Choose to be inspired

 “O Creator and Giver of Life, who crowned your martyr Maria Skobtsova with glory and gave her as an example of service to the suffering and poor even unto death: Teach us to love Christ in our neighbors, and thereby battle injustice and evil with the light of the Resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God in glory everlasting. Amen.” 

Often, I find it impossible to read biographical sketches describing the faith of the saints without feeling woefully inadequate and insecure about my own faith.  A recent example I discovered is Saint Maria Skobtsova (21 July), whose fascinating path to sainthood proved anything but traditional.  Mother Maria was a divorced woman, a political revolutionary, an intellectual, and a nun known for her blunt, outspoken, strong-minded personality.  She was born at the end of the 19^th century into an affluent family and later became a member of the cultural elite of St. Petersburg – counting writers, poets, and political thinkers among her close friends.  That comfortable existence quickly disappeared when world war forced her (and many others) to flee Russia for Paris where she lived in poverty and watched helplessly as so many around her (including her youngest child) succumbed to disease and/or the lingering effects of alcohol and drugs.
 
While the first part of Maria’s life focused on ideas, the part that began in Paris centered on action.  She empowered, fed, served, counseled, and cared for all her neighbors, even becoming an active part of the resistance movement that smuggled Jews to safe locations.  Unfortunately, that work eventually led to her arrest and deportation to a concentration camp.  She continued serving others in the camp and carried that service to its most extreme consequence when she took someone else’s place in the crowd selected for “extermination” in the gas chamber on 31 March 1945 (the day before Easter and just as World War II was ending in Europe.)  Her life exemplified what it means “to love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).  So instead of comparing myself to Mother Maria and feeling inadequate, I choose to be inspired by her and plan to find ways to love all my neighbors (even the difficult ones) and to, (echoing the words of John and Anne in his recent sermon and her recent article) ‘embody hope in my small corner of the world, in Jesus’ name.’      
 
— Lindsey Nicolai

The urgency of Imago Dei

Just a quick word this time upon my return from sabbatical; more later.  If you recall, my theme was imago Dei, the image of God, or more specifically seeing the image of God in who and what God created, both human and the natural world, with the idea being that it is much harder to exploit and harm who and what God created when you see them the way God sees them.  This is part of what I do in my daily prayer practice anyway, but sabbatical allowed a time away from regular parish responsibilities to delve more deeply into that practice.  It was a productive time on many fronts, but one of the things I came away with is urgency in our time of seeing and honoring the image of God in who and what God created, prompted by the increasing number and activity of hate groups, so-called "Christian" nationalists, and in no small measure by the recent escalation of political violence we are witnessing.  All of this is based in the failure and even refusal to see the image of God in who and what God created, all of which makes the greatest of our Christian commandments - to love, to see the image of God in the other - all the more imperative in our time.

— Marc

 

Embody Hope

Dear friends,

I am writing this on Sunday, July 14, not yet 24 hours after the assassination attempt on our former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania—less than an hour from where I grew up.  My heart aches for all the victims of this horrific political violence:  Donald Trump; the two shooting victims who are in critical condition; the man killed in the shooting; the troubled 20-year-old who fired the shots; the shocked and traumatized rally attendees; all who love and care for those folks, especially their families; and us—all Americans as we try desperately to navigate the perilous waters of these hate-filled times. 

As I was working on this article, a kind gentleman came into my office to thank St. Andrew’s for our hospitality to his group, the Tidewater German-American Society, which was meeting in the parish hall.  He held my hand and said, “Pray for our country.”  I said, “I am, and I will.”  After telling me that he is Catholic, he said he’s been thinking about Our Lady of Fatima (the Virgin Mary), who appeared to three children several times in 1917 in Fatima, Portugal, always on the 13^th of the month.  Making a connection to the assassination attempt, he said, “Yesterday was the 13^th.”

I stereotypically envision the Virgin Mary as a sweet young mother, clad in blue, bending tenderly over the baby Jesus.  What would she think of yesterday’s events? I mused.  And then I remembered Mary’s encounter with faithful old Simeon in the Temple (Luke 2: 25-35). After blessing the family, Simeon says to Mary:  This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed and a sword will pierce your own soul too.

The inner thoughts of many will be revealed.  That’s been happening a lot in our country over the past few years—especially on social media—and frighteningly many of those thoughts are ugly.  When we fail to carry out our baptismal promise to respect the dignity of every human being, our thoughts turn ugly—and sometimes murderous.

