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FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT 2013

I have a suggestion…

Do not waste your time

looking up the word Lent

in your Bible Dictionary.

And I am sure, as good Episcopalians,

great scholars of the Bible that we are,

you’ve got that ready at the hand.

Unfortunately,

there was no such thing as Lent in biblical times.

There is some evidence that early Christians fasted 40 hours

between Good Friday and Easter,

but the custom of spending 40 days

in prayer and self-denial

did not come back until much later…

When the initial rush of Christian adrenaline was over

and believers had gotten very ho-hum about their faith.

They hung a wooden cross on the wall

and settled back into their more or less comfortable routines.

Little by little, Christians became devoted to their comforts…

and before long it was very hard to pick them out

from the population at large.

But something changed…

and someone suggested it was time

to call Christians back to their senses,

and the Bible offered clues about how to do that.

They remembered that Israel

spent 40 years in the wilderness

learning to trust the Lord.

And that Elijah, and much later Jesus

would spend 40 days in the desert.

So the early church announced a season of Lent.

The word actually comes from the old English,

and means "spring."

So in essence, this season becomes an invitation

to experience the springtime of our souls.

To clean out our systems and open our eyes

to what remains when all worldly comforts are gone.

We are to remember what it is like

to live by the grace of God alone

and not by how we can comfort ourselves.

I think of Lent as like an Outward Bound for the soul.

No one has to sign up for it,

but if you do

then you give up the illusion

that you are in control of your life.

So, think about a time…

when you found yourself lacking control

and stuck in the middle of nowhere…

it may have been an actual place, or

it could have been metaphorically stuck

in the middle of a bad relationship, job or depression.

When this happens,

I find that food become a pacifier –

a habit, or substance I use to comfort myself,

and block out pain or fear.

I am convinced that 99 percent of us are addicted to something,

whether it is eating, shopping, blaming or taking care of other people.

The simplest definition of an addiction is –

anything we use to fill that empty place inside of us

that belongs to God, alone.

But here is the good news…

that hollowness we feel sometimes

is not a sign of something gone wrong.

But rather,

this is ground zero in our souls…

for where the holy of holies resides within us.

Nothing on earth can fill it,

but that does not stop us from trying.

  

For the next 40 days,

try to pay attention

to how often your mind travels to that empty place.

And ask yourself why does this happen?

What is going on when you start craving a Mars bar?

If you are hungry,

what’s wrong with being hungry?

If are you lonely,

what’s so bad about being alone?

Try sitting with the feeling….staying in that place,

instead rushing to fix it

and see what you can discover.

You may hear a voice in your head

that warns you…

“Don’t give up that pacifier,

“because you can’t make it on your own…”

And if that doesn’t work,

the tempters voice will move to level two:

"If God really loves you,

you can do whatever you want.

Why waste your time on Lent?"

If you don’t recognize that voice,

I suggest re-reading today’s Gospel.

Then tell the devil to go back to that special Hot place,

and decide what you will do for Lent.

Better yet, decide WHOSE you will be this Lent.

Jesus says,

“Worship the Lord your God

and serve no one else.”

Expect great things, from God and from yourself.

Believe that everything is possible.

Why should any of us…settle for less?

Newtown & Third Sunday of Advent

Listen to this sermon at St. Simon's website - sermons

You may remember a couple years ago,

the movie, Eat, Pray, Love

which was based on the book by Liz Gilbert.

In case you missed it, Julia Roberts plays a woman

who has gone through a messy midlife crisis

and is motivated to travel around the world

on a journey of self-discovery.

At one point in her story,

she travels to Italy, India, and Bali

where Liz has a rather direct conversation

with a new Brazilian friend

and says –

“A true soul mate is probably

the most important person you'll ever meet,

because they will help tear down your walls

and smack you awake.

“A soul-mate’s purpose is to shake you up,

tear things apart,

and maybe even break your heart along the way

allowing new light to get in.

You know when I saw this –

I thought of our readings…

and what a perfect definition this is

for both John the Baptist and Jesus.

Someone who comes into our life,

shakes things up,

and prepares us for the New Light

which is to come.

Unfortunately, this morning

there is very little New Light in NewTown, Connecticut.

