Category: Current Affairs

Don’t forget to remember!

During Morning Prayer, we often pray A Collect for Guidance:

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Some days, I wonder if the reason it is so difficult for the Church to attract the attention and devotion of her people is because our busyness causes forgetfulness. Or, could it be that we are distracted? That's certainly a possible explanation during this time of pandemic, politics, economic uncertainty, unemployment, and a host of other distractions.

Has our generation forgotten God? Or, is it that, given all the other things we have to remember, we just don't think of God that often. Maybe we are "practical atheists." By that I mean, we believe in God but don't allow God to have that much to do with our lives.

What does it teach our children when we never forget an athletic event but don't remember to be present for worship and Sunday school? What does it say about our values when we leave a 15% tip on the table at the restaurant but balk at the idea of 10% for God? What does it say about our integrity when we have time for the news, weather, and sports but not for daily prayers?

Do we just forget to remember God?

If so, we're not the first generation to do so. People forgot to remember God after the death of Joshua and his generation. "Moreover, that whole generation was gathered to their ancestors, and another generation grew up after them, who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10).

This is not a rant about making America a "Christian nation" or about how bad people are. It's a reminder to myself to rearrange my life so that the Lover of my soul is not left out and life can be what it is meant to be. I'm missing so much when I'm not trying to see the world and the people around me as God sees. I want to please those I love. I want to please God. But without God, I cannot please God.

So, today, I invite you to pray with me to God, "…that in all the cares and occupations of our life we may not forget you, but remember that we are ever walking in your sight."

Blessings,

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas

October 8, 2020
Pausing to Look Back
Since we stopped gathering in person in March, I have been focused on the present and the future. It just occurred to me that I’ve been with you for one year and that half of that year has been during this pandemic. So, I thought I’d look back to see what has happened at St. Martin’s during the last six months.

The staff helped me make the following list of accomplishments in the parish:
- The Regathering Team was organized and has met weekly to develop plans and work out solutions.
- We created and implemented surveys to plan both for the present and future.
- We developed alternative ways of gathering online including Sunday worship, Morning Prayer, meetings, Christian formation, and coffee hour.
- Two Eagle Scout projects have been completed benefiting missions of the parish – The Good News Garden (complete with drip irrigation system) to provide fresh produce for 4Saints Food Pantry and a rock border for the Labyrinth and the path to it.
- The Good News Garden Team is being formed to tend the garden and harvest the produce.
- Our Lenten Outreach Project raised $700 for shoe that grows.
- We instituted Drive-in Worship with a safe way to administer Holy Communion.
- Eucharistic Visitors resumed their ministry and are sent out every Sunday to take the Sacrament to those unable to attend in person.
- Joe Henry joined our staff and has helped to keep music ministry going. The choir meets virtually every Wednesday evening.
- Father Chris Thomas completed his curacy and was called to St. Thomas the Apostle in Dallas.
- Paula Jefferson was ordained to the Diaconate and began her curacy with us in June.
- The yearly audit of financial records was completed in July.
- Contributions have been on or ahead of plan, even through the month of August!
- We were able to have one Discovery Weekend (Catechism) class just before the quarantine.
- We had a wedding.
- 23 new members were added to the rolls in the past year.
- We applied for and received a PPP loan, which we expect to be forgiven before the end of the year.
- The Stewardship Committee has met regularly and has recruited members to provide testimonials, carried out the necessary mailings, and made plans for Consecration Sunday on October 4. (Rsvp if you have not already done so!)
- Children’s Sunday School has been meeting regularly on Zoom.
- Our school was able to switch to online classes and chapel for the last two months of the school year and our wonderful teachers did an amazing job navigating students through the early days of the pandemic.
- A friend of St. Martin’s has given us a Steinway upright piano, which will be placed in the Choir Loft.
- Outreach continued for 4Saints Food Pantry, including donations of $647 in August. Much of that came via a virtual “Red Envelope” offering.
- Chuck Ambrose stepped in to be our A/V guru, leading us to increase our A/V capabilities.
- Our parish hall was made available for a memorial for a member of the community
- Holy Mowers have continued to keep the campus looking great.
- The Memorial Garden is being maintained.
- The Rector Search Committee has continued to move forward in the process that will ultimately lead to the call of a new spiritual leader for St. Martin’s. A parish-wide survey was conducted in June and Holy Conversations took place in August, both providing important insights for the development of a parish profile soon to be released.
- The Labyrinth was resurfaced.
- Meals and gift boxes were delivered to the Band of Moms members.
- A prayer shawl and ornament from Prayer Shawl Ministry and a Starbucks gift card from the Band of Moms was delivered to new member Kate Szprengiel and baby Victoria
- The Quiet Committee continues to be helpful to those in need.
- The Pastoral Care Commission has been very active, especially in staying in touch with members by phone.
- A Helping Hands ministry was organized to run errands and do small projects for others as needed.
- Most of our ministry groups continue to meet by Zoom.
- The School Board put many hours and great care into the very difficult decision of closing the school.
- Seven commissions formed at the beginning of the year have been meeting and continuing their work in the parish.
Endeavors that are underway or soon to happen (I couldn't help myself) include:
- A music room in the Parish Hall to support and build the Choir.
- When we regather, musicians in the parish will be invited to share their music.
- The Lectionary Study group will resume virtually on September 20.
- An adult Christian formation study will begin in October – "Human Flourishing" – What is flourishing? What gets in the way of flourishing?
- Parents of our youth are meeting with the Christian Formation Commission to find the way forward for youth ministry.
- Outreach will continue with Red Bags for 4Saints families and the Angel Tree to provide Christmas gifts for children.
- Virtual Discovery Classes for those who wish to explore their relationship with God and The Episcopal Church will be held later in the fall and in the spring.
- God willing and the people consenting, Paula Jefferson will be ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests in the coming months.
I do realize that neither the list of accomplishments nor the list of good things to come are complete. But they are remarkable in light of the fact that we are operating under such unusual conditions, aren’t they?

