Sacred Places...

I remember when I use to drive to and from work when I had an office in Johnson City, how there were some days when the vista in front of me was truly breathtaking and awe inspiring. But on most days, I would drive to and from work and not really take notice of the mountains or the scenery. And sometimes, on very rare occasions, I would feel something a little deeper; a spiritual connection, if you will, when I did take notice of the beauty in front of me. I do live in a truly beautiful part of the country. I would like think that most people like to see these mountains as special places – places where we go to seek renewal through visits, vacations or summer homes. There is a hint of sacredness about being in the mountains. When you visit some of the local sights close to where I live, like Roan Mountain, Mt. Mitchell or Clingman’s Dome you just somehow feel closer to heaven. Whenever I have hiked along some of these high ridges of the Black Mountains or Smokey Mountains, there has nearly always been this sense of awe and a feeling of being in the presence of God; a sense of being in the presence of something greater than myself.
The geographical region of the country in which I live, called Appalachia, stretches from Northern Alabama and Mississippi all the way to Southern New York State. Geographically, these mountains are considered the oldest in the world. There is a culture and heritage present in Appalachia that is very rich. Many of us place a high value on the arts and crafts of the mountain people; the quilts, the bluegrass music, the dance forms, and the literature from Appalachia that enrich our American experience. But despite the rich culture, arts, music, natural beauty and abundance of natural resources, the Appalachian region remains as one of the most poverty stricken regions of our country. There are many contradictions in how we view these beautiful mountains and the people who live there. We allow the natural beauty of the mountains to be destroyed by such practices as mountaintop removal mining and the clear cutting of forests. The stereotype of the “Appalachian Hillbilly” is still present. Even in my own community, you do not have to go far to find people who speak with a distinctive Southern Appalachian accent and somehow come across as lacking any sort of formal education. Most folks have tendency to devalue people like these by making them the butt of a thousand jokes about laziness, ignorance, and incest. And, as we well know, Jesus calls us to respond in a much different way.
The culture and people of Appalachia are unique and our ability to minister to the needs of these, our neighbors, has to be much more hands-on. The good news is that there are numerous ministries and programs reaching out to the folks of Appalachia. One of which is Episcopal Appalachian Ministries. Episcopal Appalachian Ministries, or EAM, is an organization within the Episcopal Church that is a coalition of dioceses that serve the Appalachian region. EAM’s mission is to support those doing ministry in Appalachia, both urban and rural, through a broad program of education, advocacy and mission. It serves as a clearinghouse for those seeking mission opportunities in the region. EAM is funded by the National Episcopal Church, but also by the member dioceses and individual donations. The ministries supported by EAM are grassroots and hands-on.
The lectionary readings for the Last Sunday of Epiphany (Feb. 14, 2010) takes us into the mountains to some sacred places where we encounter some very mysterious and “other worldly’ events. The Old Testament Lesson (Exodus 34:29-35) is the story of Moses, after receiving the Ten Commandments, coming down from the mountain with the skin of his face shining because he has been in the presence of God. There was no question that Moses had been changed by his mountain top experience.
In the Gospel reading for the Last Sunday of Epiphany (Luke 9: 28-36), we see an event that very much parallels the Moses’ story on Mount Sinai. Jesus too, is on a mountain top and has a change of appearance in front of his disciples. We call this the Transfiguration, although the reading from Luke does not use the word “transfigured”. But we do see that word used in the other two synoptic Gospels; Matthew and Mark both say, Jesus was “transfigured”. When I think about the meaning of the word transfigured, my mind immediately has thoughts of some sort of science fiction movie where seemingly ordinary people morph into some sort of space alien. But, I doubt seriously that is what happened here…
