BAD WORDS!

"I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." - Jesus (Matthew 12:36-37).

I am certain that I have spoken many careless words, but I would like to change this as much as I can in the future!

There are 5 words which I am trying to deduct from my personal dictionary, because I find them to be "careless" and unprofitable. I'll explain later, but for now these are:

1. Christianity
2. nice
3. hate
4. should
5. um

Consider your own call

A Sermon for the 4th Sunday after the Epiphany (RCL A) 1-30-2011

Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts: Micah 6:1-8; Psalm 15; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31; Matthew 5:1-12
Title: Consider your own call

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ: I spoke with you last week about the dangerous place in which we find ourselves today as a Christian community. Our continuation as a distinct community is at risk. We will be discussing this fact, and its implications, later on today at our Annual Meeting.

Make no mistake about it: we are standing at a crossroads. To think of our situation in biblical terms, we could say that we are standing now on the shore of the red sea. The forces which seek to end our existence as a distinct community, like the armies of Pharaoh, are fast on our heels. Before us lies the sea, and here we find ourselves between the forces of destruction on one side and the seemingly impossible decision to walk out into the sea, supported only by our trust in the promise of God.

My friends, this will be our singular focus in worship over the next few months, and perhaps longer. I feel clearly that the Holy Spirit is preparing us to walk out into the waves, through the red sea, over to a new and different place. There is a major transition ahead of us, and it will do no good to simply ignore it or to be surprised when it comes.

We know what the trouble is. We need more people engaged and involved in our church, particularly more youth and young adults. Can I get an “amen”?

There are many different factors that have caused this shortcoming and brought about our situation. But I am convinced that one of the reasons that our witness to the gospel is ineffectual and so often ignored by our younger people is due to the lack of personal testimony to the grace of God among us.

Think about the world we live in. In our everyday lives, we swim in a sea of advertising, and many young people are skeptical about what others are selling to them. How can we convince them that this gospel message is real and true and life-changing if we ourselves are unwilling or unable to speak clearly about what Christ has done in our own lives? If we have walked this Christian journey for years now and we have not yet experienced God working and moving in our lives, then why will our young people be inspired to make this journey for themselves? But if God has moved powerfully in your life, and changed you in crucial ways, how will they know unless you share your story with us?

Look back at what the apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth, the passage which we heard read today. “Consider your own call, brothers and sisters.” Consider, he says, when God touched you. Remember what God has done in your life. Hark back to the time when Jesus entered into your life in a conscious and conspicuous way.

Our own experience of the grace of God in our real lives must always a touchstone, a signpost, a marker on the journey. It is one of the primary sources of authority for each of us, one key way to discern our way into the future.

While meditating on this last week, I realized that most of you do not know my own testimony. That’s unfortunate and it must be remedied. So, here is the “cliff notes” version.

I was nominally raised in the Episcopal Church, here in the Diocese of NJ, but we rarely attended. We were typical Christmas and Easter folks. I probably attended Sunday School only 4 or 5 times in my life. I was baptized, of course, and I remember my confirmation when I was thirteen, but these sacramental events did not seem to change the place that I or my family gave to God in our lives. In high school, I became a seeker. I’ll spare you the gory details, but suffice it to say that I tried to find joy and happiness in a lot of different ways, many of which are not good for one’s health.

I explored different spiritual ideas as well. I spoke with Hare Krishna devotees over on South Street. I listened to a lot of Bob Marley and read about Rastafarianism. I attended Shabat prayers with Jewish friends. I was on a journey, seeking after truth on which I could build my life. During my senior year in high school, I remember going to the midnight mass on Christmas Eve at our little Episcopal church over in Vincentown. All of the 75 or so people who were there were hugging each other and singing, and I remember thinking, “wow – if I really am searching for peace and love, then there seems to be a whole lot of it in this place!”

All my family became more involved in church that year. My dad and I joined the choir (that shows how inclusive they were!), we participated in a wonderful Faith Alive weekend, I delivered the youth sermon on Mother’s Day that year. But I was still searching, unable to find clarity in my mind and heart. That is, until my cousin invited me to join him at a Young Life camp in New York state just two weeks before I was to leave for college.

