Survivors of Suicide Resources

I am putting this here so that I can have it as a resource, although I sincerely pray I will never need it again.

The Warm Place - Grief Support Center for Children - http://www.thewarmplace.org

Support Groups - https://www.afsp.org/coping-with-suicide/find-support/find-a-support-group searchable by zip code

Bo's Place in Houston on Buffalo Speedway

Easter Vigil 2013

I began this year's Lenten journey with these six words: Lent: The Greatest Love Story Ever.  Tonight I offer up: Even Death Cannot Conquer God's Love.

We’ve heard stories of our salvation history, sang songs, prayed prayers, learned about baptism, prayed some more, and here we are to hear more words in the sermon which I am deliberately going to keep short because we still have two more stories to hear: we have the Baptism story and the Eucharist story still to hear and recite and remember.  All of these are remembrances of this Love Story between God and us.

Welcome to the Great Vigil of Easter.  Tonight we have themes bouncing one against another, bumping into another; did you hear them? 

Darkness to Light

Fire and Water

Mystery and Revelation

Fear to Faith

Slavery to freedom

Death to Life

Sin to Salvation

Tonight, at the apex of the Christian year, we tell the story of God and God’s people and we proclaim Christ risen from death to life.  It’s an overwhelming night of words, words, words, words, words.  We now have 50 days of Easter – Thanks be to God – 50 days to try to assimilate all of the these words and stories into our lives – to let them speak to us again this year, because we hear it all differently every year.  We are called again to try to live into our Belovedness as God's people.

Here’s your down and dirty summation of all of the words tonight: God loved us so much that He became one of us so that He might be with us always.  Even death is powerless before God. Even Death Cannot Conquer God's Love.  Alleluia He is risen!!  The Lord is risen indeed Alleluia!

As we consider God’s love for us, let us now turn to the Baptism:

The Prodigal Son and the Elder Brother

This weekend we get one of the most beloved parables in the entire Bible – the Prodigal Son and the Older Brother.  This story has been played out over and over again in other books, movies, songs – if you think about it for a minute or two you can probably hear echoes of this story in scenes throughout your life. 

One of the reasons that it is such a comforting story is that it illustrates the extravagant love that God has for each of us.  At different times in our lives we can remember when we have been lost and needed finding, or have been overwhelmed by the depth of God’s love for us in our darkest days. 

 I know there are some full-fledged younger brothers here  – y’all have the lively stories.  The younger son has gotten the bulk of the attention here – riotous living, squandering an inheritance, falling so low that he considers eating pig pods.  He went away to find himself but lost himself along the way.  By the time he comes to himself, he is stinky and hungry and lonely.  It is a much more dramatic story of hitting rock bottom.  So it is the story we usually talk about when we read this in Luke.  This is the more straightforward part of the parable. 

I suspect that most of us here though may identify more with the Elder Son – I’m not going to ask for a show of hands, but I’ve had this conversation with more people than I can count.  Most of the time, we are the older brothers with small side trips into the younger brother’s world.  We’ve done what’s asked, we’ve not complained – and where is the reward for that?!  Where’s the party for us?  We have stories of routine and duty and dang it – we want to be recognized for it!

The Elder brother’s story though is just as dramatic on a careful reading.  You see the beginning of the reading?  Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and Scribes – they have asked how dare he eat with sinners.  In this parable Jesus is clearly putting his sinner friends in the younger brother role and the Pharisees/Scribes in the Elder brother role.  And that’s probably we most of us reside also. 

You see, there are actually two lost sons in this parable.  We know one is found and celebrated, but we are left wondering about the other.  Will we stand on our indignation or soften to the love and forgiveness offered freely?  This is a very important question for all of us to face right here and right now. 

In this diocese, today, this is the crossroad where I believe we are.  Our story of the Episcopal Church’s brokenness is no less dramatic than this parable.  Both sides could claim to be the Elder brother, but could accuse the other of being the younger squanderer.  But both are equally lost to the other no matter which way the story is told.  Both are equally loved by the Father; both equally forgiven.  It is very hard work – it takes discipline to occupy both roles – but it is true – we know it.  We are all sons, daughters, children, older and younger BELOVEDS.  God yearns for the family to be at peace.  May we each do our part to make it so.  Amen.

