Folks,
The lessons for this Sunday include the remarkable willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son to God, and a gospel lesson from our patron Matthew discussing the rewards offered to the worshipping community. The story of Abraham's obedience is likened to the choices between what Rabbi Irwin Kula at The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership - a choice between autonomy and heteronomy. The lesson from Paul's letter to the Romans is what strikes me as very much in tune with the Rabbi, since in Christian thinking almost always pairs discussion of sin (missing the mark is a fair understanding of the meaning of "sin") with "grace" which goes beyond forgiveness unto real life - "eternal life" Paul calls it. Sin is a state we all find ourselves in - it is not hard with a bit of introspection for all of us to see that we are in that state, where we have done less than we could have, or more that we shouldn't have. But when it is paired with that sense of grace we reach an elevated state of spirit (the place where we really live) that makes us truly alive. Again and again with various metaphors Paul admonishes us to realise our freedom from sin especially when we recognise that we are living in God's grace. The realisation (a spiritual-mental activity) of such grace is what enables us to turn from "slavery" to sin over to "obedience" to righteousness. Note however that Paul insists that the choice of obedience in grace vs slavery in sin is on-going and that the two powerful principles, autonomy and heteronomy, are yoked together and held in creative tension" (op cit). That creative tension is an interesting thing, since it is indeed our duty to look after ourselves even as we also have a real need for community which entails the need to care for the community well beyond ourselves. (It is in this tension that we think and act for justice within the community, including ourselves - see about Pride Month below.) But the tension should not be allowed to overwhelm us, since we also live in God's grace, where we know from the get-go we are forgiven and our sin absolved (why the "absolution" is a key part of Christian worship). There are quiet moments in life when we realise that we have changed in some way, perhaps dropping a bad habit or wishing someone we resented well or even taking better care of our own selves. Such golden moments are glimpses of the grace we pray we all will choose to dwell in. Our love to all, and Happy Pride - remember that the pink triangle of Pride and justice for us all.) Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Note that June is Pride Month, and THIS SUNDAY the Rev. Canon Dr. Altagracia Pérez-Bullard from Virginia Theological Seminary at 11am Grace Cathedral in San Francisco will have their PRIDE MASS which will be live-streamed https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/linkredirect?url=https%3a%2f%2fgracecathedral.org%2fevents%2fonline-live-stream-pride-sunday-choral-eucharist%2f&srcid=22841964&srctid=1&erid=1561143803&trid=de64a826-f027-4cc6-9d17-7412c4abd11b&linkid=231657246&isbbox=1 Dr Perez-Bullard is a specialist in bringing leadership to social justice issues, seeking to build bridges and create alliances among communities across lines of difference, whether they are characterized by race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality or physical and mental abilities. As we hope you all know, this week capped PRIDE off appropriately with a pair of Supreme Court decisions that bar discrimination of LGBTQ people from the workplace, thereby making a more complete pattern of justice for all. In the spirit of Pride, even while not having any "in-person" events, they have been celebrating "Pride 50" online. This past Wed they had a Sister Act Pride Mass sing-along with Brit Barron of New Abbey preaching. Note also that the Cathedral has helped bring leadership for social justice by leading a campaign to "Illuminate the PInk Triangle", once a symbol of discrimination but now a symbol of justice, which has appeared every June for many years during Pride Month near the top of Twin Peaks. Tonight you can watch the Global Grand Lighting at 9pm at https://bbox.blackbaudhosting.com/webforms/linkredirect?url=https%3a%2f%2filluminatethepinktriangle.org%2f&srcid=22841964&srctid=1&erid=1561143803&trid=de64a826-f027-4cc6-9d17-7412c4abd11b&linkid=231657245&isbbox=1 While we are delighted to hear about Grace Cathedral's Pride events, we want to mention that other parishes around the country will be having similar events, including St Pauls Cathedral in San Diego. Since Pride Month there is in July, they are have a special lighting service as a part of San Diego Pride which will illuminate the cathedral building in rainbow colours. The event is set for July 10 from 7-9pm and details are at https://sdpride.org/event/light-up-the-cathedral-an-interfaith-pride-celebration/ While we at St Matthews are continuing with Prayerbook services in our homes and regular phone visits with others of our community, as well as visiting fellow parishes in the Deanery and even in San Francisco (see above), several parishes are moving ahead with plans (which must be approved by our bishop) for "in-person" events and we just got a call to that