Another way to think about the word “transfiguration” is in terms of the word “transformation”. It is interesting to note that transfiguration and transformation come from the same Middle English root meaning “to change shape.” Transformation, however, from a linguistic approach, can mean “the process by which deep structures are converted into surface structures.” And if we really think about it, that does fit. The depth of who Jesus is, is brought to the surface during the Transfiguration – his face, appearance, and clothes are transformed. Jesus’ face shines, and in Luke’s words, “They saw his glory.” Jesus is transfigured, that is, transformed showing the truth of who he is with a heavenly voice underscoring the visible evidence that Jesus is God’s son and that we are to listen to him.
The transfiguration of Jesus is perhaps the ultimate mountaintop experience. Here on the top of a mountain, Peter, James, and John are left with no doubt as to Jesus’ divinity. I think that this might just be the big take home point about the transfiguration story. We are to be left with no doubt about who Jesus is and the fact that he was both human and divine. But another part of the story that I think is just as noteworthy is that this story takes place on a mountain top and in a way that hints of what it is like to truly encounter God.
In the verses immediately preceding the Transfiguration story of Luke, Jesus says to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me…” Immediately following this invitation by Jesus to become active participants in his ministry, we have the account of the transfiguration, with God telling the disciples to “listen to him!” We heard these same words from God following Jesus’ Baptism, “listen to him”! Through our own Baptismal Covenant we not only accept Jesus Christ as our Savior, we also say that we will “listen to him.” We say that we will seek and serve Christ in ALL persons and strive for justice and peace among all people.
We are all called to seek out the transfigured Christ in the world; we are all called to visit the sacred places. But we are also called to “listen” and to respond with a servant’s heart and in humility. We are called to listen when those living in our midst who are suffering, when they are in need, when they are disenfranchised and subject to injustices. We are called to listen not only as individuals but also as a community, as part of the body of Christ. As a community, we respond by entering into relationships with those that are different than ourselves; those folks that speak with a distinct drawl or don’t have a place to call home; those people that under normal circumstances we would have no relationship. By doing this, we are entering a sacred place; we are standing on Holy Ground.
In a few more days we will enter into Lent and a season of penitence and self-reflection. On Ash Wednesday we will place ashes on our foreheads with the words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. There is no distinction here… we are all dust. In the eyes of God we are all equal. We are all part of the Body of Christ regardless of how we speak, where we live or how we dress. God calls us into to respond with love and humility.
Soon the cold of winter will pass, and we will be able to return to those sacred places, both on the mountain tops and in the hollers of these beautiful Appalachian Mountains. And as we return to these sacred places, we might just experience a voice that says, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” Let us continue to revel in the presence of the Transfigured Christ in those sacred places … And more importantly, as we enter into the session of Lent and our thoughts turn inward, pay attention to how we are called to respond to those around us. By responding out of love and compassion to these very people, right here in Appalachia, we might just witness a Transfiguration… the appearance of those faces might just change... and their clothes become dazzling white.

