Easter 2017

Doubt it not the opposite of faith; it is one element of faith.

- Paul Tillich

This past Easter Sunday, I once again went to the Garden with Peter and once again saw the empty tomb. It was, is, and I believe always will be a shocking and inspiring vision: to know that Jesus of Nazareth was stronger than death. To know that Jesus is the Christ. To know that death has no dominion over Jesus the Son of God and Son of Man. To know that through God's grace, and Jesus' atonement, we are equally freed and given eternal life.

And yet.

In my life, I have doubted. I've wondered whether or not my faith was merely some kind of intra-personal reassurance, or a version of hubris that refuses to equate my existence with the existence of the rest of the universe. I have looked at images of God, images of Christ, and wondered if they might be merely constructed affirmations of doctrine and dogma.

As theologian Paul Tillich asserts, our doubts are essential components of our developing faith: as we grow in relationship to God and one another, we must needs examine our concepts of the Creator God, the Incarnate and Redeeming God, and the Sanctifying God. As we change in our perception of those concepts, we change also in our relationship to the Divine. My understanding of my own gifts and talents, my purposes in the world, are always changing, depending on my understanding God.

My doubts are never about existence, either mine or God's. It is about the images and terms that I use to identify those concepts. The Old Man with a long, white beard that was the God of my youth (and of my adolescent biblical literalist phase) stopped working when I realized that the anthropomorphic imagery closed God into a very specific form that limited God's interaction with Creation. At first I doubted God's existence. Then, recognizing my own resistance to cognitive dissonance, I changed my perception, and found that God was remaining constant: I was the one who was re-framing my understanding. Re-framing the relationship can create both freedom and anxiety - just as it does when any of our relationships are re-framed.

My doubt in who I thought God was led to a change in my understanding, which led to a change in my relationship, which led to a whole new way of being believer and disciple. When we change in our relationship, we change in our actions - and we are renewed. Our doubts should not drive us away from what we believe, but should provide us a chance to reflect and grow in how we believe.

Empty tombs, resurrected bodies, fish cooked on a beach - all of which we are invited to engage and embrace. Each Easter Season, it is different from the year before - because our doubts lead to understanding which leads to renewal of our faith.

Peace in the Risen Christ,
Fr. Shawn

Epiphany to Lent 2017

This Proper is always used on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday

O God, who before the passion of thy only-begotten Son didst reveal his glory upon the holy mount: Grant unto us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

-         1979 Book of Common Prayer, p. 165

Since September, a group of parishioners have walked through the Book of Common Prayer, reading it page by page, section by section, and gaining an appreciation for the wonderful history of faith that it provides, but also the opportunities for creative worship and local flavor that it allows.

We have come to recognize the gifts of daily prayer, whether or not we are actively engaged in it or not, and the design of seasons by which we mark our year in faith from Advent through Pentecost, reflecting on our Baptismal Covenant and how the liturgical progress helps to reinforce, year after year, that we are called by God, saved by God, and sent forth by God.

We are now coming to the end of Epiphany, which this year seems to have had strong significance. Perhaps it’s because we have seen our communities and nation challenged by fractious attitudes; maybe it’s because we’ve been personally challenged to keep our own lights of faith and love lit and in public view of all. This collect, which brings to an end the season by which we have looked for evidence of Jesus of Nazareth as our Messiah and Lord, ask not just for the light that shines in darkness, but for a light that is even stronger. The Light we seek is not a single candlelight; it is a a burning flame, blinding, emanating from a Transfigured form of Christ that burns in its brightness. It is this light that ultimately shocked the disciples and struck fear into the hearts of the powers of the day – both the Empire in Rome and Pharisees in Temple in Jerusalem.

This Light, which has grown from week to week through our long Ephipany season this liturgical year, is now strong enough to guide us through the darkest times, even as we stand in the shadow of the Cross. We need not fear; we need only remember: when we are reduced to anxiousness and even tears, the Light of Christ will be there to lift us back up, as we are also restored by Christ’s glory in our own glory.

It may well be that, as we enter into Lent in this particular year, in our particular context, that our cross may seem heavier than it has in years past. Maybe that’s why a long Epiphany may be more than just a calendar fluke. Maybe this year, more than any recent year, we’ve needed this extra time to see the Light, hold the Light, and courageously lift the Light. With the Light of Christ in one hand, and the Cross of Christ in the other, we will be ready, even should the moment of darkness come.

We are the Light of the World!

Peace in Jesus Christ, in whom we live, move, and have our being,

Fr. Shawn