Friends,
This Sunday most of us have heavy hearts with world events, and especially as we watch the war unfolding in Ukraine (territory near to where all four of my grandparents were born). Please join us in prayers for peace. In the lessons appointed for this Sunday we see a remarkably direct comment in the epistle on the Old Testament lesson from Exodus - it is timely in that the meaning of Epiphany is revelation, and the Exodus story of Moses' shining face was used by Paul to point out that our understanding is as though things are covered by a veil, and Paul preaches faith to remove that veil. In the gospel lesson we see another story of appearance, in this case at the Transfiguration where just about everything is shining and Jesus "appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white." Though Luke records that Peter and John were sleepy, they managed to stay awake to see this. What are we to make of this, especially with war actively being fought on land where many thought WWII was the "war to end all wars"? My sense is that these passages can help us to see things most clearly by seeing them through our spirit, for it is this that was revealed by God in Moses and by Jesus at the Transfiguration. We have been reading a book along with a Centering Prayer group, and the purpose of such prayer, even while its method is to empty oneself (of our many preconceptions, and just random thoughts or even thinking of ways to engineer outcomes - positive thoughts) is that it is useful if one can practically clear out all the thoughts in order to see what is really there. Is this what our favourite fictional detective Hercule Poirot is doing when ne seems to spend an inordinate amount of time quietly sitting? Note that in the book, Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault, the author points out that Jesus was in fact both active and contemplative (think of the many times he withdrew to pray) and thus led a life of "intentional alternation between contemplation and action". To respond to the events of the world, it is important to see what is really there, and our worship services can help provides some of the quiet that clears things out so that when we take action we can move as one since we are moving in our spiritual selves. Note that this might not bring peace to Ukraine in the short term, but such action of our deepest spirit, where love is found, really helps to see the reality. We hope you will join us in prayer - and work - for peace. our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) And for all of us at St Matts Events St Matthews Church will be meeting at 3:30 for Evening Prayer at a special location this Sunday to celebrate the reunion of a family, but all are welcome - please contact me for the location address. Because of work awaiting us this week, we will need to refer folks to the prior St Matts News and the Calendar pages at the SLO Deanery webpage at www.sloepiscopalians.org, along with individual parish websites. Note especially the announcements of Centering Prayer events. In addition to those at St Stephens Church in San Luis Obispo (Tues at 4:30pm) and St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande (Fri at 4pm), this week the first session of another prayer-study event, Lord Teach Us to Pray, at St Benedicts in Los Osos, (where the Hollister Institute continues Tues at 10:15am and has been going over a book, Benedicts Dharma in conversations). The Teach Us to Pray event will study the Lord's Prayer over 6 Thursday mornings beginning on Mar 3 at 11am. For these special events go to the particular parish websites, all of which are listed at https://realepiscopal.org/find-a-church/ Despite the heavy crush of news, we must try to continue our normal lives, so we want to report that the Jazz and Pancackes events will take place at Good Shepherd Church in Salinas this TOMORROW, as Lent begins Wed Mar2 . And our friends Kathanne Lynch and Brian Spolarich mentioned a Creation Course study course as follows which may be of interest (California seems to be being particularly hardhit by drought): The Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology released a series of free online courses that cover world religions and their relationship with ecology in an effort to impact the way people consider environmental issues. See https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2022/01/27/yale-hosts-free-online-courses-on-i ntersection-of-religion-and-ecology/ [yaledailynews.com] Deanery The SLO Deanery meets this Sunday at 2pm via Zoom. For full details contact David Ottesen at David Ottesen <ottesen2@icloud.com> Diocese Bp Lucinda Ashby put out the following regarding the war in Ukraine: Dear Clergy and Wardens, Probably many of you, like me, find yourselves heartsick at the military escalation and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. I