This Sunday is Trinity Sunday, and every Trinity Sunday I remember working in a church with three ministers who would all say to one another, ” why don’t you preach this Sunday?” “ No, no, you go ahead.” “Who, me? But I did it last year.”
This week I have been reading a book by Bishop Gene Robinson, ”God believes in Love”, in which he gave this simple explanation; God is the creator of all, who created the world and all its creatures, including us. He continues to create anew at all times.
Jesus is the human presence of God, at a certain time, in a certain place, giving us a model of how someone behaves if they are truly in tune with God’s will.
Once Jesus was no longer present as a human, the Holy Spirit came as a source of spiritual strength and inspiration, to be present to us when we need to know what God is calling us to do, what Jesus would have done, what we should do in the time and place we inhabit. In John’s gospel, Jesus says to his disciples,
“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. 16:12-13
Personally, I really felt that Spirit of truth present last week in the wonderful song that Voices Rising sang, about the hope of a parent that their child will be fully loved and accepted whatever path they are born into, or choose in their life. What more could any parent ask?
Fiona
Sunday, May 25. Memorial Day weekend - One Room Church School.
Sunday, June 2 Senior Sunday. We honor Seniors Bella Rao, Nick Reed, and Derek Wong, and our wonderful church school teachers.
Here's
a question that popped into my head: were there children present at the
events of Pentecost? 30 years ago we seemed take it for granted that
Jesus' followers were all men. But we know from the account of the book
of Acts that women were very active in the formation of the early
church after Jesus' resurrection, and surely they would have been
involved in his ministry before his death? I mentioned before that my
friend Amy Cook acted out the story of Jesus' appearance on the road to
Emmaus from the point of view of a woman who was the wife of the other
traveler. This made perfect sense to me. Maybe they were both wealthy,
their children not living with them, and they had both been drawn to
Jesus' message.
We also know that by the nature of his focus on justice and
equality, Jesus probably had many followers from the lowest strata of
society - slaves, servants, immigrants. These people would no doubt have
had their children with them- if you were poor, and were offered to
join a community that provides a free meal, wouldn't you be there? And
so I'm going to make the leap that when Jesus's followers gathered in
the upper room to celebrate the feast of Pentecost, there were children
there too. What would their response have been? I have two theories.
My first thought is that they would have been giddy with the
wonder and excitement of it all. They would have been both terrified
and thrilled at the flames resting on their heads, the mighty wind
whooshing through the room. They would have rushed from person to
person, seeing conversations and understandings take place that were new
and unexpected.
My other theory, however, is that maybe it would have all
seemed quite natural to them. There is a story that my parents love to
tell. When I was four, and my brother just two, we took our ancient car
over the channel for a holiday in Yugoslavia. On our return to the
coast, the car broke down. Luckily my father had joined the equivalent
of AAA, and so we and the car were put onto a train for the journey
home. Apparently my brother and I spent the entire day-long journey
running up and down the corridors with children from a number of
different countries, somehow finding a way to communicate well enough to
play games, eat together, watch the world go by out the window, without
realizing that we all spoke different languages. "Out of the mouths of
babes and sucklings" indeed. We can learn so much from what amazes our
children, and what they accept without question, and wonder whether we
might learn something from the difference in their responses to the
world around them, and ours.
Fiona Coming up:
Sunday, May 19
Pentecost. Kids will stay for the first half of the service, to hear the gospel read in many languages. One Room Church School.
Sunday, May 25.
Memorial Day weekend - One Room Church School.
Sunday, June 2
Senior Sunday. We honor Seniors Bella Rao, Nick Reed, and Derek Wong, and our wonderful church school teachers.
