Spiritual Stewardship

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ

The Messenger

Associate’s Message

Spiritual Stewardship

This month began with All Saints’ Day, when we recall and celebrate the holy women and men who strove to live faithfully and helped build the kingdom of God in their own times and places. Some of the saints are nearly anonymous, their exemplary lives and good works known to only a few people, or perhaps to God alone. Then there are the saints known by everyone – like St. Francis whose holy life we celebrate each October in a uniquely raucous service. And then there are the saints who fall somewhere in between. These are the people who were distinguished enough to be honored on our liturgical calendar but whose names are hardly well-known even in the most pious households. 

I remember one of my seminary professors suggesting that we should get to know the great Christian men and women of the past so well that we might come to think of them as our friends.  Although that seemed a little goofy to me at the time, over these past few years in the course of preparing homilies for weekday services I have made the acquaintance of some remarkable and inspiring saints. I’m not sure I think of them as friends, exactly, but some have definitely challenged me to live more faithfully and proclaim Christ more boldly.

One new acquaintance is Vida Dutton Scudder (1861-1954), whose feast day was last month. In preparing my little homily on her life I learned that this remarkable woman taught English at Wellesley for decades while at the same time putting her deep Christian faith into action by standing beside the oppressed, insisting on pacifism and asking uncomfortable questions about our economic system. She challenged Christians to do more than offer charity to the poor. She confronted the powerful forces that made charity needed in the first place.

I was most impressed with what she had to say about prayer:

“Let us examine our prayers. How languid they are, how perfunctory, and alas! How often selfish! Sometimes one feels that men’s prayers must sadden God even more than their sins. Prayer is the deepest and surest measure of personality. As men pray, so they really are…A force more penetrating and powerful than gravitation or electricity is entrusted to us, and we are responsible for the steady use of it and its direction to the noblest ends.”

God has entrusted so much to our care! At this time of year when the Church tries to turns our attention to stewardship, we often reflect on, and take stock of, the material resources that we possess. And as Christians we are called to – in fact, expected – to give back to God by generously supporting the Church financially and through offering our time and talent.

But, God has not just given us material riches. We may not often realize it, but we have also been blessed with bottomless spiritual riches. Of course, we have been given Grace Church itself – our remarkable community through which God feeds us and provides us with opportunities to serve others in ways big and small but always profound.

Maybe most important, we have been given the gift – the power – of prayer, “a force more penetrating and powerful than gravitation or electricity.” Yet, I wonder how well we use this awesome power. Do we pray? And if we do, are our prayers selfish, more along the lines of letters to Santa than communication with the Source of Life? Do our prayers sadden God more than our sins?

At this time of year when we focus on stewardship, I’d like to challenge us all to increase our spiritual stewardship through a small, easy yet profound exercise. Each week when we come to church we get a copy of Grace Notes that’s jam-packed with information about upcoming programs and events. But, that’s not all. Grace Notes also includes the names of all those on our parish prayer list. These people – fellow parishioners, friends and relatives, total strangers – are all for a wide variety of reasons in need of our prayers.

So, here’s the challenge: let’s all take Grace Notes home after church on Sunday and pray for each person on the list every day of the week. It will take just a few minutes, but however we choose to do this – with a morning cup of coffee, while sitting on the train, before going to bed – we will be taking responsibility for the power God has given and directing our prayers to the noblest ends.

It’s very important to fill out our pledge cards and be as generous as possible. And it is at least as important to be good spiritual stewards, sharing our prayers for those in need.

Paul Among the People

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ

The Messenger

Associate’s Message

Paul Among the People

During this past summer, a determined, thoughtful and patient group of parishioners grappled with N.T. Wright’s provocative – and sometimes exasperating – book, After You Believe.  In this book, Wright argues that the early Christians introduced a new ethical system and, in fact, a new way of being human. Although Christian ethics and morality shares a passing resemblance to some classical philosophy, Wright insists that Christianity was wildly countercultural in the First Century, introducing notions like the precious value of every human life – and inspiring early followers of Jesus to sacrifice themselves for people unrelated and unknown to them, and who could offer nothing in return.

Wright bolsters his argument by quoting Christian Scripture, especially texts written by St. Paul, or written in his name. After Jesus, Paul is widely considered to be the most important and influential person in Christian history. After his dramatic conversion experience, this ex-Pharisee not only quit persecuting followers of Jesus but he spent the rest of his life traveling around the Mediterranean world telling people the Good News of Christ. Paul started congregations, squabbled with other disciples, suffered ridicule, arrests, beatings and ultimately martyrdom.  And, of course, Paul wrote letters, at least some of which survived and eventually were incorporated into the Christian Bible, making him the best-represented author in the New Testament.

Paul wrote his letters to specific communities in response to particular pastoral issues. Sometimes we are not entirely clear what those issues were since, unfortunately, we have only one side of the correspondence. Although he seems to have had a very healthy ego, undoubtedly Paul would be shocked to learn that his letters have been considered sacred for two millennia.

Paul would probably also be shocked by his reputation among many Christians today. My sense is that two things most commonly come to mind when – or if - we think of Paul. First we think of his familiar ode to love in First Corinthians, a passage often read weddings: “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude.” Second, today many people (including many committed Christians) think of Paul as the person largely responsible for twisting Jesus’ inclusive message of love and forgiveness into what they perceive as a rigid religion obsessed with rules, sexuality and patriarchy.

More than once during the summer we lamented that we didn’t know enough about the classical world or enough about Paul to evaluate Wright’s claims. Just how different were Christians from everybody else? Just how different was the message proclaimed by Paul from the teachings of others in the First Century?

In part to answer those questions, this fall everyone is invited to read and discuss Sarah Ruden’s book, Paul Among the People: The Apostle Reinterpreted and Reimagined in His Own Time. (You can find out details about the group on page X of The Messenger.) Ruden is a classicist best known for her translations of ancient literature including The Aeneid. She uses her deep knowledge of ancient literature and culture to place Paul in his First Century context. Employing a witty and accessible style, Ruden takes a fresh look at what Paul has to say about pleasure, homosexuality, women, government, slavery, and love. She contrasts Paul’s thought with what other writers were presenting at around the same time.

Thinking about Paul in his First Century context is not just an interesting historical exercise, however. Looking back at Paul among the people of his time just might prompt us to reflect on the counter-cultural nature of Christianity in our own time. After all, like Paul, we live in a society that reduces many human beings from beloved children of God to mere objects for pleasure or use of others. Like Paul, we live in a society that celebrates and even, in a sense, worships individual material success without also expecting and celebrating a commitment to the common good. Like Paul, we live in a society that shows little concern about the increasingly desperate plight of the poor.

As someone who gave away his life to follow Jesus and who offered a radically different way of life, Paul still has some important things to say to us today.

This fall I hope you will give Paul Among the People a try and (re-)discover this essential, fascinating, complex, puzzling and courageous apostle.

The Queen's Duty - and Ours

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ

The Messenger

September 2012

The Queen’s Duty – and Ours

Last month many of us enjoyed watching the Summer Olympics held in London. It’s always amazing to see what these remarkable athletes are able to achieve – how they are able to push the limits of human strength, endurance and grace. Many people noted the contrast between the London games and the extravaganza in Beijing four years ago. While the Chinese clearly wanted to demonstrate that they are now a major world power, the British had less to prove. Their more easygoing and quirky attitude was best seen in the idiosyncratic opening ceremony featuring everything from Mary Poppins to Mr. Bean to a celebration of the National Health Service.

For me, the highlight of the opening ceremony was the short film that featured James Bond (Daniel Craig) arriving at Buckingham Palace to escort Queen Elizabeth to the games. I’m sure many of us were surprised and amused that it really was the Queen – surely the most unexpected “Bond Girl” ever – who turned from her desk and greeted 007 with a perfectly delivered, “Good evening, Mr. Bond.”

The Olympics and the Queen’s film debut capped off the Diamond Jubilee - a landmark year in her life and the life of the British nation. Even people who think it’s silly, wasteful and undemocratic to have a monarchy in the 21^st Century have expressed respect for the way the Queen has carried out her responsibilities since she inherited them 60 years ago – at the age of 25. In reading different commentaries on her long reign, one word repeatedly leaps out: duty.

