A New Ministry Begins at St Simon's on the Sound in Fort Walton Beach, Florida

I look forward to serving as the new Rector of St Simon's on the Sound Episcopal Church in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. My first Sunday there in the Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast will be August 22nd. This is an exciting time for our family, however it will be very sad to say good bye to so many wonderful friends here at Christ Church Greenwich and the Cos Cob School community.

Our thanks and praise to God for these seven years here in Connecticut. Now we set our faces toward the beautiful Emerald Coast (even with the terrible oil spill). Where we will be greeted by our family and friends from years past.

Please keep us in your prayers as Cheri, Emma, Ella and I make this transition. We are very excited and thankful for everyone's support and care.

Every blessing to you and those you love!
Mark+

How to invite someone to Church?

This is both funny and very true. Good for us Episcopalians to watch and learn...

Please click on the above title and enjoy.

Great Video for Anglican Church Mission

I watched this amazing video earlier today and really believe this is the message our great tradition can and must proclaim to the world around us. Great Work!

Please check out this video -- Vision 2019: catch the buzz http://youtu.be/JacrWZxAhgE

Remembrance & Community

Well, what an interesting combination, today is isn’t it…

Trinity Sunday landing squarely on

Memorial Day weekend.

Now that’s a lot to sort out…isn’t it?

But if you think about it…

both of these can be connected nicely, I think…

because today we see The Blessed Trinity in its fullest --

and at the same time here in America

honor the service of courageous people

in the name of Freedom.

Both of these are principally about

Remembrance and Community.

Specifically for American Christians

we can remember the ultimate sacrifice of Christ Jesus

for the redemption of the world,

and through His loving act/gift,

we can now here in our particular context

receive God’s Holy Spirit in faith.

And truly live as free people.

And as we learned last week,

the Holy Spirit becomes for us 21^st century Christians

a whole new means or platform onto which

we can now grow into and fully experience

God’s continuous revelation for all of creation.

In other words, God’s presence is revealed by the Spirit

fully and completely when we remember Jesus here at the table

as we gather as a community.

So, there is no heresy or theological issue,

saying that

Community is strengthen and renewed

by Remembrance of those who have come before us.

Jesus and those we have loved along the way.

Now, speaking of memory…

I have a very clear memory of My mother and I

sitting at the kitchen table.

I’m writing on paper…

and must be in the first grade.

I remember the daunting task

of forming each letter slowly and with care.

But somehow my hand did not do

what my brain wished it would,

and my letters bore little resemblance

to those at the top of my tablet…

due in large part to my dyslexia.

Frustrated with my slow progress,

I remember asking my mother

to write my name on my tablet.

With ease she took the pencil and with graceful,

fluid strokes formed the letters of my name…

Mark Fitzhugh.

I remember asking, “Is that my name?”

She said, “Yes.”

And pointed to Mark and then to Fitzhugh,

sounding them out as if I had never heard them before.

And what is interesting for you to know is –

I remember a sense of awe, thinking, “That’s my name.

That’s me, right there on that piece of paper. My name.”

There was a feeling that somehow I was more real,

more important, more permanent

because my name was written down before me.

Names are important.

Trinity Sunday is about remembering the names

of the three aspects of our one God.

Memorial Day Is About Names
Tomorrow our nation pauses to remember

those who have given their lives

in service to their country.

At last count, I believe the number is now

over 5,000 US deaths in the Iraqi and Afghanistan war…

I calculated that if we read one name per Second,

it would take us well over an hour & half

to read the complete list.

Who are some of the Names you Remember

on this Memorial Day Weekend?

Today I remember

three incredibly brave young men

who could very easily slip into history

and never be remembered.

These three 20 year old men

flew B25 bombers alongside Gen Jimmy Doolittle

as volunteers in a surprise air raid over Tokyo

on April 18, 1942, following Pearl Harbor.

As some may recall, my father Bill Fitzhugh

was on that very same mission along with 75 others,

but three of his closest friends –

First Lieutenants Bill Farrow, Dean Hallmark

and Sergeant Harold Spatz,

were all three captured

following their plane crash

and were executed six months later in Japan.

Memorial Day is about names…

these three will not be forgotten.

Some of you here may have served in World War II,

or Korea, in Viet Nam, Iraq or in other arenas.

