October 10, 2019
It’s Wednesday afternoon at church. I’m restless. The weather is dreary, chilly, and rainy. Truth be known I’d rather be home, curled up in a blanket, sipping hot chocolate and reading a book. As I complain to Kim about the rain, she tells me rain is expected for the next three days. When I groan and roll my eyes, she is quick to say, “but we need the rain.” And I suppose she is right.
Without rain the trees drop their leaves before having a chance to impress us with their rich fall colors. Without rain our water sources become depleted. And because rain is a source of fresh water, it is essential for the survival of humans, plants and animals. So, I’ve had a change of heart. “Bring on the rain!” We need it. Weather is seasonal. It’s often unpredictable. What’s happening elsewhere has ripple effects here. As Connecticut public radio reported this morning, “a storm will wobble southeast of Long Island for the next few days, resulting in the first unsettled stretch of weather in a long time.”
Like the weather, feeling unsettled is part of life. As much as I may want my life to be sunny and bright every single day, it just isn’t. And neither is life in the church. Unearthing aspects of our past, speaking the unspeakable, shedding light on rumors and hear-say can cause us to feel unsettled, perhaps a bit wobbly. And yet, I do believe these sacred conversations are needed, just like the rain. The image that comes to mind is when the priest asperges the congregation with holy water at the Easter Vigil, a reminder of baptism and as a means of renewing grace. May the rain remind us we are loved by God. And may showers of blessing pour down upon us, healing us, renewing us, transforming us. No umbrellas needed!
Jenny+
It’s Wednesday afternoon at church. I’m restless. The weather is dreary, chilly, and rainy. Truth be known I’d rather be home, curled up in a blanket, sipping hot chocolate and reading a book. As I complain to Kim about the rain, she tells me rain is expected for the next three days. When I groan and roll my eyes, she is quick to say, “but we need the rain.” And I suppose she is right.
Without rain the trees drop their leaves before having a chance to impress us with their rich fall colors. Without rain our water sources become depleted. And because rain is a source of fresh water, it is essential for the survival of humans, plants and animals. So, I’ve had a change of heart. “Bring on the rain!” We need it. Weather is seasonal. It’s often unpredictable. What’s happening elsewhere has ripple effects here. As Connecticut public radio reported this morning, “a storm will wobble southeast of Long Island for the next few days, resulting in the first unsettled stretch of weather in a long time.”
Like the weather, feeling unsettled is part of life. As much as I may want my life to be sunny and bright every single day, it just isn’t. And neither is life in the church. Unearthing aspects of our past, speaking the unspeakable, shedding light on rumors and hear-say can cause us to feel unsettled, perhaps a bit wobbly. And yet, I do believe these sacred conversations are needed, just like the rain. The image that comes to mind is when the priest asperges the congregation with holy water at the Easter Vigil, a reminder of baptism and as a means of renewing grace. May the rain remind us we are loved by God. And may showers of blessing pour down upon us, healing us, renewing us, transforming us. No umbrellas needed!
Jenny+
October 3, 2019
When I was a little girl, I often sat beside my grandmother in church. Being still and quiet wasn’t always easy and when I would begin to fidget, she would hand me a peppermint lifesaver. To this day, peppermint lifesavers have a calming effect on me and I realize now my grandmother was teaching me how to be reverent in church. She didn’t want my behavior to distract anyone from experiencing God’s presence.
Today as a priest I’m aware that Sunday worship may be the only hour during the week some of us are able to be quiet enough to be in God’s presence. To prepare our hearts for worship, we first need space to disconnect from the world. We need time to pray and let go of worrisome distractions so that we’re ready to worship.
So, what exactly is worship? In the Episcopal Church, the term we use to talk about what we do in worship is The Liturgy. To quote a favorite professor, “in the liturgy we enact in ritualized ways the actions and attitudes of being followers of Jesus. In the liturgy we praise the source of beauty and truth. We listen to the proclamation of love and the laws of human flourishing. We lament that which is broken in the world, acknowledging our own failings. We make a commitment to seek God and the good and to make peace with one another. Through our actions of worship, we move toward the object of our desire—the One from whom all good, mercy and truth flow out into a broken but glorious creation of which we are a part.” Wow! Who knew our one hour of worship was doing all this!
To better prepare ourselves for worship this fall, I’m proposing we “try on” a new practice. That is, we enter into worship quietly; perhaps kneel and say a prayer or sit in silence. Refrain from talking so others can pray. Listen to the pre-service music (Prelude). Then join in worship whole-heartedly, ready and eager to be in God’s presence with one another. If it helps, I’ll even have peppermint lifesavers available. Looking forward to Sunday! Jenny+
P.S. One more “try on”…let’s not talk until after the Organ Postlude. Let’s take a few minutes to listen or move out quietly so others can hear it. Then catch up with one another.
