Celebrating our Christian Diversity

(from the "Reflections" column in the Erie Times News, Saturday Nov. 23, 2013)

My non-Christian friends think that Christianity is a cluster of aggressive tension and mutual distrust. And whenever I can, I deny their accusations with a kind smile and gentle shake of the head.

Yet if we look at ourselves honestly, we are Christians in different ways , a strange misalliance of disagreements. Let’s be honest: we are many Christianity’s evangelizing distinctive gospel messages. We cannot attract others when we angrily disagree – “You’re not a true Christian!” “You turn your back on Christ!” “You’ve denied the Holy Spirit acting in the world!”

But what do we share? We affirm in our faith that God is revealed not just in scripture but in God’s own wonderful living, breathing, evolving universe around us and in us. And that God strives to reach out to humanity in the world through the person of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus himself was not one for uniformity. His prayers for unity were not an attempt to cookie-cut churches in a singular spiritual orthodoxy, but rather allow faithful followers to be individually expressive of the many dialects of Spirit.

One religious community loves contemporary music, while another treasures traditional hymns. One loves “high” liturgy and deeply symbolic gestures and vestments, while another responds with spontaneity in prayer and worship in denim and madras. One values a deep experience of Jesus Christ in a powerful re-membering of Jesus’ last meal with his friends, while another heightens the experience of the Spirit moving and working in all aspects of their lives. These are not differences that divide us, but diverse expressions of our shared faith that, when lived out in our individual communities, sound together in a harmonic affirmation that we are all disciples of Jesus Christ and are all living as subjects of our true monarch, Jesus our Savior and Redeemer.

For many Christians, this weekend we bring to a close our church year, celebrating the end of our growing season and spiritual harvest. We also remind ourselves that our trust is in God, that in spite of distractions and diversions, it is Jesus who reigns in our lives; it is Christ’s love that we treasure and, hopefully, share. Let us strive to celebrate our diversity in our various Christian lives and love one another as we are loved by God and wish to be loved by one another.

Christ the King 2013

O God from whom all holy desyres, all good counsayles, and all juste workes do procede: Geve unto thy servauntes that peace, which the world cannot geve, that both our hartes maye be sette to obey thy commaundementes, and also that by thee, we being defended from the feare of oure enemies, may passe oure time in rest and quietnesse; throughe the merites of Jesu Christe our saviour. Amen.

-       The 1549 Book of Common Prayer

At Bexley Hall Seminary in Rochester, New York, we marked our days of study and community by celebrating the daily office. While for many seminaries, participation is voluntary, for us, with our limited time together as a commuter hub of faith, reflection, education and engagement, we seized every opportunity to gather in prayer and song. It is a comfort that in the Anglican tradition, we continue to embrace the monastic hours in our honoring of Morning and Evening Prayer.

Each day we started with Morning Prayer, and each evening we ended with evening prayer. It was always surprising that Morning Prayer was actually so energized and vibrant – we were, after all, well rested and celebrating the coming of the new day. But after hours of conversation, discussion, debate, and fellowship, evening prayer always had a much softer, calmer edge. It put an end to our labor, to our strain and struggle, and stilled the pendulum. The moments of prayer and silence helped us to put the day in perspective, to consider what we learned and observed, and to allow for recognition of accomplishment.

This is one of the reasons that we will take time on the Feast of Christ the King to celebrate the end of the church year with an Evening Prayer or Evensong service. We have much to celebrate – our completion of another year of celebrating God’s love and the sharing of that love with others, God’s sustenance through our own struggles and loss, and ultimately the ingathering of our harvest of grace and forgiveness given to us as we give to others.

Evensong is also a way of affirming our trust in God. While night has always been a time of wonder, and the dark has been a source of mystery and fear, we need not fear for we know that God is always with us. We trust in God’s grace, and at the end of our day, we lie down in confidence that we have been, are, and will always be surrounded by God’s love.

But we have a special reason to celebrate this year. Our Christ the King Evensong will also inaugurate a new ministry and affirm an existing relationship. For the past year, Joyce Geiza has been participating in the program provided by the Verger’s Guild of the Episcopal Church (www.vergers.org) and has completed her studies and will be a certified member of the guild and installed as St. Mary’s verger. What is a verger? Essentially, a verger is exactly what Joyce has been to St. Mary’s for many years. A master of ceremonies, a manger of facilities, an executor of liturgies, and a hospitable welcoming face to the community. Since my arrival four years ago, I have appreciated Joyce’s priceless gifts that she has shared with all of us at St. Mary’s.

We also will be sharing our service and time of prayer and celebration with our brothers and sisters from Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church up the street on Silliman Avenue. Pastor Al Gesler and I have had conversations about ways to share in ministry and prayer with our two congregations. This will be our first time coming together in prayer. We also will be celebrating a shared Advent Lessons and Carol service in December.

