Category: From the Rector

The collects for the first several Sundays after Pentecost emphasize how God provides for us.  For example:

O God, your never‑failing providence sets in order all things both in heaven and earth: Put away from us, we entreat you, all hurtful things, and give us those things which are profitable for us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

And this:

 

O God, from whom all good proceeds: Grant that by your inspiration we may think those things that are right, and by your merciful guiding may do them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

In a world where we are encouraged to believe that what we have comes only through our work, ambition, the political process, the economy, war, or some other human endeavor, it is refreshing to be reminded that God provides!

 

Learn to look through the window of your soul to recognize God’s hand at work.  Awakening to that reality brings about a transformation of consciousness that liberates us from dependence upon material things and deepens our love for our Creator and Provider.

We are at that time of year when people complete their courses of study in schools, colleges, and universities.  Those who have completed their course of studies will take part in an important ritual called “graduation” or “commencement.”  I’ve always found it interesting that our words for that ritual have more to do with the next step than with the series of steps leading up to it.  We “graduate” from our studies into a new set of challenges.  We “commence” that for which we have been preparing.

                       

When Jesus was with the twelve in the Upper Room, he knew it was time for them to “graduate.”  He was preparing to complete his earthly mission and leave them, so he had to tell them things they needed to know in order to “commence” the next era of proclaiming his gospel.  Scholars typically call this section of John’s gospel “the farewell discourse.”  However, when you read it you will clearly see that it is far, far more than a farewell speech – it is a commencement address.

                       

For the followers of Christ, the focus is always on the future!  To those who are about to graduate from the course of study in which you have been involved and who are about to commence the next phase of your life’s journey, we say, “congratulations!”  The future opens before you and it is filled with possibilities and opportunities.  It also holds uncertainties and challenges.  Perhaps it seems frightening or overwhelming to you.

                       

In light of these options, remember the words of the Psalmist (Psalm 139:13-14):

             

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
   you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

 

Your Creator designed you to face the future with remarkable gifts.  Those uniquely human gifts, employed in partnership with the Creator, equip you to make something from nothing!

             

Long ago, when you were Baptized, God and the Church made a promise to always be there for you.  As you commence your next educational pursuit or your career, remember that.  We have a bookmark that we give to visitors to Trinity Church.  On it, there is an invitation to face the future in confidence.  It says, “Don’t be afraid of the future, God is already there.”  That is a paraphrase of God’s message through the Prophet Jeremiah: “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” (Jer. 29:11).

   

God bless you as your journey continues.  Along with God, we promised to continue with you and we will keep that promise.

We think of a mother as one who from before our birth wants and loves her child.  We think of one who provides nurture and affirmation and encouragement.  We think of one who has mercy on her child, even when she knows the worst there is to know.

             

Mother's influence, for good or ill, is always with us. "Mother" is that person who cuddled us, nursed us, and soothed us when we were very small.  She provided the basic security that we all need if we are to learn to trust and hope.  Because it is a relationship that begins in the womb, it is different from the relationship one has with one's father.

             

Mother is also a symbol of the nurture that comes from God.  If "mother" is seen (at least by small children) as Godlike, why can't God be seen as motherlike?  We are aware that many mothers fall short of any Godlike quality, just as many fathers do.  Some of us have to look for ways to forgive our mothers and to believe that they did the best they could with what they had.  Nevertheless, Mother is an indispensable figure in our lives.  This story sums it up:  A woman knocked at a neighbor's door and was surprised when a six year old answered the door.  "Hello Susie.  Are you all alone?"  "Yes.  Mother's in the hospital and me and Daddy, and Bobbie, and Cindy are all alone."

    

Since it is quite likely that we can learn a lot about the motherlike qualities of God from our mothers, it is a good thing to encourage mothers to develop Godlike qualities in their lives.

             

The second chapter of St. Peter’s First Epistle is one in which mothers and their children can immerse themselves, especially at times when there is doubt about the presence of mercy and the security of identity.  It is, in a way, a gospel for mothers and their children.

