Pastor Vicki

What were you expecting?

2012-02-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

It's seemed like the every conversation the last few weeks has included the topic of the weather. That is understandable - this is not what we expect for winter in Buffalo.

That got me thinking about expectations - what we expect, and how we react when things are different from our expectations.

And that got me thinking about what we expect from God. How do we expect God to act. How do we expect God to enter our lives - and what happens when God acts differently then we expect - do we even notice?

Just food for thought as we wonder where the snow is this year.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-19T07:01:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming - as a matter of fact it is coming on Saturday. We know that because the Christmas pageant was Sunday. Here's a picture from our crack photographer, Charlie Hibschweiler. The youth group created the pageant. What would the Hogwarts Christmas Pageant look like? Now we know - check out the video on St. Paul's web-site

Here's the new Christmas banner - hung in the church - thank you Jason, Brian, Brie and Kate for getting it up, looking good and not hurting yourselves in the process.

Hope to see you and your families at Christmas services -

Christmas Eve Services are at 4pm, 7pm & 11 pm
Christmas Day Service is at 9 am

January 1 the service is at 9 am

If you are travelling, be safe.

Have a Merry Christmas

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T09:18:00.001-08:00

It is in fact that time of year - as hard as I'm finding it to believe.

I hope that all of you have safe travel and a happy thanksgiving.

We all have so much to be thankful for - it's good to take some time and stop and remember it.

Moving Quickly into fall

2011-10-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how quickly fall has not only come - but has moved on.

Fall events have happened one on another.

We did Sunday School kick-off and youth group kick-off with hot dogs on September 11.

We had a Ministry Fair on September 18.

We blessed pets on October 2.

We've gone to the UB game.

We are having a fall food festival and a Halloween Party.

This is a busy place - please let me know if there is something else that you would like to have happen - hold on tight, Advent and Christmas will be here before you know it.

Remembering 9-11

2011-09-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

I'm struggling with the sermon for Sunday - the 10th anniversary of 9-11.

I'm still not sure what I'm going to say - you'll have to come to church or check out the sermon on the web-site on Monday to find out - but, the media has already begun talking about the anniversary and NPR has been having various people share their memories of that day.

But one of the things that I am thinking about is - oddly enough - Mount St. Helen's - the volcano in Washington St. I have aunts and cousins in Oregon and we went out to visit them just after the 1980 erruption and visited Mt. St. Helen's. My mother still has a jar of the ash. One of the things that I remember about 9-11 was how much the ash that covered people and buildings reminded me of the Mt. St. Helen's ash that covered everything.

However, the reason I'm thinking about it today is that about 5 years after the erruption we went back to visit Mt. St. Helen's and the trees and flowers were beginning to push their way through the ash - the ash was still there - but there were saplings and flowers growing in the midst of the ash.

I'm hoping that as the 10th annivesary of 9-11 nears that we are able to see some saplings and flowers pushing up through the ash of that day as well.

Making a Difference

2011-08-29T07:15:00.001-07:00

This is a picture of some of the school supplies that we collected this year.

We filled 20 backpacks and two big bins with school supplies and still had a few bags of supplies too.

In addition to the basic providing of supplies - I hope that we also sent the message to the kids that receive them that there are other people who think that education is important and who think that they are important. That is so much more vital than having a new pencil - knowing that there is someone out there who thinks you are important and who wants you to succeed - that is outreach to the soul.

Thank you all.

Wealth and Riches

2011-07-28T06:05:00.000-07:00

In the recent debates over the debt ceiling there has been lots of talk about "the rich" and what "the rich" are doing or not doing.

It got me thinking - everything depends on your perspective - I mostly don't think of myself at one of the rich - however - everyone else in the world does.

Don't believe me - go to globalrichlist.com and see where you fall in terms of the richest people in the world - I bet you'll be surprised.

Once you've done that - if you want to easily help those less fortunate than yourself go to freerice.com and by answering some trivia questions you can donate rice to people who have much, much less than you.

Twenty First Century Stuff

2011-06-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

We are using more and more social media here at St. Paul's. Right now it's just additional ways to stay connected - but I'm hoping over the summer and into the fall to move to more spiritually focused contact as well.

We have decided to move from Facebook groups to a facebook page - you can "like" us at St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Harris Hill on Facebook. We'll be posting some thoughts for reflection as well as parish news.

I'm also going to be using my Twitter account for some thoughts and prayer tweets - you can follow me @vdzust if you use twitter - but be warned you might get some things about my life as well as the church

When Help Isn't Helpful

2011-05-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you saw this article about donations flowing in to Alabama after the tornados. In brief the article says that they have received so much stuff - some of it useful but most of it not - that they are inundated and the tasks of finding storage space and sorting through the piles of used underwear and broken toys to get to the few things they can actually use is a huge challenge.

This seems to happen after every major disaster - people want to help - but in trying to help they get in the way- I remember a friend who was helping out after 9/11 at St. Paul's Chapel where the rescue workers were being fed and counselled and otherwise cared for. She talked about the 4 truckloads of stuffed animals that people sent. It was a nice thought - but they had no use for stuffed animals and had to either dispose of them (and pay for it) or figure out where they could be used and get them there.

Uniformally those who work in post-disaster relief say that the most useful thing that people can do is send money. With money they can purchase exactly what they need in ways that they can process efficiently or provide funds to victims directly - with the added benefit that purchasing things locally helps the economy begin to recover.

Our Christian instinct is to help those in need - but we need to be sure that our help if really helpful - not just what we want to give but what is really needed.

That's part of the reason I'm so proud of all of you - for example $285 for Japan just from people's donations - well done.

Great things are happening

2011-05-09T05:52:00.001-07:00

It has been a busy couple of weeks at St. Paul's. Holy Week and Easter and then this past week which was bookended by a visit from our new Bishop on his first day as Bishop and the ECW basket auction.

