Ecumenical Thanksgiving Devotional

With many thanks to Nick England, who will preach this sermon for me at Tuesday night's Ecumenical Thanksgiving Service at St. Mark's Catholic Church here in Lancaster.

Norman Rockwell's iconic Thanksgiving

 

I am thankful tonight for many things: for my family and my friends, for the blessings of living at peace in a country where freedoms abound, for having enough to eat and a warm place to sleep, for security and relative peace, at least in my immediate environs. I am thankful for Fairfield Medical Center and for Fairhope Hospice. I am thankful for Lancaster's band of Gold and for the education my children received in the Lancaster City Schools and at St. Mary's and Fisher. I am thankful that we still have an agricultural county fair with horses and rabbits and children doing good things. I am thankful for dogs and shotguns and land to roam.  I am thankful for many things, and I'm sure all of you could add to my list. There are so many blessings in our lives.

But there is another thing that I am most thankful for. I am thankful that God the Father loved me so much that he sent Jesus to die and be resurrected so that I might be reconciled to God, have the hope of heaven, and find the strength of the Holy Ghost to live a life that is much better than I could ever have pulled off on my own. In the old Episcopal service of Holy Communion, the wonder of God's provision for us is expressed in a series of Scripture quotes we often call “the comfy words.” I would like to read them for you tonight, because they are timeless reminders of God's love for you and for me.

“ Hear what comfortable words our Saviour Christ saith unto all that truly turn to him.

OME unto me all that travail and are heavy laden, and I will refresh you. St. Matth. xi. 28.
    So God loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. St. John iii. 16

Hear also what Saint Paul saith.

    This is a true saying, and worthy of all men to be received, That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. 1 Tim. i. 15.

Hear also what Saint John saith.

    If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins. 1 St. John ii. 1.”

In 1922, Rhea F. Miller wrote a gospel song which is one of the greatest thanksgiving prayers I've ever heard. I won't attempt to sing it tonight, but I imagine many of you have heard thesse words:

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I’d rather be His than have riches untold; I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands; I’d rather be led by His nail-pierced hand Refrain: Than to be the king of a vast domain And be held in sin’s dread sway; I’d rather have Jesus than anything This world affords today. I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause; I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause; I’d rather have Jesus than worldwide fame; I’d rather be true to His holy name He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom; He’s sweeter than honey from out the comb; He’s all that my hungering spirit needs; I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead

On this thanksgiving day, I will take time out from the family traditions and celebrations to remember those specific things for which I am thankful. I'll think of those who have gone before me, of the institutions that have brought me prosperity, peace, and security. I'll think of those who are alone and far away in this season that I might be free. I'll remember and give thanks for the manifold blessings in my life. But most of all, I'll think of Jesus, my Lord and my Saviour, my brother and my friend, and I will thank the Father that he has called me and set me apart as one of his own. And with that prayer, I'll ask God to give me his strength to live a better life in this coming year as I strive to love him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength, and my neighbors as myself. I invite all of you to give thanks and to join me in this commitment and in this prayer. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.

Musings On a Rainy Day: The Wanderings of a Fevered and Bitterly Disappointed Mind!

south and east views from Briarwood on a rainy winter day

Oscar and I were to have hunted pigeon and rabbit today, but the weather is miserable, and winter is upon us with a vengeance.  And so after some early morning chores at the barn and in town, I sat down with a cup of tea and my Kindle to read a few passages from long neglected books and magazines.  Days like this have always put me in a rather pensive mood, and used to call forth listening to Beethoven, reading Byron, and caressing a bit of cognac or brandy.  But now it is silence, Earl Grey tea, and things I meant to read a long time ago. 

