I want to talk about theodicy, not to be confused with The Odyssey. Theodicy is the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil. Understand that? I didn’t either, at first. Theodicy in layman’s terms usually comes in the form of a question: If God exists, then why is there so much evil in the world? OR If God exists, then why does God allow so many bad things to happen to so many good people?
I’m going to be honest, here; I struggled with this question for a long time, and far too often for my liking. Every time a school shooting happened, I’d say, “Where are you, God?” Every time someone close to me would die, even after I prayed, I’d ask, “How could you do that to me?” Every time someone with questionable intentions came into power, I’d look up and say, “Are you even paying attention?” And, if I’m being honest, sometimes I still get frustrated with the state of things and repeat these questions, just not nearly as often or as angrily.
I don’t want to be flippant either. I understand that many of you still struggle with the concept of a loving God who can control everything versus his seeming absence within our current context. (For that matter, I still wonder why God stopped talking to us, physically, like he did with Moses and the other prophets.) I think, “You know, it’d be a lot easier if you’d show up; life would be fuller if you’d just make your presence known and answer my prayers in a timely manner and suitable to my cause.” But then I realize my personal mistake (which I will not project onto you, but offer to you as a different perspective): God created each of us with free will; unfortunately, like children with a stick, it is up to us whether we whack away at our neighbor with our free will, or we use it as a walking stick to guide us ‘along right pathways for His name’s sake’ (Psalm 23).
Free will is quite possibly the most frustrating answer we can get, too. We don’t want to hear that. We want God to DO something; we want God to step in and, much like a parent, separate us into our corners until we learn how to act right. But that isn’t the case. For God to refuse our free will and to over-write it would be counter-intuitive to our creation. We weren’t made so that God could control us and MAKE us do his bidding. We were created with the option to love and serve him and each other OR to go on about our selfish business and just look out for number one.
So many folks in our world choose the second option. It’s so much easier to just look out for our own interests so that we can lose the least. But that’s the challenge of faith, isn’t it? Without faith, we reduce ourselves to autonomous creatures, doing our own bidding and forsaking those around us.
I want us to realize that we’re defined by how we interact with one another, and by how we continue in relationship with God, especially now. As the world becomes more fractured, it is up to us to continue being the bridge, the map and the bandage that connects, leads, and heals people of differing views to one another. If you’re struggling with anything God-related, reach out. Some of you have done so in the past, but I encourage all of us to rely upon one another in our darkest hours. It takes great courage to admit when faith seems at its lowest. I am always here as a listener, first; but then, if asked, a willing partner to help you discern solutions to your struggles—just as I hope you would be for me in mine. Pain will always be a factor in our lives, but it doesn’t have to have the final say. God loves you, and so do I.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+
October 3, 2018
Greetings from clergy conference, currently being held at St. Crispin’s Conference Center + Camp.
Our theme this week is, “How to have difficult conversations; and how to begin conversations of which we are afraid.” It seems easy to say that we don’t have that issue at Resurrection, that we don’t have the problem of miscommunication experienced by other churches; yet, I know there are things that weigh on each of us, things we wish we could discuss but don’t do out of fear. We fear judgement, we fear the possibility of not belonging, we fear that the ‘other’ won’t be able to hear us…the part of us that is truly speaking rather than just the words we’re using.
I want desperately to change this narrative. My hope for our church is that it can be a beloved community in which people have the sense of safety to say that which confuses them, angers them, or plagues their hearts and minds. Conversation does not automatically have to lead to conflict; in fact, it shouldn’t lead to conflict the majority of the time. For some reason we’ve lost the ability to feel secure enough to allow our inner thoughts to escape and be set free, and we’ve lost that ability in the name of comfortability. But church shouldn’t always be comfortable. Jesus certainly didn’t make that his life’s work—to provide a sense of comfort—rather, he made it his life’s mission to proclaim the Word of God, regardless of the difficulties that others would have in hearing his message.