On her 21^st birthday, then Princess Elizabeth broadcast a speech in which she said, “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” Addressing Parliament this past March, she renewed her long-ago commitment, saying, “I rededicate myself to the service of our great country and its people now and in the years to come.”

Despite the luxuries of royal life, I’m sure there have been at least some days when she craved a “normal life” – to be freed from the ribbon-cuttings, meetings with politicians, conversations with strangers, and the media’s focus on her family’s frequent foibles.  Yet, over the decades the Queen has faithfully done her duty and shows no sign of giving up her responsibilities.

So, what does the Queen’s dedication to duty have to do with us? Today the word duty is usually associated with military service – but we have clear and important duties as Christians.

When a child is baptized the parents and godparents are asked, “Will you be responsible for seeing that the child you present is brought up in the Christian faith and life?” They answer, “I will with God’s help.” And at every baptism the congregation is asked, “Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?” We answer, “We will.” We may not think of it this way, but we are promising to do our duty to support, educate and encourage the newly baptized.

But, our duty is greater even than that. The Baptismal Covenant is about proclaiming our faith but it’s also about committing – with God’s help – to do our duty. We promise to do our duty in continuing in the life of the Church, in resisting evil, in proclaiming the Good News, in loving our neighbors as ourselves and striving for justice and peace among all people.

Despite the joys of the Christian life, maybe there are days when we crave a “normal” life – to be as materialistic as the rest of society, to look out only for ourselves and those closest to us, to demonize or ridicule those who are different or who simply disagree with us and to hold on to our grudges. It’s very tempting – and I know all too well that I don’t always live up to my duty as a Christian.

Fortunately, the Church offers lots of reminders of our duties – and also absolution when we fall short. The Church also offers many opportunities for us to carry out our duties. One simple, small but significant way to carry out our Christian duty is by remembering to buy food and place it in the Food for Friends barrel in the lobby. In a sermon last month I challenged us – dared us – to fill the barrel to overflowing each and every week. Considering that on average 300 people come to our Sunday services, this should be no problem. We haven’t quite managed that yet, but of course many have been away on vacation.

Now that summer is drawing to close, maybe we can rededicate ourselves to our Christian duty – rededicate ourselves to loving God and loving one another  - rededicate ourselves to giving generously, beginning when we walk into church and share our bounty with the poor and hungry. The reward is the life that God has always hoped for us: a royal life greater than the Queen or any of us can imagine.

"Go Into Your Room and Shut the Door"

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ

The Messenger

Associate’s Message

July 2012

“Go Into Your Room and Shut the Door”

I’ve mentioned many times before that one of my favorite things about Grace Church is the fact that we offer at least one public service of worship every day of the year. I am very much sustained by attending Morning and Evening Prayer, where usually I can just be a member of the congregation, listening and praying along with everyone else. As many of you know, we also have regularly scheduled Holy Eucharist services on Wednesday and Thursday morning, each with its own flavor and emphasis and both great gifts for those of us who attend regularly.

At a recent weekday Eucharist the gospel lesson was the passage from Matthew that we read every year on Ash Wednesday. Here are the opening verses (6:1-6):

Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

This is always a challenging and awkward passage to deal with on Ash Wednesday when we’re all receiving a very visible and public sign of our Christian faith. But, although we should always be on guard against practicing our faith to impress other people, I happen to think that this is not a big issue for most of us at Grace Church today. Some of you probably remember a time when it was expected that nearly everyone went to church and so at least some people went primarily to see and be seen and maybe to connect with people with similar interests or of the same class.

At least around here, those days are long over. No one really cares – or is impressed – when they see us going to church. Today most of us come to church because we think it’s good for us. Today most of us come to church because we are fed by the Word of God, the prayers, the music, the fellowship and, most of all, the Body and Blood of Christ.

But, Jesus’ other point, the crucial importance of private and personal prayer, is one that I know challenges me and maybe you, too. Jesus’ point reminds us of the awesome and humbling truth that the God who made all that is wants to have a relationship with us – wants to know us and wants to be known by us. One of the most powerful and poignant moments in the whole Bible comes near the beginning. After Adam and Eve have disobeyed God they are frightened and ashamed. In the story we’re told that God comes through the garden looking for them asking the heartbreaking question, “Where are you?”

In a sense, God has never stopped asking that question. And we answer by setting aside time – even just a few minutes – for private prayer.

Easier said than done, I know. Many of us are busy and overburdened. Yet, there are prayer practices that we can fairly easily weave into our lives. Recently I heard a parishioner say that throughout her marriage each night she and her husband said the Lord’s Prayer together before going to sleep – a simple and beautiful practice she has continued on her own since his death.

When I’m at my best, I like to pray the Examen, a practice developed by Ignatius of Loyola. Essentially it’s a chance to take stock of my life in a prayerful way, to reflect on the times when I’ve been drawn to God and times when I’ve felt far from God. It’s a chance to ask forgiveness for the ways I’ve fallen short of the call to love and to ask God’s help to do better now and in the future.

Maybe you already have private prayer practices. If not, I encourage you to try carving out even just a minute or two – to “go into your room and shut the door” and begin answering God’s call to us. Jesus tells us that God will reward those who pray in secret. The reward isn’t health or wealth, but a deepening sense of God’s loving presence, giving us the faith and strength to face life’s many challenges and opportunities. 

Even Hermits Need Community!

Grace Episcopal Church
Madison NJ

The Messenger
June 2012
Associate’s Message

Even Hermits Need Community!

Summer always gets me thinking back to my childhood. Maybe the same is true for you. I grew up in Jersey City during the 1970s and ‘80s, a bleak time of dramatic change for that old industrial city on the “left bank” of the Hudson. In an all too familiar story, many manufacturers such as Colgate-Palmolive and Dixon Ticonderoga were closing up their massive operations and moving to states - or other countries - with much lower labor costs. While the industrial base of the city’s economy was collapsing, many middle class people were moving out to the suburbs to take advantage of advantages many of us enjoy here in Madison and the surrounding towns: low crime, fine schools, spacious backyards and the rest.

Thanks to my parents, we lived in what was then the least urban part of Jersey City, a 1960s housing development called Country Village, located at the city’s southern boundary with Bayonne. It was designed as a little bit of the suburbs in the city, with winding streets with names like “Sycamore Road” and even “Suburbia Court.” Although I admit to more than a little nostalgia, it was in many ways an idyllic place to grow up. In my memory, there were always lots of kids around. We walked in small herds back and forth to school. In the afternoons we were all out playing on our little elbow-shaped street until one by one our mothers called us in to supper.

And in the summer, it seems like we were out playing every day from dawn to dusk during the long, hot season that seemed to have lasted for years.

My parents still live in that same house. Country Village has remained stable, still one of the more desirable Jersey City neighborhoods though there are many other attractive options that didn’t exist (and couldn’t have been imagined!) a few decades ago. But, in at least one way the neighborhood has changed. It’s almost always quiet now. There are still many young families around but the street is no longer teeming with kids in the afternoon or all summer long. Maybe they’re all busy with school activities or maybe they’re inside texting their friends or checking Facebook. And since the children aren’t out playing, the adults aren’t outside supervising and chatting with one another. In Country Village as in so many of our communities we’ve retreated behind closed doors into our own little worlds.

As lots of people have noted, this is a dangerous development for human beings and particularly troubling for Christians. Being in community with other Christians is essential to living out our faith. I recently read a book that was in part about the life of Thomas Merton, the well-known Trappist monk and spiritual writer from the last century. As a monk he felt especially called to life as a hermit and eventually convinced the abbot of his monastery to allow him to live in a hermitage away from his fellow monks. Maybe unsurprisingly, it was as a hermit that Merton realized most clearly the need for community. He carried on extensive correspondence with all sorts of people around the world, received visitors to his hermitage, and even did some traveling beyond the monastery walls. Apparently, even hermits need community!

Now as adults, our responsibilities and maybe limitations keep us from experiencing the seemingly endless summers that we remember from childhood. But, if we’re fortunate, life’s pace does slow down or at least change even just a little. Many of us will go away on vacation while others may just enjoy a “staycation.” (After all, this is a pretty nice place to live and play!) We all know that summer is not endless and will most likely seem to fly by, so it’s important to think about how we want to spend this precious time.

