A lawyer asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life.
Jesus turns the question back to him and elicits the great commandment. The
lawyer's answer is drawn from two scriptures: "You shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your
might” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and "you shall love your neighbor as
yourself" (Leviticus 19:18). The Deuteronomy passage is part of the
Shema, which Jews repeat twice each day if they say the daily prayers, so it is
no wonder that it comes to this lawyer's mind.
Then in response to the question, “Who is my neighbor?”
Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan, ending with the question, “Which
of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands
of the robbers?”
Which of the three
proved neighbor to the beaten man? The Samaritan. By now we know this story
nearly by heart, and hopefully we also understand its message. Who is our
neighbor? Pretty much everybody, especially those in need. Even people who have
nothing to do with the church know this story and know what it means.
According to Jesus, this is the absolute heart and soul of
the gospel: Love God, Love your neighbor as yourself. Yet even a cursory glance
around our communities and the world shows that understanding the message and
putting into practice are two different things.
So how do we go about actually doing it? How do we do it
well and keep getting better at it? In order to love well it seems to me we
need three things. (Which is appropriate for a Trinitarian church.) We need the
right attitudes within ourselves. We need skill. And we need practices that
improve our attitudes, increase our skills, and actually convey love to others.
One of the essential, foundational skills for loving well is
listening. It is essential for two reasons. First listening in and of itself
often helps people. It may in fact do more for the person than anything else we
could do. Listening is a rare gift. To listen well requires focusing on the
other with a genuine desire to know. Rather few people can actually drop their
own agenda, suppress their desire to make wise pronouncements or share their
own experiences, and just listen. Consequently there is a huge hunger among
people simply to be heard.
Second, listening is essential because each neighbor is
different. Loving our neighbor well requires responding wisely to that
particular neighbor’s needs or joys. If you wanted to do something really nice
for my wife Diannah, or for Rob Gardner, you might give them a really good role
in a play. Me, not so much. To give
me an outstanding gift you would have to provide a day of sailing—or a week. My
cousin, although he likes sailing all right, would be much happier to have a
carbon fiber bicycle.
These examples of course are more at the level of desire
than need, but they serve to make the point. In order to respond to someone in
love, you need to listen long enough and well enough to understand what would
be the most loving thing to do for them.
Love well.
Tom
The Rev. Dr. Thomas D. Harries.
Dear Friends,
Jesus’ parables were mostly about agriculture, with a few
about merchants and possessions. He lived in a pre-industrial time and place
where the vast majority of people lived by farming. What else was he going to
tell parables about? If Jesus were alive today, he would likely base his
parables on things we spend our time at. Earlier today I was painting an
exterior window frame that had gotten to be in pretty bad shape. I got to
thinking that painting could make a reasonably good parable about the process
of Christian faith.
If you are starting with bare wood, you make sure it’s all
clean and smooth, and then you put on a coat of primer. This is like teaching
young children to have good basic values: sharing, kindness, and doing unto
others only what you’d like them to do unto you. These are consistent with
Christian faith, just as many of the ingredients in primer are the same as in
paint, but they are more basic, intended to provide a good foundation. Like
primer they make it easier for the paint of faith to stick.
As older children or, if they don’t get it then, as adults,
people are ready to receive the first coat of paint with its colorful pigments.
The paint is the learning of Christian faith per se, leading to a commitment to Christ and to God in the
Baptismal promises, re-affirmed at confirmation. Many people get only that one
coat, which covers, but just barely. To get a strong, long-lasting finish a
person needs a second coat of adult learning to really understand their faith
and practice it deeply. People who put on a second or third coat by practicing
their faith have the brightest coloration as Christians.
You might think of the ongoing practice of faith as akin to
the paint doing its work: keeping the sun and rain from damaging the underlying
wood, and reflecting back vibrant colors of the sun to enrich everyone’s life.
(Here the allegory breaks down a little, because paint wears out with time,
whereas practicing faith is like exercising a muscle -- it gets stronger with
use.)
If you neglect to touch up your paint, as I neglected my
window out back for too long, you may end up having to scrape off all the old,
flaky, peeling paint, get down to bare wood, and start again with primer. It
will last much longer if you touch it up from time to time. Likewise our faith
will hold up better if it’s touched up regularly with daily prayer, weekly
worship, works of compassion, and occasionally even a spiritual retreat, which
might be like getting a whole fresh coat.
Different people will have different ways of touching up
their faith and keeping it bright and cheerful. Some like to study, some pray
or meditate, while others prefer doing good deeds. All are good. I encourage
you to select those that are most helpful for you and build them into your
routine, so that your faith remains strong and vibrant.