When we say, “The buildings may be closed, but the Church is open” we truly mean it!

Thanks to everyone for your prayers, your patience, your gifts, your flexibility, and your commitment to discovering new ways to be the Church. May God continue to give us the grace to persevere.

“…Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:1).

Blessings,

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas
September 18, 2020
A Virtual Hug for Families With Children and Youth
This message is addressed to families with children and youth and those who care about them.

We have reached a point of frustration with this pandemic that is about to be compounded by the myriad of issues surrounding the opening of school. Our kids are anxious about what that is going to look like. Parents are concerned not only for their safety if they return in person, but also for the challenges raised if they participate in a virtual classroom. Either way, many parents will have to make a choice between family and employment, sooner or later.

Then, there are the people who make school happen – the teachers, counselors, administrators, cafeteria workers, custodians, bus drivers, and others without whom schools in normal conditions would simply stop working. They, too, risk exposure to the Coronavirus if the students return to the campus. What happens to a classroom of students when the teacher tests positive or a busload of students when a driver tests positive? Do they all go into quarantine at home? Who looks after them? A dozen other questions come to mind, but I’ll stop there.

Several weeks ago, St. Martin’s made the painful decision not to reopen our school. The change in student/teacher ratio, the added sanitation protocols, announcements of free public school early childhood programs in the area, no liability coverage for COVID-19-related incidents, a bleak financial outlook, along with the aforementioned questions, presented a perfect storm of obstacles. We could not see a way to open the school and safeguard the health and well-being of our kids and our teachers.

All that said, I do understand the difficult decisions public and other independent schools are facing. The decisions their leaders must make and the decisions parents and families must make are daunting. Like you, I wish I knew the right answer. But I don’t.

What I do know is this:
- The people of St. Martin's will not shame parents for whatever difficult decisions they make.
- The people of St. Martin's will stand by our parents, pray with you, and do whatever we can to help you uphold what you think is best for your children and youth.
- The people of St. Martin's will remain steadfast in offering an abundance of faith, hope, and love to parents and families.
- When this is over – and it will eventually end – the people of St. Martin's will be here for you and rejoice to see your faces reflecting the light of God’s countenance, the God who always sees us through both the bad times and the good times. Maybe that is actually the light at the end of this tunnel!
I remind you of St. Paul’s words, which we read last Sunday, in the hope that you will let them resonate in your heart and mind during this time when all these things conspire against us and seem so overwhelming:

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose…What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?…Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:28, 31, 35, 37-39)

May this message be a great big virtual hug for our families with children and youth. We love you!

