Category: Episcopal Church

Way to Go!

Several remarkable things have happened during the two months I’ve been with the People of St. Andrew’s Cathedral and I want to make some remarks about some of them.

Electronic Mail – We use Constant Contact for our weekly e-news and any number of other communications with our members. Constant Contact provides us with metrics that help us understand how many people open emails, how many bounce, and how many emails are sent. Last week, The Epistle was emailed to 901 addresses, 368 of which actually opened the email. That’s a 42% open rate. While 100% would be better, Constant Contact tells us that 33% is a very good open rate. So, our members are above average in reading their emails. This tells me you are interested in what is happening at your church. That makes my heart glad.

Stewardship Campaign – 224 households have pledged to give $1,054,341 next year for God’s work through St. Andrew’s Cathedral. 69 pledges are new and 94 are increases in giving. Each pledge represents a commitment to God and God’s Church to engage in faithful stewardship as a spiritual discipline. The prompt and generous response is a sign of spiritual health.

Habitat for Humanity – On Wednesday of this week, the Staff and others from the Cathedral spent the day working on the house that four Episcopal churches are building on Greenview Street. During lunch, served by the Holy Smokers, our fearless and able leader, Thorne Butler, thanked everyone for participating and made some announcements. When he was finished, I asked him if he had full sign up sheets. He said, “Yes! In fact, we oversubscribed. There are even more people than we expected.” That’s an indication that members of the Cathedral community want to be engaged in Christ’s work in meaningful, life changing ways

Meals on Wheels – At a meeting of the newly revitalized Pastoral Care Commission, June Stevens reported that she has forty people who are participating in this important ministry. Forty! That is another indication that the members of the Cathedral community want hands-on engagement.

Newcomer Dinner – Thirteen people who are new to the Cathedral recently attended a lovely dinner at the home of Gayle and Holmes Adams. Several members of the vestry and staff, along with a wonderful group of hosts, were there to extend a generous and warm welcome. The newcomers left with a feeling that they have a place in this community of faith and the warm glow on the faces of all those who made the evening possible indicated that they knew they got their message across.

Women’s Book Study – If one more person shows up for the Women’s Book Study, they may have to move to the Parish Hall. They enjoy each other’s company and the lively discussion of some significant literature.

Men’s Ministries – I’ve tried unsuccessfully several times to start opportunities for men’s fellowship, including a Society of St. Andrew and something like the Dean’s List. I was impressed upon arrival at the Cathedral that we have both opportunities and they are thriving.

This is a community of Christians who enjoy one another’s company, look forward to opportunities to work, pray, give, and play together, and go out of their way to include everyone.

These are certainly not the only examples of congregational health, but I wanted to recognize them and call your attention to them in hopes of encouraging all our ministries and all our groups to keep up the good work because in so doing you are building up the Church and living in the spirit of the exhortation found in the Letter to the Hebrews, "Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).

The distinguished English church musician Percy Dearmer penned these stanzas that I think could be the theme song of St. Andrew’s Cathedral because they so beautifully describe the quality of common life the Holy Spirit is stirring up around here, at the Altar, at fellowship meals, in our study, caring for one another, and in service to our neighbors in need. Here is a setting by Harold Friedell sung by the Choir of Men and Boys at St. Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue, in New York City.

Draw us in the Spirit's tether;
For when humbly, in thy name,
Two or three are met together,
Thou art in the midst of them:
Alleluya! Alleluya!
Touch we now thy garment's hem.

As the brethren used to gather
In the name of Christ to sup,
Then with thanks to God the Father
Break the bread and bless the cup,
Alleluya! Alleluya!
So knit thou our friendship up.

All our meals and all our living
Make us sacraments of thee,
That be caring, helping, giving,
We may true disciples be.
Alleluya! Alleluya!
We will serve thee faithfully

Words: Percy Dearmer
Music: Harold Friedell

I’ll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue
Interim Dean
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral
Jackson, Mississippi

October 26, 2017
What Are You Doing Here?

