O Holy Night

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The Third Sunday of Advent

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Sermon – Advent 3A
December 12, 2010
The Rev. Patrick Markie


Today is the Third Sunday of Advent and Advent is the Season the Church gives us each year to remember, rejoice, and reflect. We remember with joy what we know already happened: Jesus came as a baby, he was placed in a manger, and he changed the world forever.

We rejoice in the sure and certain knowledge of God’s presence with us and among us today, because on the first Easter morning, three women discovered something amazing: the rock had been rolled away from the tomb, and Jesus had risen from the dead.

And we reflect on what is still to come, as we wait in joyful hope, ever vigilant and ever open to the mystery of the second coming of Christ.

John Westerhoff says: “Advent provides us with a moment to reflect on where Christ is trying to break into our lives and into our world…Of course we remember the birth at Bethlehem, but only so that we will not forget the vision of a new possibility that God implanted in our hearts, and the promise of God’s return, upon which we base our hope and for which we watch and wait.”

John the Baptist had been waiting and hoping for the coming of the Messiah for a long time. And in last Sunday’s Gospel he took this message to the people, as an edgy messenger, dressed in camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. He ate grasshoppers and wild honey, and he was probably skinny as a rail, with hair and a beard that looked like they’d never been cut. And there he stood, knee-deep in the River Jordan, shouting out as loud as he could, “Repent…prepare…for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

And last Sunday’s Gospel tells us, “…the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him…”

Some of it, I’m sure, was plain old curiosity, and the people of John’s time were probably saying, “I just can’t believe what I’ve been hearing about this guy. I’ve got to see it for myself. Nobody really dresses and eats and talks like that, do they?”

But mostly, I think, it was what John was saying: “With many other exhortations, John proclaimed the good news to the people.” And it was good news that gave a waiting and hoping people, faith and trust and joy, and inspired them to respond to John’s call to “bear fruit worthy of repentance,” or as another translation says, “To change the way you’ve been living your life.”

Fast forward to today’s Gospel and we have an entirely different picture of John the Baptist. Here he is, the bold prophet who pointed to Jesus as the One, who called for repentance and baptized many, now sitting alone in Herod’s prison.

It must have been lonely and dirty and very difficult being imprisoned in first century Judea. There were most likely no comforts or conveniences, and the only thing available to John was time—time to think, time to ponder, time to second-guess, and lots of time to doubt. Was Jesus really the One? Was he the real thing? Had I been right, or had my work been in vain?

Things were not turning out the way they were supposed to. The Messiah was supposed to change things. He was supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff in the world. He was supposed to change things so that men like Herod were no longer in power and men like John the Baptist were no longer in prison. Jesus wasn’t doing the things John thought the Messiah was supposed to do, and John was full of disappointment and doubt.

I suppose we’ve all been disappointed with God at one time or another. A loved one gets sick and dies. A terrorist attack takes place somewhere in the world. Tornadoes tear up a town or earthquakes devastate the lives of hundreds, even thousands of people.

Our disappointment comes because of faulty expectations. Sometimes we fail to really see God because we are blinded by the picture we have painted of God in our mind. If we are going to see God at work in the world then we need to remove the blinders of our expectations and look with the eyes of faith. We need to be open to seeing beyond what we have grown to expect.

Doubt is nothing new. Even the most faithful disciples throughout human history have experienced their dark nights of the soul and their season of doubt. Think about Thomas Merton, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther, the Apostle Thomas, and so many other pillars of faith who wrestled with doubt, lived with it and expressed it, and yet did not let it consume them.

John the Baptist, in spite of his imprisonment and uncertain future, refused to wallow in his doubt. He did not allow it to disappoint and embitter him. According to Matthew’s account he sent word by his disciples to Jesus and asked him directly: “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

A commentary on this text says: “Jesus meets John’s questioning and doubt directly. There are no heavy theological treatises or condemnation of his doubt handed down. Not at all! Jesus provides the answer through the witness of his disciples.” “Go and tell John what you hear and see,” Jesus says. “The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”

Jesus wants John to know that he, Jesus, is indeed the one foretold by the prophets, he wants him to know that something extraordinary is starting to happen, and that John was the one sent by God to proclaim this good news and to prepare the way. But don’t accept and believe just because I’m telling you, Jesus says. Listen to the good news of what’s been happening and then judge, have faith, and believe.

