Tag: Worship

Let us give thanks to God!

The Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church provides many resources to help us join together in giving thanks on our national day of thanksgiving. Our Hymnal also is filled with words and music to express our gratitude. I commend these worship resources to you and pray that you and those you love will enjoy a truly Happy Thanksgiving!

The Collect for Thanksgiving Day

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayers for Our Country

Almighty God, you have given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech you that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought here out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Litany of Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.

For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.

For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.

Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Hymn 433

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:
sing praise to his Name, he forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
so from the beginning the fight we were winning:
thou, Lord, wast at our side: all glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation:
thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

Words: Nederlandtsche Gedenckclanck, 1626; trans. Theodore Baker (1851-1934), 1894.
Music: Kremser (Nederlandtsche Gedenckclank, 1626)

Hymn 397

Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things hath done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mother's arms
hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever-joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us;
and keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son, and Holy Ghost,
supreme in highest heaven,
the one eternal God,
whom earth and heaven adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

Words: Martin Rinkart (1586-1649), 1636 trans. Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), 1858.
Music: Nun danket alle Gott (later form of melody by Johann Crüger, 1598-1662) arr. John Rutter.

November 25, 2015
Sermon at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jackson Hole ~ April 26, 2015

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Listen to the Sermon for April 26, 2015

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April 26, 2015
Worship for Life

Lex Orandi is a worshiping community that gathers on Sunday evenings at Christ Church Cranbrook for a meal and worship. The experience is sometimes described as "Ancient Future Worship."

Last Sunday evening, Bishop Gibbs and Canon Gettel were with us at Lex Orandi to begin a conversation about the next steps for this worshiping community as their founding spiritual leader, The Rev. Jim Hamilton, goes to another place of ministry in the Diocese of Maryland. It was a very good beginning, with a wonderful openness and lots of listening. The conversation will continue in the coming weeks.

After sharing some of his own spiritual journey with us, one member of the Lex Orandi community said, “Worshiping with this community helps me live my life better.” That was one of the most important things expressed during the conversation. It might be the effect any Christian community should hope to have on the lives of those who worship with them. Reflected in what this pilgrim said is not only the richness and wonder of the liturgy but also evidence of an abundance of hospitality where worshipers are able to be vulnerable and feel at home. They don’t have to “fit in” to feel that they belong because they are invited to be themselves and experience the unconditional love of Christ.

I was reminded of some words from the Preface to Liturgy for Living, written by Charles Price and Louis Weil in 1979 at the time of the publication of what was then the “new” Book of Common Prayer:

The worship of the Christian community, properly understood and done, leads worshipers to act out in their lives the love of God, which is at the heart of our worship. Worship also provides the power and the sustenance, which makes this style of living possible. This Christian style of living, moreover, drives those who are committed to it back to the worship of God, to find forgiveness and strength…When this interdependent relationship is understood, the power of worship is illuminated and the power to live increased.

That is the meaning behind the name of this worshiping community. The Latin phrase Lex orandi, lex credendi, loosely translated, means "the law of praying is the law of believing.” It is an ancient Christian principle about the relationship between worship and belief. An early version of the maxim is found in the writings of Prosper of Aquitaine (c. 390 – c. 455), a Christian writer and disciple of Saint Augustine of Hippo. He wrote, “Let us consider the sacraments of priestly prayers, which having been handed down by the apostles are celebrated uniformly throughout the whole world and in every catholic Church so that the law of praying might establish the law of believing." * The principle guided Thomas Cranmer as he prepared the first Book of Common Prayer and it has guided those entrusted with subsequent revisions.

The love of God at the heart of Christian worship leads worshipers to act out the love of God in their lives. Worship teaches us to live. That’s why the discipline of weekly corporate worship is so necessary for the Christian journey. Our prayers shape our beliefs and our beliefs shape our lives. During the Epiphany season, I often begin the blessing of the congregation with these words from The Book of Occasional Services: "May Christ, the Son of God, be manifest in you, that your lives may be a light to the world."

I hope every person who enters a Christian house of worship and participates in worship with a community gathered there will be able to say, “Worshiping with this community helps me live my life better.” And we can all say an enthusiastic, "AMEN!"

I’ll see you in Church!

* Patrologia Latina [Latin Patristic] 51, pp. 209–10

February 24, 2014
Sermon at Calvary Church ~ June 10, 2012

Proper 5B

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June 10, 2012
Strategies for Summertime Spirituality

The month of May is almost over. Memorial Day 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 home 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 Vacation Bible 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!

May 24, 2012
Sermon at Calvary Church ~ April 29, 2012

Easter 4B

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April 29, 2012
Nurturing the Most Important Relationship of All

Think of the most important relationships in your life. Who are the people who matter to you and to whom you matter? How do you nurture those relationships? Do you routinely show up for meals with them? Do you communicate with them? Do you celebrate special occasions with them? Do you check in with them on a regular basis? Do you go out of your way for them? Do you feel a sense of responsibility to them? Do you delight in their company? Do you lavish gifts upon them to express your devotion? Do you tell them what they mean to you? What would your life be like without them? Do you ever take them for granted? Would it bother you if you drifted apart.

Does your relationship with God matter as much? How do you nurture your relationship with God?