Cordially,
Tom
The Rev. Dr. Thomas D. Harries
Parish Nurse
Dear Members and Friends of the Church of the Holy
Communion:
As summer begins to heat up, we need to play it safe since
the hot, humid weather can
overheat the heart.When the air temperature approaches body temperature, it is impossible
for the body to get rid of heat by radiating it via blood vessels to the cooler
skin.Likewise, as the humidity reaches
75 % or so, the water in the air makes evaporation, “sweating,” more difficult.Radiation and evaporation put strain on the
heart.For people taking a beta blocker
or diuretic, as well as those who have
How can you beat the heat?
1. Chilled air
is the best way to beat the heat.If you
don’t have air conditioning, you might spend time at a movie theatre, shopping
mall, or with a friend who has it.A
cool shower or bath will help reduce body temperature, or putting a cold wet
cloth or ice pack under your arms or on your groin will do the same.A fan can speed evaporation if the air is
cooler than you are.
2.Maintain your body’s fluid level.Drink a glass of water every hour on a hot,
humid day.Avoid sugary soda or fruit
juices since they slow movement of water from the digestive system to the
bloodstream.Cut back or skip caffeine
and alcohol.They can cause or heighten
dehydration.
3. Slow down. Try to exercise or do other physical activity
in early morning or evening when the air temperature and humidity are
less.Drink more if you do exercise.
4.Eat light.Eat smaller meals, cold soups, salads and
fruit.Your digestive system will not
have to work so hard and you will get extra fluid.
What about Salt?
We need salt in our diet to maintain a healthy balance of
fluids in the body, to make muscles contract, and to help nerves conduct
impulses. Most Americans consume more salt than they need per day. Too much
salt causes high blood pressure and damages arteries.The Institute of Medicine
has recommended that the FDA decrease the amount of salt in commercially
prepared food, gradually over the next decade.You can become more aware of salt in products by reading labels and
choosing wisely.You can also get into
the habit of tasting your food before adding salt.
Heart Health is so important.Use the guidelines above to preserve yours.
With love and care,Judy Gardner, Parish NurseAugust, 2010
Dear Members and Friends of the Church of the Holy
Communion:
Now that the sun is shining again and it looks like the
weather may be more summer like, I am thinking more and more about how soon I
might head toward the beach.Of course
that means that I need to review my swimming suit again and perhaps look for a
new one.I’m not that crazy about
shopping for swimming suits as it’s necessary to try them on and see how they
fit.My guess is that I’m probably going
to need to lose weight again in order to feel comfortable near the water.Of course there are beach cover-ups, but…
Why not try to find some strategies for losing and keeping
off weight without being hungry?With
that in mind, I consulted the latest issue of WeillCornellMedicalCollege’s
Food & Fitness Advisor.The three
top strategies recommended for successful weight loss are as follows:
1.Eat Breakfast.“A breakfast that’s high in lean protein,
such as egg whites and low-fat cheese, helps many
people feel full and eat less throughout the day.”
*Carbohydrates
such as toast, muffins, bagels, tend to increase your
appetite later in the day.So limit to
one carb at breakfast.
2. Eat filling foods first and fattening foods later.*Filling foods naturally suppress your appetite and take a longer
time to eat and digest.
Fattening
foods include:egg noodles, most
breakfast cereals, canned fruit or juice, sweetened drinks, alcohol, beef, pork,
processed meats, breads, pretzels, mashed potatoes,
macaroni and cheese.
3. Keep a “lifestyle log.”Write
in a notebook everything you eat,
what
time you eat, what your mood is at the time,
and
how hungry you feel before you eat.
You can then see what triggers your eating and it will help
you be more accountable.
Please consult your doctor or a nutritionist for suggestions
to meet your specific personal needs.Diet, exercise, and adequate rest work together to keep you fit.
With love and care,Judy Gardner, Parish NurseJune, 2010
Verger
AN APPOINTMENT
WITH GOD
“Let everything that has breath
praise the Lord.” Psalm 150
How many times a day do we
pray? Many of us say we don’t have time, life is too busy, there is much too
much going on, I pray on Sunday and that’s good enough for me. Those at one
time were some of my ramblings.
So where did God fit into my
busy life? How did I center myself in order to meet the challenges that lay
ahead?
For me now, prayer is the
beginning and the end of each day. It’s the time that I pencil God into my
hectic schedule. How about you?