We all need to look with the eyes of faith and see God at work in and through all the ordinary elements of our lives. We need to see God in the face of our neighbors. We need to look for God at work in the world. We need to not allow our faulty expectations to trip us up and cause our faith to falter.

Being disillusioned about God is not necessarily a bad thing. Disillusionment is literally the loss of an illusion. And in the long run, it is never a bad thing to lose the lies we have mistaken for the truth.

Did Jesus fail to give you everything you prayed for? Then perhaps Jesus is not a genie. Did Jesus fail to punish your enemies? Then perhaps Jesus is not a police officer. Did Jesus fail to make everything run smoothly? Then perhaps Jesus is not a mechanic. Over and over our disappointments draw us deeper and deeper into who Jesus really is and what Jesus really does.

Disillusionment, questions, and doubt can be good things. Frederick Buechner says: “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.”

John had to deal with his disillusionment over Jesus. He wanted Jesus to condemn sinners—instead, Jesus ate with them. He wanted Jesus to proclaim fire and brimstone—instead, Jesus preached about God’s love.

Jesus didn’t answer John’s question by coming right out and saying he was the one. But he did tell John to look at the works he was doing and draw his own conclusions.

Barbara Brown Taylor paraphrases Jesus’ answer this way: “People who were blind to the love loose in the world have received their sight; people who were paralyzed with fear are limber with hope; people who were deaf from want of good news are singing hymns.

“And best and most miraculous of all, tell John that this is not the work of one lonely messiah, but the work of God, carried out by all who believe, and there is no end in sight. Tell him I am the one, if you must, but tell him also that yes, he should look for another and another and another. Tell him to search every face for the face of God and not get tripped up on me, because what is happening here is bigger than any of us. What is coming to pass is as big as the Kingdom of God.”

Jesus is the one. He is the one God anointed to bring good news to the world. He is the one who was called to show and share how much God loves us. He is the one who came into the world to serve. He is also the one who calls us to be the one.

We probably aren’t called to do this on a grand, world-changing scale, but rather by living out our faith every day in ordinary ways.

We can share God’s love by talking to someone who is lonely. We can provide God’s care by visiting the sick. We can show God’s compassion by comforting someone who is grieving. We can demonstrate the peace of God by not retaliating when someone wrongs us. We can show our concern for the poor by giving gifts that help provide food, clothing, and shelter.

Last year on the Third Sunday of Advent we read from Luke’s Gospel a story similar to what we read last week in Matthew’s Gospel. John is preaching and baptizing, crowds are coming out to see him, and he calls upon the people to do good works, because “every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

And then, in Luke’s telling of the story, the people are so stirred up by John’s words that they call out, “What then shall we do?” And John tells them exactly what they should do.

“Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” In other words, in the words of our Baptismal Covenant, “Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself.”

To the tax collectors he said: “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” In other words, “Strive for justice…among all people.”

And to the soldiers he said: “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusations…” In other words, “Respect the dignity of every human being.”

Today is the Third Sunday of Advent and we light the pink candle on the Advent Wreath. It used to be called Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word “rejoice,” which was the first word of the opening prayer of the Latin Mass for this Sunday.

It is a reminder of the joyful coming of God in the person of Jesus at Bethlehem, a reminder to rejoice in the presence of God with us and among us today, and a reminder that as Christian people we wait in joyful hope for the second coming of Christ.

The message for us today is that we are called to be stewards of this good news, and to be active participants in ushering in God’s righteous reign. “We are charged with telling the world that something new is happening, just as the prophet Isaiah did with these words, ‘Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.’ Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear! Here is your God.’”

