Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Pastoral Letter Released on the Episcopal and Lutheran Celebration of Full Communion

 

 

Episcopal, Anglican, Lutheran Pastoral Letter issued

on 10th Anniversary Celebration of Full Communion 

 

The Episcopal Church, Anglican Church of Canada,

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

 

“We look forward to the development of fuller relationships

that will lead to a common mission, ministry, and witness in the world.”

 

[April 26, 2011] The leaders of the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America have issued a Pastoral Letter for the May 1 celebration marking the 10th Anniversary of full communion.

 

“On the basis of Called to Common Mission and the Waterloo Declaration,” the letter states, “we look forward to the development of fuller relationships that will lead to a common mission, ministry, and witness in the world.”

 

Called to Common Mission, for full communion between the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the similar Canadian document, the Waterloo Declaration, between the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, both took effect in 2001. The anniversary of this historic milestone will be celebrated on May 1 with the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church; Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; the Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada; and Bishop Susan Johnson, National Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. On May 1, simultaneous celebrations will be held at 3 pm Eastern at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Fort Erie, Ontario and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Buffalo, NY (Diocese of Western New York). Bishop Johnson will preside at St. Paul’s Anglican and Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schori will preach. Presiding Bishop Hanson will preside and Archbishop Hiltz will preach at Holy Trinity Lutheran. 

 

The Pastoral Letter in full follows:

__________________________________________________________________

A Pastoral Letter On the Occasion of the 10th Anniversary Celebration of Full Communion: Anglican Church of Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and The Episcopal Church

May 1, 2011

 

Grace to you and peace.

 

Ten years ago, when Lutherans and Anglicans in Canada and in the United States embarked on journeys of full communion with one another, we pledged our commitment to unity in Christ for the sake of the mission of Christ’s church.  On this anniversary, we rejoice and give thanks for those places of cooperation and ministry that our agreements have enabled. We are mindful that our commemorations in Buffalo and Fort Erie this day take place during the great Fifty Days of Easter. As the Resurrected Lord breathed his Spirit onto his disciples and commanded them to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth, we continue to ask for God’s Holy Spirit to empower us continually to live together into that call.

 

We have chosen a place near the border between our countries to celebrate our historic agreements, to provide a unified witness to the saving grace of our Lord Jesus, to share our commitment for renewal in Christ’s Church and God’s creation, and to serve our neighbor in need. 

 

As we continue this journey, we call upon our pastors, bishops, and denominational and congregational leaders to active engagement in God’s mission and an increase in their capacity for multiplying ministry in the world.

 

We recognize God’s call to serve and protect Earth in the face of unprecedented global threats to our air, land, and water.  Principles of justice call us to live more sustainably as individuals and in community, and to work for systemic changes that support care for God’s creation and for our neighbors. We acknowledge that our economy is based upon a worldview that sees creation as “resource” rather than sacred, of intrinsic worth, and “very good.” As a result we often plunder creation, and the well-being of low-income and minority communities, as well as other-than-human communities, suffer. We call upon our congregations and institutions to advocate for and embody a more sustainable, compassionate economy. We also challenge our congregations and institutions to make choices and support policies to reduce our collective consumption of energy, thereby reducing the pollution and climate change that stems from the burning of fossil fuels.  We call upon our four churches to work together in matters of environmental justice.

 

As people of faith, we have a strong tradition of helping our neighbor in need. These acts of charity are an integral expression of our faith and help meet the immediate needs of people living in poverty and those hit by disaster. Now is the time to work for justice as well, to advocate for more substantial long-term solutions that will create an anti-poverty agenda which we can all support. We will continue to encourage members of our congregations to meet immediate needs but also ask them to join together and pressure our governments to focus seriously on reducing poverty. We must continue to advocate for decent employment and to enhance our social safety net -- and to ensure that all have the opportunity to access both.  Working together on matters of poverty and economic justice is an area where our four churches can forge an important common witness.

 

Meeting along the border of our countries, we are painfully aware of the issues of immigration and of people who lack lawful immigration status along other borders in the world.  In our own context, we are mindful of those who have migrated to our countries to join their families, to work, or to seek refuge from persecution or violence.  Countless families are separated by stringent immigration laws.  As Christians, we are compelled by Christ’s life and teachings to welcome the stranger as neighbor, serving, as Christ did, those who are marginalized.  In our national and international ministries with and for migrants and refugees, we continue to advocate for comprehensive immigration reform. 

