e-piphanies

Holy Saturday and Christ's Descent Among the Dead

While searching for some commentary regarding Holy Saturday, I came across reflections posted by The Rev. Canon Patrick Comerford on his blog. Comerford is a priest in the Church of Ireland (Anglican), Director of Spiritual Formation at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute, and a Canon of Christ Church Cathedral Dublin. While Canon Comerford’s message concerns All Souls Day, a significant portion of it has to do with Christ’s descent to the dead, also known as “The Harrowing of Hell” and that is the excerpt I have chosen to share with you on this Holy Saturday. 

Before you read the excerpt, I suggest reading the following passages of scripture:

Matthew 12:40 

Acts 2:27-31

Romans 8:38-39

I Peter 3:19-20 and 4:6

II Corinthians 2:14

Ephesians 4:8-10

Here is the excerpt from Canon Comerford’s blog:

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition there are several All Souls’ Days throughout the year, especially on Saturdays. Saturday is the day Christ lay in the Tomb, and so all Saturdays are days for general prayer for the departed.

The Western tradition of the Church has traditionally contemplated the cross, and then the empty tomb … and has been totally agnostic about what happened in between, between dusk that Friday afternoon and dawn that Sunday morning. The deep joys of the Resurrection have often been overshadowed in the Western Church by the Way of the Cross, as though the Cross leads only to death. We have neglected Christ’s resting place, his tomb, and given little thought to what was happening in the Holy Sepulchre that holy weekend.

The Eastern Churches, which lack a clearly defined doctrine of Purgatory, have been more comfortable with exploring in depth the theme of Christ’s Harrowing of Hell. For, while Christ’s body lays in the tomb, he is visiting those who were dead.

The icon of the Harrowing of Hell reminds us that God reaches into the deepest depths to pull forth souls into the kingdom of light. It reminds us how much we are unable to comprehend – let alone take to heart as our own – our creedal statement that Christ “descended into Hell.”

The Apostle Peter tells us that when Christ died he went and preached to the spirits in prison “who in former times did not obey … For this is the reason the Gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that … they might live in the spirit as God does” (I Peter 3: 15b- 4: 8).

The Early Church taught that after his death Christ descended into hell and rescued all the souls, starting with Adam and Eve, who had died under the Fall. The Harrowing of Hell is intimately bound up with the Resurrection, the Raising from the Dead, for as Christ is raised from the dead he also plummets the depths to bring up, to raise up, those who are dead, no matter where that may be in time and in space. The Harrowing of Hell carries us into the gap in time between Christ’s death and his resurrection.

In icons of the Harrowing of Hell, Christ stands on the shattered doors of Hell. Sometimes, two angels are seen in the pit binding Satan. And we see Christ pulling out of Hell Adam and Eve, imprisoned there since their deaths, imprisoned along with all humanity because of sin. Christ breaks down the doors of Hell and leads the souls of the lost into Heaven. It is the most radical reversal we can imagine. Death does not have the last word, we need not live our lives buried in fear. If Adam and Eve are forgiven, and the Sin of Adam is annulled and destroyed, who is beyond forgiveness?

In discussing the “Descent into Hell,” Hans Urs von Balthasar argues that if Christ’s mission did not result in the successful application of God’s love to every intended soul, how then can we think of it as a success? He emphasises Christ’s descent into the fullness of death, so as to be “Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 5).

However, in her book Light in Darkness, Alyssa Lyra Pitstick says Christ did not descend into the lowest depths of Hell, that he only stayed in the top levels. She cannot agree that Christ’s descent into Hell entails experiencing the fullness of alienation, sin and death, which he then absorbs, transfigures, and defeats through the Resurrection. Instead, she says, Christ descends only to the “limbo of the Fathers” in which the righteous, justified dead of the Old Testament waited for his coming.

And so her argument robs the Harrowing of Hell of its soteriological significance. For her, Christ does not descend into Hell and experience there the depths of alienation between God and humanity opened up by sin. She leaves us with a Christ visiting an already-redeemed and justified collection of Old Testament saints to let them know that he has defeated death – as though he is merely ringing on the doorbell for those ready to come out.

However, Archbishop Rowan Williams has written beautifully, in The Indwelling of Light, on the Harrowing of Hell. Christ is the new Adam who rescues humanity from its past, and who starts history anew. “The resurrection … is an introduction – to our buried selves, to our alienated neighbours, to our physical world.”

