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St Thomas

Virus as a Summons to Faith: Biblical Reflections in a Time of Loss, Grief, and Uncertainty

By Christian Formation

Books of Note for St. Thomas the Apostle’s Readers and Their Friends. This month’s feature book is Virus as a Summons to Faith: Biblical Reflections in a Time of Loss, Grief, and Uncertainty by Walter Brueggemann. Foreword by Nahum Ward-Lev. Cascade Books, 2020. ISBN-13: 978-1-7252-7673-4. “Timely,” could not be a more appropriate descriptor for Walter Brueggemann’s new hot-off-the-press book. The daunting challenge of COVID-19 is on the minds of millions. The timeliness of Brueggemann’s important little book is not primarily about the coronavirus pandemic of the last several months. The real gift of this eminently readable book is the stunning way the message of scripture breaks in upon us with new meaning during these uncertain times. Brueggemann, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, again demonstrates for us why his works are so widely read. He is no proof-texter or Bible-beater. Coronavirus is nothing less than an occasion…

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June 11, 2020

Doubters’ Happy Hour – June 16

By Upcoming Events

Please join the Doubter community for our next Happy Hour, June 16 at 6 pm, for an evening with your Rector & Regathering Committee – “A Look at Regathering”. We will gather for a frank discussion regarding worship in the age of COVID-19. The Rector, who is in charge and responsible for the use of all church-held property on behalf of the Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, has convened an ad-hoc advisory committee, the Regathering Committee, to consider the ways in which we can safely and effectively repopulate the church facilities when the time is appropriate. There are guidelines provided by the Bishop’s office which the Rector and Committee are utilizing to guide their work as they plan for all the different things that will be needed, as well as training and facility preparation, as we look toward that day. We hope you will join us as we talk…

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June 11, 2020

Doing Better When We Know Better

By Christian Formation

St. John’s Episcopal Church in Washington, DC, located immediately across from the White House, has been prominently featured in the news this week. Those of us who are members of the Episcopal Church (as I have been the entire sixty-four years of my life) took particular note. For those unfamiliar with the Episcopal Church, one of the things we are known for is the beautiful and poetic language of our Book of Common Prayer. There is one particular prayer from our prayerbook that has been on my mind this week. That prayer is the Prayer of Confession, and I pray it these days as a confession of my own failure to address the sin of racism more fully in my life. From my personal and professional experience, I know that an honest accounting of one’s shortcomings and blind spots is at the heart of authentic spirituality. This is a truth…

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June 7, 2020

Sermon for First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday

By Rector's Corner, Sermons

Christopher Thomas Sermon for First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday, Year A – 6/7/20 Genesis 1:1 – 2:4a Psalm 8 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Matthew 28:16-20 So God created humankind in God’s image, In the image of God God created them; male and female, God created them. – Genesis 1:27 I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that piece of holy writ across the course of my 54 years, probably many, and never paid much attention to it. Until… It was Fall of 2009, my second full semester of seminary at Brite Divinity School, and I was determined to tackle and knock out all my foundational “required” courses so I could move on to the fun stuff, the electives, and so I enrolled in “Introduction to Hebrew Bible,” the study of the Old Testament. Doesn’t sound very exciting; let’s get this out of the way. On that very first…

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June 7, 2020

Doubters’ Happy Hour – June 9

By Upcoming Events

Please join the Doubter community for our next Happy Hour, June 9 at 6 pm, for an evening with Chad Brinkman of Episcopal Relief and Development. Chad is the Director of the Campaign ONE THOUSAND DAYS OF LOVE, a grassroots Church-wide effort dedicated to improving the lives of children around the world. Previously he served ERD as Program Officer of Engagement, where he worked to engage, educate, and mobilize local communities, affinity groups and the larger Episcopal Church through ERD and he served through the NetsforLife® Inspiration Fund to raise awareness and support for its award-winning malaria prevention program partnership. Chad has worked on five continents in numerous countries. He is a regular contributor of pictures and stories to ERD’s website. He has experienced a lifetime of work as an ally, and has a fascinating journey-story to share! Please join us! ALL ARE WELCOME! Just email Father Christopher to request the ZOOM Meeting…