It got me thinking about everything that is going on at St. Paul's. The Bishop mentioned his first impression of our church - when he was at my house for dinner and came over to see the church on a Tuesday night and met the NA group, our Stewarship committee and the Diocesan Cursillo Secretariat all in the space.

We had the basket auction on Saturday which meant nearly 80 people, most of who aren't members here, in the building for a day of fun. We have a carnival this coming Saturday (1 - 3 come!) where St. Paul's people and members of the Venture Crew and the Boy Scout troop will join together to raise money for the people in Japan. We have the last in the series of forums on care for the Elderly on the 19th. We have another coffee hour contest, the parish picnic and Sunday School awards coming up in June.

I just wanted to take a minute and say thank you - and pat ourselves on the back for a minute - we are a busy, happening place.

A New Kind of Christianity - part 5

2011-04-11T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is the last chapter of A New Kind of Christianity that we will be looking at - I encourage you to buy the book if you want to know more. In Chapter 4 Brian looks at the way that we have traditionally seen the narrative of Scripture. In Chapter 5 he looks at a different way of viewing it. In his view - if you read Genesis as a unit what you find is not a literal history but stories that illustrate two arcs - an increasing separation from God and a beginning of a return to God. In McClaren's view the arc of separation runs from Genesis through the tower of Babel and the arc of the beginning of return runs from the calling of Abraham through the story of Joseph at the end of the book of Genesis. What do you think?

A New Kind of Christianity - part 4

2011-04-04T07:19:00.000-07:00

The fourth chapter of Brian McClaren's book moves on from setting the stage of the changes that have been happening in the world to looking at Scripture. The way that we have usually looked at Scripture is back from our current place through the lenses of all those who have gone before. So we see Scripture through the lens of modern scholars who see it through the lens of the scholars of the Reformation, who see it through the lens of the scholars of the Middle Ages who see it through the lens of the scholars of the first 1000 years and so on. The result has been that our understanding and interpretation of Scripture has been heavily influenced by neo-Platonist philosophy and that our view of the story of Scripture is colored heavily by that. McClaren's thesis is that we should look at Scripture without those influences and attempt to read the Biblical story as one narrative and to look for the themes that run through it. More next week

A New Kind of Christianity - Part 3

2011-03-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

In the third chapter of A New Kind of Christianity, Brian McClaren tells the story of the pilgrims. Right before they left on the Mayflower for America their pastor prayed for them for their new journey. In many ways, Brian says, we are headed out on a journey to a new world in the church. He suggests this as a prayer for us: "Lord, we acknowledge that we have made a mess of what Jesus started. We affirm that we are wrong and Jesus is right. We choose not to defend what we have doen and what we have become. We understan that many good Christians will not want to participate in our quest, and we welcome their charitable critque. We acknowledge that we have created many Christianities up to this point, and they call for reassessment and, in many cases, repentance. We choose to seek a better path into the future than the one we have been on. We desire to be born again as disciples for Jesus Christ. Now grant us wisdom and guide us in our quest, and create something new and beautiful in and among us for the good of all creation and to your glory, Living God." I like the prayer - but it also got me thinking - part of the journey to a new world - both by the pilgrims and by later emigrants - like those moving to the American west - is the decision about what to take with you and what to leave behind. Usually you can't take very much with you. So that raises for me the question - what should the church take with us into the new world and what should we leave behind?

A New Kind of Christianity Week 2

2011-03-21T08:28:00.000-07:00

The second chapter of A New Kind of Christianity talks about shifts in paradigms - that is in the way that we see the world and the way we interact with it. For example - when it was discovered that the earth was not the center of the solar system - but only one of many planets that all orbitied the sun - the paradigms shifted.

As we have moved into the shifting paradigms of the modern world Brian McLaren sees 10 qeustions recurring - his thesis is that we need to seek responses - as opposed to answers - to these questions:

1. What is the overarching story line of the Bible?
2. How should the Bible be understood?
3. Is God violent?
4. Who is Jesus and why is he important?
5. What is the gospel?
6. What do we do about the church?
7. Can we find a way to address human sexality without fighting about it?
8. Can we find a better way of viewing the future?
9. How should followers of Jesus relate to people of other religions?
10. How can we translate our quest into action?

So, what do you think?

A New Kind of Christianity - Part 1

2011-03-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

During Lent, St. Paul's is discussing Brian McLaren's book A New Kind Of Christianity. Each week I will post synopsis of the chapter we are looking at and I invite comments and discussion.

This week we are looking at Chapter 1.

This chapter is about setting the context for the conversation - there are several things that jump out.

The first is a set of statistics - In America today 40% of the population attends church regularly (once a month or more). However of those listed as "converts" or new members by churches 90% of them are already churched. So those who are joining churches are moving from one church to another - they aren't coming from the 60% who don't attend church regularly.

We are moving into a world where the paradigms are: Pluralism, Relativism, Globalism, Uncertainty and we need a new way of believing to respond to it.

Some other thinkers have identified similar thing

Phyllis Tickle in her book The Great Emergence suggests that every 500 years or so the Christian church holds a "rummage sale" and gets rid of some old stuff and reinvents itself for a new age.
At 500 it was the collapse of the Roman Empire and the move of the church into the role of administrator of Europe
At 1000 it was the Great Schism and the split between the Eastern and Western Churches
At 1500 it was the Reformation that led to the birth of Protestantism
And now it is happening again

Harvey Cox in his book, Future of Faith suggests that there are two previous ages in church:
The Age of Faith until about 300 which was characterized by diversity, energy, vitality, suffering, persecution, courage and rapid growth
The Age of Belief was from about 300 to about now - which was marked by the Christianization of the empire and the imperialization of Christianity. During this time Christianity became the dominant belife in the western world - in many ways to its own detriment
The Age of the Spirit - which we are entering into now - is trying to preseve the previous age and embrace new challenges.

What do you think?