I want it begin by congratulating all our teenagers, who took part in the Walk for Hunger on our behalf; Jonah Yannis, Caroline Crook, Dylan Crook, Zoe White, and Ellen Downs, and the adults who accompanied them, Lisa Tieszen, David Barbrow, and Margaret Crook. The whole group walked from the starting point on Boston Common to Newton, a ten mile journey, and then after lunch the girls continued on all the way to Harvard, a whopping 15 miles. Thank you so much for your participation and commitment, and a special thank you to Lisa, who arranged it all, and Andree Saulnier and Jonathan Downs, who prepared a much - appreciated lunch for the walkers.
At last it is spring. I recently started carrying my camera in my purse, so that I could stop on my journey and take photos of the spectacular flowering trees and shrubs, and beautifully kept gardens, that are such a pleasure at this time of year.
Spring also brings a challenge to Christian education programs everywhere - all of a sudden our weekend calendars fill with all kinds of end of year activities - dance recitals, sports, end of season games, family celebrations. Every one of us has to make priorities, for ourselves and our families, and tough decisions have to be made. But meanwhile, Church School, and Grace's weekly schedule continues, so we really hope that you and your children will be with us each week to enjoy learning and worship. In the next few weeks we hope to work on a song that we can share during worship, and we have an important art project based on the stories of Jesus' appearances after hie resurrection.
Fiona Coming up:
Sunday, May 12. An ordinary Sunday, the last one we'll have for quite a while!
Sunday, May 19 Pentecost. Kids will stay for the first half of the service, to hear the gospel read in many languages.
Sunday, May 25. Memorial Day weekend - One Room Church School.
Sunday, June 2 Senior Sunday. We honor seniors Derek Wong and Bella Rao, and our wonderful church school teachers.
Last Sunday I wanted to be sure that the children had an opportunity to express any concerns about the events of the last week. We began by working together to build our own altar. We placed a white cloth on two small tables, then added many different items to it; a large cross, palms, pillar candles, flowers, and lots of votive candles. We then lit the candles. I asked the children why we were taking time to make the altar and pray today. "Because of the bad things that happened at the marathon." "Two men set bombs, and people died." "A little boy died." Three people died." "No, four people, a policeman died too." Silence. "Five people died, including the one who made the bomb." More silence. After a minute or two I said, "so - do we pray for all of them, the good guys and the bad guys?" "Yes", came the unanimous answer. "Why?", I said. "Because Jesus said we have to forgive people", said a child, confidently. Everyone else seemed absolutely satisfied with this answer, and so we prayed. I have been struggling all week with the affect on me of the photo of the surviving bomber pinned to the ground, his skinny belly exposed. Every time I see it, it reminds me of my own 16 year old son. A friend shared this quote with me: "If we say that monsters [people who do terrible evil] are beyond forgiving, we give them a power they should never have. They are given the power to keep evil alive in the heart of those who suffered most. We give them power to condemn their victims to live forever with the hurting memory of their painful pasts. We give them the last word." -- Lewis Smedes
posted Apr 10, 2013, 6:09 AM by Grace Admin
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updated Apr 10, 2013, 10:33 AM
]
There
is a Godly Play story called The mystery of Easter. In it, the story
teller assembles purple puzzle pieces into a cross, while talking about
Lent, Holy Week, and Jesus' death on the cross. But then the pieces are
all turned over - and the cross is now white. The teacher says:
Jesus died on the cross, but somehow he is still with us. That is why Easter is wonderful.
Lent is sad, but Easter is pure celebration. Easter turns everything inside out and upside down.
The color of getting ready [for the mystery of Easter] becomes the color of pure celebration.
The sad seriousness and happiness join together to make joy. But look!
You can't keep Easter as just one Sunday! It goes on for one, two, three, four, five, six weeks,
all the way to Pentecost."
This year school vacation happens right after Easter, so it
might be easy to forget that we are still in the season of Easter.
There will be One-Room Church School on both vacation Sundays, but I
also want to offer some suggestions for living in Easter as you visit
somewhere warm, exciting, or restful during vacation.
Consider
going to church wherever you are. I love visiting Episcopal churches
around the world. It's exciting to see what is different and what is
familiar, and with just about all churches having a Website these days,
you can check everything, from the time of the service to the preacher
of the sermon, online.
