A Celebration of St Paul

On January 25^th All Saints Episcopal Church celebrated the Conversion of Saint Paul at our Wednesday services. I was given the opportunity to preach a homily, and it was quite difficult. There are so many implications in that experience, and so many different directions one could go. The ability to be articulate AND succinct is a real skill, one I aspire to have someday. The transformation of Saul, the zealous Pharisee that actively persecuted the early Church (Galatians 1:13-14), to Paul, one of the faith’s greatest Evangelists, is a bold testimony to the power of God’s redemptive love.

Trying to decipher God’s call in our lives can be difficult. The desire to focus on that call brought me 1,200 miles from home to participate in a discernment internship. Undoubtedly, many people have prayed for a “Paul on his way to Damascus” moment. However, at least in my experience, those direct callings are rare.

Paul did receive a revelation, but it did not make his life any “easier.” Read II Corinthians 11:23-29 for a laundry list of the dangers and sufferings he faced during his ministry. The Gospel may not make our lives more leisurely, or lead us to extravagant wealth, but it will bless us in deeper, more meaningful ways. The more we trust in God, the closer we get to being the people we were created to be. Instead of filling the void in our lives with things that perish or rust, we can fill them with Christ’s everlasting love. That is the promise Jesus gives in John 10:10.

“…I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

To live out ones faith is a daunting task. It’s not a matter of “if” but “when” something inexplicable will happen that threatens our faith. Therefore, as indicated in I Timothy 4:7-8, we need to discipline ourselves like an athlete, so that we are prepared to endure through the challenging times. Through the help of a strong community and faith in God, we just may find out that the “abundant” life is not what we expected.

Reflections on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

On Monday, January 16th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA) hosted their 28th Annual MLK Unity Luncheon. And, through my association with OTOC, my non-profit, I was blessed with the opportunity to attend. I could not think of a better way to celebrate the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. then through this lovely event filled with remembrance, celebration, and spirituality. 

One of the highlights of the event, for me, was the recognition given to the members of OTOC  for their hard work and dedication to the community, as they received the IMA 2012 Drum Major Award. The award's title was taken from Dr. King's charge to minister and serve as a "drum major." "Yes, if you want to say that I was drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Feb. 4, 1968. 

The event, quite appropriately, began with prayer and song, as we sang together "Lift Every Voice." There were also city officials and political figures of note who attended, lifting up the ministry and service of the community, and it's dedication to bringing equality and unity to Omaha. One person of note was Senator Ben Nelson, who lifted up the importance of young people, and the communities dedication to their success. Responding quite appropriately to his charge to the IMA members, and attendees of the event, the IMA presented four students, from the North Omaha community with scholarships for $2,000 each. This was important reminder to the community present that in the light of the recent violence and gun shootings we have witnessed and heard about on the news, there are young people within the community who are dedicated to being helpful and educated contributing members of their communities. 

Finally we heard from the guest speaker, the Rev. Dr. Claybon Lea, Jr. Claybon spoke about the importance of the unsung hero, and used the Biblical character Mordecai, in the story of Esther, to drive his point home. As the unsung hero in the story of Esther, a Jewish woman who saved her people from the destruction of the Persian king, Mordecai is the driving force behind many of the events and opportunities that lead to Esther's "fame" as a heroin of the Jewish people. And, Claybon reminds us that although we may have forgotten about Mordecai's role in the story of Esther, his hard work and efforts to ensure her upbringing as a person of Jewish faith and marriage to the king still led to the events that allowed for the Jewish people to be spared from mass destruction. Claybon stressed the importance of service, giving back, and remembering the good of the larger community. He reminded us that it was not about the praise or recognition we receive but about the cause, for the good of humanity. 

The event ended with a beautiful prayer and another uplifting song, as we sang to one another "I Need You to Survive." The MLK Unity Luncheon reminded me of the importance of remembering and celebrating the life, ministry, and service of Martin Luther King, Jr. It is important, I dare say crucial, that we remember; we remember the cause the goals of King. For we do not live in a race, ethnicity, or income free world, we live in a world filled with division and separation. We must continue to bear the burden, and take up the cross which Christ has given us as we follow in his footsteps, in the footsteps of the Apostles, Saints, and Martin Luther King, Jr. to fight for the inclusion, fair treatment, and love for all mankind. 

From the Desk of Intern Steven

Being in two places at the same time is impossible. No one can do it. However I find myself wishing it were possible.

I just got back from a trip to see family, friends and attend a wedding of a dear old friend. I don't regret going. I had a BLAST. It was truly a once in a lifetime kinda thing. However there was work for me to do here that I could've been doing and maybe even should've been doing.