I would like for you to take a minute and either

silently or aloud…name those people on your heart today.

God Remembers all our names…
But there was a time in ancient Israel

when the people feared that God had forgotten them.

So, God spoke through the prophet Isaiah

to remind them that He had not forgotten them,

and He said -- “I have inscribed you on my palms.”

Some people – even politicians –

sometimes write things on their palms.

We do it to remember.

God did it because He can not forget.

But, how does God write your name on his palm?

Remember Thomas saying —

“Unless I see the nail marks in Jesus’ hands

and put my finger where the nails were,

I will not believe it.”

And then a week later Jesus said,

“Thomas, your name is written on my palms.

Written in these nail prints,

written in my own blood.

I haven’t forgotten about you.”

In the palms of Jesus’ hands

are written all of our names.

Especially today we see the names of

Dean, Bill, Harold, and your loved ones…

But Jesus died with us in his heart,

with our names engraved on his palms.

Indelible reminders that our names

are cherished and never forgotten

by the one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Meeting Desmond Tutu

Spent a wonderful Saturday, April 17th in Hartford at the Ordination & Consecration of the 15th Diocesan Bishop of Connecticut - Ian Douglas. Also, met a new "friend" along the way, Archbishop Desmond Tutu. :)

Easter 2 - Unlocking the Doors

When I was at The General Seminary in Chelsea,
Cheri and I moved into what the Seminary called
a second floor two bedroom apartment.
Today, I would call it more like a hallway with two closets…
it was small and loud.

But one of the things,
which still stands out to me about that building
was the front door entrance.

Now granted we were coming from a small town
in the deep south,
but I remember that door had several locks on it.
And I wondered why we would need so many.

I discovered that the benefit was mostly emotional.
Because I after unloading the moving van,
and picking up dinner at Frankie’s corner deli,
I was just about to our building
when I suddenly realized three men
were walking very fast
and coming up right behind me.

I stepped up my pace a bit and hurried up the steps
to put my key in the door…
finally opening the door I rushed inside
and just as it “clicked” shut behind me,
I suddenly felt safe again
and there was a calm hush of peace.

I think of that door and that feeling of protection
when I listen to people describe how they cope with their fears.

Because, in a way,
some of us can keep our hearts behind a huge door, full of locks…
when something or someone makes us afraid.

If someone tries to get in before they’re invited,
especially if that heart has been hurt before,
then we hear that "click" of the lock again.

Well, on the night of that first Easter,
the disciples were huddled together behind a locked door.
But, I often wonder what they were really afraid of?

Somehow, I don’t think
they were only worried about those who had killed Jesus.
Their fear must have been even deeper.

Maybe they didn’t want to deal with the scorn
of those who knew they had failed to protect Jesus.
In spite of all their earlier boldness,
they were now afraid of the cross.
Ashamed of his death.

Maybe like the disciples,
we too can try to hide
when we’re ashamed.

We keep our hearts locked up tightly
because we know the truth about ourselves…
and the truth is that we are really NOT what we want to be,
or even what we pretend to be.

In fact, Garrison Keillor –
who rarely has time for hypocrites, once said..
"We always have a backstage view of ourselves.
We let the audience see only the neatly arranged stage.
But behind the curtain all kinds of things are lying around…”

Very often here in Greenwich…
the beautiful manicured lawns and tall stone walls
are not big enough to protect us from pain and fear.

I am sure there are many failures,
guilt and shame to go around for all of us.

Trouble is American media like People magazine tells us,
that we are living in a shameless society…
where post-modern people are no longer bothered by shame.

Well, what the heck is going on with
Tkki Barber, Jesse James,
Tiger Woods and his disgusting Nike ad last week.

Well, I refuse to allow this culture
to define American moral and ethical standards…
I believe every human being at some deep level
is bothered by something.
In fact, if allowed…
it can plague our souls.
I know it does mine…

Psychologists say that shame sweeps over us
when we overstep our abilities,
or when our fantasy about who we would like to be
encounters the backstage reality
of who we REALY are.

Nothing is more crippling than working at hiding shame.
We lock up more and more doors,
sealing off more and more rooms of the heart
to prevent our true selves from being discovered.

This moves us right into the heart of today’s message…
Jesus Christ comes looking for us.
And, according to John’s text,
he walks right through the locked door to find us.