What an amazing week! There at camp, for the first time in my life, I heard a clear and direct and personal invitation for me to make a decision to follow Jesus. I made that decision one night at camp, and it was like someone turned on the light switch inside of me. I had never really understood the Bible before. I had read it, but it never had made sense to me. But there at Young Life camp, I picked up a New Testament in modern English, found a boulder in a stream where I could sit and be alone, and I sat and read through the whole thing. The whole New Testament! And it made sense! I didn’t understand all the details of course, but I could see what was happening – the story, the message. All of a sudden, they made sense to me, and I could identify with that story. It was my story. And since that week, my life has never been the same.

Praise God that this happened before I went off to college at one of the best party schools in America! Thankfully, I entered college in an intentional, daily relationship with Jesus Christ and he has since guided me continually ever since. I have no idea where my searching would have taken me, and where I would be today, if I had not made that decision to follow Jesus.

“Consider your own call, my brothers and sisters.” Everyone’s story is different. Each person is unique, and God’s interactions with each person is unique. But it is vital for you that you know your story. Consider how God called you, and how the grace of God has impacted your life. And then tell that story to someone else. It doesn’t have to be like mine. It is your story of God’s work in your particular life.

Now, I know that many of you may feel inadequate for this task or that you have nothing really to say. But make no mistake about it: God has been at work in your life. You would not be in this place of worship here today if God were not actively at work in your life. Learn to recognize it, to name it, to piece it all together until you can see the coherent whole story of God’s work within you.

It is good for your soul to know your testimony, to be able to see what God has done in your story and to speak about it. But it is even better for the future of our church! If we are to reach a larger section of our younger people, we need to become a safe community where people tell their God-stories. If we are to inspire our youth to live their lives in relationship with Jesus Christ, then we must become a community where we share openly and honestly with each other about what Jesus has done in our lives.

Young people can smell a fake, and they will not invest themselves in something that is not real and important and authentic and true. I believe that your faith is all of these things, but how will others know unless we learn to share our stories?

May God give us all the grace to see what Christ has done within us, and the boldness to tell our stories for all to hear. Amen.

They Left Their Nets

A Sermon for the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany (A – RCL) 2011, offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts: Isaiah 9:1-4; Psalm 27:1,4-9; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18; Matthew 4:12-23


There was an energetic pastor of a church somewhere down south who preached an enthusiastic sermon one Sunday about serving in the Army of the Lord. He called on everyone present to enlist in the Lord’s army, to be willing to lay down their lives to protect and advance the kingdom of God.

As usual, this pastor stood at the door after the service to shake hands with the congregation. He was feeling quite bold this Sunday, so when one particular fellow, who was not a regular, came to shake hands, the pastor eagerly drew him aside and said, “You, my friend, need to join the Army of the Lord!”

“But I’m already in the Lord’s Army, pastor!” he responded. So the pastor questioned him, “Why then do I only see you once or twice a year?”

The parishioner glanced around him quickly and then leaned in and whispered to the pastor, “Shhh! I’m in the Secret Service! OR I’m on an undercover operation!”

My dear friends, it is the unfortunate truth that we have far too many people who are working undercover, so to speak.

This has brought us to a point right now where we find ourselves, as a Christian community, walking right now down a dangerous path. Imagine, if you will, a snow- and ice-covered path through the mountains. It is only a few feet wide. There is no handrail to hold onto to. Only a few rocks sticking out of the ice here and there on one side. On the other side is a steep ravine, falling away hundreds of feet. The wind is howling. The sunlight is fading into dusk. There is no one else around in sight.

For me, this is a good visual image of where we find ourselves right now. How did we get here in this dangerous place? We did not walk out onto this path on purpose. As a church, we did not choose to begin a course that has led to continuous decline in our membership, in our financial strength, and in our influence in society at large.

We did not intentionally choose this path. However, nonetheless, this is precisely where we find ourselves today. Today – right now – we are all together facing the possibility of continuing decline and even the potential for closing our doors for good in the not-too-distant-future.

Just look around. Ask yourself: where is the next generation? Where are all of the young adults in their twenties and thirties and forties who we need to step up and provide the leadership and base of support needed to carry us forward?

(We have some / there are some here – praise God! But there are not enough, not here nor anywhere else within the Diocese of NJ.)