The Season of Advent calls us to wait in joyful expectation; of that there is no doubt. Yet that waiting should not be static. We are called to go into the world, strengthened by the Word, strengthened by bread and wine, to tell all people that Jesus comes, that hope abounds, and that there is a place at the table and in the community for everyone. Even as we wait, salvation breaks in around us, and God is active in the world. What good news! Now go and tell!

AMEN

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Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

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Advent Colors

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Advent Colors


Purple my heart,
purple not with courage or from war,
but from longing for the Desire of Nations
and for peace.


Blue my eyes and soul,
blue and silent as today’s late afternoon snow under shade.
Waiting, hoping, melting, freezing.



White my spirit, my remembering,
white for never having known before
the One

Whom now I see,

and taste
and feel.

Em-an-uel,
God-with-us.

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Give Hope

SERMON FOR SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2010 SAINT ANNE’S
PROPER 24C LYDIA HUTTAR BROWN
Genesis 32:22-31, Luke 18:1-8



It was dark in the mine, half a mile underground.

After the deafening roar of falling rock, after the terror of feeling like the mountain was caving in and would crush them, after the silence and the realization they were still alive, it still took hours for the dust to settle and for the 33 Chilean miners to realize they were trapped by a huge rock that blocked their only exit. They gave thanks to God that they had not been in the passageway, on their way to the surface for their lunch break. They gave thanks that they were instead trapped a half mile underground in a huge cavern, and they gave thanks that surely -- almost certainly -- people were looking for them and would find them. They gave thanks and began their active hoping. Persevering in hope. They rationed their little bit of food, to make it last as long as possible. They exercised and sang and told stories and made plans for the future when they would be rescued.

It was dark in the lives of teenagers, in Minnesota and around the country.

Well, at least it felt dark. So dark and lonely and misunderstood that they could see no escape except death. Teenagers who were harassed and bullied because of who they were. And who felt trapped and alone. Without hope, without light, without a future.

It was dark in the forest along the Jabbock River, as Jacob wrestled with the angel.

He wrestled with his doubts and fears, wrestled with God pushing him toward his estranged brother, wrestled with his own inadequacy and mortality. But Jacob didn’t give up. He struggled with all his doubts and fears. He struggled with his conscience. He demanded a divine blessing. He persevered in hope -- active hope --
that his encounter with his brother would be blessed by God.

It was dark in the life of the widow.

Her husband had died. In her time -- in Jesus’ time -- a widow was destitute. No husband meant no home, no livelihood, no money.
So there were moral and social obligations to widows built into the legal code. But this widow was not being served well by the system. A corrupt judge was refusing to make sure her safety net was in place. But the widow persevered in hope. She wouldn’t rest until she got justice,the protection of the law, for the help she needed.

Above the miners, their loved ones were also persevering in hope. Hope that their loved ones would be found, alive. They made a camp above the mine -- Camp Esperanza -- Camp Hope. And nobody gave up.

With Jacob, the angel also persevered in the struggle,and gave Jacob a blessing as the sun came up. It may have been dark in the nighttime, but Jacob was aware of God’s presence with him throughout his struggle. Jacob did not persevere or hope alone.

The widow also was not alone in her persevering hope. She had the law on her side; she had the wisdom of maturity to take a longer view and insist on justice for herself.

Where is Camp Hope for young people who are afraid and lonely? Where is the persevering, hopeful community that will stop at nothing to lighten their darkness?

Churches like St. Anne’s, who believe in the honor and dignity of every human being, must speak louder and reach out more clearly with a message of hope. Bishop Gene Robinson said in a recent blog posting that religion is killing our young people. The religious messages that get into the mainstream media too often fuel hatred and prejudice, even cruelty. We must counteract the messages that come from much of organized religion that adds to the despair of young people. Our message is this:

God loves you, as you are. You are a child of God, created in God’s image. God has great hope for you, and so do we.

Being people of good will is not enough. We have to actively hope, actively struggle and demand a blessing for all people who are trapped, who are in darkness. Especially young people who don’t have the perspective to take the long view.