Rebecca and I have long discussed where we might attend worship after my retirement.  Arguably, the evangelical churches have the best preachers, but we would miss the liturgy and sacrament.  While several members of our family are Roman, I could never get by the dogmas promulgated in the 19th century or the presuppositions of magisterium as a concept, ...and as a non-member, I would not be able to receive Communion.  And besides, my experience of most Roman Catholic preaching is that it tends to not be expository, and is therefore generally suspect in my eyes (although I can cite some notable exceptions!).  The same sort of things hold true for Orthodoxy.  While I find Orthodoxy's theology more derivative from Scripture than that of Rome, I always feel like a welcome and honoured guest rather than like a member of the family.  And their positions on Sacraments are like those of Rome.  Some would ask why I don't just find another Episcopal or Anglican Church and go there.  The blend of liberal politics, acceptance of sexual immorality (both homosexual and heterosexual), and the effective universalism in many Episcopal Churches distracts me from focusing on God, and to attend an Anglican parish with regularity given the current state of affairs between The Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church in North America would in my opinion send unhelpful signals to people who look to me for spiritual example and leadership, and would seem to be a rather backhanded slap at my bishop, to whom I am bound to give fealty, and who is after all a decent man who has enough headaches without me creating more for him. 

And all of this brings me to the "Diary of John Evelyn," who lived during the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell, and found his religion no longer fit the mood of the nation.  On 3rd December (1654) he wrote, "Advent Sunday.  There being no Office at the church but extemporary prayers after the Presbyterian way, for now all forms were prohibited, and most of the preachers were usurpers, I seldom went to church upon solemn feasts; but, either went to London, where some of the orthodox sequestered Divines did privately use the Common Prayer, administered sacraments, &c., or else I procured one to officiate in my house; wherefore on the 10th, Dr. Richard Owen, the sequestered minister of Eltham, preached to my family in my library, and gave us the holy Communion." 

And so I wonder, on this blustery and chilling day, if we are indeed in a new interregnum as one age passes to the next.  I have no answers, and hopefully will not need one for a few years to come, but days such as this do call me to deep thoughts of very serious things.

My second reverie grew out of Anthony Esolen's article "Illuminations" in the October 26th issue of "Touchstone."  He writes, "C.S. Lewis suggests that the flames of hell are how the wicked experience the glory of Paradise, for God is the Selfsame, and should we descend into the pit, yet is he there.  The fault lies not in the glory, but in the wicked."  He continues after some illustration, "So in the dark night of Advent we await the coming of the true light that enlightens every man; yet we should remember that light is like cool, refreshing waters for those who love the light, and like the glare of an enemy to those who hate it."  Could this be why so many in our world today seem to intent on opposing the work of Jesus Christ in the world?  Certainly it is worth considering, and if it is true, perhaps it is an indication that even in the midst of the darkness, we ought to remember that God is doing a great thing.  Gods who are not a threat to the enemies of truth seldom provoke violent reactions, because their private worship which has no public consequences are not an inconvenience to anyone.

And finally, my thoughts on this day grow out of a report by Dave Nomsan in the Winter 2014 issue of "Pheasants Forever: A Journal of Upland Conservation."  Even a partisan (an evenhanded one at least) must come close to acknowledging that the antics of the United States government in all of her forms and in all of her parties and interest groups, has been a disgrace over the last few weeks and months.  Nomsan, who is Vice President for Governmental affairs for Pheasants Forever, was working on the conservation aspects of the pending Farm Bill when he realized that the government shutdown would have serious ramifications "limiting hunting access on public lands", and especially to those purchased for conservation by private funds from hunters and conservationists through the sale of Duck Stamps, the 26,000 Waterfowl Protection Areas, or WPAs.  He continues, "As preposterous as it sounded, the federal government had closed public WPAs despite there not being any gates, locks, or staff necessary to keep them open- and all of this during the peak of duck hunting season and on the eve of many state pheasant openers."   Needless to say, the federal government's apparent disregard for the health of upland and wetland habitat, of which scientifically planned harvest seasons are an important part, disgusts this writer.  It also causes me to imagine if the time has not come for a careful consideration of the kind of folks we elect to govern our nation.  Please take this as a denunciation of candidates from both major parties, and not as an attack on one branch or one party.  This is too wonderful a place to allow anyone to throw it away or to destroy it for any reason.  I suppose that is the rant portion of my musing today. 