 

We acknowledge that almost all of us are immigrants ourselves:  we live in nations built on land taken from others.  Our churches have long involvement in mission and evangelism among First Peoples.  Sadly we have an equally long history of marginalization and oppression, often through church-run boarding schools, whose main goals were assimilation and the eradication of First Peoples’ culture and heritage.  As we atone for the past, we call upon our churches to continue processes of dialogue, healing, and reconciliation. Today, the definition of Evangelism and Mission has transformed into partnerships with First Peoples and their ministries walking side by side with Christ.

 

We are also aware that our own full communion arrangements reflect this border between our two countries:  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Anglican Church in Canada are in full communion, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Episcopal Church are in full communion. We ask our four churches to explore ways to formalize our relationships and deepen the partnerships between all four of our churches.  On the basis of Called to Common Mission and the Waterloo Declaration, we look forward to the development of fuller relationships that will lead to a common mission, ministry, and witness in the world. 

 

We put our trust and hope in Christ, who has led us thus far in these relationships. With boldness we venture now with a time of breaking new ground, planting more seeds, and tending them in the spirit of authentic partnership in the Gospel. With humility we offer all our labors to the Lord, hoping they take us and all our brothers and sisters in Christ towards a fuller realization of that unity for which he prays.

 

In the words of the Waterloo Declaration, “We rejoice in our Declaration as an expression of the visible unity of our churches in the one Body of Christ.  We are ready to be co-workers with God in whatever tasks of mission serve the Gospel.  We give glory to God for the gift of unity already ours in Christ, and we pray for the fuller realization of this gift in the entire church.”

 

In the words of Called to Common Mission, “We do not know to what new, recovered, or continuing tasks of mission this Concordat will lead our churches, but we give thanks to God for leading us to this point. We entrust ourselves to that leading in the future, confident that our full communion will be a witness to the gift and goal already present in Christ, ‘so that God may be all in all.’”

 

 

The Rev. Mark S. Hanson

Presiding Bishop

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

 

The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz

Archbishop and Primate

The Anglican Church of Canada

 

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori

Presiding Bishop and Primate

The Episcopal Church

 

The Rev. Susan C. Johnson

National Bishop

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

 

 

The Episcopal Church

Office of Public Affairs

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org

Anglican Church of Canada: http://www.anglican.ca/

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America: http://www.elca.org/

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada: http://www.elcic.ca/

 

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Buffalo, NY: http://www.holytrinitybuffalo.org/

St. Paul's Anglican Church, Fort Erie, Ontario: http://www.stpaulsfe.com/

 

Called to Common Mission: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/110055_111495_ENG_HTM.htm

 

The Waterloo Declaration:

http://www.elcic.ca/What-We-Believe/Waterloo-Declaration.cfm

 

# # # #

 

For more info contact:

Neva Rae Fox

Public Affairs Officer

The Episcopal Church

publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org

212-716-6080  Mobile: 917-478-5659

 

 

 

La Iglesia Episcopal

Oficina de Asuntos Públicos

Carta Pastoral Episcopal, Anglicana, Luterana publicada en el  

10º Aniversario de la Celebración de la Comunión Plena

 

La Iglesia Episcopal, la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá,
la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá, la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América

“Esperamos con interés el desarrollo de relaciones más plenas

que conduzcan a una común misión, ministerio y testimonio en el mundo”

 

[26 de abril 2011] Los líderes de la Iglesia Episcopal, la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá, la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá y la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Estados Unidos han publicado una Carta Pastoral para la celebración, el 1 de mayo, del 10 º aniversario de la comunión plena.

“Sobre la base de Llamados a la misión común y la Declaración de Waterloo”, dice la carta, “esperamos con interés el desarrollo de relaciones más plenas que conduzcan a una misión, ministerio y testimonio en común en el mundo”.

Llamados a la misión común, hacia una comunión plena entre la Iglesia Episcopal y la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América, y su similar documento canadiense, la Declaración de Waterloo, entre la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá y la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá, ambos entraron en vigor en 2001. El aniversario de este hito histórico se celebrará el 1 de mayo con la Rvdma. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Obispa Presidente y Primado de la Iglesia Episcopal, el Obispo Mark Hanson, Obispo Presidente de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América, el Rvdmo Fred Hiltz, Primado de la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá, y la Obispa Susan Johnson, Obispa Nacional de la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá. El 1 de mayo, tendrán lugar celebraciones simultáneas a las tres de la tarde (tiempo del Este) en la iglesia anglicana de San Pablo, Fort Erie, Ontario y en la iglesia luterana de la Santísima Trinidad, Buffalo, NY (Diócesis del Oeste de Nueva York). El Obispo Johnson presidirá en la iglesia anglicana de San Pablo y predicará la Obispa Presidente Jefferts Schori. El Obispo Presidente Hanson presidirá y el arzobispo Hiltz  predicará en la iglesia luterana de la Santísima Trinidad.