"Dear Lord and Father of Mankind" is a hymn with words taken from a longer poem, “The Brewing of Soma” by American Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier. A couple of lines from this wonderful hymn have been on my mind during the last couple of months as we have had news of hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, and mass shootings.

Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small voice of calm.

These words are inspired by a passage of Scripture, I Kings 19:11-13, in which the Prophet Elijah is struggling to hear God’s voice. God tells Elijah to go and stand before the holy mountain. When he does, there is a mighty wind, an earthquake, and a fire. But he is not able to hear the “still small voice” of God in the midst of any of those numinous, frightening, destructive events. He is only able to hear God’s voice in the silence that follows.

Elijah is asking God, “Where are you and what are you doing?” But when the response comes from God, it is God who is asking the questions: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

Maybe we have been trying to hear God’s voice and wondering what God is doing in the face of all these horrific events that have destroyed life and property, dashed hopes, and undermined our sense of security. “Where are you, God, and what are you doing?”

Silence.

But, as we see from Elijah’s experience, silence may be the environment in which we are finally able to hear – to reflect, to discern, to understand – the Divine Voice.

And when we do hear the Voice, we may hear the same question that Elijah heard: “What are you doing here, Ron?” Here, at this point in time, in this place, in the aftermath of the wind, the earthquake, the fire, and the violence.

God and God’s people have been responding to all of those tragedies, offering hope, healing, and relief to people whose lives have been suddenly torn apart. Episcopal Relief and Development, for example, has people in place, working with local relief agencies and authorities to take immediate steps to help. The members of St. Andrew’s Cathedral have sent contributions to Episcopal Relief and Development to provide the funding needed to carry out the work that needs doing. Some have made their contributions directly, and others have contributed through the Cathedral. Thus far, we have sent $7,370 for hurricane relief.

Soon, it will be time to respond to calls for teams of people to go to affected areas and get physically involved. This article by ERD head Rob Radtke provides a helpful description of what is being done and what each of us can do to help in the days ahead. The Episcopal Diocese of Nevada is providing support and advocacy following the massacre in Las Vegas. And people around the world are joining their voices in prayer for the victims and for divine guidance for those who work to make do the things and make the changes that will protect God’s children.

Thank you for what you are doing. When the time comes for a call to go, I hope we will have people with the physical strength and time to respond. In every case, may we continue to listen for God’s voice!

Here's a beautiful recording of that hymn, sung by the Choir of Tewkesbury Abbey in Gloucestershire, England.

I’ll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue
Interim Dean
St. Andrew’s Cathedral
Jackson, Mississippi

October 18, 2017
Take Comfort in Rituals

On a September Sunday morning several years ago, while we were visiting our son in Vancouver, I walked to the Anglican Cathedral for a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Along the way, I noticed an inscription etched in the glass door of a Starbucks shop. I have since realized that it is on many Starbucks doors. The inscription read, “TAKE COMFORT IN RITUALS.” It struck me that I was on my way to participate in a ritual because I do indeed take comfort in them. So, I took a photo.

When I arrived at the Cathedral, there were many things that comforted me – the holy water in the stoup, the Compass Rose insignia of the Anglican Communion, people kneeling in prayerful preparation, the processional cross leading the choir, liturgical ministers, and clergy down the aisle. There were familiar hymns, the opportunity to make an offering, the exchange of the Peace, the bread and wine, the Celebrant making the sign of the cross during the absolution and the blessing, the dismissal by the Deacon. I took comfort in those rituals!

However, I also realized a certain amount of dis-comfort. The sermon pricked my conscience at several points. The degree of inclusive language was far beyond what I am accustomed to and, although I happen to agree intellectually with their choice of words, I was startled nevertheless. I was likewise approving of, yet surprised at the dis-comfort I felt in, the multicultural diversity represented in the worshiping congregation.