am not an expert in geopolitics nor in Russia-Ukraine affairs. However, from a humanitarian and gospel perspective, this seems like a Herodian and Imperial measure to subdue and subject those who stand in the way of the acquisition of more power and more money. I see no good outcome from this long-predicted military action. As Christian leaders, we must pray for peace, and we must preach it, proclaim it and live it. As Episcopalians, we work for reconciliation, which we know to be an ongoing way of living our lives. Too often I, and you, have seen simple disagreements escalate into community conflicts due to issues of money and power—yes, in the church. And too often, we have turned a blind eye to the machinations of bullies and the toxicity they bring. The work of reconciliation, of living lives devoted to peace, is hard work. It is tough love. As leaders, we are called to protect those who depend on us communally, locally, and globally to shine light where there is shadow. If and when we do our work, some will pout, some will rattle sabers, others may find a new way toward the hope and love they crave. The reconciliation we long for needs to have as its initial point our homes and churches. Only by undertaking this challenging work each and every day, do we, as leaders, bear witness to the light and raise up what is healthy, humble and loving in our world. For those of you who know the story about the establishment of Christ the King Sunday, it came about as secularism and nationalism overtook the global conversation. As Mussolini rose to claim power in 1925, Pope Pius XI stepped forth and published an overlooked encyclical, claiming Christ the King, noting that people can posture and try to grab power and money, but it is Christ who rules over hearts, minds and souls. Prayers are important, and I hope that this Sunday you will pray for peace in our time. Even more, I hope that you will preach with strength and conviction the good and challenging news of the Reign of God. May it be so. Faithfully, +Lucinda And our sister Brandy sent along the following quote from the works of William Shakespeare offered by Grace Cathedral in San Francisco to which she is especially close: For the love of God can't we love one another just a little? That's how peace begins. We have so much to love each other for. We have such possibilities, my children. We could change the world. ––Elinore of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winte
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Folks,
The lessons appointed for this coming Sunday include the Genesis story of Joseph, now the mayordomo of pharaoh's household in Egypt beig reunited with his brothers and forgiving them for selling him into slavery, quite a story! And Luke's gospel contains a beautiful sermon asking that we "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", and do more good than what is commonly expected, concluding with a key reminder: "Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." But I was especially impressed by Paul who discusses the 'resurrection body", something those who "believe" in Jesus message seem awfully worried about. Paul, after making analogies, makes crystal clear in conclusion: "What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable." Most of us know someone who finds it necessary to put details, including familial relationships etc, into a life in heaven (some even include their pets!) But to Paul's straightforward conclusion I would add the words of blessing from our Book of Common Prayer, that in this world and the next our faith secures for us something "infinitely more than we can ask or imagine". May our faith secure this blessing for us, now and always! Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events We were privileged this past week to take part in two of the Centering Prayer events we mentioned as we the Spiritual Conversation at the Hollister Institute on "Benedicts Dharma" - all wonderful Zoom events to be repeated this week. See last week's News and parish websites for full details. Note that the Centering Prayer at St Barnabas included readings from The Cloud of Unknowing by medieval mystic St John of the Cross and was led by our friend Tricia Ottesen who led us off with a great quote from yet another book, God Hunger, by John Krivan: The night strips away the surface of the world. But only if we surrender to its darkness can we see what is always there, waiting for us behind the sunlit brilliance of the day. The night is rich with God who waits to be heard in its silence, waits to be seen in its shadows. But we are tempted to fill up its silence with a thousand other, less demanding voices, tempted to banish the shadows with day-bright images. We are, to be honest, far more comfortable with a burning bush than the cloudiness of the journey, or