Now in Williamsburg, VA

Maggie, the kids and I are overjoyed to have been called to St Martins Episcopal Church in Williamsburg, VA! It is a wonderful area ful of tri corn hats, academics, CIA personnel (at least that is the rumor)and other fine folk. There are also many social issues that need to be addressed such as homelessness, joblessness, and other important issues that the Body of Christ needs to be involved in. I have been called here to be the Assistant Rector. I have also been caled to facilitate the Outreach Commission in achieving the goal of recognizing the face of Christ in the other. I am overjoyed to be here and hope I can make a difference!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day Epiphany!

Many years ago this nation became independent from the Imperial powers of Great Britain due to a small issue over taxes, but we won’t get into that issue right now. But I must admit, that it is funny that we, as Christians celebrate today as Independence Day, because we were independent way before July 4^th, 1776. I’m not talking about the independence gained by our nation’s founding fathers, but the Independence given to us by our Father through the gift of the Holy Spirit. One of the founders of the Church, Paul, has much to say about this independence in his letter to the Church in Galatia. He says we are free from the strictures of societal norms, but that this freedom does not sever our ties to the community. It frees us to be a part of something much bigger- the Body of Christ. We as a community are free to be a part of the body of Christ, no matter who we are or where we come from. And in this community where there is no concept of the “other,” there is only us. This is a view that is sometimes hard to live into, but it is one that we must strive for. It is a kingdom that we want the independence, or freedom, to be a part of.

          In the letter to the Galatians, The Apostle, Saint Paul, is a little unnerved to say the least. He is not a happy camper and he is showing what we in Seminary like to call his nitty gritty human side…………… He raves, he rants, and he is not in what one would call a good mood. You see, someone was telling the Church in Galatia that all of the male members needed to be circumcised. Paul was not happy about this- and that is an understatement. Galatians 5:11 testifies to this point…….Go look it up- it’s a great one. But back to my point, Circumcision, the Sabbath, and other Deuteronomic- Levitical laws were in question in the church of Galatia. The question was “Do new converts from the Gentile community have to get circumcised to belong? Do they have to abstain from, say….. eating shrimp- which is against Mosaic law?” Paul, throughout the letter, testifies and preaches the fact that we are free from the law of Moses, but also free to be moved by the Spirit to be a part of an open community. Paul is preaching about the freedom to belong. It is the freedom from societal and cultural expectations, so that anyone can belong to the community. Martin Luther has even commented and said that this passage is about the freedom of a Christian!

But, unbridled freedom is not what Paul was talking about. The passage that we read for today is one that many have used to point toward some type of Christocentric Libertarianism. By this I mean, I’ve got my Jesus and I am saved, so why do I need to worry about the other. I am a good Christian so I am free to do as I please, I don’t need to be bothered by societies ills. We can see how someone might form this view if we read certain sections of our passage which can be found in Galatians 6:4 “All must rest on their own work” and the ever famous “God is not mocked, you reap whatever you sow” from Chapter 6 verse 7. But if we take the entire passage in context it is plainly about responsibility to one another.   It is a responsibility that says the rules of a community of Christians is based on the Spirit of God, and if in God, then Christ. This Spirit tells us that we are brothers and sisters who look out for one another. It is not a spirit who tells us to forget the other on Monday. It is not a spirit who tells us that we can act anyway we want in this word as long as it is good for the almighty me.–This point is strictly rebuked by Paul’s statement that is found in Chapter 6 verse 2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” This verse talks of the independence of Christians as the Body of Christ in this world from Mosaic Law and other societal expectations. It is an independence, not a freedom to be alone, but a freedom to belong- This point is made clear with Paul’s charge in Chapter 6 verse 10-  “So then whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all and especially for those in the family of faith.” Again, it is not about independence to be alone, but the freedom to belong to something much larger than anything that we as humankind can construct on our own.