So, it was an epiphany for me to realize that there is also DISCOMFORT in rituals. That is true of just about any rituals, religious and otherwise. Even a visit to Starbucks or a morning cup of their great coffee, which are rituals for many, can be discomforting. But this leads me to another epiphany: the word comfort has more than one meaning. Our modern use of the word comfort has to do with “solace.” An earlier meaning is to “strengthen intensively.” And an even earlier meaning is “together strong.” That’s the one I like best!

So many times I have guided people through rituals at some of the most uncomfortable moments – ministration at the time of death, funerals, prayers before surgery, sermons about the “hard sayings” of Jesus, and fall stewardship campaigns, to name a few. The desired outcome is always to help them find comfort, solace. Beyond solace, however, we hope they find the strength that comes from the rituals we do together – strength to go on, strength to face an uncertain future, strength to do the right thing. COMFORT – together strong.

The rituals Christians experience together often make us uncomfortable in the process of making us strong. That is an important reason God calls us to gather week by week in worship. An associate of mine often used to pray, “O God, comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” In one of our Eucharistic prayers, we ask God to “Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only and not for strength.” That’s what I am getting at!

Let us indeed take comfort in rituals, religious and otherwise. But let us remember that comfort is not merely solace, as important as that may be. Comfort is also strength – the strength we gain from engaging together in the sacred rituals of our faith in the One who is the source of that strength.

I’ll see you in Church,

The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue
Interim Dean
St. Andrew’s Cathedral
Jackson, Mississippi

October 12, 2017
Creation Has Been Given Into Our Care
During the next few weeks, we will be hearing a lot about faithful stewardship in preparation for Consecration Sunday, October 8. I thought it might be helpful at the outset to share my perspective on what I believe to be the foundation of Christian stewardship.

Creation Has Been Given Into Our Care.

In the very first chapter of the very first book of the Bible, we read that God created human beings in God’s own image. God blessed our species, entrusted the rest of creation into our hands, and gave us all the gifts we will need to fulfill our unique purpose.

This ancient passage is the basis for our Christian theology of stewardship.
- To be created in the “image” of God means to be a living witness to the Creator and to be an official representative of the Creator on planet earth.
- To “subdue” the earth means to bring things under control and to manage them according to God’s purposes.
- To have “dominion” means that human beings have been appointed as the rulers and protectors of all living things, serving under the ultimate sovereignty of God, their Creator.
So, human beings have been entrusted with the vocation of stewardship, the call and commission to represent our Creator in caring for everything in the amazing universe that has been given to us to sustain all life.

God doesn’t expect such things from other creatures nor has God equipped other creatures for such a role. Birds, for example, build essentially the same kind of nest every year. A robin builds a robin’s nest. A cardinal builds a cardinal’s nest. A hummingbird builds a hummingbird’s nest. From one generation to another, each kind of bird builds the kind of nest into which it came into this world.

Humans, on the other hand, have the capacity to build an infinite variety of buildings for an infinite variety of purposes. We build houses, schools, hospitals, office buildings, convention centers, and churches. Every one of them can be different from the others and from those that we built a generation or a year ago.

The vocation of stewardship is given uniquely to human beings. Therefore, it is one of the chief attributes that makes us human.

Everything we have, whether spent, saved, or given away, is a sacred trust from God. We are stewards of all of it.

Nothing pleases God more than for us to consciously live our lives as God envisioned. To understand ourselves as stewards of God’s bounty is the perfect way to do that. When we deliberately surrender to God a portion of our time, talent, gifts, and service, as a spiritual practice, we consecrate all the rest of our resources and declare our intention, with God’s help, to manage the rest in ways that please God. In that way, we become fully alive children of God.

What a remarkable way to honor and glorify God.

I'll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue
Interim Dean
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral
Jackson, Mississippi

SAVE THE DATE
CONSECRATION SUNDAY, OCTOBER 8

A complimentary catered lunch for all will be served in the Parish Hall following the one 10:00 a.m. service. Since lunch will be provided, reservations are important. Please make your reservation online at standrews.ms/register.
September 7, 2017
Who Are You?

Who are you? That’s a question that frequently pops into our minds. For those of us who are members of the Church, it pops into our minds before, during, and after worship and at other gatherings.