I’m mostly preaching to myself here, but I hope that we’ll all take some time to reconnect with the people in our lives and especially the people we may have allowed to drift out of our lives. For me, I’m looking forward to some time off to get away for a few days but also to just be around here catching up with family and friends. At Grace, I’m excited about our summer reading group and look forward to great conversations (both in person and online) about our book, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters by N.T. Wright. Plus we have some wonderful First Friday potluck suppers planned and there’s Vacation Bible School and our mission trip in August to West Virginia.

Summer can be a time not only to reconnect with other people but also with God.

I love that our congregation for the most part doesn’t go on “church vacation.” So, when you’re in town I look forward to seeing you in church. Who knows, maybe during the slower pace of summer there will be more time to pray for a few minutes before the service and to linger at coffee hour, reconnecting with, or getting to know, other parishioners. And when you’re away be sure to check out a local Episcopal church.

Remember, even hermits need community! Have a great summer!

After We Believe

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ
The Messenger
Associate’s Message
May 2012

After We Believe

Every year the gospel lesson appointed for the Second Sunday of Easter is John 20:19-31. In this passage from the Fourth Gospel we hear the story of the Risen Christ appearing to his disciples in the locked room. He greets his frightened and bewildered friends by saying, “Peace be with you” and showing them his wounded hands and side. As the disciples are filled with joy at meeting the Risen Lord, they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and the authority to forgive sins. But, one of the disciples was absent for this dramatic appearance: our old friend the doubting Apostle Thomas.

Thomas is famously skeptical when the other disciples share with him the amazing news of the Resurrection, saying, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Thomas, of course, is very much a stand-in for all of us who do not see Jesus in the flesh and yet are called to have faith – to trust that God reaches out to the world in a unique and ultimate way in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

If we’re honest, we’ll admit that our lives are a mix of doubt and faith. Sometimes we’re like Thomas when he doesn’t believe a word that the other disciples say and demands to see proof with his own eyes – and to feel proof with his own hands. And other times we’re like Thomas when he meets the Risen Christ, crying out, “My Lord and my God!”

In my sermon from the Second Sunday of Easter I quoted Ruth Burrows, an English Carmelite nun and spiritual writer: “Many people think they have no faith because they feel they haven’t. They do not realize that they must make a choice to believe, to take the risk of believing, of committing themselves and setting themselves to live out the commitment. Never mind that they continue to feel that they do not believe. Under cover of being ‘authentic’ we can spend our lives waiting for the kind of certainty we cannot have.” We cannot have certainty, yet, we choose to believe every time we pray, every time we come to church, and every time we reach out our hands and receive the Body and Blood of Christ.

And then, what? What happens after, despite our doubts, we persist in believing? What happens after we put our trust in the Risen Christ?

I recently read a book by N.T. Wright, noted biblical scholar and former Bishop of Durham in England, called After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters. In his book Wright argues that for historical reasons Protestant Christianity has been heavily focused on conversion, the actual process or event that leads to faith in Christ, while downplaying the works that we might do after we believe. Wright is clear that we are not saved by our good works, yet it is essential that we continue to develop our Christian character. Wright suggests that we develop our Christian character through the fruit of the Spirit which St. Paul names as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23) All of these are gifts from God, but like seeds planted in a garden they require careful attention and nurturing by us otherwise they can wither and die.

Fortunately, here at Grace Church there are so many opportunities to further develop our Christian character by nurturing the fruit of the Spirit.

There are all the year-round opportunities such as serving as an acolyte, a worship leader, or as choir member. We have the privilege of serving at the Community Soup Kitchen in Morristown or simply dropping an item into the Food for Friends barrel. There’s the experience of volunteering with the Recycling Ministry. One of the youth confirmands said that she “met the Risen Christ” when she spent the day with one of her friends and Kit Cone delivering furniture and other household items to people in need.

Then there are some once-a-year opportunities to nurture the fruit of the Spirit. As I write this volunteers are hard at work accepting and arranging donations for our annual rummage sale. As you know the sale provides may of us with the opportunity to clear away clutter, offers affordable items to those in need, and raises money for outreach. In the fall, the same thing will happen all over again at the clothing sale.

In August a group of us will be spending a week in West Virginia working with Habitat for Humanity. Next month, some of our men and older boys will be involved in our second mission retreat, fanning out around the area for two days offering service at places like Apostles House (which provides social services to people in Newark) and Haven of Hope (which offers a get-away home in the summer to families of children with serious illnesses).

Like the Apostle Thomas, we have our doubts, but also like Thomas, we persist in our faith. We believe - placing our trust in the Risen Christ. And, after we believe, we are blessed here at Grace Church with so many exciting and rewarding opportunities to further develop our Christian character by nurturing the fruit of the Spirit. The challenge – and the gift – is to take advantage of these opportunities and grow!

In the Midst of Death and Life

Grace Episcopal Church
Madison, NJ

The Messenger
Associate's Message
April 2012

In the Midst of Death and Life

The liturgies of Holy Week and Easter are rich and powerful, helping us through rituals, symbols and music to recall both the tragic last days of Jesus’ earthly life and the joyous surprise of Easter. Over the years I’ve heard parishioners share what they find most meaningful among the Holy Week services. Some love best the washing of the feet that we do at Compline for Kids on Wednesday evening, with parents and children imitating Jesus’ powerful act of servant leadership. Others are deeply moved by the almost unbearable sense of loss when we strip of the altar on Maundy Thursday. Many younger parishioners have wonderful memories of the lock-in when we have the privilege of keeping vigil at the altar of repose and of reading the Passion on Good Friday morning. Still others are fed best by the three-hour service on Good Friday, when we recall the final sacrifice of Jesus’ life and God’s bottomless love and forgiveness even in the face of our shocking cruelty and rejection.

My own favorite service during these holiest days is the unique service held on Holy Saturday morning. It’s very brief, and usually sparsely attended. I admit that part of what I like about this service is that I get to just sit in the pew and pray, rather than think about what I’m supposed to say or do next. But, it’s more than that. I love the simplicity of this service that consists of a collect, some Bible readings, the Lord’s Prayer and the anthem usually used at funerals that begins, “In the midst of life we are in death.”

But, mostly, I love the Holy Saturday service because it reflects the “in-betweeness” of our lives. During Holy Week we recall the tragic last days of Jesus’ earthly life, but all along we know how the story ends. We know that God glorified Jesus on Easter and continues to glorify him in the Church that is the Body of Christ in the world. We know that we live in the “post-resurrection” world. Yet, in the brokenness of our lives and the world, we also know that we’re not quite there yet. We know that God and humanity still have work to do to build the kingdom - the world transformed by love that God has always desired. We live in an in-between time, somewhere between the tragedy of Good Friday and the joy of Easter. Indeed, “In the midst of life we are in death.”

The brief and simple Holy Saturday liturgy reminds us of our lives in this often uncomfortable in-between time. Sometimes events in our lives can also remind us that we live in the midst of death and life. At the end of last month I had a couple of school-related experiences that, upon reflection, together feel like a kind of Holy Saturday.

Many of you have heard about (and some of you even participated in) the “Every 15 Minutes” program that was held over two days at Madison High School. The program takes its name from the horrifying statistic that, on average, every 15 minutes in the United States someone dies in an alcohol-related traffic accident. The program was remarkably complex and graphic, involving many people at the school along with police, firefighters, paramedics and others, including two members of the clergy, Msgr. George Hundt from St. Vincent’s and me.

In the morning we accompanied police officers and a man dressed as the Grim Reaper as one by one students were removed from their classes because they had been “killed” in drunk driving accidents. Our job was then to read aloud the obituaries of these students – that had been written by their own parents. It was a grim task and, although I knew we were acting, the reminder of senseless death and suffering in our broken world was all too real.

Then, at the end of the same week, I returned to St. Vincent Academy, a Roman Catholic all-girls high school in the Central ward of Newark where I taught in the 1990s. SVA is a remarkable school founded and still operated by the Sisters of Charity. When Newark nearly collapsed forty years ago, the sisters made a brave commitment to stay, educating young women for success measured by living lives of service.

