Respectfully submitted by Paul McCright, Clerk
St. Thomas the Apostle Episcopal Church
A Homily for the Second Sunday after Pentecost June 14, 2020 The Episcopal Church of St. Thomas the Apostle Dallas, Texas The Reverend Stephen J. Waller “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Can you believe that Jesus actually uttered those words? “Go nowhere among the Gentiles?” “Enter no town of the Samaritans?” Go rather only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel… Ok. We all know that that statement of mission was one delivered at the beginning of mission work for the disciples … that statement would be followed at the end of Jesus’ life with his telling his disciples to go into all the world and make disciples of all people. A different commission, indeed….
Most years, I write a column about the annual rite of passage that so many people and their extended families participate in this time of year— graduations. This year is no different, yet everything is very different. I spent a few hours this week online reading the stories of graduates describing what it has been like to graduate during a pandemic. I also talked with several parents whose sons and daughters are graduating from either high school or college at the momentous time. I even spoke with my grandson, who graduated virtually from kindergarten. What I read and heard can be summed up in two words: grief and gratitude. The grief that graduates are experiencing is palpable. Not being able to attend a traditional graduation ceremony was undoubtedly at the top of the list of disappointments for high school and college seniors. Some of the other losses that were mentioned…
“…and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith…” – Hebrews 12:1-2, NRSV My dearly beloved Doubters of Great Faith, We are now into our 12th week of official Corona-tide, the time that this virus known as COVID-19, drove us from our beautiful church property at Inwood and Mockingbird, into our places of isolation. Thankfully, throughout this process, we have continued to be the Church, capital C, the community of faith known as St. Thomas the Apostle that doubts in great faith in amazing, loving, connected ways as it always has, in spite, and even because of, COVID-19. And in the pastoral care work that I do with the congregation, I see the effects that 12 weeks of isolation, and separation, is beginning to have on us all. I include myself in this, because I see…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