What bothers you? What conversations are we not having concerning church that you’d like to have? What conversations are we avoiding entirely just to ensure peace and stability? I think we’ve come a long way together, thus far, and I’d like to see us be genuine with one another and able to speak our truths without fear. Perhaps we can learn to do that, again. We are real people with real problems and issues; let’s use one another as sounding boards and as sources of perspective that might differ from our own. I think that if we can do that and do it lovingly, we will have a sense of the holy that breaks through our own insecurities and that will move us into deeper relationship with one another and into a deeper relationship with God. And if you’re not struggling with conversations, then perhaps you’re being called to be a holy listener to someone who is. Think on that, this week, and be blessed. See you Sunday.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+
September 26, 2018
So many good things abound within our midst! We have quite a few ministries supporting our daily life: Altar Guild, Choir, Mobile Meals, Youth, Adult Education, The Chad, Dion, Dr. Whitesell and Eric, Lay Ministers, Acolytes, and on and on! During the summer, we’ve had record attendance, as well. We’ve averaged around seventy people per Sunday—something that is phenomenal for this time of year, given our congregation size. Even more exciting is the amount of new people coming to church every Sunday.
But along with growth, along with a sense of the ‘good’ things happening at resurrection, comes financial need. Summer is notorious for witnessing a drop in giving—people are away, busy, and sometimes financial support suffers out of distraction. Let me be clear: This congregation has been extremely faithful with support during my first year, and throughout the last forty years. However, with the numerous new ministries and existing ones, we have a need to ensure that our time, talent and treasure are all equally committed to supporting our new-found growth. All of our recent upgrades have been fully funded by extra giving, a fantastic and miraculous endeavor by each of you. In terms of the day to day budget, we still have work to do.
Simply put, I’m writing to you all as a gentle reminder that, although things are going well, we need to remain faithful in our giving. Please consider this as we move toward the Fall and Winter months. In November, we’ll be entering stewardship season—a time in which we approach the altar and make financial commitments to the church. But the need is here, now, as well. Please continue giving to the ongoing life and ministry of this place, every gift is just that—a gift—and they all impact this place for the better. As I’ve said before, it takes all of us. Together, we can maintain the budget for 2018 and walk into 2019 with confidence that all our ministries, all our staff, and all our outreach will be accomplished.
I appreciate your generosity more than I can ever express via the written word. Thank you for your faithful pledge to this holy place, and to God whom it serves. And thank you for being the mighty resurrected congregation of Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+
September 26, 2018
Resurrectionists!
So many good things abound within our midst! We have quite a few ministries supporting our daily life: Altar Guild, Choir, Mobile Meals, Youth, Adult Education, The Chad, Dion, Dr. Whitesell and Eric, Lay Ministers, Acolytes, and on and on! During the summer, we’ve had record attendance, as well. We’ve averaged around seventy people per Sunday—something that is phenomenal for this time of year, given our congregation size. Even more exciting is the amount of new people coming to church every Sunday.
But along with growth, along with a sense of the ‘good’ things happening at resurrection, comes financial need. Summer is notorious for witnessing a drop in giving—people are away, busy, and sometimes financial support suffers out of distraction. Let me be clear: This congregation has been extremely faithful with support during my first year, and throughout the last forty years. However, with the numerous new ministries and existing ones, we have a need to ensure that our time, talent and treasure are all equally committed to supporting our new-found growth. All of our recent upgrades have been fully funded by extra giving, a fantastic and miraculous endeavor by each of you. In terms of the day to day budget, we still have work to do.
Simply put, I’m writing to you all as a gentle reminder that, although things are going well, we need to remain faithful in our giving. Please consider this as we move toward the Fall and Winter months. In November, we’ll be entering stewardship season—a time in which we approach the altar and make financial commitments to the church. But the need is here, now, as well. Please continue giving to the ongoing life and ministry of this place, every gift is just that—a gift—and they all impact this place for the better. As I’ve said before, it takes all of us. Together, we can maintain the budget for 2018 and walk into 2019 with confidence that all our ministries, all our staff, and all our outreach will be accomplished.
I appreciate your generosity more than I can ever express via the written word. Thank you for your faithful pledge to this holy place, and to God whom it serves. And thank you for being the mighty resurrected congregation of Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+
September 19, 2018
What a great weekend! First and foremost, I want to draw attention to Brooke Calhoun and give her the praise she deserves for organizing church retreat 2018—Brooke, I think I can speak for most of us when I say IT WAS AWESOME. Some people hiked, some took naps, some people played board games and some folks just sat and read a book. No matter what was going on, I think what I loved witnessing the most was the fellowship between friends, old and new; I watched a couple of new relationships come to life and more than a few old relationships get strengthened, and it was beautiful.