Of course, who you are is more than your name, but your name is a starting point. Once I know your name, I begin to associate other aspects of your identity with it – what you look like, what you do, where you live, to whom you are related, and many other characteristics that make you YOU. The unique, one-of-a-kind, never before, never again YOU. When I hear your name, I recall lots of information about you and my relationship with you. Names are little bridges we cross over in relationships one with another.

The Prophet Isaiah recorded God’s word to God’s own specific, chosen people:

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1a)

Expectant parents take pains to select the names of their children. Before we are born, we have a name. Throughout our lives, those names will be recognized and recorded by others.

At our Baptism, our name is called, signifying that God knows us. In fact, the liturgy used to direct the Priest to say to the parents and sponsors, “Name this child.”

As we mature, we learn that having our name attached to something can be something very good or something very bad.

The other evening on the news, veteran journalist and native Houstonian Dan Rather was being interviewed about the devastation caused in his hometown by Hurricane Harvey. As he spoke of Houston’s Mayor and Police Chief, he made sure to refer to them as “Mayor Turner” and “Chief Acevedo” because he knows that names are important.

When we say we know our neighbors, we mean that, among other things, we know their names.

When we send a letter, a sympathy note, or a thank you note, we address the recipient by name.

Names are important!

So, in order to foster community and build relationships at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, we need to take care to learn one another’s names. This is important at all times but will be especially important when you welcome newcomers and when your new Dean arrives.

To that end, I am asking that we wear name tags when we are together at the Cathedral, whether for worship, study, fellowship, or service. If you have a permanent name tag and can remember to wear it, that’s great. But, if you are like me, those permanent name tags are often in the jacket I didn’t wear to church.

So, we’re going to provide plain paper name tags and bold sharpie pens at the entrance to each gathering place so you will always have a name tag.

Who are you? If you’ll wear a name tag, it won’t be long before I know the answer to that question and so will others.

I’ll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue
Interim Dean
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Cathedral
Jackson, Mississippi

September 1, 2017
Hearts Full of Gratitude
Dear Cathedral Friends,

Gay and I have hearts full of gratitude for our time with the people of Saint John’s Cathedral. Our farewell included so many expressions of love, a beautiful framed photo taken during the celebration of the Eucharist, the gift of a donkey, cart, and plow for a woman farmer in our name thorough Episcopal Relief & Development’s “Gifts for Life” catalog, books on the Cathedral’s history, cakes, hugs, cards, dinners, and a year of memories that will last a lifetime.

As I was standing before the Altar at the end of the service yesterday, I was flanked by our Wardens, Amy Davis and Tom Keyse. In that moment, I became mindful of how they have stood beside me, walked beside me, and led beside me the entire time. Our Vestry, our devoted staff, clergy colleagues, the Canon Theologian, Bishop O'Neill and his staff, all of those involved in the ministry of worship, our Eucharistic Visitors, the leaders of our commissions, committees, guilds, and ministry teams have rolled up their sleeves and engaged in the work of transition and the work of ministry. We have accomplished so much together!

We are confident that you will welcome your new Dean, Richard Lawson, and his family, Katherine, Adaline, and Evans, with the same strong, generous, open arms that welcomed us. We are also confident that your ministry together will result in transformed lives and much thanksgiving to God.

After a few weeks time off at our Arlington, Texas home, we will head to Jackson, Mississippi, where I will begin my appointment as Interim Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Let us hold one another in prayers in this time of new beginnings!

After July 16, my Cathedral contact information will be discontinued.
- Our permanent address is 4101 West Green Oaks Blvd., #305-520, Arlington, Texas 76016.
- My permanent email address is ron@e-piphanies.com.
- My permanent mobile phone number is 832-576-9019
We will see you again!

