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Sermon at St. John's Episcopal Church in Jackson Hole ~ November 29, 2015

 

The First Sunday of Advent

Read the Sermon for November 29, 2015

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Why Blue for Advent?

The Season of Advent

The word “Advent” is derived from the Latin Adventus, which means “coming” or “arrival.” It is the season of preparation for the celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ, God’s Messiah. Advent has been observed in the Western churches, since about the fifth century C.E.. Advent begins the liturgical year and includes the time from the fourth Sunday before Christmas, until Christmas. The first Sunday of Advent is always the Sunday nearest the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, November 30^th, and always falls between November 27^th  and December 3^rd.

The Color for the Season

For centuries, the season of Advent was observed as a penitential season. Sometimes, it was even referred to as the “Little Lent.” And, following the pattern of Lent, the designation of the four Sundays of the season were Sundays “in” Advent rather than Sundays “of” Advent. Also, as in Lent, the color violet or purple was the seasonal color. 

During the ecumenical liturgical reforms of the 1960’s and 1970’s, a strong consensus emerged that Advent should be a season of hope and anticipation, rather than penitence. As the new lectionaries were developed, the Sunday readings reflected those themes. Many churches sought a different seasonal color. Liturgical leaders were drawn to the color blue, which was used in the ancient Sarum rite (Salisbury, England). In subsequent years, use of the color blue has become widespread during Advent. Blue symbolizes hope, confidence, anticipation and expectation, all adjectives that describe the season of Advent.

The Advent Wreath Candles

Use of the Advent Wreath entered our observance of the season during the last century. The wreath consists of four candles, one of which is lighted on each of the four Advent Sundays. As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, we light more candles until we celebrate the birth of the Light of the World on December 25, symbolized by a larger white candle in the center of the wreath.

When purple or violet was the seasonal color, that was the choice of color for the hangings, vestments, and Advent Wreath candles. However, rose, a lighter shade of purple, was often used on the third Sunday.  Rose was thought to be representative of a less penitential theme for that Sunday, on which the first word of the Introit was “Rejoice.” Now that Advent is no longer observed as a primarily penitential season, the candles are blue and there is no need for a rose candle to suggest that we  “lighten up.”

I invite you to take time in this season of Advent to prepare your heart and mind in new ways for the news of the birth of Jesus Christ, God With Us.

 

 

 

 

The Very Reverend Ronald D. Pogue

 

 

Let us give thanks to God!

The Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church provides many resources to help us join together in giving thanks on our national day of thanksgiving. Our Hymnal also is filled with words and music to express our gratitude. I commend these worship resources to you and pray that you and those you love will enjoy a truly Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

 

 

The Collect for Thanksgiving Day

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayers for Our Country

Almighty God, you have given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech you that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought here out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Lord God Almighty, you have made all the peoples of the earth for your glory, to serve you in freedom and in peace: Give to the people of our country a zeal for justice and the strength of forbearance, that we may use our liberty in accordance with your gracious will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Litany of Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea.
We thank you, Lord.

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and our friends,
We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.

For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.

For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.

Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.

Hymn 433

 

We gather together to ask the Lord's blessing;
he chastens and hastens his will to make known;
the wicked oppressing now cease from distressing:
sing praise to his Name, he forgets not his own.

Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining,
ordaining, maintaining his kingdom divine;
so from the beginning the fight we were winning:
thou, Lord, wast at our side: all glory be thine!

We all do extol thee, thou leader triumphant,
and pray that thou still our defender wilt be.
Let thy congregation escape tribulation:
thy Name be ever praised! O Lord, make us free!

Words: Nederlandtsche Gedenckclanck, 1626; trans. Theodore Baker (1851-1934), 1894.
Music: Kremser (Nederlandtsche Gedenckclank, 1626)

 

 

Hymn 397

  

Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things hath done,
in whom his world rejoices;
who from our mother's arms
hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever-joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us;
and keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God
the Father now be given,
the Son, and Holy Ghost,
supreme in highest heaven,
the one eternal God,
whom earth and heaven adore;
for thus it was, is now,
and shall be evermore.

Words: Martin Rinkart (1586-1649), 1636 trans. Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), 1858.
Music: Nun danket alle Gott (later form of melody by Johann Crüger, 1598-1662) arr. John Rutter.

