We've Moved!!!

We've moved to have our blog on our episcopalians.info server. So update your bookmarks and come on over to:

www.episcopalians.info/blog


Thanks for reading,
Steve+http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Priest Paroled

Fr. James Tramel, the subject of a blog entry a while ago, was paroled by Gov. Schwarzenegger - Read the story.

Interesting...

I caught this article in Christianity Today. A Church of God in Christ bishop, Carlton Pearson, has lost 90% of his 5000 member mega-church after preaching universalism. The congregation now meets at an Episcopal parish on Sunday afternoons. Now, I'm not a universalist, but something bothers me about this story. I don't know if it's because I hate to see people get up and leave and a church loses it's building or if it's because of something else. I wonder why the 90% didn't stay and work for change or some positive resolution. Perhaps what bothers me is the fact that for 90%, the church was embodied in the person of Carlton Pearson. If they disagree with him, they leave. What do you think about this story?

Link: Higher Dimensions Worship Center

March Messenger Online

Download the latest newsletter from St Michael's, Waynesboro

Ash Wednesday

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily
lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (BCP)

Some pictures from last night's Shrove Tuesday:

More pictures at our gallery.

Some Religious News

The Pope names two Americans as cardinals - link.
Court battle over "Da Vinci Code" - link
Communique from Global South Primates - link
AP story on Episcopalian reaction to "The Book of Daniel" - link

You Complete Me

Today is the Feast of St Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace Judas. Below is the text of the sermon preached this morning at the Convent of St Helena (preaching to nuns is way different from preaching in a parish!):

God doesn’t seem to like fractions.

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh; not in two and a half days or in twenty-three and a third. Six days and rested on the seventh.

Enoch lived 365 years. That’s a nice complete number. There are 365 days in year and Enoch lived 365 years, and then God took him to heaven.

After Noah built the ark, it rained 40 days and 40 nights; not 40 days and 39 nights – 40 days and 40 nights.

Jacob had 12 sons that became the 12 tribes.

Those 12 tribes wandered for 40 years in the wilderness with Moses until they came to the Promised Land.

Centuries later St John saw seven seals and seven bowls, and he also saw 12 elders worshipping God in heaven: 12 for the tribes of Israel and 12 for the apostles.

God likes wholeness. God likes completeness.

After the death of Judas the apostles were incomplete. There were only 11. Personally I think 11 is not bad. In my opinion, after you think about all that the 12 men Jesus called went through during their time with Jesus and especially during the Passion of Jesus, losing only 1 is not all that bad.

That is not a single parish in the Episcopal Church that wouldn’t love to that kind of a retention rate. In fact, I’m sure the National Church would love to have that retention rate, only losing one after a crisis. How many members, how many churches have we lost in our own situation over the past 3 years? Certainly more than one, and we haven’t faced anywhere near the kind of adversity the original 12 faced, and they only lost one.

But for a God whose love is perfect and whose mercy is perfect and whose wisdom is perfect, anything incomplete would not do. The Church had to represent the wholeness of God’s salvation. It had to include all the tribes of Israel; it had to include all the people of the earth.

And the Holy Spirit chose Matthias.

We all know who Matthias is, but I doubt most people do. I imagine if we took a poll on Broad Street tonight on who Matthias was, most would probably guess he was a contestant on American Idol.

And Matthias is not presented to us a particularly charismatic figure. He did not preach like Peter or pray like Paul, as the song goes, but he represents to us a most important aspect of God’s nature – God’s desire for completeness and wholeness in all things: the world, the Church, in us.

Because while I may be completely happy with 11 instead of 12, and while the whole world may be satisfied with 90% instead of 100% - God wants us to be complete. God wants us to be whole. After all, that is the story of the Bible. That is the story of our salvation.