In the United States of America today there is a celebration of another type of independence. It is an independence from being a part of community. It is the freedom to not recognize ourselves in the other. We have gated homesteads (I wont call them communities) where we can sequester ourselves from the community. We free ourselves from recognizing our face in the other, especially if that face is one of the working poor, or the homeless. This freedom from the other has even been codified in law. The law has pushed what we like to think is the other far away from our lives. In Dallas, Texas, it is illegal to sit on a sidewalk. In New York City, a years old trash law was resurrected to keep the homeless from using boxes to stay warm. In Philadelphia, it is illegal to sleep in public, or to eat in a park. Sean Claiborne, a homeless rights activist, was arrested with many other people when they celebrated the Eucharist in Love Park. These laws are all used as a means to exile those in our community that make people uncomfortable. This codified breaking apart of the community is a direct consequence of our interpretation of independence meaning that one has the right to be alone and not be bothered by the other. In New York a few weeks ago this right to not be bothered played itself out in a vicious way. A homeless man who tried to break up a fight was stabbed. He lay in a pool of his own blood for an hour while people walked by and did not notice him. They were free to be left alone. They felt no responsibility for a fellow child of God. He did not exist to those who were independent of responsibility. It took one hour for someone to notice that this was a child of God and call 911. HE was dead and in the arms of his Father in heaven when the paramedics arrived. The Body of Christ was ignored and we were free to continue to be left alone.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians we are to take one another’s burdens, not to tell them-  “Well, hey, sorry……but you reap what you sow.” This freedom to belong does not come with a qualification clause. It does not tell one, if you have a certain attribute…..you may belong. Christ’s resurrection was for all people, the community called the church is for all people. The community outside of these walls does ask for qualifications, the community asks “do you have a substance abuse problem?” and if so, they will help you. If you don’t, well you go to the streets- where you just might pick up a substance abuse problem. The church is not like this- we are all equal and one under God’s law. We don’t need a Lexus, a home in the islands, or a country club membership to belong…….much less a circumcision. That is the good news.  God freely gives you the freedom to belong, saint and sinner alike, poor person, rich person. It is all readily available to you. There is no surgical procedure required! The exile of the homeless is a thing of the City of man, not the City of God. The Church is to give us a foretaste of that Kingdom. The church is not only to write checks, but to belong to the big messy, complicated Koinonia. Checks are a good thing, don’t get me wrong, but it is only part of the story. Nothing can beat being personally involved with the whole Community of God.  The Church of the Epiphany knows this for a fact. The doors of God’s church have been open for all who want to be here. We strive to help. We have Gospel Arts, we have the Welcome table and Bible Studies, but could we do more to prove to the world that there is a freedom to belong given by the Holy Spirit at the Church of the Epiphany? Can we all say that we share in the banquet of the Welcome Table, or do we serve the “other.” What would it look like if the Spirit moved us to eat together at the welcome table and remove that separation that happens with the serving line? I know that food cost money and folks are worried about taking food from someone’s mouth that might really need it, but I can tell you we have plenty of coffee. Sit for a while have a cup of coffee and get to know your brother and sister in Christ. Go to the Town meetings when another budget cut happens and speak as the Body of Christ where all of its members can be heard. Stop and speak to a brother or sister. When something isn’t right on our streets tell someone. Embrace the freedom and Independence God gave us and join the Koinonia, be a part of community- the only cost is love and compassion- All for Christ’s sake

AMEN

Getting over the inner extrovert in the tropics.........

So, I am not very good at doing it. The "it" I speak of is hanging out by myself. You know what I mean, the solitary actions of walking the city streets taking it all in, the sitting at a cafe with a book or pad sipping a cooling expresso, sitting in a park with a bottle of water and a baguette. These are the activities that some of us enjoy, but, I must jealously admit that they drive me absolutely batty. The idea is romantic enough. Trapsing out on your own Kerowack style with backpack and moleskin journal in hand, ready to jott down the next piece of imagined wisdom, poetry, or in my case theology, that comes into your incredibly astute and artsy head.

Normally, I cant even think of doing this. I need conversation, my kids playing dodge ball in the living room, or my wife just existing near me, to do anything of value. If I am alone for any prolonged period of time, I put on NPR, or an audio book, but the tropics have been an allieviation of all of this in a small way.