La Carta Pastoral en su totalidad se encuentra a continuación:

__________________________________________________________________

 

Carta Pastoral en Ocasión de la Celebración del 10 º Aniversario de Comunión Plena:
Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá, la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá, la Iglesia Evangélica Iglesia Luterana de América y la Iglesia Episcopal
1 de mayo 2011

Gracia y paz a ustedes.

Hace diez años, cuando los luteranos y los anglicanos de Canadá y de Estados Unidos nos embarcamos en viajes hacia la comunión plena, prometimos nuestro compromiso a la unidad en Cristo por el bien de la misión de la iglesia de Cristo. En este aniversario, nos alegramos y damos gracias por aquellos lugares de cooperación y ministerio que nuestros acuerdos han hecho posibles. Somos conscientes de que nuestras conmemoraciones en Buffalo y Fort Erie este día tienen lugar durante los gran cincuenta días de Pascua. Como el Señor Resucitado sopló su Espíritu sobre sus discípulos y les mandó a predicar el Evangelio hasta los confines de la tierra, continuamos pidiendo al Espíritu Santo de Dios que nos capacite continuamente para vivir juntos ese llamado.

Hemos escogido un lugar cerca de la frontera entre nuestros países para celebrar nuestros acuerdos históricos, para ofrecer un testimonio unificado de la gracia salvadora de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, para compartir nuestro compromiso de renovación en la Iglesia de Cristo y en la creación de Dios, y para servir a nuestro prójimo necesitado.

A medida que continuamos este viaje, hacemos un llamado a nuestros pastores, obispos y a los líderes de las denominaciones y de las congregaciones para que activen una participación en la misión de Dios y un aumento en su capacidad de multiplicar el ministerio en el mundo.

Reconocemos el llamado de Dios a servir y proteger a la Tierra en vista de las amenazas mundiales sin precedentes a nuestro aire, tierra y agua. Los principios de la justicia nos piden que vivamos de una manera más sostenible personalmente y en comunidad, y que trabajemos para lograr los cambios sistémicos que apoyen el cuidado de la creación de Dios y de nuestros vecinos. Reconocemos que nuestra economía se basa en una visión del mundo que ve la creación como un “recurso” en lugar de algo sagrado, de valor intrínseco y “muy bueno”. Como resultado, a menudo saqueamos la creación, y así sufre el bienestar de comunidades de bajos ingresos y de minorías, así como otras realidades más allá de las comunidades humanas. Pedimos a nuestras congregaciones e instituciones que promuevan y encarnen una economía más sostenible y compasiva. También desafiamos a nuestras congregaciones e instituciones a que tomen decisiones y apoyen normas para reducir nuestro consumo colectivo de energía, reduciendo así la contaminación y el cambio climático que se deriva de la quema de combustibles fósiles. Hacemos un llamado a nuestras cuatro iglesias a que trabajemos juntos en asuntos de justicia ambiental.

Como pueblo de fe, tenemos una fuerte tradición de ayudar a nuestro prójimo necesitado. Estas obras de caridad son una expresión integral de nuestra fe y ayudan a satisfacer las necesidades inmediatas de las personas que viven en la pobreza y a los afectados por desastres. Este es el momento de trabajar también por la justicia, para abogar por soluciones más substanciales a largo plazo, que creen un programa de lucha contra la pobreza que todos podamos apoyar. Vamos a seguir alentando a los miembros de nuestras congregaciones a que satisfagan las necesidades inmediatas, pero también les pedimos que se unan y presionen a nuestros gobiernos para que se centren seriamente en la reducción de la pobreza. Debemos continuar abogando por un empleo decente y por una mejora de nuestra red de seguridad social - y continuar garantizando que todos tengan la oportunidad de acceder a ambos. El trabajar juntos en cuestiones de pobreza y justicia económica es un área donde nuestras cuatro iglesias pueden forjar un testimonio común importante.

