Eagles that Pray

Burial Office homily: No Fear

RGE — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 23:50:20 +0000

Homily for Jack Theige Burial Office,
“No fear”
St. John Parish Church, Tulare, CA
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Rev Robert G Eaton
lessons and psalm taken from the Burial Office, Rite Two, 1979 BCP (with rubrical adjustments to Romans)
Lamentations 3:22-26;31-33
Romans 8:14-25, 37-39
John 14:1-6

I’m giving a Jack Theige sermon today, 2 hours long with 17 separate points. (Pause for anticipated nervous laughter – people knew Jack had the ability to talk for long periods!) Not really. But now that you’ve experienced a bit of fear, I can continue.

As we all know, fear is a common enemy when we are faced suddenly or even gradually with our own mortality, when we are faced with death. That fear can take many forms, and it runs the gamut of our emotions, of our behaviors, and our personalities, good or bad; that is, fear pushes our buttons, to use an old phrase; a more clinical phrase would be “acting out.” You are blessed if you have an honest, truthful, and hopefully, compassionate friend who will tell you when you are acting out, and can point you back to the besetting issue. Which in this case, I have raised as the Fear of Death. Otherwise without such a friend, we are left to the sincere but eventually unhelpful sayings of others who are observing, but don’t know what else to say or what to do — God bless them — such as, “Well, we all deal with it in different ways.” They may be, and they may not be, actually “dealing” with it. The phrase is ultimately not helpful.

I’m sure you’ve seen it happen in others. Acting out. I’m not sure you’ve seen it happen in yourself — so make sure you have some good friends.

What about those people, though, who seem to be able to face death head on, to take it in stride, or at the least, to come to grips with their fears and then face them? How do they do that?
If they are not acting out in some way, aren’t they just being in denial?
If they say they are not afraid, are they just protecting themselves emotionally by lying to those who are asking, or just to themselves?

For instance. How do you explain the actions of the Marine sergeant who took an armored Humvee not once but – what – 5 times into sure and certain death in order to attempt to save his comrades, both American and Afghani? His old school teachers seem to suggest the possibility of bullheadedness. Don’t worry, I’m not going to make any allusions in that category to our beloved Jack. (Ed: smile. During the actual giving of the homily, it was apparent at this point that very few – 125 in attendance – still were ready for any kind of humor from the pulpit. So after an appropriate pause for timing, I said, “That was a joke.” And then people laughed.)
Did Dakota Meyer have some special knowledge that he would not be killed, and so the fear of death did not slow him down? Not by his own admission. He was quoted as saying, “I didn’t think I was going to die. I knew I was.” He figured he was a goner, but he’d try to get as many of his fellow soldiers out as possible before that happened, especially those of his own unit. The courage to overcome the fear of death, as Sgt Meyer described it, had to do with a connection, a human connection, “Those were my brothers”, he said, “And that’s what you do for your brothers.” Wow, what a sense of bonding. And, of course, the whole Marine Corps in proud response is saying, “That’s how we roll.”

Where does that courage come from? The military training, some innate energy, a wisdom of understanding the benefits of death? Yes, the benefits of looming death. Is that possible?

In our scripture for today, we are reminded, if not already informed, of how Christians are supposed to face their death.
There are assurances, there are promises, yes, there are even benefits. So, we too, must rely on training to become mature Christians. That’s why we listen to the scriptures during a burial service. To be informed, and thus to have informed responses, when it comes to us.

We begin with Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 8, where he too, makes the point of a connection, both an human connection and a divine connection, which can give us and should give us courage. In fact, Paul is quite adamant that our human fears of our own demise are quite out of place with our faith. Paul goes so far as to say that any innate ability to be courageous in the face of the fear of death is actually brought through the work of God in us; that is, when we believed in Jesus, and the Spirit of God brought us into relationship with God, as was said by St Peter, as well, and by Jesus to Nicodemus, when you are “born again.” Courage in this case is spiritual DNA. Why?

Paul wrote,

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

This does not mean we cannot be sad (for God himself created us with the capability to cry), or have our regrets (God created us with the ability to remember) . But as a Christian there is a new priority for our hopes, and there is a new understanding of how we perceive death. It is not necessarily an intellectual assent, although for some it could be, and that might explain some of Jack’s later years. It is not necessarily an emotional bravado, nor a disregard of the physical. The answer, of course is in resurrection. And the answer is in our Faith in Jesus Christ, and in a God we can trust. And HIS… BONDING…. with… US!

Paul is clear:
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[a] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And that means death itself cannot tear apart our bond with God through Jesus.

That, you see, is a new paradigm, and a new priority for our observations of the world around us. In everything that we do.

Jesus taught that there is something to look forward to on the other side of not life, but other side of death.
A place with him forever. And in that eternity, a new body. depending on the condition of yours right now, Thank God for that new body when you get it! (Smile)

So now that we have seen where our new found courage comes from in order to overcome the fear of death, we can now settle into a healthy growth as mature disciples of Jesus Christ. What once was not seemingly logical, now becomes a possibility. And in that maturity, we can accept that every situation in our lives as those situations come to us, are moments for reflection and growth. And that includes facing our death. And so we can see some benefits made available to us as our own death, or perhaps the death of someone so very close to us, comes into focus.

What ARE the benefits of looming death?
Well, I think we can see some of these in Jack Theige himself over the last few years of his life.

As he faced death, or the possibility of death much earlier than he and Wanda had hoped for,

(1) The validity of his own Faith in the risen Lord Jesus came into focus and into review.
That, my friends, is one benefit of facing death. What is my Faith in Christ? Where am I going? What promises do I actually hold? Where is Jesus in my life, and where am I in His life?

And Jack answered those satisfactorily.

