Recently there has been a Facebook trend among some Episcopalians I know on Facebook. the challenge is to write one paragraph stating why you are an Episcopalian. Apparently this type of exercise is called an " elevator pitch".
At any rate: here is mine.
SARAH BETH'S "ELEVATOR PITCH"
I believe in the Jesus, as the Son & Second Person of the Triune God. I also believe that He teaches humanity what it means to be a good person. In the Episcopal Church I've found meaningful worship and a worldwide community of Christians who strive hard to discern what it means to follow our First-Century Jewish Carpenter Lord and Savior into the twenty-first century. Although we are not a perfect people, we are a people that tries , with integrity, to follow Our Lord's way. CS Lewis said" I don't go to religion to make me happy, I always knew a bottle of port would do that." I am not an Episcopalian because it is 'trendy' or that the Church always makes me 'happy. I belong in this branch of the One Holy and Catholic Church because we are an imperfect people trying our best to follow our perfect Lord.
Amen
Feast of the Annunciation , 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Fred is Dead...so now what ? Answer: Pray.
Fred Phelps is dead.
There is much going around the social media universe regarding the demise & death of the Westboro Baptist " Church"'s leader. This begs the question of how we Christ-followers should approach the death of this man best known for his hate speech and funeral protests.
I know that a lot of my very liberal friends would rather shout " FRED IS DEAD" from the highest rooftops and dance an Irish jig & part of me really does not blame them for wanting to herald the demise of a sad, sick individual. But the Christ-follower in me wants to do what Christ himself would do if He were faced with a similar situation.
My mom always had a saying that " Two wrongs don't make a right." Most people I know agree that Mr Phelps' extreme views are wrong. Not only did his group teach hatred of LGBT persons, but he also was famous for sending groups to " protest" military funerals all over the nation. Although I live in a very socially-conservative region, no one I know agrees with Mr Phelp's philosophy regarding our military service people and veterans.
Fred Phelp's extremism was cancerous to society. Now that he is dead, how should our Christian response mirror what Our Lord teaches us? Would he advocate picketing Mr Phelps' funeral or spread snarky cartoons about the death of this man/ My guess is no. Rather, the Jesus Whom I've come to know & love would offer his condolences to the Phelps family.
Yes, Fred Phelps had a family.
As distasteful as this fact is to many of us: Fred Phelps was some one's husband, father, grandfather, uncle, pastor and friend. We do NOT need to agree with the man's teachings or actions to show Christian mercy and love towards his surviving kin. he was an extremist and a bigot, but that does not mean that we should exclude his family from the loving kindness of the Church Universal. I feel strongly that the " sins of the father" in this case, the sins of Fred Phelps} should not bring more pain to his spiritual and actual children.
On Ash Wednesday a priest in my Diocese charged the congregation present that night to focus on the following tasks during Lent: Pray. Fast & Give Alms. Tonight, part of my prayer and alms giving will focus on the Phelps family and their loss. No one human is an " island' amidst him or herself and this applies to bigoted extremists such as Mr Phelps.
I , along with most Americans, will NOT miss this man's hate speech and twisted doctrine. yet it is NOT a Christ-like response to celebrate his demise. None of us are perfect and we ALL wake every morning with our own list of prejudices. I know I do and I pray daily for the Holy Spirit to help me see the common humanity in those with whom I vehemently disagree.
Amen.
Lent, 2014
There is much going around the social media universe regarding the demise & death of the Westboro Baptist " Church"'s leader. This begs the question of how we Christ-followers should approach the death of this man best known for his hate speech and funeral protests.
I know that a lot of my very liberal friends would rather shout " FRED IS DEAD" from the highest rooftops and dance an Irish jig & part of me really does not blame them for wanting to herald the demise of a sad, sick individual. But the Christ-follower in me wants to do what Christ himself would do if He were faced with a similar situation.
My mom always had a saying that " Two wrongs don't make a right." Most people I know agree that Mr Phelps' extreme views are wrong. Not only did his group teach hatred of LGBT persons, but he also was famous for sending groups to " protest" military funerals all over the nation. Although I live in a very socially-conservative region, no one I know agrees with Mr Phelp's philosophy regarding our military service people and veterans.
Fred Phelp's extremism was cancerous to society. Now that he is dead, how should our Christian response mirror what Our Lord teaches us? Would he advocate picketing Mr Phelps' funeral or spread snarky cartoons about the death of this man/ My guess is no. Rather, the Jesus Whom I've come to know & love would offer his condolences to the Phelps family.
Yes, Fred Phelps had a family.
As distasteful as this fact is to many of us: Fred Phelps was some one's husband, father, grandfather, uncle, pastor and friend. We do NOT need to agree with the man's teachings or actions to show Christian mercy and love towards his surviving kin. he was an extremist and a bigot, but that does not mean that we should exclude his family from the loving kindness of the Church Universal. I feel strongly that the " sins of the father" in this case, the sins of Fred Phelps} should not bring more pain to his spiritual and actual children.
