Serious thoughts on Lenten Disciplines

Pieta, by Michelangelo
"So God loved the world..." John 3:16
"Despised and rejected of men..." Isaiah 53:3

The onset of Lent should, I realize, summon me to a deeper introspection and more mature examination of my own shortcomings.  But there is new life all around me, and I find it hard to concentrate on those things to which our Holy Mother the Church calls me.  Sitting in front of me in the seed propagator are 72 tomato seedlings, 72 peppers, and 30 eggplant starts.  The green house is nearly full of early spring crops, and this afternoon, I moved cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, and chard from the greenhouse into the large double cold frame on the south side of the ornamental garden.  The hens are laying every day now, and Ashley is teaching my grand daughters to care for baby chicks in the same way that I taught her so many years ago.  My new pup is growing and will be coming home soon, and the greatest gift of all, grandson George Ambrose, rests safe and secure with his family on their sheep farm just a few miles away.  The daffodils and crocus have sprouted, and blooms should come early this year.  Yes, there is new life all around, and it is hard to think seriously about sin and the various shortcomings that sometimes plague me.

But the ever present reality of sin in our world is always there, in spite of my other preoccupations.  Just thirty years after the landmark court case Roe-v-Wade allowed legal abortion to become widespread in the US, Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva have published an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics (February 23, 2012) entitled "After Birth Abortion: Why Should the Baby Live?"*  It is just another illustration of how far western culture has drifted from her traditional moorings in the Bible and Traditions of the Christians and the Jews.  As more and more courts and legislatures (and churches) in the US, Canada, France, and the UK equate marriage and civil partnership, the sacramental understanding of marriage as  a creative reflection of the very character of God (explained so elegantly in traditional editions of the Book of Common Prayer and in Roman Catholic moral theology) is relegated to the dustbin of antiquarianism by ever increasing portions of our society.  The persistent and deadly assaults on Christian communities in South Asia and North Africa, and the deafening silence of the western press and churches regarding the same, is well documented, and provides further illustration that as Hal Lindsey once wrote, "Satan is alive and well on planet Earth."

Yes, even when I am surrounded by beauty and hope, I am called by God to consider the reality of how we humans so often "miss the mark" of God's blessed plan for our lives.  And that is perhaps why in Lent I must overcome the blessed distractions which surround me and choose to contend with the reality of evil in our world.  To delude myself by denying what is all around me for the sake of my own happiness is both selfish and anti-Christ.  God calls me, he calls all Christians, to squarely and honestly see the inequities and shortcomings of ourselves and of our world, and to cry out in prayer and in our actions for that deliverance of which he is the one true source. 

Might we all in this holy season of Lent consciously choose to look beyond our distractions, however wonderful and holy they may be, and see a world suffering for want of knowing our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Might we acknowledge our own participation in the culture which allows and sometimes encourages that suffering and evil which is the result of our rebellion against God.  And might we with humility commit ourselves to implement, by the blood of the everlasting covenant, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, the ushering in of the kingdom of God through obedience to the Scriptures as understood in that Holy and Received Tradition which is the Orthodox Faith of Christ's One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.  AMEN.


*see Touchstone (January-February 2013) "Nursery Crimes" by Burnell F. Eckardt, Jr for a thoughtful discussion of the article in Journal.

Holiness Unto the Lord- Rector's Rambling Lent 2013

Rector’s Rambling- February 2012

On Saturday, just two days ago, I put the first seeds of the year into the propagator, which is currently located in my study. I did everything precisely as I have always done, with one exception. Instead of watering with tap water, I used “Root Stimulator: Accelerated Root Growth for Clones and Seedlings,” manufactured by Hydro Gardens and Lights in Columbus, Ohio. When I got home after youth group tonight, I was astounded to find cabbage and broccoli plants already sprouted! Two days from seed to sprout is a record in my experience, and it got me to thinking. When Jesus does a work in my heart, are the results so spectacular or as quick? When the Holy Ghost convicts me of some action or attitude and by God’s grace I sense the need to change my ways, am I put to shame by one of the humblest members of God’s creation, a lowly cabbage seed? I am afraid that sometimes, not always, but more often than I can justify, the answer is yes.

