April 11, 2018

What would you do?

What would you do if you had the chance to impact every life around you with just one phrase? I think about the way in which we speak to one another, often; our walking conversations serve as singular opportunities throughout the day to enhance, encourage or enliven people around us. The person at the convenience store, the guy next to you in line at Starbucks, even the fast food folks that hand you your food—all of these are of God, and all are deserving of a kind word or gesture.

People ask me all the time what we’re doing here, how it is that we’re growing so quickly. My answer is always the same: We love people, love each other, and we love Jesus. The main difference in what I see here—and from what I’ve heard—is that there’s a palpable joy emanating from the faithful people who are part of this community. That’s the key. We must keep our joy, as we have so much about which to be joy-filled. From floors to doors, new babies to fiftieth wedding anniversaries, work-days and open-mic nights, Cursillo, ECW retreats, softball teams and Altar guilds…there’s so much happening in this hallowed arena. And all of that joy makes this community what it is: Faithful.

What phrase would you use to describe your Church? What three to seven words encompass the place wherein you spend time, talent, and treasure on a weekly basis? And most importantly, does that phrase speak to the soul of others who may be looking for somewhere to belong? I have to believe that there are more people out there in need of a kind word or a joyful phrase which serves to point them toward Jesus Christ. Think on how you explain your Church, this week. Reflect on whether or not you’re inviting people to join us, or simply missing opportunities. I believe in one God, Jesus Christ his son, and the Holy Spirit. And through them, I believe we can grow their kingdom, right here in our little corner of the city. There’s power in words and I know that you all are passionate about your community; share those words with everyone around you and I promise you’ll become the change you want to see in the world.

Have a blessed week.

Faithfully
Fr. Sean+

April 4, 2018

First, I’d like to thank all of you for the dedication you showed in making last week’s services truly memorable. The Altar Guild, the photo team, lay readers, acolytes, Dion, the music team, the choir, the hospitality people, ushers, greeters, visitors, kid-watchers, attenders, and anyone else of whom I may have missed. I would also like to give special recognition to one of our most unsung valuable people…Chad Yarbrough. His work last week on bulletins and various other tasks, coupled with his ability to deal with a crazy rector, made for a memorable experience.

Seriously, thank you all so very much.

We had 267 people at all services last week—140 people attended at the Easter service! ONE HUNDRED FORTY! If anyone was wondering whether or not we’re getting the word out, that curiosity can be laid to rest. We’re doing good things here, and the months have been wonderful.

So what now? The week has past, the services are over. But it’s STILL Easter! We have a complete season of Easter to attend, filled with more good news and worship, joyful moments and numerous activities at the church. Let’s not lose the momentum from the Holy Spirit’s lent fervor!

Coming up, we have a work-day, an open-mic night, a financial seminar, an ECW weekend, a Cursillo weekend, a golf tournament, and so much more. I’m so excited about our future, here, but I’m just as excited about our present. We are Easter people, all the time, and the resurrection is happening at Resurrection. Much love to you all, and I’ll see you very soon.
 

Faithfully
Fr. Sean+

March 28, 2018

Holy Week is upon us…

In what can arguably be considered as the most important part of our liturgical year, Holy Week enacts multiple services to emphasize the trajectory of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem which eventually leads to his death and resurrection. But not everyone knows what each service means, or more importantly, why we do them. I hope that I can clear up some of the confusion or, in the least, allow for better understanding of why we do what we do during Holy Week.

Holy Monday: Clergy renewal of vows.

This service is a stand alone liturgy, separated from the rest of Holy Week, meant to revitalize and urge clergy to remember their vows. I’ve taken part in this service the last three years and, each time, I have left feeling rekindled and aware of the task set before me to care for, lead, instruct, learn from, and most importantly, love my congregation. It is truly beautiful to begin Holy Week in this way.