Quite the opposite, actually…

so many broken hearts.

People of all ages and backgrounds,

have been shaken up by this…

But as the prophet Isaiah

and even St. Paul wrote…

“Surely it is God who saves us,

trust in him

and be not afraid…

because,

God IS very near to us…”

But you know,

part of our real challenge as "Christians"

is to REALIZE that the miraculous birth of Christ

and ultimately his resurrection

took place right here.

Not on some far off planet somewhere

but God came to live right here on earth,

in human form…

and even in the midst of a hail of gunfire

from a mentally ill 20 year old boy…

To the rejoicing of two parents,

with unexpected news that she would give birth

to the savior of the world.

God is near to us.

But, what a contrast…OR is it?

Well, if God is very near to us,

as Paul says – this means both:

in those broken hearted places

and when we rejoice – Gaudete.

John the Baptist knew a lot about both….actually.

and so did Liz Gilbert in her travels.

But, neither one were very confident…

In fact, at one point John asks,

“Who are you Jesus;

Are you REALLY the right one?”

A simple “yes” or “no” response

would have been good enough,

but that’s not the kind of answer Jesus prefers to give. Is it?

He’s not always clear…

But like John,

one day we may be sitting in a prison,

OR what feels like one…

Locked in a midlife crisis

like Liz Gilbert,

and be confronted with the question –

“Who are you Jesus?”

and, “When are you going to do something?”

Like John, it is here

when WE have to make a decision…

whether or not to put our faith in Jesus.

Or cut and run…

and start shooting people.

There comes a moment when we have to ask --

“Am I really reflecting the Love of God?

Or am I trapped in selfish…Evil?”

Of all the accounts over the last 48 hours,

the hero who still stands out for me

is…

First grade teacher, Victoria Soto.

She was 27 years old from Stratford, Connecticut,

and apparently hid her students

in closets and cabinets,

and told the shooter the kids were all in the gym.

He killed her, but not one child of hers was harmed…

Those children and each of us today

experienced Christ Jesus

by Victoria’s actions.

But for now, the good people of Newtown

and the rest of us, wait…

We wait for Christmas to come.

To take away the darkness.

Sure, the stinging questions linger…

but somewhere deep down in side all of us…

let us by Faith, KNOW that Christ really IS coming.

That beautiful North Star is real…

and like Aslan, it’s on the move…and Bethlehem is the destination.

Until it arrives…Let us:

Rejoice in the Lord always;

Again I say, Rejoice.

Let our gentleness be known to everyone.

Because the Lord is near.

Do not worry…

but in everything by prayer and with thanksgiving

let our requests be made known to God.

Because the peace of God -

it surpasses all our understanding,

and WILL guard our hearts

and our minds,

so that we can truly reflect…

the Love of Christ.

Amen.

Veterans Day Sunday Sermon

You can also listen to this sermon by clicking on the following link:

Fr. Mark's Veterans Day Sunday Sermon 

Recently, I was introduced to a rather provocative

American Roman Catholic priest and theologian,

by the name of Fr. James Alison.

He is somewhat in the same line as the popular

Contemplative in Action writer, Richard Rohr.

In Alison’s book – “Faith Beyond Resentment,”

he writes about how hard it is

for some Christians to “do” theology…

meaning –

to practice what we say we believe, consistently.

Alison is the type of Jesus follower,

who is ready for action in ministry,

you might say - he is a risk taker!

Police Sergeant Kimberly Munley

certainly knows about taking risks,

you may remember her as a true American hero

saving many lives

during the terrible events at Fort Hood, Texas

a few years back.

Her risk and Alison’s action

both point to this --

Faith is about trusting in ourselves enough

to simply say –

“OK God, I can’t do this any more?

I need you to take over now.”

Sound familiar?

Fr. Alison refers to these “big moments…

as places where the heart begins to crack.”

Members of A.A. and the allied Twelve Step movements

know exactly what he is talking about…

they like to call it….Step one:

“We admit we were powerless

over -- alcohol, sex, drugs, eating, etc…

and that our lives had become unmanageable.”

You know –

for sheer honesty and practical spiritual power,

there really is no more important step

than to admit this and say,

“I am powerless over ______ and I need help…”

It seems to me this is exactly

what both widows in our readings today are experiencing.

