On the second Sunday of Christmas, the entourage of wise men were onewindow closer to the crèche at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Their journey started a couple of weeks earlier, on the window sill at the back of the sanctuary.
Each Sunday, forward leading, still proceeding, they made it to the next window. On January 6, they would reach their final destination, worshipping the Baby Jesus in the manger.
This tradition started decades ago at St. Alban’s, yet it never loses its power. The wise men are on the move, seeking a
newborn King. Silently, they invite anyone who notices them to join their caravan. When I see them, I realize that the celebration on Christmas Day is a high point, but the search for more light continues. I am drawn in to participate in the wonder that God was made man for all people, even for me. I search for greater understanding and closer relationship with the Perfect Light.
Saint Francis realized the power of bringing Scripture to life through the simple re-enactment of the Nativity with live people and animals on a dark night on an Italian hillside. In most churches today, children with all their innocence, joy and faith act out the Christmas story for their congregations. These treasured pageants always prompt comments such as, “THAT is what Christmas is all about!”
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Happy New Year!
For many the beginning of a new calendar year represents an opportunity to start anew, to ‘reboot’ if you will, things that just aren’t working as they should. To kick off the new year, we invited experienced leaders from across our Church to share a leadership approach, experience, or strategy for refreshing or renewing a vestry or other leadership team.
Here are their offerings:
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Tomorrow the Church celebrates Epiphany, the arrival of the Wise Men in Bethlehem to greet and celebrate the birth of Jesus.
In a suburb of Columbus, Ohio, the wise men have taken the circuitous route. Throughout the twelve days of Christmas, photos of three wise men statues have appeared on the
website of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Westerville, Ohio. Along with their trusty camel steed, the wise men have been captured on (digital) film at city hall, a park, a pub, a coffee shop, and a busy intersection. I’m looking forward to seeing where their journey takes them today.
It’s a fun way to remind folks of the journey of the wise men and the continuing season of Christmas. And this type of project is a perfect venture for social media, where folks can share and like the photos of the wise men.
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The 4th of 4 posts - see below for the other three articles.
I can often predict whether an article, resource, or webinar will do well when pushed out in an email or posted on Facebook or Twitter.
Then there are those times that something truly wonderful, inspiring and amazing, or downright practical for everyone to have in hand just falls flat.
Well, now is your second chance! As part of ECF Vital Practices celebration of Christmas, our editorial team has looked back over 2015 and pulled some our best content that, despite our best efforts, just flew under the radar.
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3rd in a series of 4 posts - see below for the previous articles.
Like many people at this time of year, I find myself reflecting on the great and not-so-great things that have happened over the past year. Among the things that fall into the obviously 'great' category: that day in August when I officiated at a good friend's wedding. In the not-so-great category: that time my backpack, suitcase, and laptop were stolen in a smash and grab while I was visiting my family in Texas.
Of course, there's another, subtler category and that's what this series of blog posts is all about -- namely, the great things that somehow got overlooked. It is oftentimes only in looking back that we can fully recognize their obvious greatness, and it is only now, many months later, that we can champion and share those things with others. There are a number of things that the Episcopal Church Foundation produced over the course of this past year that fall into this third, subtler category, and I'm happy to share my short list as a sort of Christmas "gift".
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1st in a series of 4 posts.
Long ago I gave up any expectation that people would read everything I wrote or posted. Not everything shared on ECF Vital Practices’ reaches thousands of eyeballs, despite the more than 100,000 unique visitors to the site again this year.
Lest you think I’m complaining, please know I’m not. I frequently see posts or articles I want to read – later, when I have more time. In reality, I often lose track of what I wanted to get back to.
For Christmas, members of our editorial team will each share three ECF Vital Practices pieces we really like and you may have missed. We’re calling it our Christmas Special – all with no expiration date and no commercials – just click:
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Merry Christmas! Are you ready to celebrate for all 12 days?
