e-piphanies

Invitation to a Holy Lent

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

With these words and the sign of a cross of ashes imposed on our foreheads, we begin our annual Lenten journey. Those ashes, made from the palm branches we waved as we sang hosannas in celebration of Christ's Triumphal Entry last Palm Sunday, are a sign of the tentativeness of our praises and the shortness of our lives in the grand scheme of things. They mark the beginning of a season of reflection upon the impact we will leave in a universe that can and will go on without us.

Anglican priest and physicist John Polkinghorne expanded my own thinking about those ashes and our place in this universe in his book Quarks, Chaos, and Christianity. He writes, "Every atom of carbon inside our bodies was once a star. We are all made from the ashes of dead stars." Then, he goes on to explain how special our universe is. "Only a cosmos at least as big as ours could endure for the fifteen billion years necessary for evolving carbon-based life. You need ten billion years for the first-generation stars to make the carbon, then about five billion years for evolution to yield beings of our sort of complexity."

Woven into the complexity of our life is the "invincible divine purpose for good" and "the faithfulness of God who will not allow anything good to be lost." The death and resurrection of Christ bear witness to that truth and constitute the "seed event" of the new creation. From that "seed" springs forth fruit in the lives of those who follow him.

So, when you receive those ashes, marked on your forehead in the sign of the cross of Christ, receive with them the invitation to examine your life, seek what is good, and discard whatever interferes with the fruitfulness and goodness you may contribute during your brief sojourn. Many people resolve to practice a Lenten discipline beginning on Ash Wednesday. Some give up something through the practice of fasting. Others take on something, such as additional daily prayers, Bible study, more frequent attendance at corporate worship.

If you are considering a Lenten discipline, perhaps these words of wisdom from the early Christian mystic St. John Chrysostom will be helpful to you: "No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great." Pope Francis echoes those words in a Lenten message given several years ago: "Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience."

So, whatever you give up or take on, let's ask ourselves if the practice will benefit others in some way and if it will help liberate us from indifference to our neighbors, especially those in need.

I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word. (BCP)

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue

In Celebration of Michaelmas

Today, September 29, is Michaelmas, The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. Since this year the observance falls on a Sunday, the feast is transferred to Monday for public worship. I consider Michael to be my guardian angel, although I've been told that isn't possible. However, if you've ever been visited by an archangel, you know. Here's an icon of the Archangel Michael my wife Gay Pogue wrote for me.

I’ve been intrigued by angels for many years. On numerous occasions, I’ve wondered if what I’ve experienced was because of the presence and ministration of an angel. I
once asked my friend Rabbi Jimmy Kessler of Galveston to talk to me about the view of angels in Judaism. He told me many interesting things but the one that stays with me involves the role of angels in the providence of God. He said, “The rabbis said that God has assigned an angel to every living thing, even each blade of grass. The angel’s job is to stand beside every blade of grass and say, ‘Grow! Grow! Grow!’”

In celebration of Michaelmas, I wanted to share my appreciation of and curiosity about angels, so today I’m posting an article and some hymns for your consideration. I hope you’ll benefit from them and become acquainted with the angels in your life.

 

Article by James Kiefer

Hymn – “Ye Holy Angels Bright”

Click HERE for Text.

Hymn – “Christ, the Fair Glory”

Click HERE for Text.

Hymn – “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones”

Click HERE for Text.

For he shall give his angels charge over you,
   to keep you in all your ways.
They shall bear you in their hands,
   lest you dash your foot against a stone.    - Psalm 91:11-12

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue

A Biblical Perspective on the Treatment of Immigrants

For a number of years, we have witnessed quite a lot of political rhetoric and harsh treatment of immigrants to the United States, especially along our southwestern border. The treatment of immigrants, whether legal or not, was a biblical and moral issue long before it became a political issue. It is time that people of faith and people of conscience take back the narrative!

When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The stranger who lives as a foreigner with you shall be to you as the native-born among you, and you shall love him as yourself; for you lived as foreigners in the land of Egypt. I am Yahweh your God. - Leviticus 19:33-34

Recently, the governors of Texas and Florida have lured immigrants onto busses and airplanes with promises of housing and employment in other states. Upon arrival in those places, the immigrants discovered they were lied to. Taxpayers have footed the bill for that transportation, making all of us complicit in the unjust and inhumane treatment of those aliens. We've also paid for solutions such as uncompleted and ineffective walls on the border, separation of family units, locking immigrants in cages, and sending National Guard units to patrol the border with no actual authority to do anything. Some politicians have borne false witness against the vast majority of immigrants by claiming they are mostly criminals or insane. In fact, the data clearly shows that immigrants are far less likely to commit crimes than our own citizens. In spite of claims to the contrary, undocumented immigrants cannot vote or receive benefits such as Social Security and Medicare.