And then there were those that stayed home and made sure the church was populated on Sunday…thank YOU, too! Even though thirty of us went to St. Crispin’s, there were still forty in attendance on Sunday—that’s pretty awesome. I missed seeing you all during worship, so I’m excited to reconnect, Sunday.
Some housekeeping right quick…
If you need a key to the church and have not already received one, please call Chad at the office and we can accommodate you—I apologize for any inconvenience that this process has caused. Next, there’s going to be a meal at 6:30 tonight, followed by youth (Tonight’s leader is Jason Pierce, thanks Jason!), choir, and adult study. I am still looking for a fourth group leader to tackle doing a bible study (the gospels) so if you’re interested, please let me know. At 8:15, everyone will gather in the Nave for Compline, to end the night.
There’s going to be a playground workday on October 13th from 9am-(whenever we finish) and we’ll also be working a little out in the shed if we have enough people. June was interested in painting the sacristy, too, so it looks as though we need a small army to come and commit some time. Please join if you can, the priority of the day will be the playground but I’d really love to see enough folks present to do other things, as well.
HR continues to progress. He’s walking twice a day, and his spirits are high. Please continue to pray for him and his family!
Jeanne Mowdy is recovering well from her surgery; I get updates from Mike frequently and he ensures that everything is moving along as it should. Please continue to pray for them, as well.
Enjoy the rest of your week, beloved. I’ll see you soon. Until then, be at peace and #practiceresurrection!
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+
September 11th, 2018
Have you noticed that I’ve been repeating the lines, “Real People, Real Worship, Real Moments” lately? If so, let me explain why (and if not, then let me explain). As many of you are aware, the church vision team has been hard at work to design a logo and a mission statement. Out of those meetings came a recurring trend: This church is comprised of real people practicing real worship living in real moments, thus the saying was born. These words encompass who we are.
Real People
I think some of Christianity is filled with nominal Christians—people attending Church and donning the moniker in name only. You know about whom I speak: The unrepentant who come to church for social designs only to go out into the world unchanged, merely ‘going through the motions’. I’m sure there are times when this applies to many of us, yet those times are few and far between; the faith held in this community is intentional and “We the people” sincerely do our best to rely upon each other during those times. But the ‘Real’ people aspect of our ethos is the fact that we might say a few bad words now and then, we may have a drink once in awhile, and we definitely don’t agree with one another on every issue—yet we still come together because we know that our sins and opinions are many, and it takes all of us to help one another see the world in a broader and clearer way.
Real Worship
This, perhaps, is the easiest to grasp of the three tenets. The worship of ECOTR is beautiful, worthy and practiced with intentionality. I love worshiping next to you and being with you during our high holy days and on our ‘low’ church Sundays. From Holy Week to the Sunday after Christmas, and every Sunday of the year, we come together again and again to proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord—and we do it the way that people were doing it long before we ever came. No frills, no production, just worship. I love it.
Real Moments
Because of the first two statements, real moments occur. I’ve seen people captured in moments of the Holy that I can hardly keep tears from my eyes. Moments when, in the middle of the service, a reference or a gesture can bring a sense of the Spirit that moves me beyond my normal state of faith and launches me into that thin space where I feel like I can almost touch the face of God. And I’ve seen that in you, too. From carrying the cross down on Good Friday to singing Silent Night at Midnight Mass, these real moments show our humanity and our humility, our joy and our sorrows, our shining faith in the broad daylight and the dark night of our souls. Yet worship is not the only place I see these moments; I see them in the everyday life and vitality of this holy space. From Open Mic Night to Soul of a Musician; from Pam Dean’s Olive Dip to Mary Greear’s Welcome Bags; from Deacon Dion’s gentle presence to Jack Pierce’s awesome exuberance. We, each of us, create in one another moments that capture our essence as the community of God, the Body of Christ, the moving living breathing containers of the Holy Spirit. And we do it because we are real with one another, we worship together, and we find ourselves in a place of the Holy that can only be reached when we band together and proclaim that we are the people of God through our brokenness, our perfect imperfection, and our desire to support one another through all the varying phases of life.
What are your memories of the Real Moments that have impacted you? What are your favorite experiences of Real Worship? And how are you impacting the world around you by being a Real Person? Think on that this week, and know that I am beyond grateful to be on this holy journey with you.