When I was a little girl, I often sat beside my grandmother in church. Being still and quiet wasn’t always easy and when I would begin to fidget, she would hand me a peppermint lifesaver. To this day, peppermint lifesavers have a calming effect on me and I realize now my grandmother was teaching me how to be reverent in church. She didn’t want my behavior to distract anyone from experiencing God’s presence.
Today as a priest I’m aware that Sunday worship may be the only hour during the week some of us are able to be quiet enough to be in God’s presence. To prepare our hearts for worship, we first need space to disconnect from the world. We need time to pray and let go of worrisome distractions so that we’re ready to worship.
So, what exactly is worship? In the Episcopal Church, the term we use to talk about what we do in worship is The Liturgy. To quote a favorite professor, “in the liturgy we enact in ritualized ways the actions and attitudes of being followers of Jesus. In the liturgy we praise the source of beauty and truth. We listen to the proclamation of love and the laws of human flourishing. We lament that which is broken in the world, acknowledging our own failings. We make a commitment to seek God and the good and to make peace with one another. Through our actions of worship, we move toward the object of our desire—the One from whom all good, mercy and truth flow out into a broken but glorious creation of which we are a part.” Wow! Who knew our one hour of worship was doing all this!
To better prepare ourselves for worship this fall, I’m proposing we “try on” a new practice. That is, we enter into worship quietly; perhaps kneel and say a prayer or sit in silence. Refrain from talking so others can pray. Listen to the pre-service music (Prelude). Then join in worship whole-heartedly, ready and eager to be in God’s presence with one another. If it helps, I’ll even have peppermint lifesavers available. Looking forward to Sunday! Jenny+
P.S. One more “try on”…let’s not talk until after the Organ Postlude. Let’s take a few minutes to listen or move out quietly so others can hear it. Then catch up with one another.
Trinity Enews September 26, 2019
Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way
into him who is the head, into Christ. Ephesians 4:15
I believe Trinity Church has an untold story of redemption to tell and by telling it we can offer hope for others. I believe our history is key to our identity and by telling the truth about our past, our identity is free to emerge. I believe deep, reflective inquiry is often the first step to turning negative stories we tell about our experience into redemptive narratives. I believe collectively reflecting on our stories, we can make meaning of them together. I also believe there is a need for mutual grieving as we come to terms with the realities of church-life today at Trinity. Grieving what was and will no longer be, can lead to healing and this makes space for something new to emerge. Because as we know from our Easter story of resurrection, God goes for new not resuscitation.
My belief (and experience) is that when a parish has been through difficulties over extended time and survived, they can learn to remember anew these events and through grace tell a different story. By collectively retrieving repressed memories and giving voice to that which has been unspoken and unprocessed we can discover a redemptive way to speak about our past.
Becoming free to talk honestly about the past with one another, this process of remembering anew offers the possibility of enabling this parish to claim its new identity in the present and imagine the future with hope.
Brothers and sisters, this is why we are having Sacred Conversations this fall. During this time of transition, an important question to ask is, “What does God intend for Trinity in ten years?” To help us answer this question, our Sacred Conversations are inviting us to look back on our past. I know this is not easy to do and yet I believe we are ready. Please consider joining us this Sunday after worship for our Sacred Conversation. See below for another conversation we will be having this Sunday at 3:00pm with Bishop Ian and Robin Hammeal-Urban, Canon for Mission Integrity and Training. Amid these hard conversations, I’m available to meet with you as needed.
Faithfully, Jenny+
Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way
into him who is the head, into Christ. Ephesians 4:15
I believe Trinity Church has an untold story of redemption to tell and by telling it we can offer hope for others. I believe our history is key to our identity and by telling the truth about our past, our identity is free to emerge. I believe deep, reflective inquiry is often the first step to turning negative stories we tell about our experience into redemptive narratives. I believe collectively reflecting on our stories, we can make meaning of them together. I also believe there is a need for mutual grieving as we come to terms with the realities of church-life today at Trinity. Grieving what was and will no longer be, can lead to healing and this makes space for something new to emerge. Because as we know from our Easter story of resurrection, God goes for new not resuscitation.
My belief (and experience) is that when a parish has been through difficulties over extended time and survived, they can learn to remember anew these events and through grace tell a different story. By collectively retrieving repressed memories and giving voice to that which has been unspoken and unprocessed we can discover a redemptive way to speak about our past.
Becoming free to talk honestly about the past with one another, this process of remembering anew offers the possibility of enabling this parish to claim its new identity in the present and imagine the future with hope.
Brothers and sisters, this is why we are having Sacred Conversations this fall. During this time of transition, an important question to ask is, “What does God intend for Trinity in ten years?” To help us answer this question, our Sacred Conversations are inviting us to look back on our past. I know this is not easy to do and yet I believe we are ready. Please consider joining us this Sunday after worship for our Sacred Conversation. See below for another conversation we will be having this Sunday at 3:00pm with Bishop Ian and Robin Hammeal-Urban, Canon for Mission Integrity and Training. Amid these hard conversations, I’m available to meet with you as needed.
Faithfully, Jenny+