On ECF Vital Practices, we’re keeping the celebration of the 12 days of Christmas with our very own ECFVP Christmas Special - all without commercials or small parts and instructions attached, just click and enjoy!
Here is our lineup:
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I know what you are thinking. As we have come to the end of Advent, and are at the crest of the snow bank that is the season of Christmas, you are thinking, let's look once more at the Song of Zechariah. You're not? Well, that's what I was thinking.
If you don't know the Song of Zechariah, it comes from the Gospel According to Luke (Luke 1:68-79) and can be found on page 92 of the Prayer Book as one of the canticles for Morning Prayer. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, sings this song on the occasion of his son's naming, shortly after – at least in the text – Mary has sung the Magnificat. Zechariah, like Mary, is filled with the Holy Spirit. (A popular image in the Gospel according to Luke and the Book of Acts, aka Luke II: The Holy Spirit Strikes Back). And like Mary, he is so full of joy that he sings. He sings of the promises of God to the People Israel.
Song is big with us liturgical types. Hymns, Carols, Canticles, Psalms, and Spiritual Songs are all part of who we are as followers of Jesus. The Book of Psalms was Jesus' Hymnal 1982.
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My kids learned a phrase at summer camp that has come in handy during many family meals: “Don’t yuck someone else’s yum.”
In church, yum-yucking is probably less of a problem than at summer camp. There’s usually enough food on the potluck table that you can just avoid that fruitcake or those deviled eggs that rub you the wrong way. I happen to love both fruitcake and deviled eggs, and will happily eat your share.
In church, the big one is “other people’s beautiful.” Especially if your church is as culturally diverse as mine, there are bound to be differences of opinion around beauty. We just don’t all see things the same way. We haven’t grown up with the same ways of signaling and perceiving beauty. That fiber-optic miniature Christmas tree that makes you cringe is someone’s offering of color and light in honor of the baby Jesus. Those boring, unpainted wooden figures quietly arranged in an all-brown Nativity scene represent someone else’s sense of classy and timeless.
In case you think I am just making things up, both the fiber optic tree and the unvarnished wooden figures are on display in my church, right now.
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Our community was blessed with the presence of a man named Wild Bill. For two years, Bill was a regular: at times a hugger, loving and wise; at times drunk, incomprehensible, and loud.
That was Bill. When he was with us, really with us, our community was enriched with knowing the love of Christ through Bill. When he wasn't fully present, our community was enriched by having to share that love of Christ with someone who wasn't always so lovable.
Wild Bill had lived on the streets of Chattanooga, under a bridge, for more than a dozen years. It boggles my mind and stretches my heart to think about what that means. He survived a dozen winters, outside. Wild Bill slept under a bridge, with cars whizzing by, over his head. He camped with friends, who he called brothers, developing relationships of interconnectedness deeper than many of us ever will know.
I first met Wild Bill (that’s the name he used) at Southside Abbey's worship on a Friday evening. Soon after, I was doing my best to make him feel welcome at Southside Abbey and I kept introducing him to people as Bill. He stopped me: “My name is Wild Bill.” As our relationship grew, I asked him: “Why Wild Bill and not just Bill?” He told me, “Of all the children my mother had, I was the wildest, so she called me Wild Bill.” He let that sink in for a most pregnant pause, before he let me in on the joke – he was an only child. That was Bill, excuse me, Wild Bill. Full of love; always ready with a smile or a joke.
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Cuando pienso en lo que ha pasado durante el año, tengo mucho por qué estar agradecida. Una de las bendiciones más grandes ha sido poder trabajar en ECF. Como parte de mi trabajo he entrevistado a varias personas que me han inspirado. Algunas entrevistas que me han encantado y ayudado en mi andar diario con Dios no han sido vistas por mucha gente. Así que les dejo con tres video-entrevistas que nos recuerdan que la vida es un caminar de fe y nuestra fe tiene que salir al mundo.