Haiti Earthquake Response

Haiti Earthquake Response

Man, you got to get in there with 'em

Most of us have family stories that are either handed down to us or are stories that we have lived through. If your family is like mine, those stories tend to get embellished as time goes on and the facts around the story tend to get blurred. Some stories tend to be more significant than others. Some are just funny events or funny things that happen. Others might be stories that convey some sort of tragedy or loss. And every once in a while you get one that is full of meaning. It might not be apparent at the time the story was happening, but in retrospect, it turns out to be significant.
I have a story about my grandfather that is kind of worth sharing. My version of the story I am sure is tainted with embellishments. But, as an old Native American chief once said, “I don’t know if this story happened or not, but I know that it is the truth”.
My grandfather was a Baptist minister and the Senior Pastor at First Baptist Church in Columbia, TN during the 1950’s. He had gotten a call from his friend who was the Rector of the local Episcopal Parish requesting the use of First Baptist Church’s baptistery for a Baptism. You see, the Rector of the Episcopal Church was faced with a somewhat unusual request to perform a Baptism by full immersion. So the two colleagues got their calendars together and decided on a date for this to occur. The date coincided with a Sunday in which the Baptist Church was having their Baptisms. So the arrangement was that the Episcopal Rector would make use of the baptistery later that Sunday afternoon, so that the baptistery would not have to be emptied and refilled with water. So at the appointed time that Sunday afternoon, my grandfather in his wisdom, said, “ I should head down to the Church just to make sure that my friend from the Episcopal Church has all that he needs and has not run into any problems”. So when my grandfather arrived at the Church, he was a little shocked to find his friend, the Rector, standing on the back pew of the choir loft, reaching over the glass wall of the baptistery attempting to Baptize this person by full immersion. The problem was, for those of you not as familiar with the procedure in the Baptist tradition, is that the Baptizer usually gets in the water with the folks being Baptized. Also, it is the normal operating procedure that the Baptizer wear some sort of rubber chest waders in order to save having to get their clothes soaked with the process. Well my grandfather had neglected to tell the good Rector this detail, and naturally the good Rector did not see the point in getting himself soaked in the process of the Baptism. After all, he had already been Baptized himself, and his Baptism “took” the first time! Well, my grandfather was pretty a gassed by this sight of his friend attempting to do a full immersion Baptism without getting in the water. My grandfather then, without thinking about how he might interrupt the dignity of the service and the Baptism, blurted out and said, “No man! You gotta get in there with um...”
Our Gospel reading for this Sunday (Luke 3:15-16;21-22) is one of the four Gospel narratives of Jesus’ baptism. All four of the Gospels contain an account of Jesus’ Baptism, so needless to say, this is pretty important stuff! None of the narratives tell us how Jesus was Baptized or anything about John’s technique. So, the point of argument about whether we should Baptize by immersion or not is probably a moot point. Nevertheless, one thing we do know is that Baptism is universal and practiced by all Christian denominations in its various forms and fashion. And despite the differences in theology and doctrine, we all can agree that our lives in Christ begin with Baptism.
Jesus’ Baptism in the River Jordan marks the beginning of his ministry on earth. This is paradoxical for us too as followers of Christ. For you see, Baptism is the point at which we begin our ministry in the world as well. Baptism is a sacrament. Baptism is an outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace. It is a gift from God. Baptism is the sacrament by which we become part of the Body of Christ; we become inheritors of the kingdom of God. It is truly a gift. However, here is the caveat... We are required to do something with that gift. We are to follow Jesus’ example.
For those of us in the Episcopal Church, every time we have a Baptism or Confirmation we affirm or reaffirm the Baptismal Covenant (BCP p. 304) We enter into a covenant when we are Baptized. These words are also echoed for us too each time we say one of the Creeds during our regular worship or prayers.