 

 

 

Something to Think About on Thanksgiving Day

As Americans prepare to celebrate our National Day of Thanksgiving, we are hearing reports from Mali, Beirut, and France about terrorist attacks. For many of us, these reports recall painful memories of our own experience with terrorism on September 11, 2001 and the days, months, and years that followed. 

It is difficult to give thanks for the blessings of liberty when attacks on the liberties of others make us aware of how vulnerable all humanity is in the hands of terrorists. Right now, we are especially conscious that our lives are connected in the human community and that we are not really as self-sufficient as we might think.

Theologian Walter Brueggemann points out that the observance of Thanksgiving reminds us that life is a gift.

Thanksgiving is a contradiction of the values of a market economy that imagines we are self-made and can be self-sufficient. When we give thanks, we commit an act of defiance against the seductions of our society. . . We may sing all kinds of patriotic songs and feast to satiation on Thanksgiving Day. Beyond all of that is our acknowledgement that life is a gift that evokes response. We are never self-starters. The drive for self-sufficiency is an unnecessary and futile idolatry.

Enjoy family, friends, and a bountiful feast on Thanksgiving Day. Then, sometime during the day, find a place where you can be alone and quiet for half an hour or so. Take a pen, some paper, and this quotation with you. Read it over a few times and then make a list of things that make your life what it is because God and others have blessed you – evidence that you are not self-sufficient. Say a prayer of thanksgiving over that list and think of ways to express your gratitude to whomever else is on the list. Do it right away before the pressures of everyday life make you forget.

Here is a video meditation for your Thanksgiving on a text by Brian Wren with piano accompaniment arranged and performed by Tom Howard.

And here is the Collect for Thanksgiving Day from The Book of Common Prayer.

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

May your heart be filled with gladness and gratitude as you celebrate Thanksgiving with those whom you love. And please continue to pray that God will comfort the victims of terror and turn the hearts of those who commit such violent acts so that they might become agents of peace.

I'll see you in Church!

 

 

 

Three Primary Ways Christians Share Their Treasure

When I was called to be your Interim Rector, I was asked to assist the Endowment Committee of St. John’s Church in developing a program to increase the assets of the endowment. I have an interest in seeing parishes ensure the future sustainability of their missions and I also have some experience in developing church endowments. Our committee, with the assistance of the Vestry and Staff, has been putting several elements in place that are necessary for development of this type of giving: an annual professional audit, a gift acceptance policy, concise descriptions of endowment funds, a legacy society, and a list of ways to give to the endowment.

Next week, members of St. John’s will receive an invitation to consider including the endowment in their estate planning. Some may think this comes too soon on the heels of our annual stewardship campaign or have concerns that the church asks for money too often. Those are understandable concerns but there is more to this invitation than that.

The Endowment Committee believes that the momentum for the endowment that has been building should continue during the transition period while I am able to be of assistance. Even more importantly, there is no reason for an appeal on behalf of the endowment to be seen as competing with our ordinary sustaining stewardship because it is a different type of giving. Permit me to explain.

When thinking about giving to Christ and his Church, there are three fairly distinct purses from which Christians share their treasure:

• Stewardship of Current Income – The ordinary day-to-day ministry of the church is sustained by gifts from our current income.

• Stewardship of Accumulated Treasure – Special projects, capital campaigns, emergency appeals, and extraordinary projects are mainly furthered by gifts from treasure that has accumulated over time (savings).

• Stewardship of Residual Treasure – We extend our giving beyond our lifetime through legacy stewardship of retirement savings in the form of bequests from funds, properties, and insurance we will no longer need after we are gone.

The Endowment Committee is inviting us to participate in the endowment by looking to the future and including St. John’s – beyond our lifetime, just as we might include members of our family, our alma mater, or some other cause that is dear to our hearts.

The central message is that we are privileged to be stewards of all of it! Whether spent, saved, or given away, every penny is a sacred trust from God. How can God’s mission at St. John’s be strengthened by the treasure we leave when we no longer need it?

It is exciting to think what can be accomplished by St. John’s if the ongoing mission of the parish is sustained by members giving generously from their current income so that extra sources of income, such as the endowment, can be used for extraordinary purposes. I hope that when the letter from these members of your church family arrives in your mailbox you will read it with an open mind and give the invitation prayerful consideration.