Elijah tells how powerless the widow was

over the many issues in her life.

But, her trouble was…

she couldn’t create a god big enough to help her.

In fact, what she really wanted

was for someone else to do it –

and “It” meaning to have a transformative

spiritual relationship with God for her.

But thankfully by God’s grace,

the Widow reached down into the well of her humanity,

and found something on her own…

and “IT” changed her.

Then, one day, Jesus remembered

a time when he was in Jerusalem

watching all the cool and the well-connected people,

parading into the temple with their gifts.

In the ancient temple,

there was a place called the Court of Women.

And in this spot there were 13 collecting boxes

called “the Trumpets.”

Each trumpet was designated for a special community need.

So, people would come and make large contributions,

to impress the onlookers.

Well, on this day,

Jesus saw something which stunned him…

this unnamed widow,

was throwing in two mites into one of those trumpets.

What was a mite?

 

They were the smallest of all coins,

and was worth about one 40th of one penny.

And yet Jesus turns to his friends and says,

“did you see what that poor widow just did?

She has just put in more than ALL the others combined . . .”

In other words,

she had just risked everything…Step one.

These two women allowed the flickering Light of Easter

as small as that may have seemed,

to once again burn in their lives...

They took a risk and it paid off…

maybe not exactly as they had hoped,

but their relationship with God WAS transformed.

And ya know,

maybe that’s what you and I may need to hear this morning…

“What are the risks we need to take…

so that we can begin to know God more and more.

To move into a relationship that is not locked up

in a book or a church social club,

but is active and lived out with consistency.

Speaking of action,

today in America is Veterans Day –

and we remember hundreds of thousands

of brave men and women

who have faithfully risked their lives

to preserve our freedoms.

Maybe by their example and countless others,

we too can have a renewed Hope

that God is calling you to…

take a risk in the search for a Job,

or to dream of a healthy new beginning…

 

God’s Dream for each of us is to be Free.

Free to step out with confidence and faith

so that we can embrace God’s eternal

and life-giving Love and Grace.

That’s a risk worth taking…

Amen.

Easter Sermon preached at the 10:30 am Eucharist 

at St Simon's on the Sound Episcopal Church in Fort Walton Beach, Florida

Also, you may listen to this sermon and many others at the St. Simon's Church website - 

simply click on the following link:

http://www.stsimons-fwb.org/media.php?pageID=61 

Love’s redeeming work is done…

Jesus’ Resurrection,

has now completed…everything.

God’s plan of salvation is finally in place.

And so, for 2,000 years,

Christians around the world

have gathered on this day

to simply say,

“We believe” in the Resurrected Christ.

But let’s talk about this business of Love’s redeeming work.

I suspect at some point,

you have lost someone

who was deeply loved and important in your life.

Their absence created an emptiness in life

which maybe even now is hard to fill.

The British poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning,

once wrote –

“But what is loss….but an experience of love?”

If we did not love,

there would be no loss.

Love means that relationships matter.

And so, at its very core,

grief is an expression of love’s loss.

In the darkness of Easter morning,

Mary Magdalene decided she had lost too much…

she loved Jesus.

The Gospel says she went to "see the tomb."

And who knows what she expected to see there,

it certainly wouldn’t have been a miracle.

In all probability the disciples spent the entire day Saturday

in bent-up-anger and grief at what had been done

to their beloved Rabbi.

But that deep love,

which each one of us knows…

love that is experienced in loss –

brought Mary back to the garden on that Sunday morning. 

At the empty tomb,

Mary saw how God vindicated faithful, stubborn,

and self-less love…folks like you and me.

Speaking of self-less love…

There is a popular new movie

which my daughter Emma

has now insisted that we see twice already…

and it’s called the “Hunger Games.”

The lead character is a clever 16-year-old girl,

named Katniss Everdeen.

She lives in a futuristic, dystopian society

filled with injustice and hopelessness.

In a rather shocking opening scene,

not unlike many self-less love stories in the Bible,

Katniss volunteers to stand in for her younger sister

and fight off 23 others in an outdoor arena

until only one remains.

A few days into this ordeal,

Katniss develops an alliance with a little girl named Rue.