A sword will pierce your own soul too.  That’s how I feel—and maybe you, too.  Our souls have been pierced, once again, by gun violence.  As I write this, we don’t yet know exactly what motivated the young shooter, but we can be sure that the toxic political atmosphere in our nation helped stoke the fire of his grievance and anger.

John preached today about hope—and specifically about the Christian’s call to maintain and proclaim hope because of our sure and certain hope of resurrection, our trust in the ultimate victory of God’s saving power.  Our soul-pierced world desperately needs hope, desperately needs for the revealing of inner thoughts to unveil not contempt but peace and compassion. 

That work begins with us.  You and I cannot fix the large-scale hatreds and violence in our world, but we can embody hope in our small corners of that world, in Jesus’ name.  2000 years ago, a tiny band of 11 men did just that.  Jesus invites us to do the same.  May we have the courage and grace to respond: to seek and serve Christ in all persons, even—and especially—in these fractious times.

I am so grateful that we are companions on this journey of faith, and I pray for God’s blessings on us all.  --Anne

Comings and Goings

Sunday was busy, with the Baptism of Margaret Grace Whitley, and the Farewell to Cary Ragland and Anne Sweetman as they both move away, and a poignant announcement of Katie Weiss' death. Not surprisingly, I drifted off into some scripture after I got home, pondering beginnings and endings, and other transitions.

I went home to resume packing, as I am moving in a week to West Point to be closer to family and to enjoy my expanding wealth of great grandchildren. This does not mean that I am leaving St Andrew's, but it does mean I am leaving Hilton Village, where I have spent most of the last 60 years.

In Psalm 90, the Song of Moses, the psalmist ponders when God will stop punishing his people, thought by some scholars to be based on a song sung during the 40 years the Israelites wandered the wilderness.  "The days of our lives are three score and ten; and if by reason of strength they be four score years, yet is their strength labor and sorrows, for it is soon cut off, and we fly away"

In the gospel of John, it is written: (Jesus said) "Truly, truly I tell you, when you were young, you dressed yourself and walked where you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."

So, at three score and nine years, it is my calling to be with my family, and maybe even retire. My strength has been labor (which I have loved) and some sorrow, the sorrow we all share when we lose people we love. I am not yet at the stage where I need someone to dress me with the beloved people who I have not lived near since each of them went off to college, and I went into the ministry.

I will be living in a one-story house at the beginning of the lane where my daughter Sibby and her husband Len live, 15 miles from the great grands in Saluda, and about a half hour drive from my son Joe and his family in Hanover. I will continue to serve St Andrew's as I am able and useful.

I am not flying away, yet. See you in a week or two.
— Kathy Gray

"Be still and know that I am God"

As we depart for summer vacations or tend to chores around the house and yard, this familiar verse of Psalm 46:10 reminds us to pay attention.

Yes, we fill days with so many activities, even on vacation.  This summer, remember to take some deep breaths and really look around wherever you are.

Whether a sight is unusual or ordinary, consider how it is part of the intricate world that God has created:  desert serenity where the rest of the world is distant, vast open land and skies in the Great Plains and prairies, majestic mountains bathed in shades of deep green or composed of sedimentary rock in spectacular color at different times of day, hawks wheeling at eye level near the top of a gorge, rivers or lakes sparkling in bright sunlight, wide beaches where ocean waves crash to shore and slide out again in infinite variety, or even colorful flowers growing in sidewalk cracks.

When you weed the garden or plant flowers, feel the soil in your fingers.  Perennials arrive each year at their appointed season: hydrangeas, day lilies, blue bells, roses, crepe myrtle, dogwood, redbud, and many others that bring color to the yard, garden, and roadside.  Annuals from seeds or tiny plants each year add further color: sunflowers, geraniums, petunias, pansies, and many more.

Locally, it’s easy to go to a beach to relax in a chair, take long walks, and play ball or Frisbee with family, friends, and pets.  At Hilton Pier, you can fish or enjoy watching others cast their lines into the river.  Stand on a beach or pier and marvel at a different sunset or sunrise any time you visit. 

Leo Lionni’s classic children’s book Frederick was a fable about a little mouse who bathed in sunset glow and absorbed the colors and sights of summer while the others gathered food for the winter.  The other mice thought he was lazy and worthless.  During the dark winter days when those food stores were nearly exhausted, Frederick shared his memories of these sights and the sun’s warmth to bring them comfort.  Even on our busiest days, we should remember to fill our minds and hearts with the sights all around us and remember that God is always present in them.

Stop, take time to take it in, to listen, and to revel in God’s amazing creation of God.

--- Melissa Sale