March 8, 2024
I continue to peek in on Jackie and Shadow for a few minutes each day. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed, exactly. Let's call it engaged. Invested. Let's just say these two eagles are occupying some of my emotional energy and some space in my heart.
Here's the thing. We're nearing the window for Bald Eagle egg incubation and there is not, as of this writing, signs of hatching yet. The weather in Big Bear Valley has been harsh, and for the last few days when I peek in on these eagle parents in the morning they are covered in snow. These eggs may not hatch.
Scripture tells us that worrying will not add one day to our lives. I know that my worry for Jackie and Shadow's three eggs will not change one thing about whether these eggs are meant to hatch or not. I am also one who struggles with this beautiful advice from Scripture. I can't help but worry about those I love most dearly: my family and friends, Saint Annians, and now I've somehow added Jackie and Shadow to this list.
Leaving things in God's hands is especially difficult for me when hearts and potential heartbreak are on the line.
My prayer for you this week is to love with your whole heart, and to leave the rest to God. My prayer is for you to find that oasis of God's peace in the middle of any deserts of worry you might be wandering. My prayer for all of us this Lent is to sink more and more deeply into the peace that passes all understanding, no matter the circumstance.
March 1, 2024
Have you been following Jackie and Shadow, the two bald eagles who live in Big Bear Valley Wilderness area in southeastern California? Jackie and Shadow are a bald eagle pair who have been together for a number of years. About nine years ago, the Forest Service set up a live cam to watch their nest, and since that time the pair have hatched five eaglets. This year Jackie laid three eggs and the pair has gained quite a following as they incubate their eggs and wait to become parents.
We are so lucky in Minnesota to see eagles on a regular basis. Living about a mile or so from the Mississippi River, I see them flying around at least weekly and they never fail to inspire awe with their majesty and elegance as they soar and dive on the wind currents. In some traditions, a bald eagle sighting is a sign of protection from an ancestor who has gone on to greater glory, and it always warms my heart to take them as such.
Peaking in on Jackie and Shadow now and then on the live cam has given me a different perspective on bald eagles; a chance to see the sweet, softer side of them. Jackie and Shadow take turns sitting on the eggs and trade turns flying off for food and maybe just a break. Each time Shadow comes back, he brings another stick or twig to strengthen the nest. Each time Jackie comes back, she fusses over the eggs again, making sure Shadow has done his job well. The pair communicate with one another through sound and touch. They seem quite in tune with one another's needs and wants, and very willing to share the duties of becoming parents.
Getting to know Jackie and Shadow just a bit in this way has made me marvel at their simple beauty. Jackie and Shadow aren't doing anything special to gain a following or to make people like them; they just exist. And existing is enough; people see their majesty, their strength, their love and commitment, and it feels holy. It feels sacred.
If you want to peak in on Jackie and Shadow you can click here, and this is just the right time: the hatching should be soon. My prayers for you this week are to find holiness in simple beauty, to remember that there is almost always a softer side to most people and most situations, and for you to know that you do not need to be anything other than who you are to be loved. You are loved because you are.
February 23, 2024
I have been immersed in all things Taylor Swift for the past few weeks, doing my best to live up to my promise to the kids of Saint Anne's regarding a Taylor Swift breakout session during Lenten Wednesdays. Oh, the deep dives I've done and rabbit holes I've chased! The best part has been learning from the kids. They've pointed me toward certain songs - and advised me on which ones to avoid, due to inappropriate lyrics! - and let me know which songs are meaningful to them. How does it all tie into Lent and Easter? Well, just listen to the lyrics of the song Marjorie, one that Noah shared as a favorite:
And if I didn't know better
I'd think you were talking to me now
If I didn't know better
I'd think you were still around
What died didn't stay dead
What died didn't stay dead...
Resurrection tones?! And that is just the tip of the Taylor Swift and Lent iceberg.
The truth is, of course, that Taylor Swift did not write lyrics specifically to align with Lent, or Easter, or even Christianity in general. But the deeper truth is that the story we enter during Lent and through Easter, the entire story of Christianity, is not contained by the church. Our Great Story of love, sacrifice, pain, sharing, loss, grief, mystery, holiness, and yes, new life, is universal. It is the blood that runs through our veins and the beating of our hearts. It's community and connection and all the ways we matter to one another. It's the truth we all live, day in and out.