On the use of "alleluias"

2011-02-28T07:40:00.000-08:00

I've been asked several times about why we don't use Alleluia's at the dismissal. So I thought I'd give an answer here as well.

There are two different rubrics (or rules) that govern the use of Alleluia in worship. One set of rubrics govern the use of Alleluia in music and in all of the liturgy except for the dismissal. This rule says that we use Alleluia all the time except during the season of Lent.

The other set of rubrics covers just the dismissal and it says that we only use Alleluia in the dismissal during the period from Easter Sunday through Pentecost, but not at any other time.

Why the difference? I honestly don't know - but that's what the rules say - :)

Getting Ready for Lent

2011-02-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

Lent is approaching - in many ways it felt like it wasn't coming this year - but it actually is - it starts on Wednesday March 8 - that is about two wweks from now. So, it's time to start thinking about Lenten fasts.

Most of us "give up" something like chocolate or coffee or some such indulgence. That can be a good Lenten discipline - to fast from things that are luxuries - it is made even more meaningful if you take what you would have spent on that indulgence and give it away. So if you get a latte three times a week - that's about $10 or $60 during the Lenten season that could go to Habitat for Humanity or Episcopal Community Services or Heifer Project or whatever is on your heart.

Another way to fast for Lent is to give up meat - try eating a vegetarian diet a couple of days a week - or removing red meat from your diet. Again - donate the differenc ein your grocery bill to those who have less.

You also might try - instead of or in addition to - one of these practices, fasting from an hour of T.V. a couple of days a week and devote that time to prayer or spiritual reaidng or attending a Lenten event at church (hint, hint).

In any case - please pray about your Lenten practices and let me know if you want some suggestions.

Thoughts on troubled times

2011-02-08T10:45:00.000-08:00

As you can probably tell I've been doing some reading in early Church writers recently. I found this in the Sayings of Syncletica, Mother of the Egyptian Desert - who is one of the earliest Christian women whose writings we have. This was written in the late 4th century - that is the late 300's but I think it still resounds today:

"Sailors beginning a voyage set the sails and look for a favorable wind, and later they meet a contyrary wind. Just because the wind has turned they do not throw the cargo overboard or abandon ship. They wait a little and battle against the storm until they can again set a direct course. And when we run into headwinds, let us put up the cross for our sail, and we shall voyage through the world in safety."

5th Century Enviornmentalism

2011-01-31T12:37:00.000-08:00

I found this piece from a sermon by Leo the Great who was Bishop of Rome in the 450ish time frame when I was looking for some food for thought for our parish Facebook group.

Who knew that there were enviormentalists in the 5th century?

"Use creatures as they should be used: the earth, the sea, the sky, the air, the springs and the rivers. Give praise and glory to their Creator for all that you find beautiful and wonderful in them. See with your bodily eyes the light that shines on earht, but embrae with your whole soul and all your affections 'the true light which enlightens everyone who comes into this world.' Speaking of this light the prophet said: "Draw close to him and let his light shine upon you and your face will not blush with shame.' If indeed the temple of God and if the Spirit of God lives in us, then what every believer has within is greater than what the believer admires in the skies."

I just think that's so cool - I love looking at the stars and I'm inspiried by the thought that because the Spirit of God lives in me then what I have within is greater than Orion.

Confession of St. Peter

2011-01-18T10:14:00.000-08:00

Today is the day that the Church celebrates the Confession of St. Peter. That is, the time when Jesus asked his disciples - "who do you say that I am?" and Peter responded - "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

So a good question for today for us is "Who do you say that He is?" and once you've answered that question - answer the next, "What does that mean for you?"

From Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, c.202 AD

2011-01-10T13:38:00.000-08:00

This is from his treatise Against Heresies:

"Through creation itself the Word reveals God the Creator. Through the world he reveals the Lord who made the world. Through all that is fahioned he reveals the artist who crafted it all."

So - what does creation show you about God? What does the world show about God? How do you see God in the world and what does what you see in creation tell you about God?

Occaisonal Thoughts

2011-01-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

I'm going to try something new this year - I am occaisionally going to post some thoughts from theologians of various times and places for consideration and comment if you like.

Here's the first one - this comes from St. Basil the Great who was Bishop of Caesarea in the 370's. This is from his treatise On the Holy Spirit.

"As we speak of worship in the Son becasue the Son is the image of God the Father, so we speak of worship in the Spirit becasue the Spirit is the manifestation of the divinity of the Lord. Through the light of the Spirit we behold the son, the splendor of God's glory, and through the Son, the very stamp of the Father, we are led to him who is the source both of his stamp, who is the Son, and of its seal, who is the Spirit."

What do you think? How might we today describe the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Spirit? And how do we worship each?

New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-20T08:15:00.000-08:00

As the New Year begins thoughts generally turn to other new beginnings. New diets, to live into those resolutions about weight loss. New exercise programs with similar goals. New budgets to mark a new year and all of the othe rthings that begin with the new year.

It is also a good time to think about some new spiritual practices. Like all of the other disciplines we tend to start in January, exercise programs and the like, our spiritual practices need regular attention and January is a good time to start a new.

A couple of suggestions for a spiritual new year's resolution:

Begin or end the day with prayer. The Book of Common Prayer has a section called "Daily Devotions for Individuals and Families" It begins on page 136 and has prayers for morning, noon, early evening and the close of day. They take about 5 minutes each. You might try starting with one or two. You can also find them on line at http://www.bcponline.org/DailyOffice/devotion.html
If you want to do a little more pick up the Forward Day by Day booklet that you can find in the back of the church, the library or the office. Each day has a short mediation and the listings of the scripture readings for that day. You can read one of the readings and the meditation as a part of your daily prayer.
If you want more, try adding Noonday Prayer or Compline to your day - these services are found in the Book of Common Prayer and take about 10 minutes each.
If you want to go even deeper - try the Daily Office - Morning or Evening Prayer or both. All you need is a Book of Common Prayer and a Bible. Let me know if you need help starting one or the other. In an on-line version would work better for you check out the Mission of St. Clare http://www.missionstclare.com

If you'd like to talk about starting these or any other spiritual disciplines, please let me know. One of the best parts of my job is helping people find their way to a closer relationship with God.

