Monthly Archives: January 2013

Let’s go team!

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Third Sunday after the Epiphany (C), January 24, 2013; The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 do not be grieved; the joy of the Lord is your strength.
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Luke 4:14-21 Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

O God of freedom, grant us the strength, the wisdom and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth, come when it may, and cost what it will.

I’m going to say some things about Luke’s signature story about the miraculous beginning of the ministry of Jesus, but first I want to make sure you noticed that two verses are omitted from our lectionary-appointed reading of Nehemiah this morning: verses 4 and 7. I hope those of you who have heard me preach before noticed that and wondered what was missing! Maybe you even guessed that I would tell you! (I will.) The verses contain long lists of names. Perhaps they’re left out in deference to church readers everywhere – but I wish they hadn’t been. Continue reading →

From the Rector for Winter 2013

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Ripple Effects

I have long taken a widening rings approach to engaging with scripture. An early mentor of mine helped me to understand that a most important question to ask about a bible passage is not, “did this really happen?” but “is this really happening?”  If so, how is it happening inside of me?  How is it happening in the parish?  How is it happening in the larger community?  How is it happening nationally and globally?

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Spiritual Fitness in the Widening Rings

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St. Augustine prays that our hearts are strained “until they rest in Thee.” He observes that anxiety over what tomorrow may hold is a sign that our hearts are homeless.  

Several years ago, when I was a seminarian busy widening my spiritual rings, I started hanging out with monks. This was not a choice. I was told by teachers to go to the local Order of the Holy Cross to receive spiritual direction while I sought to become ordained in the Episcopal Church. Well, I had never thought that I might need a one on one, “religious therapist.” I hadn’t needed any therapy in the past … although in retrospect, I probably could have used plenty. Couldn’t I just go to church, and then do my schoolwork like all the other work I had done seeking degrees? NO. I needed to be taught how to work on my spirituality, especially while undergoing the challenges and anxieties of seminary and ordination.

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Epiphany or bust!

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Feast of the Epiphany, January 6, 2013; The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

Isaiah 60:1-6 A multitude of camels shall cover you.
Ephesians3:1-12 [It] will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ.
Matthew 2:1-12 We observed his star at its rising.

O God of Light, grant us the strength, the wisdom and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth, come when it may, and cost what it will.

The feast of Epiphany so rarely falls on a Sunday – it feels great to celebrate it with all of you! We have a precious handmade ornament that hangs on our Christmas tree at home every year that says, “Epiphany or Bust!” Once again, we appear to have made it with the grace of God! You probably know that the word epiphany comes from the Greek word for showing or revelation or manifestation. So the Feast of Epiphany is a celebration of the vision of well-being – of the shalom of God. And we have a marvelous trio of readings about seeing the goodness of God in the darkness, through the dense fog; about perceiving the mystery of the Christ, the redeeming urge of the Divine in what feels like a god-forsaken place; and about searching for meaning and a true moral compass in the midst of fear, evil, and false directives. Of course, there’s good news and bad news. Continue reading →