My prayer for you this week is to find our Great Story out in the wider world. To see the creative force of God at work in something new, to feel the presence of the living Christ in unexpected places, and to hear Spirit singing truths about love, connection, loss, grief, growth, mystery, holiness, and transformation wherever you seek it.
February 16, 2024
On Ash Wednesday this week, we marked our foreheads with ash in the shape of a cross, reminiscent of the crosses of oil that are marked on our foreheads at our baptism. The crosses of ash remind us that in and through and despite all the grittiness of life, we remain wrapped in the love poured on us in baptism. We remember that this is not only true in our lives, but in our deaths. Ash Wednesday is not meant to make us feel bad about ourselves, it is meant to set us free. We are beloved! We get to let the rest go.
I once heard Lent referred to as "Spring Cleaning for the soul" and the image of shaking the cobwebs and clearing some built up clutter has stuck with me. Maybe for you a Spring Cleaning of the Soul means letting go of a habit that currently keeps you from being your fullest self, the person God is calling you to be. Maybe for you a Lenten Spring Cleaning means taking on a new spiritual practice or another form of self care. Maybe it means taking on new acts of kindness toward others.
Here is some fun Saint Anne's news: this Lent you'll be receiving a weekly email from Saint Anne's Adult Ed crew, with a reflection to ponder. Nothing you need to do - just watch your email for the next five Mondays. The Adult Ed team hopes this ads to your Lenten practices this year.
I hope you will also consider attending Lenten Wednesdays at Saint Anne's during Lent this year. Our five Wednesdays together are a time of casual conversation over dinner, and beautifully intentional conversations during our break out sessions. All followed by the lovely Holden Evening Prayer. It all begins at 5:45 PM this Wednesday, and YOU are warmly welcome. Details are below.
My prayer for you this week is that however you choose to enter this intentional and reflective season, it feels life-giving. Spring Cleaning is dusty, sometimes messy, sometimes daunting work, but oh, the way the light shines through the windows when it's done with care!
February 9, 2024
Greetings from Brainerd, where I am attending the annual ECMN Clergy Conference until Saturday afternoon. The theme of the conference this year is Questions of Jesus. Right at the outset, I learned a new Bible Fun Fact that I share in case you ever come across this in trivia, or you want to dazzle dinner guests one night:
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus asks 307 questions.
He himself is asked 183 questions, of which he answers only 3.
Who knew?! It's almost as if the questions matter more than the answers. Could it be? A few questions Jesus asks over the course of the four Gospels include:
Who do you say that I am?
What do you want me to do for you?
Do you believe that I am able to do this?
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
At our conference, we've been asked to ponder the questions Jesus asks in John 1:38, of two disciples who are following him just after he is baptized by John: “What are you looking for?”
What are you looking for? In this particular story, the two disciples answer Jesus with, "Where are you staying?" Which of course, isn't an answer, but it does reveal the hope they have: to remain near Jesus, wherever he goes.
What are you looking for? Somehow I think Jesus wasn't as much looking for an answer as he was asking those disciples what matters to them. Of course whenever Jesus talks to the disciples, he's talking to us, too. Which means he's asking us the same question - to consider what we're trying to remain near in our lives; consider what matters most to us.
My prayer for you this week is to have some time and space to ponder. What are you looking for? Whatever is -- Comfort? Love? Security? New energy? Peace? Connection? Joy? -- my prayer is for it to show up for you in any form, large or small. A gift from Spirit, who dances with delight at the mere idea of presenting to you just what you seek.
February 2, 2024
Happy Vernal Equinox! (the halfway point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox)
Happy St. Brigid’s Day! (Originally known as a Celtic fire goddess, Brigid also was embraced by the early church and canonized as a saint)
Happy Groundhog Day! (a decidedly American holiday)
Those are just a few of the global celebrations and feasts on this date. For us in the Episcopal Church, today we can also say Blessed Candlemas! and whatever the appropriate greeting is for the The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. "Hey, it's Presentation Day!"?
