Holy Week and Our Role in the Drama

Dear St. Luke’s Community,

This coming Sunday we will gather and celebrate the Liturgy of the Palms. We will recite the Hosannas to Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem proclaiming his greatness and then by week’s end we will join in the chorus of ‘Crucify Him’ with an angry crowd bent on avoiding conflict with the ruling Roman Governor and the Emperor he represents.

The wildly shifting of emotions of Holy Week can be dizzying. That’s a good thing. Coming to grips with the fullness of our participation in the life of God means that we will be from time to time faithful vessels of God’s blessing to the world and then confound ourselves by the ways in which we can work against the coming of the Kingdom. The fact of the matter is that it is part of coming to grips with our fallen nature in relationship to God. Just because we might expect to foul up doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t strive for the greater gifts. By the same token, we cannot be too hard on ourselves. Remember the Rock upon which the Church has been built (St. Peter) got it wrong profoundly alongside getting it right in divinely inspired ways.

I hope that we all will be convicted during the journey with Jesus to the cross and through to the resurrection. I pray our convictions will be across the continuum of faith. God permit us to be convicted in both our faithfulness and our faithlessness. Understanding where we stand is the requisite first step in plotting a course to being transformed and becoming agents of God’s transforming love in Jesus.

We may be a mixed blessing when it comes to our faithfulness to the Mission of Jesus in the Church but remember that we are a blessing nonetheless.

Blessed Holy Week!

Peace and Good,

The Rev. Warren Earl Hicks, Rector
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
921 Pleasant St.
Worcester, MA 01602
508-756-1990 (Office)
508-756-8277 (Fax)

Blog Address www.frwarren.blogspot.com

It's Never to Late to Plant for a Good Harvest

Dear St. Luke’s Community,

Experts say that it takes 21 days of consistent practice to develop a new habit.

We have passed the halfway mark in our sojourn through the 40 days of Lent and so might be expecting some new habits to have broken out and perhaps some old ones to have evaporated. I do hope that is the case with us as we travel through these great 40 days with Jesus on the way to the cross.

As part of our Lenten Quiet day on February 24^th, we spent a great deal of time wrestling with how to be Mary in a Martha world. If you’ll remember that Jesus informs Martha in the midst of her busyness that “she is worried and distracted by many things, there is need of only one thing.” (Luke 10:41-42) I have been wondering if the measure of keeping a ‘Holy Lent’ isn’t simply uncovering ONE thing that will enrich our souls spiritually or that will make a tangible difference in the life of the world and at least ONE of God’s people in it (other than ourselves). Maybe the richness of the gift that is Lent can be found in doing ONE of each of these things.

Specifically I have come to believe in this Lenten season that we have to live out of both/and rather than either/or when it comes to a personal discipline of Lent and a public expression of compassion for the world. Sometimes I’m a bit slow on the uptake, but that seems to be the life of faithful integrity that God is calling us to through the person and ministry of Jesus. By integrity, I mean the integrating of the contemplative and active parts of the Christian life. I suspect that’s a lifelong goal toward which we can only progress and never truly attain completely.

For Christian communities in general and St. Luke’s in particular, I believe that the measure of how we’ve kept a Holy Lent will be found in how we live in an Easter reality. I is my fervent prayer and abiding hope that the keeping of a HOLY LENT will be the blossom on the tree of our common life that will produce the resurrection fruit of compassionate ministry in the light of a newly dawned Easter.

So regardless of how you think “you’ve done” on your Lenten discipline to this point, remember it is never to late to keep a Holy Lent.

Peace and Good,

The Rev. Warren Earl Hicks, Rector
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
921 Pleasant St.
Worcester, MA 01602
508-756-1990 (Office)
508-756-8277 (Fax)

Blog Address www.frwarren.blogspot.com

Woody Allen and the Church????????

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”

Woody Allen--US movie actor, comedian, & director (1935 - )

Dear St. Luke’s Community,

Think what you will of Woody Allen from a personal or artistic standpoint, but this little nugget is at the heart of being able “to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord.” (BCP 366). For us to be the Good News People that we are called to be as Christ’s Body in the world, we first have to show up. Another way of putting it is that we need to exercise a ministry of presence. To be really present where we have been called to be is a consistent challenge for those of us who seek to live a life of faith.

One of the accompanying challenges is not to shrink from the world around us. The ministry of presence is not passive. To be really present with the world is to be engaged in it. To be aware of what’s going on about us and to be unabashed in re-presenting ourselves and the Gospel Good News to the world is at the heart of being faithful witnesses. That’s the work of a missionary. By our Baptismal Covenant we have all been called to be active and present in the Mission field.