One of the ways SVA accomplishes its mission is through “Students in Community,” a school-wide program that culminates in juniors and seniors spending the week and a half before Easter vacation offering service in schools, hospitals, day care centers and the like. I remember from my days teaching there just how powerful this time can be, both for the girls and for their teachers. It was a privilege to speak at their “Sending Forth” service. Standing before those beautiful students I was again reminded that we live in an in-between time, in a broken world. But, I was also reminded how God is at work through us, slowly but patiently building the kingdom right here and now.

I am grateful to be with all of you in this in-between time, somewhere between the tragedy of Good Friday and the joy of Easter, in the midst of death and life.

Re-Gifting

Grace Episcopal Church
Madison NJ

The Messenger
March 2012

Associate’s Message

Re-Gifting

Many of you know that a few years ago the structure of our annual parish meeting was changed to give time for Anne, Mary Lea and me to report on the highlights of our ministries during the previous year. I think that was a very positive change, not because I need another chance to speak to the parish, but because I never cease to marvel at the amazingly rich and creative work done by my colleagues and friends. I am always moved by the stories they tell, capturing a little of the crucial ministry that goes on largely hidden from view at choir practice, or in a Sunday school classroom or during one of the many events they devise and lead, especially for the children of Grace.

This year’s annual meeting presented me with a bit of a problem, though. I had only started back at Grace in mid-November, leaving me with very little material for my report. I also knew that in the latter part of the meeting there was going to be a frank and sober discussion about some longstanding and increasingly troubling parish financial issues. So, what should I say?

A few days before the meeting, I settled on the theme of gratitude. Of course, you can’t go wrong with gratitude! But, I was feeling particularly grateful to be back with all of you and to be working again with Lauren and my other friends and colleagues. Plus, as I flipped through the annual report, I was reminded of just how much we have to be thankful for – of all the many wonderful ministries that happen here and the talents and abundance we have been given. We have been given so many gifts!

The morning of the meeting one final idea popped into my head: God wants us to re-gift. In my remarks I wanted to make the point that usualy when we give someone a gift it’s hurtful if that person re-gifts what we have given to them. I made up a story about carefully choosing a sweater to give to Lauren for Christmas, only to later find that she had re-gifted my thoughtful gift to the clothing sale. Not a true story, though it got a big laugh at the meeting.

But, God’s different – God is all about gifts. God has given us everything that we have. It’s all gift! Moreover, God wants, hopes - even demands - that we re-gift. God calls each of us to re-gift what we have so generously been given.

Perhaps getting a little carried away, many of you will remember that I then challenged the parish to raise $4,000 in our “Souper Bowl” fundraiser on Super Bowl Sunday. I thought it was a doable goal but a challenging one, since we would not be receiving the matching grant that has been given in recent years. But, this would be a great opportunity to re-gift a little of what we have been given to some of the poorest and neediest people in our area, the people who are fed each day by the Community Soup Kitchen in Morristown.

Well, you know the rest of the story. The parishioners of Grace Church – you – came through with a whopping $5,460.50! After the 9:00 service on Super Bowl Sunday the Rite 13 youth group and I counted what had been collected so far, and, we had already achieved our original goal. The kids were so excited and amazed. I hadn’t thought of it beforehand, but what a lesson for them about the power and joy of generosity.

The Souper Bowl collection was a great example of re-gifting, of sharing with others even just a little of the abundant gifts we have received.

The season of Lent is a time when the Church invites and challenges us to focus on the ways that we have fallen short of living the loving and generous lives that God hopes and expects for us. During these forty days we are given a special opportunity to repent, to turn back to God and to turn back to our brothers and sisters. Many of us appropriately think of Lent as a time of self-denial, a time to give up chocolate or soda or smoking or something else that’s unessential, or even destructive, in our lives. In more recent times there has been an increased emphasis on “taking on” something for Lent – often a new ministry or spiritual practice. Again, this is certainly an appropriate way to mark the season, assuming that you can take on something that will help you and others and not just add one more burden to an already packed and stressful life.

Personally, while I may give up something and take something on during Lent, mostly I’m going to think of this as a special season of re-gifting. I’m going to try to use these days to reflect on all the good gifts that God has given me – my family and friends, meaningful and challenging work, and a comfortable life in a very pleasant community. And I’m going to look for ways to re-gift, maybe by dropping some cash into my “mite box” or in other unforeseen ways that God may have in mind.

I invite you to join me, since during Lent and in every season, we’re all called by God to re-gift.

Rooted in Worship

Grace Episcopal Church
Madison, NJ

The Messenger
February 2012

Rooted in Worship

I have had a wonderful first few months back at Grace Church! It’s been a time of unpacking (with, unfortunately, still more boxes waiting) and a time to re-immerse myself into parish life. It has been a great joy to be with you again – to pray and worship together, to work the line at the Community Soup Kitchen, to hang out at the Men’s Breakfast each Friday at the Bagel Chateau, to enjoy good food and drink and even better fellowship at social events, to begin a new Confirmation class, and so much more.

It’s been a joyful time and, frankly, it’s also been a strange time. It’s rare for a priest to return to a parish. For that matter, it’s unusual to move back into a house after being gone for about 15 months. When Sue and I were moving back into Surrey Lane a neighbor came over and introduced himself and pointed across the street to his house. When I told him that I remembered him, he exclaimed, “It is you – you are the same people! That’s never happened before!”

Before I came back I wondered how much the church might have changed during our time away. And I wondered – to use the cliché – if it really would be possible to come home again.

As for changes, of course there is the obvious and sad absence of parishioners who died during the months I was away. Preaching on the Feast of the Holy Name (January 1) I observed how Grace Church had suffered some especially painful losses in the preceding year, including Joe Adamczyk, John Cassidy, Bill Foster, Larry Taber and Phyllis Hendry. All of them - each in their own way - contributed so much to our life together and are so dearly missed.

In addition to those who died, there are some who moved away because of family obligations or to pursue new opportunities. And, sadly, there are some who discerned that the next steps of their faith journey meant leaving our community. Although we are all poorer for their absence, we continue to be blessed by the gifts they shared while they prayed and sang and served with us.

Then there are the many new parishioners who have arrived since I left in August, 2010 – and visitors and seekers who are continuing to discover us week after week. I’m starting to make progress, but there are so many names to learn! I’m impressed and pleased by how many have already gotten involved beyond coming to church. Some are attending Graceful Gatherings, or joining the choir, or attending First Friday potluck suppers, or participating in our many programs for children. This blast of newcomer energy and enthusiasm was made manifest a few weeks ago when I called up a relatively new parishioner asking for a favor. Without hesitation she said, “Oh, I’d do anything for Grace Church!”

Of course, there have been other changes. Some programs have run their course while new offerings keep popping up on the calendar. However, the core of Grace Church remains very much the same.

I remember when I first interviewed with Lauren for the position of curate back in the spring of 2007. After she described all the vibrant ministries that went on here, I asked her why she thought Grace was so healthy and thriving when so many other churches – including churches in similar communities – were withering on the vine. She said she believed it was the daily services offered here – day after day we gather to offer our prayers and our worship. She chalked up Grace Church’s health to the daily worship that “bathes” our church in prayer – the daily worship symbolizing that the Christian life is not just something we do for an hour (give or take!) on Sunday.

We remain rooted in worship. Sometimes our worship is a tiny congregation – or even a congregation of one – at Evening Prayer, bearing the gift and responsibility of praying on our behalf. Sometimes our worship is the Wednesday Eucharist when we pray for God’s healing power of love. Sometimes our worship is the Thursday Eucharist when a faithful group of friends gathers for prayer and fellowship. And sometimes our worship is a large Sunday morning service filled with gorgeous music, lifting us beyond ourselves and helping us glimpse the presence of God.

I’ll close with this quote from Kathleen Norris in her book Amazing Grace. It sums up how I feel about being back home here with all of you, rooted in worship: “We praise God not to celebrate our own faith but to give thanks for the faith God has in us. To let ourselves look at God, and let God look back at us. And to laugh, and sing, and be delighted because God has called us his own.”

The Long Loneliness

Grace Episcopal Church
Madison, NJ

The Messenger
December 2011 - January 2012

The Long Loneliness

After Sue and I returned from Florida in mid-August we rented from some friends an apartment in downtown Jersey City, just around the corner from where we lived when were first married. Those few months felt like a slow-motion homecoming as we gradually put the pieces of our lives back together again. Sue resumed her studies, but, aside from filling in at various churches on some Sundays, I had the mixed blessing of a good bit of free time. During beautiful late summer and early autumn days I took long walks around the old neighborhood and often took advantage of the quick and easy access to Manhattan.

