In the Abstract...

Some things are easy to take or to think about in the abstract, but much harder to face when they are a part of your actual everyday life. Like babies. Or taxes. Or death. Or God.

This week's OT lesson has David's armies engaging the armies of his son, Absalom, in the Battle of Ephraim, where 20,000 lose their lives. Stop & consider that. Twenty-thousand! A slaughter! An atrocity! But the text skips right over that number to relate the very real and very poignant reaction David has when his own son is killed that day. "The king was deeply moved [when he heard of the boy's death] and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, he said, "O my son Absalom, my own, my son Absalom! Would that I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son." We often read about death on unimaginable scales, but it is a single death of one we love that drives us to our knees. It is normal and it is healthy and it is human.

So also is it human to find the idea of God quite acceptable in the abstract, but much more difficult in the sense of a present reality. We argue for hours over whether or not God exists and who God loves or hates, and just what it is that God requires of us. But what if we were face-to-face with the living God? This is the reality of our Gospel for this week. Some, upon facing a man claiming to have come from heaven to earth (abstract to reality) are understandably skeptical. "We know God," they say, "and you are not God." But denying reality doesn't change it.

I pray to a God I don't see and wonder if I am heard, or if this, too, is an abstraction.

But then I encounter Christ with my senses and I find myself in the presence of something very real.

Reflection on Sunday's Sermon

Last Sunday we had the privilege of hearing Father Mark's annual sermon on sin.  (Go listen to it again or for the first time- he posts all his sermons on his YouTube Channel.)  He only does this once or twice a year- most of time he preaches wonderful happy sermons on love, living in community- but a few times a year we gotta hear about sin.

I'll be honest- these sermons are hard for me.  Maybe it's the memories of growing up in a conservative southern church, maybe it's just the reality of the it topic- but typically I just want to avoid these Sundays.

This Sunday was a little different & I quickly found myself absorbed in what Father Mark was saying.  The message I came away with was "stop blaming others for your sin."  It's you.  It's all you, but it's not you forever.

And for the first time, I understood the hope that is in forgiveness- the potential transformation of those horrid, stomach churning feelings into a serenity found through acceptance.

What did you take away from Sunday's sermon?  Please share your thoughts with us- you can always post anonymously here.

1 in 5

USA Today published an article that states 1 in 5 Americans select NONE for religious affiliation when surveyed.  The article states- "Young people are resistant to the authority of institutional religion, older people are turned off by the politicization of religion, and people are simply less into theology than ever before."  Furthermore, "10% of American adults became NONES after growing up within a religious group."

What do you think is contributing to this lack of religious affiliation?

Why do you think those who grew up within a religious group are disassociating with that group as they age?

FaithWeaver Friends!

A new and exciting program for our youth began last week!  It's called FaithWeaver Friends and is being led by Vicki Sohriakoff with a team of dedicated volunteer teachers.  The program is designed to help kids connect their Christian faith with their real life.  Activities include: journaling, making crafts, playing games, and working on projects.  Children from preschool to fifth grade are invited to attend!  The fun begins at 6:30 and ends at 8:00pm. 

Dylan is 8 years old, and was kind enough to answer some questions about the program:

What did you learn at the first meeting of FaithWeaver Friends? 
"Don't be afraid to follow God."

How many kids were in your group?
"Five."

What was the most fun thing you did?
"Follow the leader at the game station."

Are you excited to go back next week?
"YES, I'm excited to see what things we are going to do."

Tell me one thing other kids should know about FaithWeaver Friends:
"Kids should know it is fun."

There you are, folks.  A firsthand account of the very first meeting of FaithWeaver Friends at St. Augustine's!

If you are interested in volunteering as a teacher or getting your child involved, please call the church or e-mail Vicki for more information! 

Christmas Pageant

It's been awhile since the St. A's Christmas Pageant, but I just can't get it out of my head.  It was amazing, sensational, and so easy for parents!  (I like that last part best!)

The Christmas Pageant for this past Christmas was called a No Rehearsal Pageant and was researched by Sandra Squires.  When asked why she chose this particular pageant, she said, "I read the pageant, and I laughed out loud.  So I took the idea to the Christian Formation Committee and they approved it.  It is called a "no rehearsal" pageant, and I did have moments of panic about that since all the stress rests on the behind the scenes adults, but that is what I wanted so the kids could just enjoy it."

And enjoy it they did!  Luke Cudly was kind enough to answer some questions about the pageant.

What part did you play in the pageant?

"Head Shepard"

 

What was your favorite part of the pageant?

"Leading the others down the aisle."

 

Did anything really funny happen?  If so, what?

"Yes. The narrator made funny comments to the kids. He was very funny."

 

Were you nervous?

"Yes."

 

Would you like to do this kind of pageant again?

"Kind of. It was fun."

