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St Thomas

In-Person Wednesday Noon Eucharist

By Rector's Corner

For God alone my soul in silence waits: from God comes my salvation. – Psalm 62, v.1 My dear Doubters of Great Faith, Every time this piece of psalmody comes up in my observance of Morning Prayer, my daily ritual, I am always grateful, because it always seems to be so timely, so well-placed. There always seems to be some reason, something upon which my soul is contemplating and anticipating (and longing and hungering for) some mighty act of our great and glorious God. The time in which I find myself typically praying for “patience,” is usually the time that I want God to sweep in on chariots of thunder and righteousness, and make God’s way known, clearly! I know that God identifies with the plight of the suffering, and the downtrodden, and the disaffected, and the weak. Why, last week’s lectionary Gospel, the Beatitudes, tells us to go be…

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November 6, 2020

Sermon for the Feast of All Saints

By Rector's Corner, Sermons

Christopher Thomas Sermon for the Feast of All Saints, Episcopal BCP Lectionary 11/1/2020 Sirach 44:1-10, 13-14 Psalm 149 Revelation 7:2-4, 9-17 Matthew 5:1-12 “Who are these people, robed in white, dazzling as though stars, radiant before the throne of God?” And I said to him, “Sir, you are the one who knows.” “These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” And they cried aloud, day and night (because it was all they could do, all they wanted to do, all that joy would possibly allow them to do): “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom And thanksgiving and honor And power and might Be to our God forever and forever more! Amen!” “Salvation resides with OUR God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb! Hallelujah!” Who are these people? Saints?…

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November 1, 2020

Refraining from Complaining

By Christian Formation

During a previous Halloween season, I wrote about the “no complaining for 24 hours challenge” and received so much positive feedback that I thought I would invite us all to try it again this year. With all that is happening right now, this challenge is more timely and, perhaps, more difficult. Before you read any further, please stop and note what time it is. Remember the time because for the next 24 hours, I invite you to join me in taking the challenge to abide by the advice offered in the quote box above: go 24 hours without complaining, not even once. Can you do it? Can I do it? Of course, we can. Will we, though? We’ll soon find out. Negativity is easy and rampant, especially in these anxious times. The half-empty view of life is all around us. Like a virus, it’s highly contagious. Being cynical is often…

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October 31, 2020

Listen!

By Rector's Corner

My Dear Doubters of Great Faith, We are winding down the final days, hours, and minutes of this election cycle. Whatever your particular political persuasion, I hope and pray that you have either voted or made your plans as to how you will accomplish this act which is both a right and a privilege, as well as a duty. Your voice, every voice, ALL voices are important, and should and must be heard. In these tumultuous times in which we find ourselves, having our voices heard seems practically sacramental. I felt that way when I cast my vote and they handed me my “I voted” sticker. It was like getting a communion host. It somehow represented my being heard above the cacophony, the proverbial voice in the wilderness crying that finally got recognized! I think there’s something to this notion of lament, this deep groaning, that we need to pay…

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October 29, 2020

Holding on to Hope

By News, Upcoming Events

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry will lead a live-streamed prayer service from Washington National Cathedral, Holding on to Hope: A National Service for Healing and Wholeness, on All Saints Sunday, November 1, at 4:00-5:30 p.m. EST. In the midst of a pandemic, racial reckoning, and a historic election, the live-streamed service will gather Americans for prayer, song, lament, hope, and a call to love God and neighbor. The event will be simulcast in English and Spanish. In addition to Bishop Curry’s sermon, the service will include reflections from Father James Martin, a noted Roman Catholic commentator on American life and values, and Valarie Kaur, an inspiring Sikh author, filmmaker, and civil rights attorney. The gathering will be officiated by Washington’s Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, Cathedral Dean Randy Hollerith, and Reverend Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop. Prayers for the nation will come from leaders like Eboo Patel, founder and president…

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October 29, 2020

Mindful Raking

By Christian Formation

A story is told about a Buddhist monk who was asked what he did before he attained enlightenment. He responded, “I chopped wood and carried water.” He was then asked what he did after achieving the highest state of enlightenment. “I continued to chop wood and carry water.” The point is that living a mindful, spiritual life does not always lead to dramatic changes in our or behaviors, although it indeed may. Living a mindful, spiritual life changes us on the inside; it changes our perspective on life. What we do may not change, but our mindset while doing it will likely shift. All that I just shared with you came to my mind early this week when I was raking leaves. If you were to walk by my house while I was raking, you might think to yourself, “There’s a guy raking his lawn.” This would be true, but…

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October 27, 2020

Sermon for Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost

By Sermons

October 25, 2020, Year A: Proper 25 The Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle Dallas, Texas Allen M. Junek, Seminarian-in-Residence + In the name of the one holy and undivided Trinity. Amen. So, here he is: Jesus as he’s so often portrayed. A wise sage on the mountain top, telling each of us to be nice to each other. You know this is one of the downfalls of the lectionary, the table by which we choose the readings for each Sunday of the year: we don’t always get the whole story, just a piece of it. Prior to this exchange, Jesus had just entered Jerusalem. It was the Tuesday, of what we would call Holy Week. The crowds that shouted “Hosanna” on Sunday, would be shouting “Crucify” by Friday. He had just purged the Temple with a whip made of his own hands, and was now being quizzed about…

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October 25, 2020

The Rev. Raymond Carl Ball

By News, Rector's Corner

My Dear Doubters of Great Faith, It is with great sadness that I must announce the passing into the company of the angels and saints my fellow priest and our beloved brother Doubter on the journey here at St. Thomas the Apostle, the Rev. Raymond Carl Ball. In a year already full of sorrow and loss, the swiftness of Fr. Ray’s transition into God’s greater glory seems to sting even more. The outpouring of love in the form of tributes of fellow clergy, parishioners, and folks from across the Diocese of Dallas and beyond, in the form of e-mails, cards, notes, and Facebook posts, attest to the impact that Fr. Ray has had (and will continue to have) on countless numbers of lives, within our Church family, and far beyond. I did not have the privilege of knowing Fr. Ray until I showed up at St. Thomas in February of…

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October 22, 2020

God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath

By Christian Formation

Doubters Book Picks: N.T. Wright, God and the Pandemic: A Christian Reflection on the Coronavirus and Its Aftermath (Zondervan Reflective, 2020). ISBN-13: 978-0310120803. “What should the Christian response be to the novel coronavirus pandemic?” “How are we to think about God in the midst of a plague?” “How do we live in the present moment during this lengthening crisis?” “What can the Holy Spirit teach us about ourselves as COVID-19 confronts us?” “How will we recover personally and collectively?” N.T. Wright, Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St. Andrews (UK), and former Anglican bishop of Durham, tackles these questions and more in his newest book. Renowned for authoring over eighty previous books, Wright demonstrates why his readers are so loyal to him. God and the Pandemic is written clearly and is chocked full of nuggets of insight into how the resurrection of Jesus from…

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October 22, 2020

A Closer Listen

By Christian Formation

In the middle of a Zoom call that my wife and I recently had with some friends, I had a genuine aha moment, one that reminded me of an important lesson I had learned years ago. Knowing that my wife is an avid reader, my friends asked her what she was currently reading. She explained that she has just finished an excellent book entitled, The Housekeeper and the Professor, written by Yoko Ogawa. Our friends were curious to hear more, and so they asked her lots of follow up questions. The more questions they asked, the more details she shared. And that is when I had my aha moment. After we ended our call, I shared my insight with my wife. I explained that I had, of course, noticed her reading the book about which she had just been talking. Until the Zoom call with our friends, though, I hadn’t…

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October 20, 2020