Blessings,

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas
July 30, 2020
A Ray of Hope
This morning, I was reading reports about the impact of the Coronavirus and struggling to find a ray of hope to share with you. Then, I saw a Facebook post by our friend Jim Mayfield in Henderson, Nevada. It provides a window through which that ray has begun to shine. Here is his post in its entirety.

The world is in the midst of a sea change. Sea changes cannot be controlled nor can reliable predictions be made of resulting outcomes. However, historical lessons can guide the development of policy and strategies to effectively react to unpredictable conditions.

The Black Death of the mid-1600’s and worldwide plagues of the 18^th, 19^th, and early 20^th Centuries triggered massive destruction to existing social, economic, and political strictures. For example, the Black Plague ended the Medieval period by unleashing forces that brought about the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the redistribution of wealth and political power. Therefore, the study of plagues is relevant today because of insights they reveal about how to cope with resulting disruptive breakdowns attributable to them.

Plagues consistently cause
Attempts by wealthy interests that control governments to manage the crisis and return to the pre-plague status quo fail and delay implementing essential changes. The reason their efforts fail is that a plague-driven crisis reveals already existing inadequacies in social, economic, and political structures to equitably distribute wealth to working persons, middle class persons, and persons who are structurally disadvantaged.

The bad news, which we are finally having to acknowledge, is that this is going to get worse before it gets better. Reality is staring us in the face: COVID-19 is not just like the flu, the virus is not just going to miraculously go away, and that reopening is not making everything normal again. We can no longer pretend that racism is a thing of the past, that wealth inequality can be corrected by giving more to those who are already wealthy, that affordable healthcare is a privilege and not a right, and that our government isn't dysfunctional.

The good news is that we can seize this opportunity to devote the best that is in us to turning our breakdowns into breakthroughs. That’s what those who came before us did, resulting in major cultural, scientific, social, and technological advances. We were designed to be agents of creative and purposeful change in the ongoing process of creation. We are called to overcome evil with good.

As I said a few weeks ago, I doubt that things will return to “normal” and I’m not sure even a “new normal” will be all that great. This sea change must result in a new creation; one that is better, more just, inclusive, and loving than ever before. I admit that I have more questions than answers. But I have confidence that people of good will, working together, looking for answers, reaching in hope for what lies ahead, can accomplish great things, especially if they ask for God's help.

People don’t like change. I get that. I’ve actually studied resistance to change most of my life. That's why my ministry for the past ten years has been helping churches through transitions. However, in times like these, change is trust upon us and the God who made us also has equipped us with the will and the capacity to bend change toward our benefit and the benefit of those who come after us.

Can you see the ray of hope that is breaking through? It is breaking in to us and through us so that we can bring hope to others; hope for a better tomorrow, a new creation. “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Blessings,

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas
July 2, 2020
Rogationtide – As we pray, so let us live.

Rogation Days are traditionally the Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Day. They originated in Vienne, France, in the fifth century when Bishop Mamertus introduced days of fasting and prayer to ward off a threatened disaster. In England they were associated with the blessing of the fields at planting. The vicar "beat the bounds" of the parish, processing around the fields reciting psalms and the litany. In the United States they have been associated with rural life and with agriculture and fishing and, more recently, their scope has been widened to include commerce and industry and the stewardship of creation. The term is from the Latin rogatio, "asking."

We are especially mindful that something is wrong with our world right now during the Coronavirus Pandemic. So, in the coming week, let us offer special prayers for the healing of the world that sustains our lives. As we pray, so let us live, that we may be good stewards of creation. The following prayers are from The Book of Common Prayer.

For Fruitful Seasons

Almighty God, Lord of heaven and earth: We humbly pray
that your gracious providence may give and preserve to our
use the harvests of the land and of the seas, and may prosper
all who labor to gather them, that we, who are constantly
receiving good things from your hand, may always give you
thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

For Stewardship of Creation

O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the
needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for
your loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the
account that we must one day give, may be faithful stewards
of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with
you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.

For Knowledge of God’s Creation

Almighty and everlasting God, you made the universe with
all its marvelous order, its atoms, worlds, and galaxies, and
the infinite complexity of living creatures: Grant that, as we
probe the mysteries of your creation, we may come to know
you more truly, and more surely fulfill our role in your
eternal purpose; in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Conservation of Natural Resources

Almighty God, in giving us dominion over things on earth,
you made us fellow workers in your creation: Give us wisdom
and reverence so to use the resources of nature, that no one
may suffer from our abuse of them, and that generations yet
to come may continue to praise you for your bounty; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Harvest of Lands and Waters

O gracious Father, who openest thine hand and fillest all
things living with plenteousness: Bless the lands and waters,
and multiply the harvests of the world; let thy Spirit go
forth, that it may renew the face of the earth; show thy
loving kindness, that our land may give her increase; and
save us from selfish use of what thou givest, that men and
women everywhere may give thee thanks; through Christ
our Lord. Amen.