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June 4, 2020

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

By Rector's Corner

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning my song shall rise to thee: Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty, God in three Persons, blessed Trinity. – Reginald Heber (1783 – 1826) Folks all over Christendom may cringe as I reveal a fundamental truth about myself: “Holy, Holy, Holy” IS my go-to hymn when I need to quickly find and express my relationship to God my Creator, God my Sustainer, and God my Life-giver. I can play it convincingly on the organ; I know the words by memory. The cadence of the tune rises in such a way that it lifts my heart, my mind and my spirit upward to God when I am in some pretty deep pits. It always has, it always will. So, if it doesn’t make your “favorites” list, I apologize now, but we’re singing it Sunday, because in addition to being the first…

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June 4, 2020

Recombobulating in Place

By Christian Formation

Have you ever visited General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin? It’s my hometown airport and so I pass through it often (although not lately, of course). If you visited our airport, you have likely had the opportunity to experience one of its kind “Recombobulation Area” The pride of having this unique place for people to gather themselves and their belongings after they pass through airport security is so famous that you can even buy a “Recombobulation T-Shirt,” at the airport gift shop. The photo at the top of the column is a close-up photo of one of those T-Shirts. I have thought about the airport sign several times this week-not because I have returned to a busy travel schedule (I am still fully sheltered in place and working from home). I thought about it because, in several conversations I’ve been a part of over the past few days, the…

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May 31, 2020

Sermon for Day of Pentecost

By Rector's Corner, Sermons

Christopher Thomas Sermon for Day of Pentecost, Year A – 5/31/20 Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 John 20:19-23 Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may love as you have loved, and do as you would do. – Edwin Hatch (1835-1889) Spiration. Breathe in, breathe out. The root of life. The source of life. The wind-swept wave from above that shattered the dark, formless void in the moments even before light. Breathe in, breathe out. “…next the Creator formed humanity from the dirt and dust of the ground, and then spirated the breath of life.” Chronos, human time, is bounded, then, now, and always, by spiration. Breathe in, breathe out. Spirations, therefore, must be holy moments, right? Transitions in, and transitions out. From that very first spiration, when a babe is “inspired” to life with a slap on the rear, to…

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May 31, 2020

Doubters’ Happy Hour – June 2

By Upcoming Events

Please join the Doubter community for our next Happy Hour, June 2 at 6 pm, for an evening with performing and recording artist Marvin Matthews! Marvin has a storied career as an internationally distinguished Christian Gospel singer who has performed on concert stages, theaters, and recording studios around the world. Marvin has worked with many popular artists from Little Richard, Debby Boone, and Deniece Williams, to CeCe Winans. Marvin toured Romania at 18, was soloist with the world-famous Spurrlows, and has been a featured performer at four Summer Olympics. He has toured Asia, Africa, and every state in the US. In addition, Marvin has 12 recorded projects and two video presentations to his credit. Marvin was honored at The White House, sung at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, various nationwide network television shows, and at numerous houses of worship around the world. In the midst of all that, Marvin has a…

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May 29, 2020

A people of Pentecost

By Rector's Corner

Come, thou Holy Spirit bright; come with thy celestial light; pour on us thy love divine. Come, protector of the poor; come, thou source of blessings sure; come within our hearts to shine. – Latin, 12th cent. We are a people of Pentecost. There’s a secret fire that burns inside each and every Episcopalian that just longs for this day, the day we wear our red to Church, the day we process around and about, proclaiming, “Hail thee, festival day!”, the day we once again acknowledge the ever-abiding presence of our advocate and guide, God’s at-times blustering, and yet ever-blissful Holy Spirit! Why wouldn’t we long for that? After all, I never met an Episcopalian who didn’t relish a good procession! But there is something about that burning bright spirit, that celestial light, meeting us where we are, particularly where we are now, this year, in our places of isolation…

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May 29, 2020