Transfiguration - Year C

           This weekend we get the Transfiguration readings.  We do a version of this every year right before Lent begins.  Matthew and Mark have their own versions, so it is a bit different each year.  I got tickled this week as I did the readings on this lectionary offering.  One place said not to even TRY to explain Paul’s writings (-:

            We get the story of Two Transfigurations – the first is Moses, and it sets the scene for Jesus.  There are the common denominators that would have led ancient hearers to know that the stories are written to be linked: the mountain, the shiny skin, the fear of the witnesses, and God speaking.  The Psalm reminds us that God appears as a cloud on a mountain – again hearkening to this Gospel reading.  This is one of those unusual weekends when all of the readings fit together perfectly and interweave stories and illustrations.  If you have been an Episcopalian for very long, you have heard sermons on these every year.

            This year as we face the beginning of our Lenten journey through to Easter, I would like for us to consider a third Transfiguration story: our own.  As Episcopalians our Anglican theology allows us to believe that we are constantly being transfigured – constantly being sanctified – to be the presence of Christ in the world.  We believe that we can move closer and closer to holiness.  This is not only personally but as a parish. 

            As we begin the Lenten journey, we are also beginning the ending with Fr Jim.  One of the things that will happen over the next year or so will be efforts to learn who St Martin is – what we offer to the greater world that is unique.  Just hanging out and being the Episcopal church is not enough anymore.  Truthfully it never has been – that’s why Peter and the guys could not just hang out on the top of the mountain – there was work to do.  There still is – one of the things we will be called to do is to “Listen.”  We will wonder together, question together and listen together. 

           

            Between now and Easter, we will each individually be called into the observance of a Holy Lent with the imposition of ashes on Wednesday.  Each of us will fast, pray and listen to the Holy Spirit and how she moves in our daily lives.  We are going to be called into our own Transfigurations.  To that end, I have an assignment for you.  It’s a bit scary – but all Transfigurations are – I want you to really pay attention to your Lenten journey this year.  I want you to be ready to tell us all about it.  My first weekend to preach after Easter will be the third Sunday of Easter.  On that weekend, I want to hear your stories of Transfiguration – where you have heard the Holy Spirit speaking to you, either personally or about this community.  Your stories will be the sermon that weekend. 

            It will be a long journey – May we, like Moses, reflect the light of the Glory of God as we are transfigured.  

Water Into Wine Epiphany 2C

Today we find ourselves in the Ordinary Time – kind of a small piece of Ordinary Time that wedges in between Epiphany and Lent.  We get to hang out in this time for just a few weeks before we are in full-blown Lent.  It’s an odd time, so our Lectionary composers have given us a little taste of John.  Last time we had John was that first Sunday after Christmas and we won’t be in John again until close to the end of Lent when we get the story of Lazarus. 

John is a very complex Gospel and today’s reading from it is no exception.  There is a lot of layer and symbolism built into what sounds like at first listen a very straight-forward story.

Did you notice that in John’s gospel, Jesus’ mother is not named?  In fact she’s only mentioned twice in this Gospel: here and at the crucifixion – no name either time.  From the first sign to the last breath.  Take a second with that.  If John was the only Gospel you had ever studied, you would not know anything about His birth or about her – you would know that Jesus had a human mom – that’s it.  Yet the writer gives her an important role – she seems to push Jesus into doing something.  Or she believes so strongly that he will, that he does it.  Either way, she is the instigator of the “sign.” 

Did you catch that also?  John doesn’t call it a miracle – instead it’s a sign.  There are 7 total in the Gospel of John.  Maybe – Probably - because 7 is a Holy Number – the Holiest – Perfection - the Completeness.  On the 7^th day God rested.  Most weddings lasted 7 days – and it is important that this event is a wedding.  In Jesus, Heaven and Earth are married, in the Christ God and Man are married  (Bp Andy Doyle). 