What is Candlemas? In the early Christian tradition, Feb. 2 was the date that all of the candles that would be used in churches during the coming year were blessed. During the Middle Ages, this observance grew in popularity even outside the walls of the church and Candlemas became a secular festival of lights. One source writes:
During the dark and gloomy February, the shadowy recesses of medieval churches twinkled brightly as a procession of the congregation carried lit candles around the church and the candles were blessed by the priest. The parishioners took these candles home, where they were thought to be talismans to ward off storms, demons and other evils. The custom lasted in England until the Reformation when it was banned as promoting veneration of magical objects. Even so, the symbol of lighted candles was too ingrained in popular culture to be entirely cast aside. In many areas of Great Britain, traces of the festival lingered until recently.
And The Presentation of Jesus? The Presentation is the day Mary and Joseph brought 40 day old Jesus to the Temple to be presented to God. The story in the Gospel of Luke contains one of, in my opinion, the most beautiful and most haunting passages in all of Scripture, spoken by Simeon as he saw and recognized Jesus as Messiah (ahh, there's our Epiphany theme again!):
And the child's father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother 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."
Feb. 2 is a sacred day in many traditions, for many reasons. My prayer for you is to find something sacred about this time as well. My prayer for you for this week is for light to shine upon you, for Jesus to present himself to you, in whatever form that takes. And we might as well throw in blessings from St. Brigid, and a continued easy winter blessing from that groundhog, as well!
January 26, 2024
The last few weeks have been a trip down memory lane, albeit one that didn't require too much memory power: I've been looking back at the last year at Saint Anne's, as I've been preparing for our Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 28th, at 9:30.
Some of the preparation for this meeting consists of gathering data about what our life together as Saint Annians looked like in 2023. Both the national church and the ECMN (Episcopal Church in Minnesota), require all churches to keep track of things like how may services we held over the year (107), what the average attendance was per Sunday (80), and how many baptisms, burials, and receptions into the Episcopal church we had. Our Treasurer Jeff Holland has been gathering data to be able to present to you the financial numbers, and our amazing staff, Wardens, Vestry, and other ministry chairs have generously offered their overview of what our various ministries have done this year.
On the technical side, these numbers directly correlate to things like the number of delegates Saint Anne's is able to send to the ECMN Convention, and offers both the ECMN and the national church a snapshot of what an average Episcopal church looks like right now.
On the spiritual side, these numbers represent so much more. They are our laughter and our tears. Our worries and our joys. Our efforts, our ideas, our dreams and visions. The prayers we've said, the candles we've lit, the songs we've sung. The babies we've welcomed and dear memories of those who have gone on to greater glory. Our life together. What an honor and a gift.
My prayer for you this week is to know how deeply I appreciate you in this community. Yes, you. Each one of you shines with the light of Christ, and oh my, do you shine brightly. Saint Anne's is very blessed, and so am I. My prayer is that you feel blessed in this community, too.
January 19, 2024
You'll see below a new section of the Announcer this week, called Saint Annians in the Wild. It may be a section that comes and goes: to every thing there is a season. But for this week, it is here, and it is a celebration of us and all of the things Saint Annians do outside of church. It is also an invitation to get to know ourselves a little better. Many of us only see one another for a short time on Sunday mornings, and some weeks that might consist of a greeting, a passing of the peace, and a genuine but too brief, "How are you?" and "Stay warm!" as we head back out into the world.
Look below. Read up on what some of your fellow Saint Annians are up to. Marvel at the amazing people with whom we keep company. Ask them a few questions the next time you see them. Show up and cheer them on if you're able. And if you have something of your own to share, please tell me too, so I can put it in a future Saint Annians in the Wild.
My prayer for us this third week of Epiphany, the season of stars and journeys and new understandings, is the opportunity to learn something new and maybe surprising about one another. You are all pretty amazing people, made in the image of God and brimming with the light of Christ in all kind of spectacular ways. My prayer is for you is to let your light shine in every way, and in every place, you can.
January 5, 2024
Merry Christmas! It's the last time I can say that to you for approximately 354 days - this Saturday the church calendar marks the Feast of the Epiphany , or Three Kings Day, as it is known in many places, and the official end of the Christmas season.