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue
Interim Dean
Saint John’s Cathedral
Denver, Colorado
July 12, 2017
Strategies for Summertime Spirituality

Summertime signals opening of swimming pools, buzz cuts for boys, weekday outings to museums and zoos, homemade ice cream, watermelon season, an upswing in agricultural enterprises, and the beginning of summer vacations. We also start the summer slump in churches across America, with a decline in attendance and anxious messages from church treasurers about cash flow because offerings go down when the people are not there.

Our culture has declared how things are supposed to work between Memorial Day and Labor Day and that’s that. The Church tends to conform to the culture. Whatever happens during the rest of the year, in the summer, we are both in and of the world.

On several occasions, I have tried to counteract the summer slump and had little success. Call me a die hard, but I’m going to try again. Any success at all is better than none when it comes to reminding God’s Holy People what our relationship with the world is supposed to be.

St. Paul put it this way, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2). Jesus called his followers to be light and salt and leaven in the world (Matthew 5 and 13). Light, salt, and leaven are agents of transformation – light dispels darkness, salt adds flavor, and leaven causes the dough to rise. When the agents of transformation are present, things are no longer the same. Through our prayers and our lifestyle, we are God’s change agents.

With that in mind, I have a few suggestions for how to enjoy summertime while still fulfilling our sacred purpose.

Maintain the spiritual discipline of worship. If you are in town on Sunday morning, your presence in worship with your community of faith helps keep the emphasis on God, both for you and for your fellow worshipers. When you are there, you are making a statement – a witness – that God’s reign in your life is not suspended just because it is summertime. Vacationers may be visiting your church while you are out of town. You may also use the time in worship to contemplate the different things you are doing/seeing/experiencing during the summer. What about those mountain majesties where you hiked? What might God have had in mind when creating the orangutan you saw when you took the children to the zoo? What kind of divine purpose is being worked out in the harvesting of hay, which kept you working from sunrise to sunset yesterday?

Find a church in which to worship while traveling. In addition to maintaining the discipline of worship while you are in a different place, you may discover new friends, new ideas, and elements of diversity you have not known before. Maybe you can bring something back that will enrich the life of your own community of faith. The churches you visit will have an opportunity to extend their hospitality to you and hear about the church you love back home. If you have children or youth who will be traveling with you, ask them to get on the internet and find a church where your family can worship “wherever you may be.

Don’t send your pledge on vacation. The operational costs of your church continue even when you are not there. In warmer locations, the costs increase significantly because of the need for air conditioning and watering. There is no legitimate reason why church leaders should have to experience anxiety over cash shortfalls in the summer (or anytime of year for that matter). Make it a matter of faithful stewardship to bring or send your contribution before you leave on vacation. Or, if you forget, you may still mail a check or use online banking to get your gift to the altar while you are away.

Get involved in ministries you don’t normally have time for. If summertime affords you a little extra free time or a slower pace, use some of that time to serve Christ and the Church. Maybe there’s a need for Sunday School leaders, workers for a home repair ministry, or someone to do some maintenance around the church. Is there a mission trip, retreat, summertime conference, or bible study you would otherwise decline due to the busyness of your life? Does your summer schedule allow you to attend a weekday service that you can’t attend at other times of the year? God would like to spend more time with us and have more of our attention. Summertime may open up some possibilities for that to happen and blessings will flow into our lives.

Whatever you do, think God! Be intentional about your spiritual journey. Begin and end your days with prayer, so that, in all the cares and occupations of our life, we may not forget God, but remember that we are ever walking in God’s sight. Look for signs of God’s hand at work in the world around you. Habits that affect the rest of your life can be formed during a three-month period. Don’t let a hiatus become a habit!

I’ll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue
Interim Dean
Saint John’s Cathedral
Denver, Colorado

June 8, 2017
The Work of the Holy Spirit

The Feast of Pentecost celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church in fulfillment of the promise Jesus made to his disciples: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you” (John 14:26).

Who is the Holy Spirit? The scriptures do not really define who the Spirit is except in terms of what he does. While we sometimes use metaphor and simile to speak of the Holy Spirit, these are really weak and mechanical terms compared to the personalistic terms in which the Spirit is best described. The Holy Spirit is a divine being, not a thing. And, this Spirit is never identical with the human spirit: rather, he works from the outside, with us, but Other than us.