This past Tuesday the active part of St. Luke’s ministry of presence bore wonderful fruit. Without compromising the confidentiality of the event our proclamation of presence to the neighborhood in our new sign planted a seed around the Healing Service. One of the folks who attended the service told me that she had come because she had seen the sign. With her she brought the concerns of a friend. Because of our willingness to declare our presence without guilt or shame to the passersby on Pleasant St., we had the privilege of being a prayerful presence with and for some of God’s Beloved.

Whoever you are, wherever you are and whatever you do, remember who you re-present. Show up, be present, tell the Gospel truth and leave the results to God.

Peace and Good,

The Rev. Warren Earl Hicks, Rector
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
921 Pleasant St.
Worcester, MA 01602
508-756-1990 (Office)
508-756-8277 (Fax)

Blog Address www.frwarren.blogspot.com

Spring and Rumors of Spring--Lent as Gift and Sign of Hope

Dear St. Luke’s Community,

Over the course of the past two weeks I have seen the signs of spring mixed in most strikingly with the realities of the winter in which we find ourselves. On Shrove Tuesday, I noticed nearly a dozen robins bouncing around on the ground outside the Parish Hall. It may not be the case here in New England, but in the West the arrival of the first robin of spring is more important than any pronouncement made by Punxatawney Phil. I have not seen those robins so much in the intervening days, but I hear them constantly. Spring indeed cannot be far away.

The second of the most remarkable of signs I’ve seen showing me that Spring cannot be far off is the fact that I was able to watch a baseball game last night. I watched (along with the rest of RedSox Nation) the beloved boys from Fenway fill the seats at City of Palms Park in Fort Myers to watch a 40-year old pitcher work through 19 deliveries to a mixture of the best and youngest that the Minnesota Twins have to offer. It was not ‘mid-season’ form by any stretch of the imagination, but it filled my heart with joy as sure as the first breezes of spring fill my lungs through an open window when I convince myself that it really is warm enough to leave it open (even if only a crack) through the night.

In many ways these two examples are also a part of what makes Lent such a gift to me. The uncertainty of living between the worlds of the Passion and the Resurrection is exciting to me. The uncertainty of what sort of weather the next system will bring is life giving for me. Make no mistake, I like some certainty in my seasons. Summer should always be warm enough for shorts and sandals. Fall should be sweater weather. Winter should make me appreciate hearth and home in a way that other seasons don’t. Spring, however, is most exciting for me emotionally and spiritually, when the next day, the next gift from God, is less certain.

I hope that this uncertainty can open up new ways for us all to appreciate the gift of Lent. Just as surely as summer follows the spring, Easter will follow Good Friday and the fullness of time and the Holy Promise of new and unending life will again be our companion on the Way. That being said, I pray we all be present to whatever the wind blows our way during the rest of Lent.

Peace and Good,

The Rev. Warren Earl Hicks, Rector
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
921 Pleasant St.
Worcester, MA 01602
508-756-1990 (Office)
508-756-8277 (Fax)

Blog Address www.frwarren.blogspot.com

Amazing Grace Indeed!!!!!

Dear St. Luke’s Community,

Here’s the question of the day!

There are, no doubt, many plausible answers to the above question, but the image here comes from the promotional materials to a new film being released nationwide this coming Friday. It is from Amazing Grace: The Epic Story of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was the member of the British Parliament most responsible for the outlawing of the Slave Trade in the early 19^th Century. He was a protégé and friend of John Newton, Anglican Priest, and author of the hymn after which the film is named. Newton’s disillusion with the slave trade came from first hand experience and after having a conversion experience he penned the words to the famous hymn and yet would have to wait some 50 years for the courage and faith of his convictions to ‘come true’ as part of the national fabric of England needed to be rewoven in light of its endorsement of and benefit from the trade of Africans as slaves.

The film opens this Friday in theatres everywhere and shows the possibility of faith and truth triumphing (finally) over the powers of economy, politics and the status quo. It is important to note that the impetus to right this reprehensible wrong has at its core the message of the Gospel. The answer to the previous question for us who proclaim Jesus is simply faith. Jesus says that if we have but the faith of a mustard seed we can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). The key of course is that our will and desire is aligned with that of God.

As the Lenten season unfolds, especially for us here at St. Luke's Church, I ask you to ask yourselves what mountains might God be itching to move. Then I bid you pray with all the faith you can muster for those mountains to be cast into the proverbial sea. What is most important in all of this is stated clearly in the words of the Lord’s Prayer as we say, “your kingdom come your will be done, on earth as in heaven.” Remember the goal of faith, prayer and ministry is always to align ourselves and our actions with the will of God. Too often we pray (in whatever circumstance) for God to be on our side. Another great abolitionist said when asked if he prayed, answered, “Yes I pray, but I pray not so much for God to be on our side, but for us to be on God’s side.” Those words were spoken by on Abraham Lincoln more than 50 years after the abolition of the slave trade in Great Britain.

