Spirituality – Page 9 – St. Andrew's Episcopal Church

Commemoration of September 11th~ 15 years later

This morning at our 10 a.m. service we commemorated the 15th anniversary of September 11th. Each of us had our story to tell, where we were when we learned of the attack, the ensuing horror, and the changes it made in our lives. It was clear there is still a need of healing as we continue to grapple with understanding the complexity and complete depravity of humankind which allowed this attack to occur.

We were blessed with the presence of our Mayor, Bruce Hockensmith, and members of the West End Fire Company. It was a joy to recognize their dedication to our community and their union with the civic leaders and all those who serve our communities who are always willing to risk their lives for the common good.

One of our parishioners offered a display of newspapers and photos of the week following the attack as well as a book which showed the gift of the firefighters who fearlessly offered their services to help those in need.

Books highlighting the sacrifice of many

We offered a memorial Eucharist, dedicated to all those who lost their lives in the attack, which was moving and set the loss within the greatest gift of all, the sacrifice of Christ which enables us all to enter into an eternal life, where there is no sorrow or pain.

Two of our young members played taps, which was very moving. We entered then into a time of silence and then the tolling of the bell.

Play taps to honor the victims of this terror attack

All that we offer seems inadequate to address the loss that so many individuals suffered that day and the loss to our nation. However, our liturgy is rich and real and invites us to place our pain within the love of God which holds it all. Thanks be to God!

Summer Series: Those “nasty” psalms

We gathered this evening, in the midst of the heat and humidity, to find a place of fellowship and fun over dinner outside, as the rain fell around us. There’s a place of peace and ease that’s been developing among us, that’s really lovely ~ AND there’s always the opening for others to join us. Every week it’s always a different group gathered — and always the right one. So, come on out and give it a try, if you’ve been curious or feeling the call to explore the psalms!

This week we explored those nasty psalms that call upon God to wreck havoc and vengeance upon our enemies. We read a portion of Psalm 109 and the honest reaction afterwards was “Good Grief!”. Mother Barbara shared with us some information about this genre of psalm (part of lament psalms) and talked about the different possible reactions (ignore them, be horrified by them, enter into them). One of our parishioners shared her real life experience in feeling these psalms which was powerful and helpful. Mother Barbara then spoke about what God’s retribution actually looks like (not the revenge we may imagine, but a tearing down of barriers that keep us from being honest before each other and God and allowing God’s love to lead us into a new place of healing).

The evening ended with the peace and calm of Compline. Thanks be to God for the grace which was present this evening.

Simply Scripture opens up exploration of new ideas and great insights.

This past Saturday, our parish library was crammed full of people hungry to learn more about our scriptures for the upcoming month and to share their thoughts, reflections, and wonderings. We studied the Epistles for the month, which are largely from the book of 1 Timothy.

One of the topics that I think was most fruitful was an exploration of what to do when there is a word of phrase in the scripture that you don’t like.

Do you just skip over it?
Do you look up the word in the original language to see what it meant then?
Do you look at other translations and pick the one most congruent with your understanding? Or the one most irritating to you?
Do you settle into the tension and reflect upon why this word or phrase is causing such a reaction in your own soul?
Do you talk to others to see if this worried them as well?

The answer, of course, is “all of the above” (except the first one!).

It is always important to know the context of the passage, to look up the original word in Greek or Hebrew and look at all the possible meanings ~ and it is very important to know why this word or phrase grabs your attention. Often it’s God’s message to you to pay attention to what’s happening within you.

Questions are a good thing, in the Episcopal Church. So bring them on!

Summer Series

Tonight we gathered for dinner, fun, and fellowship and to grapple with the Wisdom Psalms. We learned about the major “books” of the Old Testament and focused in on the Wisdom Literature, within which the Book of Psalms is located.

We read some of the Wisdom psalms and identified some major themes. Conversation then led us to discuss the meaning of the word “righteousness” in both the original Hebrew, in the writings of the prophets, and then within the gospels and finally in Paul’s writings.

We came to understand the true meaning of righteousness is being benevolent, compassionate, and attentive to those in need. We comprehended how differently the use of righteous is used in today’s language, especially in regards to religion.

Being attentive, observant, seeing the larger picture, and listening to the Spirit are all ways that we can stay on the right side of the line between righteous (as in the Bible) and self-righteous as is often used today. We left fed with food, conversation, thought, and more knowledge about the character of God.

A great evening, indeed!