November 18
Friends,
This past Sunday was the feast of the Consecration of Samuel Seabury, the first American bishop of the Episcopal Church. And I wanted to take a moment to tell you why he is important to me. He was selected by other clergy to travel from New England back to England after the Revolutionary War to seek ordination as a bishop for this new, separated part of the Anglican Communion. You see it takes 3 bishops to ordain another bishop and bishops are required to ordain new clergy. And, as these things so often were and are, politics got in the way. English bishops were not too eager to aid these newly named Americans that had embarrassed the crown. Nor could Seabury take the oath the English prayer book requires of bishops to be loyal to the monarch of England. But there were those pesky Scots.
Not all Scots had become Presbyterians, there was, and is, a faithful Scottish Episcopal Church that maintained bishops, apostolic succession, and that did not require an oath to the monarch. Plus the Scots liked sticking it to the English. They had their own politics too. And those politics affect the way we pray today. You see, those Scottish bishops asked Seabury to use the Scottish Rite, as opposed to the English Rite, as a template for the soon to be constructed Episcopal prayer book in 1789. And so we did. Our historic prayer books and our current prayer book all utilize a Scottish form that is not English.
Seabury was ordained a bishop by Scottish bishops. A couple years later, three more priests sailed east to be made bishop. And the Episcopal Church continued our apostolic tradition. You can see the Scottish cross of St Andrew in the upper corner of the Episcopal Shield. And you may see it still today in our prayers as we use the Scottish rite. The Scots asked us to witness it twice and we do. The Spirit moves in odd and wiley ways. The Scots saw it and so can we.
Confused? Its ok. I can’t give too much of my sermon away. See y’all on Sunday.
Mac+
This past Sunday was the feast of the Consecration of Samuel Seabury, the first American bishop of the Episcopal Church. And I wanted to take a moment to tell you why he is important to me. He was selected by other clergy to travel from New England back to England after the Revolutionary War to seek ordination as a bishop for this new, separated part of the Anglican Communion. You see it takes 3 bishops to ordain another bishop and bishops are required to ordain new clergy. And, as these things so often were and are, politics got in the way. English bishops were not too eager to aid these newly named Americans that had embarrassed the crown. Nor could Seabury take the oath the English prayer book requires of bishops to be loyal to the monarch of England. But there were those pesky Scots.
Not all Scots had become Presbyterians, there was, and is, a faithful Scottish Episcopal Church that maintained bishops, apostolic succession, and that did not require an oath to the monarch. Plus the Scots liked sticking it to the English. They had their own politics too. And those politics affect the way we pray today. You see, those Scottish bishops asked Seabury to use the Scottish Rite, as opposed to the English Rite, as a template for the soon to be constructed Episcopal prayer book in 1789. And so we did. Our historic prayer books and our current prayer book all utilize a Scottish form that is not English.
Seabury was ordained a bishop by Scottish bishops. A couple years later, three more priests sailed east to be made bishop. And the Episcopal Church continued our apostolic tradition. You can see the Scottish cross of St Andrew in the upper corner of the Episcopal Shield. And you may see it still today in our prayers as we use the Scottish rite. The Scots asked us to witness it twice and we do. The Spirit moves in odd and wiley ways. The Scots saw it and so can we.
Confused? Its ok. I can’t give too much of my sermon away. See y’all on Sunday.
Mac+
November 4
Friends,
This week we celebrate All Saints Sunday. This is one of the principal feasts of the Church year along with Christmas and Easter. And along with Pentecost, the Easter Vigil, and the Baptism of our Lord, All Saints is a day where baptism is most appropriate.
And so this week we will be baptizing folk. As I write this, we have 6 people who will receive the Sacrament of Baptism this Sunday. They range in age from newborn to young adult. And that sight is glorious to me. Yes, we baptize infants in the Episcopal Church and that baptism is the only baptism required. We see the sight of the newborn being baptized as a glorious icon that God’s grace is extended to all without prerequisite or condition.
We baptize adults, too. And for the very same reasons we baptize newborns. We see the adult, who has traversed life and its difficulties, and who makes that conscious decision, as another icon glowing with God’s glory.
You see, baptism isn’t about earning anything. Baptism is about saying something. And I don’t mean some litmus test of saying the right things. But the act of being baptized says that I believe I am valuable and God responds, ‘That’s Right!’
Baptism is about God saying to us ‘I love you!” And our response to that love is what we say back to God.
This week we will witness the movement of the Spirit as we witness the baptisms. And we can also witness the Spirit moving all about us. So as we recommit ourselves to God, let us seek ways that we can respond to God’s love in our lives.
Mac+
This week we celebrate All Saints Sunday. This is one of the principal feasts of the Church year along with Christmas and Easter. And along with Pentecost, the Easter Vigil, and the Baptism of our Lord, All Saints is a day where baptism is most appropriate.
And so this week we will be baptizing folk. As I write this, we have 6 people who will receive the Sacrament of Baptism this Sunday. They range in age from newborn to young adult. And that sight is glorious to me. Yes, we baptize infants in the Episcopal Church and that baptism is the only baptism required. We see the sight of the newborn being baptized as a glorious icon that God’s grace is extended to all without prerequisite or condition.