When I was a little girl growing up in Puerto Rico, Three Kings Day was at least as big a celebration as Christmas. Christmas Eve was candlelight and hymns, Christmas Day itself was church, and the ringing of bells, and yes, some presents, but honoring the 12 Days of Christmas was tradition, so Christmas Day was when the real celebration began and it only grew from there.
Through the 12 Days there were groups of revelers in the neighborhoods who would go from door-to-door, singing and merry-making, and if they knocked, you had to invite everyone in for food and drink - and then head out with them to the next house. Through my little girl lens, this all happened "in the middle of the night". Truthfully, it was probably more like 8 PM, but I was often already in my pajamas, and it all felt exciting and magical and daring to me, to go out singing into the dark night. Then, on the eve of Epiphany, the night before Three Kings Day, kids would pick grass from the lawn - for the camels - and put it in a box under the Christmas tree next to the creche.The next morning, the grass would be gone and there would be presents in its place. There would be a parade that day too, through the streets of the city; a final celebration of the arrival of the Christ.
Honestly, as an adult, I don't know how parents, or anyone for that matter, did it. I can't imagine having food and drink ready for neighbors to possibly drop by for 12 nights. Let alone grabbing my pajama-clad kids and joining them! But it was, as my kids say now, "back in the 1900s". A different time. One I might remember with the slightly skewed eyes of child (surely we went out one night - but it could not have been all 12?!, I'll need to ask my mom), but, nonetheless, it was a time I hold close in my memories as one of wonder and true joy in welcoming the Christ.
However you celebrate it, Happy Nearly-Epiphany. My prayer for you is for eyes to see the stars as the magi did, for hearts brave enough to step out and follow as they did, and for encounters with Christ that fill you with wonder, wherever you go.
December 29, 2023
Merry Christmas! We are right in the middle of our 12 Days now and I hope you have seen the light of Christ shine in some way. Our own Joan Stovall wrote a reflection after she saw the light of Christ this season and it is too beautiful not to share (with Joan's permission). Joan writes:
Christmas happened yesterday. Christ’s Light, right in the middle of Apple Valley. Bindi, our dog, was very ill and we searched frantically for an emergency animal hospital taking patients this Sunday. With many hospitals already at capacity, a vet at the emergency animal hospital in Apple Valley agreed to squeeze Bindi into their already packed schedule. The receptionist explained apologetically that it would likely be a six hour wait at the site. As Bindi and I sat waiting in the crowded room with the other animals and owners, staff greeted each incoming pet with compassion and concern. With exam rooms full, the vets quietly examined pets in the waiting room, helping the animals and calming anxious owners. At one point, the staff rushed out to help transport a very sick animal onto a gurney and in through another door. The waiting room became still, but the Light shined. Two separate people arrived quietly weeping, bearing their already deceased pets. Others came in to be with their pets as they went over the Rainbow Bridge. The staff offered quiet words and gently guided them to a back room. The professionals worked tirelessly through a continuous stream of desperate new patients and nonstop phone calls from frantic pet owners. They helped those they could and tried to find other resources for others when there was no more space. Christmas was happening. The animals looked on and the Light of Christ shined brighter and brighter.
My prayer for you, this Christmas week and always, is for you to see, with your eyes or with your heart, the light of Christ shine through and in unexpected places.
December 22, 2023
O Holy Night is easily my favorite Christmas carol. Well, technically, it isn't known as a carol. And it's not officially a hymn; it doesn't appear in many hymnals. “Sacred song” is maybe the best term I've heard. But whatever label anyone wants to give it, O Holy Night has an interesting history. Like many intriguing pieces of history, and like lots of good theology - like Mary’s The Magificat, which we heard last Sunday and will hear again this Sunday morning - the story of O Holy Night involves twists and turns and political challenges by a world that sometimes misses the countercultural message of Jesus. Like the message of Jesus often is, O Holy Night was tangled for a time with human power struggles. It even survived a ban by the church.
