From Father Beddingfield: Living for the Kingdom

This article is adapted from Father’s sermon on Sunday, July 24, 2005.

Last week, Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, moved into the former Compaq Sports Arena and made it their new home.  Now, I wouldn’t have a lot in common with the worship or even much of the theology at Lakewood, but we’re missing something if we don’t look at them with some admiration.  Can you imagine a church – any church you know – having the faith to buy a sports arena?  Think of the churches in New York City.  Our Diocese, having had several opportunities, cannot even pull together enough resources to buy the former Church of the Holy Communion back from the nightclub industry.  Say what you will about places like Lakewood, but they know something about living into the kingdom of God, about ordering life as though the kingdom of God is happening right now, right here.  Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is at hand.” 

From the Rector: Trinity Rant

Often people bring me church bulletins from their summer travels.  I enjoy seeing bulletins from other churches even when the occasional parish may be doing some really goofy things.  I try to keep on an even keel, though, but I confess one bulletin I received recently made my blood boil.  They had left out the “Father” and “Son” from the most important prayer of the Eucharist.  Yes, that’s right, the Father and the Son didn’t get a mention.  This drives me crazy.  Unfortunately, there’s far too much of this nonsense going around.

From the Rector: Layers

Three of the most important years of my life were spent in Baton Rouge where I served as curate at Saint Luke’s Church.  There I was introduced to many things, among them, the food of Louisiana.  A number of women at Saint Luke’s were part of the local club that produced what remains the top-selling club cookbook of all time, “River Road Recipes.”  And shortly after I moved there, Paul Prudhomme published his first cookbook, “Chef Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen.”

From Father Beddingfield: Risks and Rewards

For two weeks in June I attended the Summer Leadership Institute at Harvard Divinity School.  The program brings together resources of the divinity school with Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government to help church leaders learn more about leadership and management.  One of the most eye-opening sessions for me was the segment we had on entrepreneurship.  We began with the business school’s definition:

From the Rector:  Matthew’s Gospel

It’s easy for me to have lots of arguments with Saint Matthew’s Gospel.  I have particular difficulties with “Ask, and it will be given you” (Matthew 7:7) – people still pray daily for innocents to be spared suffering and these prayers go unanswered – and “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:28) – perfection is not possible.  I’m not a biblical scholar but it seems to me that Matthew is never able to resolve the plain contradiction between his recounting of many of Jesus’ words and the reality he, Matthew, knew. 

From the Rector:  Generous and Forgiving

The Bible and the liturgy are the foundations of Christian life and living.  Encountering Scripture and Christian worship is the primary way most of us engage the mystery of God.  How we came to be in this world, how we live our lives, how we respond to the Good News we have heard and how we relate to others shapes our conversion and formation as Christians. 

From the Rector:  Go

On Saturday, June 11, the Feast of Saint Barnabas the Apostle, I attended the Ordination of Deacons in the Diocese of Newark at their cathedral, Trinity & Saint Philip’s.  There were seven ordinands.  Twenty-two years ago, on the same feast, a Saturday then as well, I was one of seven ordained deacon in the Diocese of Chicago at Chicago’s cathedral, Saint James’s.  It was great to see Clare Nesmith, Nick Szobota and the others ordained on a Saturday that was also the Feast of Saint Barnabas the Apostle.

From the Rector:  Expulsion

Most days of the past quarter century I have been in church for Morning and Evening Prayer. Most days, not every day. Over the years I have experienced some periods of fairly intense devotion but rarely intense boredom. The Office is the ongoing liturgical prayer of the Church. I experience the Office as something of which I am a part but not as something that depends on me. Ita a gift. Its part of life. Saint Benedict referred to the monastic Office as the "Work of God." In a sense going to the Office is part of my job but rarely does it feel that way. Its just one aspect of life as a parish priest, one of the many, many good things about this vocation.

From the Rector:  Expulsion

One of the most profound experiences one can have is to encounter Masaccio’s frescos in the Cappella Brancacci in Santa Maria del Carmine in Florence, Italy.  His painting of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden (Cacciata dal Paradiso) is the most moving.  Adam and Eve are naked.  They have already lost Eden and the garments of skin the Lord made for them.  Adam’s hands cover his face. 