The Bishop-elect of Western New York

2010-11-22T06:57:00.001-08:00

As I'm sure that you all have heard by now, the Rev. Dr. R. William Franklin was elected Bishop of Western New York on Saturday.

The next step in the process is to ask the Standing Committees of the 110 Dioceses in the Episcopal Church and the Bishops with jurisdiction of those Dioceses to consent to the election. A majority of both need to consent within the next 120 days. Assuming that those consents are recieved, Bishop-elect Franklin will arrive in the Diocese (probably in mid-February) and will be consecrated on April 30 at the Center for the Arts at UB. I'm in charge of the arrangements for the consecration so I will be looking for lots of help to pick up people at the airport, trouble shoot for our guests and do the 101 other things to make the consecration happen - mark your calendars.

Whether or not Dr. Franklin was your, or my, first choice among the candidates, it is important that we all support and pray for our bishop-elect as he comes among us and begins to take up his ministry.

Here are the ballot results from Saturday:

Ballot 1:
Clergy - 95 votes
Ambler - 9
Bamburger - 17
Franklin - 33
Price - 36
Lay - 164 votes
Ambler - 37
Bamburger - 52
Franklin - 38
Price - 37

Ballot 2
Clergy - 95 votes
Amber - 3
Bamburger - 19
Franklin - 33
Price 40
Lay - 162 votes
Amber - 22
Bamburger - 59
Franklin - 39
Price - 42

Michael Ambler withdrew after this ballot

Ballot 3
Clergy - 95 votes
Bamburger - 19
Franklin - 32
Price - 44
Lay - 161 votes
Bamburger - 67
Franklin - 46
Price - 48

Ballot 4
Clergy - 95 votes
Bamburger - 19
Franklin - 30
Price - 46
Lay - 162 votes
Bamburger- 65
Franklin - 44
Price - 53

Ballot 5
Clergy - 93 votes
Bamburger - 18
Franklin - 32
Price - 43
Lay - 159 votes
Bamburger - 51
Franklin - 55
Price - 53

Ballot 6
Clergy- 91 votes
Bamburger - 9
Franklin - 40
Price - 42
Lay - 156 votes
Bamburger - 29
Franklin - 69
Price - 59

Ballot 7
Clergy - 89 Votes
Bamburger - 1
Franklin - 46
Price - 42
Lay - 150 votes
Bamburger - 6
Franklin - 95
Price - 49

Bishop Election

2010-11-15T06:46:00.000-08:00

The clergy and lay delegates from Western New York will gather on Saturday to elect the 11th Bishop.

If you want to know more about the candidates there is lots of information available on the Diocesan Website http://www.episcopalwny.org/

The lay delegates from St. Paul's are Andrea Brown, Ward Caldbick and Donna Leney. Deacon Dan and Pastor Vicki also are members of the Convention.

You can follow the progress of the election on the Diocesan website as well.

After the election consent from all the Standing Committees and Bishops with jurisdiction in the Episcopal Church will be sought. Assuming that a majority of each consent the new Bishop will be consecrated on April 30 at the Center for the Arts at UB - everyone will be able to attend the service and you all will be asked to help because Pastor Vicki is chair of the arrangements committee.

Please keep the Convention and the Diocese and the candidates in your prayers this weekend.

For All the Saints

2010-11-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today is All Saints' Day (although we will celebrate it on Sunday). It's the day that the church sets aside to remember all those saints who have gone before us.

We often think of only the Saints on this day - that is St. Matthew or St. Mark or St. Paul or any of the Saints that the church has named and taught about over the years.

But really anyone who follows the path of Christ is a saint and we are all surrounded and have been all our lives by saints.

I'm thinking particularly of my grandparents today and of how they all in various ways showed and taught me the faith that formed thier lives.

Who are the saints in your life who have showed you the paths you are walking on today?

DOH

2010-10-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great hot dog Sunday yesterday - thanks to Mona and all the church school teachers - people stayed, talked and had fun - and I totally did not get any pictures - so you'll have to take my word for it.

Anyway, thanks to all for making hot dog sunday so much fun

Vision and Mission

2010-10-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

The clergy of the Diocese had a retreat last week. The retreat leader was the Very Rev. Kevin Martin, dean of the cathedral in Dallas, Texas.

One of the things that he said was that the clergy should take every opportunity to talk about the vision and mission of the congregation they serve.

It occured to me that I haven't done this much lately - so watch the sermons and columns because there will be more coming - but here's a start. I believe that St. Paul's is poised to become a resource for our Diocese and our community - that we have an abundance of energy, enthusiasm, abilites and that we can, if we choose - become one of the first places that our Diocese and our community think of when they are seeking partners in mission and service - more to come - watch this space.

Welcome Back

2010-09-07T10:51:00.000-07:00

We are kicking off the school year with a blessing of the backpacks. This picture is of the supplies donated last year for this event.

This year we will bless backpacks at 9:50 in the front of the church - rain location in the parish hall - and then send the children and youth off to Sunday school and the rest of us in to church. Invite your friends to come with you and bring some school supplies for School 6 in Buffalo.

Mission Trip

2010-08-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Our youth group was on a Mission Trip to the Buffalo City Mission last week. It was a good time and I think all involved had a good experiance.

This is from the article that Carri Ludwig wrote about the trip:

"...Last week they spent 2 days reorganizing and stocking the Food Pantry. The Pantry distributes 1500-2000 pounds of food each week to needy families throughout Western New York and is a beehive of activity. According to Charles Walke, Food Pantry Coordinator, the kids were wonderful; 'They transformed our pantry into a moder day TOPS; it has never been this organized. I am thoroughly impressed. I don't want them to leave - ever.'"