Aside from the exquisite melody and the chills I get when I hear this song sung well, the lyrics themselves are a balm and a comfort to my heart, which indeed can feel weary at times, heavy with the struggles of the world. The lyrics invoke a theology that speaks of love and liberation flowing from something beyond ourselves. Our human struggles - the conflict, division, inequity, bitterness, resentment, even hatred that humanity wrestles with far too often – are real. Also real is the presence of something bigger than we are; an energy flow of love and light and yes, a thrill of hope.
My prayer for you this week is for hope to show up for you as tangible and real. My prayer is that whatever makes you most weary, whatever it is you struggle with most deeply, can be soothed, even just slightly, with our Holy Night. My prayer is for you to feel some piece, however large or small, of the thrill that comes with knowing that For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn…
December 15, 2023
Angels and shepherds and soldiers, oh my!
That's right, this Sunday is Saint Anne's annual Christmas pageant and I can't wait. After an hour+ of rehearsal last Saturday morning, one of the pageanteers approached RaeKell with concern and said, "I think we're going to need more practice." Though RaeKell and I both noticed the... spirited!.... atmosphere at the rehearsal, we assured our participant that the pageant will be amazing. It always is, and those little quirks that pop up only make it better.
I did value the concern, though. This pageant performer understands the importance of story and good story-telling. Just like the Gospel writers. And just like you. What, you say you don't fit that category? Well, quick, think of a favorite Christmas decoration in your home and why is it a favorite. Chances are it's not the object itself, but the story that goes with it. Maybe it was made by your grandmother, or your child(ren)? I have both of those as favorites at my house. Maybe your favorite is a gift from someone you love, and it makes you think of them. Maybe it holds a treasured memory from a vacation or from a Christmas gone by.
Shared stories are at the heart of any culture or community. Storytelling is how cultural and religious knowledge and traditions are passed down. Stories create a community out of a group of people. And the amazing thing about the really good stories is that there is always something new to discover about them. The Christmas story is one of those. Just wait until Pageant Sunday, you'll see!
My prayer for you this week is the chance to immerse yourself in our shared stories of Advent and (almost) Christmas. My prayer is time to read, or listen or watch something that draws you more deeply into the impossible, messy, mystical story of Emmanuel: God with us. My prayer for you this week is that the familiar story feels like a warm blanket around your shoulders - but that it also has you looking up at the stars with new thoughts in your head and new dreams in your heart.
December 8, 2023
How is the waiting going? Have you been able to sink yourself deep into the Advent message getting quiet and allowing yourself to be nurtured in the darkness, like a seed waiting underground? Have you been lighting your candles, settling in, and taking time to just BE?
I have been a pretty serious failure at that this week. Well, I'm good at the lighting candles part - I practice hygge and make sure to light candles at sunset every evening during the dark winter months - but other than that, I'm doing a poor job of just letting the flurry of life go around me for these few precious weeks. I am longing for the quiet Advent hush, though, and I know the plea Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence includes me too. I also know making time for our souls to take rest is holy.
Prepare the way! John the Baptist will remind us this Sunday. I vow to do better in the weeks to come. May it be so.
My prayer for you this week is to be better at Advent than me! And my prayer for you this week is to know that whether you are feeling the peace of this season or not, whether you are lighting candles or not, whether you are ok right now or not ok right now, you are loved beyond measure and new light will come.
December 1, 2023
I was at Target on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Yes, that is a direct result of poor planning on my part, and yes, I deserved what I got. What I got was two available cashiers for the entire, very busy, store, and a line for self-checkout that, for those who know your West St. Paul Target, wrapped all the way past produce to the bread aisle. If you know your West St. Paul Target, then you know I was in a line at least 30 people deep. As I stood in line, I did what literally every other person in front of me was doing: I reached for my phone. Texts, emails, social media - how else would I keep myself entertained for the entire 15 minutes I was in line?!
The truth is, I have gotten progressively worse at waiting - for anything - over the last few years. The pace of everyday life is such that long lines feel especially long, and doing - gasp! - nothing while I wait feels especially hard. The twist is, of course, that being still is not "doing nothing". Stillness, waiting, holding space, breathing in the calm, is not only "something", but is a very valuable something. Our bodies, minds, and spirits need time to just be. It's only in this kind of time that we can wonder and imagine and daydream. And wondering, imagining, and daydreaming are essential. Even Biblical!
