Thoughts from Bishop Jake

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Suffering is part of human life. Each of us will suffer at some point in our lives, and even when one of us experiences smooth sailing someone is undergoing some pain or sorrow, some loss or heartbreak. Whether we like it or not, one of life's challenges is learning what to do with suffering. The suffering in our own lives and the suffering of the world around us.

Our culture offers a limited, two-fold strategy for suffering: avoid it whenever possible and relieve it however possible when it cannot be avoided. In other words, our culture classifies suffering as bad. Suffering seems to us almost an intrusion in life as usual. So we look for ways to inoculate ourselves against it and to anesthetize ourselves to it.

We are right to avoid unnecessary suffering and to relieve it when we can. But if this is the sum total of our approach to suffering, then suffering has the power to crush the meaning out of life. From this perspective, suffering can only diminish life, and time spent in suffering is simply time lost.

Happening #51

Happening #51 will be held at Camp Hardtner on March 1-3, 2013. Father Whit and Archdeacon Bette will serve along with Madre Annie Etheredge as Spiritual Directors. Attending from St. Alban's will be Elena F., Emma Jane J., Tracy S. and Ivania V. Please pray that all who attend and work the weekend have a wonderful experience.

While Fr. Whit is away, The Rev'd Roy C. Myers will celebrate and preach on the Third Sunday in Lent. Fr. Roy was the rector at Christ Church in Bastrop, prior to his retirement and has served in Winnsboro and Rayville. Please let him know how glad we are to have him here.

In the event of an emergency, please contact Fr. Whit via his cell phone or call Dawnell at their home.

Monday Morning Song

The Ballad of Love and Hate by The Avett Brothers. Enjoy... 

Read this Book...

New York Times-bestselling author Anne Lamott writes about the three simple prayers essential to coming through tough times, difficult days and the hardships of daily life.

Readers of all ages have followed and cherished Anne Lamott’s funny and perceptive writing about her own faith through decades of trial and error. And in her new book, Help, Thanks, Wow, she has coalesced everything she knows about prayer to these fundamentals.

It is these three prayers – asking for assistance from a higher power, appreciating what we have that is good, and feeling awe at the world around us – that can get us through the day and can show us the way forward. In Help, Thanks, Wow, Lamott recounts how she came to these insights, explains what they mean to her and how they have helped, and explores how others have embraced these same ideas.

Insightful and honest as only Anne Lamott can be, Help, Thanks, Wow is the everyday faith book that new Lamott readers will love and longtime Lamott fans will treasure.

Text: Amazon.com - Book Description
Image: riverheadbooks.tumblr.com

Lenten Eucharists and Suppers

Rose gets her copy of the Bishop's book, Connecting the Dots, signed by the author.

Our first Lenten Eucharist and Supper was held at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church on Wednesday night. Bishop Jake gave a wonderful sermon and the folks at St. Thomas' feed us well. Over ninety people from the Episcopal and Lutheran Churches in Monroe and West Monroe attended! The good people of St. Alban's really turned out...your rector was very proud!

Our next Lenten Eucharist and Supper will be at Grace Episcopal Church on Wednesday, February 27 at 6:00 p.m. A simple Lenten Supper will follow in the parish hall. The Rev'd Dale Farley from Messiah Lutheran Church will preach. Join us... 

Thoughts from Bishop Jake

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Yesterday our priests and deacons gathered with me for one of our regular Clergy Days. Among the things on our hearts and minds was the challenge of being the Church in 2013 and beyond.

Our place in history presents us with a radical challenge. We inhabit a transitional historical period, and the demands of our times are different from those faced by the inhabitants of a stable historical period. Let me explain this contrast between transitional and stable historical periods by way of analogy with the board game Monopoly.

As you may have heard, the makers of Monopoly have discarded one of the game's classic pieces. The iron is now in the historical ash bin and in its place we find a cat. For all the fuss, Monopoly remains Monopoly. The rules for moving around the board, purchasing property, and paying rent remain unchanged. The board, with minor artistic revision, looks the same.

Mockingbird

This is a great link for our younger and more web-active members. Check it out at www.mbird.com

Mockingbird describes itself this way...

WHAT: Mockingbird seeks to connect the Christian faith with the realities of everyday life in fresh and down-to-earth ways.

WHY: Are we called Mockingbird? The name was inspired by the mockingbird’s peculiar gift for mimicking the cries of other birds. In a similar way, we seek to repeat the message we have heard - God’s word of grace and forgiveness.

HOW: Via every medium available! At present this includes (but is not limited to) a daily weblog, semi-annual conferences, and an ongoing publications initiative.

WHO: At present, we employ two full-time staff, David Zahl and Ethan Richardson and one part-time, William McDavid. They are helped and supported by a large number of contributing volunteers and writers. Our board of directors is chaired by Mr. Thomas Becker.

WHERE: Our offices are located in Christ Episcopal Church in Charlottesville, VA.

WHEN: Mockingbird was incorporated in June 2007 and is currently in its sixth year of operation.

Let me know what you think.