The situation is not entirely bleak, of course. With determination and effort, and the guiding help of the Holy Spirit, we may yet maneuver our way out of this dangerous position. But to do this is not easy, and it will demand much from all of us who are here today. Let me explain.

Energy and passion is always contagious! When you love something – whatever it is, you can’t help but to tell others about it, to share your joy with someone else. Take a moment and think right now about those things in life that you love which you learned from others when you were young. Think of the infectious love for something or other which you contracted from another, whether a parent or a sibling or a favorite uncle or maybe your best friend growing up. You possess that love and joy today because they shared it with you, whether directly or indirectly. What are these things that you love now? Go ahead and name them out loud.

Great…Well, here’s a secret for you, my friends. It’s no different in the realm of faith! More often than not, young people catch the same kind of enthusiasm and joy that is shared by the significant adults in their life.

You may have seen the notice about our ONE BOOK study this Spring here in the Diocese of NJ. All together, we will be reading and studying this book entitled Almost Christian: What the Faith of our Teenagers is Telling the American Church. This book is a response to the ground-breaking 2005 National Report on Youth and Religion, the most rigorous and comprehensive study ever of American teenagers and their connections to religion. Many of our Diocesan leaders met yesterday, along with Bishop George and the author of this book, to discuss the implications of this study in small groups.

This 2005 report is a veritable treasure-trove of useful information, but one of the most immediately interesting findings is that the vast majority of young people mirror the same faith that is practiced by their parents. Contrary to some popular beliefs, statistically speaking, most young people do not reject the religion of their parents. Just the opposite: most are willing to believe what their parents have believed.

And that - right there - is where our problem lies. You see, most of our young people will have the same faith and devotion and commitment that they see in the everyday lives of their parents.

So the message for us is clear: if we are to reverse our deteriorating situation, then we simply must fall in love with Jesus. If we truly and deeply love Jesus, and if our young people see this love and devotion within is, it will be contagious and it will be caught and carried on in their own lives.

When Jesus walked along the shore of the sea of Galilee and called his first disciples to come and follow him, he called them to leave everything else behind. And so the text states that they responded with incredible commitment. “Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”

But for what purpose? To what new life did Jesus call these men? “Follow me,” he said to them, “and I will make you fish for people” (Matthew 4:19).

“Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” The call of Jesus to us here today is no different. He loves the people out there who are hurting and struggling and who feel hopeless and alone. And he is calling us today to join him in fishing for them. That’s why he feeds us, so that we can be strong in fishing for others! The hooks that we cast are those of love and commitment and devotion. And if we are faithful in casting these out, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, we might have the privilege of seeing lives transformed and added to the growing kingdom of God. Amen.

One in the Apostles' Teaching & Fellowship

A Sermon for the 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany (Jan. 16, 2011)
Offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry and shared at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, Gloucester City, in honor of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Lectionary Texts: Isaiah 49:1-7; Psalm 40:1-12; 1 Corinthians 1:1-9; John 1:29-42
RC Lectionary: Isaiah 49:3,5-6; Psalm 40; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34
Week of Prayer Text: Acts 2:42

What is it that keeps us Christians from being united together in our love and service to our Lord Jesus Christ?

(At St. Mary’s: My dear friends, it is my privilege and honor to stand in this pulpit today and to proclaim the truth of God’s word in your midst.)

Today, it is our intention to remember the desire of Christ our Lord that all of his people live united as one. The theme for each year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – which, by the way, was launched in 1908 by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement in New York State – is chosen in a joint venture of the Vatican’s Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches’ Commission on Faith and Order. Together, these groups pick the scriptures and themes for each year, and this year they have asked all of us to reflect together upon the witness of the earliest Christian community that gathered in Jerusalem in those first years after the resurrection, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

In particular this verse is the one presented to us for our meditation: the baptized “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42).

This, of course, is a somewhat idealized vision of that time, without a doubt. But it is given by the author, as with all scripture, not to present a definitive history as we understand the task of history today, but rather to communicate the truth of what God has done and continues to do among humanity.

But when we see this vision before us, this vision of God’s desire and plan that we be united together in our devotion to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, how is it that we baptized Christians remain so shamefully divided and separate?