The Star Tribune recently had a contest for young people to enter their dreams for a better world. Winston Chen, a 5th grader in Eden Prairie, wrote:

I dare to dream of a community where people of all different cultures and religions come together creating a great collage of many colors.
I dare to dream of a community where despair is replaced with hope and fear is overcome by joy.
I dare to dream of a community where collaboration is valued, and everyone is an equal contributor.

Mackenzie Manuel, a 4th grader in Minneapolis, wrote:

My dream for our community is for people to stop violence and get along. … [One] thing I would change is bullying and harassment. Some kids get bullied all the time and other kids see it and don’t do anything. That’s called a “bystander.” If you see somebody getting bullied, you should tell someone because if you don’t it could happen to you! … So remember to always help others out and don’t be afraid to stand up for what’s right.

Olivia Meredith, 3rd grader in Minnetonka, finished her short essay with a poem:

Give hope, watch others beam,
it is easier than it seems.
Pay it forward is the theme,
as a community, we make dreams.


Give hope. Watch others beam. We, as God’s people, are called to persevere in hope and to shine the light of persevering hope for others. For all people. This is our vocation, and it is critically needed now, right now, in our families, neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and community. Let us be a loud insistent persevering voice, demanding justice for all people, and working, waiting, actively hoping.

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Peace Teachings

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MAY PEACE PREVAIL ON EARTH

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On October 16, 2010, St. Anne's planted three peace poles in our peace garden :

Baha'i Teaching

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in thy judgement, and guarded in thy speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

Buddhist Teaching

May all beings everywhere plagued with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid, and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless, fearful wildernesses—
the children, the aged, the unprotected---
be guarded by beneficent celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.

Christian Teaching

Blessed are the Peacemakers,
for they shall be known as the Children of God.
But I say to you that hear, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you,
pray for those who abuse you.
To those who strike you on the cheek, offer the other also,
and from those who take away your cloak,
do not withhold your coat as well.
Give to everyone who begs from you,
and of those who take away your goods, do not ask them again.
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Hindu Prayer for Peace

Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all.
May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all,
and may that peace come to me also.

Jain Teaching

Peace and Universal Love is the essence of the Gospel preached by all the Enlightened Ones.
The Lord has preached that equanimity is the Dharma.
Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me.
Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity.
Know that violence is the root cause of all miseries in the world.
Violence, in fact, is the knot of bondage.
"Do not injure any living being."
This is the eternal, perennial, and unalterable way of spiritual life.A weapon howsoever powerful it may be, can always be superseded by a superior one;
but no weapon can, however, be superior to non-violence and love.

Jewish Teaching

Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
that we may walk the paths of the Most High.
And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares,
and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation—
neither shall they learn war any more.
And none shall be afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.

Muslim Teaching

In the name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the Universe who has created us and made us into tribes and nations, that we may know each other, not that we may despise each other. Most Gracious are those who walk on the Earth in humility, and when we address each other, may we say "PEACE."

Native African Teaching

Almighty God, the Great Thumb, we cannot evade to tie any knot;
the Roaring Thunder that splits mighty trees:
the all-seeing Lord up on high who sees even the footprints
of an antelope on a rockmass here on Earth.
You are the one who does not hesitate to respond to our call.
You are the cornerstone of peace.

Native American Prayer for Peace

O Great Spirit of our Ancestors,.
To your messengers the four winds,
and to Mother Earth who provides for your children.
Give us the wisdom to teach our children to love, to respect,
and to be kind to each other so that they may grow with peace in mind.
Let us learn to share all the good things you provide for us on this Earth.

Shinto Teaching

Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us,
I believe, are all our brothers and sisters,
why are there constant troubles in this world?
Why do winds and waves rise in the ocean surrounding us?
I only earnestly wish that the wind will soon puff away
all the clouds which are hanging over the tops of the mountains.

Sikh Teaching

God adjudges us according to our deeds, not the coat that we wear:
that Truth is above everything, but higher still is truthful living..Know that we attain God when we love, and only that victory endures in consequence of which no one is defeated.