On the Third day, God created… On the third day there was a wedding… on the third day Jesus arose… More symbolism in the story.  New creation maybe?  Jesus is creating a new community of disciples.  In John’s gospel, he’s already gathered a few and will gather more.  He himself is the new creation, and will be again after the Resurrection. 

The six pots made of stone for the Purification Rites – Six is incomplete - not perfect – not  Perfection.  Again – a sign that points to the new creation that will culminate in the perfection of Jesus Christ.

Who is the Sign for?  Bride and Groom and their families certainly benefitted – otherwise at their 20^th wedding anniversary someone would have said, “remember when y’all ran out of wine at the wedding?”  You know someone would remember.  But they don’t know how the wine got there; they may not have ever even known there was a shortage.  The guests certainly enjoyed the really good wine – better than what they had been drinking for the first few days. The Steward certainly appreciates the wine, but doesn’t know how it came to be either. 

The only people in the story who knew were the mom, the servants and the disciples – and the disciples believed.  This is not Mark, remember. Signs are done for a few people only - not for the general public.

And now we know.  John has recorded the story, so obviously it got out and we are the latest ones to get to see this sign – we are now part of the inner circle here. 

Now we enter into the work of Jesus.  Now we must believe just as the disciples did.  I came across a quote this week as I was doing my exegetical work from St. Augustine.  This got my imagination fired up in this Ordinary Time of Epiphany – how this text can be unpacked for us this time – in this space – this week.  St. Augustine is quoted as having written: “Our Lord’s miracle of turning water into wine comes as no surprise to those who know it is God who did it.  At the wedding that day he made wine in the six water pots that had been filled with water; BUT HE DOES THE SAME THING EVERY YEAR with the vines… only that does not amaze us, because it happens every year.”  Every year, rain gets turned into grapes, which get turned into wine.  And we know who the true vine is – whom it is we should be growing alongside so that we don’t wither away.

           

In this season of Epiphany, I forget to look for the sacred among us – the sacred that happens every day.  God’s abundant and extravagant love is on display all the time, yet I sometimes just wade in the water and forget to savor the wine offered.  I’ll give you a few examples of looking for the sacred in the ordinary, and I hope you will think of 100 more this week…

• A married couple truly laughing and communicating after so many years – living into the sacrament of marriage in their everyday life
• The smell of a newborn baby’s head right after bath time – so fresh to this world
• Glancing up from your morning coffee and devotional to see the birds take flight by simply flapping their wings
• Seeing those among us begin to recover and regain strength after so many prayers and so much time
• Holding the hand of another as they breathe their last breath in this world

I offer up those to you – I pray that you will think of others.  Mundane, ordinary stuff that could escape us in the day-to-day existence we live; daring to look for the extraordinary – to live in extravagance – to seek the Holy and Sacred. 

           

Every Sunday in the Eucharistic prayer, we pray some version of: “sanctify us also” –  we pray for the wine to turn into the blood of Jesus and the bread to turn into his body and we believe that happens - we pray for the sacred to become part of our ordinary existence – do we watch for where that happens every day?  Watch this week for the water becoming wine all around you – talk amongst each other about it.  Tell those who do not yet believe… point out God’s abundant and extravagant love… and witness the ordinary becoming sacred as God works among us.  Amen.  

1st Sunday after Christmas C

Happy 5^th/6^th Day of Christmas!!  That’s right isn’t it? Let’s Count it Out… It annoys me when even major retailers do not do their due diligence to know what the 12 days of Christmas are – this year I was getting all of the Starbucks coupons for special deals on the 12 days of Christmas – BEFORE Christmas. 

In today’s Gospel, we get the Birth Story of Jesus from John’s perspective – you heard all about the angels and shepherds and cows, and the manger in that didn’t you?  Nope.  This is John’s version and it is PACKED with Words upon Words about The Word.  We don’t get any glimpses of the Charlie Brown Christmas special here – or even a lineage like we get from Matthew – here we get the back story.  In the Beginning is actually better stated as Before the Beginning… before Genesis… before Creation… before Time began ticking.