To find out more about the film, go to http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/index.php. Go see the film. You’ll also find good discussion resources on the website as well.

Peace and Good,

The Rev. Warren Earl Hicks, Rector
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
921 Pleasant St.
Worcester, MA 01602
508-756-1990 (Office)
508-756-8277 (Fax)

Blog Address www.frwarren.blogspot.com

Historical Perspective

Dear Friends,

My undergraduate degree is in History. I didn't get through my Bachelor's until I was the ripe old age of 40. In fact I graduated from College on May 13th and left for Seminary 6 weeks later. While I was wrapping up my Bachelor's an old priest in my sponsoring parish asked me what I was majoring in. "History!" I replied proudly.

"What era?" he asked.

"Twentieth Century American History!" came my enthusiastic reply.

He sort of chuckled and said, "My dear young man, that barely qualifies as current events!" His view was History was something that took a while. Perspective and reflection were always the measure of Historical accuracy and interpretation on what the signs of the times might really have meant.

I've never forgotten that, especially when (in whatever context) people say one of two things:

1. Things have never been worse!

OR

2. I really miss the good old days!

Generally speaking there is always some point in history that we can point to to learn about the current state of affairs. Sometimes what we learn is simply that 'it's not so bad, after all.' I have to say that we in the Church get caught up in hand wringing from time to time. When that happens what always suffers is the Mission of the Church (look up p. 855 BCP again!!!).
I genuinely believe we're on the cusp of losing focus again. Don't get me wrong, I believe that the current climate in the Anglican Communion over issues of Women's Ordination and Human Sexuality are important and that the Communion is in a fragile state! What I would hope we could remember is that this is not the first time there have been profound disagreements about doctrine and it won't be the last!
What I believe would be a real shame is for us to act as though we are at the make or break point with regard to the work of the Church. And I don't mean the Episcopal Church, or even the Anglican Communion. I mean the Mission of Jesus. That will go on until the Kingdom comes on earth again.
One of my favorite websites, Anglicans Online, published the following bit of historical perspective on their homepage this week.

Hallo again to all. April 1874 Then the Vicar of Fordington told us of the state of things in his parish when he first came to it a half century ago. No man had ever been known to receive the Holy Communion except the parson, the clerk and the sexton. There were 16 women communicants and most of them went away when he refused to pay them for coming. They had been accustomed there at some place in the neighbourhood to pass the cup to each other with a nod of the head. At one church there were two male communicants. When the cup was given to the first he touched his forelock and said, 'Here's to your good health, Sir'. The other said, 'Here's to the good health of our Lord Jesus Christ'. One day there was a christening and no water in the Font. 'Water, Sir!' said the clerk in astonishment. 'The last parson never used no water. He spit into his hand.'* A fast day in the early 19th century in the Church of England There is much at present in the Anglican Communion about which we can be gloomy. But since the 19th century, in matters of church basics, we've made enormous advances. We take for granted an understanding of the importance of the two dominical sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion in parish liturgical life. To a greater or lesser degree, parishioners have an informed understanding of those sacraments. The primacy of the Eucharist is established in most parish churches; just a short time ago, historically speaking, it was likely a four-times-a-year occurrence or, in advanced parishes, perhaps once a month. From Kilvert's Diary again: The Archdeacon on a Visitation tour came to a small upland parish in the diocese of Salisbury. He asked the clerk how often the Holy Communion was administered in the year. The clerk stared. 'What did you please to say?' he asked. 'The Holy Communion,' repeated the Archdeacon. 'How often do you have it in the year?' The clerk still stared open-mouthed in hopeless bewilderment. At length a suspicion of the Archdeacon's meaning began to dawn faintly upon him. 'Aw,' he blurted out, 'aw, we do never have he. We've got no tackling.'* 'Tackling' is assumed in most parishes now! Yet it's easy to forget that our present liturgical state is the result of hard-won victories. From the early high-church heroes who risked gaol (in England) and presentment, trial, and opprobrium elsewhere to advance the understanding of sacramental liturgy, to the Oxford movers-and-shakers whose concentrated energies burst onto the world and made theological tracts best-sellers, from clergy who daringly risked for the 'adornment' of churches and argued a return, to more historically correct ecclesiastical vesture — all these made the parish church the place we know today. When we're tempted to be glum and weary about the struggles and strife in the Communion in our own time, just remember that not long ago, in the mother church of the communion: people could be paid for coming to Holy Communion; spit could be used in baptism; clergy could 'forget' Ash Wednesday, or not offer Divine Service on rainy days; livings and advowsons could be bought and sold; the Bishop of Bristol, Dr George Pelham, could send his butler to ordination candidates and tell them to 'write an essay' (1807); churchyards were let for grazing animals; at Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire, one lady refused to buy mutton that had been grazed there, for it 'had a deathly taste'§ (1856); the Reverend Sydney Smith could be offered the parish of Foston-le-Clay in Yorkshire, where there had been no resident parson since the reign of Charles II (1809); and 'when he thumped the cushion of his pulpit he claimed that the accumulated dust of 150 years made such clouds that he could not see his congregation for several minutes'§; more than twenty parsons in Devon kept packs of hounds (1860s). Take heart! Life is better now. Whatever our problems be today, they seem more refined than those of a century or two ago. Perhaps the source of the problems will never change — human nature — but the problems themselves do evolve. This week let us not 'forget' Candlemas. And we'll see you next week.