Sufi Prayer for Peace

O Almighty Sun, whose light clears away all clouds,
We take refuge in you. Guide of all people, God of all deities, Lord of all angels,
We pray you to dispel the mists of illusion from the hearts of the nations
And lift their lives by your all-sufficient power,
Your ever shining light, your everlasting life,
Your heavenly joy and your perfect peace.

Zoroastrian Prayer for Peace

We pray to God to eradicate all the misery in the world:
that understanding triumph over ignorance,
that generosity triumph over indifference,
that trust triumph over contempt,
and that truth triumph over falsehood.

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A Thought

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God comes to us disguised as our lives.

- Paula D'Arcy


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One Sunday in May

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O Light, from age to age the same,
O ever living Word,
Here have we felt Thy kindling flame,
Thy voice within have heard.

Here holy thought
and hymn and prayer
Have winged the Spirit’s powers,
And made these walls divinely fair,
Thy temple, Lord, and ours.

What visions rise above the years;
What tender memories throng,
Till the eye fills with happy tears,
The heart with happy song.

Vanish the mists of time and sense;
They come, the loved of yore,
And one encircling providence
Holds all for evermore.

O not in vain their toil who wrought
To build faith’s freer shrine;
Nor theirs whose
steadfast love and thought
Have watched the fire divine.

Burn, holy Fire, and shine more wide!
While nations rise and fall,
Faith, hope, and charity abide,
The heart and soul of all.

O, Light from Age to Age
Frederick Lucian Hosmer

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Happy Mother's Day!

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Mother's Day Proclamation

Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts,
whether our baptism be that of water or of fears!

Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by
irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking
with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be
taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach
them of charity, mercy and patience.

We women of one country will be too tender of those of another
country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs. From
the bosom of the devastated earth a voice goes up with our own.
It says "Disarm, Disarm! The sword of murder is not the balance
of justice."

Blood does not wipe our dishonor nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plow and the anvil at the summons
of war, let women now leave all that may be left of home for a
great and earnest day of counsel. Let them meet first, as women,
to bewail and commemorate the dead.

Let them then solemnly take counsel with each other as to the
means whereby the great human family can live in peace, each
bearing after their own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
but of God.

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a
general congress of women without limit of nationality may be
appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at
the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the
alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement
of international questions, the great and general interests of
peace.

Julia Ward Howe
Boston
1870
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Mother's Day was originally started after the Civil War, as a protest to the carnage of that war, by women who had lost their sons.

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Shoulders

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Shoulders

A man crosses the street in rain
stepping gently, looking two times north and south,
because his son is asleep on his shoulder.

No car must splash him.

No car drive too near to his shadow.

This man carries the world's most sensitive cargo
but he's not marked.
Nowhere does his jacket say FRAGILE
HANDLE WITH CARE.

His ears fill up with breathing,
he hears the hum of a boy's dream
deep inside him.

We're not going to be able
to live in this world
if we're not willing to do what he's doing
with one another.

The road will only be wide.
The rain will never stop falling.

- Naomi Shihab Nye

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St. Anne's Supporting the MDGs: Ending Malaria

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Elvis Is Still In The Building

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St. Anne's is happy to report that Elvis is alive and well - and we found him, entertaining at Neighbors. Go Elvis go!



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Alleluia, Alleluia!

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Take These Broken Wings

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Good Friday

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Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday in Jerusalem 2008:

Our Transparent World

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Life is this simple:

We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent
and the Divine is shining through it all the time.

This is not just a nice story or a fable. It is true.

- Thomas Merton

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Strange Fire

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i come to you with strange fire,
i make an offering of love,
the incense of my soil
is burned by the fire in my blood.

i come with a softer answer
to the questions that lie in your path.
i want to harbor you from the anger,
find a refuge from the wrath.

this is a message of love.
love that moves from the inside out,
love that never grows tired.
i come to you with strange fire.



find another state of mind.
grab hold.
strange fire burns with the motion of love.

when you learn to love yourself,
you will dissolve all the stones that are cast,
you will learn to burn the icing sky
and to melt the waxen mask.

yes, to have the gift of true release,
this is a peace that will take you higher.
i come to you with my offering,
i bring you strange fire.

this is a message of love.
love that moves from the inside out,
love that never grows tired.
i come to you with strange fire.