Jesucristo es nuestra identidad
Josefina Beecher de la Diócesis de Olympia nos comparte cómo podemos vivir la vida como una persona que sigue a Jesús.
Siga leyendo...
Passengers gathered at the gate in the Midwest city airport. We were calm, normal Americans, getting on with business or vacations or whatever. I was reading Morning Prayer on my iPad when I heard voices from the overhead television offering diverse opinions about the subject of the day: Should the U.S. ban Muslims from entering our borders?
Such a question. Who in my Baby Boomer generation would have ever imagined it? None of the commentators was frothing at the mouth. They actually seemed to be calm, normal Americans too, talking through horrific events and seemingly unanswerable conditions of today's world. Suddenly a louder voice greeted us from airport speakers.
"Hello. I am Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security, reminding you that, 'See something, say something' isn't just a slogan."
The recorded message went on to explain that even the most vigilant security officials need the eyes and ears of good citizens to help prevent... I don't think he used the word terrorism, but we all knew what he meant. If we see or hear anything unusual or suspicious, we should alert authorities. And have a great day.
As the TV volume and discussion resumed, one of the voices simply stated, "People are scared."
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When a group such as a vestry gathers for a meeting or retreat, much of the time is spent as one large group. There are times, though, when it can be beneficial to break into smaller groups for a specific task or point of discussion. Small group work can lead to better engagement and increased collaboration among group members.
How you break into groups can be important. We tend to break into a small group by pairing with the person next to us or seeking out the person we know the best. Try things differently next time.
Encourage the group members to partner with people they may not know well, so they can get to know other members of the group better. If you are the leader of the group, guide the members with ways to form smaller groups. Some ideas include:
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Nope, it's not a typo.
The pressure is on us, those of us attempting to follow Jesus, and it's a performance pressure. The World and the Church are watching and both institutions are all too ready to fire the initial servo at us when we get it wrong.
I really enjoy Richard Rohr's daily meditations. Recently, he argued we have a lot to learn from the twelve step traditions, especially the way they approach spiritual formation and maturation. The Church, aligned with the imperial culture of the Western world, has taken a top-view of these issues, rather than a bottom-view. We are trying to work our way up into spiritual health and wellness, when dwelling in Christ at the bottom might be more Christ-like in approach. Rohr muses that it is, “as if Christianity has been saying, 'We have the perfect medicine for what ails you: grace and mercy. But the only requirement for receiving it is never to need it!'” As our former Theologian-in-Residence, Nik Forti, wrote in our crowd-sourced piece for ECF's Vestry Papers, “The Church isn't called to serve the poor. The Church is called to be the poor.”
But back to “Thnaks.” Giving Thnaks is on mind this season. A few Thanksgivings ago, a friend of mine sent me a picture of the marquee sign of a little Baptist church just up the road from us. In the South, we revel in these signs and hope for the best. Occasionally, we are not disappointed. These signs will have something profound or funny to impart, like:
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Top Ten Resolutions for Church Leaders in 2016
ECF Vital Practices, after taking a look back at the questions you asked us in 2015, has pulled together a top ten list of resolutions for congregational leaders to consider in 2016. If you find this list helpful, please subscribe to ECF Vital Practices to receive updates twice a month with recources for your congregation.
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My 8-year-old daughter and I found ourselves watching Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood the other day. She was intrigued because there’s a PBS show that is a sort of Mr. Rogers spin-off, and she hadn’t known there was an original. I told her how much I had loved Mr. Rogers as a kid, and we decided to watch an episode together. We both found the simple, low-tech show surprisingly entrancing. Mr. Rogers stands the test of time, cardigans and all.