I hope you can join us for Evensong on November 24^th as we give God thanks and celebrate the accomplishments of last year, our shared ministry with our Lutheran friends, and Joyce’s new ministry in our congregation.

Peace,
Fr. Shawn

St. Mary the Virgin August 2013

Immaculate Mary, thy praises we sing;
Who reignest in splendor with Jesus our King.
Ave, ave, ave Maria! Ave, ave Maria!
           - “Immaculate Mary” – Marian hymn

It can sometimes be surprising, both to Roman Catholics and many Protestants, to see that our church in Lawrence Park, Erie’s matronal saint is Saint Mary, the Virgin. For the Romans, there is a common misconception that the role of Mary, while maybe not as pronounced in their tradition, is non-existent in the Protestant traditions.

In point of fact, the Episcopal Church, a constituent member of the Anglican Communion, has many churches dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, as well as noted feast days throughout the church year, including the Annunciation, the Presentation, and many of the Sunday’s of Advent. England, once hailed as Mary’s home, has countless shrines and dedicated churches where Mary is revered. Denominations with a more Protestant pathos are confused by our devotions to Mary, our use of hymns and prayers, even the Rosary, in our prayer and worship life. The Anglican and Roman Catholic churches even have a shared statement, Mary: Grace and Hope in Christ, stating our shared love and devotion to the Mother of the Lord.

St. Mary’s, Lawrence Park, Erie, has a deep connection to Mary in our prayers and worship, with our Mary altar with etching of Our Lady of Walshingham at the entrance to the sanctuary, and our use of the Rosary in seasons of deep devotion and reflection. Our yearly celebration of our matronal feast includes an outdoor picnic with music and readings dedicated to observing the essential work of Mary in the Gospel and in our world.

However, the devotion to Mary can often cloud the Gospel narrative. We enthrone Mary, even sometimes placing her as an intermediary between ourselves and Jesus/God. We ask for her prayers on our behalf, we pray for her intervention, and we even find ourselves placing her in a position that takes away from her ordinariness, her humanness, her likeness to ourselves.

Mary was an adolescent girl, poor, and uneducated from a place that had lost all significance under Roman imperialism. She was absolutely ordinary, negligible even, in a part of the world from which nothing of value could possibly come. Yet from this simple and ignored life was this young girl lifted from obscurity. It’s hard to remember that for most of the powerful in her time, Mary was non-existent. Putting her in a modern context closer to home, Mary would be like those young, immigrant or minority girls we see sitting on a porch on East 10^th Street, or helping a single mother at the Horan Apartments. Just as we, shamefully, drive by and try not to notice, the Mary of first century Palestine would not have been noticed either.

But Mary was noticed – by God. And she was chosen by God. And she accepted God’s call and invitation to share in salvation’s plan. Mary’s true inspiration to us is not in her glorification and enthronement, but in her election and her promise. If God can call Mary, he can certainly call you and me. And if Mary can say, “Yes!” to God, we can certainly do the same.

In Christ’s Peace,
Fr. Shawn

4 Pentecost 2013 - THE SPIRIT OF ERIE

This is the place, my children, which your father, the Great Spirit has chosen for the site of your villages. The hills and the plains abound in game to feed you and clothe you; the pure water from the streams will slake your thirst; the fields will yield a hundred fold returns from the labors of your women; the lake will furnish you fish in abundance; the sun rising beyond the mountains in the East will give you life and the cool, health-giving breezes coming from the land of snow and ice will strengthen your sons and daughters in mind and body so that you, my favorite children, ma be the pride of your race.” – from an Indian legend of Presqu’ Isle

Working on the Perry 200 celebration’s grand pageant, THE SPIRIT OF ERIE, has been a grand undertaking. More than 200 volunteers in the cast, orchestra, and crew of the event have been working for months creating this entirely original experience. While it has been a labor of love to create, it has also been a wonderful lesson in Erie history.

What have been the greatest revelations have been the stories and perspectives of the Eriez Nation, the Native Americans who were among the first to inhabit the shores of the bay. They understood that this place we call home is an extraordinary place – a place of plenty, with a wealth of resources and beauty. They felt that they were special because the Great Spirit had blessed them with this land of wonder.

When I thought about the daughters and sons of Jacob, returning to Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey, with abundance of gifts and the richness of the resources, it was not hard to draw the parallel. When you have much, it is perfectly natural to look to God and give thanks.

Sometimes, though, we forget what we have and see only what we lack. When we look at other places, and then look to our own community, we can covet what others have. Sure, we may not have the sunshine that other places in our country have. Yes, there may be greater wealth in others cities, and greater resources. There are certainly places where the economy has recovered more quickly, where industries are scrambling to plant roots. It is easy to look with envy on other communities, and forget what we have.