We also had a great time at Darien Lake on Saturday. Be sure to sign up for next year's trip.

Mission Trip

2010-07-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

We had been hoping to be heading off to Mexico this week - but since I read in the paper yesterday about people being killed at a party, I'm guessing we made the right decision to postpone that for this year.

Instead we will be heading off a week from tomorrow for the wilds of Buffalo - we will be staying at a church in Riverside and working at the food pantry of the Buffalo City Mission - it should be a good introduction to need right outside our doors.

Please keep the leaders, Andrea, Aaron and I and the youth in your prayers next week while we work, pray and have some fun too

What St. Paul's Does Best

2010-07-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

In the last several weeks we have had a Chicken Dinner fundraiser, a parish picnic and had the hamburger and hot dog concession at Clarence Day in the Park.

It is very clear to me that one of the things that St. Paul's does best is to eat and feed people.

That makes the motto that the vestry adopted for St. Paul's for the next couple of years: St. Paul's - feed body and soul really appropriate. It is what we do - we feed people, ourselves, others, physically and spiritually.

So, over the next few months think about other ways that we could use our gifts for feeding people in the world around us.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

This Sunday is Father's Day. In the last few years it's become harder and harder to find portrayals of fathers on t.v. or in the movies that remind me at all of my father. The fathers in the media tend to be incompetant and need to be rescued by either their kids or a woman (sometimes their wives) or both.

That isn't the father I grew up with. My father knew alot about lots of things. If he didn't know how to do something he'd help me figure it out and I knew that he was always there for me.

Thanks, Dad, for everything.

Rite 13 Celebration

2010-05-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here are the five young adults who celebrated their Rite 13 ceremony last week.

I think that it is great to have a write of passage that marks the beginning of the journey from childhood to adult hood.

I actually think that there are several events that are, if not rites of passage, signifcant milestones in that time. Moving from elementary to middle school is the start of the journey. Moving from middle to high school is another, getting a driver's liscense is another, getting a first job in another, moving on the college or other post-high school work is another. In my mind the end of the journey is the second month after moving out of your parents' home - when you are fully responsible for your own rent, utilities etc ...

It's really challenging and exciting time and I'm glad that we take seriously our job as a community to support these young people.

Congratulations to all five of them.

Ten Ways Christians Tend to Fail at Being Christian

2010-05-10T08:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this article by John Shore on the Huffington Post.

He hits, at least by title, the biggest issues facing Christianity in the 21st Centuray and the issues around which we are struggling as a gathered people of faith.

Definately raises some points worth thinking and talking about.

What do you think are the 10 ways we fail at being Christian

Springing up like flowers

2010-04-24T10:03:00.001-07:00

One of the things that I love about spring is how the flowers spring up - all of a sudden where there was nothing before there are tulips or daffodils or crocus - it's wonderful.

The ECW basket auction was another kind of spring flower. Nothing much was happening and then all of a sudden, out of nowwhere, baskets appeared and then people appeared and bingo - an event out of nearly nowhere.

Come next week for the Carnival which is happening in a similar way - these are the miracles of spring

Images of Holy Week

2010-04-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

The contrasting images of Holy Week - the plain wood cross drapped in black and the Paschal candle lit and drapped in flowers.

The contrasting images remind us of the real contrast of Holy Week, moving from death to life as Christ dies, descends to the dead and is raised in glory

March Madness

2010-03-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it - it is indeed that time of year - lots of people were tied to t.v. screens - and here in Buffalo we played host to lots of basketball fans routing on their teams.

I think that one of the things that people like about the NCAA tournament is that there is always the opportunity for the underdog to win - like this weekend - with Northern Iowa beating the top seeded Kansas - it's those kinds of stories that make March Madness what it is.

So while we are looking for underdogs to cheer on - it occured to me that the story of the beginning of Christianity is kind of a Cinderella story - we are going to hear next week that the disciples all scattered when Jesus was arrested and that they spent alot of the next couple of weeks hiding - but that little group hiding from everyone in two generations spread the story of Jesus to the then known world and were a force that threatened the Roman Emperor himself - just a thought

The Prodigal Parish

2010-03-15T08:44:00.000-07:00

We heard yesterday about the prodigal son - but actually in the parable it isn't the son who is prodigal, it is the Father. The word prodigal means overly generous or perhaps more accurately, the overwhelmingly generous.

I just want to reflect on how prodigaly generous the people of St. Paul's were this weekend. We collected over $300 in the Day of Change collection - which is supporting a refugee family the Eastern Erie Deanery is adopting.

We also had a highly successful dinner in support of the youth mission trip - people were prodigal both with their money and their time.

In the midst of this we are participating in the ECS campaign and are doing well in those collections and people are painting the parish hall and the classrooms and the hallways.

Well done prodigal parish - making the Grace of God visible here.

Our time - God's time - Nature's time

2010-03-01T13:11:00.000-08:00

I have just begun to be able to sense that the days are getting longer - for me that is the first sign of spring - it comes just before the whiff in the air that is a combination of thawing earth, slightly warmer air and melting snow.

But it's not quite spring yet - which is perfect, because it's not quite Easter yet - we aren't quite ready to celebrate the new life that is represented by both Easter and spring - we get a whiff of it here or there, but it's not time quite yet.

Of course this will all take a large leap forward in two weeks when we change the clocks -

But until then there is something nice about having time cycles coincide - about having the church year's cycle at the same place as nature's time cycle and my own - it doesn't happen very often, but it's nice when it does.

The difference between winning bronze and losing gold

2010-02-16T13:36:00.000-08:00

I've been watching the winter Olympics - I'm a sucker for them - and one of the things that I have noticed is the difference between athletes.

There are those for whom just competing truly was all that they were hoping for and when they place third and actually get to stand on the podium and receive a medal it is clear that this was far beyond their wildest dreams and something that they will cherish their whole lives.