And once that becomes more clear, and perhaps even brought to a moment of repentance, and confession of the lack of our faith, and now a pastoral moment of renewal and absolution, as it did for Jack, a new benefit arises, which is,
(2) I want to do while I still have breath what I can to help build up the Body of Christ, and the Kingdom of God. And Jack found the reading of Scripture in Church on Sundays as his answer. You can ask the family how high a priority those moments became for him. And as you see, as this was what he knew he could do, he received the further personal benefit of being immersed in the Word of God.

(3) a third benefit of the awareness of death in us, may take just a couple more moments of reflection:

In Lamentations we heard,

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Every day, goes the saying, is a gift from God. Use it wisely. That is to say, that this death which is awaiting us — and we can count on it — has not already consumed us before this time, this day! We are all here, in the flesh today, so that we might have and take the opportunity to say, as does the author of Lamentations:

24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

Shall I say it again? Here’s the benefit: The fact that you are facing death at all means that you are Not Dead Yet..….. you are still alive!
Make room, then, for the Lord, which of course leads us back to the first benefit of looming death, the risen Lord Jesus coming into view,crystal clear. The promise is true to all, whether found in the Old Testament, or the New Testament, thus affirming the consistent Nature of our God, that, as again we heard in lamentations,

25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.

My friends, should it be a surprise for you all to know that death is on its way to you? What then shall you do?

Well, you can follow the holy example of Jack Theige, as imperfect as he was:

1) Seek the Lord; renew now your faith in Jesus Christ, if only for the sake of your own resurrection

2) consider the work before you die for the Risen Christ in accomplishing his goals and objectives,

3) realize that you are still alive, and this is a gift from God.

The Lord be merciful to us all, and grant us preparation of our souls.

Pre – 9/11 Remembrance and Prayer

RGE — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:21:32 +0000

Dear Parish Eagles and Friends,

This message serves two purposes this week.

1) As announced last Sunday (September 4), to remember the atrocities and tragedies of 9/11, and to pray for the protection of our nation from those who would wish to do further harm, there will be a 30 minute candlelight gathering on the west lawn of the church on Saturday, September 10th, at 7:30 pm. We hope you will join us in remembrance and intercession.

2) To remind you of a new venture for the parish in online internet bible study.
Find it at

http://stjohnstularebiblestudy.wordpress.com

You are encouraged to make use of these lessons, which will be posted once a week. They roughly are equivalent to a weekly bible study, but in this form, you work on it as you can, and at your own speed.

If you have ANY questions during your bible study, please feel free to post a comment, or talk to Fr Eaton or to George Sutton directly, who are the ones monitoring the online internet version of this study.

Thank you, and God bless you.

Fr. Rob Eaton
George Sutton

Bishop Talton’s Easter 5 sermon – Tulare

RGE — Sat, 28 May 2011 01:37:29 +0000

As with Bishop Lamb’s sermon, I intended to post Bp Talton’s sermon for those who were not able to be in attendance.
This is the transcript of the 10 am service sermon. He makes reference to the children’s sermon, and later to the “sheet”, which was a large roll of paper left on the nave floor from the children’s sermon. It was described as the journey of life to the kids. The basic questions were, “Where do we want to be for ever?” The answer being “heaven”, and that was written with a marker on one end. The next, “Where does the journey start?”, the answer being “With me”, and so the word “You” was written on the other end. The next, “How do we get there?”, the answer being, “Through Jesus”. And a gateway was drawn in the middle of the sheet on the floor, with the name “Jesus” on it. The money quote was from the Gospel of John, as Jesus says, “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life.”
That should explain the bishop’s references.RGE+

Bishop Chet Talton at St. John’s, Tulare, May 22nd, 2011, Morning Prayer

As we gather on this day to sing praises to God, which we are doing,
even dancing our praises to God — I saw you dancing! [the bishop pointing to a parishioner toward the back of the church, laughter]
dancing our praises to God, who is the Lord of all might. (yes)
we gather this morning in all of our places in this diocese, this church of Jesus Christ,
to celebrate who we are, as we remember who we are.
This, the , uh, children’s sermon, and – uh – the …gospel reading for today, the singing, and the dancing, is the sermon that I have. And so I could sit. (laughter)
But let us pray that God will speak God’s word in some way through these words that I will say.

1:27 My wife asked me a question not long ago, she asked it of, about my mother, who has been… dead for many years, and who she did not know. She wanted to know, though, how do my children resemble my mother?
And I tried to think of my mother and think of my children. The truth is that my four children look differently from one another, and none of them bears a striking resemblance to my mother in any way, so that if you were to see her and see them you would say this is the grandmother of these grandchildren.
But then I thought more deeply about how each of my children might carry characteristics which are those that are like my mother in some way.
2:43 I have a daughter who has a wonderful sense of humor, and she tells stories just as my mother did.
I have another daugther who speaks slowly and she pauses as she speaks just as my mother did. (ed: and just as Bp Talton did in this sermon)
And then there is another of our children, who doesn’t…its not that she looks so much like my mother, but its when she looks at you in a certain way, or when you look at her from the side, when I do, then I see my mother, as she looked.

We do carry characteristics of our families. We might have the Johnson nose, there might be a Johnson nose, or a Smith chin. In my family its these ears… that I have passed on, I’m sorry to say, to grandsons and granddaughters.
And so we do, we do share similar characteristics with those in our families, to whom we are close, emotional, social, physical, intellectual, spiritual characteristics.

4:40 Now, Jesus is gathered in the upper room with his disciples and they are sharing a last time together. They have the Passover meal together and …Jesus ..knowledgable of what will soon befall him, however the disciples are not. They don’t know that Jesus is soon to be arrested. They don’t know at this moment that they will deny him, although Jesus will soon tell them that….that they will betray him, that they will run away when he is arrested. Yet, Jesus takes a towel, ties it around his waist and moves among his disciples and washes their feet.
And then he says to them, “Do you know what I have done for you?” He says, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If then your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, I have given you an example, for what you are to do also. What I have done for you, you should do for one another.” And then he says, “A new commandment I give to you, Love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

7:11 This is the family characteristic. This group has become a family. WE are a family, the family of Jesus. Jesus says, “This is how people will know you, by this family characteristic. Love one another. In this way people will know that you belong to me.”
Then Jesus says to his disciples, knowing what is to befall him, that he is going away, and that where he is going, they cannot follow. But then he says, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there is much room. If it were not so would I have told you, that as I go away I will prepare a place for you, a dwelling place.
The disciples would get this understanding..