The Eriez legend forces us to recall that while we may want so much more, it is important not to ignore the gifts that we living in Erie have been given. Each time Almi and I would return to our city after having been away for a long time, driving north on I-79, and we’d come over the ridge around Summit Township and see the lake spread before us, and the bay contained by the sheltering arm of the peninsula. Then we’d look northeast and southwest to the fields and vineyards, the wooded parks and interconnected communities. It always felt wonderful, to come home, to be back near the lake, to feel the constant winds.

We are blessed to live in this wonderful place. We are blessed to recognize the gifts we have been given. We are happy to shout our thanksgivings, in prayer, in song, and in community celebration.

God has blessed us with Erie – may we always give thanks for the sky, the land, the water – the Spirit.

Peace,
Fr. Shawn+

The Situation

An actor entering through the door, you've got nothing. But if he enters through the window, you've got a situation. - Billy Wilder

In the theatre we present stories that raise the stakes, raise the energy, raise the conflict, raise the surprise for the audience. Great stories are never merely about the common - even "every person" stories point out the amazing in the average. As my colleague Paula Barrett puts it, "Nobody ever wrote a play about a family sitting down to a quiet, uneventful meal." And if we think about the plays, television shows, films, and books that hooked us and kept our interest, they were about surprising characters in surprising situations.

It's pretty easy to lose Easter in the weeks following the feast of the Resurrection, just as it is easy to lose Pentecost in the madness of the events and celebrations that permeate the month of May. Our singing of "Alleluia" after it's Lenten absence becomes routine by the fourth Sunday of Easter. And while we hit the liturgical color red HARD on Pentecost, we see it not so much as passion and fire of the gift of the Advocate as much as it seems to reflect the roses we give to our mothers or our prom dates.

We often take these critical holy seasons casually, perhaps because we aren't surprised by the incredible power of the situations that they commemorate. We say, repeatedly, "Alleluia! Christ is Risen!" so many times, that we may not recall just how extra-ordinary the situation is. We center so much of our ingenuity and creativity in our own egos that we neglect that inspiration, the "breath" of newness, comes from the gift of God's presence always with us.

Jesus' resurrection appearances were not entrances through a doorway - they were THROUGH THE DOOR! Pentecost wasn't an "aha" moment - IT WAS TONGUES OF FIRE AND ECSTATIC PROCLAMATION! If they hadn't been extra-ordinary situations, you would not be reading this right now.

Each Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection. Each new idea and proactive initiative to make our lives and communities better places is stirred in us by the Holy Spirit. These remembrances started with amazing moments, unbelievable events, startling situations. Let us try to keep our feasts by recalling the shocking stories from which Easter and Pentecost arose. They aren't nothing - they are EVERYTHING!

Epiphany 2013

Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.


Ephesians 3:11


Following the national convention of The Episcopal Church last fall, members of the congregation at St. Mary's asked if we might spend some time looking at the actions of the national church, in particular, the rites for same-sex blessings.

I was surprised, at our first adult forum in September, to see a dozen of our Sunday attending members (almost a quarter of the total) join us that day and for the several weeks following, as we looked not only at the trial rites but at the subject of homosexuality and The Episcopal Church's response to gay/lesbian Christians and the vocation of committed partnerships. We shared openly our personal encounters, our trepidations, our opinions, and our desires for our church. By the end of the seven-week exploration, we came to a consensus that where our national church had led, we were also.

In November, at our clergy retreat, Bishop Rowe presented the process by which individual churches in the Diocese of Northwestern Pennsylvania would be permitted to use the trial rites. The first is that churches engage in an educational forum so that interested members could better understand the history and implementation of the rites. The congregation of St. Mary's had already completed our study. Second, the church leadership had to come to a consensus on the use of the rite. At our bishop's committee meeting in November, the church leadership affirmed unanimously that it wanted to provide this ministry to gay/lesbian members of the church. This was shared with Bishop Rowe, and on December 21, he gave St. Mary's permission to begin to use the rites. We are the first church in the diocese to be given this permission.

The reading from Ephesians above is perfect for Epiphany and for us as we experience this new ministry. Our desire is to reach out to those who have experienced the blessings of a vocational companionship and be given the "news of boundless riches in Christ." Our opening up of our blessings helps "make everyone see what is the plan" and not keep it for only a few. We recognize in this new motion of the Spirit that the "wisdom of God in its rich variety" is surprising, not only to us but to everyone.

Epiphany is a time of surprise, surprise at the newness of God's blessings, surprise at how God is empowering us to share those blessings, and surprise at how humanity, as old a dog as it is, can still be taught new tricks. During this season of Epiphany, may we not only be guided to God's perfect light, but may we also experience the joy in helping bring others to that same perfect light in Jesus Christ.

- Fr. Shawn