Tenebrae:

Tenebrae literally means “Darkness”. Originally designed to entwine Matins and Lauds into the three days’ service of the Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and HolySaturday), which is the longest liturgical service of the year. It begins Thursday and ends at the coming of the light during the Great Easter Vigil. Tenebrae is introduced into this liturgy to serve as a not-so-gentle reminder that Jesus’ suffering and death leads to his departure from the world in human form—for a time. The service begins with psalms and antiphons, proceeds with Holy Scripture, and ends with Canticles and a silent departure from the Nave. During the service, candles are extinguished at specific times to reflect the departure of Christ’s light from the world, leaving it in utter darkness. At the end of the service, a loud sound is replicated to memorialize the sound of the earthquake that occurred immediately following Christ’s death. The people leave the Nave in the darkness, contemplating the loss of the Messiah…

Triduum: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday (Great Easter Vigil).

Maundy Thursday serves as an entrance into the final moments of Christ: His act of washing the disciples’ feet, his last meal with them, and the stripping of the table to signify that it was, indeed, the Last Supper. At the end of this service, The Altar of Repose is set in a separate place, created to house the body and blood of Christ much like that of a tomb. The altar is scrubbed and the people leave without dismissal, as the service has not concluded.

Good Friday:

The solemn collects and prayers utilized during this service serve as lamentations and grieving for the loss of Jesus Christ from the world. He is, in effect, in the tomb during this service—not yet resurrected.

Holy Saturday (The Great Easter Vigil):

Considered by many to be the principle and most beautiful liturgy of the Church, this service begins before sundown on Holy Saturday. Starting with a procession in which the Paschal Candle is lit and brought back in to the Sanctuary, the beginning of this service signifies the return of Christ and the immanent Resurrection of his body—effectively proclaiming his journey back into the world after defeating death. The first half of this service is spent utilizing candle light, so to remind ourselves that Christ’s light is almost returned to us. Halfway through the service, the lights go up and the altar candles are lit—Christ has Risen! The rest of the service serves as the original Easter—the joyful exclamation that Christ has been lifted up and is the champion we have been awaiting.

Easter:

This is a second act of the preceding service—the ‘in case you missed it’. I love all of these moments and, together, they paint a picture of Christ’s journey from life, to imprisonment, to death, to resurrection. 

I hope this has helped a little, but mostly I hope that you will join me this week for all of these holy moments. Until then, have a blessed day and remember that Christ is on the move, as you are reading this, preparing to save the world from itself and continually bringing his light to shine upon us, forever.
 

Faithfully
Fr. Sean+

March 21, 2018

It’s right around this time that the apostles were beginning to have some grasp of the life to which they were called. They had been with Jesus for years, now. They had witnessed miracles; they watched people revile Jesus; chase Him; chastise Him behind his back; sneak through crowds just to touch him; climb trees just to see Him. They’d drunk the finest wine at weddings and attempted to shoo away the so-called lowliest of women at foreign water wells. Who was this man? To them, He was friend. Teacher. Beloved. 

Messiah.

I can’t imagine what it will be like when I lose my best friend on this planet. When she rests in peace and rises in glory—if I am to be left behind just a little longer—I know that part of me will go with her. But I also know that part of her will have remained with me. I have been forever changed by the love and kindness showed through her courageous ability to be comfortable in her own skin, even though she would probably disagree about that comfortability, vehemently. When I put her loss in juxtaposition with the lamentation of the disciples’ loss, I have an inkling of the profound impact Jesus Christ, in person, would have undoubtedly imprinted on his twelve closest students and friends. 

He warned them. He told them that he must be glorified, and that it must happen soon. Yet they refused to hear it; instead, they opted to sway his trajectory or simply block out the sound of salvific proclamation, due to their own impending sense of imminent loss and disparity. The imbalance that ensued would be detrimental to their immediate circumstance; they wouldn’t know where to go, what to do, or how to move forward through the enormous grief cast by the shadow of a torturous cross that framed their fearless leader’s broken body. Yet, in a moment of deep despair, they too would rise. They would become the hands and feet of a Body that defied death, looking it in the eye and proclaiming that this world wouldn’t have the final say.