We baptize adults, too. And for the very same reasons we baptize newborns. We see the adult, who has traversed life and its difficulties, and who makes that conscious decision, as another icon glowing with God’s glory.
You see, baptism isn’t about earning anything. Baptism is about saying something. And I don’t mean some litmus test of saying the right things. But the act of being baptized says that I believe I am valuable and God responds, ‘That’s Right!’
Baptism is about God saying to us ‘I love you!” And our response to that love is what we say back to God.
This week we will witness the movement of the Spirit as we witness the baptisms. And we can also witness the Spirit moving all about us. So as we recommit ourselves to God, let us seek ways that we can respond to God’s love in our lives.
Mac+
October 28
Friends,
This past week I got to do something I haven’t done in almost two decades. I took of my collar and put on my bow tie and apron, and I waited tables. No, I am not moonlighting at Lambert's, I was honored to serve dinner to our Food Pantry volunteers. Over 45 volunteers and their plus one had a marvelous meal in our parish hall this past Tuesday. It was a simple way for St James to show our gratitude to these volunteers. Our own Jude Uerling prepared an amazing menu. Vestry member Marilyn Farrow was a kitchen aide and dish washer. While David Hines, our Food Pantry Director, and I served the meal and bused the tables. All the while saying ’Thank You’ to every person as we passed their plate or refilled their cider.
I want to use this space this week to continue to say ’Thank You’ as I can.
Each week about 5% of Taos County receives food from our Food Pantry. If we look at the total from a month, we can see in our files that about 17% of the county population visit us at least once in the month. Let me say that again. About 1 in 5 people in Taos Co receives food from St James every month. We are feeding God’s people.
And it is very hard. It is expensive as well. Yet, without those volunteers who pack bulk food items on Monday, or those who pack boxes for distribution on Thursday, or those who deliver food to the shut-ins, or who help wrangle our recycling, or who pray for us, or who donate funds to us, none of this miraculous work could be done.
We feed folks because there are folks who sacrifice a day a week to do so. Thank you for your sacrificial love!!
It was an honor and joy to wait tables in God’ Kin’dom Tuesday evening. All types of God’s beloved where gathered together. All sorts of God’s beloved where fed. And all the folks, server and served, were blessed.
Thanks be to God.
Mac+
This past week I got to do something I haven’t done in almost two decades. I took of my collar and put on my bow tie and apron, and I waited tables. No, I am not moonlighting at Lambert's, I was honored to serve dinner to our Food Pantry volunteers. Over 45 volunteers and their plus one had a marvelous meal in our parish hall this past Tuesday. It was a simple way for St James to show our gratitude to these volunteers. Our own Jude Uerling prepared an amazing menu. Vestry member Marilyn Farrow was a kitchen aide and dish washer. While David Hines, our Food Pantry Director, and I served the meal and bused the tables. All the while saying ’Thank You’ to every person as we passed their plate or refilled their cider.
I want to use this space this week to continue to say ’Thank You’ as I can.
Each week about 5% of Taos County receives food from our Food Pantry. If we look at the total from a month, we can see in our files that about 17% of the county population visit us at least once in the month. Let me say that again. About 1 in 5 people in Taos Co receives food from St James every month. We are feeding God’s people.
And it is very hard. It is expensive as well. Yet, without those volunteers who pack bulk food items on Monday, or those who pack boxes for distribution on Thursday, or those who deliver food to the shut-ins, or who help wrangle our recycling, or who pray for us, or who donate funds to us, none of this miraculous work could be done.
We feed folks because there are folks who sacrifice a day a week to do so. Thank you for your sacrificial love!!
It was an honor and joy to wait tables in God’ Kin’dom Tuesday evening. All types of God’s beloved where gathered together. All sorts of God’s beloved where fed. And all the folks, server and served, were blessed.
Thanks be to God.
Mac+
October 22
Friends,
This week we hear of the healing of Bartimaeus, a blind man when could not be quieted. And in his disorderliness, he is healed. I got a lot to preach about this week. So come on out or tune in to Sunday morning worship.
But I want to introduce you to a new custom we are starting here at St James. This year, Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, the feast that we celebrate on the night before All Saints Day, falls on a Sunday. We are using this opportunity to invite all our children, and young at heart, to wear their costumes to church on Halloween and receive a special blessing of the costumes.
The Blessing of the Costumes will take place during the 10:30 service on October 31st. So wear your Halloween best to church and find the presence of God’s healing love in a little disorder that Sunday morning.
And if you look closely, you may just see my tail wagging from underneath my alb.
Mac+
This week we hear of the healing of Bartimaeus, a blind man when could not be quieted. And in his disorderliness, he is healed. I got a lot to preach about this week. So come on out or tune in to Sunday morning worship.
But I want to introduce you to a new custom we are starting here at St James. This year, Halloween, or All Hallow’s Eve, the feast that we celebrate on the night before All Saints Day, falls on a Sunday. We are using this opportunity to invite all our children, and young at heart, to wear their costumes to church on Halloween and receive a special blessing of the costumes.
The Blessing of the Costumes will take place during the 10:30 service on October 31st. So wear your Halloween best to church and find the presence of God’s healing love in a little disorder that Sunday morning.
And if you look closely, you may just see my tail wagging from underneath my alb.
Mac+