I also used this time to read as much as I could. Browsing in a bookstore one day, I spotted and bought The Long Loneliness, the autobiography of Dorothy Day (1897-1980). Born into a non-religious family, as a young woman Day was drawn to the writer’s life, both as a journalist for radical publications and also as a Hollywood screenwriter. She traveled in artistic circles, counting the playwright Eugene O’Neill as a friend. Then Day’s life took a wholly unexpected and radical change. To the dismay of her common law husband, around the time of their daughter’s birth, Dorothy Day began to feel Christ’s call.

After formally entering the Roman Catholic Church in 1927, she prayed for God to show her how to live out her sense of vocation as a writer committed both to the poor and to building God’s kingdom here on Earth. She received her answer in 1933 when in the depths of the Great Depression, she and a handful of others founded a movement called The Catholic Worker. While living in voluntary poverty, Day and her coworkers churned out a newspaper (still published today), opened houses of hospitality in Lower East Side slums, and protested against war and injustice, leading to heated debates and frequent arrests.

Some of Dorothy Day’s views were controversial within the Catholic Church and even among some in the Catholic Worker. For example, during World War II she remained an adamant pacifist. Yet, even those who were sometimes exasperated by her recognized that her life and work were rooted in a radical attempt to live out the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At great cost to herself and those around her, she sought to love her neighbor – especially the poorest and most broken – as herself.

Today there are over 200 Catholic Worker communities around the world, and there is a move underway in the Catholic Church to canonize Dorothy Day a saint. During these days of economic uncertainty, deepening poverty and rampant militarism, Dorothy Day’s faithful witness remains as provocative and challenging as ever.

At the conclusion of her autobiography, Day writes, “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”

I’ve reflected on these words a great deal over the past few months. Many of you know that Sue and I had a lonely time in Florida. We hadn’t realized just how challenging it would be living so far from our families and friends. Fortunately, even during that difficult year we were sustained by the love we received and shared in community. The people at St. Michael’s Church welcomed us with open arms and were incredibly gracious when we announced that we were leaving much sooner than anyone had expected. At the university chapel we held our services on Sunday evenings followed by a free supper lovingly prepared and provided by parishioners at local Episcopal churches. Each week undergraduate and graduate students sat beside the homeless and the poor – all attracted by a free home-cooked meal and the promise of warm fellowship.

And then there was the love we received from so many of you in the Grace Church community. Your prayers, calls, emails, cards, gifts, and even a couple of visits, helped us to remember that we were in your hearts and still very much part of this wonderful community.

Now, amazingly enough, we’re back in this place where we receive love from one another when we pray together and work together and play together. We’re back in this place where we receive Love each time we stretch out our hands and take the Body and Blood of Christ into our bodies and into our hearts.

As both a new church year and a new calendar year begin, I give thanks that right here at Grace Church we discover and receive the only solution to the long loneliness: the love that comes with community.

Attention and the Focused Life

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ
The Messenger
June-July 2010
Curate’s Corner

Attention and the Focused Life

If we are being honest, most preachers would admit that most if not all of our sermons are on some level directed to ourselves. I was reminded of that truth a couple of months ago during the Men’s Retreat. Geoff Brooks noted that one theme that appears often in my sermons is the call to pay attention – to keep our eyes and ears open to how God is at work in our lives. Ironically – and tellingly – I don’t remember the context of Geoff’s comment, but I was pleased that he recognized my belief in the importance of mindfulness. Truthfully, I preach regularly about paying attention because I think it’s important and because I tend to do such a bad job of it myself.

Like most of us, especially when tired, I regularly lose my perspective and get wrapped up in my own issues – anxieties as well as hopes. Like most of us, I miss how God is active in this present moment and instead look back regretfully or nostalgically to the past or ahead nervously or hopefully to the future. That was one reason why back in April, my wife Sue encouraged me to take a few days off, get away, take a breather and pay attention to how God is at work right now in my life.

With Lauren’s kind agreement, I spent five days in one of my favorite places, San Francisco, on sort of a vaca-retreat. Although I spent some time catching up with good friends, mostly I was alone with my thoughts and prayers as I walked up and down the wonderfully steep hills of that beautiful city. After just a day or two my friends said they could see the rest and refreshment in my face.

While I was there I read an intriguing book called Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life, by a behavioral science writer named Winifred Gallagher. I had never heard of the book or author before, but its title and subject had caught my eye in a bookstore so I bought it and tossed it into my bag for the trip.

While I have approached paying attention and mindfulness from a religious angle, Gallagher’s central claim is purely secular, blatantly obvious and yet usually ignored: “Your life is the creation of what you focus on – and what you don’t.” Gallagher arrived at that profoundly simple statement after receiving a very bleak cancer diagnosis. She writes that while facing this potentially fatal illness, she resolved to focus on “things that matter most and make me feel best: big ones like my family and friends, spiritual life, and work, and smaller things like movies, walks, and a 6:30pm martini.”

This resolve to control her focus apparently worked, helping to make the seemingly unbearable bearable. Gallagher writes, “Even in very difficult situations, it’s often possible to find something to be grateful for, such as others’ loving support, good medical care, or even your own values, thoughts and feelings. Focusing on such a benign emotion isn’t just a ‘nice thing to do’ but a proven way to expand your view of reality and lift your spirits, thus improving your ability to cope.” Based on her powerful personal experience and many interviews with scientists and psychologists, Gallagher concludes, “You cannot always be happy, but you can almost always be focused, which is the next best thing.”

Naturally, it would be much better if we paid attention and practiced mindfulness in our everyday lives rather than in the midst of a personal crisis. Our relationships are a good place to start. Gallagher writes, “Attention, from the Latin for ‘reach toward,’ is the most basic ingredient in any relationship, from a casual friendship to a lifelong marriage. Giving and receiving the undivided sort, however briefly, is the least that one person can do for another and sometimes the most.” How often do we really pay attention to other people – our co-workers, fellow parishioners at coffee hour, our friends, our relatives, our spouses? How would our lives be different if we developed the discipline of mindfulness, of living in this moment, of taking in and appreciating the gifts that we are receiving right now from and through the people in our lives?

To circle back to our lives as Christians, how can we ever hope to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our neighbor as ourselves, if we are unwilling to pay attention to God and to the people around us? In her book, Gallagher offers this quote from the poet W.H. Auden, “To pray is to pay attention, or shall we say, to ‘listen’ to someone or something other than oneself.”

Since we’re all works in progress, no doubt we’ll keep stumbling at paying attention to God at work in our lives and in the world around us. In a world that seems to demand relentless multitasking, we’ll still struggle to focus on what’s most important. So, I’m sure I’ll keep preaching to myself and to you about the importance of mindfulness. But, I think from now on I’ll try a little harder to practice what I preach!

Transformational Leadership

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ
The Messenger
Curate’s Corner

Transformational Leadership

I have mentioned before that I have given a good deal of thought to the subject of leadership. What is effective leadership? Is Christian leadership any different from solid leadership in the secular world? Well, during Lent I had two very different experiences which have helped me to clarify my answers to these big questions.

The first experience was “Beyond the Baptismal Covenant: Lay Leadership for the 21st Century,” a three-part program sponsored by the Diocese of Newark, led by Donald Romanik, president of the Episcopal Church Foundation, and held right here at Grace Church. Mr. Romanik suggested that, although the Episcopal Church has enshrined lay leadership since at least the first General Convention in 1785, for much of the Church’s history the clergy were expected to lead and lay people were encouraged to simply follow. He claimed that the 1979 Book of Common Prayer marked a significant shift in our understanding of church leadership. He pointed to this sentence from the Catechism: “The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons” (BCP pg. 855). Mr. Romanik argued that over the past thirty years the lay people of the Church have begun to live into their top billing, but now during a time of rapid change we need to go even further and encourage “transformational leadership” among the laity.

These ideas were rattling around my brain when I had my second experience. I was invited to speak at St. Vincent Academy, an all-girls Roman Catholic high school in Newark, where I had taught history in the early and mid-1990s. For the past 35 years during the week before Holy Week the juniors and seniors are sent out to volunteer at schools, hospitals, day care centers and other places providing social services as part of an a remakable program called “Students in Community.” I was invited to speak at the “Sending Forth” on the Friday before they began this adventure in service.