Now go, and #practiceresurrection
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+
September 5th, 2018
I recently had a conversation with one of my peers concerning the upcoming months. In it, he said, “Well, we’re about to get busy again!” I thought to myself…”Uh, I didn’t realize we hadn’t been busy this whole time!”
We’ve had a crazy blessed summer, this year. We averaged a little under eighty folks each Sunday; we had two open mic nights, one Soul of a Musician (Fr. TS Youmans); Family Fellowship Week; bake sales, funerals, weddings, and so much more. Simply put: Folks, we’re in it. I’m so proud of this place and what we’re doing here, but more importantly, I’m proud of the faith around here.
We continue to grow in love and support of one another and we also continue to dive deeper into relationship with one another and with God. I’m looking forward to the coming months—not because we’re going to be busy again—but because we never stopped. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for us, for new members and returning members to follow their feet to this holy and wonderful space.
Remember that we always have room to grow, both personally and congregationally. Next week we’ll have a potluck (here’s looking at you Aunt Pam, bring the olive dip) so make sure to bring something to share! We’ll also be holding a ministry fair—a way in which to learn about and sign up for ministries within the church. I know we need a few more altar guild members, and we ALWAYS need more singers for our extraordinary choir. If neither of those call to you, then don’t worry, there are plenty of other opportunities to engage.
Also, beginning September 12th, we’ll begin our Wednesday night community dinner from 6:30-7:00pm. Immediately following that will be choir, youth group, and young adult group study. If you just want to come eat, fine. If you want to join one of the groups, please do! I’m working on adding a fourth group for an all ages adult study. This way, there are multiple opportunities for all kinds of folks to come, eat, and engage!
AND LEST YE FORGET, FAITHFUL, CHURCH STARTS AT 10:30 THIS WEEK! Our young adult study will meet at 9:15, as will youth study. Young adults will meet in the conference room or library, and if we have more than can fit, we’ll move to the Parish Hall—this group will be lead by Deacon Dion. Youth will meet in the room next to the nursery (yet to be named)—and this will be lead my me.
So, come. Come and learn, come and teach, come and be fed. Let’s #practiceresurrection together as much as possible!
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+
August 29, 2018
I recently had a mountain-top experience…literally. The place I visited in North Carolina was atop a mountain. Everyone was dressed in their finery, the pavilion was superbly adorned with all manner of floral arrangements, the music echoed off the hills below, and the bride and groom adoringly committed themselves to one another for the rest of their natural lives. It was picturesque on all accounts; the scene and day fluidly shifting from one happy moment to the next. I took it all in, both remaining within the situation and stepping back from time to time to observe. This would undoubtedly be one of the happiest days of their lives and they’d remember it forever. I’m sure they’re somewhere on their honeymoon now, enjoying each other’s company and having a blast repeating the lines, “Husband” and “Wife” when they introduce themselves to literally every random stranger they find—just so they can say their new title. I hope their honeymoon lasts for the next forty years, that they never lose that feeling of gratitude and hope for each new day together.
I’ve experienced quite a few days such as the one above, over the last year here at Resurrection. So many firsts, so many ‘new’ moments. And yet, so very REAL in their character and in how they affected me. In a sense—much like a new marriage—we’ve enjoyed introducing ourselves as the ‘new’ priest and clergy spouse of Episcopal Church of the Resurrection. We’ve bragged on our people, our new worship space, our new home. In many ways, Nicole and I have seen ourselves as married to this place—for better and for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health…
And yet, I hope the same thing for us, as a unit, as I do for the young couple from this past weekend. I hope for the honeymoon to last the next (insert number of years here) without ceasing. Sure, we’ll have hard times, but hopefully not too often. We will have to tighten our belts some years and others may see us with an over-abundance. We will do the same services year in and year out, but hopefully they’ll be approached with a similar sense of anticipation and wonder as they were the first time we did them together. Our ministries will continue to grow and serve, but they will do so lovingly and courageously, without regard to ‘old hat mentality’.