Christian teaching has often neglected the Holy Spirit, leading to misunderstanding. For example, some have identified the Spirit with the individual conscience. The Holy Spirit has been identified with the human mind, denying the freedom to choose or resist God’s will. Some believe the Holy Spirit is manifested primarily in unusual behavior such as speaking in tongues, loud noises, gestures, and dancing. The Holy Spirit seems to take possession of the individual and control one’s actions.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word ruah, meaning “breath,” is often used to speak of the Spirit of God. Writers referred to the nearness of God, involved in nature as well as the life-giving, reforming source of strength, involved with the entire nation of Israel, and in the messages of the prophets.

The New Testament emphasis on the Holy Spirit takes a slightly different turn. The Holy Spirit is still taken to be God present with us, but in the Christian Testament he points to Jesus Christ after God has acted mightily in him to bring about redemption for all. The Greek word pneuma can mean “breath or wind” but also means “will or soul.” We have the record of Jesus’ teaching on the Holy Spirit, the experience of Pentecost, and St. Paul’s teaching to guide us to an understanding.

So, what does the Holy Spirit do for us today? There was once a mother who, as she put her child to bed each night, would tell him some of the exciting stories of the Old Testament: Joseph and his brothers, Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, Daniel in the lion’s den, Jonah and the big fish. One evening, when she was telling him the story of David and Goliath, the child interrupted with a question, “But Mom, what is God doing now?”

That’s a question you and I might well ask. Sometimes in despair and frustration, we cry out, even as Jesus cried out from the cross those words of Psalm 22, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

So, I invite you to consider how the message of Pentecost speaks to our need to know that God has not abandoned us and that we are not alone in an impersonal, uncaring universe.

In those god-forsaken moments in our lives, the Spirit of God bears witness with our human spirits that we are children of God and heirs with Christ of God’s amazing grace (Romans 8:15-17). When we speak of God as Holy Spirit, we are expressing the heart’s need to know that God is still with us, sustaining our faith, drawing us together in worship, and empowering us in God’s mission.

When we are brokenhearted, frightened, and weak, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8:26, 27).

When we have lost hope, and we know that without hope we cannot face the future, the Holy Spirit restores our hope. “For in hope we were saved” (Romans 8:24).

When we are confused, the Holy Spirit enlightens us and helps us make sense of things. Jesus told his perplexed disciples, “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth” (John 16:13).

When we have difficulty in worshiping Christ, the Holy Spirit leads us in praise. According to St. Paul, no one can say, “Christ is Lord” except through the influence of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 12:3). The Holy Spirit enables us to magnify Christ as the ruler of our lives. Together as one worldwide, age-long family we gather around the banquet table and its host. With all the company of heaven we sing songs of praise and thanksgiving. All this we do at the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

When we want to withdraw, the Holy Spirit helps moves us out of ourselves back into community with others and in those relationships we find comfort. Jesus prepared his disciples for what lay ahead in his passion, crucifixion, and resurrection. I wonder if he was anticipating how they would withdraw behind closed doors. I wonder if he was trying to let them know that the Holy Spirit will come to unite them in mission and empower them to move out into the world that needs the good news entrusted to them. And I wonder if he was mindful that withdrawal is a normal response to shock, so he promises that the Spirit will come to restore life in community.

When we want to hang on for dear life to whatever is left, the Holy Spirit restores generosity to our lives. Hurt, disappointment, and grief can become a logjam in our emotions and our behavior toward others if we let it. When the Holy Spirit is at work in us, those painful emotions are transformed into a greater ability to empathize with others and to be generous with our time, our abilities, our service, our treasures, and our witness. As the Spirit moves us to let things flow out of us toward others, more good things flow in. For we discover that all generosity toward God and our neighbor is the result of God’s extravagant generosity toward us. Freely have we received and so freely we give.