 

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— ³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

            

4Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and ⁵like living stones, let yourselves be built^* into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For it stands in scripture:

‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him^* will not be put to shame.’ ⁷To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner’, ⁸and ‘A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,^* in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

¹⁰Once you were not a people,
   but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
   but now you have received mercy.   – 1 Peter 2:2-10 nrsv

         

Peter begins by likening God's word to a mother's milk.  "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow into salvation."  Then, he goes on to explain how each one of God's children has a place in the house; each one belongs.

      

He declares that we are a family with a divine purpose, something bigger than we are for which to live.  We are a holy nation a royal priesthood, God's own people.

      

Then, he concludes it all by declaring the reversal of the message of the Prophet Hosea. "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people.  Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

      

This is a great legacy, handed on from generation to generation by our Mother, the Church.  We are nourished by it so that we can grow into salvation and enjoy our rightful place in the household of faith, in this family.  We can become all God wants us to be. 

                            

            Anne Frank wrote in her diary,

            "Every one has inside himself a piece of good news!

            The good news is that you really don't know

                        how great you can be

                        how much you can love

                        what you can accomplish

                        what your potential is.

            How can you top good news like that?"

                      

Mothers, nourish yourselves with this good news!  Then, pass it along to your children so that they, too, will come to this realization.

                      

Church, there are those to whom we must be a Mother, who have not known before how much they are loved and what a wonderful identity they have inherited.

                      

Children, of all ages, whether you got this message of worth and self esteem from your mothers or not, hear and believe it now because it is addressed personally to you:  "Once you were not people, but now you are God's people.  Once you had not received mercy, but now you have."

     On a recent Sunday afternoon, I was out for my daily walk.  That day I was heading for the Seawall, crossing the boulevard at 29^th Street.  The pedestrian “Walk” signal started counting down the seconds available for crossing.  Halfway across the street, I met a woman walking in the other direction.  I wished her, “good afternoon.”  She smiled in response, but then said, “Eighteen seconds?  Where’s the grace?”

     What a great question!  I hadn’t given it much thought and had just taken it for granted that the people who program traffic signals and control traffic around the island must have conducted several studies, hired consultants, and figured out that eighteen seconds was exactly the right amount of time for a pedestrian to occupy the crosswalk on a public roadway.  After all, the roadway is designed for vehicles, right?  Pedestrians are just tolerated.  Cross from one side to the other in eighteen seconds or risk getting run over by a vehicle.

     Now that my consciousness has been raised by another pedestrian, I can’t cross the street without hearing her question, “Where’s the grace?” Maybe I’ll suggest to the City Manager that reprogramming the lights with a longer grace period would be consistent with the City Council’s ongoing mission to make Galveston a more pedestrian-friendly city.

     Meanwhile, back at the Church, it occurs to me that it would be a good discipline for a Christian to ask this question daily about other areas of life.  Where’s the grace?  We could all benefit from a lot more of it.

     Where’s the grace – in my life, in the life of my community of faith, in my family, in my neighborhood, in the political campaign, in the actions of my government, in my workplace, in my classroom, in my relationship with my God?

     Because by our Baptism we are children of God by grace and adoption, we are supposed to know about grace and spread it around. We are offered a healthy diet of grace through the Word of God and the Holy Eucharist.  Those are provisions God has supplied so that we will never be starved for grace.  We receive the means of grace so that we can become a means of grace in the world around us.  When we become conscious of a lack of grace, we have an opportunity to change that situation.  When we experience a moment of grace, we have an opportunity to celebrate it.  Think about it!  This is a world-changing opportunity we have here.

                                                                   The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

                                                                                                            

Christians often confuse deliberation with mission.  We are not "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people" so we can have meetings or sit around feeling special.  St. Peter says Christians are given this identity "in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."  We are not supposed to be defined by our meetings but by our message.