For the Future of the Human Race

O God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us
dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before
the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes
for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in
making provision for its future in accordance with your will;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our prayers continue for all those impacted by the Coronavirus, for healthcare professionals, first responders, and scientists who are working so hard to protect others. Remember that my precautions protect you and your precautions protect me. This is an important way we can our neighbors as ourselves.

Blessings,

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas

May 15, 2020
Four Practices for Covidtide

The word “ecclesiastical” refers to the Church. It is derived from the Greek word ekklesia (ἐκκλησία). Ekklesia, which is translated Church, occurs 114 times in the New Testament. There seems to be strong consensus that its original secular meaning was a gathering of citizens called out by the herald from their homes into some public place; an assembly.

The Church, therefore, is a public gathering of Christ’s followers. For me, that is the hardest thing to reconcile during this time when we are counseled to stay at home, apart from one another. While I can’t quite solve the theological problem, I have discerned four practices that we as Christians can do for each other and the world at our doorsteps during this season I'm calling Covidtide. I offer them for your consideration.

We can stop thinking everything will soon be back to normal.

This pandemic is far from over. The number of new cases nationally continues to rise. People continue to die because of the virus. The search for and production of a treatment will take months. It may take more than a year to develop a vaccine. Those who are working in laboratories and hospitals are moving as fast as they can and are working incredible hours. My worrying and complaining is not going to help them. I can use my emotional and spiritual energies in better ways.

Even when we take a long view of how this will play out, we hear ourselves and others speak of a “new normal.” I heard a lot of that in 2008 after Hurricane Ike slammed into Galveston Island. What we discovered was that some things were permanently changed. What emerged as the months dragged on was not a new normal but a new reality.

After this pandemic has passed, what kind of persons do we want to be as we live into the new reality we are bound to experience? How can we look to the uncertain future with hope and purpose? What can we contribute to the new reality? What kind of church are we becoming? How will the lessons we learn in this crisis impact the mission to which God calls us?

“And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new’” (Revelation 21:5).

We can plan how to continue.

“Everyone wants to know when this will end,” said Devi Sridhar, a public-health expert at the University of Edinburgh. “That’s not the right question. The right question is: How do we continue?" That just about sums up the kind of work we need to be doing right now.

At St. Martin’s, we are engaging in that work. We have recruited a diverse group of people within the parish to help us develop a plan that will define how to continue. Yesterday evening, St. Martin’s Regathering Team had its first video conference. Fourteen of us reviewed the science, the philosophy, the morality, and the theology of how we ought to proceed. We discussed some extremely helpful work that has been shared by the Episcopal Diocese of Texas describing a phase approach that we think we can adapt for our use. We’ll meet again next week. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, we'll be ready to take the plan to the Vestry and then to the parish. In each phase, church protocols will be determined by health characteristics that apply to our context. We will decide what the health characteristics will be, based on the best scientific and public health guidelines.

We plan to continue! So, understanding how we continue is paramount.

We can view our precautions as something we do for the sake of others.

Charles Kurkul, a physician who is a member of our St. Martin’s Regathering Team, was asked about how effective precautions such as masks and distancing are. He responded by saying, “Seat belts help save lives. So do brakes. Both are more effective when we use them together.”

We expect that regathering will happen in phases and that numbers of people following precautions will start small and gradually increase as long as the health characteristics are met. Practicing wearing masks and physical distancing while we are apart will make it easier and safer when we gather again.

When I’ve encountered people complaining about wearing masks and practicing physical distancing, my response has been, “My precautions protect you. Your precautions protect me.” That’s another way of saying, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39). It’s also a way of loving God. “Those who say, ‘I love God’, and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (I John 4:20). Love for God and love for our neighbor are defining characteristics of the Christian community and each of its members.

We can uphold one another.