One can not stay indoors in the tropics. It is not really an option. It is not because of the beautiful landscape, the frenetic action of the city, or the music of blenders that draws you out. What draws you out is the heat. It is hot in the house. You have to leave to let the sticky sweaty stuff of your day evaporate off of you. So there is nothing to do but go out, and if no one will go with you- you go anyway.

This what I found myself doing over and over again in the Dominican Republic. My buddy and I, Fyodor, would go out and sit in cafe's and drink espresso together. I thought Fyodor and I would be alone, but no...... In the tropics things are kind of loud. Marange and Bashetta music are meant to be played loud, conversations are loud, cars are loud. Its not that people mean to be loud, but they are just being passionate. Passionate in the way us reserved anglos are not. I think you can insert your own visions from Happy Days or The Meaning of Life into your mind as I say this and hopefully you will say.....oh yeah....know what you mean.

Well I digress, anyway how did the tropics teach me to be an introvert? Well, I realized that Fyodor was a screen! Oh yes a screen you say my good man.....no of course, I am being an ass, you must realize that the progressive nature of the people, or I say the drunkards.......Wait may be I did read a bit to much Fyodor......back to matter at hand! What I meant by a screen was that I read alittle, sipped a little, and watched people. I recall a man maybe arguing passionately, or maybe talking about his granddaughter. Whatever he was talking about, his hands were wildly moving, pointing in all directions. Then his hands would make all sorts of gestures that made one think he was bringing a chopper or an aircraft in for a landing. It was fascinating.

I also recall sitting in a cantina and watching a group of guys take a break from car washing to play dominoes. Voices would raise, tempers would seem to flare then they would hug. This is an amazing place of emotion. It is not like our emotion- an emotion we with hold in for fear of making someone upset, but the honest emotion that lets the other know where you stand in truth. Maybe this lesson would be one we could learn to live with. If becoming introverted for a while taught me this........bring on the Myers Brigg "I" designator.....I need it.

A Sermon Preached in the Dominican Republic 01/27/10

Luke 21:12-15


Jesus said, "But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict."

In 1936 a priest of God stood up for God. This Priest was not concerned with the trappings of his office. This priest was not concerned with the public’s opinion of him, what type of car he drove, or whether his vestments were from some primer English tailor.

This priest did not argue about predestination, liberation, consubstantiation, tran-substantiation, or the incarnation. What this priest did, though, was to listen to God. He listened and he was brought up to glory for doing what God told him to do.

The Priest’s name was Charles Raymond Barnes. During the reign of the dictator Trujillo this priest listened to God, which could be very dangerous. You see, Fr. Barnes learned of the horrible happenings on the border that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti. Fr Barnes learned of a genocide. Fr Barnes listened to God and did something about that genocide. When Fr Barnes sent letters to officials in the American Government pleading for help for the people of Haiti, he was living the Gospel. Fr Barnes was arrested and persecuted, he was handed over to the governor because of the name of God. He used the wisdom of God in his actions and his soul with stood the blows of torture and murder. Fr Barnes testified to the truth, the truth of the heinous crimes, and to the truth of Christ. Fr Barnes stood up for the oppressed and the meek. Fr Barnes was brought before the governor. Fr Barnes was beaten and broken. Fr Barnes soul went to glory for his witness. This all happened less than 50 meters away.

In the church tonight, we will celebrate the Eucharist. We will all take communion over the broken body that lays entombed under the altar at Iglesia de la Epifania this evening, God willing. This joining with Christ, and each other, will fortify us to tell the truth, to be be brought before whomever and wherever God requires. This will give us an opportunity to testify. So we will make up our minds not to prepare our defense in advance; for God will give us words and a wisdom that none of our opponents will be able to withstand or contradict." Let us remember the witness of the Reverend Father Charles Barnes. Let us pray that we are strong enough to live out the Gospel. Let us pray that we are strong enough to live the truth, no matter what occurs.