 

Al reunirnos en la frontera de nuestros países, somos dolorosamente conscientes de los problemas de la inmigración y de las personas que carecen de estatus legal de inmigración a lo largo de todas las fronteras del mundo. En nuestro propio contexto, somos conscientes de los que han emigrado a nuestros países a unirse con sus familias para trabajar o buscar refugio de la persecución o de la violencia. Innumerables familias están separadas por rigurosas leyes de inmigración. Como cristianos, estamos obligados por la vida y las enseñanzas de Cristo a acoger al extranjero como vecino, y a servir, como Cristo lo hizo, a los que están marginados. En nuestros ministerios nacionales e internacionales con y hacia los migrantes y refugiados, continuamos abogando por una reforma migratoria integral.

Somos conscientes de que casi todos nosotros somos inmigrantes: vivimos en naciones construidas en terrenos quitados a otros. Nuestras iglesias tienen larga participación en la misión y evangelización de los Pueblos Originarios. Lamentablemente también contamos con una larga historia de marginación y opresión, a menudo a través de internados administrados por la iglesia, cuyos objetivos principales fueron la asimilación y la erradicación de la cultura y patrimonio de los Pueblos Originarios. A medida que expiamos por el pasado, hacemos un llamado a nuestras iglesias a continuar los procesos de diálogo, sanación y reconciliación. Hoy en día, la definición de Evangelismo y Misión se ha transformado en alianzas con los Pueblos Originarios y con sus ministerios caminando juntos con Cristo.

También somos conscientes de que nuestros propios arreglos de comunión plena reflejan esta frontera entre nuestros dos países: La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá y la Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá están en comunión plena, y la Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América y la Iglesia Episcopal están en comunión plena. Pedimos a nuestras cuatro iglesias que exploren la manera de formalizar nuestra relación y profundizar la colaboración entre nuestras cuatro iglesias. Sobre la base de Llamados a la misión común y la Declaración de Waterloo, esperamos con interés el desarrollo de relaciones más plenas que conduzcan a una misión, ministerio y testimonio en común en el mundo.

 

Colocamos nuestra confianza y esperanza en Cristo, que nos ha conducido hasta ahora en estas relaciones. Con audacia nos lanzamos ahora a una época de abrir nuevos caminos, de sembrar más semillas y atenderlas con el espíritu de una auténtica asociación en el Evangelio. Con humildad, le ofrecemos todo nuestro trabajo al Señor, en la esperanza de que nos lleve y a todos nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo hacia una realización más plena de esa unidad por la que él ora.

En las palabras de la Declaración de Waterloo: “Nos regocijamos en nuestra Declaración como una expresión de la unidad visible de nuestras iglesias en el único Cuerpo de Cristo. Estamos dispuestos a ser colaboradores con Dios en cualquier tarea misionera de servir al Evangelio. Damos gloria a Dios ya por el don de nuestra unidad en Cristo, y oramos por la realización más plena de este don en toda la iglesia”. 

En las palabras de Llamados a la misión común: “No sabemos a qué nuevas, recuperadas o continuas tareas misioneras conducirá este Concordato a nuestras iglesias, pero damos gracias a Dios por guiarnos hasta este punto. Nos encomendamos a ese liderazgo para el futuro, confiando en que nuestra comunión plena sea testigo del don y objetivo ya presentes en Cristo, ´para que Dios sea todo en todos´”.

 

 

El Rvdmo. Mark S. Hanson

Obispo Presidente

La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en América

El Rvdmo. Fred Hiltz  
Arzobispo y Primado
La Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá

La Rvdma. Katharine Jefferts Schori  
Obispa Presidente y Primado
La Iglesia Episcopal

La Rvdma. Susan C. Johnson
Obispa Nacional
La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana en Canadá

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

La Iglesia Episcopal: www.episcopalchurch.org

La Iglesia Anglicana de Canadá: http://www.anglican.ca/

La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de América: http://www.elca.org/

La Iglesia Evangélica Luterana de Canadá: http://www.elcic.ca/

 

Iglesia Luterana de la Santísima Trinidad, Buffalo, NY: http://www.holytrinitybuffalo.org/

Iglesia Anglicana de San Pablo, Fort Erie, Ontario: http://www.stpaulsfe.com/

 

Llamados a la misión común: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/110055_111495_ENG_HTM.htm

 

La Declaración de Waterloo:

http://www.elcic.ca/What-We-Believe/Waterloo-Declaration.cfm

 

# # # #

 

Para ulterior información contacte a:

Neva Rae Fox

Oficial de Asuntos Públicos

La Iglesia Episcopal

publicaffairs@episcopalchurch.org

212-716-6080  Móvil: 917-478-5659

 

 

 

FW: have you guys seen this??