For years I have been humbled and disturbed by the following rewrite of the Parable of the Judgment of the Nations.

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger, thank you.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me of a spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

You seemed so holy, so close to God, but I am still very hungry and lonely and cold.

What if every congregation of Christians rewrote the parable in terms of meaningful actions they are committed to take in response to each plea.  I suspect it would change the complexion of Christianity.  Every congregation would soon be known on the community grapevine for the unique way they live out the implications of the gospel in response to the needs of their neighbors.  How will you bring God’s redemptive love to the hungry, imprisoned, naked, sick, homeless, and lonely women, men, and children at the doorstep of your church?  How might the Christians with whom you worship become living proof that the good news of Jesus is really good?

Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that there are those who are taking my name out of the season. Maybe you’ve forgotten that I wasn’t actually born during this time of year, but that it was decided to celebrate my birthday on what was already a time of pagan festival for the winter solstice. Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime, I don’t care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate my birth, then love me, and love your neighbors.

If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn’t allow a scene depicting my birth, then put a small nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all my followers did that, there wouldn’t be any need for such a scene on the town square, because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can remember me anytime you see any tree. Decorating a grape vine would be more appropriate. In fact I spoke about that in one of my teachings.

If you want to celebrate my birth, in a way that honors me, then here is my wish list:

1.      Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way my birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home, or to anyone else who is sick, alone or hungry, while you are able to be celebrating in fine fashion.

2. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don’t you write and tell him that you’ll be praying for him and his family, because of the constant pressure they face. Then follow through. It will be nice hearing from you again.

3. Or pick someone who has hurt you in the past and forgive them.

4. Instead of complaining about what a retailer calls the holiday, be patient with the understaffed and overworked employees there. Even if they aren’t allowed to wish you Merry Christmas, you can wish them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn’t make so much money on that day, they would stay closed and let their employees spend the day at home with their families, or even attend church.

5. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to me, then behave like a Christian. Don’t do things in secret that you wouldn’t do in my presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine. Make it obvious that your faith in me has made a tremendous difference in your life.

Don’t forget:  I am God and can take care of myself, with or without the endorsement of your local government. Just love me and do what I have told you to. I can take care of all the rest.  Check out the above list and get to work.  I will help you, but the ball is now in your court.

Merry Christmas. 

Love, Jesus

Galveston’s Trinity Episcopal Church is full of exceptionally gifted people who consider their faith to be central to their daily life and work.  Oliver Black (pictured here) is one of those people.

 

   

     Galveston is home to the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB).  UTMB is a leader in the research and treatment of infectious diseases.  With the construction of the new Galveston National Laboratory, scientists have a wonderful tool for studying diseases.  However the scientists have not been able to actually see and treat the patients who have these diseases without expensive trips to rural locations in exotic locales where the diseases sometimes run rampant.  Bringing patients with Ebola or some other exotic disease to Galveston is pretty much out of the question.

     Now, however, UTMB is sending out telemedicine technology developed at UTMB, with a small team to these remote locations.  The technology is being set up to connect back to UTMB to allow scientists and doctors here to see and talk with patients and physicians in these remote locations.  Specialized medical equipment allows the physicians to listen to the heart, look in ears, nose, throat, etc of the patients in these remote locations.

     Oliver Black plays a significant role in the design of the equipment being installed and is among those traveling to these locations to ensure a successful installation.  He left on Sunday, December 2, for Sierra Leone on the second of a series of deployments.  He visited Croatia last month.  Future locations include China, Peru, and other countries.  With lots of vaccinations and your prayers, Oliver should make it there and back with no problems.

 

     Jesus promised that his followers would bring healing.  Oliver Black is engaged in doing that by using his God-given skills to provide the technology that is necessary for the medical team to reach patients thousands of miles from Galveston.  The apostles would be amazed at how one of Jesus’ disciples in the twenty-first century is fulfilling the promise of Jesus!

    

     How's that for a glimpse of God at work in our world?