Paula Jefferson shared this reflection by Brother Curtis Almquist of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist: “We cannot do it alone. This isn’t private religion. We regularly need to be with other followers of Jesus with whom to pray and praise and worship, to listen and speak, and to sit at table and eat.”

We long for the time when we are able to gather around the Table at the Eucharistic Banquet. For now, let us uphold one another in ways that are appropriate. Pray for one another daily. Call, send an email or text message, have a video visit, tune in to our online worship services and virtual coffee hour, tell your story and listen to the stories of your sisters and brothers in Christ. There also have been and will be some safe opportunities for outreach to those in need.

We, who are all in this together during Covidtide, were all together before it started. Limiting contact does not mean limiting care. Let’s care for one another as we continue into the future God will set before us. The Holy Spirit is already preparing the way!

I close with this beautiful prayer for the Church.

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

– The Book of Common Prayer

Blessings,

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas

May 7, 2020
Not When But How

Earlier this week, I was involved in a conversation with clergy colleagues about our current predicament during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Most of us have been asked when will we return to gathering physically for worship in our churches? We’ve also been asked when will we return to normal. A wise person reminded us that the important question is not “when” but “how.” Each worshiping community is set in its own unique context, has its own challenges, and must sort through its own resources to determine how we will move through this time into a brighter future.

The Wardens and I are working on the appointment of a “reentry team” to help us formulate a plan. As we do that, we are mindful that whenever we emerge on the other side of this crisis some things will be different. There will be changes. We recognize that everyone has some degree of difficulty with change, regardless of how beneficial or unavoidable it may be. At the same time, we know that human beings are endowed by our Creator with a remarkable capacity for change. In fact, the pages of sacred scripture are filled with examples of how the exercise of that capacity has impacted the story of God’s people. Also, in the New Testament, change is central to the message of Jesus Christ. “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14, 15). The Greek imperative metanoiete, which we translate “repent”, is a call to change one’s life.

Some biblical stories are about those who were able to make the changes necessary to be faithful to God, such as Abraham, Moses, David, and the Holy Apostles. Other stories tell us about those who were unable to make such changes, such as the people who were destroyed by the Great Flood, the generation of Hebrews who had been slaves in Egypt, several generations of Israelites whose apostasy resulted in defeat and captivity, the rich young man who came to Jesus, and, of course, Judas Iscariot.

There’s good change and there’s bad change and, quite often, there’s just change. Not all change is equal. But life, as God gives it, is one change after another. The struggle with change is bound up with the struggle with faith in God. Those who thrive are those who adopt a hopeful attitude toward our God-given potential, draw upon the uniquely human capacity for adaptation, and bring about purposeful refreshment, recreation, and renewal among the communities where they live and worship.

Simply put, our faith provides us with insight into how to draw upon that capacity for creative living and the advancement of God's redemptive purposes. People of faith have lived through crises and catastrophes before and this time will not be the last time. But this is our time! We want to be faithful stewards of that time. How we live use this time and how we journey through this transition as a community of faith is ours to discern, with God’s help.

One of my favorite prayers from the Book of Common Prayer came to mind as I was thinking about the relationship between change and faith. When I turned to it, I realized that it is a prayer that is primarily used in liturgies for times of significant transition in the Church’s life and liturgical cycle – such as Ordinations, the Celebration of a New Ministry, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter. It is a wonderful prayer for any time in the life of the Church, but especially when we are asked to make some sort of change as we progress in the journey of faith. I commend it to you today:

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look
favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred
mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry
out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world
see and know that things which were cast down are being
raised up, and things which had grown old are being made
new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection
by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus
Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity
of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Blessings to you and yours,

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas

P.S. Here's a hymn that explores the world of change God has made.

April 22, 2020
What’s All That Doubt About?

The Reverend Ken Kesselus, a colleague in the Diocese of Texas, tells the following story:

Once when a certain preacher launched into a children’s sermon, she was confronted by a visiting child, an eight-year-old friend of a regular member. The boy was new to this church, but was a regular attendee at another congregation that did not have children’s sermons. Nevertheless, the visitor tried his best to follow the line of the preacher’s effort to connect with the children. Attempting to hook the children with something familiar before making her point, the priest asked the children to identify what she would describe. “What is fuzzy and has a long tail?” No response. “What has big teeth and climbs in trees?” Still no response. After she asked, “What jumps around a lot and gathers nuts and hides them?” the visiting boy could stand the silence no longer. He blurted out, “Look, lady, I know the answer is supposed to be ‘Jesus,’ but it sure sounds like a squirrel to me.”