8:50 In Jesus’ time when a young couple married, they didn’t leave home and go away the way young people do today and set up housekeeping on their own someplace. They would, they would live in the father’s house and they would build a room onto the father’s house,
and they would dwell in that room in the father’s house, so in the father’s house there were many rooms, there was room for everyone.
And so when Jesus says, “In my Father’s house there are many rooms there is a place for everyone. I am going away,
but I am going to make a way for you so that where I am there you may be, you may be also”.

There was, there would be a place for all,,,, in the face of all this trouble that Jesus is faciing. He tells his disciples now, let not your hearts be troubled.
For I am going to make a place for you in my father’s house.
It will be a dwelling place with room for all

10:19 How might this family of God as we gather here this morning knowning what trouble we face …trouble with our futures, health, survival even, some, for some decision made long ago that has caused trouble and struggle in life since that decision was made. … Trouble, concern with children, with spousal relationships, with the powers and principalities of this world which struggle against the children of God.
What trouble do you face?
Jesus and some of his followers — remember this?– in scriptures when they were being tossed by a violent sea, Jesus was sleeping, then Jesus awakens, Jesus says to them “Do not be afraid.”

12:15 The most often repeated command in the scriptures, I believe, aside from the commandments, is that: “Do not be afraid” “Let not your hearts be troubled.” “Do not fear.”
Jesus tells his disciples in this violent storm, “Do not be afraid”, and then Jesus calms the waters.
Do you remember when Mary discovers that she is with child in the scriptures and she is greatly troubled because of this… and then an angel comes to her and says to her, “Mary do not be afraid. You have found favor with God.”
Remember when Jesus was born in the shelter where he was laid, and the shepherds were gathered around, the scriptures says, and it says that the glory of the Lord shone upon them, and they were very afraid. And it says that an angel came and said to them, “Do not be afraid. For behold I bring you good news of great joy. For to you is born this day a savior, who is Christ the Lord. Do not be afraid.”

14:00 So here, Jesus says to his disciples, “Let not your hearts be troubled.” This is Jesus’ word to his discples, in the presence of the trouble that he was in, knowing that his followers would be plagued with trouble and struggle as they attempted to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Let not your hearts be troubled.”
He said, “I am going ahead of you and I will make a place for you, and where I am you might come to that place on that sheet.
How do we get there? We get there through Jesus who is the way, who is the opening, who is the means of salvation, and Jesus says moreover,
“I do not leave you alone. I will come with you.
I am the way, and I am the means.”

15:38 So, …….. what are we to do?
Share the family characteristic: Love one another. In that way, they will know that you belong to me. And moreover, in the course of this life, Do not be afraid.
“Trust in God”, Jesus said. “Trust also in me In my father’s house there is much room. And I go to make a place for you.”
Not even death holds fear for us, for we know that we go to God.

Let not your hearts be troubled.
In my father’s house there are many places. I go to make a place for you.

So we gather in great joy to give thanks and to celebrate what God has done for us.
Through Jesus Christ.
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Planned Parenthood: Please be extremely careful

RGE — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:46:46 +0000

“If we can change what happens in the home, we can change what happens in the world.”
Jill Greer, Director of International Planned Parenthood.

After the latest sensational failures of Planned Parenthood personnel (and thus training, and in moral parameters) in the United States alone, it would seem Planned Parenthood would just keep their mouth shut.

But part of the Big Lie strategy is to keep on telling the Big Lie, marching on past collateral damage (implying and often proving it is in fact a big lie), which, in the care of women after an abortion, is water under the bridge to PP.

Just a couple of thoughts from someone who has been burned in the past by seemingly innocent language and terms that ended up being loaded with agenda:
Who is “we”? What happens in “the home” that is targeted for change? Why are the members of that “home” being considered powerless as agents of their own change, that is, that someone else — apparently self-appointed — feels the need to make the “changes” for the people in that home?
And repeat questions for second half of quote.

The quote is taken from comments made at a United Nations gathering. As people who highly value family, we should be grateful for the work going on by various groups who are actively pro-family. Who, you might ask, would ever be anti-family?!

But the things that are being promoted at such high level conversation and influence have in fact proclaimed the family unit as a no longer useful institution, and, to many, the source of too much pain and suffering and repression. And lack of enlightenment when it comes to “gender” issues. Even our own Presiding Bishop was quoted (and I am paraphrasing) as saying that intelligent people have fewer kids, and that is why The Episcopal Church has a lower baptism rate, as compared to, say, Roman Catholics. All that in the context of over-population of the world. The implication being that others in the world, including Roman Catholics, just aren’t as smart as “we” are. Is that really the issue?

On the other hand, reports from a few years ago in Uganda, and now from Zimbabwe, are that abstinence actually works as a deterrent to pregnancy, and the huge problem of the continued spread of HIV/Aids. Go figure. And to think that “…for the bible tells me so.” In this case, preaching and instructing biblical moral value is more effective than simply being intelligent.

I know FULL well that rhetoric emanates from every side of contested issues. But I would direct your attention to what I just read, the “Family Watch” newsletter, not really aware of their purpose and work until today, because what they are doing in presentations on the Status of Women at the UN matches the variety of anecdotes which affirm their work.
It is easier to read stories about people, of course, so I’ll direct you to their website page of anecdotal good and bad stories. And then if you will click on the “Newsletter” link in the left margin you will find ample discussion of their current work and struggles among delegates, ambassadors, observers, governmental attaches, and other advocates and lobbyists at the United Nations.