There is much more that could be said about the work of the Holy Spirit as the active and living presence and power of God at work in the world today. But perhaps it is important today for us to be reminded of these manifestations of the Holy Spirit so that we might recognize him at work among us in times of need.

So, we pray,

Come down, O love divine,
seek thou this soul of mine,
and visit it with thine own ardor glowing;
O Comforter, draw near,
within my heart appear,
and kindle it, thy holy flame bestowing.

O let it freely burn,
till earthly passions turn
to dust and ashes in its heat consuming;
and let thy glorious light
shine ever on my sight,
and clothe me round, the while my path illuming.

Let holy charity
mine outward vesture be,
and lowliness become mine inner clothing;
true lowliness of heart,
which takes the humbler part,
and o'er its own shortcomings weeps with loathing.

And so the yearning strong,
with which the soul will long,
shall far outpass the power of human telling;
for none can guess its grace,
till Love create a place
wherein the Holy Spirit makes a dwelling.

Words: Bianco da Siena, d. 1434; translation by Richard Frederick Littledale, Jr., 1867
Music: Down Ampney, North Petherton

I'll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue, D.Min.
The Interim Dean
Saint John's Cathedral

June 1, 2017
The Good Shepherd and the Sheep

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday every year. Our collect and readings remind us that in the Hebrew Scriptures and in the New Testament, the middle eastern shepherd is a metaphor for the divine nature.

Like the flocks they tended, the shepherds of the Bible were often dirty and woolly, enduring sun and rain for days or weeks on end. But unlike their flocks, they were vigilant and uncomplaining, watching for danger and trouble, providing pasture and allaying thirst. The shepherd knew his flock as no one else. And the sheep followed him “because they know his voice.”

Jesus speaks of himself as “the gate for the sheep.” Some scholars contend that shepherds of the period would often place their own bodies across the small opening of the sheep enclosure at night and during times of danger, risking their lives for the sake of their flock. Perhaps it is this image of the shepherd as human gate that Jesus has in mind with this metaphor, his own presence stretched out and bridging our insecurities. “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me,” he assures us, “will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture” (John 10:9).

Sometimes we are like lost sheep. We live in a world where it is easy to lose direction, to lose our bearings, and to lose a sense of who we are and where we are going. It is easy to go astray. It is then that we are most vulnerable to the “thieves and bandits” of the world. We are also most vulnerable to the more destructive animal instincts that lurk in every human heart, such as hatred, anger, and violence.

Week by week, we come to the Paschal Banquet ready to keep the feast, eager to partake of God's abundance, and to be nourished for the journey ahead. But the world is still a dangerous place. The human heart listens for the voice of the Shepherd who brings peace and God’s reconciling love. He is the Gate through whom we pass as we come to be fed and as we go back out to feed others in his Name.

I'll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue
Interim Dean
Saint John’s Cathedral
Denver, Colorado

May 4, 2017
Discoveries in Worship

There are students of the Bible who firmly believe that Luke's account of the pilgrims on the road to Emmaus is the most dramatic story in all Scripture. It certainly is one that gets our attention. Perhaps the drama and simplicity of it is the reason this story has become the one that gives thematic unity to a worldwide movement among Christians, the movement overseen known in this Church as Cursillio. It is a movement of people who are caught up in the surprising discoveries experienced by Cleopas and his companion when they walked and talked and broke bread with the Risen Christ in a village called Emmaus.

All of Luke's accounts of the resurrection appearances of Jesus have about them the quality of the worship life of the early church. There is a familiar pattern that reflects or is reflected in the pattern of worship among early Christians; disciples experiencing doubt and despair, Jesus appearance and confrontation, opening of scripture, sharing of a meal, followed by rejoicing and witness. There is an integral and unbreakable connection between our worship together and our experience of the Risen Savior. Worship is the center of the corporate life of the followers of Jesus Christ. Worship is the place of surprise and discovery. If we join that pair on the road to Emmaus we will find…

In worship we are discovered by the Risen Christ. While they were walking, Jesus came near and went with them. But they didn't realize it, they were not expecting him or looking for him. It takes a special opening of the eyes to see the Risen Christ because there is an inward blindness that must be overcome. John Newton's line “was blind but now I see” in Amazing Grace refers to this blindness. Fanny Crosby, whose hymns have inspired many, sang about spiritual blindness from the perspective of a person who was actually physically blind. We have a way of seeing what we want to or the way we want to. Jesus discovers us in this condition and desires to correct it!