This business of following Christ can be challenging to say the least. In our Baptismal Covenant, it asks us if we are willing to “persevere in resisting evil, and whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?” Then in the very next question, it asks if we are willing to, “proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?”. And here in lies somewhat of a dilemma. By affirming these two things as followers of Christ, it almost certainly takes us right out of our comfort zones.
I think most of us are pretty to willing to do these two things, resist evil and proclaim the Gospel. But at the same time, if you are like me, you have this sinking feeling that this is something that will be difficult to do. After all, it sounds messy and one could really be seen as some sort of “jack-leg” preacher if you got out there and started renouncing Satan and proclaiming the Gospel. I think most of us would want to keep our hands clean and sit back and enjoy all the grace and love that God’s gives to us. But following Christ and living into our Baptismal vows also requires us to act. Not act for the sake of somehow earning what God gives us. Afterall, that debt was paid on the Cross. But act because it is what God beckons to do. It requires us to go into the world. It requires us to take the risk of exposing ourselves to sinners.
Let’s jump back for a moment to the Baptism narrative. John the Baptist is out on the edge of town drawing crowds like crazy. But the crowd that John is drawing are not the best of characters. There is the savory lot of tax collectors and Roman soldiers that have gathered. For all practical purposes the place was teeming with sinners. A whole group of flawed and guilty human beings holding out all hope, that somehow, this loud and boisterous character named John the Baptist could give them some relief from the misery they were feeling in their lives. They were hoping that somehow, John could help them clean themselves up and turn their lives around. If this had been in our day and time, the list of folks gathered there would most likely read like the arrest blotter in the local newspaper. These would be people who had been arrested for bad checks, driving drunk, petty larceny, prostitution, assault and domestic violence. Needless to say, for most of us, these would be exactly the folks we would NOT want to associate with and we certainly would not want to be seen hanging out with them. But Jesus, in his typical fashion, does something radical. He gets in line with these folks to be Baptized. You see, Jesus was just not really well known at this point. The crowds of folks were not following him around as they would later. As I mentioned before, this story is at the beginning point of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus simply took his place in line and waited his turn. It was not until later, when the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him that people realized who He really was. And even after it was made known who Jesus really was, He continued to walk and live among the sinners. That is really the bottom line of Jesus’ ministry. He came into the world to save sinners. Sinners just like you and I. We might not be some of the notorious sinners hinted to in the Gospel reading, but sinners nonetheless.
I truly believe that when we are Baptized, like with Jesus, the Holy Spirit descends on us like a dove and we are somehow transformed by that. And like it was with Jesus, our Baptism marks the beginning of our ministry on earth. Our Baptism also involves a covenant. The only way for us to truly KNOW Christ is to follow him through service to others. The Baptismal Covenant is how you DO Baptism. Baptism is a gift. In order to accept this gift and follow Christ it requires sacrifice. It means that we too must give ourselves. We too have to “take up the Cross”. Just like Jesus did at his Baptism, we have to be willing to get in line with a bunch of sinners. We have to risk getting out of our comfort zone and be willing to get our hands dirty. We have to risk associating with people that are hungry for the Good News of God in Christ. We have to respect the dignity of every human being. We have to be willing to associate with the homeless, the folks haunted by addiction, the criminals, the cheaters, the liars, the dirty, the sick, the neglected and all those other unsavory characters out there. So, like my grandfather said, “Man, you gotta get in there with um”...