If you remember your Genesis stories of Creation (yes there are 2) – God speaks Creation into being.  The lack of violence is one of the profound differences in the Christian version of Creation vs the other Ancient Near East versions of Creation.  God Speaks the Word and Creation begins.  The Spirit moves over the water at Creation – the Trinity in action from the beginning. 

This text from John is read every first Sunday after Christmas – maybe because it is such a tough concept for us to grasp – maybe because it is so important for us to remember that Jesus may have been born in the flesh in a manger but he was before time, maybe just to confound us.  It’s hard to know.  But He was born among us – perfect God and perfect Man – born to speak to us of God’s love.  Born to free us from the Law.  Born so that we could have Faith and be adopted as sisters and brothers, heirs, not slaves.  The Incarnation of Christ is the beginning of a new way for us to be in relationship to God.  A way of freedom and peace and light. 

On this 5^th/6^th Day of Christmas, let us ponder that new Light in our lives that the Word brings – Let us find new ways to accept the perfect gift freely given by Jesus. 

He became as we are so that we could strive to become as He is – Come Let Us Adore Him!

Advent 3C

            So I had a sermon written for this weekend.  It had a good theme – a good catch line: “Roots vs Fruits.”  Seems to me that John the Baptizer is saying that we shouldn’t just rest on our past history of church going, of denominational dependence, of feeling entitled to whatever brings us here.  He points (John always points) to our fruits – what we have to show from living out the Gospel of Jesus Christ every day.  The Fruits of the Spirit are Love, Joy, Peace, Self-Control, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith and Gentleness.  JtB says to those gathered that no matter what their job, they are to be fair and honest in doing it.  That was the sermon.  Then All Hell broke out in an elementary school yesterday morning.

            This one is different, isn’t it?  It sounds as though it is a domestic violence episode to the nth degree.  It involved small children.  Even in the BCP (p 494), we recognize that the deaths of children are different than the deaths of adults.  Children have not yet become what they will.  When a child dies, the adults who love them lose the child certainly, but also all of the hopes and dreams they had for that child.  At least two of the children who were killed are Episcopalians.

            What are we to do?  This is the Rose weekend – the weekend of Joy on the Advent wreath.  We have Zephaniah encouraging us to sing, shout, rejoice and exult.  Paul in Philippians and Isaiah in the Canticle want us to rejoice.  Don’t they understand that we are sad?  Don’t they know what has happened?  Along with the crowd in the Gospel, I ask “What then shall we do?”   

            Our Presiding Bishop calls us to pray: We grieve with the many families and friends touched by this shooting in Connecticut. We mourn the loss of lives so young and innocent. We grieve that the means of death are so readily available to people who lack the present capacity to find other ways of responding to their own anger and grief. We know that God’s heart is broken over this tragedy, and the tragedies that unfold each and every day across this nation. And we pray that this latest concentration of shooting deaths in one event will awaken us to the unnoticed number of children and young people who die senselessly across this land every day. More than 2000 children and youth die from guns each year, more than the soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Will you pray and work toward a different future, the one the Bible’s prophets dreamed of, where city streets are filled with children playing in safety (Zechariah 8:5)?  

            Each of us has something we can do - just as JtB spoke with the different people in the crowd, encouraging them to be fair and honest in their work, we all have work to do in this tragedy.  For some it will be sending a card to the school or the local churches, for others it might be tacking gun or mental health issues - only you know what God has uniquely equipped you to do and what fruit you may bear here.  I do want to be clear - God was in that building - with each and every person, responders, teachers, students - God did not abandon them.  I hope that if you hear anyone say differently, you will address that gently.  How could anyone believe that God - whose own son died a violent death - whose son's body broken we will celebrate in a few minutes - would abandon them in their time of greatest need.  

           And then I circle back to the original sermon this week.  How dare we proclaim Joy?  How dare we not?  Even in our sadness and grief, we can still produce the Fruits: Love, Joy, Peace, Self-Control, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faith and Gentleness.  That is exactly what we are called to do in this.  It takes courage.  It takes a history of living into the Gospel.  Keeping all this in mind, let us pray again our Collect of the Day:  Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.