus the Christ. Come and see!

 

Isn’t that our primary job as Christians?

 

But I am perfectly clear that sometimes I am Nathaniel, allowing my prejudices or my hurt feelings or my disapproval of… whatever, to blind me to the redeeming grace of God. Can anything good come of that?

 

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Sister, give me a word...

 

Hallelujah

Praise

The word “Hallelujah,” which appears so often in the psalms, does not have any kind of saccharine quality of triumphalism or denial or escape. “Hallelujah” is not a flippant or fluffy word. “Hallelujah” is simply a willful, joyful expression of praise for God.

-Br. Curtis Almquist
Society of Saint John the Evangelist

From Bishop Jake...

Monday, July 6, 2015

Dear Friends in Christ,

On June 26 the Supreme Court ruled that the right to enter into a civil marriage applies equally to everyone: opposite-sex and same-sex couples. At our General Convention the Episcopal Church authorized trial rites that may be used for same-sex couples.

Reactions to the Court’s ruling and the General Convention’s actions range from jubilation to outrage. There has been no shortage of news stories, blog posts, and social media comments on the subject. Unfortunately, much of this talk has resulted in more confusion than clarity. Some commentators seem more interested in fueling anger than in providing clear, rational explanations.

One effective way to get at the truth and to regain emotional self-control is to ask a clear question. That question is this: What do the Supreme Court ruling and the actions of General Convention mean in the Diocese of Western Louisiana?

We are a majority-traditionalist diocese. And we are also a gracious diocese. There is a place at the table for minority points of view. No congregation, no priest, will ever be forced to perform same-sex marriages. However, we recognize an array of opinions about marriage and make a space for progressive voices.

Before the Supreme Court ruled and the General Convention voted, two of our congregations requested permission to use trial liturgies for same-sex blessings. I granted that permission with the clear understanding that there is no expectation for any other congregation to do so. Just as I have asked traditionalists to respect the brothers and sisters with whom they disagree, I have urged our progressive congregations to embody that same respect. Staying together in disagreement is difficult work. But it is holy work.

General Convention provided liturgies and made canonical changes to make it possible for progressive congregations to perform same-sex marriage and for traditionalist congregations to refrain from doing so. The canon we passed contains the provision that no clergy person can be coerced to preside at a same-sex marriage.

At the same time, the new canon requires that each bishop make some provision for access to these liturgies for couples seeking them. The congregations that already have permission to make use of the previous trial liturgies have permission to use the newly authorized ones. So, as a diocese we are in compliance with canon law, and no additional congregations are required to make use of these liturgies.

We do not all agree. Living together amid our differences is our vocation. We are one in our belief in the risen Christ and in the Triune God. On these two doctrines we do not and cannot waver. However, there are matters—weighty matters—on which we can disagree while retaining our unity.

The House of Bishops recognized this. As a result, we issued a Mind of the House resolution. In that resolution we acknowledged our love and respect for one another in our differences. We stated clearly our need for one another and urged that we all move forward together in the one Christ.

I urge us in Western Louisiana to yield to that same spirit. The Holy Spirit is guiding us through a season of sometimes turbulent social and cultural changes. By his guidance we are groping our way forward. Together.

As we move forward together, stay focused on Jesus. It is he that binds us together. His love for us and our love for him binds us together into a communion not of our own choosing. I will close by reminding you how deeply I love you and how grateful I am to serve as your bishop. Let’s use this time of differences as an opportunity to show the world what real love looks like. Let’s embrace each other and move forward together. The world will know that we are Christians by our love.

Faithfully in Christ,

The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby, PhD, DD
IV Bishop of Western Louisiana

Note: Printed copies of this letter will be available at St. Thomas' and St. Alban's.

Brother, give me a word...

 

The Haystack, Cannon Beach, OR

Freedom

God created us in his image with the capacity to love, and love requires freedom. And with our freedom, we have the capacity to do great evil as well as great good. God took a tremendous risk in making us.

-Br. Robert L'Esperance
Society of Saint John the Evangelist

Brother, give me a word....

 

Pink Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Penitence

Jesus came, and comes now, to convert us, through love; to change our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh – to love us so much that we shed tears of repentance.

-Br. Geoffrey Tristram
Society of Saint John the Evangelist

S'more Campfire Stories Vacation Bible School

Canterbury participants are welcome to drop by for a snack, supper or come help. We would love to see some you this summer!

Well, we are at it again! Grace, St. Alban’s, St. Thomas' and St. Patrick’s will work together to put on Vacation Bible School this summer. See the dates and mark your calendars now. V.B.S is. for Kindergarten – Fifth Grade – Older children are invited to help.

The dates and time for V.B.S. are July 12-16, 2015 from 6:00 p.m. till 7:30 p.m. Registration will start at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 12. Our theme this year is S’more Campfire Stories. It is a camping/summer camp theme with familiar camp songs, snacks/food, games, Bible Stories and crafts. We will take advantage of St. Thomas’ beautiful bayou location, hiking trail (walking path) and their new outdoor pavilion and fireplace. Dinner is served each night and a special closing is planned for the last evening.

Registration forms are available at church or here. 

Join us!

Dancing in the Eye of the Hurricane

Trinity Sunday sermon at St. James, Alexandria

Late last week, I was listening to American Roots on public radio and heard a song called “The Eye” by Brandi Carlile. The key lyric in that song is, “You can dance in a hurricane, but only if you’re standing in the eye.”

Striking imagery. And my immediate response was, “The title of my memoir—when I get around to writing it—will be ‘Dancing in the Eye of the Hurricane.’”

Maybe 24 hours later I sat down at the computer to look at the propers for today. And that’s when I realized that today is the one day in the church year devoted to a point of theology—perhaps our most important but most challenging point of theology—the Trinity.

Brothers and sisters, I don’t know if that memoir will ever be written. But today’s Trinity Sunday sermon is entitled “Dancing in the Eye of The Hurricane.”

Because that’s how I experience the Triune God and God’s call and claim on my life.

Now, you are not about to hear some clever theological explanation of how the Trinity is like a hurricane. Rather, like every other sermon I have preached, this one comes from my life, from what happened this week, from how I encountered God in the world yesterday, this month, 10 years ago. 

God comes to us disguised as our life, writer Paula D’Arcy said. And that quote is now available as a poster, on a t-shirt, printed on.. whatever.

It resonates. God comes to us disguised as our life.

And life is a lot like a hurricane. Sometimes we dance along happily and competently in the relative calm of the eye. And then we miss a step or the roiling turmoil around us lurches in an unexpected direction, and we are bouncing off the walls. It takes time to get back into that eye where we can dance again, and only in retrospect can we see that God was in it… and we in God... the whole time. 

Read more.