In worship we discover him. Recognition of Jesus did not occur until they received the witness of Scripture and Sacrament. It always amazes me that so many people are amazed that the Church expects its members to be regular participants in worship. Some say, “attending worship doesn't guarantee that you'll be a good Christian. I can be a good Christian and never darken the doors of a church.” You can be a good person but not a new creature. You can do your own thing, but Christianity is not one's own thing. It is a corporate experience. The witness of Scripture, the teaching of the Church, the experience of millions of Christians for nearly 2000 years is that gathering for Word and Sacrament on a regular basis is essential because it is in worship that the chief means of grace are offered to nourish and sustain us in the Christian life. It is true that we can discover Christ anywhere. But the normal way, the primary way, the most reliable way is through word and sacrament with the gathered community of his followers.

In worship we discover our faith. Faith is, first and foremost, trust in God. St. Peter wrote, “Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised [Jesus] from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God” (I Peter 1:21). For most of us, mature faith does not come all at once as a finished product. We grow into it over time. In fact, the most exemplary saints are never sure the process is ever complete. I recall a scene from the movie, Tender Mercies, in which a boy and his stepfather are baptized. Going home, the boy says he doesn't feel much different. He asks his stepfather if he does. And his stepfather replies, “not yet.” In the experience of worship, more than any experience of our lives, we place ourselves in the presence of the Risen Christ and in his presence we discover our faith.

In worship we discover one another. After he broke bread and was recognized them, he left. Then “they said to each other…” We need to learn to share our faith one-on-one. Faith that is never shared isn't faith. We need to overcome fear that we might reveal weakness or that our insights might be challenged. Faith that is never questioned isn't worth having. We need to make all our meals and all our meetings experiences of shared faith in the Risen Christ…especially those meetings that have to do with money.

In worship we discover our feet. After their encounter with the Risen One in Emmaus, those disciples went to the others. The sense of the text is that they couldn't wait to get there. What if this Cathedral community became that excited about its mission, so that we couldn't wait to get out there and roll up our sleeves? Serving a meal or spending the night helping with the Women’s Homeless Initiative, getting involved with St. Francis Center, combating hunger with Metro Caring, signing up to tend the Cathedral Learning Garden, supporting Episcopal Relief and Development. What mission takes is people whose experience with the Risen Christ gets them out of their seat and up on their feet and moving. There is energy and power in it. And, it is not our own energy and power but the energy of God that raised Jesus from the dead. He shows us in Jesus that he also desires to give life to our mortal bodies. I submit to you today that our decisions to reach out to others are grounded in worship. What we do in worship produces results out there. We are able to bear fruit because we return week after week to make sure we are still grafted into the Vine, without whom we can do nothing.

In worship we discover our voice to witness and praise. When Cleopas and his companion arrived in Jerusalem and found the other disciples, they told what they'd seen. They found the others telling about their experience of the Resurrection also. There was amazement. There was praise. There was energy in that room when all those who'd encountered the Risen Christ got there. That energy freed their voices to go to others and tell. On the Day of Pentecost, 3,000 responded to their witness and joined them in following Christ. In worship we discover the courage to give all and risk all for the sake of his gospel. People need to give and risk in order to experience a growing and vital faith. Through Word and Sacrament, we are encountered by the Risen Christ, our fears and our faith are put in balance, we discover ways to share faith with one another, we discover our feet moving out to where our priestly ministry is needed, we discover our voice to praise and witness, and we discover the courage to give all and risk all for the sake of this gospel.

I'll see you in Church!

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue
Interim Dean
Saint John's Cathedral – Denver

April 26, 2017