He says: “Adam and Eve stand for wherever it is in the human story that fear and refusal began … [This] icon declares that wherever that lost moment was or is – Christ [is] there to implant the possibility … of another future.” [Rowan Williams, The Dwelling of the Light: Praying with Icons of Christ, p. 38.]

I ask myself: what’s the difference between the top levels of Hell and the bottom levels of Hell? Is my Hell in my heart of my own creation? In my mind, in my home, where I live and I work, in my society, in this world? Is hell the nightmares from the past I cannot shake off, or the fears for the future when it looks gloomy and desolate for the planet? But is anything too hard for Lord?

The icon of the Harrowing of Hell tells us that there are no limits to God’s ability to search us out and to know us. Where are the depths of my heart and my soul, where darkness prevails, where I feel even Christ can find no welcome? Those crevices even I am afraid to think about, let alone contemplate, may be beyond my reach. I cannot produce or manufacture my own salvation from that deep, interior hell, hidden from others, and often hidden from myself.

But Christ breaks down the gates of Hell. He rips all of sinful humanity from the clutches of death. He descends into the depths of our sin and alienation from God. Plummeting the depths of Hell, he suffuses all that is lost and sinful with the radiance of divine goodness, joy and light.

Hell is where God is not; Christ is God, and his decent into Hell pushes back Hell’s boundaries. In his descent into Hell, Christ reclaims this zone for life, pushing back the gates of death, where God is not, to the farthest limits possible. Christ plummets even those deepest depths, and his love and mercy can raise us again to new life.

[Today], we think again of Christ in the grave, and ask him to take away all that denies life in us, whether it is a hell of our own making, a hell that has been forced on us, or a hell that surrounds us. Christ reaches down, and lifts us up with him in his Risen Glory.

May these thoughts from Canon Patrick Comerford be an epiphany for you on this Holy Saturday. Here's a Charles Wesley hymn that also seems fitting for today.

 

Blessings,

 

Transition

I am preparing to leave one community of faith where I have served as interim for the past year and am anticipating appointment as interim in another location in the near future.  The community I am leaving is preparing to welcome a new spiritual leader.  The community to which I go will be saying farewell to theirs.  In the midst of all this change, I am reflecting on the wisdom St. Paul shared with the Corinthian Church regarding transitions in leadership.

The Corinthian Christians were having difficulty adjusting to new leadership.  In his first letter to them, St. Paul describes how transitions are a normal aspect of the life of Christians in community.  His focus is upon the common purpose of building up the Church in its mission.

For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.      – I Cor. 3:4-9

I might have written it this way:

It is human nature for one to say, ‘I liked Fr. So and So’, and another, ‘I didn’t like Fr. Such and Such’.  Both are Pastors who tried to help you in your journey of faith using the gifts the Lord gave to each of them.  One planted seeds, another watered them, but the resulting growth came from God.  So, it’s really not about the Pastor, it’s about God!  Each of us Pastors has a common purpose and that is to help you have enough faith to do the work God has prepared for you to walk in.   – I Ron 3:4-9

I am not the Pastors who came before me.  Nor am I the Pastors who come after me.  God has gifted each one of us in different ways according to the leadership God desires the Church to have in a particular place and time.  Each of us brings something different to the communities we serve.  Each one builds upon the work of those who came before, so the changes each one brings are not intended to dismantle things.  Instead, the changes are related to the common purpose we share and are to be understood as additions or enhancements to what has been.  Our common purpose is to help you be the Church in mission.  It’s not about Fr. So and So or Fr. Such and Such.  It’s not about me.  It’s about God and God’s mission of reconciliation in the world beyond those red doors.

Change is difficult for many people. We don't like it when something upsets the equilibrium and pushes us out of our comfort zone.  So we resist and complain.  Resistance to change, while human, can undermine the true spiritual discernment that has led to this union of Pastor and People, thwarting God's purpose.  Most complaining about change when a new Pastor arrives constitutes avoidance of the real work to which God is calling the faithful.  Valuable spiritual energy is wasted in an activity that is useless to the cause of Christ! 

This time of transition is a unique opportunity for God to work wonders through divine interaction with the new relationships that are being formed.  God is creating a new context in which to bring about growth.  Trust God enough to invite your new Pastor and encourage one another to fully express the gifts God has given to help you be the Church.  You will grow, the Church will grow, and the Kingdom of God will grow.

So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.  – I Cor. 3:21-22

A Message of Thanks and Farewell to Trinity, Lawrence

August 5, 2010

Dear Members and Friends of Trinity Church,

One year ago today I began my ministry with you as Interim Pastor.  Ten days from now, August 15, will be my last Sunday with you.  Your new Rector, The Reverend Rob Baldwin, will lead you in worship on August 29. 