Human beings usually want to give the “right” answer, the answer others expect. The eight-year-old boy had more courage than most of us might have had. He acknowledged what he thought others might want him to say, but he found a way to express his doubt.

Each year on the Second Sunday of Easter, we read the gospel account of St. Thomas the Apostle in which he expresses his own doubt about reports of the Resurrection of Jesus (John 20:19-31). He had not been in the company of the other Apostles when Jesus appeared to them that first Easter. When the others told him they had seen the Risen Savior, he couldn’t believe it. He may have wanted to “go along in order to get along” with the others, but he was compelled to express his doubt. He might have said, “I know the answer is supposed to be that I believe you saw Jesus, but it sure sounds like a ghost to me.”

A week later, Thomas had the opportunity to see for himself and confirm in his own experience that the Risen Christ was not a ghost. But for a period of time, he was skeptical. His questioning and doubting must have been as hard for him as it was for the little boy trying to understand the illustration about the squirrel. Because we too struggle with what may seem clear to others and with accepted norms, we can identify with Thomas and the little boy.

I am grateful to be a part of a Church where it is safe for people to express their doubts and ask their questions and challenge accepted norms. It is a Church where we don’t have to mindlessly accept what seems to be the accepted answer or point of view. It is a Church where it is okay to be doubtful, confused, and skeptical. It is a Church where we can remain in the company of others as we struggle with matters of doubt and faith. It is a Church where from childhood we are encouraged to ask questions and to wonder as we journey toward faith and as we seek the truth.

The example of Thomas’ honesty and forthrightness fosters hope in us and empowers us in our seasons of doubt. We need that kind of faith community as we wonder where God fits in with harsh and frightening realities of life and death. We need a faith community where we can be encountered by the Risen Christ who can lead us to the truth, just as he led Thomas. In such a community, we can work through our uncertainties and emerge on the other side with an even stronger faith, just as Thomas did.

The story of Thomas affirms that doubt can give way to faith, just as death is overcome by life. It assures us that the God we worship can handle our doubts and fears. It tells us that honesty is necessary in our relationship with God and God’s own people in times of uncertainty as well as in times of confidence.

The Apostles were blessed because they saw the Risen Christ and believed. Their subsequent ministry was to nurture faith among others who had not seen. Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” The ongoing work of this Church is to continue the ministry of the Apostles and foster the even greater blessing that comes from walking by faith. And for every generation of Christians since the first one, if we are honest about it, we have to admit that faith in Jesus Christ requires at least some struggle with doubt.

That’s really what Easter is all about. We are Easter People, traveling together on a marvelous journey toward those faith-filled moments when we discover the Risen One at work in our lives and in our world – moments so profound that we can only exclaim with Thomas, “My Lord and my God.”

Blessings,

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas

P.S. Here's an old hymn based on this gospel passage and sung to a new tune by Marty Haugen.

April 16, 2020
Holy Week: A Time to Remember Who and Whose We Are

In Baptism, we are incorporated into the Paschal Mystery. That is, we are incorporated into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. His life is our life. His death is our death. His resurrection is our resurrection. It is for this reason that Christians observe Holy Week every year. It is a commemoration intended to put us in touch with that life which the world can neither give nor take away. It is a time to look at the Paschal Mystery and to recover our true identity, our authentic self, in him.

Five hundred years before Jesus rode into Jerusalem, Zechariah prophesied that the Messiah would be a king. Since the time of the Exile, no Jewish ruler had borne the title of king. “Look, your king is coming to you. Rejoice, rejoice, people of Zion” (Zech. 9:9). The time was just right and the people were happy on that first Palm Sunday to acknowledge it.

They wished to crown him their king. In their enthusiasm, they missed the paradox. They saw the glory but overlooked the shadow. But Jesus was conscious of both.

He knew who he was, so the acclamations of the crowd did not impress him. He saw that their palm branches cast the shadow of a cross. He sensed that the kingly crown they were offering to him that day would become a crown of thorns by the end of the week. Jesus knew that the identity the world offered was not a secure identity, not a legitimate identity, and certainly not a dependable identity. No, for Jesus, the only true identity is consciousness of who we are in the eyes of our Creator.