From the Rector: Trinity Sunday

One might wonder how popular Trinity Sunday was among Anglican Christians before hymn singing brought us two of the most popular hymns, Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! and I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity.  The latter is exhibit number one for the ability of average Episcopalians to sing and enjoy hymns with challenging tunes.  They are great, great hymns and we get to sing both of them this Sunday at 11:00 AM.  (At 10:00 AM we just get to sing the former.)

From the Rector: Pentecost

“Pentecost” means “fiftieth day.”  I don’t always remember that without giving it some thought.  I confess the word too often brings to mind a great deal of liturgical silliness that is visited on Christian communities, usually by clergy who don’t know what they are doing.  We won’t be having a wedding cake (as Father Beddingfield says, “It is not the birthday of the Church.”) or reading the appointed lessons in fifteen different languages.  We will not be flying dove kites in the entrance procession. 

From the Rector: He’s Here

From time to time I love to tell the story of losing Jesus one day at the weekly school Mass when I was a curate in Baton Rouge.  I was the celebrant.  Father John Senette was assisting.  We celebrated facing the congregation of two hundred school children and their teachers.  After holding up the Bread and Cup for the elevation at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer, we genuflected.

From the Rector: Ascending

If forty were not such an important number in the Old Testament, we probably would not be celebrating Ascension Day.  One of the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ ascension into heaven, the one in the Acts of the Apostles, fixes the Lord’s ascension on the fortieth day.  Some may remember when the Church made a ceremony of putting out the paschal candle during Mass on Ascension Day as a remembrance that the Risen Christ in his physical person was now gone from us. 

From Father Mead: Smoke Signals

I was treated to a bit of a surprise today at lunch when my wife informed me that a new pope had been elected.  This is the only time in my life I have witnessed a papal election – technically this is the fourth pope of my lifetime but I have no memory of the first two.  Like many others I have watched from a distance, learning something new about smoke and what its different colors can represent. 

From the Rector: In the News

I’ve resigned myself to the Episcopal Church being in the news for the foreseeable future.  This morning’s Times reported that six rectors in the Diocese of Connecticut are about to be punished for “abandoning the Communion of this Church” because they cannot accept being in communion with a bishop who supported the ordination of the present bishop of New Hampshire. 

From Father Beddingfield: Do we want to be healed?

One of my favorite stories from John’s gospel tells of the man Jesus met at the Bethesda Pool.  Invalids of all kinds, the blind, the lame and the paralyzed, lay near the pool, hoping for healing.  Jesus looked at one man and asked, “Do you want to be healed?”  While we know that the desire for healing does not always bring healing, this story points to the reality that sometimes we become satisfied with unhealthy situations when the energy for improvement actually lies within.  I think of this story of healing with regard to the healing and growth of churches. 

From the Rector: Amazing Easter

So much goes into making Holy Week special at Saint Mary’s that I hardly know where to begin.  There’s an old expression about rules of life: We don’t keep the rule; the rule keeps us.  In a real sense, we don’t keep Holy Week at Saint Mary’s.  Holy Week keeps us. 

From the Rector: The Sunday of the Resurrection

Easter music has been creeping into the offices (and into the rectory – no wimpy organ at SMV!) this week.  It’s not Easter as I write.  It’s the last morning in Lent, which will end tonight at sunset.  The Church then enters the Easter Triduum, the Three Days when we celebrate the Lord’s death and resurrection. 

From the Rector: Holy Week II

As the ministers of the liturgy enter for the principal Mass of Palm Sunday, the solemn rite greets and challenges the assembly of the baptized with these words, “Hosanna to the Son of David: blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  O King of Israel: Hosanna in the highest.”  These words address the Lord Jesus Christ, reigning in heaven, and his Body, the pilgrim Church here on earth.

From the Rector: Holy Week I

Christian worship emerged as Jesus’ followers gathered, first in fear, then in faith after his death and resurrection.  There has not been a day since that first Good Friday when Christians did not gather as a community and for worship.  God’s Word still calls people to faith, to community and to worship.