First Sunday in Lent at New Hope

Springing forward, up for blueberry pecan pancakes, locally raised and cured  bacon, and locally roasted coffee. Even better than all that was eating it with my son, his wife, and my two grand boys.

Then, having lost an hour of morning because of daylight savings time, as I always do when I'm with my family in Bend, I have a fresh appreciation for the challenge it is to get a family, particularly with a toddler and a preschooler, off to church on a Sunday.

My family has been visiting a church close by, New Hope Church.  With welcoming nursery and preschool for the grand boys to be during church, we three adults went down the hall to worship.  We started with good praise music, reminiscent of the music we used to sing at St. Cuthbert, the church where my son was baptized and our family worshipped before I was ordained.  The pastor did a fine Bible teaching from James with a fresh reminder of the power of the words that come out of our mouths.  A final song and prayer, and we were home for a family lunch of delicious leftovers.

It was an amazing gift this first Sunday of Lent morning to be with my Oregon family for breakfast and worship.  We pray for the best things for our children and grandchildren, and to know that they have a wonderful place to come together with the people of God each week is the very best "yes" to a prayer.  I have to admit to being teary more than a few times with joy and thanksgiving to the God of good and prefect gifts.

Now the boys are napping, and maybe Grandma Texas, too.  Hoping that the sun will keep shining so we can have some outside adventures later this afternoon before a delicious steak dinner tonight.  Tomorrow is a very early flight home to Texas, my heart full precious memories that will carry me home.

On Ash Wednesday, Katie+, our curate, prayed an eloquent blessing on this trip.  Once again, glory to God whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Great praying, Katie+!

A lenten rhythm

And so it begins yet again.  Ash Wednesday.  Lent.

Our theme at St. Mary's this year is Love All, and we have a variety of resources from which people can pick and choose to enrich the forty days of Lent.

The parish has been invited to be watch a video each day from the brothers of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, and we've printed a workbook for folks to write their daily reflections on the video.  On Wednesday evenings we'll have some small groups and watch a video or two and talk about our reflections.

We're also encouraging folks to take time during Lent to prepare for the sacrament of Reconciliation of a Penitent.  SSJE has provided a wonderful booklet that our adults are using for their time of reflection, and our Children Formation Minister, Cindy, has prepared a small refection based on the Lord's Prayer that our younger Christians can use in preparations.

Many of our Daughters of the King have subscribed to a daily email series created by Jan Richardson called "Beloved: An online journey into Lent an Easter."  The Daughters are sponsoring a Quiet Day for men and women this Saturday at St. Mary's.

The monastery of which I'm an Oblate has a practice of Bona Opera ("good work"): submitting your spiritual practice in writing to be placed on the altar of the monastery and blessed on Ash Wednesday. I have made a daily commitment of lectio divina, almsgiving, prayer, and fasting.

Having disciplines, spiritual practices for Lent, are an important way of reshaping our lives so that our hearts become more transformed into the place where God alone dwells.  It's doing what Jesus says each year in our Gospel for Ash Wednesday; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6.21).

I have my daily Lenten disciplines which I submitted to Sister Antoinette that sit on the altar of Our Lady of Grace.  But at our Vestry/Ministry Council retreat on Saturday, one of our lay folk mentioned that her spiritual director years ago had encouraged her to have a spiritual rhythm.  That resonates with me.  

There are little things that when I do them I feel centered in who God has created me to be.  Drink a cup of tea.  Eat an apple.  Talk a walk.  Sit in silence.  Tidy as I go.  Pray a daily cycle of prayer for the parish.  Write a note of love.  Feed the birds. Quotidian actions that feed my soul that are easy to be too busy to do--triaged away until it's bedtime and they don't happen. 

So for Lent this year, my Bona Opera that 

will sit on the altar at St. Mary's will be a commitment to a daily Lenten rhythm.

I reminded myself in my sermon today that these good things we do are not so that we can have a personal self-improvement plan for Lent but so that we can become more completely God's and can more fully serve God's people. 

And now I'm off to love all--particularly those two grandboys who live in Bend. 

Ceasing to work...with the workers of the church

It’s the last day of my retreat.  After I pray Evening Prayer in the Chapel tonight, I’ll return to Houston and a full day of work tomorrow.

On this final day, I’ve invited the lay leaders of the parish, the Vestry and the Ministry Council, to join me for the day.  I made scones and served them with fruit, yogurt, and an assortment of beverages.

We began the day chatting and eating, then prayed together.

A collect for Saturdays collecting us in community.

Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures:  Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary , and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN

We prayed Lectio Divina using the Gospel for tomorrow.  We shared a bit, and then we moved to silence.  Free until gathering at noon at the chapel for prayers.  The only rule:  Don’t talk.  Don’t work.

Napping, reading, sitting, bike riding, walking, knitting, drawing, doing a crossroad puzzle, outside and inside.

We ended our silence with Noonday Prayers in the Chapel, followed with lively conversation during lunch in the Conference Center.  More fellowship, and then we closed with Communion back in the cabin.  Our Prayers of the People were for the people of St. Mary's,
praying for each member of the parish by name.

It was Sabbath.

Come my way, my truth, my life

Yesterday was the feast day of George Herbert, a seventeenth century poet and priest who was one of the Carolina Divines.  My love of his writings when I was in seminary encouraged me to dig deeper and research the many nearly forgotten women who supported and inspired these poet priests in the time of King Charles I.  These women, discovered most often by reading footnotes, became the subject of my master thesis, "Truly Divine:  Women of the Caroline Divine Era."   Pride cometh, however; it wasn't until after I had received my Master of Divinity that I found out that I had spell-checked the very frequently used word "diary" into dairy.  Oh well.

At my ordination to the priesthood, we sang one of Herbert's poems transformed into a hymn, Come my way, my truth, my life.

Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life:  

such a way as gives us breath, 

such a truth as ends all strife, 

such a life as killeth death.

Come, my Light, my Feast, my Strength:  

such a light as shows a feast, 

such a feast as mends in length, 

such a strength as makes his guest.

Come, my Joy, my Love, my Heart:  

such a joy as none can move, 

such a love as none can part, 

such a heart as joys in love.

I find the Collect appointed for George Herbert's day especially meaningful:

Our God and King, you called your servant George Herbert from the pursuit of worldly honors to be a pastor of souls, a poet, and a priest in your temple: Give us grace, we pray, joyfully to perform the tasks you give us to do, knowing that nothing is menial or common that is done for your sake; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. AMEN

Give us grace, we pray, joyfully to perform the tasks you give us to do, knowing that nothing is menial or common that is done for your sake.....  

These words resonated in my soul as I pondered and prayed from the porch of my Bluebonnet Cabin.

Apostling in the Piney Woods

Today I start a retreat at Camp Allen, our Diocesan gathering place in the piney woods. I'm here as Chaplain-in-Residence which means I pray Morning and Evening Prayer each day in the Chapel (which is bigger than St. Mary's nave)--and cover any liturgical needs that might come up in the week.  In exchange, I stay in a cabin on the lake and get 3 CEUs. God is very good. 

Our Vestry and Ministry Council will spend the day with me on Saturday. I go back to preach at St. Mary's on Sunday, and our spin on World Mission Sunday, which is always the last Sunday after the Epiphany, is to anoint and commission parishioners to be missionaries in their everyday, not--so--quotidian lives. As God would have it, here is the word for the day from my morning devotional:

Apostle    (Br. David Veygof, Society of St. John the Evangelist)

You have been chosen to bear fruit, fruit that will last. This is a great honor and privilege: to be bearers of God’s light and love in the world, to give testimony to God’s compassion, grace and peace.