I
will send copies of The Sunday Paper for April 14 and 21 to all parents
by email, and there will be copies of both issues at the back of the
church this Sunday for you to take. Consider spending time reading the
story, and discussing it with your child - there are notes for parents
on the back that you can use. Also, the second inner page often has an
open-ended activity so that children can express their own ideas; for
example, this week there is a drawing of a priest offering the bread and
you are asked to " draw lots of people coming to communion. What are
they thinking? what expressions are on their face?" Ask your child to
talk to you about their ideas with complete acceptance, and then share
what your answer would be.
Look for evidence of resurrection in the world around you;
budding flowers, baby animals and birds, the tides, the sun that rises
each morning. If you know the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful,
teach it to your children.
Take time at the end of each day to give thanks for all that has happened.
May your vacation week be blessed, whether you are at home or far away!
One of the things
I love about the Episcopal Church is that there is such a breadth of worship
styles, and this was perfectly illustrated at
Easter.
On Maundy
Thursday, we had a small service of foot washing. About five families were
there including Margaret and myself, and the young people ranged in age from 3
to 13. We sat on the floor, around a central altar draped with different
fabrics, and decorated with a cross, an angel, a piece of driftwood, and many
candles. Our service consisted of song, a collect, a litany and foot washing.
The youngest of us sat in his mother's arms. The teenagers dried the people's
feet after Margaret had washed them. And then we all went to share a wonderful
meal in the small hall.
On Easter
Sunday, Grace Church offered the very best of formal Episcopal worship. The
choir sang their hearts out, the church was packed, there were flowers, and
alleluias, and a wonderful sermon. And of course our Junior Choir sang
beautifully.
A constant flow
of people took communion, and then, the highlight for me was the singing of the
Hallelujah Chorus. As a musician, I feel that there is no greater way to give
praise and thanks to God than by singing my heart out, and from the glorious
sound we made, I'm pretty sure that others felt the same
way.
If you are
starting to plan Summer Camp for your children, please consider including our
Diocesan Camp, the Barbara C Harris Camp, in your plans. The Camp begins with a
wonderful Family Camp weekend from June 27-30 (a great way to experience camp
for the first time), and continues throughout July with weeks of overnight camp
that combine outdoor fun with the opportunity for fellowship and worship.
Scholarships are available.
To learn more, please talk to Fiona, or check out their
website: www.bchcenter.org
Just
days after he had been elected, the new Pope Francis, at his first
meeting with journalists, said these words, “Given that many of you do
not belong to the Catholic Church, and others are not believers, I give
this blessing from my heart, in silence, to each one of you, respecting
the conscience of each one of you, but knowing that each one of you is a
child of God,” he said. “May God bless you.” For many people this was a
sign that at last, a pope was recognizing that the people of the world
both follow many faiths, and no faith at all. Cardinal Benoglio was
particularly known for his work in bridging the gap between Catholics
and Jews in his home country of Argentina, and hopefully it will be part
of his ministry as Pope.
But when I was in my 20's the idea that the God worshipped by
Christians had any connection to the God worshipped by Buddhists,
Hindus, and even our fellow "people of the book", the Jews and Moslems,
was considered blasphemy. I well remember a radical bishop suggesting
that we should have a more tolerant view of people of other faiths, and
being lambasted by the media for this outrageous suggestion.
So I was thrilled when David Barbrow, who was brought up in a
Christian - Jewish household, suggested that both Firelight students,
and teenagers, should experience a Seder. A few years ago I taught a
Palm Saturday workshop based on the Seder, and realized that it is
probably one of the best pieces of religious education for children bar
none. Firstly, it is (as are most Jewish rituals) based in home and
family, and also the welcome of strangers, and those in need. Secondly,
it is built around a meal. Thirdly, the children are central parts of
the ritual, asking scripted questions, but also encouraged to ask any
other questions that arise. As David said, " a good Seder is judged by
the number of questions asked." And finally, it is all fun! Most of us
knew the story of Moses and the Pharaoh, the plagues, and the exodus.