In my talk I reflected back on my time at SVA and used as my theme a quote I first had heard back then and has stuck with me ever since. Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children’s Defense Fund, once said, “Service is the rent we pay to be living. It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.” Isn’t that a great line? I suggested to the students that this truth is what they had been learning at St. Vincent’s. To clinch my case I quoted a portion of the school’s wonderful mission statement:

Saint Vincent Academy inspires students to develop lifelong commitments to Christian service and a capacity for hope, compassionate leadership and the desire to transform the world into a more just and peaceful society.

The pieces all came together! The SVA mission statement elegantly links service, leadership and transformation. When I reflected on this I realized what should have been obvious all along: The only truly transformational leadership is servant leadership. The late Bishop of Atlanta, Bennett J. Sims, once wrote, “Servant leadership defines success as giving, and measures achievement by devotion to serving.” I said to students that not only were they going out to offer service but that they were also to be servant leaders.

Imagine the transformation that would take place if all of us aspired to be servant leaders! Actually, we don’t have to imagine because at Grace Church that transformation is already underway thanks to our many servant leaders. Think of the person who sacrifices a week of vacation to take care of a laundry list of odd jobs that needed doing around church. Think of the person who personally visits all of the organizations who receive outreach money from us. Think of the person who faithfully and quietly reaches out to people who are shut in at home or living in a nursing home. Think of the person who offers his expertise to struggling churches in the diocese. Think of the person who anonymously matches the money raised by our children to help the people of Haiti. All of these people and many more are not just offering service but are also acting as servant leaders.

Finally, especially during Eastertide we should look to the greatest of all servant leaders, Jesus of Nazareth. In his life of love and sacrifice, Jesus models for us true greatness and true leadership through service. Each year during Holy Week at the Compline for Kids service we reenact the foot washing done by Jesus at the Last Supper for his closest followers, the people who would take the lead in carrying his message to the world. Deeper than words, this dramatically humble action taught them - and teaches us - that the ultimate transformational leadership is servant leadership.

Patrick of Ireland

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ
The Messenger
March 2010
Curate’s Corner

Patrick of Ireland

One of the great gifts and distinctive features of Grace Church is that we have at least one public worship service every day of the year. As I have heard Lauren mention many times, these daily services “bathe” our church in prayer. Day after day we give thanks to God for the many blessings of our lives. We pray for people throughout the Anglican Communion, the Episcopal Church and Grace Church. Each day we pray for all of those on our parish prayer list – lifting up to God some people we may know well and the many more who are unknown, yet all are in some kind of spiritual or physical need.

Another major benefit of the daily services is that we honor the holy men and women of Christian history who are commemorated on our church calendar. The guidelines for inclusion on our church calendar adopted by the General Convention of the Episcopal Church call for people who demonstrate heroic faith, love, goodness of life, joyousness, service to others for Christ’s sake, and devotion. I remember in seminary a professor once said that we should “become friends” with these faithful people who can serve as inspiring examples for us as we try to live Christian lives in our own time and place.

Our calendar includes both relatively obscure figures from the Episcopal and Anglican past and those who are well-known throughout the Christian world. In the month of March, for example, we honor the obscure Cuthbert (7th Century bishop of Lindisfarne) and also Patrick, the famed 5th Century bishop and missionary of Ireland. There’s just one problem – during Lent we refrain from celebrating the lesser feasts. That means that this year Cuthbert, Patrick and the other holy people commemorated in March will not get their due. Inspired by some Irish pride, I thought I would use part of my space here to write a little about Patrick, a holy and brave man whose name, unfortunately, has become closely associated with the over-consumption of alcohol on and around March 17, the day the Church sets aside in his honor.

Although Patrick wrote an autobiography, Confessions, considered fairly reliable by most scholars, the details of his life remain sketchy and blanketed by charming mythology. Patrick was born in Britain (not Ireland!) around the year 390. His father was both a deacon and a member of the local town council. When Patrick was 16 he was captured by pirates and held in captivity for six years in Ireland where he worked as a shepherd. When he was about 21, Patrick made his escape back home to Britain – a daring and risky adventure that he claimed was inspired and sustained by God.

Patrick was unsurprisingly changed by such difficult and profound experiences. He now took his Christian faith very seriously and was ordained a priest and also apparently a bishop. After his time as a slave in Ireland, it is remarkable that Patrick chose to return to Ireland as a free man, determined to convert the Irish to Christianity. He spent the rest of his life spreading the Good News to all, from chieftains to peasants. Like many missionaries before and since, he built on the local pagan religions, converting their sacred sites to Christian shrines. He ordained men to the priesthood and established convents and monasteries. Patrick died probably in 461.

The Gospel appointed for the Feast of St. Patrick is Matthew 28:16-20, known as “the great commission.” At the conclusion of Matthew’s gospel the Risen Jesus appears to the eleven disciples and presents them with what came to be seen as the mission of the Church: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

A millennium and a half ago Patrick heard that call and devoted his life to proclaiming the Good News of Jesus in the land that had once held him captive. We live in a very different time and place, yet we are also challenged to find ways to spread the word about Jesus. For a few of us maybe that means imitating Patrick and going off to a strange land. Most of us, however, have the perhaps more difficult job of spreading the Gospel through our deeds and words right here in Morris County.

Wherever we live our Christian lives we can have that same confidence of Patrick that Christ is with us always. This confidence is captured beautifully in St. Patrick’s Breastplate, a hymn attributed to the great missionary of Ireland:

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

Deep Roots

Grace Episcopal Church
Madison, NJ
The Messenger
February 2010

Curate’s Corner

Deep Roots

One of my personal goals since I arrived here has been to figure out why Grace Church is a thriving Christian community at a time when many other churches are in decline. Over the past two and a half years I’ve come up with many different explanations. In one of our first conversations, Lauren chalked it up to daily prayer and I believe that’s undoubtedly true. There is also the fortunate history of strong clergy and lay leadership as well as a clear understanding and support of lay ministry. The bottom line is that every day of the year vital ministry is being done by a wide range of parishioners.

Recently I recognized another source of our strength when I had the eye-opening experience of reading a new book, The Lost History of Christianity by Philip Jenkins. The book’s title might lead you to think that it tells some DaVinci Code-inspired story of lost gospels or secrets about Jesus and his first followers. Instead, Jenkins tells the true and nearly-forgotten story of Christianity in Asia and North Africa, making the case that this was the thriving center of our faith during the first thousand years of its history.

The energetic and confident Middle Eastern churches sent out missionaries to India, Tibet, China and beyond. For many centuries monasteries in places such as Egypt, Asia Minor and Mesopotamia were great centers of spirituality and learning. For the proud and faithful Christians in this part of the world it must have seemed like their sophisticated and rich churches, in some cases founded by Jesus’ first disciples, would last forever.

The sad truth is that for a variety of reasons today Christianity is almost extinct in the Middle East and North Africa. Jenkins devotes a good bit of space to reflecting on why some churches die and others live on, even in the face of long-term persecution. He suggests that some churches die because they become too closely associated with one demographic group or geographic area. On the other hand, Jenkins claims that successful churches “reach broadly across sections of society and make their religion part of the ordinary lived reality of a diverse range of communities.”

In other words, successful churches plant deep roots in their communities.

This is exactly what happens here at Grace Church! It doesn’t take much effort to see the deep roots of our church in many communities. Although we don’t make these connections in an effort to increase our average Sunday attendance, the truth is people join our church because they learn about our many activities or because they are invited by parishioners who are excited to share the good things that are happening here.