To the disciples, on the next weekend, it must have looked like the world’s biggest failure, a cruel joke. Imagine being sucked in to a group like “the Twelve.” To them “the Way” must have appeared more like a primrose path. Because they were still so dependent upon the things of the world for their sense of identity, they had to be the most embarrassed people around Jerusalem.

Then came Easter. Out of the tomb came the Risen Messiah with his identity still intact. “He is risen!” is shorthand for Jesus’ message of resurrection:

Behold, I have overcome the world. Behold, I died and I am alive. Behold, who you are need never again depend upon who you know, what you wear, where you live, what you do, how much you possess, or even what people say about you. Because I live, you will live also. You will experience new life in me and you will be able to face the popularity contest the world is running with confidence that you don’t really have to enter it in order to find out who you are. Here is my crown. It is yours! Take it! And believe me when I tell you that this crown of glory, which is both mine and yours, will never fade away.

Who and whose we truly are – that’s what Holy Week and Easter are all about. This Holy Week will be quite different for Christians around the world because of the COVID-19 Pandemic. We will miss our gatherings, palm waving, foot washing, darkness and light, and all of the other tokens of his passion, death, and resurrection. Instead, we will gather virtually in front of our computer and television screens. This extraordinary time will teach us new things and, perhaps, help us see ourselves in a new light. When we emerge on the other side of this pandemic, we will never be the same. But we will still have our identity intact as children of God and heirs of God's amazing grace through faith in Jesus Christ – the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Guard your health, stay out of harm's way, and remember who and whose you are.

Blessings,

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas

April 2, 2020
What then are we to say about these things?

NBC News carried a report on Wednesday of this week concerning a so-called Bible teacher who is claiming that this coronavirus pandemic is the consequence of God’s wrath having been ignited by “gays, people with depraved minds, and environmentalists.” Before this is over, I’m sure we will be subjected to more of the same kind of wild declarations. I don’t know who is more dangerous; the people who say such things or the people who believe them.

Alas, there have always been and perhaps always will be those who believe God uses events such as pandemics and natural disasters to punish humanity and those who try to pinpoint the end of history when God’s judgment will be rendered.

These issues have been around so long we even have terms for theological discourse concerning them. For example, Theodicy attempts to deal with how and why a benevolent God allows evil and suffering. And, Eschatology is the study of questions about the final events of history or the ultimate destiny of humanity.

Our response to human tragedy and our beliefs about God’s intentions probably say more about our own personality and outlook on life than about God. It is understandable when people are hurting and need to assign blame for the events that caused harm. And people whose experience of life involves heavy doses of righteous indignation and divine retribution naturally want God to take charge and straighten out everybody they disapprove of.

For my own part, I’m impressed with the complexity of the physical universe. The more science discovers about things like quarks, chaos, leptons, and pheromones, the more my view of the Divine Being expands. Why would God go to so much trouble just to perplex humanity and then to destroy us? Isn’t it just as likely that God created all things for good and gave human beings the resources to discover ways to cherish and protect creation and its creatures? For me, life is one big epiphany!

When I peer into suffering, I see the God of compassion not causing harm but caring for those who are hurting. When I ponder the end of history, what comes to mind is not a so-called “rapture” or celestial supreme court, but instead a cosmic “Ah-ha” experience in which “every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess” (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, and Philippians 2:10,11).

The issues are far from settled and the discourse will continue. Those who need a wrathful God and an end of things characterized by judgment and retribution have plenty of preachers and churches to reinforce their viewpoints. But I am grateful to be a part of a church that believes “the universe is good, that it is the work of a single loving God who creates, sustains, and directs it” (BCP, 846). I am privileged to foster a view of the Christian hope, which is “to live with confidence in newness and fullness of life, and await the coming of Christ in glory, and the completion of God’s purpose for the world” (BCP, 861).

St. Paul says it so beautifully in these words from the Letter to the Romans: “What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?… Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31, 35, 37-39).

Here is a prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer that I invite you to pray during this difficult time.

In Time of Great Sickness and Mortality.

O most mighty and merciful God, in this time of grievous sickness, we flee unto thee for succour. Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril; give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick; prosper the means made use of for their cure; and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is, we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom which leadeth to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Page 45, The Book of Common Prayer, 1928)

God bless and protect you and those whom you love.

The Very Rev'd Ron Pogue
Interim Rector
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church
Keller, Texas

March 26, 2020