My primary concern as a Christian spiritual counselor and pastor is that women (and men) who have had abortions cannot expect the emotional and physical effects of the abortion to be, again, just water under the bridge. If you have had an abortion, or were instrumental in the decision for someone else to have an abortion, I encourage you to contact me, and confidentially we will talk it through, and pray for any private hurts, pains, shame and grieving that still need to be dealt with in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

RGEaton+

Lent personal reflection doesn’t mean stopping the every Sunday ministry of welcoming — and the Lenten schedule this week

RGE — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 07:56:46 +0000

March 15, 2011
St. John’s Eagles and friends,

Welcome to Lent.

Before I get to the Wednesday (and rest of the week) schedule, let me say a couple of things.

I’m hoping you were instructed and challenged by Robert Sutton’s first homily on Sunday.
Robert will need your feedback, both positive and negative, in order for him to understand the impact of his address to you. If you feel uncomfortable doing that in conversation with him, you may provide me with your feedback and I will pass it on, when he and I sit down for our own review with the recording.

Thank you to everyone who stepped up to do the work of gathering and worshiping and leading worship on Sunday. I missed being here. By the way, the Episcopal parish I visited while away for my dad’s 80th birthday, which is not unfamiliar to me and includes parishioners that I have known for years, had one major flaw (at least) noticed when I even stepped inside the front doors to their narthex: Not one person welcomed me or introduced themself to me. I was flabbergasted. The church is about the size of 400 or so in membership, and probably 100 or so were at the main service. That is to say, there were plenty of people coming and going and talking and ushering and, yes, Looking, in the narthex, which is basically a wide lobby doubling as a passageway to both classrooms and the parish hall. And yet no personal contact. I am very grateful that in our parish a newcomer can’t get in or out without several of us making intentional contact. Now, I realize that that is something that needed to be fostered here, but I am glad all the same that we are doing it right by welcoming every poor soul who dares to attend a worship service at St. John’s. God bless the forerunner of gifted welcoming at St. John’s, Isabel Aguilar, may she rest in peace. May more of us take on the MINISTRY of welcoming and shepherding newcomers. Is that perhaps where the Glory of God might shine through you?? Ask the Lord that question during these 40 days (plus Sundays!).

WEDNESDAY
7:15am Morning Prayer (that would be a good discipline to take on, daily Morning Prayer at St John’s)
10:00 am Bible Study (we are currently working on the 6th chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews – that would make a good Lenten discipline to join us for indepth bible study)
4:30 pm Catechism Class for 4th to 6th graders (but not this week – starts next week)
5:25 pm Stations of the Cross in the church (another powerful Lenten discipline)
6:00 pm Soup and Bread Supper (this week potato leek soup, Madison Rickert’s favorite, and yes, another great Lenten tradition and discipline), including:
6:35 pm SINGING with the RECTOR – if you play guitar bring it along
6:50 pm Intergenerational review of familiar bible stories using animated videos and short discussion.
7:45 pm Prayer and go home.

On Thursday, March 17, at 7:15am, there will be a Holy Communion service commemorating St. Patrick.
At 5:30 pm every Thursday is the Evening Prayers and Healing service. Come and recieve prayer for whatever ails you. The Lord is mighty to save.

On Saturday, March 19, at 3:30 pm will be a funeral service for Glen Burdick. Not many family members will be here — St. John’s is the local family. Hope you will attend.

And then at 6:00pm on Saturday is our annual St Patrick’s Potato dinner (and don’t worry, other things to eat too) and Bunco Game! Proceeds will go toward an educational project in “The Episcopal Church in the Sudan”.

Fr. Rob Eaton

Glen Stanton: “The Christian divorce rate myth (what you’ve heard is wrong)”

RGE — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:22:05 +0000

Very glad to see this weblog post challenging the validity of the over-used comment of frequency of divorce among Christians being “the same” as the general rate at least in the United States. The references to several authoritative research groups and their studies is extremely helpful.
I’ve always questioned such comments of high divorce rates among “Christians” because our experience at St. John’s simply does not bear out such an equality of statistics. In the 21 years I have been here as Rector, the “rate of divorce” (that seems egregiously impersonal, doesn’t it?) has been approximately 2%. One couple was active and involved in the parish. Two individuals were peripheral members as they divorced their spouses. I know of 2 couples who left St. John’s and then got divorced, but not immediately. Still, maybe they should have stayed.
St. John’s is a safe place, a place of faith and security, pointing always to the strength of Jesus Christ in all aspects of our lives.
Alleluia for all of our marriages, our families, our individuals, our relationships.

A prayer to be a willing witness to and for Jesus Christ

RGE — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:02:40 +0000

I instituted the prayer-action goal last year of praying for the doubling of baptisms each year. Last year we had 4 baptisms, so we are anticipating 8 this year. But not baptisms by default of members giving birth. In other words, it didn’t count to get pregnant just to fulfill the goal! : )

But to be in action by faith with our prayer, it would be necessary to share your faith in Jesus Christ. I noted the very simple outline of a testimony provided by Mr Lee Buck when he visited St. John’s years ago: 1) what my life before I met Jesus was like, 2) how I met Jesus, and 3) what my life has been like since I met Jesus Christ. Once we had that worked out, it was only a matter of the encounter(s) in which we looked for the opportunity to share our testimony, noting how often such testimony was shared in the context of a newly developing friendship.

Still, our Northern Hemisphere Anglican/Episcopalian sensitivities inform us to not be intrusive in others’ spiritual lives. How then, to be obedient to our Lord Jesus Christ and bring the message of the Good News to all, do we navigate through our probably hyper-sensitivity to the right person and the right moment?