Many of our ministries help to deepen our roots in many communities. We have a longstanding connection to the Community Soup Kitchen in Morristown, sending volunteers every other month to prepare a nutritious and delicious lunch while also donating thousands of dollars through our annual “Souper Bowl” fundraiser. We also have a deep connection to St. John’s Church in Dover, the co-sponsoring congregation of the Recycling Ministry. For the past two years, we have sent people and resources to support St. John’s vacation bible school, which provides a summer camp-like service to people in need. Others of us are closely involved with the Church of the Good Shepherd in Ringwood and Apostles House in Newark. Closer to home, many people have benefited from services provided by the Grace Counseling Center. In addition, recently we have been renewing our connection to Project Community Pride, a remarkable family-centered counseling agency supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Grace Community Music plays an invaluable role in deepening our roots in the community. Many people have first entered Grace Church to hear a Harmonium concert or a Lenten organ recital or to be entertained by the Halloween Concert. Plus, we have long-term relationships with a host of local musicians and groups. Again, we don’t offer these musical programs to grow our church, but inevitably these events and relationships help us become, in the words of Philip Jenkins, “part of the ordinary lived reality” of people in our community. As one woman who regularly attends our musical events said to me at Bottle Hill Day, “I’m Jewish, but if I were Christian I’d go to Grace Church!”

Finally, many individual parishioners work to deepen our roots in the community. Each week I page through the Madison Eagle looking for stories and photos featuring Grace Church parishioners. Without exception, every week there is always at least one article and picture to cut out and proudly put up on the bulletin board. At our First Friday in May, we are planning to feature parishioners who volunteer outside of church. This has created a wonderful problem; in response to my inquiry in Grace Notes so many people have identified themselves as volunteers that we may have a panel of 40 or more people!

As we begin another year we can – and should – be thankful for Grace Church, our thriving Christian community. We can also give thanks for our deep roots in our communities and continue to look for ways we can be “part of the ordinary lived reality” for our neighbors.

Gratitude

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ
The Messenger
December 2009

Gratitude

Some Saturday nights I go to sleep anxious about the next day’s sermon or eager to get as much rest as I can, knowing that I have a long Sunday ahead. But a few weeks ago I went to bed on a Saturday night without a worry in my head, looking forward to a relatively easy and enjoyable day of church. Lauren would be preaching so there would be no tossing and turning about the sermon. We had a couple of baptisms scheduled. Finally, in the afternoon I planned on heading down to House of Prayer in Newark (a wonderful church where I had served as a seminarian) for its 160th anniversary celebration. I fully expected it would be an easy, but memorable, day.

Before I dozed off, did I pray? Did I give thanks to God for the many wonderful gifts in my life? I can’t say for sure.

Around 4:00 Sue woke me up out of a deep sleep with shocking and terrifying words, “I think I have to go the hospital.” I tried to focus as I stumbled around the house, getting ready to leave, my heart racing, trying to make sense of what was happening, trying to stay calm.

In the car, driving as quickly as I could through the dark, deserted streets to Morristown Hospital, I tried to fall back on my clergy training and attempted to be a “non-anxious presence” for Sue. As I tried to radiate calm, inside I was thinking that this was one of those moments when your life takes a turn – the grim diagnosis, the phone call in the night, one wrong move, words spoken that can never be taken back or forgotten. As a priest, of course, I spend much time with people in the midst of those moments. Now, I thought, it was our turn. I believed we were in one of those moments when everything changes.

The emergency room was nearly empty. Apparently the injuries of Saturday night had already been bandaged and the new day’s wave of emergencies had not yet arrived. Once it was 6:00, I called Lauren and told her what was going on and that I wasn’t sure if or when I’d be in church. She told me not to worry about church and to update her on what was happening.

Although it took a few anxious hours, the doctors did figure out what was going on and Sue underwent a brief procedure that solved the problem. Exhausted and relieved, Sue and I stopped for breakfast and then returned home. I looked at the clock in the living room. All of this had happened before noon.

No surprise, we were both grateful that this frightening experience had ended much better than we had dared to hope. Like anyone who has a close-call, we had a renewed appreciation for the simple gifts of our everyday lives – the nice place to live, the purr of our cat, meaningful work, and the company of one another.

As the day went on my sense of gratitude for Grace Church deepened. Since this had happened on Sunday morning, everyone who was in church that day heard that I had taken Sue to the hospital early in the morning. Knowing that (obviously) Lauren couldn’t get to the hospital for a while, one parishioner took it upon himself to drive to the hospital after the 7:30 service to offer us some much-appreciated pastoral care. When I got home and went on the computer, waiting for me was a pile of concerned emails from parishioners. After I sent out a parish-wide email to let everyone know Sue was OK, another avalanche of emails arrived. Flowers were delivered and a dinner was prepared for us. How blessed we are to be a part of Grace Church!

Since that difficult, but memorable, day and with the approach of Thanksgiving, I’ve been trying to be more mindful of the many wonderful gifts in my life. The other day in the New York Times there was a review of a new book called The Gift of Thanks. The reviewer quoted a line from the book that really jumped out at me: “Gratitude is always a matter of paying attention, deliberately beholding and appreciating the other.”

As we approach the end of this year, and look to the start of the next, it is all too easy for us to be anxious about what is yet to come – what life-changing moments will we face, what will be broken, what will be lost. My plan, though, is to be more deliberate, to pay closer attention, to behold and appreciate all the “others” in my life – the people, the places and the experiences that make life so rich and rewarding. On Sundays, during the prayers when I hear the words, “We give thanks for all the blessings of this life,” I am really going to give thanks to God for all the blessings of my life and all the blessings of our life together.

The Adventure of Stewardship

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ
The Messenger
November 2009

The Adventure of Stewardship

We all owe thanks to this year’s Stewardship Committee. Under Karen Koster’s able leadership, the committee has developed an informative, creative and exciting stewardship campaign. The testimonials given in church over the course of several Sundays were inspirational and challenging. The very attractively-designed printed materials clearly explain how pledging at Grace Church works and how the church pays its bills. If we haven’t already, I hope that all of us prayerfully consider our pledge for 2010 and return our pledge cards by Sunday, November 15th.

The stewardship campaign is important, but of course stewardship is much more than the once-a-year filling out of a pledge card and the periodic writing of a check to Grace Church. Just how important is stewardship? Well, stewardship is so important that a resolution approved at the 1988 General Convention of the Episcopal Church declared it to be “the main work of the Church.” The resolution also included these stirring words, “Stewardship is an adventure, an expedition into the kingdom where we find our lives through losing them for the sake of the Gospel. It is an invitation to offer our gifts for the purpose for which we were created – the only purpose that will fulfill us.”

It may seem strange to describe stewardship as an adventure. But, stop and think about it. What could be a greater adventure than committing ourselves to what really matters – to serving God by serving God’s people? If you’re not convinced, or if you think it’s not really possible to find our lives through losing them for the Gospel, the history of the Church is replete with the stories of men and women who have gone on the adventure of stewardship – who have given of themselves in truly remarkable ways. Each year on October 14 the Church honors one of the great adventurers in stewardship, Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky (1831-1906).

Schereschewsky was born to Jewish parents in Lithuania. Although he was orphaned at a young age, he was considered to be a promising young man so he received an education geared toward becoming a rabbi. While studying in Germany he came into contact with Anglican missionaries and also read a Hebrew translation of the New Testament. These experiences transformed his life, leading him to convert to Christianity, come to the United States, and prepare for ordained ministry. He began by studying at a Presbyterian seminary but after two years he joined the Episcopal Church and completed his studies at the General Theological Seminary in New York.

Schereschewsky’s adventure in stewardship was just beginning. Upon his graduation and ordination to the diaconate in 1859, he volunteered to serve the fledgling Anglican church in China. During the long voyage he taught himself how to write in Chinese. After his arrival, he was ordained a priest and began his monumental work of translating parts of the Bible and the Prayer Book into various Chinese languages. In 1877 he was elected Bishop of Shanghai where he later founded St. John’s University. He served as bishop until 1883 when he was forced to resign because of an attack of paralysis.

Although he had already lived a remarkable life, Schereschewsky’s adventure in stewardship was still not over. Despite many obstacles, he found a way to return to Asia and continue his translations. Here’s how his last years are described in the biographical sketch in Lesser Feasts and Fasts: “With heroic perseverance Schereschewsky completed his translation of the Bible, typing some 2,000 pages with the middle finger of his partially crippled hand. Four years before his death, he said, ‘I have sat in this chair for over twenty years. It seemed very hard at first. But God knew best. He kept me for the work for which I am best fitted.’”

Our adventure in stewardship may never take us out of Morris County. Nevertheless, what was true for Schereschewsky is also true for us. Each one of us has been given many gifts by God and we are called to give them all away in the service of God and our neighbors. Our current focus on stewardship provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our gifts and abilities and to look carefully for ways to serve. We may hesitate, afraid to try something new or thinking that we’re not up to the job. I’m sure there must have been many times during his long and adventurous life when Schereschewsky thought he wasn’t up to the task God had given him. Yet, each time, in the unlikeliest and most challenging situations, God’s grace gave him the strength he needed to do God’s work.