Then there are those who clearly expected to win and placing second or third wasn't winning a silver or a bronze medal - it is losing the gold. It is not having the thing that they expected happen for them. They are the ones standing on the podium with a scowl on their faces, glaring at the winner - or gamly trying (and failing) to cover their disappointment.

I wonder what are the things in our lives where just competing is joy enough and placing third is the icing on the cake. And what are the things where we expect to do so well that being the third best in the world is a failure? And how can we move from the second category to the first?

This is most certainly true

2010-02-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

I went with a group from Calvary to see the play "Church Basement Ladies" at the Riviera in North Townawanda. If you ever get a chance to see the play - go it is very funny and for any of you who have spent any time at all in a church kitchen - in a basement or not - you will be sure recognize several of the characters.

One of the continuing tropes in the play is that the women quote the line from Luther's small chatechism - "This is most certainly true" - and apply it to many, many facets of church life.

That got me thinking about the Episcopal lines that we could use in a play that everyone would get.

The first that came to my mind was that if you ever need to get an Episcopal crowd quiet say "the Lord be with you" everyone will respond either "and also with you" or "and with thy spirit" and fall silent.

The other one that occurred to me was the phrase "read, mark, learn and inwardly digest" this comes from one of the collects - but gets used regarding just about anything that we want people to take deeply on board.

What are some of the other "Episco-speak" that you think of?

Where does the time go

2010-01-25T06:45:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that January is almost over - it was just yesterday that we were celebrating Christmas - and Lent is coming very fast this year.

St. Paul's folk - please remember that the annual meeting is at 9 a.m. on Sunday - please come and hear about what went on this year.

Youth group parents - also remember the parents meeting after the 10 a.m. service - we have all (or at least most) of the information about the mission trip - come and hear the details.

Why, O Lord

2010-01-17T08:56:00.000-08:00

I think that all of us looking at the pictures and hearing the stories from Haiti this week can't help but ask "why, God." Why these people? Why this? Why now? Why are their earthquakes at all? Why do people suffer?

I wish that I could say that there are easy answers (or indeed any answers at all) for those questions. But if there are I certainly haven't found them.

I think that situtations like this bring the question of faith into focus. We say that we believe that God loves and cares for his children. That is easy to say when all goes well, it is more difficult when things go badly.

But I think the challenge is to seek the presence of God in the midst of the things we don't understand - to look for the face of God in the rubble and see where the light of God shines through the darkness. It isn't a very satisfying answer, but it's the best that I can do right now.

Snow

2010-01-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

I know that for those of you who live in Buffalo the snow is nothing new, but I have to admit my admiration - after 15 inches of snow over two days the streets (and the walks and drives at the church) are clear - there are few closings and people are just going about their business - this same amount of snow in December shut down Washington DC for 3 days.

It just goes to show that human beings can cope with anything once they have the tools and the experiance - which leads me to consider - what are the things that we think are too hard to over come because we don't have the right tools or haven't dealt with them before?

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T06:25:00.001-08:00

One of my favorite part of Christmas is the children's Christmas pageant, I love watching our children become familiar with the story of the birth of Jesus and to begin to take their parts in leading the worship of the Church.

This year's pageant was particularly wonderful (and not only because I wrote it :)) Click here for the youtube video and see if you agree.

Merry Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas - or not

2009-12-14T06:24:00.000-08:00

A group of us tried to go Christmas caroling yesterday afternoon. I emphasize that we tried, but it was raining and cold and a miserable day and we were not really able to get into the Christmas spirit and no one was really going to want to stand with the door open and listen to us.

It's amazing how the weather is so connected to Christmas for us. If it has been snowing instead of raining I think we would have all had a lot more energy and it would have felt a lot more like Christmas to everyone.

I have occaisionally wondered what the Church year is like for people in the southern hemisphere. For me snow and cold and "the bleak mid-winter" is an inseperable part of Christmas and the spring and re-birth of the earth is an insperable part of Easter.

I wonder what it would be like for Christmas to be in the middle of summer - and celebrated with barbeques and beach trips and for Easter to be in the fall when everything is dying - rather than beginning to grow?

A Season of Preparation

2009-12-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

That's what we call Advent. It occured to me how many things we prepare for and how many different ways there are to prepare.

My parents went to the Carribian the Monday after Thanksgiving. They were preparing for their trip by making lists and packing suitcases and making sure that someone was taking in the mail and shovelling the snow and getting some of the Christmas decorations up so that when they came back they weren't so rushed. That's one way to prepare.

I went to the grocery store on Friday - they were predicting up to 10 inches of snow - there were lots of people there stocking up on the things that they would want to have in the house if they couldn't get out right away - that's another way to prepare.

I'm in the midst of preparing for Christmas, I'm writing cards and wrapping and mailing presents and writing sermons - that's another way to prepare.

But to prepare for the coming of Christ, that means to stop and reflect and look at what in our lives has taken too much of our time and energy and what has taken a backseat that needs to be brought forward - to look at our lives with the eyes of God and to try to see as God sees so that we can be prepared to enter into the presence of God. As the collect for the second Sunday of Advent says "that we without shame or fear may rejoice to behold his appearing"

Thanksgiving Reflections

2009-11-30T08:24:00.001-08:00

I had the typical things to be thankful for this year, my family, my friends, a job I like etc, etc...

But it occured to me on my drive home from Columbus to be thankful for the freedom and ability to travel to where my family was this year.

I drove about 600 miles round trip to my family's home this holiday. Most of it on smooth, well lit, 2 or 3 lanes in each direction, freeways. Behind the wheel of my reliable Honda Accord. Averaging over 70 miles an hour (sshh, don't tell the highway patrol)

For most human beings on earth still today what I did was impossible. If you could, somehow, aquire a car and the gas to put in it, there are no, or only poorly maintained roads. For them, traveling 600 miles by road is facing several days of exhausting and hazardous travel.