I hadn’t watched Mr. Rogers since long before I became a preacher of the Gospel. I had known vaguely that he started his career as a Presbyterian minister. What I hadn’t realized as a kid is that the show IS ministry. It is all about the gospel, delivered with a gentle passion and a powerful witness. Love. Neighbor. Acceptance of difference. Peaceful resolution of conflicts. Honesty about sin. Forgiveness. It’s all in there, plain as day. Without ever mentioning Jesus by name, Mr. Rogers preaches it. And he preaches it so well that I can still summon up the warmth and holiness I felt watching him and hearing his voice forty years ago.
If Mr. Rogers had talked about Jesus by name, I never would have seen or heard him. I grew up in a secular family. We didn’t have a TV at home, and on the relatively rare occasions I got to watch, it was almost always PBS.
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My wife, Denise, and I are having a baby girl in June. In many ways I feel ready to have a baby. We’ve been talking about it for a while and we’re both very excited. We’ve seen the appropriate doctors, Denise is taking vitamins, we’re doing our best to make sure our dog is well trained, and we’ve started looking into cribs and toys and all of that.
But I’ve also realized lately that there’s only so much you can do to prepare. How can you be completely prepared for a person you’ve never met, to do things you’ve never done? You can’t. This is a lesson I’ve learned over and over again, whether adopting a dog, planning a fundraiser, or simply filling out my calendar for the week.
Just as Mary and Joseph didn’t really know what kind of child they would receive, neither can we totally prepare for what life will bring to us, as individuals or as a church. The prophets told Israel to prepare the way for the Lord, and then God gave them a baby. Rather than anticipating every scenario, preparation is more about willingness to receive what comes to you.
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I had the privilege of hearing the voice of Renita Weems recently. The Rev. Dr. Weems is ordained in the AME Church, a scholar of Hebrew Bible, and a fantastic preacher and writer. She delivered the annual Margaret Parker Memorial Lecture at the convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. Her voice took me back to a time that is hard for me even to remember.
I was nineteen years old: a brand new Christian, still reeling from the strange and powerful experience of discovering that what began as an academic exploration of faith had somehow let Jesus into my heart and soul. I was just starting to confess to a very few of my dearest friends that I thought this Christian thing might be happening to me. I had started to wear a little onyx cross on a silver chain, but I kept it tucked inside my shirt most of the time.
I was looking for next steps. I was pretty sure that one of the things that Christians did was go to church, so I thought I had better try that out. The campus chapel was advertising a guest preacher, and her sermon was called “The Road to Emmaus.” I didn’t know where Emmaus was or who might have wanted to go there or why, but the chapel was walking distance from my dorm, and it seemed like as good a place to start as any. I dressed up as close as I could get to what I imagined might be a “Sunday best” sort of outfit and went to church. I heard the wonderful Renita Weems, and I took communion. Jesus and I were officially a thing.
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I was asked yesterday what I thought the most important lesson was in leading change successfully. Our congregation has managed to hang in there for quite a lot of change in recent years, despite a well-earned reputation for having resisted change for many years.
After thinking a bit, I responded that it is essential to stay close to the people with whom you are trying to move, and pay attention at every step of the process. Listen and watch carefully. How are people responding to proposed or developing changes? Who’s with you? Who’s hanging back? Who is actively resisting?
Sometimes as leaders striking out in a new direction, we find ourselves walking alone. The rest of the congregation hangs back; unsure if they want to follow the path we have chosen. They may wish us well, and send us on ahead, even packing us a snack in case we get hungry. But they don’t come along. At that point, it’s good to turn back pretty quickly, and work on coming up with a plan that more people are willing to try. Try to find out what people might need in order to feel like they can come along. A better map? A less steep route? More provisions? More accommodations for those who will struggle with the walk? An entirely different direction? This last may be very disappointing for leaders with vision, but also may be better than remaining stuck in one spot.
Much more troubling than the polite send-off is when we discover that we have struck out ahead on a path of change, and that the people who have stayed behind are not just watching, but rather beginning to build a wall to shield themselves from the disasters they fear will come from the change we are proposing.
The beginning of that wall is a critical moment.
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