I write with mixed emotions to say farewell and express gratitude for the opportunity to share Christ’s work with you during this year of transition.  We have worked together to remember and celebrate the history of the parish, to clarify your present-day identity, to manage changes in leadership, to strengthen ties with the wider Church, and to prepare for commitment to a new era of mission with your new Rector.  It will make my heart glad to know that these transitional developments have made you ready for the days ahead.

Many have asked about our plans for the future.  Our Galveston home remains on the market and Gay has retired from teaching.  We will take a vacation and visit our sons during late August and early September.  We hope conversations with several bishops and deployment officers will soon result in a call to a new place of ministry, either interim or settled.  There are some very interesting possibilities!

You are most welcome to stay in touch with us.  We want to know what is happening in your lives and in the life of this parish.  However, my role as your Priest will be concluded.  Your new Rector will arrive soon and he will need every opportunity to establish a relationship with you.  So, I will not be coming back or performing sacramental or liturgical rites for Trinity.  We’ve moved before and have seen the wisdom in this practice.  We continue to have wonderful friends from every place we’ve ever served and everyone understands that we now play a different role in their lives.  Please make a note of the following contact information:

Ron and Gay Pogue
3017 Avenue O
Galveston, Texas 77550-6847
(Mail to our Galveston address will be forwarded to us wherever we may be.)

Ron’s Email: [email protected]
Ron’s Phone: 832-576-9019
Ron’s Blog: http://e-piphanies.com

Gay’s Email: [email protected]
Gay’s Phone: 409-939-9975
Gay’s Blog: http://angelsnakes.com/

May God bless Trinity and may God bless each of you in your spiritual journey.  I remain convinced that the greatest days of this parish lie in the future.  You and those who come in the future will have the joy of remaining open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discover what new things God wants to accomplish through the people who are Trinity Episcopal Church.  We will keep you in our prayers and we ask that you keep us in your prayers as God’s new day unfolds!

Faithfully yours,

Who exemplifies Christ's humility?

Today I was reflecting on a favorite passage of scripture, Philippians 2:1-11, sometimes called the "Philippians Hymn" or the "Kenosis (meaning "emptying") Hymn."  The writer exhorts Christians to conduct themselves toward one another with humility and to have the same mind as Christ.

Who, I wondered, have I known that exemplifies such humility as described in this passage?

In a split second, a person and a situation came to mind.  In a way, it was a very small thing, almost imperceptible, but at the time it touched me and cemented my respect for this gracious person.

Gay and I were being introduced to the Vestry at Christ Church Cathedral in Houston.  We had been visiting with the Dean, Walter H. Taylor, and his wife Mary.  When it was time to go into the room where the Vestry was gathered, as we started through the doorway all four of us were together.  But when we arrived in the room, Mary was not with us.  The instant I realized she had waited out in the hallway, I knew why she did it.  She wanted us to be the entire focus of the Vestry's attention.  It was a simple, but profoundly thoughtful and gracious gesture on her part.  I've never forgotten it nor have I forgotten the lesson Mary taught me.  She stepped back so that we could step up!

Mary's gesture that evening exemplified Christian humility of the sort described in the Philippians Hymn and particularly the fourth verse, "Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others."

Who have you known that exemplifies Christian humility?  Who in your life has stepped back so you could step up?  How has their example touched your life and taught you a lesson you needed to learn?

It's something to think about.

A Fruitful Life

Modern personnel practices in secular business settings emphasize the importance of performance appraisals.  Some of that spills over into our perspective on our life as followers of Jesus Christ.  There is a problem with that.

Business and the economy are concerned with performance and productivity.  People are useful as long as they are able to contribute to the bottom line.  People are cogs in the wheels of commerce.

Jesus was concerned about fruitfulness.  He said, "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:4-5).

I helped a family say farewell to a loved one today.  He was a renowned surgeon, husband, father, and Christian gentleman.  During those last minutes of his life, they were not concerned in the least with his performance.  They spoke of the wonderful life he lived and the stewardship of his gifts as a physician that allowed him to heal, save lives, give people another chance.  "That was why he was put here," they said.  He understood that God had made him a physician and guided his hands in God's healing work.  He lived a fruitful life.