This is funny!

C. Andrew Doyle
IX Bishop of Texas


-----Original Message-----
From: Carol Barnwell
Sent: Tuesday, April 19, 2011 5:16 PM
To: Andy Doyle
Subject: Fw: have you guys seen this??



----- Original Message -----
From: Cathy Boyd <cboyd@austintrinity.org>
To: aliclay@charter.net <aliclay@charter.net>; Cathy Boyd <cboyd@austintrinity.org>; Carol Barnwell; drw@bainbridge.net <drw@bainbridge.net>; mleesimpson@cox.net <mleesimpson@cox.net>; nan@cobbey.com <nan@cobbey.com>; nross@episcopalatlanta.org <nross@episcopalatlanta.org>; sarahtmoore@earthlink.net <sarahtmoore@earthlink.net>; sbartenstein@saintstephensrichmond.net <sbartenstein@saintstephensrichmond.net>
Sent: Tue Apr 19 13:42:06 2011
Subject: have you guys seen this??

I think "Bossypants" is the Best Title Ever.



Tina Fey's prayer for her daughter, from her new book -Bossypants, 2011


First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be beautiful but not damaged, for it's the damage that draws the creepy soccer coach's eye, not the beauty.

When the crystal met is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half and stick with beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called "Hell Drop," "Tower of Torture," or "The Death Spiral Rock 'N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith," and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes and not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I'm asking You, because if I knew, I'd be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the drums to the fiery rhythm of her own heart with the sinewy strength of her own arms, so she need not lie with drummers.

Grant her a rough patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, for childhood is short - a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day - And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a bitch in front of Hollister, give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, for I will not have that shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

"My mother did this for me once," she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby's neck. "My mother did this for me." And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a mental note to call me. And she will forget. But I'll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.


Sent from my iPad

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Easter Message

Easter Message 2011
By The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle


Romans 8.24
For in hope we were saved…


As we make our way to Easter Sunday morning we are mindful of our brother and sister Episcopalians and Anglicans worldwide. We are mindful of those who still suffer from economic and health cost of our own system’s failings. We are mindful of those suffering from the recent storms which moved through the country. We are mindful of our neighbors who continue to pull themselves from the ruble and rebuild after quakes in Haiti, New Zealand, Myanmar and Japan.


The Easter 2011 Gospel is from Matthew 28:1-10 and in it both the angel of the Lord and the risen Christ are clear: the women and the disciples are to go to Galilee.  In Matthew’s Gospel Galilee is where the action is.  In Galilee they are to be given the great commission.  The Easter message is clear go to where the mission is; go to where the ministry is. Go and meet God there in the form of the risen Christ in friend and neighbor, in brother and sister. 


Worship God out in the world. Celebrate the risen Lord by aiding people with their doubt and with their seeking a living God; you have a role in helping others to find hope, experience hope, and live in hope.


The message is clear you are to love and act for the good of our neighbor. To love and forgive as God forgives – generously. (Not as a quid pro quo; not as we desire people will do for us) The resurrection is an event that was reserved for the end of human history, but it has happened in the midst of human history – the kingdom of God has broken into this world.


This it seems to me is the proclamation of Easter Sunday - Jesus is raised for a purpose.  This resurrection is an apocalyptic event, a life changing, a world re-creating event, for those who experience it.


Every act of humility, hospitality, and kindness done because we follow the risen Christ and serve him through the power of the Holy Spirit, every work of true creativity – doing justice, making peace, healing families, healing individuals, resisting temptation, seeking and winning true freedom for those who are voiceless and powerless – is an earthly event in a long history of things that implement Jesus’ own resurrection and anticipate the final new creation and act as signposts of hope.” (Surprised by Hope, 293-294)


Jesus resurrection is not about our dying and what happens next; it is about our living and what we can do today.


The empty tomb, the message of the angel and Jesus to go towards life and mission, is about the remaking of the world around us. 
Pope Benedict in his Encyclical on Hope wrote that, “the Christian message [of hope] was not only ‘informative’ but “performative”. That means: the Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known—it is one that makes things happen and is life-changing. The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life. (Encyclical Letter, Spe Salvi, ¶2)


Our lives are shaped in a new way for the sake of the kingdom of God for the sake of others.
Our celebration of Easter reminds us of the hope we have, and how our hope might buoy up those in need, and how our actions empowered by hope may be vessels of God’s grace and love to a world that is all too often hurting and in pain. 