When we hesitate to use our gifts or don’t feel up to the adventure of stewardship, this sentence from the Collect for the Feast of Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky can be our prayer to God:

“Lead us, we pray, to commit our lives and talents to you, in the confidence that when you give your servants any work to do, you also supply the strength to do it.” Amen.

Henry Hudson, Stewardship and the Midlife Crisis

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ
The Messenger
October 2009

Henry Hudson, Stewardship and the Midlife Crisis

Recently there have been a number of commemorations and exhibits both here and in the Netherlands marking the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s arrival in what would come to be known as New York Harbor and the great river bearing Hudson’s name.

I went to the Museum of the City of New York during my “staycation” in August to see one of these exhibits, “Manahatta/Manhattan: A Natural History of New York City.” I was fascinated to see how a group of natural scientists and computer wizards have created images displaying what Hudson and his crew on the Half Moon would have seen as they sailed into the wide and deep harbor, filled with hope that they had found the gateway to Asia.

The explorers sailed through waters teeming with fish and other aquatic life. Manhattan itself was covered with a lush forest while to the west the marshes of what would some day be called Hudson County undoubtedly reminded the Dutch crewmembers of home. According to the exhibit, when Hudson arrived Manhattan was home to “627 species of plants, 85 species of fish, 32 species of reptiles and amphibians, 233 species of birds and 24 species of mammals.” Observing this abundance, I am sure that Hudson and his crew thought that this land offered unlimited, inexhaustible resources. Of course, 400 years later, we know that the rich natural resources of Manhattan and the surrounding region were all too finite. No one would confuse Hudson County and the Netherlands today!

When I was young I saw my life just how Hudson and his crew must have seen this green new world. Of course, I was conscious of death but my life seemed unlimited and inexhaustible. Maybe you had the same kind of experience. But now as I make my way through my fifth decade I am becoming acutely aware that my life and the lives of those I care about are all too finite. I wouldn’t exactly call it a midlife crisis, but I am being more careful about my priorities and especially with how I spend my time. I am trying to be a better steward of the time God has given me.

Obviously, better stewardship of time will mean different changes and adjustments for each one of us. For me, it has meant virtually eliminating television from my life. There are a handful of shows that I still watch if I am feeling worn out or could use an easy laugh, but there aren’t any programs I schedule into my life. Instead, I’ve been trying to make more time for reading. I’ve set the completely unrealistic goal of reading a book a week, including some of the classics, such as Crime and Punishment and Heart of Darkness, which somehow I missed along the way.

I’ve also been trying to do a better job of tending to my relationships. Like many of you, my wife Sue and I are busy people and it’s all too easy to lose track of one another in the frenzied pace of daily life. We’ve been trying to make time so we can share the ups and downs of life – maybe over dinner or just together on the couch after full days in the classroom and at church. Reaching out to other people in my life continues to be problematic. I admit that months easily slip by without talking to friends and relatives. How many of us have been shocked to realize just how long it has been since we have talked with a good friend or a close member of the family?

Finally, and most importantly, there is my relationship with God. I remain challenged by something Bishop Beckwith said at my ordination to the diaconate. Addressing us newly minted deacons he said, “We pay you to pray.” Since I spend so much time in church it may seem odd that this is such a challenge. But since church is also my work it is remarkably easy for my own spiritual life to fall by the wayside. It’s a challenge to be a good enough steward of my time that I leave even just a little room in my life to pray and to listen for what God might be calling – or nudging – me to be and do.

By now you know that Stewardship season is just about upon us. The Stewardship Committee has been working hard to help us all to become even better stewards of our resources. Naturally, much of the focus in coming weeks will be on our essential financial support of Grace Church and its ministries. I have some thoughts about that as well, and soon you’ll be hearing from me on stewardship of our financial treasure.

Money, of course, is not the only treasure we have been given. During this time when we are thinking carefully about stewardship let’s be sure to give some attention to how we use our time. Are there time-wasters that we could - or even should - remove from our life? Can we find the time to reach out to a friend or relative – especially if we know they could use a boost? Are we carving out some time for service to those in need? Finally, and most important, are we offering even just a few minutes a day in quiet prayer?

Although for each of us the answers to these questions will be different, as we focus on stewardship it is crucial to be mindful of how we use our precious and all too finite resource of time.

Mission Trip Reflections: Naming the Poor

Grace Episcopal Church, Madison NJ
The Messenger
September 2009

Mission Trip Reflections: Naming the Poor


On a Monday morning a few weeks ago I felt a mix of emotions as we prepared to leave for our mission trip to Camden. I was excited that this long-planned trip was now about to begin. I was nervous about the safety of all of us who would be spending the better part of a week in one of America’s poorest and most dangerous cities. I was also profoundly grateful for the generosity, openness and courage of the young people and adults who had volunteered to travel down the New Jersey Turnpike into what was for most of us uncharted and intimidating territory.

In Camden we stayed at the Romero Center, which is housed in a former Roman Catholic convent in the center of the city. The accommodations were simple but comfortable. I was pleasantly surprised by the very effective central air conditioning. We began by learning about the center’s namesake, Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador. For much of his life Romero was very much a moderate, preferring to stay out of the political, social and economic controversies of his country. After he was chosen as archbishop (mostly because he was viewed by those in power as easily controlled) he became increasingly outspoken against the violence and injustice in his country. Romero paid the ultimate price for his commitment to the Gospel when he was assassinated in 1980 while celebrating the Eucharist.

There were several central themes to our time in Camden. One was the simple act of providing service to people very much in need. In my case I worked at an industrial kitchen in Philadelphia called “Manna” which provides healthy and tasty meals to people with AIDS, cancer and other serious illnesses. I spent another day volunteering at an adult day care center for people with physical and mental disabilities. Another day I walked the streets of Camden telling people about “Hopeworks ‘N Camden” – an organization providing computer training and employment for young people in the city. On my last day in the city I was at “New Visions,” a drop-in center for homeless people. Other members of our group helped build a playground, painted classrooms in a parochial school, worked at a huge food bank called “Philabundance” and offered the ministry of presence to people with HIV and AIDS.

Along with offering service we were challenged to get to know the people we were serving. We were inspired by these words were painted in large letters on the wall in our common meeting room: “So you say you love the poor…name them.” We were encouraged to learn people’s names and then tell others about the people we had met and the stories they had shared. On the bulletin board outside Nieman Hall you can see the names of some of those we met in Camden and Philadelphia.

The last central theme was learning about the social and economic injustices which have contributed to the poverty of Camden and about those who are fighting for social and economic justice. We learned that food stamps provide on average 87 cents per meal per person. In order to understand what that means one day we were divided into “families” of four, walked a few blocks to a local supermarket, and were each allowed to spend no more than three dollars per person. The next day we could only eat the food we had purchased. As I mentioned in a recent sermon it was a day of cheap and unsatisfying bread for many of us! We also toured Camden, driving down many streets disfigured by abandoned houses and businesses. We saw – and more importantly, smelled – the large sewage treatment plant casting a malodorous blanket over an entire neighborhood and cutting off part of the city from the waterfront.

Obviously, it would be easy to despair in the face of so much poverty and misfortune. Yet, while recognizing the enormous challenges that exist in Camden, I was energized and inspired by the experience. Wherever we worked we found so many compassionate and joyful people committed to living out the gospel challenges to love our neighbor and to offer food, drink and shelter to the poorest and most vulnerable. I was also deeply moved by our youth and adults. In many ways it was a very challenging week but each morning the members of our group went off into the unknown with enthusiasm and energy. At the end of each day they offered thoughtful reflections about their experiences. Our youth and adults were willing to not just serve the poor but name them.

Special thanks to the adults who served as chaperones and also fully participated in the experience: Geoff Brooks, Mike Cullen, Bill Geyer and Lisa Lawson. Many thanks also to the parents and spouses who sacrificed to make the mission trip possible. Thanks also to Julie Geyer and Linda Faletto for their help with fundraising. Finally, thanks to the parish for your prayers and encouragement.