Politically motivated disinformation and unjust and sometimes brutal policies carried out in the name of U.S. citizens have often been executed by and applauded by people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ and who claim to be pro-family and believe in the sanctity of life. Nothing about these horrific solutions to our "border crisis" reflects the teaching of Jesus, protects families, or respects the sanctity of immigrant lives.

Many of those entering illegally are not simply immigrants - they are refugees, fleeing violence and/or poverty in their own countries. There are international laws pertaining to how refugees are identified and how they are treated. We helped write those laws!

Some immigrants have been tricked into paying for transportation into the U.S. only to be abandoned or, worse, left inside a hot container to die.

As you can see by clicking the links in this reflection, fact-checking false claims about immigrants is not difficult. It is incumbent upon us as people of faith and as responsible citizens to deal with facts and seek the truth.

I am not suggesting that we have "open borders" or abandon all immigration laws. But I am advocating for less political theatrics and more collaboration on just and humane ways to treat those who are seeking a new life as neighbors in our country. The Partnership for Central America is one example of how to mitigate illegal immigration by making it more desirable to remain in one's country rather than seeking refuge in the U.S. The most comprehensive, bipartisan immigration reform legislation in a generation has been drafted. Political lust has prevented its adoption by Congress. What if people of faith took back the narrative to get it adopted?

Using human beings as pawns in a political game is cruel, un-American, and certainly contrary to biblical standards. The treatment of immigrants is a huge and unambiguous issue in the Old and New Testaments. Here are some examples and reflections from General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church. Feel free to share them and print them out.

Also, here are some online resources for gaining a deeper understanding of what is at stake according to several different religious bodies.

United Methodist Immigration Resources

Episcopal Church Migration Ministries

Interfaith Immigration Coalition

I hope you will give this prayerful consideration and, if you are moved to speak or act as an advocate for just and humane immigration policies, may God give you the grace and the will to do so!

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue

 

 

A Call to Prayer

In both the offices of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, The Book of Common Prayer of The Episcopal Church includes a series of prayers called Suffrages. In ecclesiastical use, the word Suffrages refers to a series of intercessory prayers. The ones in the current liturgy are the latest version of Suffrages that Anglican Christians around the world have been praying daily since 1549.

In the offices, the Suffrages are arranged in a responsive fashion with the letter “V” representing the versicle. A versicle is a little verse, usually from the Psalms, said by the officiant. The letter “R” represents the response to the versicle. Here are the Suffrages to which I want to draw your attention:

V. Show us your mercy, O Lord;
R. And grant us your salvation.
V. Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
R. Let your people sing with joy.
V. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
R. For only in you can we live in safety.
V. Lord, keep this nation under your care;
R. And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
V. Let your way be known upon earth;
R. Your saving health among all nations.
V. Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
R. Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
V. Create in us clean hearts, O God;
R. And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.

Notice that a little over half of the Suffrages are intercessions for the world, the nation, and the vulnerable. The prayers we offer don’t change God. They call upon God to express those divine qualities and yearnings God has already revealed to us through Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. When words of prayers leave our lips, it is we who ought to be changed – to become more godly in our words and deeds. These Suffrages, then, prompt us to shape our lives and our behavior to align with the qualities and yearnings of God, especially toward the world, the nation, and the vulnerable among us.

When we pray prayers like this, to borrow a meaningful phrase from the late Congressman John Lewis, we are making “good trouble.” When we pray prayers like this, we are on the verge of becoming the change we would like – and God would like – to see. When we pray prayers like this, we are stepping into the role of ally for those who work for peace and healing, seek justice and truth, and foster tangible hope for those in any kind of need.

As a response to the precarious situation in which we find ourselves, I am making a renewed commitment to pray the Suffrages every day through the end of this year. I invite you to join me.

If you are inclined to pray the entire morning and/or evening office that would be great too. If you have a Book of Common Prayer, you can turn to it. Or there are several online offerings that may be even more helpful in that they provide the daily readings as well as the prayers. I’d be happy to know that some of you are joining me in the Suffrages alone, if that is something you feel moved to do. You choose the time of day. For some, the morning or evening might be most meaningful. For others, the Suffrages might be most appropriate after watching the news or following one of the daily outbursts to which we are becoming all too accustomed.