the dark at the mountain’s top. “I have been here all along,” says night’s voice, “but you have to leave the day behind.” Note that one of the more important ministries especially in this time of Covid uncertainty is keeping a sense of community, and St Benedicts Connections is an intentional ministry at the Los Osos parish. Similar ministry takes place at St Barnabas and most parishes in our area. Also please remember to join us at St Matthews in "downtown San Ardo" if you can this Sunday for worship using the Order of Evening Prayer at 3:30pm. Further afield St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego tells us they are reopening for in-person worship (with masks please) at their worship services, though most still are also available on Zoom. Note that this also pertains to in-person organ recitals by organist Martin Green. At their Forum at 10am they will hear from John Fanestil on the planned Friendship Park (and its long delays since it was proposed and to include the Border Field State Park in th 1950s) at the western end of the US/Mexico border. Also the congregation at St Pauls plans a large contingent in the San Diego St Patricks Day Parade on Mar 12. Note that St Pauls is beginning Lenten Inquirers Classes for those interested in learning more about The Episcopal Church and St Pauls and see their website for details on their Middle School and HIgh School group programs and full details for all the above. And St Pauls, along with Good Shepherd Church in Salinas and other parishes is making plans for Lenten activities, (only two more Sundays in Epiphany Season). Good Shepherd is already planning their Jazz and Pancake Sunday for Feb 27 (Epiphany Last). St Pauls is planning another study of the book Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul: Celtic Wisdom for Reawakening What Our Souls Know and Healing the World by John Phillip Newell, former Warden of Iona Abbey. Friends,
The lessons this week are from Jeremiah warning against trusting in "mere mortals" and commending trusting in the Lord and speaking for the Lord adds "I the Lord test the mind and search the heart". Despite this inner examination the prophet adds the Lord will give "according to their ways". Also from Paul's letter to the church in Corinth a passage I often quibble with asking whether if Christ has not been raised (something I believe) our faith might be in vain. Perhaps you have heard me go on about this? And the gospel lesson from Luke is a set of blessings and "woes" similar to the "Sermon on the Mount" as it often is called in Matthew's gospel (though the writer here describes it as "a level place"). While all the above are useful lessons, we thought to discuss the question of how one talks to God in an introduction to the book "Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening" by Cynthia Borgeault. As some you may recall this book will be read by the the Centering Prayer group at St Stephens Church in San Luis Obispo that we have mentioned. (I want to note again that Centering Prayer has become a practice found at many parishes, including St Barnabas in Arroyo Grande and St Benedicts in Los Osos - see below.) Most of us may have gone beyond thinking of prayer as recitations of requests for favours of one sort or another, for ourselves, our friends, our families, etc, useful though they may be. But my mind started wondering whether a very useful part of prayer might be listening to God since even while the Lord might be able see our inner beings, it would seem difficult for us to hear what God is saying without some serious listening - and I hope in the course of reading this book to do just that. Our prayer for us all then, while including blessings (even as the gospel lesson calls for) might be that we all listen to hear what God is saying. In that silence we might actually get a better view of ourselves as well! (Note that your writer here is well aware of the irony of putting all these words even while calling for listening, in other and himself!) Our love to all! Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Our own St Matthews Church in San Ardo will meet again at 3:30pm this Sunday for Evening Prayer, a time of day that seems to fit the most of our members work schedules, etc. The town and its surrounding ranches seem especially beautiful at this time and especially as we return home, though watch the News for potential time changes as the we move into summer. At our neighbouring missions St Lukes in Jolon lay leader SuRay will lead Morning Prayer at 10am while Fr Filemon Diaz will preach and preside at a Eucharist service at St Marks in King City, also at 10am. As we mentioned above, several parishes have events to "study" prayer, a common theme for this weekend's News. But before we begin, we want to reiterate the many other wonderful opportunities at area parishes