Such thoughts are perhaps good preparation for the holy season of Lent. Until we recognize our own shortcomings, it is doubtful that we will ever truly respond to God’s offer of transformation in our lives. Ultimately, Lent is about transformation- transformation from what we are into what God would have us to be. Wise men taught me in seminary that Christian holiness has two important aspects. The first is positional holiness. Because I am among the baptized and have been marked as Christ’s own forever, I am set apart, or holy, and dedicated to his work. But when properly understood and rightly experienced, this positional holiness must be accompanied by moral holiness. That is, my life must be more like the life of Jesus than it was before I received his grace. If I was a liar, I must stop lying. If a thief, I must stop stealing. If a bigot, I must walk away from my prejudices. If my sexuality was out of control, it must be disciplined and brought within the parameters of what God’s Word allows. The list goes on and on, but the point is clear. When God does his work in us, we are named as his own and dedicated to his purposes, and we are also expected to exhibit change from what we were to what he would have us to be. Our lives, touched by grace, must begin to look more like the life of our Lord, or in all likelihood, our religion is a sham and a hypocritical lie.

When the prophets said that God would take out of his people their hearts of stone and replace them with living hearts of flesh, they said that the day was coming when we would follow the expectations of Scripture not because we had to, but because we wanted to. They never said it would be easy, or that we would always get it right, but they did say that we would be known as a people set apart for God. Like my cabbage and broccoli seeds, we would be transformed from what our own decisions had made us into the people, and into the community of faith, that God created us to be. As we enter this sacred season of preparation for Easter, let us look honestly at our own lives and motives, and commit all of our shortcomings to God’s transformation. The Bible tells us that our God is a miracle worker, and that those actions and attitudes which we seem to be so unable to change can be transformed in an instant by him who raised the dead and caused the blind to see. Might we together take advantage of those Lenten programs and disciplines which will help us to persevere in this life of transformation and holiness, and might we be there for each other in our times of temptation, weakness, and need.

Lenten Programs:

Feb 13^th at noon and 7pm: Ash Wednesday Imposition of Ashes

Feb 17, 24, Mar 10, &17 at 5: Lenten suppers and speakers

Mar 3 at 4: Choral Evensong and simple supper.

All Sundays at 8 & 10:30 and Wednesdays at noon: Holy Communion

Confession: By appointment, call 215-3900

Mar 24 Palm Sunday

Mar 28 at 7: Maundy Thursday

Mar 29 at noon: Good Friday liturgy and Stations of the Cross

Mar 31: EASTER! THE SUNDAY OF THE RESURRECTION!

Getting Ready For Easter

Rector’s Rambling- March 2012


This is the time of year when people ask me what I do for Lent in preparation for Easter. It is a simple question, and hopefully this year I will be able to give a clear and simple answer.

1. Theologically, I try to engage in readings and activities which help me to come face to face with my own shortcomings that I might appreciate more specifically the wonder of God’s grace which is offered to us all in Jesus Christ.

2. Personally, I try to make myself accountable for my actions, and to actively consider my habits and thoughts as they compare and contrast to God’s commands in the Bible.

3. Religiously, I participate in those disciplines which the Bible, Holy Tradition, and personal experience indicate will help me to receive God's forgiveness, grace, and growth.

And so specifically, what have I committed to do this year?

1. I will read the Bible, more than any other book, and prayerfully ask God to apply it to my conscience and my life.

2. I will pray regularly, employing the common forms of the Book of Common Prayer and those personal forms of private prayer which seem to address the needs of the moment.

3. I will receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion regularly (at least weekly.)

4. I will visit my confessor each month and participate in the Rite of Reconciliation found in The Book of Common Prayer.

5. Each week in Lent, I will meditate on the Stations of the Cross, found in the Episcopal Book of Occasional Services, in order to more fully appreciate what Jesus did for me, and for us all.

6. I will attend the spring reunions of my fraternity, where the rituals call me to consider the claims of morality and of God in my life. I will pay special attention to The Holy Royal Arch, The Order of the Temple, the Rose Croix, and the 31^st and 32^nd degrees, in which I regularly recommit myself to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

7. I will prayerfully and meditatively read one classic of spiritual literature during Lent; this year, The Conferences of John Cassian.

I hope this synopsis of my Lenten plans will help all of you as you develop your own. Remember that while our devotions and disciplines do nothing to earn us credit with God (we are all saved by grace alone,) they will help us to order our own introspection, and to prepare our hearts and minds to recognize and respond to God’s free gift of grace in our lives.

Faithfully,

Bill+