One of the consistent themes of the Bible is God’s desire for a relationship with us. God went searching for Adam in the Garden of Eden. God appeared to Abraham and made a covenant with him. The first two commandments God gave to Moses on the mountain have to do with putting God first. God in Christ said, “Follow me” to some strangers and formed them into a community of friends and disciples. They and their successors called to others to follow Christ and join that community, the Church, where we continue to work on that relationship today.

God wants to be first in our lives and promises to transform all other relationships. In an attempt to express the primacy of our relationship with God, the faithful do things like give the first tenth of their treasure to God and worship on the first day of the week. Because God matters, we show up for meals, communicate, celebrate special occasions, check in regularly, go out of our way, feel a sense of responsibility, delight in God’s company, lavish gifts upon God, and express what God means to us through prayers and praises. Life would not be the same without God and we don’t ever want to take God for granted.

God matters to us. But even more important is the message that we matter to God! Of all God’s creatures, human beings come first. We are the apple of God’s eye. Because this relationship is so important to God, God shows up for meals, communicates with us, celebrates special occasions with us, goes out of the way for us, feels a sense of responsibility toward us, delights in our company, lavishes gifts upon us, and tells us we are beloved. We matter to God and God never takes us for granted.

    I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew
    he moved my soul to seek him, seeking me.
    It was not I that found, O Savior true;
    no, I was found of thee.

    Thou didst reach forth thy hand and mine enfold;
    I walked and sank not on the storm-vexed sea.
    'Twas not so much that I on thee took hold,
    as thou, dear Lord, on me.

    I find, I walk, I love, but oh, the whole
    of love is but my answer, Lord, to thee!
    For thou wert long beforehand with my soul;
    always thou lovedst me.

February 3, 2011
Do you have a corporate relationship with God?

Theologian Michael Battle recently lectured at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Mission, Kansas. He spoke to us of growing up in a culture where he often heard the question, "Do you have personal relationship with Jesus Christ?" In reflecting on that question, he said that an equally important a even more biblically significant question is, "Do you have a corporate relationship with Jesus Christ?"

In our post-Modern age when we are beginning to shed some of the enlightenment emphasis on the individual, this is a "word in due season."

I was reminded of the importance of our corporate relationship with Jesus Christ last Sunday when Bishop Wolfe spoke to the vestry about his concern over the decline in worship attendance in the Diocese of Kansas and across the Church. His concerns resonate with my own! Let me share five reasons why.

• The first three Commandments tell us to love and obey God and to bring others to know him; to put nothing in the place of God; and to show God respect in thought, word, and deed.

• Jesus' summary of the Law tells us to Love God with all our heart, mind, and soul.

• Together, we have entered into and repeatedly reaffirmed our covenant relationship with God in Christ. The Baptismal promises we make for ourselves and on behalf of our children involve the promise to "continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers."

• Our Catechism teaches us that "The duty of all Christians is to follow Christ; to come together week by week for corporate worship; and to work, pray, and give for the spread of the kingdom of God."

• Christianity is meant to be shared. It is a corporate faith and corporate worship is our duty, our joy, and our opportunity to know God in the company of God's covenant people. When we gather for worship we are formed spiritually into Christ's body, nourished with God's grace in Word and Sacrament, and sent back into the world in God's mission "to represent Christ and his Church" and to "bear witness to him wherever we may be." There are many ways to know, love, and serve God. Worship is the first of these ways and, in God's administrative policy, it is not optional. It is who we are and how we live.

So, let us heed the exhortation of the Letter to the Hebrews: "And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching." – Hebrews 10:24-25.

I'll see you in Church!

April 29, 2010
Gathering around the family table is good for us!

Many of us have just spent some time gathered around the table with our
families and close friends for a Thanksgiving feast. This may be a
teachable moment, when we can connect the dots that form a picture of
family life and family identity.

Families seem busier now than
when I was a child. It's easy to understand, particularly with more
two-career households, more activities for children and youth, and
significant shifts in cultural values. When something has to give,
family meals may fall by the wayside. And yet, family meals are not
only a time for strengthening family ties and keeping track of your
children's lives, they can actually lead to better physical and mental
health for your children and for the entire family.

Studies in
recent years have concluded that family meals are a central feature in
better nutrition, mental health, academic achievement, vocabulary,
parenting, and family life in general. Many of us can recall how we
learned the story of our family and came to an understanding of our
place in that family while sitting at the table with our families.

Have
you noticed that as the trend away from family dining has increased,
worship patterns on Sundays have also changed? I suspect the same
factors that make it more difficult to gather the family around the
dinner table also make it more difficult for Christians to gather
around the Lord's Table. I invite you to consider that the health and
well-being of the Church is impacted by regular worship in ways that
are similar to ways our families are impacted by regular family meals.
When God calls us together as to recall the family story and share in
the family meal, we are nourished and formed as Christians. We remember who and
whose we are.

Maybe the adage, "The Family That Prays Together
Stays Together," is not so trite after all. I do understand that many
people do not have good memories of family and home. Many have not
found the church family all that wonderful either. However, there is
universal hunger for a sense of belonging and identity that we might
call "family feeling." Those who have found surrogate families will
tell you how much it means. Those who have returned to their church
families or found new ones will tell you how it has impacted their
spiritual journey.

Now is a good time to pause and reflect on
the busyness of our lives and consider what valuable times with our
families and our church family have been crowded out. If we are too
busy to gather around the table – at home or at church – maybe we are
just too busy for our own good and the good of those whose lives are
closely linked with ours. At home and at church, we need that time
together!

November 27, 2009