extent by our friend Rev Rob Keim of St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande. (As an aside, many of you have probably noticed how much we enjoy the community of our San Luis Episcopal Deanery - a group that keeps us in God's love.) Until reopening plans are approved, however we are glad the Deanery offers so many opportunities for community via online virtual events. As we regularly mention, the best source for seeing just how many events are available is on offer at SLO Deanery website www.sloepiscopalians.org and especially the calendar page there - the direct link is https://74061144.view-events.com/calendar/74061144/ Indeed in the past week we have enjoyed the Compline service provided by St Benedicts as well (last Sunday) as the Morning Prayer services at both St Lukes Church in Atascadero and St Pauls Church in Cambria. And on Friday we attended the Centering Prayer event with St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande, including silent meditation, reading from Dame Julian of Norwich, and discussion. We are happy to say that St Peters Church in Morro Bay is now having online worship of their own (they had been joining with other parishes to this point in the "lockdown") and you can join them tomorrow, June 28, at 11am (their first online service, last Sunday, attracted 154!). Go to https://www.facebook.com/StPetersMorroBay.com/ Thic coming week we look forward to Wednesday Evening Prayer with St. James jointly with St Barnabas at 6:00 pm – If you have a Book of Common Prayer at home that will be useful to have on hand. 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/4824802340?pwd=eGd4S2pGcW1CbHpxcGg1c05MUHdsdz 09 [saintbarnabas-ag.us8.list-manage.com] To dial in call 1-669-900-6833. When prompted put in the meeting id of 482 480 2340# and when prompted for a password put in 063716#, and then hit # a second time. Besides the "regular" online services and ongoing series events, most of which are on the SLO Deanery website listed above, we have received word of the following special events: The Chautauqua Institution Annual Summer Assembly Morning Woship will be held tomorrow, June 28, at 10:45am, with openly gay bishop Rt Rev Gene Robinson, retired, and Margaret Bullitt-Jonas leading the worship at https://assembly.chq.org St Benedicts Church in Los Osos will host the following event in July: Tuesday July 7, there will be an opportunity to read and discuss the book “The Untethered Soul; the journey beyond yourself”https://www.amazon.c> 45379 [www.amazon.com] by Michael A. Singer. This is not an explicitly Christian book but rather an exploration of consciousness. One reviewer says, “Psalm 42:8 says, ‘Deep calls unto deep.’ Within each human soul there is a longing for more, and the thirst can be quenched only by God. In The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer helps the modern person who is seeking this experience to come to a better understanding of the action in their soul. I highly recommend this reflection of one soul to another on the journey.” Another says, “The Untethered Soul is a brilliant treatment of the path of spiritual consciousness. It is clearly and powerfully written. Michael A. Singer provides a firm step for those on a spiritual journey.” Contact St Benedicts for full information. Sunday, July 12 at 2:00 pm, Peggy Myrick of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, San Luis Obispo, will be hosting a discussion on the book: White Fragility by Robin DeAngelo. Peggy states: This book I believe is a good starting point to begin that education process. Please join me to discuss how we might start a dialogue on the issues of white supremacy and racial inequality. Hard copies of the book may be hard to come by since most online outlets are sold out and a waitlist has been established. Online book retailers such as Amazon, Kobo and Barnes and Noble all have eBook versions that can be downloaded and may be quicker to purchase. We will be using the Reading Guide by Ozlem Sensoy and Robin DiAngelo for this book as we progress through the chapters. The Reading/Study Guide in PDF can be found free online or I can send a copy by email. Please note: This discussion group may continue over several weeks and will be decided at this first meeting. The Zoom information for White Fragility is: Meeting ID: 327 152 8720 Password: 0908 or Dial by your location +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose), +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) St James Church in Paso Robles is fundraising with a goal of $500.00 to be sent to St Johns Church, Lafayette Square (in DC - you will recall that the church was damage by protesters when the President had a "photo opp" there recently. Contact our friend Diane Coffin at St James for full info. From the Diocese Our friend Elrond Lawrence has put together a COVID-19 page at the diocesan websites with an updated version of the diocesan re-entry policy plan has been added to the COVID-19 page at https://www.realepiscopal.org/covid-19-response-and-online-worship/ Please visit the link to to download the updated PDF as well as bishop messages, church employees re-entry plan, and an online worship listing. For any corrections, please contact elrond@realepiscopal.org.