It's a small thing, but it brought home to me how much I have to be thankful for and how much of it I regularly take for granted.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-23T05:47:00.001-08:00

It's something of a cliche, but as we approach Thanksgiving it is easy to get swamped with travel and food and family and getting ready for the next holiday - so this week try to make it a point to stop and reflect on all the things that you have to be thankful for.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving

God is doing a new thing

2009-11-15T04:42:00.001-08:00

Well, not really new, music videos have been around for more than 25 years now, but look at the video that the Eastern Erie Deanery youth made at their first meeting this year.

The pictures are from the journey the kids made on our progessive dinner this year. The music is from Casting Crowns. The combination is the Holy Spirit.

Sesame Street

2009-11-09T06:34:00.000-08:00

I don't know if you heard, but Sesame Street is turning 40 this year. I watched Sesame Street, pardon the expression, religiously when I was little.

It's amazing how the things that we watch and listen to as children come with us through our lives. I remember my friends and I in college making big bowls of popcorn and sitting down to watch Sesame Street when we need to relax and feel comfortable.

When I was home sick last week, I stumbled on an episode of Sesame Street and suddenly I was a little girl again coming home from kindergarten and having oreos and milk in front of the t.v. before going out to play.

What is it for you that takes you back to that feeling of being safe and protected and that all is right with the world?

All Saints' Day

2009-11-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

All Saints' Day is one of my favorite days of the year. I really love the hymns (even though they have lots of verses, they also have great energy). I also just really like being reminded of those who have gone before us.

One of my favorite days was made even better this year, because it was a youth Sunday at St. Paul's and our young people were all around at the service.

Here is a video of some of the festivities today, it's less than 4 minutes long, enjoy!

P.S. St. Paul's folk, if any of you took pictures of the Halloween party on Friday, could you e-mail them to me?

The gift of fall

2009-10-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

One of the great joys of living in a place with four seasons is the joy of fall, and it is in full swing right now.

The rain we got this summer has been translated into glorious color, the sun is out and it is not too hot and not too cold.

And, like most small blessings, it is only with us for a short time, so if you can, get out for a bit and enjoy one of the great blessings of creation.

Looking past the present - or lessons from OSU football

2009-10-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I am a huge Ohio State Football fan. If you've driven by the rectory on a Saturday this fall, you may have seen my flag flying the Buckeye colors. Last week OSU played Wisconsin and next week they play Penn State. Yesterday, they were playing Purdue.

Now, in the Big 10, Wisconsin is usually pretty good and Penn State is usually pretty good, and either one might be a challenge to my beloved Buckeyes. But, Purdue, well, Purdue is usually in the bottom of the Big Ten and, really, no one considers them a really threat to OSU.

Well Purdue beat the Buckeyes yesterday, not just beat them, trounced them. And a lot of the commentators were saying, and I agree, that OSU looked past Purdue. They played Wisconsin and had Penn State comming up and they just didn't think about Purdue or prepare the way they should have. And it cost them.

I think that's kind of like us, we are so often waiting for the next big thing that we overlook the things going on right now. We are getting ready for Halloween or Christmas or the next holiday, and forget to take time to enjoy the little things right now.

Or we are waiting for God to send a thunder bolt with his mission for us and we forget to notice the need just outside our door.

Just a thought from the Saturday football couch.

Bike-a-thon

2009-10-12T09:35:00.001-07:00

We had 13 bike riders and several workers at the bike-a-thon this week. The weather cooperated and everything went well.

The riders raised (with some additional pledges) $1130. And the riders and the workers enjoyed a delicious lunch. Thanks to everyone who helped and rode.

One of the things we found is that the route is very safe (with only a few places where the bike path crosses streets) and that if you rode the whole route it was about a three hour ride, if you rode half of it it would be about 90 minutes.

So for next year, keep in mind that this is a perfect family activity :)

Thanks to Ward C, Ron S, Carri L, Diane C, Shelia M and everyone else who helped make the bike-a-thon a success.

More Animal Blessing

2009-10-07T06:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the link to the Animal Blessing video.

Lots of fun - in spite of the weather

2009-10-05T11:51:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the fun this weekend.

We went to the UB Bulls game on Saturday, tailgating and all. We had a great time , inspite of the rain, until the middle of the third quarter when lightening forced us all out of the stadium. Unfortunately the Bulls didn't win, but there's always next week.

On Sunday we blessed animals, this was planned as an outdoor event, but weather (and the lack of prior building of an ark) forced us into the parish hall. The dog choir was in very good voice and their praise allowed for a slightly shorter service then was orginally planned.

I'm trying to upload a video of the pet blessing to youtube. If I'm successful, I'll post the link here.

Ministry Fair Reflections

2009-09-28T09:54:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time at the Ministry Fair on Sunday after the 10 a.m. service. If you weren't able to be there, various ministries at the church set up table displays and talked to people about what they do and how people could get involved (and of course tried to recruit them).

It was a nice postlude to Donna's sermon about giving back to God out of our time and talent as well as our treasure.

But what I liked most about it was that people were talking to each other and talking about the things that interested and excited them. We all need to do more of that, talk about the things that we find exciting and interesting and intriguing.

Celebration of 60 years and a New Ministry

2009-09-21T06:14:00.001-07:00

Here is a picture of Bishop Garrison and the choir and clergy getting ready to process into church for the Celebration of the 60th anniversary of the dedication of St. Paul's and the celebration of New Ministry of the rector and congregation.

It was a wonderful service. We celebrated St. Paul's history and renewed commitment to children and youth, our ties to the Diocese and the Bishop and were blessed by the presence of a lot of the clergy who had served here or had their calls to ministry confirmed here over the years.

One of the best parts was the joining of the St. Paul's choir with members of the Calvary Church choir. I hope that this marks the beginning of much more mutual ministry in the years to come.

So, St. Paul's folk, let's start that by heading to Calvary on Saturday from 4 to 8 to be a part of their Octoberfest.