We also knew that it was this meal that Jesus shared with his disciples
before his arrest.
At the Seder we learned of the "mnemonics" that help children remember
the details; the Matzoh to represent the unleavened bread the escaping
Hebrews made in haste, the bitter herbs that remind us of the harsh life
of slavery (David had brought actual horseradish root, which delivered
quite a kick!), the nine drops of wine dropped on the plate to represent
the plagues, the Charoset, a wonderful mixture of apples and walnuts,
to represent the mortar the slaves spent their lives mixing. Thank you
so much David for this wonderful lesson.
It's Holy Week! Please join us on Thursday evening for a Family
Service of Foot Washing in the Chapel, at 5.30 pm, followed by a meal,
for which offerings are welcome. (If you plan to attend, and to bring
any food, please email Fiona at fvidalwhite@gmail.com
as soon as possible!) And then there is the great celebration of
Easter on Sunday Morning, with breakfast at 9am, and the service at
10.30 am. There will be nursery care, and care for younger elementary
children, in the nursery and classroom.
How do I know that I must be doing a reasonable job in teaching my Firelight class? Because of the wonderful, highly observant questions they ask. Last week I told them that we would be having a Family Service on Maundy Thursday (which is just a week away!) and that we would be doing a foot washing. "Why foot washing?", they asked. "Last year you told us that Maundy Thursday was all about Jesus and his disciples doing the last Supper, and now we do it every week just like he did".
So, what is Maundy Thursday about; communion, or foot washing? Well, that depends on which gospel you read. As we've been learning, each gospel was written at a slightly different time, and with a slightly different emphasis. In the last few weeks we've learned that Luke was the third gospel to be written, and that it was written by a Greek, who was by tradition a doctor. Luke's particular interest, compared to Mark and Matthew, was in attracting non-Jews to this new faith. And here's the interesting thing - Luke does not mention foot washing in his account of the Last Supper. No mention. But wait - neither do Mark, or Matthew! In all three, there is a discussion about servanthood; that whoever wishes to be great, must be a servant, just as the "Son of Man" came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mk 10: 42-45, Mt 20: 25-28, Lk 22: 24-30.)
So who's the odd one out? John, of course. John's gospel has a very different slant. Unfortunately, one of John's themes is to separate these evolving Christians from their Jewish connections, and re-ally them with the Romans, to fit the political moves of the day. And since John's account of Jesus's last three days is so much more detailed than the other gospel writers, it is his account we use. And here's the interesting thing - John does not mention the institution of the Eucharist, the sharing of the bread and wine, the prayers over them, and Jesus' invitation to "do this in remembrance of me." Maybe it is because he wants to distance Jesus from the traditional Jewish Passover rituals?Instead, John says only, " Jesus and his disciples were at supper." He then tells the story of Jesus taking a towel and a bowl of water, and washing the disciples' feet, a gesture very familiar to the disciples, and to the reader of the period, as this was a welcoming ritual as one entered a house, because people wore sandals, and the roads were dusty. It might be compared to a host today welcoming a guest by saying, "how nice to see you! Come on in! Let me take your coat. What can I get you to drink?" But back then the people who washed your feet would be the slaves of the household. This was a task far too demeaning for one's equal, far less one's revered teacher. Peter, who is known for saying the first thing that comes into to his head, expresses this very thought. "Never at any time will you wash my feet!" And Jesus replies, "if I do not wash your feet, you will not be my disciple."
And so, once a year we participate in this ritual hat might seem rather untypical behavior for respectable New England Episcopalians, allow someone to perform a menial and intimate task, and allow ourselves to be seen in our vulnerability. But we do this because Jesus said to his disciples,
"I have set an example for you, so that you will do for one another just what I have done for you." (Jn 13:15.)