I for one am not looking forward to going back to these 'good old days!' That being said, continue to pray for our Church and particularly the sinful human beings (that's all of us) that call it home!


---Warren

The Gospel.....it's not easy, but it can be very simple!!

The only purpose of the gospel is to reconcile people to God and to each other. A gospel that doesn't reconcile is not a Christian gospel at all. But in America, it seems as if we don't believe that. We don't really believe that the proof of our discipleship is that we love one another (see John 13:35). No, we think the proof is in numbers ... Even if our "converts" continue to hate each other, even if they will not worship with their brothers and sisters in Christ, we point to their "conversion" as evidence of the gospel's success. We have substituted a gospel of church growth for a gospel of reconciliation.

- John Perkins, from "With Justice for All"

I will freely admit to 'lifting' the above quotation directly from the God's Politics Blog (http://www.beliefnet.com/blogs/godspolitics/) hosted by Jim Wallis and Sojourners. As I think you all might be aware, I am not above 'stealing' good ideas if they help in proclaiming the radical grace of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mr. Perkins, in my view, hits the nail on the head when identifying reconciliation and the chief work of the gospel. In fact it sounds very much like (almost verbatim) to the Episcopal Church's own view on what is the Mission of the Church.

Q. What is the mission of the Church?
A. The mission of the Church is to restore all people to
unity with God and each other in Christ.

I sometimes get in trouble when I critique the 'Church Growth' movement of the 1990's. Don't get me wrong, I would always like for there to be more folks in Church. What I will challenge is that the notion that any growth is good growth. After all the work of the gospel is to bring folks to Christ, so what could be wrong with more people in Church? The answer, I believe, lies in what sort of fruit shows up on the tree. I am deeply troubled by any community that proclaims to have such a clear vision of God's heart and mind so as to pronounce that there are those who 'don't belong' in the family. That goes for all faith communities--Churches, Mosques, Synagogues---take your pick.

At the end of the day, all of the three Abrahamic Religions (those claiming Abraham as a common ancestor)---Judaism, Islam and Christianity---seek to faithfully respond to a God whose chief characteristic is love. How then can we ever justify any 'violent' act in the name of a loving God? You should know that there are a great many plausible answers to that. I believe that none of them faithfully captures the essence of God, that is reconciliation.

To love those with whom we disagree is hard. But it is the Gospel. To love those who don't look like us can be hard. But it is the Gospel. To love those who experience God in a different way than us is hard. But it is the Gospel. As the heading of this post indicates, the Gospel is hard, but it is simple. The commitment to living Gospel truth is costly, but it is worth it. Maybe it can be summed up like this, "The Gospel is loving when loving seems to be the hardest response to the realities we face".

Perkins is right. John's gospel is right. It's all about reconciliation and that is hard!!

The core message of Christianity is simple. Bono of U2, puts it like this, ""I love the bit when Christ asked for his greatest hits and he says, 'OK, love God, and love your neighbours as yourself.' Christianity is not complicated, that's what it is."

With a deep and radical commitment to that sort of simple love that is among the hardest things to do in the world, the love of Jesus and the power of God will reconcile the world and bring about the healing of the broken nature of human relationships on every level.

Let's start in the Church. Let's show the world that we can love in disagreement and seek 'a more excellent way' of being (see 1 Cor 12:31-13).

Quoting the first letter of John let this sentiment be our guide as we simply do the hard work of the Gospel,

"Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us."


---Warren +