Faith in Progress

We had another wonderful St. Aidan's parish retreat to Shrine Mont.  We had almost 70 people join us for the weekend get-away to one of the most beautiful places in Virginia.  There was some great worship, including a beautiful candlelit service by the pond and of course a Sunday morning Eucharist at the amazing outdoor Shrine.  The three kids who had been Shrine Mont campers earlier in the summer led us in the famous Shrine Mont Shouting Prayer in place of our usual prayers of the people.  There was something beautiful about hearing all those voices, and the mountainy echoes as well, speaking of God's love for us and our love for each other. The programs were great, with drama and games for the kids with Heather Sanderson, who is so full of energy and fun.  The adults gathered in small groups to think about what "spiritual" means to us and share some points along our own spiritual journeys, which take so many different forms. We gathered ...

My daughter went to Shrine Mont for camp for the first time last week.  We've gone often for parish retreats, but this was her first time there for camp (her first time at sleep-away camp in general).  I'd always heard that if you want your kid to have faith of their own, nothing beats Shrine Mont.  And I've observed for myself the effects of Shrine Mont camp on the teens I've gotten to know at St. Aidan's.  Now I have a little taste of why.  It sounds like a lot of what happens at Shrine Mont is very typical sleep-away camp.  Swimming, games, enthusiastic counselors, a rustic cabin full of kids, lots of time outdoors in a beautiful setting.  But in addition to all this, the counselors are brimming over with love of God; there are daily worship services full of interactive, kid-friendly music; and each evening in the cabins the counselor leads the kids in thinking about where God was in their day (a good practice for any of us to engage in). ...

July 14, 2013 8 Pentecost, Proper 10 (Year C) Deuteronomy 30:9-14               One of my favorite ways of praying is by meditating with scripture – trying to enter into a story of divine encounter and see where I fit into it and what God might be saying to me through a particular story.     I guess because my mind tends to wander when left to my own devices, this kind of prayer works well for me.   And so I’ve found myself walking along the road to Emmaus with Jesus, sitting in a fishing boat with Peter, hiking down a mountain after the transfiguration.               The first time I’d heard of this kind of prayer was during spiritual direction in seminary.   At that point, I assumed prayer was either pious words or holy silence, and I wasn’t all that great at either one.   My experiences of God tended to be despite my attempts to f...

July 7, 2013 7 Pentecost, Proper 9 (Year C) Galatians 6:1-16 I wasn’t wildly impressed with most of our Galatians reading, but one line really caught me.   “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”   Maybe because it seems to be a theme that has been swirling around for me lately, poking and challenging me. I’m reading a book right now called Abide with Me that has a main character who seems to be trying to consciously live out Paul’s instruction.   Tyler Caskey is a minister in a small town who is attempting to live a faithful life and be aware of God around him in circumstances that are not always the most conducive.   He was raised with a guiding principle that he should “always think of the other person first.”   And he tries so hard to do it, imagining how his parishioners might hear certain things, being careful not to assume he knows what anyone else is really going through, thinking about how to help peo...

June 30, 2013 6 Pentecost, Proper 8 (Year C) Luke 9:51- 62   On the last day of school, my daughter’s elementary school had a talent show.   About a week before, a notice came home announcing it, and inviting any student that was interested to sign up by giving a brief statement of their talent.   Sophie wanted to be in the talent show.    I couldn’t believe it.   I never in a thousand years would have signed up for a talent show when I was a kid.   First, I was too insecure to feel like I had any talents when I was her age.   Second, I couldn’t have imagined being up there – totally vulnerable – in front of all those people – my peers.   What if I was no good?   What if I got nervous and forgot what I was doing?   What if they didn’t clap for me, or worse yet, made fun of me?   And so I immediately projected all my childhood fears and angst onto my daughter.          ...

June 2, 2013 2 Pentecost, Year C 1 Kings 8:22-23, 41-43             We’re coming to the tail end of the construction that has been part of this place for so long.   The end is almost in sight.   In recent weeks especially, it has been great fun to peek into the construction site and watch it transform.   We are so close to walking through our bright new entryway, flushing the toilets in our big new bathrooms, and growing in faith in our beautiful new education room.   If you haven’t been here long, it might seem like it’s been an effortless process.   But for the multiple vestries that have been overseeing the discerning and the compromise and the planning, for the leaders involved in the capital campaigns, for John working with the architects and builders to ensure the details are in place, this has been a long, long journey.             ...

Last year's prayer stations were so much fun that I brought the idea back (some the same, some new) this year for Pentecost.  They seem like such a tangible experience of the Holy Spirit still at work.  A reminder that the wild experience of the Spirit that the disciples experienced at Pentecost is still available to the rest of us.  Here's what we offered this year: For Our Community - Blank notecards were set out with names and pictures of people in the St. Aidan's community who have been separated from us by a move or by sickness.  Alternatively people could choose someone in their life that they were feeling called to reconnect with.  I have since mailed or delivered more than 30 beautiful cards and letters that brightened up a lot of days. Mandalas - Blank circles and art supplies were provided for people who wanted to engage in this meditative art form. Our Daily Bread - An invitation to pick up a food item from one of the baskets of donation...