Jesus shows us his wounds from the cross,
which are the marks of our forgiveness.
Then he says, "Peace be with you."
We are forgiven,
loved and now set free…

The word Forgiveness actually means "to free up" or "to let go."

But not freedom to continue making bad choices,
but freedom to accept Christ as the ONLY means
to lasting change and healing of heart.

No question, everyone at some point makes bad choices…
count me in that group!

But, I like these words from Lewis Smedes,
"When you forgive…you set a prisoner free.
And then somehow you discover, that that prisoner was really you."

What this means is we disciples
are not called to produce forgiveness by ourselves.

We are simply called to open the locks,
throw open the doors,
and walk with Boldness and Peace
into the warm Light
of the Resurrected Christ.
Amen.

Easter Vigil 2010 - Thin Slicing

Have you ever heard of the term….
“Thin Slicing?”

And I am not talking about a beautiful birthday cake…
or a nice piece of Apple pie.
This is an idea or concept.

Well, if you are a fan of the Canadian journalist
Malcolm Gladwell,
like I am,
you might remember Gladwell introduced this term
a few years back in his book called,
Blink.

Gladwell,
makes the claim
that quick decisions
based on narrow slices of experience
are actually more effective…
than decisions based on
long term process thought and consideration.

Now, my apologies here go out to those of you
who do consulting for a living,

Because,
I actually believe Gladwell is on to something.
When he says,
snap decisions made “in the blink of an eye”--
can reveal…“everlasting Truth.”

At least, according to Gladwell,
for some individuals
first impressions, gut feelings and knee-jerk reactions
are often, quite reliable.

To prove his point, he packs this book with,
great examples such as when
Art Historians can spot a fake in a second;

Marriage counselors will know, within minutes
after a couple walks into their office,
whether or not
they will make it past five years.

A tennis coach who can tell when a player
is about to double-fault.

It’s all about “thin-slicing,” he says…
that is, developing the skill to notice,
in a split-second,
by a certain look,
or a tilt of the head,
what is going to happen.

To break it all down,
a “snap judgment”
is usually “right-on-the-money.”

We can trust our instincts…
it’s ok to “go with that gut feeling.”

So on this most Holy Night…
and in this Ancient Easter Vigil liturgy,
what does your gut tell you about
believing in the power of Resurrected Christ?
Certainly, there are many in popular culture today
who make a living trying their very best to debunk
the Resurrection of Jesus.

Well, if you are wondering about this, too…
you would be been in the same boat
with some of those early disciples, long ago
who failed to notice the ultimate thin slice,
on that early Easter Sunday morning.

BUT,
fortunately for us,
there was still one person left,
who trusted her gut that morning,
when she woke up.

Mary Magdalene.

She knew deep down in her heart,
that Jesus would never leave her.
She got up that morning
and walked out to the tomb one more time.

And there in just a split-second she encountered
the glory of the Risen Christ
and, in the blink of an eye,
she knew her life and the life of all the disciples --
that is you and me --
would never be the same again.

Mary Magdalene trusted her gut feeling,
that the God of Abraham who loved her into creation,
would never abandon her to the darkness of death.
None of us here tonight
have set our eyes on the Risen Christ just yet
as Mary Magdalene did or Peter, John, or Thomas.

But when it comes to what we truly believe,
about Christ and our life after death…
what does your “gut-reaction” tell you?

The poet Gerard Manly Hopkins said,
the risen and glorified Christ presence,
“plays in a thousand places,”
in Extraordinary experiences,
in Ordinary friends
and in all the “thin slices” in between.

There are many sure signs of the Resurrection
“slicing” their way into our life today…
in things we see, hear and touch…

They are found in the child we hold,
or the feel of a canoe paddle moving through clear water…
we can come to trust what we see and feel.

But Faith is a funny thing, isn’t it?
It is not always easy.
For me, faith is really about taking that leap…
going with my gut,
even when my head tells me something else.

The Holy Spirit can show us the way…
to those thin slices revealing the TRUTH

And the truth is –
Jesus Christ has been Risen from the Dead…
He is Alive…
and in the blink of an eye,
we are all set free forever!

Alleluia, Christ is Risen,
The Lord is Risen, indeed.
Amen.