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Folks,
The lessons appointed for this Sunday include from Romans (where Paul recommends that we must be "dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus) and a challenging lesson from Matthew's gospel ("I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.") But I was taken especially by the Genesis lesson and the story of Abraham's other wife, Hagar. Because of Sarah's concerns (jealousy?) for her son Isaac she convinced her husband Abraham to exclude from the household his slave Hagar and her son (I call her his other wife). The result was misery for Hagar. Hagar mourned her loss of position and comfort and even feared for her life, but with God's help she survived (see below for the news from Rev Berkeley Johnson of a new grief support group for non-death loss). When we experience a loss, there is no guarantee that we will thrive like Hagar and her son, or even survive. But it is a good time to listen as God may be calling to you as he did to Hagar. That moment of listening in Hagar's case resulted in her eyes being opened, and she saw the means of survival before her. May we when faced with life's losses listen in meditation and prayer. Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts Events St Matts congregation are continuing sheltering in place and using prayerbook services at home and occasional online attendance. We are keen to meet again in-person and looking forward to such plans as that of St Barnabas Church in Arroyo Grande, which is considering having three Sunday services, including outdoor ones with appropriate social distancing at 8am and 11:30am with an online Eucharist in between. Note also that some parishioners have been attending virtual services, including us at the Monday and Thursday Zoom Compline led by Lorienne Schwenk of St Benedicts in Los Osos (go to their calendar for details). And as we have been noting every week, we hope you all will take advantage of the SLO Deanery's webpage, with several tabs of interest (including our churches, our Deanery's leadership, and especially events at most of the parishes in the Deanery. For the Events Calendar, replete with options see https://74061144.view-events.com/calendar/74061144/ with a great feature on top of a scrolling list of This Weeks Events. And while you are there you can view the other pages mentioned. From the Deanery Note that several of the parishes in the Deanery are making plans for in-person events, but none will be ready until all parishes have a plan approved by Bp Lucinda. This is being worked out by leaders via Zoom. From Rev Berkeley Johnson Reflecting on our Faith, Times, and CV-19 Sequestration: Berkeley Johnson, Campus Ministry, Canterbury SLO, Saint Stephens Episcopal Church, San Luis Obispo. As part of my transition away from my campus-ministry position with Canterbury, and developing new directions for my ministry, I have been receiving training in grief support with Dr. Alan Wolfelt at his Center for Loss in Ft. Collins, CO. Over the past few years, I have attended two of Dr. Wolfelt's four-day grief workshops: the first focused on "companioning" the bereaved, and the second on developing counseling skills. Additionally, as many of you know, I have been with Wilshire Hospice here locally for the past nine years as a spiritual counselor, and have now worked with hundreds of families and thousands of patients going through the grieving and dying process. What I have learned during this time is that all of us, to one extent or another, are grieving various losses and changes in our lives at any given time, and learning to "see" what we are going through, through the lens of grief, often brings about clarity and understanding, and hence, an inner peace, that might otherwise escape us. I have had the opportunity to facilitate two grief-support groups, primarily through St. Ben's, Los Osos - the most recent one being online, of course - and would now like to offer a similar online grief-support group to the deanery at large. The parameters of the group are as follows: the first caveat is that this group is for what I would describe as "non-death loss"; in other words, if the primary loss or grief you are experiencing right now is due to the death of a loved one, then there are already resources for and grief counselors available to you in the community, primarily through our hospice agencies, and I am happy to help get you connected to those resources as needed. This group, however, will be for other types of loss I mentioned above; it could be anything from loneliness, isolation, or sadness due to the pandemic or general state of the world, the loss of a home or job, divorce, separation, or a tragic accident, illness, or situation that has altered your or a loved one's life. Any of these situations can and often do trigger grief, causing us to go back and revisit older traumas as well that were never quite resolved. If you are interested in being part of our next group, which we hope to get started in July, or have any questions, please contact me by email at ??erkeley.johnson@gmail.com or phone (805) 550-5133. I will save the majority of details for those of you who are interested and contact me; but the basics are that we have room for about 8-10 participants at a time, and the group is "closed" once it forms, meaning both that there will be no newcomers after the first session, and that once you commit, you agree to attend and remain with the group through to its conclusion. This is because of the trust relationships and bonds that develop and are central to the group's process and well-being. The number of sessions will depend on, and will roughly match, the number of participants. Berkeley Johnson Folks,