I’ll see you in Church!

 

 

 

 

 

Sermon at St. John's Episcopal Church in Jackson Hole ~ November 8, 2015

 

The Twenty-fourth Sunday After Pentecost

Listen to the Sermon for November 8, 2015

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Listen to the Children's Sermon for November 8, 2015

Read the Children's Sermon for November 8, 2015

 

 

 

Hearing What You Listen For

Shortly before I went to bed last night, I heard a faint sound outside - like the call of an owl. A few seconds later I heard it again. Then again.

I picked up my iPhone, opened the door, and stepped outside. There was a thick fog and the temperature was just below freezing. It was completely still and the silence was as thick as the fog. The owl called again and this time I made a recording. Here's what I heard:

Rafter J Owl

People often ask, “how can I recognize God's call to me?” It is a question of vocation. The word vocation is derived from the Latin root voca, voice. It means “to call.” There are so many voices crying out for our attention and our loyalty, it is difficult to discern the voice of God. That makes it difficult to know what God is calling me or my community of faith to do. The question may have to do with our overall life mission or with what God wants of us in a specific situation.

Sometimes, in order to hear God's call in the midst of all the voices in our busy lives, we have to learn to recognize God's voice when it is quiet and still, just like it was when I heard the call of the owl. Then, when things get busy and noisy, we can discern the voice of God in the midst of the other voices.

It is true that most of us don't hear God's voice with the ears on either side of our heads. God's voice is perceived as an inner voice. But it is certainly not the only inner voice we "hear." There are the voices of fear, desire, joy, hurt, anger, temptation, judgment, and so many others that speak to us in a language of their own. But we certainly hear them and they often drown out the still, small, quiet voice of God and we lose our bearings.

A word of caution: When we believe we have heard God's call, sometimes our own inclinations get in the way. Sometimes the message we hear is inconsistent with what God would say to us or ask of us.

Coincidentally, yesterday was the feast day of Richard Hooker, the sixteenth century Anglian theologian. Hooker prepared a comprehensive defense of the Reformation settlement under Queen Elizabeth I. This work was entitled Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity. It is Aristotelian in its philosophy and places a strong emphasis upon natural law eternally planted by God in creation. On this foundation, all positive laws of Church and State are based - from Scriptural revelation, ancient tradition, reason, and experience. Hooker offered a process, a way to use the resources we have to discern the voice of God.

One of the resources we have as disciples is the witness of sacred scripture. For instance, St. John gave wise advice when he wrote, "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God" (1 John 4:1). A country preacher once said, "All the spirits ain't the Holy Spirit." Is what I think God is calling me to do consistent with ways God spoke to those whose witness is recorded in the Bible? Is this the voice of the God who is revealed in the sacred texts?

Another resource is the tradition or teachings of the Church. Not all the teachings of the Church have withstood the test of time, but as a professor of mine used to say, "Some things are neither old nor new but ageless." What are the great truths, the enduring themes, the big ideas that have been handed down to us in the tradition of the Church? Can they help us discern the call of God?

And, we have our life in Christian community where there are others to help us learn to distinguish the divine voice calling us. It is important to involve a pastor or mature Christian friends in discerning if it was in fact God. Is what I think God is calling me to do consistent with the reason and experience of others. Is it consistent with my own reason and experience?

That brings me back to the owl. I knew the call was that of an owl, but I wasn't sure what kind of owl. So, I consulted the iBird app on my smart phone. After listening to the recording I made and then to the recordings of various kinds of owls provided in that app, I determined without a doubt that the owl in my neighborhood was a great horned owl. My bird app has photos of great horned owls so had it been daytime, I would have been able to visually identify the owl. If I had a pair of binoculars, I could have had an even closer look as a part of my verification process.

The resources available to me were useful in determining that I was indeed hearing an owl and, more precisely, that it was a great horned owl. Likewise, when we are learning to recognize God's voice and discern what God is calling us to do, we have resources to help us. Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience are resources we can and must use in our quest to hear God's voice guiding us in our spiritual journey.

We tend to hear what we listen for. So let us learn use the disciplines and resources that have been provided to us as we listen for the voice of God.

I'll see you in Church!