Well, left on our own, so to speak, it is readily apparent by the appalling decline of membership and attendance in The Episcopal Church in the USA, that we have not been successful in this venture. And so, unless we are given a spiritual gift for successful witnessing already and just haven’t made use of it, we really have only one choice, and that is to ask God to help us directly, which would be accomplished through His Holy Spirit.

This would be one of my biggest pieces of both pastoral advice and direction in every situation, as most of you know: “Ask Him.” And I have shared on many occasions what such a prayer might be like, asking for God’s help in witnessing. I want to do so again, but with one difference. The following prayer was not written by me, and it includes an initial awareness that may be helpful in your reflection that I have not always included: “I am ready…” Reading through the prayer may, in fact, cause you to pray something else (which is the second prayer below), but I am willing to concede that reality, and will also rejoice that you have also conceded such a reality for yourself.

It reminds me of another context: “Do you want to do this (such as forgive someone)?” and the answer is, “I can’t”, or “No”, the next question is, “Do you want to want to do this?”, and we move from the emotional will to the obedient will.

As a teacher, I want you to know and accept the direction and commands of God. As a prophet, I look for nothing else but compliance with God’s will. As a pastor, I am temporarily satisfied knowing you are now on the pathway to such compliance, rather than being off the road alltogether!

So here is the prayer for “Willing Witnessing”, as written by Dr. Gil Stieglitz.

Pray this prayer:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I am ready to tell people about you and the positive changes you have made in my life. If you want me to share my faith this week, arrange meetings and conversations so that other people will bring up the conversation. I will share my faith with them if you have them bring it up.

Thank You, Lord Jesus.”

And, in case you are not “ready”, a prayer to get you to the status of being willing to pray the previous prayer! (making liberal use of the Collect for the Third Sunday after the Epiphany) :

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, give me grace to answer readily the call of my Savior Jesus Christ and so desire to proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that I and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and for ever. Amen.

Just remember – you are, in fact, by Jesus’ direction, to be ready.

From one Bishop in Charge to Another

RGE — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:53:23 +0000

Engaging in the transition between one Bishop in Charge to Another for the Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin

If you hadn’t comprehended yet, Bishop Jerry Lamb is resigning as Bishop in Charge of the Diocese of San Joaquin. Another bishop will be his replacement. The retired bishop chosen and who has agreed, is Bishop Chet Talton, who until May of 2010 was a Suffragan Bishop of Los Angeles. Unofficially, the date of March 5 has been floated for a Special meeting of the Diocese in Convention for the purpose of this transition. Here’s how this works according to the dictates of the Canons of The Episcopal Church in the United States of America (TECUSA), as revised by General Convention, 2009.

(This explanation makes full use of the constitutional article and canons noted below, as well as others.)

The Diocese of San Joaquin is currently under the ecclesiastical authority of a Bishop in Charge (a person already a bishop who is given “provisional” authority and charge of a diocese), The Rt Rev Jerry Lamb. This was proclaimed in 2008 by the members of the Diocese, gathered in Convention, who agreed to have a bishop be “in charge” of the diocese rather than 1) a Standing Committee be “in charge” (that is, be the “ecclesiastical authority”) and contract with a visiting bishop(s) to carry out sacramental ministry reserved to the episcopate, or 2) to call for and facilitate the election of a regular Bishop of the Diocese (called “the Ordinary”), who would then be vested with that ecclesiastical authority until resignation or retirement.

By his own recognition both of diocesan finances and of his desire to actually “retire”, Bishop Lamb made it clear first to the councils of the diocese, and then to the diocesan convention in October, 2010, that he would finish certain duties and visitations by the end of the year, 2010. He also implied to the convention that the desire of the councils of the diocese would be to seek for another Bishop in Charge who would also be vested ecclesiastical authority, and not to call for the election of an Ordinary.

It seems clear from the Canons that the only kind of Bishop that is “elected” is one who is made a permanent expression of the episcopacy for that diocese. That is not what the Diocese of San Joaquin asked of Bp Lamb; as Bishop in Charge, even though he is the ecclesiastical authority, he serves at the desire and will of the Convention. That is because he is not elected. The phrase from the Canons is as follows: he is “authorized to exercise all the duties and offices of the Bishop of the Diocese until a Bishop is elected and ordained for that Diocese or until the act of the Convention is revoked.”

So, an “act of Convention” places the ecclesiastical authority of the diocese into the hands of a person who has already been ordained a bishop, and now is asked to serve in a temporary capacity, in whatever way may be contractually agreeable.

Bishop Lamb has not as of yet resigned as the Bishop in Charge, and thus is still in charge as the ecclesiastical authority. That has given him the authority and the ability (see Canon 13, Section 3 below) to identify the Rt Rev Chester Talton, a retired bishop from the diocese of Los Angeles, to be a Visiting Bishop. This is clearly a move to assist with a smooth transition, since at the same time as announcing Bp Talton as a Visiting Bishop, the announcement was made that Bishop Talton is the Standing Committee’s (and Diocesan Council’s jointly, presumably) chosen appointee for a Diocesan Convention to act upon to also be Bp Lamb’s replacement, and thus be a new Bishop in Charge.

The Canons are unclear about this transition when there is already in existence a Bishop in Charge. In fact, the Canons are unclear about the role of an existing Standing Committee in selecting a bishop who would become the Bishop in Charge. Sec. 1 A Diocese without a Bishop may, by an act of its Convention, and in consultation with the Presiding Bishop…

Finally, a more reasonable interpretation is that which holds the Standing Committee, in conjunction with the Diocesan Council, to represent the Diocese as a whole in consideration of a Bishop in Charge, and, prior to coming to their decision about who that might be, is also in consultation with the Presiding Bishop’s office. Then that bishop is presented to the diocese, which, then, by an act of its Convention, authorizes such a relationship, and that this person be the bishop so vested.

That, that more reasonable interpretation, and my assumption that this is what has taken place in this case, comes from my prior experience as a Standing Committee member and understanding the role of that body defined in the Canons as “the ecclesiastical authority” when there is no bishop Ordinary, or bishop in charge.