If something in your life changes because of this spiritual discipline, please let me know!

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue

P.S. Here are several online resources.

• To purchase a copy of the 1979 Book of Common Prayer
• Daily Offices - The Online Book of Common Prayer
• The Daily Office from Forward Movement
• The Daily Office from Mission St. Clare
• Morning Prayer Podcast from The Episcopal Church in Garrett County

An Epiphany in Faith Formation from a Lost Ball and a Trustworthy Dad

The greatest lesson I ever learned about faith I learned from my father. I had accidentally pitched a ball into a valley on the roof of our house. instead of getting out a ladder and climbing up to get it for me, dad picked me up to boost me up onto the roof so I could get it myself. I had never been upon the roof before. It was frightening, mostly the getting-up-there part.

When I began to express my fear my dad said, “Don't worry. I won't let you fall.” His hands and arms felt strong. His voice was firm and confident. He had been on the roof himself. He believed I would be okay. So, I forgot my fears and found my faith and dad didn't let me fall.

Through the experience of trusting I discovered that my dad was trustworthy.

I have been able to live my life with an abiding faith, often tested by the things that test everybody's faith. It goes back to that lost ball on the roof, my dad’s strong and loving arms, reassuring voice, and dependable promise, “I won't let you fall.”

 That has made it easier for me to trust my heavenly father who promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Earthly parents, though fallible, have a role to play in the formation of faith in their children's lives. In fact, parents are the primary faith-givers. The chief evangelical opportunity for Christian parents is with their children. Even helping a child retrieve a toy stuck on the roof can be an occasion for faith forming. The world needs dads to give their children a fear-conquering faith. Of course, moms do it too. But this is Father's Day.

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue

The Mission Field at Our Doorstep

This reflection is about an epiphany from one of the saints I have known, Marjorie B. Lester. I became Marjorie’s pastor at Houston’s Bering Memorial Church in January of 1978 when she was 95 years old. Marjorie was born in Kentucky in 1882. Her father was murdered when Marjorie was not quite 5 years old. She married when she was 15, bore three children, and was widowed at the age of 46. Somehow, in the early years of her marriage, she managed to study law and was the second woman admitted to the bar in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Around 1910, the Lester’s moved to Texas, first to Hardeman County, then to Corpus Christi. She told me that following the death of her husband she moved to Houston to take a position in charge of corporate records for United Gas Pipeline, which position she held until her retirement in 1947. After retirement, Marjorie devoted much of her time, talent, and energy to programs for seniors. In 1957, she was appointed to the Governor’s Committee on Aging and in 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed her to the White House Conference on Aging. She died at the age of 101.
 
It was my first time to serve as a senior pastor and she was in many ways a mentor to me as she had been for pastors who preceded me. In October of my first year at Bering, our stewardship campaign theme was “Open the Doors.” The pledge cards were printed and folded to resemble the main doors of the church. On the Sunday members were asked to complete their pledge cards and bring them to the Altar, Marjorie raised her walking cane in the air and asked to say a few words to the congregation. She came to the front of the nave, stood facing those who were gathered there, leaned on her cane, and challenged everyone to give generously. She concluded her remarks by pointing to the doors of the church with that cane and saying, “The Apostle Paul would be envious of the mission field at our doorstep.” She then returned to her pew and sat down. 60% of the pledge cards turned in that morning had the original numbers erased or crossed out and higher amounts filled in!
 
Marjorie’s closing words rang in my ears for the remaining eight years I served in that place and they have remained with me ever since. It became my practice at the end of the service to invite worshipers to turn and face the door of the church for the Dismissal. From there, through the door of the church, near the Baptismal Font if possible, and with the Book of the Gospels in my hands, having been nourished by Word and Sacrament, I send Christ's followers into “the mission field at our doorstep.”
 
Above the Choir in the front of that church is a stained glass window I have never especially liked. It is a poor representation of William Holman Hunt’s famous painting of Jesus “The Light of the World” knocking on a door. In Hunt’s painting, there is no latch on the door, the implication being that it must be opened from the inside. However, in this particular window, there is a huge latch right there in front of Jesus. I could never reconcile the window with what I believed about the way Jesus enters our lives.
 
Until recently! A story shared by Bishop Scott Mayer in a sermon at the Ordination of Deacons provided the very insight I needed. It was a story told by a Roman Catholic Cardinal, Blasé Cupich of Chicago – a story about the days leading up to the Conclave to choose the current Pope. In the days leading up to the Conclave, it is their practice for the gathered Cardinals to deliver addresses designed to help their colleagues discern where the Holy Spirit is calling the Church.
 
Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina took his turn and remarked that, “In the Revelation to John, Jesus says that he stands at the door and knocks.” “The idea,” he continued, “is that Jesus is knocking from outside the door.” But Cardinal Bergoglio inverted the image … and asked his fellow Cardinals and indeed the whole Church to consider “the times in which Jesus knocks from within so that we will let him come out.” When the Church keeps Christ to herself and does not let him out … it becomes “self-referential – and then gets sick. The Church must go out of itself to the peripheries, to minister to the needy.”
 
Evidently, Cardinal Bergoglio spoke the words the Church needed to hear, for he was called. We know him now as Pope Francis.
 
Jesus wants to lead us out into the mission field at our doorstep, as Marjorie so powerfully envisioned it 45 years ago this month. I rejoice to say that the faithful of Bering Memorial Church are still going out there, responding with love and compassion to the needs of others. The doors continue to open outward and through them all kinds of people come and go. Marjorie was one of them. There is no way to even estimate how many lives she has touched. I am grateful she touched mine and, hopefully, many others who’ve heard my stories about her.

Faithfully,

 

 

 

 

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue

The Tree of Wisdom

Yesterday, a friend shared a couple of stanzas of a Good Friday hymn written by Seventeenth Century Hungarian poet Király Imre von Pécselyi and translated into English by Twentieth Century Congregationalist minister, composer, and musicologist Erik Routley. The common title of the hymn is “There in God’s Garden” and it is also known as “The Tree of Wisdom.” Alabama composer K. Lee Scott wrote the tune “Shades Mountain” specifically for this text.

I was introduced to the hymn during my two-year residence in Mississippi as Interim Dean of Jackson’s St. Andrew’s Cathedral. It became one of my favorite hymns, with its message of hope for the healing of the nations. Organist/Choirmaster Jessica Nelson led the Cathedral Choir and Congregation in singing it in my last Sunday service there, which was also the occasion for my retirement from active ministry. This seems like a good time to share it.

I invite you to contemplate the words, read the article by Emily R. Brink, and immerse yourself in the music, here sung by the Choir and Congregation of First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.

There in God’s garden stands the Tree of Wisdom,
whose leaves hold forth the healing of the nations:
Tree of all knowledge, Tree of all compassion,
Tree of all beauty.

Its name is Jesus, name that says, “Our Savior!”
There on its branches see the scars of suffering;
see where the tendrils of our human selfhood
feed on its lifeblood.

Thorns not its own are tangled in its foliage;
our greed has starved it, our despite has choked it.
Yet, look! It lives! Its grief has not destroyed it
nor fire consumed it.

See how its branches reach to us in welcome;
hear what the Voice says, “Come to me, ye weary!
Give me your sickness, give me all your sorrow;
I will give blessing.”

This is my ending, this my resurrection:
into your hands, Lord, I commit my spirit.
This have I searched for; now I can possess it.
This ground is holy.

All heaven is singing, “Thanks to Christ whose Passion
offers in mercy healing, strength, and pardon.
Peoples and nations, take it, take it freely!”
Amen! Our Savior!

 

Blessings!

 

 

 

 

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue

 

Bob McKee's Advent Gift

Around the middle of Advent every year for a decade, our friend Robert (Bob) McKee would invite us to join him and a group of friends for the Madrigal Dinner at Rice University. The event took place in the Faculty Club/Cohen House on the Rice Campus. Singers from the Shepherd School of Music, under the direction of Tom Jaber, dressed in elaborate Elizabethan costumes and sat at an elevated head table. From that platform, they sang carols and other music of Advent and Christmas. During the meal, magicians, jugglers, and acrobats entertained us. We always had a wonderful time and Bob’s guests became our good friends. Next to the celebration of the Savior’s birth, it was always the highlight of the season.

I was reminded of those Madrigal Dinners, Bob McKee, our friends, and the glorious music today when I heard a recording of the Wexford Carol, the first verse of which was always sung a cappella at the very end of the evening. It became my favorite carol. It gladdens my heart at this time each year.

Listen to this lovely rendition of the Wexford Carol, ponder the lyrics, and steep your soul in the beauty as you prepare for the Natal Feast.