As we approach Holy Week, keep in mind the past hurts, the losses of those who came before us, and the joyful work that they—and the many who went before them—left us to do. That work is tied to the original ‘sending out’. It is tied to the original Jesus movement that started over two centuries ago with a simple statement: “Follow me and I will make you fishers of humanity.” The parade is about to begin. The armies are approaching the gates of Jerusalem on either side; one of Glory, the other of death. Let us be faithful in these last days of Lent and into Easter, passionately remembering those who came before by carrying their hard-earned lessons with us. Let us take the pieces of them which remain with us and stride boldly into Jerusalem with Christ, forsaking the murmurings of a world that would have us stand down and forget our baptism. 

We are the remnant. We are the next chapter in the story of the Bible. We can be Acts 3, 4, and so on. Look to the cross throughout the coming days. Keep your eyes opened to those around you who could use the Good News. Keep your hearts filled with the grace left behind for you to share with everyone around you. Remember your Baptism. Remember who you are.

And remember that everyone dies, but not everyone truly chooses to live.
 

Faithfully
Fr. Sean+

March 14, 2018

Saturday is St. Patrick’s Day! Sadly, our culture has turned St. Patty’s into a viable excuse to turn everything green, dress like fictional characters, and attempt to drink our weight in whatever suitable libation is closest to us. So, I thought we’d try and remember the saint for his saint day and the reason we celebrate it—the REAL reason.
 
St. Patrick, the saint and bishop formerly known as Maewyn Succat, has a fuzzy origin story in terms of his birth year. So far, I’ve found three different years in which he could’ve been born: 373, 385, or 390. Fortunately for us, the rest of his story is fairly accurate. He was born into a military family and lived a pretty dull life for his first sixteen years. His father, British military officer and deacon, Calpornius, and the rest of his family attended church regularly—but ‘Patrick’ didn’t believe in God. When he was sixteen, his dull life suddenly took a frightening yet nodal turn when he was kidnapped from his family’s villa by Irish pirates and whisked away to Ireland.
 
He spent the next six years as a herdsman tending to the local nobility’s flocks. While under the duress of capture, he turned his life over to Christ and began building the faith his father tried to instill in him prior to their separation. After six bleak years, Patrick had a vision of stowing away on a ship that would carry him back to Britain. With his newfound faith strong, he escaped during the night and—BEHOLD—the ship was there! He stowed away in the cargo hold and arrived safely back into England a short time later.
 
The rest of his life is better chronicled than that of his youth. Patrick, once back in England, had another vision; God apparently was calling him back to Ireland to spread the message and Word of God to the Irish folk. While he felt God’s call, he knew he couldn’t simply return and begin teaching without having had proper instruction, himself. Over the next 12 years, Patrick studied theology and became a priest—he spent time in France doing so—and then returned to Ireland as an ordained priest with a commission from the Pope to spread the Gospel.
 
Patrick proved instrumental in proliferating Christianity within Ireland and the surrounding area of Northern Britain. He authored two books, Confessio and Epistola, and spent the remainder of his life baptizing, confirming, and encouraging Irish Christians. He died on March 17th, 461 CE, which is now known as St. Patrick’s Day.
 
There are a couple of fun legends associated with Patrick, as well. One depicts him as a wild-man, carrying snakes and eventually sending them slivering off the cliffs of Ireland into the sea. Another—and perhaps the most notable—is his usage of the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.
 
So, this weekend while you’re green-beering, kilting, and doing the jig, take a moment to remember the great missioner St. Patrick for who he really was: A convert turned zealot who wanted nothing more than to serve Christ by bringing others to Him. Happy St. Patty’s Day!
 

Faithfully
Fr. Sean+