Our scene is picturesque. We have a beautiful building, we come together on the happiest days of our lives and on the saddest, and every-day in between. I continue to brag on you, and hopefully I give you enough reason to WANT to introduce people to me and Nic. We see each other in our finery and in our work-clothes; in our sports shirts and in our hospital gowns. Yet, we see so much more in each other’s hearts. That’s who we are. We are one body growing with grace, bound together in mutual affection and faith for our Lord Jesus Christ. By virtue of being married to Him as the Church, we are bound to one another by that holiest of notions, that we are far better together than we ever could be apart, loving each other as we do ourselves. My greatest hope for us? That we remain in this beloved community and continue to seek others to join us, not for posterity, but for the broadening of the Kingdom of God. As year two gets underway, remember the joy you had during year one; the excitement and wonder and willingness to engage and grow deeper in faith. If you do that, I give you my solemn yet joyful vow that you will be, again, finding yourself deeper in love with Christ than you were the day before. I’ll see you soon, beloved. And Nicole and I can’t wait to spend the coming days, months, and years at your side, walking in love as Christ loved us.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+
August 22, 2018
Friends,
This last Sunday around 3am, the alarm was tripped in the office. I came down and met the police, who had arrived promptly and already conducted a search of the building. No one remained and their search yielded some strange happenings throughout the church. Someone had been inside the church, that is clear. Multiple faucets were turned on to a small flow and pieces of toilet paper were placed in the sink; had no one responded to the office alarm, it is likely that the building would have seen some water damage. The good news is that nothing otherwise was vandalized or stolen, and the church building remains in good standing.
The entry point for the intruder was the most interesting part of this story. The exit door of the Parish Hall (the one hardly utilized) held a key dangling in it. The person(s) had access via a key that they either already had, or by one that was lost Either way, this is something that needs remedied, and soon. After speaking with the vestry, we have elected to change the locks on the exterior doors of the church. New keys will be available for members of the varying ministries that need them full-time, as well as keys for sign-out for individual days of non-recurring events.
Truth be told, I’m not concerned about the safety of our church. We live in a good area and have good neighbors. Most likely, this was a case of a couple of kids ‘being kids’. However, I feel that given the amount of work and maintenance we have committed here over the last few years, we owe it to ourselves to maintain and ensure the security of the building. I am also looking into a security system (to be monitored by a company) to be installed, soon. We’re not turning into Fort Knox, but the vestry and I agreed that a whole-building system would be beneficial for the needs of the church.
Your continued vigilance and care is always appreciated. We all love this place and we all want to see it thrive. Give me a call if you have any questions or concerns; I’m always happy to talk to any of you about anything.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+
August 8, 2018
Recently I’ve had a couple of conversations wherein someone said the line, “Well, I consider myself spiritual but not religious.” I wonder why that is… Many of us readily identify with God as sovereign, His Son as Jesus Christ, and His Spirit as the life-changing healing wind of God’s breath. So why is it so hard for others to see this?
Here’s what I think. I think the “Church” has been responsible for more hurt and disappointment than it is willing to own. Many of the voices speaking the words of spirituality over religiosity are simply doing so out of a desire to be untethered to their previous experiences of pain or exclusion. The younger generations (and not so younger, including mine) were made to attend church and to do so without the opportunity to question that which they heard. Many of these people were told to show up, be silent, agree with whatever was said, stay away from x, y, and z, and then they’d be ‘saved’. But it isn’t that simple, is it?
We know from experience how delightful and simultaneously frightening the Word of God can be. Delightful in the sense of receiving abundant grace without merit, and frightening in the sense that we know that which we ought to do yet erringly practice otherwise, periodically, and then become subject to the fallout of our shortcomings. ‘Those other people’ have the same doubts and hesitations with very little of the delight. They’re out there, right now, without a community to which they belong and in which they invest themselves for fear of being shouted down or utterly ignored.
So, in the conversations I’ve had lately, I’ve started replying in a different way. Instead of scoffing or nodding and internalizing my disagreement with their statements, I keep the conversation going. “Why do you feel like that?” “What drove you away from church?” “Have you ever tried going to church, in the first place?” “What would your ideal community look like?”
People want to belong; they’re just terrified that it has to be completely on someone else’s terms or that they’ll be sucked into a vacuum or echo-chamber of homogenous thought. I wonder how they’d react if we all started asking them to speak so that we could hear their stories. I wonder if they’d think to themselves, “Hm. Maybe this ‘church’ thing isn’t so bad, after all.” I’ll bet they’d find themselves—with a little encouragement from us—being willing to give the Church a second chance, or a third one. Instead of being part of the church that pulls back and disagrees openly with these people, maybe we should try and listen to them and pull them into us. Because the other way isn’t working, and this ministry thing takes all of us.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+