So how does the diocese get to this new Bishop in Charge smoothly?

First, What seems obvious, is just as there cannot be two Ordinaries, then there shall not be two Bishops of Provisional Authority, that is, two Bishops in Charge of a diocese at the same time. Certainly, the spirit of the law, along with an interpretation of the Canon allowing for a seamless passing of authority between old and new Bishops in Charge is appropriate.

“A Diocese..” is an awfully large context in which to be in consultation with the Presiding Bishop! Not being a member of Standing Committee, or Diocesan Council, for example, I was never asked for my advice, nor was any delegate from St. John’s, in Tulare, nor any other member of the parish as far as I know. The Canon noted suggests by successive statements – first, a diocese by an act of its Convention, and then second, in consultation – can be interpreted to mean that it is the Convention of the diocese acting as Committee of the Whole (that means that every delegate is on the committee) which is in consultation with the Presiding Bishop on this matter. That seems a bit unwieldy. Even more unwieldy is another interpretation that does not consider successive phrases in the sentence, so that it is the entire Diocese – every member – who makes up a Committee of the Whole, and is in consultation with the Presiding Bishop! Still, the problem is that is the way the Canon is written, and further, for some reason it does not recognize a Standing Committee as the locus. Thus, as the Canon states: . A Diocese without a Bishop may, by an act of its Convention, and in consultation with the Presiding Bishop, be placed under the provisional charge and authority of a Bishop of another Diocese or of a resigned Bishop, this is easily interpreted in this situation to mean that in order for a Convention to act to place itself under the authority and provisional charge of a Bishop (without electing one) a Diocese must be “without a bishop”, and so Bishop Lamb will need to officially resign prior to any act of Convention to move forward with Bp Talton (unless the motion is written in such a way as to be “time sensitive”).

Next, it is also clear that it is not the Bishop in Charge who appoints a new Bishop in Charge.

Next, it is also clear in the Canons that the Bishop in Charge has the authority, working with the councils of the diocese, to call for a Special Convention.

Again, let this be clear: this is not an “election.” There will be no ballot. It is a specific legislative act by Convention; a “motion.” So when the Special Convention gathers, it would be the passing of a particular motion by majority vote, although it could be considered either as a single motion, or as two separate motions.

From a parliamentary perspective, it would make more clear the will of the Convention on the primary issue to have two motions. The primary issue is whether the Convention chooses to “place the Diocese under the provisional charge and authority of” another bishop. Having accomplished that will of the diocese, then the secondary issue is the question of which bishop, and in this case being the selection of the Standing Committee (and presumably Diocesan Council), Bp Talton. A case can be made for a single motion with two parts, given that the Canons place both issues in one sentence. As well, it might be argued that such a single motion with two parts is more economical for the Convention, saving the time of another vote. That sounds rather presumptive, however, of the will of the diocese. As well, given that the Special Convention will be called only for that purpose, and most of the diocesan delegates will be driving for hours to attend, it would seem the argument of “economy of time and effort” is exactly the opposite of what delegates had gathered to do. There will be no press of time. Further, there is no apparent risk whatsoever of either issue failing at the hands of the San Joaquin delegates.

The order of events, then, takes shape for an agenda to accomplish what the councils of the diocese have deemed proper:

1) The Convention is called to order by Bishop Lamb, and a quorum ascertained.

2) Prayer for the diocese is engaged (this might also be prior to the Convention being officially “called to order” in a business meeting).

3) Bishop Lamb appoints a chairperson for the Convention, most appropriately, the president of the Standing Committee.

4) Bishop Lamb tenders his resignation as the Bishop in Charge of the Diocese of San Joaquin. Appropriate signs of affection and appreciation are allowed, such as what will unlikely and immediately take place, as in a standing ovation.

5) The appointed chair, or other person, moves for the Convention to accept the resignation, and it is regretfully accepted.

As Convention is in session, it would not be necessary for any formal designation or reversion of the Standing Committee now being the ecclesiastical authority. It happens automatically as Bishop Lamb’s resignation is received.

6) The Chair of Convention explains to Convention the desire of the councils of the diocese to engage in such a relationship with a bishop again.

7) Bishop Talton is then formally introduced to the Convention, making any explanation of how his name came to be accepted by the councils of the diocese. Bishop Talton might be given an opportunity to speak as well. (This part could also be delayed until before the second of two motions, as noted above).

8 ) The chair of Convention then recognizes the committee on resolutions or the Standing Committee itself to present the motion(s) of having another Bishop in Charge, and placing that authority in the hands of Bp Talton.

9) The vote(s) are taken. Since this is not an amendment to the Constitution or Canons, it should not be introduced as a “vote by orders” (laity and clergy vote separately, with both needing majorities for the motion to pass), unless a delegate from the floor of convention requests it, and thus need only a simple majority to pass. Written ballots would not be necessary, either.

10) Unless other legislative matters are before the Special Convention, the Convention would adjourn.

11) A rite for the installation of a Bishop in Charge, which formally recognizes the relationship between such bishop and diocese, would then commence, either as part of the Daily Office, or the Holy Eucharist.

End of Business. Lunch. Carry on.

Any valid corrections to this scenario will be gladly received.

The Rev. Robert G Eaton, Rector
St. John’s, Tulare

ARTICLE IV

In every Diocese a Standing Committee shall be elected by the
Convention thereof, except that provision for filling vacancies
between meetings of the Convention may be prescribed by the
Canons of the respective Dioceses. When there is a Bishop in charge
of the Diocese, the Standing Committee shall be the Bishop’s
Council of Advice. If there be no Bishop or Bishop Coadjutor or
Suffragan Bishop canonically authorized to act, the Standing
Committee shall be the Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese for
all purposes declared by the General Convention. The rights and
duties of the Standing Committee, except as provided in the
Constitution and Canons of the General Convention, may be
prescribed by the Canons of the respective Dioceses.