The truth, my friends, is that – more often than not – we continue to see one another from a human point of view rather than from God’s point of view.

This, I believe, is one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the movement toward the full and visible unity of the Church. So many of us are inclined to fall back into old patterns of prejudiced thinking, in which we see difference only as a threat.

It is quite serendipitous that we celebrate this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity just after our nation pauses to remember our great Christian preacher of the 20th century, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Of course, Dr. King’s struggle for racial equality was different than this movement toward Christian unity. But I am convinced that many of the basic human tendencies against which he strove remain the same.

Dr. King criticized our old human tendency to pre-judge others as “soft-mindedness”. He preached that “softminded individuals are prone to embrace all kinds of superstition”, that softminded persons “always fear change”, “feel security in the status quo” and have “an almost morbid fear of the new.” In his strongest rebuke of all, Dr. King charged that “softminded persons have revised the Beatitudes to read, ‘Blessed are the pure in ignorance: for they shall see God’” (A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., P. 492-493).

The softminded person has an already pre-determined outcome in mind when dealing with others. This person cannot live in the openness of the Holy Spirit, and cannot be generous with others, giving the benefit of the doubt.

Let me tell you a story about one of our neighbors in Westville, and I think you will see what I mean about being predisposed in your mind as a softminded person.

Last year, on Christmas Eve, the next-door neighbor of our parish in Westville (St. Luke’s) was frustrated that some of our parishioners had parked in front of her house. It’s a public street; there are no parking restrictions there whatsoever.

However, this neighbor has lupus and a number of other health issues. Because of this, she perceives the spots directly in front of her house as her own designated spots, even though there is no signage to this effect and this plan was never communicated to our parish in any way. Besides this, on this Christmas Eve she was having family over and she needed extra parking spots.

When she saw the street in front of her house full of cars, she decided to march right over to St. Luke’s Church and to ask me if our parishioners would move their cars immediately! When she came in, however, I was at the altar breaking the bread and preparing to distribute communion to the larger-than-normal crowd on that Christmas Eve. Fortunately, the ushers stopped this neighbor at the door and explained to her that I was, in fact, unavailable at that moment. She requested to speak with me, but the ushers explained that this was not possible, since we were in the middle of our Christmas Eve liturgy!

Now, to you and me here today, this is likely to appear as the most obvious thing in the world. Of course I was busy at that moment! Christmas Eve? At the altar? Sharing the body and blood of Christ with the faithful? Could I stop and talk with a neighbor at that moment about her parking concerns?! Of course not! How could she make such a ridiculous request?!

Ahhh…but that is not at all how she saw it! You see, this neighbor has no relationship with God. For whatever reason, she is pre-determined to view the Church in a negative light. Therefore, she is still amazed that we treated her so badly. “And you call yourselves Christians,” she reproved us, “but you treat your neighbors so very poorly!”

Now, do you see how one set of circumstances can be perceived so very differently based solely upon one’s preconceived notions?

This is the obstacle that faced Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. If a person is predisposed to see people of color as less than human, less than themselves, as somehow tainted or unfit or polluted, then how can true equality be achieved until that mental barrier is dismantled?

And I am convinced that this remains one of the primary obstacles which we face today in our efforts toward the unity of the Church. If a person is predisposed to see their own particular fellowship as the one true Church, of course, and to see all of the others as counterfeits or frauds of one kind or another, as less than themselves, as lacking in certain crucial qualities, than what is the point of meeting together? What progress can be made at all until that mental wall is smashed and torn down?

Rather than retreating into that softminded security of what is known and comfortable, you and I are called by the Holy Spirit to remain open, to see from God’s point of view, to be ready for the new thing that God will do in our midst.

My friends, let us be clear about this: it is God’s desire and intention that we (the Church) be united together in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, and also in the breaking of the bread, and in our prayers. Remember that this first Christian community seen in Acts included people from all over the known world: Parthians and Medes and Cretans and Arabs. And very soon it was to include Greek Gentiles as well! All of these people who looked and spoke and acted so very differently from one another – all of them brought together in unity because of one thing and one thing only: the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is this vision of God’s beloved community which St. Paul had before him when he wrote to the baptized community gathered in the city of Corinth, when he addressed them in this way: “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours…” (1 Corinthians 1:2).