Can we go hunting yet Dad?

Hopefully this will give you a bit of an insight into the workings of an idle mind.  It can be a very scary place.  I think I'll leave it and see if it is too wet to hunt this afternoon.

And oh by the way, the views expressed here are strictly personal and should not be held against any institution or anyone but me!

Rector's Rambling: Christmas

Rector's Rambling: December 2013

The passing of Thanksgiving and the coming of Advent calls us to prepare our hearts for the birth of Baby Jesus, who is the Christ, our King and our Lord. He is the agent of creation, and in him we live and move and have our being. He brings us salvation and peace with the Father, and offers us that transformation which puts away our guilt and shame. He fulfills the prophesies and makes it possible for us to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, and to live with the very power of God as we seek to follow him in humility and obedience every day of our lives. Beneath the beauty of this holy season lies the foundational truth that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The truth of Christmas is an historical truth, not an allegory or a profound work of fiction. It is reality! “So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” There are those who would downplay the centrality of this truth, and what a sad thing it is that they replace the truth of God's deliverance with traditions of warmth and beauty and peaceful sentiments, for without the reality of the living Christ, all of our beautiful traditions are merely distractions and half truths which delude us into sentimentality and self-satisfaction.

In this wondrous season of the year, I pray from the bottom of my heart that we might embrace the reality that God the Only Begotten, the second person of the Holy and Glorious Trinity, did indeed come into the world physically and in fulfillment of the prophesies in order to accomplish the Father's will in this wonderful world he created to his own glory. Like the wise men before us, might we seek him who came to save us from the ravages of sin. Like Blessed Mary the God Bearer, might we offer ourselves unconditionally in the service of her Son. Like Blessed Joseph, might we commit ourselves to nurture and serve the Holy Child and his Mother, who is perhaps the embodiment of our common humanity. And like the shepherds, might we kneel in wonder before the mercies of God usward, for indeed his provision for all our needs is sure, and his love for us is everlasting. Through Christ our Saviour. AMEN.

A day of Refreshment in a week of Discouragement

The last couple of days have been magical.  Daughter Ashley brought the children for an overnighter at Briarwood, also known as "Grammy's House."  It was a time filled with horses and play and pizza and movie night, and more horses, and all of the wonderful fantasies two happy little girls could muster. (Little George at this point is more interested in eating dog food and playing with electrical cords than in experiencing wonder of any kind!) Rebecca and Ashley managed to get the spinning wheel working and started on the first crop of Scottish Blackface wool from Dayspring Farm. Here are a few pictures of the event.



playing horses

the real thing

and more!

Momma with Little Princess, her retired hunter jumper

Spinning the first wool from the Canter's flock of Scottish Blackface Sheep

Lunch!

Playing St. Michael in the Briarwood Chapel

I thank God for times like this.  The last couple of weeks have been very stressful.  Diocesan Convention, interactions with several colleagues, and the recent political infightings in our country have conspired to remind me of how much of the old order has passed, and of how little I like that which currently holds sway in this great and wide world of ours.  Added to some very difficult administrative decisions of late, it has all made me very tired emotionally and spiritually.  But when I look into the eyes of my grandchildren, and when I survey the wonder that is all around me, I feel refreshed and renewed...ready to face the morrow.  And so I close with a snapshot of Little Princess and Oscar, whose presence reminds me that all is not concrete and asphalt, and that there is still beauty defined by function and nature; beauty which participates in and grows from that which we have all known instinctively from the beginning; that which is unchanging and in which we see the very face of God.

As God shows forth his character and person in the wonder and purpose of creation, so he shows us the fullness of his glory in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, of whom the Holy Bible is the sure and verified record.
To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.