TITLE I (One), CANON 12: Of Standing Committees

Sec. 1

. In every Diocese the Standing Committee shall elect fromtheir own body a President and a Secretary. They may meet in
conformity with their own rules from time to time, and shall keep a
record of their proceedings; and they may be summoned to a special
meeting whenever the President may deem it necessary. They may
be summoned on the requisition of the Bishop, whenever the
Bishop shall desire their advice; and they may meet of their own
accord and agreeably to their own rules when they may be disposed
to advise the Bishop.

Sec. 2

. In all cases in which a Canon of the General Conventiondirects a duty to be performed, or a power to be exercised, by a
Standing Committee, or by the Clerical members thereof, or by any
other body consisting of several members, a majority of said
members, the whole having been duly cited to meet, shall be a
quorum; and a majority of the quorum so convened shall be
competent to act, unless the contrary is expressly required by the
Canon.

Sec. 3

. Any document required to be signed by members of theStanding Committee or by the Clerical members thereof, or by any
other body consisting of several members may be signed in
counterparts each of which shall be deemed an original.

TITLE III, CANON 13: Of Dioceses without Bishops

Sec. 1

. A Diocese without a Bishop may, by an act of itsConvention, and in consultation with the Presiding Bishop, be
placed under the provisional charge and authority of a Bishop of
another Diocese or of a resigned Bishop, who shall by that act be
authorized to exercise all the duties and offices of the Bishop of the
Diocese until a Bishop is elected and ordained for that Diocese or
until the act of the Convention is revoked.

Sec. 2

. Any Bishop may, on the invitation of the Convention or ofthe Standing Committee of any Diocese where there is no Bishop,
visit and exercise episcopal offices in that Diocese or any part of it.
This invitation may include a letter of agreement, shall be for a
stated period and may be revoked at any time.

Sec. 3

. A Diocese, while under the provisional charge of a Bishop,shall not invite any other Bishop to visit and exercise episcopal acts
or authority without the consent of the Bishop in charge.

For January 1, 2011, Feast of the Holy Name

RGE — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 13:30:18 +0000

Dear St. John’s Parish Eagles,

Greetings to you on this First Day of the New Year, 2011, which in the Church Year Calendar (every January 1st) is also the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.

The Lord bless you and keep you this year; may every need of provision of yours be met, may every need for healing be accomplished, and as you seek the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in your life, may you find the blessing of ministry, in Jesus’ Name.

As I write this at 1:00 am on 1/1/11, I am overseeing the eventual slowdown and dropoff to sleep of 4 grandsons staying at my house this night. I say eventual, because it hasn’t quite happened yet. It has been a fun evening, and they are still quite stimulated from it all. I’ve put on a DVD, “The Polar Express”, in hopes eyelids will become heavy and all will become quiet. That ain’t quite happening either, as they all know the movie almost by heart, and from the start of pushing the Play button, have had a running commentary on every scene, including loudly reminding me that my favorite part is about to be on!

Now that I’ve seen again the scene with the face-off between the crew of the Polar Express and the 100,000 (“or maybe a million”) caribou, I’ll finish my thoughts.

At the very end of November, Joey Arend finished the work for his “God and Family” award (the God and Country Scout award for older Cub Scouts). He did this work on his own, with his parents and family, and with me as his Counselor and Pastor. One of the sections of the study and projects was a section on the names and backgrounds of not only his family, but also various bible personages. In consideration of who we are and where we come from, names are very important. Joey’s full name, Joseph, or Yusef in Hebrew and Arabic names, reminds us of another very important Yusef and his bride Mariam (Joseph and Mary), and their first born son, Y’shua, Jesus. This feast day recognizes the moment of formally “naming” the child, as noted in the Gospel for the day from Luke 2:21 - ”..at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

You will recall that we have used the Collect for the Feast of the Holy Name as a collect for Mission, said together every Sunday after the Collect for the Day, the main petition being, “…you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world” (BCP, page 213).

The Name of Jesus must continue to be lifted up before the World, so that they might see, and hear, and come to receive the saving power of Jesus Christ in their lives. And there is power in the Name.

The veneration of the Holy Name was encouraged in the 1100′s by the example of Bernard of Clairvaux, who apostrophized it in many sermons, just prior to . But the greatest promoters of this devotion were Bernardino of Siena and his follower John Capistrano in the 1300′s. “They carried with them on their missions in the turbulent cities of Italy a copy of the monogram of the Holy Name, surrounded by rays, painted on a wooden tablet, wherewith they blessed the sick and wrought great miracles. At the close of their sermons they exhibited this emblem to the faithful and asked them to prostrate themselves, to adore the Redeemer of mankind.” The practice of showing the monogram of Jesus over gates and above doors largely begins with their exhortations, which The tablet used by St. Bernardino is venerated at the basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli at Rome. This monogram of the name of Jesus consisted of the first three letters of his name from the greek language, showing as i, h, s.

See this wall decoration representing that same wooden tablet:

As a devotion today, January 1, with your family, or by yourself, consider first your name, why it was given to you, and what meaning it might have in your family, or the meaning the name itself has. For instance, my name, Robert, coming from the old french and latin, means Bright Fame. Then talk about the name of Jesus, and what it means, and especially what it means to you. If you are not sure about the meaning of your or your family names, do an internet search. Just type into a search engine box, such as Google, your name followed by a comma, followed by the word name, and you will find what you are looking for.

Include in your devotion how you might share the name of Jesus with someone else today, or this week. Include in your devotions one or more of the bible readings for the day for the daily office: Ps. 103; Ps. 148; Gen. 17:1-12a, 15-16; Col. 2:6-12; John 16:23b-30,

or for the Holy Communion, Numbers 6:22-27, Psalm 8, Galatians 4:4-7 or Philippians 2:5-11, and Luke 2:15-21.