Advent is this kind of time. Inky darkness comes early in our part of the world, the colder weather (most years!) keeps us wrapped and cozy, and we are invited to live into the stillness that it all brings. We are invited to put our phones down, to turn the world off for a bit, and to marinate in the quiet and calm. To let our hearts beat with the blinking of the stars.
As it happened, when I reached for my phone in the long Target line, I realized I'd left it in the car. I was given no choice but to wait quietly, and let myself experience some moments of "doing nothing". Breathing. Thinking. Letting my mind wander. Who says one cannot experience a moment of sacredness in line at Target?!
My prayer for you this week is for some of the quiet and calm that allows you to see the stars and hear whispers of Spirit - wherever you can find it. My prayer for you this Advent is for time to allow your dreams to run wild and your hearts to find peace. My prayer for you is for some of the quiet stillness that allows for God to be more deeply known.
November 10, 2023
Today is the first full day of the annual ECMN Convention, and your two delegates, Corinne and Joan, and I are in for a weekend of connection, community, church business, worship, and - best of all - our incredible Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, will be will us for the weekend, preaching on several occasions.
The theme of this year's Convention is "Repairing the Breach". The description of the weekend reads: Join us to revive our commitment to the Way of Jesus and to one another, and to restore our hope and commitment to repairing the breaches in our lives and communities.
It's a tall order, but if anyone can get us one step closer, it's our Presiding Bishop.
My prayer for you, for us, and for the ECMN this week is for renewed resolve for the work we are called to do together. Walking the Way of Love is not for the faint of heart, but if anyone aside from the Presiding Bishop can get us one step closer, it's you. (Yes, you!) My prayer this week is that you know this.
If you would like to watch online in real time you can register for a Zoom link right here. There is a $15 cost. I would imagine Presiding Bishop Curry's sermons will also be posted later - and Joan, Corinne, and I will be sure to share the highlights.
November 3, 2023
This week's celebration of the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls is among my favorite of our holy days. If we go way back in the tradition, these two days are part of the fuller season of Allhallowtide, which actually includes the three days from 31 October to 2 November. Three is a sacred number in our tradition, of course, and for me these days feel truly sacred. It was an honor to spend time this week lighting candles and saying aloud the names of the saints of my life, your lives, and our lives together.
In the New Testament, the word "saints" describes the entire community of followers of The Way of Jesus. From the very early church, followers whose lives were particularly inspiring began to be described as "Saints" with a capital S. On All Saints' Day, November 1, we remember those Saints whose lives and actions we look to as models for our own. All Souls' Day, November 2, extends from All Saints' Day as a time to remember and honor deceased family and friends. We'll celebrate both together this Sunday, at both services. As The Book of Common Prayer teaches, “The communion of saints is the whole family of God, the living and the dead, those whom we love and those whom we hurt, bound together in Christ by sacrament, prayer, and praise.”
Of course, our ancestors and loved ones, our "great cloud of witnesses", as Scripture puts it, are always with us. But this is a time when the veil between this world and the next is considered paper-thin. We light candles to draw them closer to us, and us to them. We speak their names to keep them alive to us, even as we are acknowledging that death has no power to separate them from us.
My prayer this week is for you to feel that sacred connection between people across time and space: a sense of the Saints, and the saints, to love and guard and guide you, and a sense of your own sainthood, as a follower of the Way of Love. My prayer for you this week is for an embracing of the Holy Mystery of these paper-thin days.
October 27, 2023
Luis is a priest! It was such a celebratory occasion. As Bishop Loya put it on his Instagram account: "The joy was deep, the Spirit strong, and the music rocking". It was all of that, and more. There are so many thank yous to offer:
To the Vestry who followed through with all the paperwork
To the Atlar Guild who beautified and made sure we had enough bread and wine
To Jessica Ricardo, for all she did to help coordinate the service
To everyone who served as greeters, ushers, verger, and acolytes
To everyone organized and decorated and brought food
To Tony, Naomi, and the choir who did us all so proud (and got us dancing!)
