Respectfully submitted by Paul McCright, Clerk
St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church
A well-known saying among marathoners is that “There are two halves to every marathon—the first 20 miles and the last 6.2.” While not mathematically accurate, this saying is correct in that it takes as much effort to complete the first 20 miles as it does the last 6.2. I have been fortunate to complete a few marathons over the years, so I know how difficult the final miles can be. Actually, it’s miles 20-25 that are the most difficult because once you get to mile 25, you get a psychological lift that the finish line is not far away. At mile 20, though, you are exhausted. The runners are no longer talking to each other (a complete change from earlier in the race) as they are conserving every ounce of energy they have in order to just keep putting one foot in front of the other. The people cheering them…
Christopher Thomas Sermon for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year A – 12/13/20 Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Canticle 15 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8, 19-28 I am always and forever fascinated by language, by words, what words mean, what they stand for. Because words are simply, merely representative of actions and feelings and realities that reflect and actually go beyond our mortal human experiences. Words are mystical, bordering almost on magical, because they transcend linear time and space; sometimes we tire of them, but they don’t have a shelf-life and expire; no, no words are past, and present, and future. And that excites me! Anything that transcends, that breaks the bounds, the boundaries, the limits of linear time, excites me, because it lifts me out of my own mortality, if even for a moment, and gives me brief glimpses of God’s arc of time and space. And so, as we light…
Dates matter to me. The 10th of December is the Feast Day of Karl Barth and Thomas Merton. They both died in 1968. Barth was a theologian and Merton, a Trappist monk. When I arrived at The General Theological Seminary in September of 1969, I did not know anything about either of these two men. However, during my years at Seminary they both became important to me in my own spiritual growth…even though it has taken many years of living beyond those years for me to come close to understanding why that would be so. My fleeting memory of anything about Barth comes from a professor at GTS who, commenting on something I had written for his class, wrote in a comment that my thoughts were “Barthian.” Unfortunately, Dr. Carpenter who wrote that note did not elaborate and, more unfortunately, since I was not a very good student, I had…
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry extends his Christmas Message for 2020 Joy to the world! The Lord is come: let earth receive her King; let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing. Perhaps like me, you’ve sung this hymn for years – in church, at home with your family, gathered with friends and neighbors. Perhaps you’ve sung it to yourself – in your car, on a walk, or quietly in the dark of night. Joy to the world! While we may not feel joyful this year – as the pandemic of disease continues to bring sickness and death, when fear and mistrust – a darkness – threatens to overcome the light – we, as followers of Jesus Christ must bear joy to this aching world. We must shine light into the darkness. Joy to the world! Like much in our lives, proclaiming joy is difficult work – also good …
Living Compass is currently hosting an Advent group on Facebook. It is based on our booklet of daily readings for the season of Advent, and its theme is Practicing Hope with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind. In case the idea of Advent is new for you, please know that it is a four-week season that many Christians observe to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. It is similar to the season of Lent, which is a time to prepare for Easter. What follows is a reflection I wrote for our Advent booklet. It speaks of the power of love and hope. Have you ever found yourself, perhaps when the power has gone out at night, in a completely dark room where you can hardly see at all? Now imagine yourself in that same situation but with a single candle and some matches. You light the candle and then,…
Christopher Thomas Second Sunday of Advent, Year B – 12/06/2020 Isaiah 40:1-11 Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God… The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is not, in fact, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, at least according to Mark, is John. John, you know him. I feel sure you’ve seen him. I know I have. You know the one I’m talking about. John. He used to stand under the canopy of Foley’s Department Store on Main Street in Houston, Texas. “Repent!” “The end is near!” “For you know not the hour or the day that our Lord will make his return!” “Prepare the way of the Lord!” He’s the one I would studiously avoid making…
Mark your calendars for special Zoom service to celebrate the Christmas season! Thursday, Dec. 24 at 7:30pm – Join us early for a special selection of music prior to the Christmas Eve Mass. Thursday, Dec. 24 at 8:00pm – Christmas Eve Mass. Friday, Dec. 25 at 10:00am – Christmas Day Mass. A unique zoom link will be sent out for each service. If you’d like to receive the Zoom link, please email Father Christopher.
Nothing personifies the mission of Bryan’s House more than the Little Red Socks of Love, which represent the little boy for whom the organization is named. Bryan Allen was the first known child in Dallas to die from AIDS after being infected perinatally from his mother, who had unknowingly contracted the disease through a blood transfusion. Bryan’s mother kept him outfitted in little red socks in hopes that he would live through the holidays. Bryan lived to see his first Christmas, but he died shortly after at only 8 months old. With nowhere to turn for help caring for her children with AIDS, Bryan’s mother Lydia Allen founded Bryan’s House to serve as a hospice for children infected with HIV / AIDS. Sadly, Lydia and her older son Matthew both passed away due to complications from AIDS. Today, Texas is ranked 49th in the USA to serve at-risk children with…
With the energy we have, we begin the day, waiting and watching and hoping. We wait, not clear about our waiting. But filled with a restlessness, daring to imagine that you are not finished yet – so we wait, patiently, impatiently, restlessly, confidently, quaking and fearful, boldly and daring. Your sovereign decree stands clear and we do not doubt. We wait for you to dissolve in tender tears. Your impervious rule takes no prisoners, we wait for you to ache and hurt and care over us and with us and beyond us. Cry with us the brutality grieve with us the misery tremble with us the poverty and hurt. Attend to us – by attending in power and in mercy, remake this alien world into our proper home. We pray in the name of the utterly homeless one, even Jesus. Amen. — Walter Brueggemann, 1989 How do we wait for…