Every life he touched made a difference to others.  We'll never know how many.  Something The Rev. Robert H. Schuller said came to mind.  "Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but only God can count the number of apples in a seed."  Fruitful people go around planting seeds.  Those seeds germinate, take root, sprout, grow, and produce fruit.  And so the process continues from generation to generation.

Here's a question:  When you die, do you want someone to say about you, "He always had good performance appraisals," or do you want it said, "He lived a fruitful life"?

Do what you have to do to earn a living, keep your job, and provide for your family.  Be a top performer. But don't confuse being a cog in the wheel with living a fruitful, abundant, Christian life.

Confirm Thy Soul in Self Control

As we approach this Independence Day, my thoughts are on the internal threats to our nation and the need to restore unity.  Whatever problems we face, "we the people" are much stronger than a mob of individuals pointing fingers, insisting on our own way, and fighting over ideologies.  We also know better than that and we've always been more effective in solving our problems by pulling together than by pulling apart!

So, for those of us who believe we are called to pray for our nation - for one another - now would be a very good time!  There are many fine prayers for such an occasion, but the one that has been on my mind this week is best known as the hymn, America the Beautiful.  Every word is packed with the kind of spirit we need to restore our unity of purpose.  But the words that are ringing in my ears are these:

America!  America! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.

In order to face one another and to work effectively with those with whom we differ, we need the humility to admit that none of us has yet achieved the perfection we seek.  Whether or not we ever actually achieve it, we'll come closer if we pursue it in the company of our fellow Americans.  Let us humbly ask God to mend our flaws.

We also need divine help in gaining self-control so that our impulses and anxieties will not drive us apart.  Many of our problems are truly frightening.  No wonder we are so anxious and so prone to knee jerk reactions.  We can't listen to one another or really seek understanding in that condition.  Let us ask God to calm us down.

And, we need to respect the boundaries that make it possible to live and work together.  Some of those boundaries must be imposed from without, but the most important ones must be established within us. Jesus taught us that all the Law is summed up in one commandment, "love your neighbor as yourself."  When that law is at work, we are most inclined to do the right thing in relation to our brothers and sisters at home and abroad.  So, let us ask God to write that law in our hearts so that we all might be truly free.

It will come as no surprise to some of you that I am a longtime Judy Collins fan.  In 1993, she and the Harlem Boys Choir led a host of people on the National Mall in singing America the Beautiful.  It is one of the most moving performances of this prayer/hymn I know.  Maybe you'll enjoy watching the video and singing along.

Have a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Hunger never takes a vacation.

We're having a special emphasis on relieving hunger at our church this Sunday.  We're calling it "Loaves and Fishes Sunday."  Leaders of our Trinity Interfaith Food Pantry will provide inspirational talks at both services and educational materials at the receptions that follow in the Parish Hall.

The idea for this summertime emphasis comes from St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Granby, Colorado, where my family and I have worshiped from time to time.  They realized that donations of food and funds to fight hunger drop during the summer months while people are on vacation.  Yet hunger never takes a vacation!  Therefore, this is an important time of year to ask people to be mindful of our Lord's call to feed the hungry.

Our three-year Revised Common Lectionary includes the story of the Loaves and Fishes as told by Matthew in Year A and as told by John in Year B.  However, for some reason, Luke's version (Luke 9:10-17) is skipped in Year C.  So, in order to set this up as an annual emphasis, I petitioned the Bishop of Kansas to allow us to use the story of the Loaves and Fishes from the Gospel of Luke instead of the Gospel reading appointed in the lectionary for this Sunday.

The story of the Loaves and Fishes is the only miracle story that is recounted in all four of the Gospels and it carries a powerful message.  Here's the gist of it:

•  The disciples come to Jesus with a problem - the people need food.
•  Jesus told them, "You give them something to eat."
•  The disciples protest that there isn't enough food.
•  Jesus told them to "Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each."
•  Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, blessed and broke them, then gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.
•  All ate and were filled.
•  There were twelve baskets of leftovers.

The lesson: When we place what seems not enough in the hands of Jesus, he transforms scarcity into abundance to fulfill his mission.

We place our contribution and our commitment into the hands of Christ.  He adds his blessing and returns them to our hands, multiplied, so we can carry out his mission.  Recognition of our inadequacy is the first step, but never the last.  That recognition reminds us that God's work is always humanly impossible and prompts us to trust him to add everything needed to make us adequate to the task. Without him we can do nothing!