To all who showed up, watched from home, prayed and sent well wishes
To Mary Holland who made our beautiful matching, stoles!
What's next? With the Bishop's blessing, Luis will now enter a two-year curacy at Saint Anne's. (A curacy is basically an internship that takes place after ordination.) This means that Luis will continue to be a regular presence as part of the worship team on Sundays, and of course Carrie and the kids will continue to be Saint Annians, too. Thanks be! Thanks also to the Church Divinity School of the Pacific for sponsoring Luis in this program.
My prayer for you this week is that you have occasion to feel the presence of Spirit, experience the joy of shared connections, and that you hear music to dance to, whether in body, mind, or spirit. As one of my seminary professors always said, "It takes a community to raise a priest". We're all in this together and the ministry of one is a ministry for all. My prayer for all of us this week is for our joyful shared future together.
Congratulations to the Rev. Dr. Luis Ottley, Carrie, and their family, on his ordination!
October 20, 2023
I went for a walk along the river near the University of Minnesota campus wth my Gopher yesterday. The fall colors in the early evening light were absolutely exquisite. I was reminded of one of my favorite poems:
Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.― Elizabeth Barrett Browning
As I'm sure you know, the third line of the poem refers to the story of the Burning Bush, from Exodus. In the story, when Moses walks over to examine the burning bush, God says, "Moses! Moses! Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing is holy ground." (Exodus 3:5)
There is nothing wrong with picking blackberries, of course. In fact, there is a lot that is right with picking blackberries. But oh, to see the earth as "crammed with heaven"! To see the presence of God in every common bush! That is my prayer for you this week: glimpses and glimmers and occasions to remove your shoes.
October 13, 2023
Yesterday, I posted on Instagram an image of my home altar: a wooden table hand made for me by my uncle, on which sits images of Jesus (specifically Jesus the Healer), Mary the Mother (the protector from dangers), Archangel Rafael (known for healing and protection), a Citrine angel, a chalice, a cross, some rocks from Lake Superior, shells from ocean beaches, mementos of loved ones who have died. Incense. Candles. Along wth the photo I posted, I invited anyone who felt moved to do so to send me a prayer request. I received many, from all different people. Some requests came from people I know well, and some from people I don't. Some of those people are religious, and some are not.
Most of the prayer requests I received were, in some form or another, prayers for peace. The lack of peace in the world weighs heavily on our spirits and souls right now. The deep longing for it aches in our hearts. I think we pray so fervently for peace because we know peace is so sacred that it must come from a source bigger than any of us. As the prayer requests came in, I lit candles at the altar and prayed every one.
Peace is my prayer for you this week as well. It is my prayer for our communities, for our world. This week and always: peace, peace, peace. Lord, have mercy. Let there be peace.
October 6, 2023
This week I heard from one of my closest high school friends, letting me know her father had died. I was sad to hear of his passing and grateful my friend reached out. It had been many years since I had seen him, but during high school he was like a second father. Always supportive, always joking, listening to our stories, offering advice, chauffeuring us around, and always welcoming me as part of the family. I thought I knew him well, but it was not until I read his obituary that I learned his full story.
I knew Frank was proud of his Jewish heritage, but did not know his family immigrated to the United States to escape Nazi Germany in 1939. Frank was born just after their arrival in New York City and grew up speaking German in his home. I knew he was a lawyer, but I hadn't known he worked on the worked on the Watergate Prosecution staff. I'd known he was a professor, but hadn't realized he'd written a book about the trials of the Holocaust. And those are just the highlights. A week after learning of his death, I continue to be struck by how little I knew of the details of his life. I was a teenager when I knew him best, and likely appropriately self-absorbed, but even so. How easy it is to know so little about one another.
The last time I saw Frank was a number of years ago when I stopped at their house over a Thanksgiving weekend. I showed them photos of my kids and they showed me photos of their latest trip and it was a lovely time, as it always was at their house.
I wish I'd stayed a little longer and asked a few more questions.
My prayer for you this week is for more time and more conversation with people in your life. To be as present for one another as Christ is for us. For My prayer is that we all remember that life is short - may we live and love accordingly. My prayer this week is for Frank, and for all the Franks in the world: good people who will be missed.