Homily for Christmas Day

Here we are on Christmas Day after the crescendo of Advent and the Christmas Eve services of last night. Over this past month we have diligently decorated our trees, hauled out the Christmas decorations from the attic and garage; arranged the greenery and crèches; lit the Advent wreaths, baked the Christmas cookies; wrapped all the presents. We have been building on the excitement and anticipation of this day for several weeks. We have put in so much effort into creating the “perfect holiday”. So, this is the day we have prepared for. And in a moment, “in the twinkling of an eye”, the packages are torn into, the food is devoured and we can finally relax... And let’s not forget too... that finally, at last, we have a baby in the manger... “the Word made flesh”
Our Gospel reading from St. John (John 1:1-15) that we read today gives us a much different spin on the all too familiar birth narrative that we read last night. If you are like me, it is much easier to get our mind around the image of a baby in a manger than it is to swallow this notion of “the Word made flesh”. Sometimes it is just difficult to comprehend this theology. Nevertheless, in these mysterious words that we read today, “In the beginning was the Word...,” we are called to reflect on an extraordinary truth about Jesus.
At the time that the Gospel of John was written, for the Greek scholars of that day, the concept of “the Word” was a philosophical concept or theory. It was a concept that would have been very familiar to them. These early Greek scholars suggested that there was a source of eternal truth or absolute truth. This source they termed The Logos: “The Word.” To them, there was nothing personal about the idea. It was just assumed that only a few of the educated elite would be able to contemplate this truth or even begin to understand it.
As The Rev. Anthony Clavier put it in his sermon on Christmas, “the idea of an eternal Word tells us two things. The first is that there is a truth, an eternal truth to which we have access. The second idea is that this truth is communicated to us by God. ‘The Word became flesh and dwelt with us.’ St. John here says something extraordinary. The eternal truth of God, God communicating to us, is not just a philosophical ideal for scholars, but a real person for which we all have access. Jesus is the Truth, Jesus is God communicating (to us). Jesus embodies God’s agenda for the Church and for the world.”
It is easy for us to look at the all too familiar image of a stable and a new born in a manger and see the glory. We have created for ourselves a lot of pomp and circumstance around our version of the Christmas story. However, another way to look at this story is to see God’s identity with those who have nothing. The truth in the story about the Holy Family is one of two ordinary people, living in poverty, trying desperately to find some relief from the cold and place suitable for Mary to give birth as her labor pains grew stronger and more frequent. All they can find is dirty cave filled with animal manure and rotting hay. The baby is born and they have to just make do with what they have. Tired, cold, hungry, scared and alone they bring into the world a baby. It is an ordinary miracle for a baby to be born. But this was just not any baby. It is easy to wonder if Mary and Joseph knew the significance of this baby in front of them. After all, they were just two ordinary poor people just trying to survive. Little did they know who this baby would become, God incarnate; “the Word made Flesh”. As we hear echoed later in the Gospel of John, this baby does become, “the way, the truth and the life...” The amazing thing is how God chose to bring all this about.
You see, God could have chosen to bring a savior into the world in much more dramatic way. God could have revealed the truth to us in a way that had many more “bells and whistles”. He could have revealed himself in a much more powerful way... or did he? “The Word became flesh”... flesh, just like you and I are flesh. Jesus was born of a woman, living an ordinary life. The son of God was born to an ordinary human being. God used ordinary human beings, living an ordinary meager existence to change us. But God also uses you and me. For just as God became human in Mary’s womb, so God the Son, that babe in the manger, enters our humanity, and causes us to be changed. Just as God used Mary and Joseph to help bring about change in the world, God also sends us to bring about change. That is what our Baptism is all about. It is the miracle of allowing God to work through us that brings hope into the world; a hope that can transform all of human kind. It is the kind of transformation that only the love of God can bring that causes frail and powerless human beings to be transformed from living in despair to living in hope. It was the willingness of that baby, who grew to become a man, to die on a Cross so that we might live.
We are all called to follow the same journey that Jesus did here on earth. We all begin life through the miracle of a birth. Each of us are born into different circumstances. Some of us are born into privilege... others might be born into poverty or life circumstances that lends itself to suffering. Regardless of our circumstances, we are still all called to follow Christ... “the Word made flesh”. We are all the flesh of God. We become agents of God’s purpose as we do as God wants us to do. We tell the Gospel story to others. We love one another. The transforming power of God is played out in the world through us by: caring for the sick, the outcast, the starving, those in the midst of war and civil disturbances, the homeless in the street, those tortured by addiction, the abused and neglected, the single mother abandoned by her parents, those living without knowing when they might eat again or find shelter from the cold. When we allow “the Word” to become part of our own flesh, we are then able to transform not only ourselves, we transform the world...
So on this Christmas Day, accept with gratitude the abiding presence of the Christ child in your own flesh and then, in Him, go into the world to love and serve the Lord.
Amen...