The lessons this Sunday include from Genesis wherein Sarah Laughed and then for fear denied laughing - but was the laugh one of doubt or one of joy? And from Romans Paul discusses some good things that can come of suffering. But this week the gospel lesson from our patron Matthew has Jesus naming and sending forth his Twelve (often called the Apostles) to the people of Israel even while doing good deeds all around the country. Jesus's relationship with the Twelve seem to been immensely personal and yet he says (in the optional section) they will have a lot to cope with: “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles...." Many times when trying to witness to the love of God we may be similarly best, and for us it may seems we do so WITHOUT that personal relationship with Jesus as "God in the flesh" - yet if we look into ourselves more deeply we will find that this is exactly where this God lives. Note that what is needed to be a disciple above all is a "good heart", a quality we find in many of our fellow churchfolk. One such is Lorienne Schwenk of St Benedicts Church in Los Osos who leads us in Compline (the last monastic service of the day) on Mondays and Thursdays at 8pm (see St Ben's websites). We include a prayer from Lorienne especially for this these days (below). May we recognise that God is indeed with us, living inside of us as we strive to do keep his commandments of love and spread it about as Good News! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts1 Events Because ranch work is much but the "labourers are few" (Tony! and myself) on a cool day like today we worked til now to hand pull yellow start thistle until this hour, we need to refer you to the SLO Deanery website sloepiscopalians.org/index.html and to your local parish websites for special events. A Special Prayer Reflecting on our Faith, Times, and CV-19 Sequestration: Lorienne Schwenk, St. Benedict’s Episcopal Church, Los Osos (Note: Lorienne uses a format known as a “pantoum,” a poem in four-line stanzas in which the second and fourth lines of each stanza serve as the first and third lines of the next stanza. The final line of a pantoum is the same as the first.) I Will with God’s Help Let go and know that I am God. Will you respect the dignity of every human being? Do not be incensed by evil doers: Mine is the world and its fullness. Will you respect the dignity of every human being? Let our love be not in talk or on the tongue. Mine is the world and its fullness. With your kindness Lord, the Earth is filled. Let our love be not in talk or on the tongue, cutting the word of truth straight. With your kindness Lord, the Earth is filled. You are God’s children of the most high, all of you! Cutting the word of truth straight, I will give you the treasures of darkness. You are God’s children of the most high, all of you! Be strong and courageous! I will give you the treasures of darkness; the helpless commit themselves to you. Be strong and courageous; no one shall be put to death this day! The helpless commit themselves to you in steadfast love, hear my voice. No one shall be put to death this day! Let all that you do be done in love. In steadfast love, hear my voice; Mine is the world and its fullness. Will you respect the dignity of every human being? Let go and know that I am God. Folks,
The lessons for this Sunday include the creation story from Genesis, along with a farewell by Paul to the Christians in Corinth and the story in the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus delivers what is often called "The Great Commission" - to make disciples in all nations, and the New Commandment, to love one another. Today of these lessons I am particularly struck by God's "Need" to rest, since it seems if this is a good thing for God it must be REALLY good for human beings - and so it seems. While quality resting isn't easy in the hubbub of the modern world with millions of distractions (even when sheltering in place) we hope you can get some really quality rest in frequently. One very good way to rest is thru meditation (though we often like to combine that with walking). It is also surprising how restful meditating on the lessons can be. As one does, it sometimes it feels that "God's in His heaven and all's right with the world" (from Pippa Passes by Robt Browning, but often quoted by one of my favourite fictional characters, Bertie Wooster). Note that earlier this week in a call from my sister in San Francisco we heard more of that need for true peace and quiet, with demonstrations roiling in the streets nearby. Through the week at our peaceful ranch, meditating while working, it became clear to me that there is a great need for both rest and justice - the kind of realisation you have when you can drop back and look at the bigger picture. With that in mind I hope that you will read the words of the bishops and those of our friend from neighbouring St James Church in Paso Robles, Lucy Simola, copied