Rue is 12-years-old and reminds Katniss of her sister Prim.

However, Rue is killed by another tribute.

And at Rue's request Katniss sings to her as she is dying,

and spreads flowers over her body

as a sign of respect— and…

of disgust towards the evil Capitol.

What happens next

I believe is what many of us come here to see,

and that is…

the transforming power of Easter’s redeeming Love.

Because when Katness stands up to the TV cameras

and signals a defiant act toward the oppressors…

she sets off a revolt against the evil powers.

Katness shows that in loss,

Love’s work begins to transform the world.

The empty tomb is evidence

that the sacrifice of emptying one's self

for the sake of another…

is God’s promise that Love defeats evil.

And Love will not disappoint,

nor will it destroy…or be destroyed.

Nevertheless,

what God asks of us…is not easy to take on.

The loss or betrayal of a loved one IS devastating.

God knows that all too well.

In raising his Son from the tomb,

God promises that love will indeed triumph,

broken hearts will be healed,

and emptiness can be filled…

If not in this time of ours on earth

in the time of God, to come.

But for now,

if you are willing to see it,

we can discover God walking with us,

from Calvary to the garden,

from an empty tomb to Emmaus.

From Fear to Glory!

Because…

Jesus Christ is Risen today.

And, He shall reign forever and ever!

Hallelujah!

Fitzhugh Photos

Faith Matters Sunday School Class

10th Priesthood Anniversary, Dec 4th

Christ Church Greenwich Christmas

Christmas Day laugh with Tina

Greeting family at St Simon's

Christmas Eve 2011

Merry Christmas!

One Christmas Eve,

a preacher was standing at the door

greeting those who had come to the service,

and he met a man who only attends church

on Christmas and Easter.

Imagine that….

The preacher pulled the man aside and said to him,

“brother, you’ve got to join the army of the Lord.”

Now, I will go out on a limb here and say,

this guy was not an Episcopal priest…just sayin’.

Nevertheless, the man responded to the preacher,

“Pastor, I am already in the army of the Lord.”

The preacher nodded,

“Then how come I don’t see you here

except on Christmas and Easter.”

The man smiled and came right back,

“Well, that’s because I am in the Secret Service.”

Whether you are in the Army….Air Force

or the Secret Service,

Christmas is an incredible story, isn’t it?

of how God comes to live right here amongst us.

And so, tonight we are Living members,

of the greatest Love story ever told.

But what exactly does Love mean…you might ask?

Well, a group of 4 and 8 year olds were asked this…

Their answers run deep --

“When my grandmother got arthritis,

she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.

So my grandfather does it for her all the time,

even when his hands got arthritis too.

That's love.”

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody

most of your French Fries

without making them give you any of theirs.”

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down

and little stars come out of you.”

My favorite -- “Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas,

if you stop opening presents and Listen.”

Hear the Good News on this Christmas eve:

Love has come into this room, right now.

God is pleased to dwell with us…as one of us,

because God loves us.

And yet tonight,

God comes as a baby, helpless, vulnerable, dependent.

Recently, I was walking across the hospital parking lot
when I came across a man who looked to be in his early 30's.

He was walking briskly, in business attire,

his eyes toward the ground.

I could see he was completely bald.

In other words, a good looking guy…

I figured he was on his way to the Cancer Center for a treatment.

I thought for a moment about his condition,

so young, dealing with this disease, interrupting his day of work

to come and receive medicines

that would either kill him or make him well.

I said a private prayer for him and all those I know

who are living with cancer right now.

Later, I was surprised to see the man again.

But this time he was looking straight ahead,

a big smile on his face.

He was not alone.

High on his shoulder was his son, four years old,
wearing a Winnie the Pooh bathrobe.

And then I realized… it was the child who had cancer,

who had lost his hair,

and was going home that day.

This young dad had shaved his head
not because HE had cancer,

but out of LOVE for his son.

I learned a lot about Incarnational Love, that day.

What looked to me and to the world,

as a sign of weakness

was in fact a sign of the deep love

this Father had for his Son.

Sound familiar….

Well, unfortunately for many of us,

Christmas can be a time when our woundedness,

and our vulnerability

is felt the strongest.