The gospel message of Easter is clear: we are to go. We are to go with hope and meet Jesus at home in our families, in our neighborhoods, at our workplaces, or in a place far far away.  We are to go to Galilee. We are to go and build up God’s kingdom of hope. Our risen Lord Jesus Christ already goes before us and will meet us there. Christ is risen! Christo anesti!



Twitter Easter Morning

Get your Twitter dictionary here

A Twitter 
Easter Morning
Matthew 28:1-10


@Marymag  DMaryjamesmom u up? Almost morning here.

@Maryjamesmom 4WIW just waking up

@Marymag lets go 2 tomb F2F

@Maryjamesmom nah…we already did the spice thing in chapter 26.6ff

@Marymag just wanna go :'-( ASAP

@Maryjamesmom OIC, meet u there

@Marymag where are you? Here at Jesus’ tomb W4U

@Maryjamesmom coming… got a stone in my sandal BRT

@marymag Dpetertherock & Djamesfisherman ATM w/@maryjamesmom at Jesus tomb

@Marymag whats that?

@Maryjamesmom earthquake!

@Marymag cool angel

@Maryjamesmom how did he move that stone

@Marymag earthquake!

@Maryjamesmom awesome. Angel sitting on stone

@Marymag he is a young angel :-)

@Maryjamesmom looks like lightening

@Marymag his clothes r white as snow

@tombguard1 scary angel landed on stone, scared me ½ to death

@tombguard2 crazy lightening! Dude! Ahhhh! scary angel man!

@tombguard1 feeling shaky, sleepy ZZZZZ

@tombguard2 soooo sleepy ZZZZZ

@tombguard3 wat?!? Who rolled away stone? ZZZZZZZZ

@Maryjamesmom cool @Godangel put guards to sleep W2G

@Marymag look a 0:-) 

@Godangel no worries @marymag and @maryjamesmom

@marymag u scary @godangel

@Godangel don’t be afraid

@Godangel @@  looking for Jesus who was crucified?

@marymag yep

@Godangel BION check out empty tomb

@maryjamesmom  its empty :D

@Godangel told u, now u tell @Petertherock @Jamesfisherman @Johnfisherman and all @8disciples

@Godangel pls ff@hipjesus (cooljesus, jesus, and realjesus were already taken) 2 GPS coordinates 32°50′N 35°35′E

@Godangel he is raised, and is meeting you F2F in Galilee

@Godangel u will see @hipjesus there, TTFN

@marymag lets get out of here!

@maryjamesmom I want out of this tomb now

@marymag quickly

@marymag little scared

@maryjamesmom me too -- but excited

@marymag I am excited too…race you to ur home

@maryjamesmom @jamesfisherman and @johnfisherman will be there

@marymag they will not believe this!

@Godangel BOL

@hipjesus greetings!

@marymag OMG

@maryjamesmom OMG2

@hipjesus don’t be afraid

@hipjesus go tell my F4E @Petertherock @Jamesfisherman @Johnfisherman and all @8disciples

@hipjesus tell em to go to @galilee GPS coordinates 32°50′N 35°35′E

@marymag G2G

Thoughts on Evangelism

Here is a presentation that I did for the Episcopal Gathering of Leaders meeting at Camp Allen in 2011. The topic of the three day gathering was Evangelism.

Quotes

  • "Christianity is not a theory or speculation, but a life; not a philosophy of life, but a life and a living process." Samuel Taylor Coleridge
  • "Most people are willing to take the Sermon on the Mount as a flag to sail under, but few will use it as a rudder by which to steer." Oliver Wendell Holmes
  • "Perfection, in a Christian sense, means becoming mature enough to give ourselves to others." Kathleen Norris
  • "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." John Wesley
  • "The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." G. K. Chesterton
  • "One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see her spread out through all time and space and rooted in eternity, terrible as an army with banners. That, I confess, is a spectacle which makes our boldest tempters uneasy. But fortunately it is quite invisible to these humans." C. S. Lewis
  • "When we say, 'I love Jesus, but I hate the Church,' we end up losing not only the Church but Jesus too. The challenge is to forgive the Church. This challenge is especially great because the church seldom asks us for forgiveness." Henri Nouwen, Bread for the Journey
  • "Christians are hard to tolerate; I don't know how Jesus does it." Bono
  • "It's too easy to get caught in our little church subcultures, and the result is that the only younger people we might know are Christians who are already inside the church." Dan Kimball