- Indigo Girls

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YOU Are Invited...

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To walk the new indoor canvas labyrinth at St. Anne's!

Proudly made by eager children and their very patient adult friends.

Our church office hours are Monday - Thursday from 9am - 1pm.

Our building is also available on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

Please call the church office at 651-455-9449 for other possibilities.

You cannot travel the path until you have become the path.
- Gautam Buddha

Yet the Lord pleads with you still: Ask where the good road is,
The godly paths you used to walk in, in the days of long ago.
Travel there, and you will find rest for your souls.
- Jeremiah 6:16

Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old,
Seek what they sought.
- Matsuo Basho

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find
- Matthew 7:7

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Trust

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Only when someone gives us permission to start trusting ourselves do we also start listening to ourselves, do we take ourselves seriously, as I believe God does. Only when we start trusting ourselves do we also begin to take responsibility for ourselves and for our mistakes. Only then do we grow and become 'fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself' (Ephesians 4:13). In this transient world of human limitation, there is nothing purely secular or purely sacred. There is only good direction and bad direction. Jesus came to show us the way--the way through. The theologians call it the 'Paschal Mystery,' the way of dying and rising.

We must admit that both directions are happening in our lives...The wondrous work of grace is to be able to gather those opposing forces together in one place and make them into forces for life rather than death. We call it holiness.

- Richard Rohr
Near Occasions of Grace

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First the Quiet

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Lenten Sacrifice

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It is customary, Lord
to give something up
during the season of Lent
What would you have me do without?
I who have so much
Chocolate?
Cream cakes?
Cigarettes?
Sweets?
Swearing?
The list is endless
and I could give up all those things
for the span of 40 days
quite easily and almost painlessly
But what difference would it make
other than making me feel 'holier'
that my friend who makes no such sacrifice

What would you have me do without?
I who have so much
Selfishness?
Conceit?
Envy?
Pride?
I fear before I ask
that the answer might be 'yes'
and the giving up
would be all too real, Lord
it would be difficult
painful
sacrificial
a real cross to carry for 40 days
and more?

- John Birch

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Ash Wednesday
February 17, 2010

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Interactive Ash Wednesday Service
Especially for Children and their Families
5:30 PM
Ashes and Eucharist

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- Noon -

Ash Wednesday Liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer

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- 7:00 PM -

Shared liturgy with Spirit of Hope Community

Blend of Traditional and Contemporary

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Video from Brian Prior's Consecration

People's Consecration Party

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People's Consecration Party

The Department of Indian Work (DIW), missions, and special ministries of the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota are proud to sponsor the People's Consecration Party:

Friday, February 12
6 pm to 11 pm
Gethsemane Church

downtown Minneapolis
905 4th Avenue South

Dinner will be provided by the First Nations Kitchen team, with all expenses underwritten by the sponsoring organizations.

A free-will offering of money or food items will be accepted. Donations will be used for Haiti relief, food items donated to Gethsemane's food shelf.Live music will begin at 6 pm.

Parking is available in the ramp diagonal from the church.

After Epiphany

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When the song of the angels is stilled
When the star in the sky is gone
When the kings and princes are home
When the shepherds are back with their flocks
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost
To heal the broken
To feed the hungry
To release the prisoner
To rebuild the nations
To bring peace among the people
To make music in the heart.


- Howard Thurman

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Photos from our journey to Belize are now up on St. Anne's Belize 2010 blog. Though we have returned, our work in Belize and in other places continues. For more information visit the outreach page of St. Anne's website.

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Christ's Loving Arms

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St. Anne's is loving the wider world in a hand's on way this week.

Come join us!