Chris Martin,

the lead singer of the British group – COLDPLAY.

knows exactly what this is like.

He wrote a song about his wife,

Gwyneth Paltrow’s, father’s death --

“When you try your best, but you don't succeed.

When you get what you want, but not what you need.

When you’re too in love to let it go
Lights will guide you home…
And I will try to fix you.”

Tonight, there are no secrets…

God has taken us up on his shoulders,

and He has fixed the world

with his Unconditional,

Incarnational – Love.

Our task now is to embrace this love,

accept it,

hold it,

and wrap our selves up in it…

And, let us join all the host of heaven

on this Christmas eve night,

and Rejoice!...REJOICE!

Because Joy has indeed come into the world,

and it is now called: Emmanuel – God is with us.

For eternity.

Amen.

Palm Sunday

So, why do we still keep coming back?

Not just to church,

but today specifically – Palm Sunday.

Why not just wait one more week

and join the other 300 on the twice a year plan?

Why today, of all days?

Maybe it's because we want to be reminded

of who we are.

And maybe there is a deep need

to bring something to the Cross this morning?

What are we looking for at the Cross?

Most of us, I think,

are people who come to Palm Sunday with needs…

with a purpose.

Let’s face it,

Christians are pretty needed people…

We NEED to know so much, don’t we?

We need to know:

there is a God somewhere out there who cares.

Even when the closest to us has died,

or when our aging parents

can’t take care of themselves like they used to.

Lord knows, we have needs…

But trouble is, where and to whom

can we bring those needs?

The famous Dutch Roman Catholic priest,

Henri Nouwen,

has a lot to say on this subject.

Apparently one day,

Nouwen found a sculpture of "Jesus on a donkey"

in the Augustiner Museum in Frieburg, Germany.

He said this sculpture turned out to be

one of the most moving Christ figures he would ever see.

It came from the 14th-century

from a small village along the Rhine River.

And was made to be pulled around on a cart

during the annual Palm Sunday village procession.

Nouwen found himself drawn to the sculpture.

He sent postcards of it to his friends,

if he was still alive

would likely post this photo on his Facebook wall.

Looking at the face of Jesus he wrote,

"There is melancholy, but also peaceful acceptance.

“There is a deep awareness of the unspeakable pain to be suffered,

but also a strong determination to do God's will.

Above all, Nouwen said, “there is love.

An endless, far-reaching, boundless love

born from an unbreakable intimacy with God.”

Barbara Crafton – dear friend of Connie and me.

Priest, writer, actress, retreat leader.

tells the story of Clint Daniels.

Clint was in his 50s

and one day came to her church in Manhattan,

St Clement’s – off Broadway theater weeknights.

Clint noticed people putting on long robes.

Tying ropes around their waists,

fixing headdresses.

I can only imagine what he is thinking…

"Come be a part of the mob," a stranger told him.

It was Palm Sunday and the church was re-enacting

the Crucifixion in costume.

He was to be part of the crowd or mob that shouted,

"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"

He wasn’t sure about this group at all…

Another stranger hurried up to him and said --

"The man who was supposed to play one of the thieves

on the cross didn't show up.

Would you like to take his place?"

Clint agreed and was shown to the cross

where he would look on as Jesus died.

But just then,

something about Clint's manner

caught Barbara’s eye.

And she turned to him and asked,

"Have you ever asked Jesus to forgive you?"

"No," Clint replied softly,

"but I think that's why I came here."

Why do we come to church on Palm Sunday?

What are we looking for?

Two months before coming to St Clements’

Clint had been released after serving15 years

at Sing-Sing State prison.

He was a real thief.

Even after his release

he had gone on stealing cars and trucks

until he realized that something was missing from his life.

In that moment at church, at the Cross

Clint found forgiveness, and acceptance.

Forgiveness is always present

for those who are willing to ask.

You and I came back today looking for something,

didn’t we?

Maybe like Clint…

looking to that old Rugged Cross

for forgiveness?

It's quite a day, isn't it?

And it will be quite a week, too.

A week filled with

A meal and a garden,

A Cross and a Tomb.

A Dead Jesus and a Risen Lord,

the prospect of Nothing

and yet

the prospect for Eternality.