Joy and Bubbles and Amens

2009-09-14T05:58:00.000-07:00

I love the Sunday when Sunday School starts again. In many ways it is much more New Year's Day then the first day of January or the first Sunday of Advent.

We welcomed the kids back this year in the courtyard with bubbles, which then made their way into the church as well.

One of the great gifts that young people bring us is their joy. They are willing to blow bubles in church. They are willing to laugh out loud and shout the dismissal loudly.

This Sunday one of the best parts of the service for me was at the Great Amen. The Great Amen is the Amen at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, right before communion, when the congregation says "Amen" to the whole Eucharistic Prayer. It's printed in big print in the prayer book and is supposed to be said loudly. This Sunday, just a little behind the rest of us, one child's voice shouted out, "AMEN". I wanted to stop the service and say, "Yes, that's exactly how that should be done."

As we begin this new year, let's learn from the children and try to copy some of their joy and freedom and enthusiasm.

The view from above

2009-09-07T07:46:00.000-07:00

My friends Tim and Stan invited me to be a judge for the River Days parade in Portsmouth, Ohio last Saturday. This is a big deal in Scioto County all 12 school districts in the county pick a River Days princess and all of the princesses make floats for the parade and they work on them for months.

This year the theme of the parade was Mardi Gras. Just to give you a taste, one of the floats had a model of a stretch of Bourbon St, including a boutique you could walk into. Another featured a shoe large enough for the princess to sit in.

They have to have judges from outside the county because both the princess floats and the community floats competitions are hard fought and deeply contested. It's fun to be a judge, but you can't help but be influenced by how seriously everyone takes the competition.

After the lead golf cart that I was riding in reached the end of the parade, Tim arranged for me to take a flight in a helicopter and see the parade (and greater Portsmouth) from above.

The helicopter only flew at about 500 feet above the ground, but it was amazing how the world changed from that high up. All of the contention and competition melted away and all that you could see was the floats and bands and fire trucks moving down the streets and the tops of the heads of the crowds. All of the things that seemed so important a few minutes before were reduced to a small part of the overall scene of the town and the surrounding countryside. All of those things were completely overwhelmed by the majestic beauty of the Appalachians and the Ohio River.

I think our lives are sometimes like that. We can get so focused on the little things that we miss the big picture that surrounds us. I think we all need to, metaphorically, get into a helicopter every once in a while and take the higher view of our lives and the things that surround us. It helps keep things in perspective.

Backpack blessing videos

2009-09-01T05:12:00.000-07:00

We had a great blessing of the backpacks on Sunday. We prayed for those who teach and those who learn and we collected enough school supplies to send more than 20 kids back to school with complete sets of new supplies with some left over.

Most of the backpacks and complete sets of supplies went to Friends of the Night People in Buffalo. The remaining supplies went to School 3 in Buffalo and we distributed a few sets of supplies to some local people in need.

See the a part of the service here . And lest you think there is no joy left in church, check out this clip of me and a few of the kids dancing to the closing hymn.

An Interesting View of us from the outside

2009-08-24T06:54:00.000-07:00

This article from Newsweek is an interesting look at the Episcopal Church and our current disputes from someone who isn't an Episcopalian and who isn't invested in the outcome. Very interesting and worth reading

http://www.newsweek.com/id/212713/page/1

The internal cycle

2009-08-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

We talk about the church year as a cycle that moves within the calendar year - beginning at Advent and moving through Christmas and then to Lent and Easter and in some way that cycle becomes a part of our lives and we conciously and sub-conciously respond to it.

There are other cycles like that and when they are disrupted it is very unsettling. I'm discovering that it actually doesn't take much.

Where I was raised and lived most of my life school started the third or fourth week of August, so by now the back to school shopping had been done, the class lists posted and the first day of school outfit at least thought about, if not actually picked out. So the fact that school here doesn't start for another three weeks is unsettling my internal "start of the program year" calendar. I have to admit that I'm surprised at how hard it is to adapt (at least right now)

I suspect that we all have several of these internal calendars and that part of building a family or a community is trying to get everyone's internal calendars in sync with each other.

Proof from facebook

2009-08-10T06:09:00.000-07:00

I, somewhat facetiously, posted as my facebook status yesterday:

"Sunday afternoon naps are proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Oh, wait, that's beer, or chocolate, oh well, why can't there be more than one:)"

A few of my friends commented back with other things that they found to be proofs that God loved them and wanted them to be happy, ranging from scotch to grandchildren.

That got me thinking, I suspect that if we look for it, we will find lots of proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. However, we, or at least I, don't tend to look for them very often.

I think I might try this week looking around for proof that God loves me. I suspect it might make a huge difference in my week.

The Bread of Life

2009-08-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

We are in that run of Sundays in year B of the lectionary that I like to call the month of bread. (Bethlehem means House of Bread in Hebrew, I'm not sure what month of bread would be iralehem maybe?) Anyway, beginning last week and for the next several Sundays our Gospel readings will be about the bread of life, the true bread that comes down from heaven etc, etc.

As I've been thinking about the next several sermons, I was remembering that in Jesus' time it was rare for people to bake their own bread. Most people didn't have ovens in their home, so to actually have leavened bread they needed to take their prepared dough to the baker and have it baked for them. Making bread was, of necessity, a community activity, you couldn't do it alone.

I wonder if that means that when Jesus says, "I am the Bread of Life" or "I am the true bread which comes down from heaven" did he have in his mind not only the staple food that everyone needed, but also the most common connection of people to their neighbors and communities? And if so, does that mean that Jesus is not only our connection to the basics of eternal life but also the basics of eternal community? Just something I'm pondering

First Post

2009-07-30T11:32:00.001-07:00

I've just started as rector of St. Paul's in Clarence, New York. I'm hoping that this blog will be a place to do theological reflection on secular and church events and maybe a way for folk to join in that conversation too.

More to come, watch this space.