Those occasions brought people together and fostered lasting friendships. Our nation and our world need more such occasions and all the things the Messiah came to bring into the world. Bob has joined the Choir Immortal, as have several of the regular guests. Others remain in touch, though now scattered about the country. Through the years, we've moved around quite a bit and more friends have entered our lives. Gay and I give thanks to God for them and all of you. We pray that you have a blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with love, peace, and goodwill!

Faithfully,

 

 

 

 

The Very Reverend Ron Pogue
Arlington, Texas

 

What are we that God is mindful of us?

The Rev. G. Runge Nease was my Pastor during my spiritually formative teen years. He often recited verses from Psalm 8 as the Opening Sentence for worship, reminding us that God is always mindful of us and that we are created a little lower than the Holy Angels. I can hear his voice even now six decades later proclaiming, "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy Name in all the earth..."

 

We may - and often do - forget God, but God never forgets us, is always mindful of us, reaches out to us in Love Divine. I often pray this collect on Thursdays and imagine I'm walking with those disciples along the Road to Emmaus on that first Easter Day. The Risen Christ was their companion on that journey but they didn't recognize him.

 

Heavenly Father, in you we live and move and have our
being: We humbly pray you so to guide and govern us by
your Holy Spirit, that in all the cares and occupations of our
life we may not forget you, but may remember that we are
ever walking in your sight; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

 

Pastor Nease planted the seed of understanding in me that continues to reassure me every step along the way and every hour of every day, God is mindful of me, even when I am not mindful of God. My ultimate worth to my Creator is like that of the Angels.

 

Here's the Psalm 8 sung in magnificent Anglican chant.

Psalm 8

 

Domine, Dominus noster

 

1. O LORD our Governor, how excellent is thy Name in all the world: thou that hast set thy glory above the heavens!

2. Out of the mouth of very babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies: that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.

3. For I will consider thy heavens, even the works of thy fingers: the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.

4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him: and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

5. Thou madest him lower than the angels: to crown him with glory and worship.

6. Thou makest him to have dominion of the works of thy hands: and thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet;

7. All sheep and oxen: yea, and the beasts of the field;

8. The fowls of the air, and the fishes of the sea: and whatsoever walketh through the paths of the seas.

9. O Lord our Governor: how excellent is thy Name in all the world.

 

Blessings,

 

Ron+

 

 

Angel Voices Ever Singing

One of the wisest saints I've ever known was Marjorie Lester. Marjorie was a member of Houston's Bering Memorial Church. She lived to be 101 years old. Before coming to Houston, she was the second woman admitted to the bar in the Commonwealth of Kentucky after her husband was murdered, leaving her a widow with two young sons. In Houston, she was in charge of legal records for one of the natural gas companies.

 

In my first year at Bering Memorial Church, during the worship service where I was asking worshipers to complete their pledge cards and bring them to the Altar, she asked to speak to the congregation. Leaning on her cane, she said these words, "The Apostle Paul would be envious of the mission field at our doorstep."

 

Those who recorded the pledges told me that about half of the cards had the first figure erased or crossed out and a higher amount written in, no doubt in response to what Marjorie said.

In one of my last home visits to her in 1986, she said this to me. "Ron, I hope what I'm about to say does not render me a heretic, but when we get to heaven if all we are going to do is stand around God's throne and sing, I'm not sure I want to go."

 

I replied, "The endless singing is the work of the Angels. We get to join them, but there are other things for us to do there. I'm not sure what our other tasks will be, but I look forward to your being there beside me when the time comes."

 

I wish I'd had this hymn handy to share with her.

 

Angel Voices Ever Singing

 

1 Angel voices ever singing

round Thy throne of light,

angel harps, forever ringing,

rest not day nor night;

thousands only live to bless Thee

and confess thee Lord of might.

 

2 Thou who art beyond the farthest

mortal eye can scan,

can it be that Thou regardest

songs of sinful man?

Can we feel that Thou art near us

and wilt hear us? Yea, we can.

 

3 Yea, we know Thy love rejoices

o'er each work of Thine;

Thou didst ears and hands and voices

for Thy praise combine;

craftsman's art and music's measure

for Thy pleasure didst design.

 

4 Here, great God, today we offer

of Thine own to Thee;

and for Thine acceptance proffer,

all unworthily,

hearts and minds and hands and voices

in our choicest melody.

 

5 Honor, glory, might, and merit

Thine shall ever be,

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

blessed Trinity:

of the best that Thou hast given

earth and heaven render Thee.

 

Author: Francis Pott (1861)

ANGEL VOICES (Monk) Composer: Edwin George Monk (1861)