On Ash Wednesday a priest in my Diocese charged the congregation present that night to focus on the following tasks during Lent: Pray. Fast & Give Alms. Tonight, part of my prayer and alms giving will focus on the Phelps family and their loss. No one human is an " island' amidst him or herself and this applies to bigoted extremists such as Mr Phelps.
I , along with most Americans, will NOT miss this man's hate speech and twisted doctrine. yet it is NOT a Christ-like response to celebrate his demise. None of us are perfect and we ALL wake every morning with our own list of prejudices. I know I do and I pray daily for the Holy Spirit to help me see the common humanity in those with whom I vehemently disagree.
Amen.
Lent, 2014
Sunday, March 16, 2014
negativity...ain't got time for that...and this means on Facebook too!
I've been struggling with some deep philosophical and medical { uh---mostly due to the fact that yours truly isn't a ' spring chicken' anymore} lately. As a result, I have not been " myself{ whatever that might mean!} for a few weeks. Spring is finally coming to the Florida Gulf Coast, and I need to do some Spring Cleaning and remove toxic individuals from my online & real-time life.
Sigh.
While I am not at liberty to discuss the individuals & the problems they cause via the World Wide Web, I CAN discuss how I chose to deal with said individual. I am just NOT talking to him/her anymore. This individual has not {yet} done anything to me personally , but when one hurts those I love, one hurts ME!
No one has time for petty mind games & power-brokering. I do not want such nonsense to continue to poison me & if rejecting this person online & keeping my face-to-face communication with him/her at a bare minimum, so be it.
Although I will not go " quite " as far as to ignore this person's existence when I see them, I am not going to engage them in conversation. I also" unfriended" said individual on Facebook. the way I see it is that if she/he is causing me undue stress IRL, then I do not want her privy to my Facebook communications & activities either. This individual is sneaky & manipulative and the last thing I want to deal with is Facebook drama from them.
Seeya...& don't let the virtual door hit ya on the way out!
Sigh.
While I am not at liberty to discuss the individuals & the problems they cause via the World Wide Web, I CAN discuss how I chose to deal with said individual. I am just NOT talking to him/her anymore. This individual has not {yet} done anything to me personally , but when one hurts those I love, one hurts ME!
No one has time for petty mind games & power-brokering. I do not want such nonsense to continue to poison me & if rejecting this person online & keeping my face-to-face communication with him/her at a bare minimum, so be it.
Although I will not go " quite " as far as to ignore this person's existence when I see them, I am not going to engage them in conversation. I also" unfriended" said individual on Facebook. the way I see it is that if she/he is causing me undue stress IRL, then I do not want her privy to my Facebook communications & activities either. This individual is sneaky & manipulative and the last thing I want to deal with is Facebook drama from them.
Seeya...& don't let the virtual door hit ya on the way out!
Monday, March 10, 2014
#BanBossy #WomensHistoryMonth: Boys & Girls & fifth grade
March is Womens' History Month.
While I am grateful for the women { and men} in my life who have encouraged me to be the innovative, strong, most creative human I can be, I do recognize that there was and is much gender bias against girls & women even now.
Growing up, I played with children of both genders. Since we lived in rural northern Appalachia, I played outside { in the dirt} with children of both genders & did not see anything wrong with this arrangement until puberty. As a pre- teen my parents subscribed to " TEEN MAGAZINE for me while buying " SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FOR KIDS for my younger brother.
Say what?!
I , as do most American teens, totally bought into the idea of what is " feminine": n obsessive interests in fashion, celebrity gossip, and finding a boyfriend. were the norms among my female classmates in the 5th grade .I, like most girls of that age, started to notice boys. But the boys whom I found attractive I sought among my classmates & playmates...I did not understand why the girls in my class suddenly acted coy and silly around the boys. Instead of working and playing together, my fifth-grade class became a virtual mine of cattiness. A tall and awkward { both physically & socially} girl, I retreated into my books while the other girls started the cat-and-mouse game of 0ne-upmanship. Suddenly it became apparent to me that " popularity" and quests to win the favor of the class "Queen Bee" were important.
Even as an adult, I see evidence of this mentality in my adult life. Women are overly concerned with one-upmanship and placating the " queen bee" of their social group{s]The media saturate our senses with the idea that women must compete with one another regarding me, looks and {for some} careers.
Why cannot we women move beyond fifth grade?
While I am grateful for the women { and men} in my life who have encouraged me to be the innovative, strong, most creative human I can be, I do recognize that there was and is much gender bias against girls & women even now.
Growing up, I played with children of both genders. Since we lived in rural northern Appalachia, I played outside { in the dirt} with children of both genders & did not see anything wrong with this arrangement until puberty. As a pre- teen my parents subscribed to " TEEN MAGAZINE for me while buying " SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FOR KIDS for my younger brother.
Say what?!
I , as do most American teens, totally bought into the idea of what is " feminine": n obsessive interests in fashion, celebrity gossip, and finding a boyfriend. were the norms among my female classmates in the 5th grade .I, like most girls of that age, started to notice boys. But the boys whom I found attractive I sought among my classmates & playmates...I did not understand why the girls in my class suddenly acted coy and silly around the boys. Instead of working and playing together, my fifth-grade class became a virtual mine of cattiness. A tall and awkward { both physically & socially} girl, I retreated into my books while the other girls started the cat-and-mouse game of 0ne-upmanship. Suddenly it became apparent to me that " popularity" and quests to win the favor of the class "Queen Bee" were important.