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Loving One Another

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Deacon Pat Markie commissioned and sent the team of St. Annian's heading to Belize in a few days with these words:

As Christians, our mission is to make God known to all people. We hear this in Jesus’ words: “I give you a new commandment , that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We celebrate you and your devotion to the work ahead of you in Belize.

Through the gift of your service, you show others the love that God has for all people. This is both a privilege and a responsibility, and by standing here you are publicly affirming your commitment to this work.

Let us pray:

Almighty God, look graciously upon these people whom we now commission for your service. Give them your spirit, enrich them with your grace, and strengthen them for the tasks which lie ahead. Amen.

We rejoice to recognize you as representatives of this Congregation and we thank God for your dedication and your willingness to serve. We send you to Belize with our prayers and our support, and, with you, we renew our commitment to service in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Click here to learn more about this year's project and St. Anne's ongoing involvement in Belize.

Follow St. Anne's as they travel and work via our St. Anne's 2010 Belize blog.

Thank you for your support, love and prayers!

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An Extremist for Love

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...though I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Was not Amos an extremist for justice: "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream." Was not Paul an extremist for the Christian gospel: "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." And John Bunyan: "I will stay in jail to the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience." And Abraham Lincoln: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal . . ." So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Letter from a Birmingham Jail

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Haiti

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Prayer Service Thursday, January 14

Bishop Jelinek urges all Minnesotans to join the Presiding Bishop in urging your prayers for those who have died, been injured, and are searching for loved ones. Please plan to join Bishop Jelinek at a prayer service on Thursday, January 14 at 7 pm at St. Mark's Cathedral.

Support relief efforts - as seen on the Diocesean home page

The diocese has established a dedicated fund to which you may make a tax-deductible donation. All funds collected will be distributed through the congregations participating in the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti Parish Partnership Program. Donations can be made on line or by check to the Episcopal Center (payable to the Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota and write "Haiti Fund" in the memo line) or call Helena Bedell at 612-871-5311 and she can take your credit card information over the phone.

Additionally, you can make a donation to the Haiti Fund established by Episcopal Relief and Development to provide critical assistance such as food, water and medicine, as well as long-term recovery and rehabilitation aid.

Living God,

As we raise our hands helplessly, aching at the devastation we see on the streets and in the faces of the Haitian people, we raise our hearts to you. Through you, we offer hope and love to our sisters and brothers in Haiti. Through you, we send strength and peace. Through you, we offer courage to those who are searching and comfort to those who are mourning. Through you, we let them know they are not alone.

Amen.

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Forming a Star

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Forming a Star

Speeding through life,
we forget about just sitting
and watching,
the beginning of the star.

Night comes blue and dreamy,
undistrubed,
moving of its own rhythm,
forming a star.

We could take lessons from the night.
Not to press too hard, not to forget
this majesty is in us
and forms us into who we are.

Our magic can get lost, but we can find it again,
in all our quiet moments,
like the night, blue and dreamy
forming a star.

- Sandi Walker

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Messy

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To reveal God, to find God, to make the journey into the lap of the Beloved, is messy. Why we have ever thought otherwise I do not know. Mary's journey was messy, full of whispers I'm sure, Joseph's journey was messy, full of the same, and doubt. The Magi's journey was hardly straight, following a star, guided by betrayers, forced home another way, unsure of what they left behind. The story of our Lord's birth, and epiphany is messy, and dangerous because that is the only way the Beloved is ever revealed. In the mess, in the pain, in the love that risks hurt, in the dust of the streets, in the blaze of the sun.

- Christina Josephine Robertson

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It Is Not Over

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It Is Not Over

It is not over,

this birthing.

There are always newer skies

into which God can throw stars.

When we begin to think that we can predict the Advent of God,

that we can box the Christ

in a stable in Bethlehem,

that’s just the time

that God will be born

in a place we can’t imagine and

won’t believe.

Those who wait for God

watch with their hearts and not their eyes,

listening

always listening

for angel words.


- Ann Weems


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