First Sermon at Epiphany

Pilate, Pontius Pilate- The man ultimately responsible for the crucifixion- A man vilified throughout history- A man we love to hate. According to our creeds Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate. Our Lord and Saviour was scourged and humiliated by Pontius Pilate. This the Pontius Pilate, who represented greed, power, and militarized barbarism. In this Gospel Passage we see this grand inquisitor question Jesus as to the very nature of his being, “Are you the king?”- Jesus cryptically answers back with “I am the Truth,” and it got him crucified- We as the Church proclaim that Christ is King, that his truth is our truth- How could a truth so evident to us- that Christ is King, that he spoke truth, be so easily disregarded by a man who actually stood in his presence? Christ is King we proclaim, we hold that allegiance as a stamp upon our very hearts and minds-


How could he not bow down to the Kingship of Christ and serve the King of all of Creation? How could Pilate disregard the Truth and the power of Christ the King? In this passage from the Gospel of John, we see Jesus and Pilate wrestle with the two opposing forces of relativity and eternity. This wrestling begs the age old question, “what is the very nature of the Truth in this world?”



This question begs us to ask,”What do we know about this man named Pilate?” How did Pilate, this vilified man, treat the truth, power and sovereignty of Christ? Do we have anything in common with this man? Surely not!......... right? Well maybe not, But I don’t think we can go so far as to condemn the man. Pilate was a 1rst century AD man, a governor- a man of great power. He had the power of life and death. Pilate had the Power to judge the guilty and the innocent. Pilate, the Roman governor of Palestine, had the power to unleash the awesome might and power of the most organized and systematically lethal military force of that epoch of time. Pilate worked hard to get this power and Pilate climbed the Roman Bureaucratic ladder, and he wanted to stay there. It may have been a stressful job, but he had worked hard to get a great villa, the nice obligatory two chariot garage, a wonderful hot tub (also known as the roman baths), a great spouse and family. Now, the Governor had climbed that ladder to the top- but according to historical sources it was a notoriously creaky ladder- one of those lofty heights that when someone achieves the climb- they might look down and realize that suddenly that they are afraid of heights. You see Pilate’s boss was a little unstable; Tiberius Caesar was not what one would call a compassionate boss. Caesar wanted two things efficiency and public order. Pilate knew this and that if he wanted to keep his position, and possibly his life, Pilate had to placate Caesar and his cronies. How did these facts effect the way this bureaucrat saw the truth- what version of truth was it? Would Pilate do anything in his power to keep what he had, even ignore the truth? Or, to be fair, did Pilate actually ignore the truth? In his world, the state and material wealth were the only truths he had ever known. He was taught from an early age to strive for the state, to be a part of his culture, a culture where conquest and commerce where king- where the state and the culture of Rome were Sovereign- We might say that Caesar was king, but many Caesars where assassinated for threatening the status quo of culture. So, we can say that the pull and allure of creature comforts, security, and wealth were the Triumvirate of Truths in the Roman Empire. When we think of this material truth, The Triumvirate of Truths of Pilate, we may say that it was his truth; that was “real” to him.



To understand how radical an idea Christ was proposing to Pilate, we must now ask, “What is this Truth that Jesus brings to us?” In this passage, Jesus says that he is testifying to the TRUTH and we know that it is not Pilates’ truth; it can not be Pilate’s -truth. We know that there is a world-shattering conflict between the old truth of Pilate’s world and the Truth of Christ. We know that Pilate’s truth is of his broken world and not of the Kingdom to come. So, what is Jesus’s Truth?

It is the Truth of Compassion, Jesus taught us to love one another.

It is the Truth of Sacrifice, Jesus was the one true and perfect sacrifice for all time, His truth tells us to put others first, as opposed to Pilate’s truth of self above community.

Jesus taught us to love our neighbours as ourselves.

The Truth of Life and Healing, after all in John’s Gospel, the raising of Lazarus from the dead, is what got Jesus in front of Pilate anyway.

This truth is the truth of Forgiveness.