for worship, education and fellowship and especially by going to the parish websites, including those at our Deanery's calendar page at https://www.mychurchevents.com/calendar/74061144 and the related pages. We are delighted to hear of a new and special event at St Benedicts in Los Osos, "Lord Teach us to Pray , a six week study" as further described by Rector Rev Caro Hall: "Please consider participating in a six week study based on the prayer that Jesus taught us. It will take place on six Thursday mornings at 11am starting March 3rd. Each session will last about 60 - 90 minutes. This six week study will explore the key phrases of the Lord’s Prayer as they lead us to greater spirituality and growth. March 3 Keeping Our Distance: How close can we come to a holy God? March 10 Crossing To the Future: What is the Kingdom and what is the Kingdom yet to come? March 17 Willing Obedience: How can we glorify God in our daily lives? March 24 Feeding Ourselves: What place does self-sufficiency have in Christian life? March 31 Writing it Off: What does the reality of our forgiveness say to our treatment of others? April 7 Crying For Help: How does a Christian respond to the enormity of evil in the world? This discussion group will be based on materials provided by the Kerygma Program. Participants are encouraged to read the resource book which is available from the church for a suggested donation of $17 (includes shipping). Sessions will be led by the Rev. Caroline Hall You may participate in person at the church or by Zoom. We encourage pre-registration by contacting the church office: ??ffice@stbenslososos.org." See St Bens websites for further details and all their events, including the ongoing Hollister Institute studying the book Benedict's Dharma on Tuesdays at 10:15am as well as the Earthcare group this Wed at 3pm, both via Zoom. And note that the earlier Sunday morning worship at St Bens is "Contemplative Eucharist". St Barnabas Church in Arroyou Grande tells us that Bp Lucinda Ashby will be making her visitation to the parish this Sunday so "wear red" and note that violinist Brynn Alabanese will provide music. St Barnabas as it turns out will also be using the Kerygma Program for Bible Study. As they describe it: "The Tuesday morning Bible Study group is starting a new unit of the Kerygma Program, “Shalom”: Old Testament scholar Donald E. Gowan unravels the multiple biblical threads of this eternal quest for peace in this masterful exploration of the Hebrew concept "shalom" and the Greek "eirene." Peacemaking is a central concern of the church and the world today. The study guide has 14 sessions but the group usually takes longer to cover the material. The material is available in a digital format or paper – printouts of the first two packets are still available in the office. Anyone is welcome to join the discussion on Zoom on Tuesday mornings at 9:30. Most participants also join for Morning Prayer at 9 AM. Please call Mary Ann Hjalmarson (805-481-4509) with questions or concerns." As previously mentioned, St Barnabas has a Centering Prayer group. In their words: "Friday afternoon Centering Prayer at 4pm – On Friday afternoons at 4pm we will hold a Centering Prayer Service. After first gathering for a few minutes we practice our 20 minutes of silent Centering Prayer. Following the practice we will be reading and discussing a passage from The Cloud of Unknowing, an anonymous fourteenth century spiritual director. We'll be using Where Only Love Can Go an edited collection of the writings. We will use the Zoom video conferencing service for this gathering. Click this link to attend via your computer or device https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86777561670?pwd=OEV0ajc1WXhuSGJINTIwbU1LUWR6Zz09 To dial in call 1-669-900-6833. When prompted put in the meeting id of 867 7756 1670# and when prompted for a password put in 034979#, and then hit # a second time." See St Barnabas websites for full details on this and all their events. And as mentioned last week, the new format for Centering Prayer at St Stephens Church in San Luis Obispo will begin this week. For full details on this and all their events see https://www.ststephensslo.org/ and subordinate pages). Our friend Kathanne Lynch tells us that this format of Centering Prayer includes discussion of a book. In her words: "The St. Stephen's Centering Prayer group will read the book Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault (2004). A book discussion will be on Tuesdays Feb 15 - March 15 from 4:30-5:00. This will be followed by their ongoing 5:00-5:30 Centering Prayer meeting (i.e., short reading, 20-minute silence, and the Lord's Prayer). The book is Bourgeault's very-readable account of the Method, Tradition, and Psychology of Centering Prayer. You are invited to attend the book discussion and/or Centering Prayer