Finish your devotion using prayers from the Prayer Book for the Holy Name, and for your family, and for our parish for this new year. If you don’t have a prayer book at home you should consider purchasing one (there are several gift Prayer Books at the church); again use the internet and search for Collect, family (or Parish, or Holy Name).

See you on Sunday. As a connecting reflection, our retiring Senior Warden, Judy Wilds, will be preaching as the Lord has led her on the name of Jesus!

Happy New Year.

Fr. Rob

Two huge answers to prayer

RGE — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 07:35:51 +0000

Dear St John’s Eagles,

One of the biggest stories in the last 24 hours is the news that an impasse that existed in the attempts to cobble together a satisfactory alliance of agendas, ethnic forces, political and religious authorities in Iraq has finally been overcome.

You can see one of the first of the news articles here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40122481/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa

I bring this to your attention because I have been bringing the need to your attention for your prayers that this would happen. It has been printed in the Sunday bulletin prayers and intercessions section for well over a year. As well, we have been lifting this up in prayer at our 7:15am Morning Prayer time almost every day.

It is an example of praying specifically for something. That is, in this case, praying for peace but doing so in an informed manner. And, in this case, the point that if there was no cooperatively shared government in Baghdad, there would never be any peace in the nation (there would never really be a nation), as well as the work of our military and diplomatic corps – and all the lives sacrificed for that purpose – would have seem wasted. So the intercession I requested of you was not to limit your prayer ethereally to “peace”, but to pray for what just happened to happen.

This is a faith building moment. Something huge, beyond ourselves. Where our lives and concerns and hopes and even prayers lay seemingly inconsequential we have found them suddenly to be within our reach — or more properly, within God’s reach. That, of course, is the hope of things to come that we have in our belief in Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.

You must see the connection, or your prayers will be either non-existent altogether (like, why bother?) or lacking the faithful expectation (like, “our thoughts go with you”) we have been entrusted as heirs of the kingdom of God.

Should we attribute this good news for Iraq and the stability of the Mid-East to the prayers of the faithful back at St. John’s in Tulare? Well, frankly, along with any and all others who were petitioning the Lord faithfully, Yes. Why? Because we were bold to say, “Our Father…”

There are so many questions that this stance raises among both the faithful and the cynical alike. Some of the questions are basic logistics. Why does prayer take so long so often to be answered? How many people had to pray for this to happen, or is it a function of numbers at all? Even praying this specifically does not seem to take into account the massive efforts of international diplomats, Iraqi patriots concerned with government, civic forces, ethnic sacrifices, etc., so shouldn’t there have been even more specific intentions in prayer?

Some of the questions are based on theological views of the realtionship between God and his creation, that is, variations on the question (and answers to), “How involved does God become in the day to day operations and entanglements of human beings?” As well, some of these questions are concerned with discerning the content of those prayers, that is, what in fact is God’s will, and is my prayer a proper one?

I believe these are important questions, the answers even moreso. It might be helpful to some to know that everything being posited in this word of encouragement and exhortation is based on God’s teaching through the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. This is, in fact, the first place to go to find the answers to those questions. Hopefully (and as I obviously teach and preach), the answers to these questions – without allowing the questioning itself to force a moritorium on intercession – should lead Christians to even more heartfelt, faithful, expectant, fervent and bold petitions, and thanksgivings, perhaps all the while engendering even more questions. The fulfillment enboldens us even more.

What larger than life state, national, contintental, and world situations does this now motivate you to place into prayer? And do you not see the value of an unwavering commitment to that prayer in the name of Jesus to see it through?

I did say that there were TWO huge prayer petitions answered. The second is an answer much closer to home, actually affecting someone in our own parish family. It was shared with me this past Sunday morning: it was the offer by a former employer to have this person come back to the job from which they had been released. The time frame was much shorter than our prayers for the Iraqi coalition government to be formed, only 4 months worth, and unemployed for about 3 months of those 4. Praise the Lord God Almighty.

Is this huge? Yes. Not because there was an answer at all, because we see answers to parishioners prayers all the time. But regarding employment, some of you have prayed for a job that did take as long as the Iraqi prayer. So you know that the intensity and commitment to the job prayer was at least the same and probably more than any petition for something far more removed. And you also know that given the current state of business and budgets and employment, finding a job, and a job you want and might actually enjoy, is indeed a huge thing. So, again, Alleluia!

In this case, too, we can say that St. John’s has had a hand in the answer to this prayer by being willing to utter the petition in the first place, and to continue on with it until we saw it through. Again, we were so bold as to say, “Our Father in heaven..” Again, this is a faith building moment. Something huge, an economy and its consequences beyond our ability to manage ourselves, and we have found what seemed unreachable suddenly to be within our reach — or more properly, within God’s reach. Again, this is the hope of things to come that we have in our belief in Jesus Christ, risen from the dead.

This is a time – as with all moments of the vision of God’s Kingdom – for rejoicing, and for worship. Our only restraint is the awareness that answered prayer does not imply utopia acheived. But we can say that with answered prayer the summit has been reached, to use a hiking illustration. And then it is time to continue on with the hike.

How might this parish pray for you, and your concerns both personal and beyond yourself, both far and near? And what will you do to join in the prayers for others, and other situations, as a member or friend of this parish? Intercession and personal prayer ministry is a central part of the vision for this parish. If not already, it is time for you to be engaged as both someone who asks for prayer and as someone who prays for others.

Training and resources for learning are available. Trained and authorized prayer teams are also ready to assist you in your own needs, and to which you might join. Daily prayers at Morning Prayer can be requested by writing your petition or thanksgiving into the prayer log at the back of the nave in the church. And you can join us at 7:15am any morning.

On behalf of those in Iraq, and all and any who have found their prayers answered through the prayer ministry of St. John’s, thank you for praying.

Rob+