Now, there is a danger here, There is a danger in thinking that this Truth, this Kingdom Come is of a world to come. That the truth that Jesus brings us is one that only applies in another world, Heaven. There is a tendency to throw our hands up in the air and proclaim that this truth reigns only in Heaven, while we are left here to deal with Pilate’s version of a cruel societal truth here on earth. We may think, “When Christ comes down from the clouds in glory and tells us that he is the Alpha and Omega- then and only then will Christ will give us the Truth of his reign.” It is hard not to think like the ancient Romans. Our contemporary society is addicted to the material world. Many believe that to be happy, they need power, prestige and creature comforts, and that that need is so insurmountable that the truth of Christ must be of another Kingdom -- one which we must wait for with baited breath. But, there is GOOD NEWS, It is the Truth of the King Jesus Christ and it is one that is not far off, it is here and now, it is working and bringing healing to the world now. This truth, through the death and resurrection of Christ, dwells in us. The truth is born into us. We are made in the image of God and that truth is God, and our Power comes from God. Our power comes not from Rome, or material wealth, prestige or anywhere else, but only from The One Triune God. This unobvious Power is here with us now. If you listen, you can hear it in the whispers of your soul. This power of the truth is incarnational, that is to say that the power and the truth dwell in us. This power of the truth of Christ feeds us NOW, and we in turn feed the world with the power of the truth-

This leads us to ask “What is our personal truth, today?” Is our truth is just getting through the day, no matter how it affects others or ourselves? Can we be so angry that our truth is mired up in self, and we forget about others? Is truth ever dependant on where we are and what we are trying to achieve? Do we ever center our idea of truth on what we want or need? Does our truth make us feel we need something that might not be so healthy? Has our truth ever been, “I’ve got to take care of myself and I don’t care what happens to that other guy?” Pilate’s Truth is a worldly truth that seems to very familiar if one listens to CNN or reads the Washington Post. Pilates Truth is one that brings us visions of homeless children in the streets looking at us with vacant stares, the truth of famine, the truth of torture, the truth of Ponzi schemes, the truth of brokenness and separation. This truth that Pilate proclaims through his edict is one that is in direct opposition to the Truth of Christ.



Now this is pretty and uplifting little message, Jesus’s Truth, the Truth we strive to follow, is right and good, and Pilate’s is wrong and hurtful. But this TRUTH I speak of comes with work, it is not a truth we can just lay under a nice little tree (or sit in church) and ponder. It is rather the work of all of us to testify to this truth- There are many who have testified to the truth in our past, so it’s nice to have examples right?

Martin Luther King Jr was afforded the opportunity to be a minister at one of the largest black churches in the nation, he was respected in what was considered his community and he could have followed the example of many and been happy, complacent, and – yes- comfortable like the people before him. But this was not what God called him to do, he worked to create the new Jerusalem by fighting for equality among all of God’s people and sadly he died for it. Another example is The Reverend Charlie Andrews, an Anglican I might add, and who in the early twentieth century decided that the posh parish life in England was not what God called him to do. Father Andrews went against his ordination vows and sided against the king of England to assist Gandhi in liberating India & Pakistan, two nations that were bound by the yoke of oppression.

Still another example from the pantheon of Saints is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Reverend Bonhoeffer was living a comfortable academic life in New York City and decided to return to his native Germany during the rise of Hitler to confront the most heinous version of power with the Truth of Christ. He was led to the gallows for his witness. Still another, with a much happier ending, is the example of living the Truth that Archbishop Desmond Tutu gives us. Archbishop Tutu is a priest and an Archbishop who could have quietly performed the duties prescribed to his office and made no waves. But, God called him from complacency and he led a nation to justice and equality by being instrumental in ending apartheid in South Africa. Most importantly, there was a Jewish carpenter who decided to abandon the old truth of Ancient Rome in Nazareth, realize what his destiny was to be, and acknowledge who he was – Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world and God’s only son. This Truth is the one that led Jesus to give himself to us and the cross. This giving was an acknowledgement of the Truth that saved the world. These are examples from the history of our church and these events changed our perception of the Truth and brought us a vision of the truth. Every time you love your neighbour, forgive, and practice compassion, when you stand up for what Jesus has taught us to do- you stand up for the power of the Truth- We don’t have to be in Pilate’s position of power to stand for the truth- We have a different type of power- it is the solar power of the light of Christ, the wind power of the Holy Spirit, the Hydro Power of Baptism, not the dirty power of Pilate. Every time we as a church community lend a helping hand to the world through the programs that we do here at Epiphany, we testify to the truth. Whether it is Gospel arts, Franciscan Spirituality, bringing the Eucharist to Franklin Park, feeding our community at the Welcome table, discerning with the Breaking Bread For Justice Ministry Teams, working to bring music to the downtown community or participating in the healing power of prayer we witness to the truth. These ministries are all a witness to the healing power of the Truth of Christ. This is Christ the King Sunday. Let us embrace the power and the truth of our King, Jesus Christ. Let us prayerfully and intentionally disregard the old, broken truth adhered to by Pilate, because we are loyal to our sovereign of power and light! Let us be that power and light in this world, ambassadors of grace, workers for our king’s world. May this truth be realized on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Field ED Assignment!!!!

