Saturday, January 31, 2009

Another take on evangelism

Fr. Matthew Moretz is a young priest in Rye, NY. In this piece on YouTube he shares important thoughts on evangelism. Enjoy.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Bishop Robinson's Prayer



Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson (New Hampshire) began the inaugural festivities for our new President with a prayer. As always a faithful and prayerful witness, here is what Bishop Robinson prayed:

Welcome to Washington! The fun is about to begin, but first, please join me in pausing for a moment, to ask God's blessing upon our nation and our next president. O God of our many understandings, we pray that you will…Bless us with tears – for a world in which over a billion people exist on less than a dollar a day, where young women from many lands are beaten and raped for wanting an education, and thousands die daily from malnutrition, malaria, and AIDS.

Bless us with anger – at discrimination, at home and abroad, against refugees and immigrants, women, people of color, gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people.
Bless us with discomfort – at the easy, simplistic "answers" we've preferred to hear from our politicians, instead of the truth, about ourselves and the world, which we need to face if we are going to rise to the challenges of the future.Bless us with patience – and the knowledge that none of what ails us will be "fixed" anytime soon, and the understanding that our new president is a human being, not a messiah.

Bless us with humility – open to understanding that our own needs must always be balanced with those of the world.

Bless us with freedom from mere tolerance – replacing it with a genuine respect and warm embrace of our differences, and an understanding that in our diversity, we are stronger

Bless us with compassion and generosity – remembering that every religion's God judges us by the way we care for the most vulnerable in the human community, whether across town or across the world.

And God, we give you thanks for your child Barack, as he assumes the office of President of the United States. Give him wisdom beyond his years, and inspire him with Lincoln's reconciling leadership style, President Kennedy's ability to enlist our best efforts, and Dr. King's dream of a nation for ALL the people.Give him a quiet heart, for our Ship of State needs a steady, calm captain in these times. Give him stirring words, for we will need to be inspired and motivated to make the personal and common sacrifices necessary to facing the challenges ahead. Make him color-blind, reminding him of his own words that under his leadership, there will be neither red nor blue states, but the United States.Help him remember his own oppression as a minority, drawing on that experience of discrimination, that he might seek to change the lives of those who are still its victims. Give him the strength to find family time and privacy, and help him remember that even though he is president, a father only gets one shot at his daughters' childhoods.

And please, God, keep him safe. We know we ask too much of our presidents, and we're asking FAR too much of this one. We know the risk he and his wife are taking for all of us, and we implore you, O good and great God, to keep him safe. Hold him in the palm of your hand – that he might do the work we have called him to do, that he might find joy in this impossible calling, and that in the end, he might lead us as a nation to a place of integrity, prosperity and peace. AMEN.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Not your father's pilgrimage


Our Journey to Adulthood class is on its pilgrimage. The photo reveals that pilgrimage-ing may not be what it used to be. But... while pilgrims throughout the ages may not have traveled by Southwest, complete with i-pods and sunglasses (and a New York Yankees hat!?) the destination then and now is the same: a deeper life with God. May they find something of God in Florida - and back in Rhode Island.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Anglican Music?

This Sunday we celebrate the life and witness of the Rev’d Martin Luther King, Jr. Using the Hymnal 1982 and its supplement, Wonder, Love and Praise, we sing music from the African American tradition. We do this not because we are a primarily African American congregation, but precisely because we are not. The work of the Civil Rights movement, both in the church and in the culture, is not finished. It is important to be reminded of this and seek those places where we can make justice and further the work in our own time and place. It is also important for us to sing music from other traditions.


New music, especially music from traditions and places not our own, can raise the question, what is Anglican music? While some might disagree, I think it is music written by Anglicans, primarily for use in Anglican liturgy, and music from other traditions appropriated and/or modified for Anglican worship. This definition includes a lot of music. What unifies it, however, is liturgy. Anglican music is music used to worship God when the community gathers to pray. It does not exist solely for the edification of people (though that may happen); it does not exist primarily to move us (though it may); and it is not to entertain us. The object of Anglican music is God, not us. While we may seek to make the best music possible, it is not for the sake of the performance but to offer the best to God.


So using music in our liturgy from other times and places is an Anglican thing to do if the music is made in praise of God. In the experience of this new music we may be changed. Music has the power to transform: individuals into community; strangers into friends; the weak into the empowered. Throughout time and space music has formed people into cohesive groups, even empowering them to fight oppression. Central to the Civil Rights movement, and other movements around the globe, is the power of music in the resistance of injustice.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Journey to Adulthood Pilgrimage

On Friday our Journey to Adulthood class leaves for their pilgrimage to the Faith in 3D Conference in Orlando, Florida. With a 3Day Park Hopper as part of the package this may seem more like a vacation than a pilgrimage. But for this group of teens who have spent time talking and wondering about different Christian denominations this conference hosted by the Baptist, Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches will be an exciting way to meet God through the eyes of fellow teens some of whom worship in different ways as they worship, study and play together. When we renewed our Baptismal Covenant on this past Sunday we promised again to seek and serve Christ in all persons, to continue in the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of the bread, and the prayers. By going on pilgrimage our teens will find many ways to live into their promises - some expected and some very unexpected. And when they come back I hope they will share some of their experiences. For now I ask your prayers for them and their chaperones, and for all who are planning, leading and attending the conference.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.


This coming Sunday (January 18) comes just before Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. While we are normally quite strict about observing Sundays, and not secular holidays that might be close by, our practice at St. Paul's is to have the liturgy take note of this holiday. This happens primarily through music, but the preaching also tries to make the connection. We do this because, despite the progress that has been made, racism is alive and well in the land, and the struggle for civil rights continues. This year we have great readings about the call of prophets and apostles, as well as the impending inauguration of our new president. It should make for a rich celebration.

Do other parishes find ways to mark Dr. King's day? How so?

What!? Another blog?

This initiates a blog from St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Pawtucket, RI. The staff of the parish will be posting occasional thoughts and reflections on life, faith, parish ministry, Christian formation, music... We welcome your thoughts and comments.