Charter for Compassion

Charter for Compassion

Our Life Stories

The Lessons and Carols we read and sang this past Sunday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kingsport, told us the story of our Christian heritage. The Gospel and readings announced the coming of a Messiah. John the Baptist’s cry was to get ready! Here He comes! Get ready for God to come! However, I think we sometimes get confused about what we are really preparing for. Sometimes I think we tend to think about Advent in terms of a bumper sticker I saw one time: “Jesus is coming... look busy...” John the Baptist’s cry to prepare the way gets turned around in our minds. It really does not have anything to do with getting the last minute shopping done or getting the Christmas decorations up. The Lessons we read are the prologue of the Jesus story that we will celebrate from now through the crescendo of Easter. We are here at the middle point of Advent, the wreath is up and the blue paraments are out. In a few more weeks we will celebrate the Nativity of our Lord in which we remember the coming of a baby. It is the all too familiar story of the manger, the angels and shepherds, the wise men, the sheep and lambs, the Star of Bethlehem and that image of a lowly stable where this story unfolds. But the story sometimes gets pushed aside by the excitement of the secular holiday season. This sacred story we begin telling here during this season of Advent, intersects with the world outside these walls. The holiday rush is in full tilt. We are just barely finishing up the leftover Thanksgiving turkey from the previous week. The holiday music and Christmas Carols has been blaring in the shopping centers for a month already (since the day after Halloween, I believe…) This mixture of the secular and sacred that we have bombarding our senses all around us, can have a way of leaving us feeling somewhat overwhelmed and confused. The baby in the manger that we will encounter in just few short weeks, somehow gets lost in the visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads. Advent is very surely a season of anticipation. But we must not forget that Advent is also, and more importantly, a penitential season that calls us to look inward. It is a time for us to reflect not only on the past year, but reflect with anticipation on things that will be new in the coming year.
This was my “official” last Sunday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Kingsport. I will be moving to a new parish that has been assigned to me by my bishop, St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Kingsport, TN. I felt so very blessed to have had the presence of so many friends and loved ones, when I took on some new things by way of my ordination vows. It all seems fitting for me personally that my ordination has occurred during the season of Advent. Advent is the beginning of the Church year and a season of preparation. It is the beginning of a new chapter in our lives that will bring new stories and new memories.
Some 18 years ago I moved to Kingsport after going through some major changes in my life. I moved into this community literally not knowing a soul. But I quickly found a home AND a wife at St. Paul’s! St. Paul’s brings to mind for me so many different stories. There are so many people from St. Paul’s Church, both living and dead, that have influenced and enriched my life. Each one of us has a different story to tell. For me, and especially for Sister, my wife, St. Paul’s has been at the center of all those momentous occasions in life; our wedding, our daughter Rebecca’s baptism, the burial of Sister’s parents and now my ordination. All of these things, and many, many more to even begin to name, have shaped the story line that is our life. However, the significance of this story does not come from any one event, person or personality. Our individual life stories give us different ways of seeing the world. And all that is important, yet insignificant in the bigger scheme of things… The significance of the stories of our lives is found in the relationships we have with each other within the Body of Christ. It is through bonds we have with each other that we find God incarnate. Certainly, we can experience God through times of solitude and meditation. But to truly KNOW God, well, that has to be done in the context of community. Whether you choose to kneel or stand during the Eucharist; cross yourself or not; intinct or drink from the chalice; prefer Rite I over Rite II, it means nothing without community. It does not matter how much you give or don’t give; what you wear, who you vote for or support politically. It does not matter if you are liberal or conservative, moderate or indifferent; whether you go to church every single Sunday or just go every once in a while. It does not matter if you are male, female, straight, gay, lesbian, white, black, blue, green, purple or red with pink polka dots! What matters MOST are the relationships you have with that person next to you and, just as importantly, the relationship you have with the rest of the folks in the world outside your own walls. What matters are the relationships that are forged through service to one another both locally and the rest of the world. We serve Christ by participating in each other’s lives through our prayers, presence and coming together around the table.
This leg of my journey in Christ is entering a new phase as I depart from the regular parish life at St. Paul’s Church and move to begin a new ministry at St. Christopher’s. But the departure of myself and my family is not a total disconnection from St. Paul’s. We are still bound to the St. Paul’s church family by the love and support that has shaped the story that is our life. It is a story of compassion and caring. It is the story of how lives can be irrevocably changed by reaching out to those both known and unknown. My hope and prayer for my friends at St. Paul’s is that this will continue. And my advice and maybe even admonition would be to handle each other with care. Avoid harsh tones or cutting words when you disagree. Seek and follow Christ always. Pay attention to the relationships. That is where you will find Christ.
So, the next time you come together around the Eucharistic table, take a moment to notice the faces of those around you there. I think you will see, as I have seen and continue to see, the face of God; just as surely and as clearly as those shepherds did when they looked into that manger to see a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Amen

New Directions

Next Sunday marks the end of the liturgical Church year in many churches across the world. The following Sunday (Nov. 29th) we will bring down the green paraments and replace them with blue or purple as we begin the season of Advent. The season of Advent is a season filled with anticipation and excitement. It is also a season of penitence in which we are called to reflect and turn our thoughts inward. For me, it is very fitting that my ordination as deacon is occurring during this season of Advent. Advent marks the beginning of the church year. This is significant for the Brewer family as we begin this new phase of our lives through my call to the ordained ministry in the world. There have been many people who have helped me along the way. As with any journey, there are many starting and stopping points along the way. My ordination on December 5th will mark both a starting and stopping point for me within both my Church life and career. I will depart from St. Paul’s Episcopal Church as lay person and enter into the ordained ministry at a new parish. I wanted to share with everyone some of changes that will happen for both myself and my family.