 

Luke mentioned the narrator.  The role of the narrator was to guide the characters through the play.  Remember, this is a no rehearsal play.  The children showed up, dressed in their assigned costumes, and did what the narrator told them to.  It was important for them to listen to the narrator as they were to act out what he was saying.  This left a lot of room for interpretation! 

 

This type of pageant could not be done without the help of some adults.  Sandra was asked about those wonderful adult volunteers and she responded, "I knew we had few people in the congregation who could do the role or Narrator, and Jim Tomanek, a naturally funny man, agreed to do it.  I also knew that Summer Murray had really good acting skills from a Christmas play I had seen her in a couple of years ago.  So I got them on board early.  I also knew I needed a costume person, and Robin Proctor (BLESS HER HEART) agreed to be head of costuming. Mary Wells, who also can do anything, offered to help and I asked her to be in charge of props and work with Robin on costumes.  They are the real unsung heroes in this entire process."

 

Sandra herself did quite a bit of background work to ensure that this really was low stress for the children.  As a parent of a children in the pageant, I had no idea what all went into it.  I sure was enlightened when she explained the process to me.

 

"We signed kids up for parts for about 3 weeks ahead of time, pulled them out of Sunday school to find costumes for them (Robin and Mary had to make a lot of costumes since the kids were pretty young).

I talked to the middle school and high school kids about being wranglers a couple of weeks ahead of time, and they were great.  They also helped with the dressing, supervised the kids who were coloring and doing things to keep busy while we were getting everyone ready.

I met with the kids after church the Sunday before the pageant to show them where they would be sitting in the church and sort where they would walk to the front.  It was then I assigned everyone colored bracelets, including the wranglers, so they would know what they group was to sit with.  That was just an idea I came up with to make sure they knew who were the other people in their group.

Then the morning of the performance, we asked people to come at 9:15 to get dressed, and they were really good to do that.  I had announced for a couple of weeks in advance that we could take kids the day of the performance who were visitors, and we did get a few of those as well.

When it was time to go into the church to seat them, I called all the kids together, and we prayed, which we do using "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands."  We sang, "He's Got the Whole Pageant in His Hands."

 

I have to say, this pageant was a hit with the congregation as well as the children.  Were you there?  If so, please share your thoughts in the comment section.  We'd love to hear what you thought of the whole thing!

Beyond the Checkbook

Beyond the Checkbook

Feb 24-5 I'll be at a Camp Joy Holling attending a retreat with 20 guys from across the diocese talking together about the role of laymen in growing the church. The fact that these are all men is not a sexist thing in any way; this is the annual diocesan men's retreat, which the companion to the better-attended (and better funded) annual diocesan women's retreat. So don't throw rocks at me just yet. Hear me out.

The topic is incredibly interesting to me. I have had several jobs in my life, and really three pretty distinct careers. I was a Respiratory Therapist and worked in hospitals in Wyoming and Nebraska for 7 years. In 1984 I started a home medical equipment company and was a small business owner for a decade. And after selling that business I took a few years off before going to seminary in 2003. Those three careers are different in a whole lot of ways, but there are some connections and constants between them. My time as a business owner taught me a great deal about cash flow, financial statements, sales & marketing, working with employees, and serving customers. When I went to seminary, I thought some of those skills would translate, and I was largely right about that (although there are huge differences between church and corporate life, too).

Anyway, I know we clergy stand to gain a lot by asking our parishioners to share their work experiences with us. All too often we are focused on implementing our vision of the future by asking our members to volunteer their time and give their money but leave their business and life experiences at the door, when what we need to do is look beyond the checkbook, and begin by asking folks what they have learned in their business lives and what has worked in other places, and apply that knowledge to our vision for the church.

It isn't an exact fit -- church and business -- and I am not suggesting we adopt a purely corporate view of the church. What I am saying is that we need to ask folks what their corporate life has taught them that might translate to church life in ways that would help the church grow.

Which presumes two things: 1) that we can be humble enough ask for advice, and; 2) that churches actually want to grow.

Fr. Mark+

Did you make a New Year's resolution?  It seems like most of us do.  What I find to be the most interesting is the variety of resolutions that are set.  Quit smoking, lose weight, take up a new hobby, go back to school, sleep more, organize my home, leave my boring job and do something I love, take a vacation, conduct more random acts of kindness, put my spouse before myself more often, redo the main bathroom, and yell less-hug more are just a few that I have heard from friends and acquaintances. 

As many researches and professionals would tell you, having a plan and setting goals is the best way to ensure that you have success with your resolution.  What better plan can be set in place than to ask God with assistance?  All of the things you want for yourself by way of resolutions are things that God wants for you too.  (Okay, so maybe He doesn't have much of an opinion about the decor of your bathroom, but if it makes you happy, then He'll be happy for you.)  Make the first step in your resolution be to pray and ask God for help.

The first few days of 2012 have been difficult on my resolution.  I think I'll take my own advice, pray, and see how it goes!