Even as an adult, I see evidence of this mentality in my adult life. Women are overly concerned with one-upmanship and placating the " queen bee" of their social group{s]The media saturate our senses with the idea that women must compete with one another regarding me, looks and {for some} careers.
Why cannot we women move beyond fifth grade?
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Pray, Fast, Give Alms
This evening Best Dude and I switched things up and attended a neighboring parish where our friend is the rector. As usual, it was a lovely service, but tonight's meditation was a tool for the Holy Spirit to speak to me.
The gist of the sermon was " Pray. Fast, Give Alms. In Lent, especially, we Christ-followers are called to focus on doing these three tasks. The Gospel lesson for today compels us to do these things not to " be seen" by others { as did the Pharisees } but to do these things quietly so that the God who is our Creator will reward us. We are not to show off our piety, but to quietly pray and give alms in the name of Our Lord.
What really struck me in this evening's Gospel is the part where Christ commands us to give alms " in secret" and " so that the left hand will not know what the right hand is doing". To me, almsgiving is in itself an act of prayer....when I give alms, I do so not because I determine that the receiver is 'worthy' of help or because she or he is ' just like me' but because doing so pleases Our Lord.
We need to remember that Christ calls us to BE His hands & feet on Earth. Charity should not be about the giver...there is not need to sound the proverbial trumpet to let others know of our gifts. Christ knows , and that should be enough for His followers
Amen.
Ash Wednesday, 2014
The gist of the sermon was " Pray. Fast, Give Alms. In Lent, especially, we Christ-followers are called to focus on doing these three tasks. The Gospel lesson for today compels us to do these things not to " be seen" by others { as did the Pharisees } but to do these things quietly so that the God who is our Creator will reward us. We are not to show off our piety, but to quietly pray and give alms in the name of Our Lord.
What really struck me in this evening's Gospel is the part where Christ commands us to give alms " in secret" and " so that the left hand will not know what the right hand is doing". To me, almsgiving is in itself an act of prayer....when I give alms, I do so not because I determine that the receiver is 'worthy' of help or because she or he is ' just like me' but because doing so pleases Our Lord.
We need to remember that Christ calls us to BE His hands & feet on Earth. Charity should not be about the giver...there is not need to sound the proverbial trumpet to let others know of our gifts. Christ knows , and that should be enough for His followers
Amen.
Ash Wednesday, 2014
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
#Lent14 begings tomorrow
Happy Mardi Gras!
Be sure to go to your local Episcopal or Roman Catholic church this evening and get your fill of a delicious pancake supper.
Lent is the traditional penitential season of the Church Year. For the past three years, rather than " giving up " something this season, I've challenged myself to " take on" some sort of discipline. I've found this to be a more spiritually-fulfilling practice than one of fasting from something. Each person has his or her own Lenten disciplines & all that bring us closer to Our Lord are worthwhile.
This year, I am taking on making time for more " study" time. I've been lax in my study of Scripture and other spiritual-type works. I asked a friend of mine who attends another parish in the diocese for her recommendations
Although I am naturally curious, circumstances, financial or otherwise, have been used as an excuse to focus less and less time in study. Our Church is built on the " three-legged stool": Scripture, Tradition & Reason and more Reason can be gleaned by study.
When I was active in the EfM program, " study" was a part of my routine. Since we lack an EfM group at my parish right now , I've found less time to study anything. This is sad, as I am a lifelong learner but when one does not drive & has limited funds it is a challenge to find opportunities to deepen one's faith through study Ive looked at several books {e-book format}online and saw a cornucopia of selections.
Be well, and may we all be blessed with a holy Lent. .
Be sure to go to your local Episcopal or Roman Catholic church this evening and get your fill of a delicious pancake supper.
Lent is the traditional penitential season of the Church Year. For the past three years, rather than " giving up " something this season, I've challenged myself to " take on" some sort of discipline. I've found this to be a more spiritually-fulfilling practice than one of fasting from something. Each person has his or her own Lenten disciplines & all that bring us closer to Our Lord are worthwhile.
This year, I am taking on making time for more " study" time. I've been lax in my study of Scripture and other spiritual-type works. I asked a friend of mine who attends another parish in the diocese for her recommendations
Although I am naturally curious, circumstances, financial or otherwise, have been used as an excuse to focus less and less time in study. Our Church is built on the " three-legged stool": Scripture, Tradition & Reason and more Reason can be gleaned by study.
When I was active in the EfM program, " study" was a part of my routine. Since we lack an EfM group at my parish right now , I've found less time to study anything. This is sad, as I am a lifelong learner but when one does not drive & has limited funds it is a challenge to find opportunities to deepen one's faith through study Ive looked at several books {e-book format}online and saw a cornucopia of selections.
Be well, and may we all be blessed with a holy Lent. .
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)