When you and I call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, then we bear witness to that truth that he does not belong to us; we belong to him! And if we are open to the Holy Spirit, then we can be sure that he is moving us ever forward in the direction of unity.

In conclusion, let us hearken back once more to the wisdom of Dr. King and let us pray in the words of one of his own prayers for unity:

O Lord “Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace; help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until the day when all God’s children – black, white, red and yellow – will rejoice in one common band of humanity, in the kingdom of our Lord and of our God, we pray. Amen.”

in honor of the nor'easter

In anticipation of what is forecast to arrive soon...! (Praise God!)

The Snowstorm



by Ralph Waldo Emerson


Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air
Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden's end.
The sled and traveller stopped, the courier's feet
Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm.



Come see the north wind's masonry.
Out of an unseen quarry evermore
Furnished with tile, the fierce artificer
Curves his white bastions with projected roof
Round every windward stake, or tree, or door.
Speeding, the myriad-handed, his wild work
So fanciful, so savage, nought cares he
For number or proportion. Mockingly,
On coop or kennel he hangs Parian wreaths;
A swan-like form invests the hidden thorn;
Fills up the farmer's lane from wall to wall,
Maugre the farmer's sighs; and at the gate
A tapering turret overtops the work.
And when his hours are numbered, and the world
Is all his own, retiring, as he were not,
Leaves, when the sun appears, astonished Art
To mimic in slow structures, stone by stone,
Built in an age, the mad wind's night-work,
The frolic architecture of snow.

The Innovations of the Mormons

You have to hand it to Joseph Smith, Jr. for being quite a creative, theological genius!

From the period of 1830 until his death in 1844 (at the hands of an angry mob in Illinois), he created an entirely new religious movement which adapted traditional Christian teachings and scriptures by the application of his own insights and of American ideals. Of course, he claims that these adaptations were the result of direct divine revelations. Here are a few of them listed below, as objectively and impassionately as I can present them. You can decide for yourselves whether or not you think that God inspired these innovations.

• the Garden of Eden was located in America
• Adam is in fact God. He and Eve are the spiritual "Parents" of all humanity.
• God is literally our "Heavenly Father"; Jesus is biologically His Son; we are all God's spirit children and we are co-eternal along with God.
• God, a glorified eternal man, is now seated on a throne near the planet Kolob.
• Adamic is the language that was spoken in Eden and, thus, is the divine language.
• Ahman is the name of God in the original "pure" Adamic language.
• The "lost tribes of Israel" emigrated to America before the time of Christ. After his resurrection, Jesus visited them to share with them the "true" gospel.
• We humans can experience "eternal life with God as families". It is family units that are sealed by the authorized priesthood (coming from Joseph Smith) which will continue for ever into eternity.
• Each man can become a God of his own world, along with his spiritual wives who will produce his spiritual children for him in the Celestial Kingdom, if he obeys the commandments given through Jospeh Smith.
• Plural marriage (or spiritual wifery, as Smith called it) is God's ordained plan to bring order and peace to human society.  
• Revelation from God is always an on-going process.
• The New Jerusalem will be built here in America by the Saints in preparation of the Second Coming of Christ was is soon to come.
• Those who commit the unpardonable sin will be consigned to dwell in "Gnolom" for all eternity (the place of burning fire.

Joseph Smith, Jr. was also a skilled organizer. His new organizational structure for his church was quite creative and effective. Obviously, his teachings diverge significantly from classic Christian teachings and from the New Testament itself. At the very least, one has to admire his creativity and the passion of his belief.

God was with him

A sermon for 1 Epiphany A RCL (1-9-2011), offered by Nathan Ferrell for Trinity Episcopal Shared Ministry

Texts: Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17

How do we change ourselves? How are we able to effectively change our lives and also to change our communities?

This is a big challenge, and it seems to be on many people’s minds at this time of the year. What about you? How many of you made New Year’s resolutions 9 days ago?

Go on – raise your hands. Good. Can you tell us what they were about? Not the specifics, just the topic. Like health, or money, or work, or family. Go on and call it out.

How effective do you think you might be? Do you know that only 12% of Americans are typically able to achieve their New Year’s resolutions? This means that 88% of us fail to accomplish our New Year’s goals! Accomplishing change in ourselves in not easy, and yet we all recognize the need to do it.