So, on Loaves and Fishes Sunday, we are aware of the immensity of the problem of hunger in the world, in our nation, and in our community.  It is overwhelming to realize that in 3.8 million U.S. households, (3.5 percent of all U.S. households) one or more household members were hungry at least some time during the year because they could not afford enough food.  We feel inadequate to even make a dent in the problem, Jesus.  And yet he says, "You give them something to eat."  So we bring what we have - food from our pantries, funds from our pockets, the work of our hands - and give it to him.  He will take it, break it, bless it, and give it back to us to share, with the promise that because it is his work that is being done, there will be more than enough.

Let's try it and see what happens.

The Most Resilient of the Resilient

In September of 2008, Galveston Island was inundated by Hurricane Ike.  Two and one-half feet of salt water (infused with who knows what else) covered our lot.

The following spring, I was amazed at the resiliency of the trees, shrubs, grass, and other plants in our gardens.  I posted photographs on this blog of the blooming things as evidence.

Then, last winter, we had a hard freeze in Galveston.  We had a hard freeze in Lawrence too, where I have been working.  The freeze in Galveston was not kind to the tropical and semi-tropical plants.  When I was in Galveston two months ago, I felt heartsick over the damage the freeze had done to our gardens.

Today, Gay and I pulled into the driveway in Galveston and were greeted by a happy sight.  Several of our  hibiscus plants, which had been cut back, have new growth from around the roots.  And, a duranta is blooming its heart out, as if it is the cheerleader for all the other plants.

I'm amazed at the extent of resiliency of the plants in our gardens.  To paraphrase Jesus, if this is possible with the plant world, who knows what might be possible with human beings, with whom God has a very special relationship?

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established;
⁴ what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals^* that you care for them?
⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God,^*
   and crowned them with glory and honour.
⁶ You have given them dominion over the works of your hands. 

                                                                    -Psalm 8:3-6a

Human beings are the most resilient of the resilient!  Maybe you'd like to be a hibiscus or a duranta.  I'll take my chances as a human being any day.

Exemplary Customer Service

Last week, a Southwest Airlines representative provided me with exceptional customer service.  I wrote a letter to Mr. Gary Kelly, the airline's CEO, to let him know what a great job one of his employees is doing and to suggest that the employee be commended for his service.  I've attached the letter and am posting it on my blog because I think it is an example for all of us to remember when we are trying to serve others.

Please read the Letter and share the story with others.

When it really matters, we discipline ourselves.

When something really matters, we discipline ourselves to take care of it.

• In relationships that matter, we make time for others, stay in touch, remember birthdays, give gifts.

• In work that matters, we arrive on time, do our best, take pride in the product or service, maintain loyalty.

• In regard to the environment, we conserve natural resources, refrain from polluting, use recycled materials.

• In regard to family, we show up for meals, we contribute, we encourage each other, we protect, we provide, we help each other grow physically, spiritually, and intellectually.

• In athletic competition, we wear team logos and apparel, attend games, tune in for broadcasts, cheer without restraint, and, if we're on the team, we show up for practice, train, and do our part for the team.

• In regard to our health, we maintain an exercise routine, get plenty of rest, avoid foods and other substances that are harmful, have regular checkups.

Why are we willing to discipline ourselves?  Because these things matter and we are human beings.  Humans have this amazing ability to take care of what's important.  Christians call it "stewardship."  We believe we were given this ability by our Creator in the very beginning.

It is often easy to discipline ourselves.  But sometimes it is difficult.  When we experience the difficulty, it is an opportunity to fully engage the gift of stewardship that other creatures do not have.  Other creatures are limited mostly by instinct and conditioning.  Humans are not.  Humans have the ability to create something new, to act with purpose, to agree or disagree, to decide how to respond, to have complex two-way communication with each other and with the Creator.  To be "only human" is to be the crowning glory of God's creation!  To be "only human" is to be a member of the only race that has the vocation and privilege of stewardship.

I recently officiated at the funeral of a gentleman from our church.  He was a top-flight accountant, churchman, family man, and community leader throughout his long life.  On the way home from the cemetery, his family shared a photocopy of a card they found in his wallet.  The card contained this prayer:

O Heavenly Father, who by Thy Son Jesus Christ hast taught us that all our possessions are a trust from Thee: Help me to be a faithful steward of my time, my talents, and my wealth, and gladly consecrate to Thy service all that Thou hast given me; and may I have grace to give myself to Thee.  Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

By this prayer, this man disciplined himself to be not just a steward, but a faithful one.

Let us take inventory of all that has been entrusted to us, especially those things that matter most.  Then, let us ask God to help us be disciplined in how generously and faithfully we take care of this sacred trust.