for one or all meetings. Additional information and the Zoom link is available rom Kathanne Lynch of St. Stephen's at kathannelynch3@gmail.com. can deliver a copy of the $18 book to you or Volumes of Pleasure bookstore in Los Osos has copies." From Dcn Jim Arnold: St James Church in Paso Robles, in conjunction with St Lukes Church in Atascadero is having an Earth Shrine clean-up event. Join the group TODAY from 10am to noon ata Atascadero's Sunken Gardens. And St James will be offering a "CareGiver Retreat, a Day of Rest for Caregivers" at the Church on Mar 12 from 10am to 1pm, lunch included. NO cost but please RSVP to Mara Whitten at 805-239-5689. For full info on events at St James Church go to www.stjamespasorobles.org From the Diocese Bp Lucinda Ashby sends along a brief note reminding us "As the State of California rescinds the indoor mask mandates, most of our counties are doing either partial changes or not changing their requirements. As I read county guidelines, one of the exceptions to rescinding indoor mask mandates is “congregant settings.” If you look that up, it means us. So, stated rather clumsily this all means that masks are to be kept on in groups meeting for a sustained period of time indoors. In good judgment, we will keep our masks on indoors for the foreseeable future. I would imagine that you have in all likelihood come to this conclusion already, and I want to be sure that we all stay as safe as possible as this pandemic continues to play out and we learn more about the science of this particular virus." Folks,
The lessons for this Sunday include from Isaiah ("In the year that King Uzziah died"), a lament of bad times to come, but also asking a key question: "Where is the Lord in all of this?". This is followed (in time sequence) by the gospel lesson, where the Lord, in the form of Jesus, tells the fishers where to cast their nets. Cleverly using this metaphorically he tells these guys THEY will be acting for the Lord. And Paul's Corinthians letter adds where the Lord it to be found, for even though he never saw Jesus during his earthly ministry, he records that Jesus appeared to him, the last (and in his modesty "least") of the apostles to see him. But it is here that one can take issue with Paul's writing, since even in his own many letters Paul tells us that the Lord is with us in the form of the Holy Spirit. He may have felt gladdened that Jesus appeared to him in his "resurrection body", but his constant reminder that the Lord is with us in persons around us and their love. We have mentioned before one of the most striking pieces of Christian art we ever saw at a General Convention of The Episcopal Church, a giant face of Jesus composed of many thousands of photos of real people. For this reason I feel no envy of the Apostles and other early Christians, including "the to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time" who Jesus in his resurrection body. Indeed, Isaiah says further on "you will find (God) if you seek (God) with all your heart and with all your soul". Our prayer is for all to see this reality of the Lord. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Folks, As we have been travelling for work, we have to make this brief, referring you to the many parish websites. We do want to mention, as we did last week, the new format for Centering Prayer at St Stephens Church in San Luis Obispo, including those at their websites (see https://www.ststephensslo.org/ and subordinate pages). As our friend Kathanne Lynch tells us that this format of Centering Prayer includes discussion of a book. In her words "The St. Stephen's Centering Prayer group will read the book Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening by Cynthia Bourgeault (2004). A book discussion will be on Tuesdays Feb 15 - March 15 from 4:30-5:00. This will be followed by their ongoing 5:00-5:30 Centering Prayer meeting (i.e., short reading, 20-minute silence, and the Lord's Prayer). The book is Bourgeault's very-readable account of the Method, Tradition, and Psychology of Centering Prayer. You are invited to attend the book discussion and/or Centering Prayer for one or all meetings. Additional information and the Zoom link is available rom Kathanne Lynch of St. Stephen's at kathannelynch3@gmail.com. can deliver a copy of the $18 book to you or Volumes of Pleasure bookstore in Los Osos has copies." Note that Centering Prayer is practised at several other parishes in our Diocese, including All Saints, Carmel St Barnabas, Arroyo Grande, and soon other venues, and we have joined some of these Zoom events. We also hope to take in some of the Hollister Institute discussions at St Benedicts in Los Osos on Tuesdays at 10:15am, currently discussing the book, Benedict's Dharma. |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
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