As many of you know, my bishop, The Rt. Rev. Charles vonRosenberg has assigned me, upon my ordination as a deacon, to St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Colonial Heights ("suburb" of Kingsport, TN). I am so excited about becoming the deacon at St. Christopher’s and joining with The Rev. Maggie Zeller in the ministry and parish life there. The liturgical role as a deacon is to proclaim the gospel, lead intercessions, wait at the Eucharistic table, and direct the order of worship. The vocational diaconate is unique in that deacons have a special relationship with their bishop. Deacons serve in a parish at the discretion of their bishop. A vocational deacon’s ministry is also unique in that it is NOT a “stepping stone” to the priesthood as a transitional deacon would be. I do not aspire to be a priest. My call to ministry is in the world.

My ministry in the world has encompassed two distinct areas thus far. Firstly, my work with Osman Hope; this ministry to the people of Honduras has been very central to my calling to the ordained ministry. I will continue my involvement with Osman Hope. Secondly, I have been involved in starting the counseling ministry at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in which I work with people in my role as a Marital and Family therapist. Father Jay Mills, rector of St. Paul’s, has been very instrumental in encouraging me to expand this ministry. After consulting with Father Jay and my bishop, Bishop vonRosenberg has given his blessing for me to continue with the counseling ministry at St. Paul’s Church during the week as part of my regular occupation as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

In addition to this change in my parish life, I will be leaving Youth Villages in my role as a Clinical Program Consultant. Beginning the 1st of January I will transition to doing my private practice as a Marriage and Family Therapist more full-time, in the context of St. Paul's counseling ministry. In addition to this, I have accepted the call to become the new Coordinator of the Episcopal Appalachian Ministries (EAM). This is a half-time position within the Episcopal Church to work with and coordinate the various mission ministries occurring in the dioceses throughout the Appalachian Region. I am very excited about this new direction in my life. I will use the St. Paul’s Church office as my “home base” for both my private practice work and EAM.

Life has a way of producing change. As we live, change is inevitable. When I moved to Kingsport over 18 years ago, little did I know that joining the Episcopal Church would irrevocably change my life. It was at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church that I met and married the love of my life, Sister Carlock. Sister was born into and baptized at St. Paul’s Church. We have shared the joy of seeing our daughter Rebecca’s baptism at St. Paul’s. Needless to say, St. Paul’s has been central to us in our life as a family. Through the years, we have developed so many significant and close relationships with the people and the saints of St. Paul’s. I am grateful to God that our lives have been enriched by these friendships. St. Paul’s Church has been the place where my call to the ordained ministry was awakened and nourished. The body of Christ is only experienced and shared through community. I cannot think of any place I have felt this more than at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. The love of Christ is expressed in so many ways: the food pantry, the Christmas dinner, through baptisms, meals on wheels, trips to Honduras, Sunday School, EYC, and the purely socials. And most importantly, we have celebrated the love of Christ every Sunday around the table at the Eucharist. I am thankful that I have had the joy of being part of the community of St. Paul’s Church and the life in Christ that is so rich and vibrant.

So as I head in a new direction with excitement and anticipation, I am thankful to God for all the blessings I have been given in this life. I am thankful to my wife and family for all the love and support they have and continue to give me. So as we quickly move into the season of Advent and all the excitement and anticipation of the holiday season, let us pray that we will come to know the love of God revealed to us in a manger. Let us gather together in love to experience that peace which passes all understanding.

May the peace of God, which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with us and remain with us always. Amen.