Fiona
Maundy Thursday March 28th
Family Service of Foot Washing for all ages 5.30pm in the Chapel followed by supper in the Small Hall
Please contact Fiona if you would like to bring child-friendly food for the meal. fvidalwhite@gmail.com
You may not know this, but as well as churches, deaneries and dioceses, there is another organizational level of the Episcopal Church. This is the Province. There are nine provinces, primarily covering the United States, but also Episcopal churches in Micronesia, Taiwan, and South America. Last weekend I attended a workshop which gathered together Christian Education representatives from each of the dioceses in Province 1 - Eastern Mass., Western Mass., Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire. Julie Lytle has recently been appointed as Executive Director of Province 1, and is holding a series of meetings with people from different areas of ministry, to help her better discern what the Province can do to support its members. One thing I learned from our time together is that everyone's story of how they were called to their ministry is unique, and always a gift to hear. Each of us, whether we are new in the business, or have been working in Christian Education for 40 years, feel that there is no business we would rather be doing, and that gathering together to affirm its importance is a rare but wonderful blessing. We were also treated to another interpretation of story. Amy Cook, our own Diocese's Christian Education person, has a strong background in theater, and told us the story of the road to Emmaus in the first person. The affect was absolutely thrilling. I heard things I had not heard before, and felt both the despondancey at knowing that Jeuss was dead, and the thrill that she expressed at realizing that she was speaking with Jesus. I therefore decided to do the same thing this Sunday with the story of the Prodigal son. This isn't an easy story, especially for children. Why would the naughty younger brother get all the attention, and not the well-behaved older brother? We had great fun telling the story together, and made sure to include some sheep, as the youngest children wanted to be sheep. Somehow the immediacy of putting the story into one's own words makes it all the more meaningful and special. Jesus told stories because of their central role in his culture, but their power has never dwindled. So consider telling your child or children a bible story you know really well, and if you feel able, choose a character in the story who story you can tell. You could even have a dialogue, which each of you choosing a character. Since children live constantly in a world of stories, they will help you in your storytelling.
What I love about
reading scripture is that however wise you think you are, there is always a new
message waiting for you. I was reading the various passages in Luke that we are
studying in Firelight, and I noticed how many of them referred to Jesus’ need to
retreat and find a quiet time and place to pray. In Lent, I have tried for
once, to lead children away from all the creative and crazy ways we can learn,
and back to some old-fashioned bible reading - and silence. In chapel last
week, we did a silent meditation, and maintained a silence for one minute. As
Lent continues, we will try and build up our silent “muscles”. Several children
said that the experience of silence was hard for them, but several others said
they enjoyed it (and to my delight, said that they had done similar exercises in
children’s yoga classes).
When I attended Boarding School, every moment
was supposed to be supervised. We were not allowed to go on walks alone, and it
was considered a little odd not to be with friends, doing group activities, most
of the time. And so I began the process of finding neglected places in the
school where one could be alone without being noticed - a couple of unused
classrooms, a small room behind the Assembly Hall balcony – because I knew that
I needed that time of quiet.
These days, as we have become more
protective as parents, it is often difficult for this generation of children to
find a special place where they can be quiet, which is probably why teenagers
become so possessive about the privacy of their bedrooms! But children, like
adults, need quiet time, to reflect on the mysteries of growing up, and to learn
what might feel like to be independent, in both positive and negative ways.
Prayer gives us reason to be quiet, alone, and reflective. The prayer we are
doing in chapel is as simple as this. We begin by being comfortable in our
place and still in our bodies. We listen to the silence. We breathe in God’s
blessing and goodness, and breathe out any fears or worries. And we listen for
the still, small voice of God. Just as the longest journey begins with one
step, the life of prayer begins with a minute of silence.
A reminder
that there is a Family Games Night this Friday, March 9th, from 6-8pm. I know
that several families have already signed up, and I hope it will be a great
night of fun and
fellowship.