Hello All-

I hope this post from Seminary finds you all well! I have some news to relate to everyone about a big milestone in one's Seminary career. It's called "Field Ed." This two letter word can almost make or break one's experience at Seminary. If one gets a bad spot, or one that they do not love, it can be a bleak middler and senior year. If one gets one that is too good, it can mean a great experience, but a sunk marriage, and F's on exams and such due to the all encompassing giving over of the soul that has unfortunately victimized the Seminarian who chooses the site that is too good. For example, I heard of a Seminarian, a rural Arkansas low churchman, who succumbed to the alure of Church Incsense at St Paul's K Street and came out of the St Paul's Sacristy after 17 hours of inhaling the stuff- it was very bad, the person involved not only had a horrid sinus infection, but burnt all of his alb to a crisp. If that wasnt bad enough, he then walked around campus for about two weeks muttering bells and smells quietly to himself with reddened eyes...............

But seriously, no this didnt happen- the point is that one can spend way to much time at the perfect field ed parish. We have been warned not to do this, to draw boundaries and to practice Self Care. This is a good thing because I am delighted that I have found an incredible parish to be a part of for the next two years. The Parish is the Church of the Epiphany, G Street, Washington DC.

Epiphany G St, as it is known, is a church that has a very inclusive congregation with a strong emphasis in Social Justice. At the eight o'clock Sunday Eucharist Service there are probably 200 of Washington DC's homeless community in attendence. These wonderful people are accompanied by alot of folks from Washington's upper crust, as well. They are black, white and hispanic, gay, straight, young and old, male and female, fundamentalist as well as liberals- and this is what I mean by inclusive- not one narrow definition of the word but an all encompassing inclusivity. This inclusivness is then demonstrated further by the sharing of a common meal in which approximately 250 folks gather and eat a wonderful unabashedly southern breakfast together. It sounds like a full day, but it is only half over- The 11 o'claok service shifts in tone from a more spiritual african evangelical service to a pretty high Anglican Service! This service is also incredibly inclusive. It has many of the same people in attendance that were at the eight o'clock- seems like people cant get enough of this place!

The church also holds the Eucharist once daily and these are attended by more people than the Sunday service. these services are dedicated to the downtown working community, especially the government workers and the downtown homeless. One day of the week, the Eucharist is moved to Franklin Park in downtown for street church. At this service, not only is the Body and Blood of Christ distributed to the homeless, lunch is distributed as well as ............

So, as I hope you can see, Maggie and I am very excited by the learning, praying, and worshipping that goes on at Epiphany G St. I am very excited because I really want to learn how to make social justice a part of the culture of the community that is church. It will be a wonderful lesson to endeavour to learn, I only hope I will get a start at it at Epiphany!

Vacation for the family and time to paint!

Well the family is off for a vacation int he mountains of NC! Unfortunatley, I wont be with them. I will be finishing my unit of CPE and I am looking forward to little mini retreat so I can relax after a taxing summer. But, I do know I will be very lonely after the first few days. So, I will have to occupy myself with work and reading for the next two weeks.

One task that will be done is a painting commission that I will complete for a priest in Georgia! During the VTS art show there was a bit of buzz about a painting I did. I sold the painting ( Of St. Paul- that's it- up and to the right) and a few people actually contracted me to do some paintings. So, I will take advantage of the time to get a painting done!

After Maggie and the boys vacation, I will finish CPE and we will be on a proper vacation to NC and Georgia to visit the parish, family, and friends. It will be wonderful to get back to NC and relax during the break before the fall semester!