There are so many ways of
praying, and as I’m going through my discernment period for Holy Orders, I have
begun to explore the many ways to pray. You know, it has actually become very
uplifting, why even downright enjoyable. I’ll share with you just one of the
ways an abbess in Southern Minnesota has
taught me to pray this year. The prayer is called Lectio Divina (don’t let the Latin words scare you away).
Lectio Divina is a slow, contemplative praying
of the Scriptures. I have found that time set aside twice a day in prayer has
enabled me to find an underlying spiritual rhythm in my life. Within this
rhythm I have discovered an increasing ability to offer more of myself to God
and to others. I have been captured in the continuous embrace that the Lord has
extended to me in his son Jesus Christ through prayer.
I often find that my worries,
hopes, and dreams naturally intertwine with my meditations on Scripture. The
abbess taught me to listen with the ear of my heart, with my own memories,
listening for God’s presence in the events of my life. It is then that I am
able to experience Christ reaching out to me through my memories. My own
personal story becomes my salvation story.
Are you ready for this?
Here’s how you start.
First you find one of the
books in the Bible that you might like to pray. My favorites happen to be
Psalms and Proverbs. It doesn’t matter which book you choose, just don’t set up
the expectation of finishing a specific book at a specific time. You need to
understand that the number of verses you cover is in God’s hands, not yours.
Next find a comfortable
space, a quiet place. Take a few moments to center yourself, breathing deeply
and reciting quietly a prayer word like Abba,
Jesus, or Shalom, keeping your eyes closed as repeat your word.
Now that you are relaxed and
have centered yourself spiritually, turn to the text you have chosen and read
it slowly, gently. Savor each portion of the reading, constantly listening for
that still, small voice within you that says this is the word or phrase that is
here for you today. Don’t expect lightning flashes or feelings of ecstasy. In
Lectio Divina, God is teaching us to listen to him, to seek him in silence.
He’s not going to reach out and shake us. However, he will gently reach out and
invite us into his presence.
Now take that word or phrase
and repeat it to yourself slowly, allowing this inner pondering to invite you
into a true conversation with the Almighty. Speak to God, interact with him as
you would with someone you know, someone who loves you and accepts you for who
you are. Now give to God what you have within your heart; rest in his embrace.
When he invites you to return to conversation with him, do so. Rejoice in the
knowledge that God is with you, both in words and in silence. There is nothing
more wonderful in our world than being in the presence of God by praying his
Scripture.
The next time you have a
moment, take some time and talk with God. You will be amazed at how much God
has to say to you.
Your friend in Christ,
Richard E. Tostenson
Our Baptismal Covenant
As the south wind blows her
warm breath across the river valley and the misty fog plays among the tree
boughs, our world begins to awaken from a long winter slumber. We look forward
to the arrival of spring, and the promise of newness of life, with all its
beautiful colors and sounds.
It is also the time of year
when we reflect upon our Baptismal Covenant, another strange termin the Episcopal lexicon. So what is
this covenant?
Our Baptismal Covenant is a
promise we make to God that lays out how we strive to live our lives as
Christians. It is a gauge by which we measure how we are living our Christian life
and faith. As Episcopalians we renew or affirm this faith from time to time,
particularly around this Easter Season. Our covenant is a powerful mission
statement about our church and who we are as a people. It contains what I like
to think of as questions of promise and questions of trust.
1. Will you continue in the
apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the
prayers?
2. Will you persevere in
resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
3. Will you proclaim by word
and example the Good News of God in Christ?
4. Will you seek and serve
Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
5. Will you strive for
justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
When we invoke these promises
individually or as a church, we are called upon to passionately continue in the
apostles’ teaching and fellowship, exhorted when we fall into sin to repent and
return to the Lord, and challenged to be evangelists by proclaiming the Gospel
in word and in example.
In addition to these five
questions of promise, the other component of our Baptismal Covenant consists of
three questions of trust:
1. Do you believe in God the
Father?
2. Do you believe in Jesus
Christ the Son of God?
3. Do you believe in God the
Holy Spirit?
The answer to these questions
comes in the form of the Apostles’ Creed. Before we say what we promise to do
as a people of faith, we first say what we believe as a people of faith. The
doing follows from the believing. And it’s no accident that the very first
thing that we promise to do is to continue the apostles’ teaching and
fellowship, and there is no better summary of the apostles’ teaching than the
Apostles’ Creed.
So as we watch the newness of
life awakening around us this spring, let us awaken in ourselves and in our
church the promises we made in our baptismal vows.