So how can we make this happen? Perhaps some of you remember the old story of the fat Irish priest who was visited by a poor distraught widow in need of guidance.

“I am in despair,” the woman said to her priest. “My son spends all our money on honey, which he eats straight from the pot. We are penniless. Please come and tell him to stop!”

You have to understand that this was before the days of sugar and chocolate. Honey in the jar then was like the best candy and sweets that we have today. Well, weeks passed and the priest did not come. The old widow thought that he must have forgotten her request. So she went to see him again. And as soon as she came into the room, she was amazed at the sight of him.

“You are so thin!” she exclaimed. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Well, I have given up buying honey and eating it straight from the pot,” the priest replied. “Now that I know that I can stop, I will come and tell your son to stop as well!” (see Celtic Parables.)


Here is an old story which points to the importance of community and personal example in effecting change. Someone in his community needed this priest to change, and his example has benefit for others.

Ever since it first took place, people have wondered about why Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan. Even John was confused! After all, this was a baptism of repentance, which means the forsaking of sins and the commitment to change one’s life. But Jesus had no need of that. He had no sin. He did not need to change his life.

We will never know why for certain, but perhaps the Lord understood the power of his personal example and what this might mean for the rest of us who would come to follow in his footsteps. And perhaps it was this humility, this willingness to do whatever was necessary in order to accomplish the goal of God that elicited this voice of affirmation from the heavens: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

And so we today follow his example. We come to blessed waters to be baptized, to be anointed, to receive the Holy Spirit, to be named as a child of God.

Today, as we gather to baptize two beautiful young children, God speaks these words of grace and joy in our very midst: “This is my daughter, Olivia and Amelia, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

But it’s not quite the same for us as it was for Jesus. He did not need to change his life, but we do! Not the anything is wrong with Olivia and Amelia yet, but we all know it’s coming. And by the time they are forced to make difficult choices, and when on occasion they make the wrong choice, they too will understand about the challenges of this human life and the difficulty of changing ourselves.

After all, that is why we are here! Change is exactly what the church is all about. If you wish to change yourself, if you can see the potential for so much more within yourself and you long to see it come to fruition…if you wish to see this world change, if you can see the potential for so much good within our communities and are frustrated by the violence and needless suffering and heartache that so many experience…if you see and feel these things, then you are in the right place. Change is what this community gathered around Jesus, called the church, is all about.

Listen again to what Peter preached when he spoke to Cornelius and his household: “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power;… he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

Can you see here in these words the prescription for our malady as well as the description of our goal?

God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power. We are given the same, and what is more – we are given a community of fellow pilgrims on a journey together to become more tomorrow than what we are today.

Spirit, power, community – these are fantastic tools that God gives to us. But to what end? To do what he did. To go about doing good, to bring healing to those who are oppressed by the forces of evil in this world.

That is what this baptism is all about: being brought into a living community where we are equipped with the tools and the energy and the motivation to change ourselves and to change the world, so that all together we might become what God intended for us.

Remember this, as we stand in just a few minutes to declare once more our trust in God, and to promise faithfully to walk in the path of Christ, to become agents of change along with him in his work of redeeming the world.

Amen.

the value of personal holiness

Truro Church in Fairfax, Virginia was, until recently, one of the largest parishes in the Episcopal Church. (I was ordained a deacon there in Truro Church by Bishop Peter Lee of Virginia.) However, they left the Church over ethical differences. They believe that the practice of homosexual relationships is unethical behavior for Christians, while the Episcopal Church teaches that any relationship between adults can be holy if nurtured with love, fidelity, prayerful intention, and the blessing of the Christian community.

So what does it mean when one of the priests at Truro Church, who has struggled with internet pornography addiction for years, was just fired for using parish computers to surf the web for porn? See the article here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/07/AR2011010703063.html?hpid=dynamiclead

What is the value of preaching purportedly "high" ethical standards from the pulpit and then living by "low" ethical standards in your daily life? Which is more important? And what is the value in God's eyes of casting aspersions in public upon the holiness of others, while in secret one is violating one's own moral standards?

"Everything now covered up will be uncovered, and everything now hidden will be made clear" (Luke 12:2, NJB).