Balance is hard. How do you find balance in your life? Work isn't everything but it is important. Your life can't revolve around leisure and having fun (well it can but it comes at a heavy price.) You have to find balance. And I think I'm getting closer to find it. While I was gone I did some reading when I had some free time but I didn't fret over what was going on back in Nebraska. (seriously can't believe y'all saved the snow until I got back.) I shared with a lot of people what I'm doing and what it is all about. I caught up with others about what was going on in their lives. It was wonderful.

Of course they all asked, "So are you going to Seminary in the fall?" I usually responded, "Great question and when I know the answer I'll tell you. Most likely no, even if that is what I would like, a little bit more time needs to pass before I can step forward." I wonder all the time what my life will be like on June 1st 2012 and even Jan. 1st 2013. The truth of the matter is I don't know. I know I will have completed this program (I hope successfully) and that's about it. I know I won't go back to Atlanta. It was a professional dead end for me and even a spiritual one. I had grown as much as I was going to in the diocese of Atlanta.

Christmas away from the family wasn't as hard as I was expecting. There were things I missed and I had moments of saddness and loniliness but that didn't define my holidays. My holidays were filled with joy and celebration of our new born King. I was invited to partake in new families and spend time with new people. I enjoyed it. Two of my greatest fears about being a priest have been encountered and dealt with. The holidays was a big one and now it's been dealt with. The other was how to love a parishioner without crossing any boundaries.

I'll continue praying, worshipping and seeking and I hope that God will show me the way. It's hard though. People are usually so busy offering their own opinion you have to try to make things quiet in the hopes to hear something from the Lord. Blessings to all of you this Epiphany.

Happy New Year!!!!!

A New Year is a time for reflection, remembrance, and hope for the future. One year can seemingly fly by without much change, or one’s life can change drastically. For me, 2011 was the latter. Through the grace of God and many people’s hard work, I have been given the opportunity to live and work in a new community. This was my first Christmas apart from my family, a situation that could have easily descended into loneliness. However, through the generosity of several people I was able to have a very Merry Christmas, surrounded by love. Dare I say, separation from my biological family made me more aware of Christian family, and scripture that previously was difficult to understand has now started to make (a little) sense. Such as…

“[Jesus – the Word] was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

-John 1:10-13

Or…

“Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, waiting to see you.

[Jesus] replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.”

-Luke 8:19-21

There are a lot of corny attempts to portray different groups as “families.” But I have to admit the kinship I have felt in Omaha has a familial feel, consisting of genuine concern for my well being and freely offered hospitality. Christ suffered and “died” on a cross for all of us, including various outcasts, sinners, and other miscreants, so that we may be born anew into a new kind of community. A little separation from the things I love has helped me deepen my understanding of that truth.

As the midpoint of this program approaches, my focus will shift from settling in to what happens next. It is easy to forget that this program will not last forever, and I need to avoid getting “too comfortable” in my current routine. I am confident that, with a little support from people around me and A LOT of help from above, I will be prepared for the next step.

Thoughts on a New Year

As I have come into the age of New Year’s resolutions I am always seeking to make myself a more productive, healthy, contributing member of society. For many years I felt that New Year’s resolutions were phony, unrealistic, and unattainable goals setting the resolution maker up for ultimate failure. But, as I continue to grow into adulthood I have begun to change my perspective on the idea, and ideal, of New Year’s resolutions. I have begun to look at New Year’s resolutions as an opportunity to critically analyze and look at the past year, my downfalls as well as successes. I look towards how to better succeed in the next year, as I look towards where I am headed in life, occupation, etc...

Last year I looked at many aspects of my life and realized that serious changes needed to be made if I planned to become a productive, successful, and happy adult. So I set out to make them, and used the New Year’s resolution “program” as a way to achieve these goals. I will admit that none of them were achieved within that day, or even month of January, but through patients, practice, and discipline I was able to stick to my guns and reach the majority of those goals which I had set out to fulfill. As I look at this next year I am beginning to think of what attainable and tangible goals I can set out to achieve. The resolution that I am looking towards this year is that of prayer.  To attain this resolution my hope is to look at the form of prayer that I will practice (as I may vary it from time to time), create a schedule to execute this practice, and be gentle with myself as I know 100% success will not always be attainable. As we look at this New Year as a gift and opportunity it is my hope that we receive this gift with open arms, ears, eyes, and hearts as we look to make God’s yearning for happiness, fulfillment, and relationship with us in our lives a reality; and I would suggest that this can be achieved through the practice of a New Year’s resolution.