in below. We pray that in this time of stress upon stress all will yet find a real sabbath to help see the need and practical means for working for justice as we are able this weekend! Our love to all, Bart (and Tony!) and for all of us at St Matts! Events Parishioners of St Matthews are continuing for now to gather in our families at home for Prayerbook prayer services. And Thurs Jun 11 at 8pm our friend Lorienne Schwenk will via zoom lead Compline at the zoom link in the calendar at https://www.stbenslososos.org/calendar/ As you know, we are more-and-more referring folks to the web for events, including online events listings such as can be found at our Deanery's re-vamped websites at http://sloepiscopalians.org/index.html and at the individual parish sites under the Our Deanery tab / Our Churches subtab. We encourage all to check-out those pages! From the Deanery The next Deanery meeting will be Sat June 28 at 2pm via zoom. Contact Deanery convenor David Ottesen (email at the Officers subtab) for info. From the Diocese - Working Prayers for Justice We are glad to know that many individuals across our nation and our diocese are working for justice. Below are three such efforts: Reflecting on our Faith, Times, and CV-19 Sequestration: Lucy Simola, Vestry member, Saint James Episcopal Church, Paso Robles When I started writing this a few days ago, my focus was on the pandemic and efforts to keep people from getting COVID 19. While this is still part of what is happening, the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis caused me to shift my focus to the institutional, systematic, and personal racism that still pervades our country. We who are safe and dealt with fairly in society need to stand with our marginalized brothers and sisters in Christ who are?viewed with suspicion and being killed. We, as a nation, are smarter, more compassionate, and more loving than that. On Monday I read a very apt observation from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: "Rioting is the language of the unheard." Let's work together to let people of color know they are not alone. Let's also tell our elected officials that violence makes for more more violence. Only nonviolent actions can lead to peace. As citizens, we have all vowed the following: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." I believe we are one nation, under God, and together we must strive to "make" it indivisible with liberty and justice for all. I am beginning a list of organizations and events that are working for justice for everyone. I invite each of you to add to it. Maybe we can have a section on our church web sites that keep a running list of organizations, practices, or events that we can support or join as we respond to Jesus' charge to his disciples in John 13:34: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another." Organizations, Practices, and Events Working for Justice and Peace Episcopal Peace Fellowship Practices creative peacemaking National Council of Churches Offers National Day of Prayer Religions For Peace USA Hosts periodic and topical webinars? American Civil Liberties Union Works overtime for justice and peace for all Amnesty International Supports Human Rights Green Faith Offers online prayer days? Pace e Bene Online classes on Nonviolence National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Our Bp Lucinda Ashby wrote the following regarding recent events in the US: “The unrest, anger, and violence in our country these past few days have left people anxious and uncertain as to the safety of family members and friends in different cities and towns. Certainly, in our diocese, it is the same as we stare into the brokenness of our communities.” and our Presiding Michael Curry made this statement regarding the use of St Johns Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square in Washington for a photo-op, including tear gas and the Bible, as an apparent partisan political ploy: Statement from Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry on President Donald Trump’s use of a church building and the Holy Bible [June 1, 2020] The following is a statement from Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry: This evening, the President of the United States stood in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church, lifted up a bible, and had pictures of himself taken. In so doing, he used a church building and the Holy Bible for partisan political purposes. This was done in a time of deep hurt and pain in our country, and his action did nothing to help us or to heal us. The bible teaches us that “God is love.” Jesus of Nazareth taught, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The prophet Micah taught that the Lord requires us to “do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.” The bible the President held up and the church that he stood in front of represent the values of love, of justice, of compassion, and of a way to heal our hurts. We need our President, and all who hold office, to be moral leaders who help us to be a people and nation living these values. For the sake of George Floyd, for all who have wrongly suffered, and for the sake of us all, we need leaders to help us to be “one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.” |
WILLIAM BARTOSH
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