Church Pulpit Posts
Rogation Days | The Rev. Susan E. Hill, Associate Rector
As our church garden bursts forth its springtime beauty, and the bees buzz happily among the flowers, we celebrate Rogation Days in the church calendar. These are the three days prior to Ascension Day (May 18, this year). A fifth-century bishop in France began the tradition of Rogation (from the Latin rogatio for “asking”) by mandating a period of fasting and prayer in order to stave off potential disasters. Rogation Days became associated with the planting season in England. The local vicar would lead a procession around the fields, blessing them by praying a litany and reciting psalms….
Sea Songs | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
Our Adult Forum during Eastertide has focused on the spirituality of our five senses: touch, sight, smell, sound and taste. I am facilitating the conversation on sound this Sunday. In my preparations, I came upon some interesting research from marine biologists at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Their studies of the songs of humpback whales have revealed that a song specific to one group of whales can move relatively quickly across thousands of miles….
Listen For The True Voice | The Rev. Robert A. Jacobs, Deacon
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is also the gate to the sheepfold. The two roles are one. His relationship with us is not that of a user, but of a friend, one who nurtures us toward growth. Like sheep, we know the voice of Jesus, and we can tell his voice from that of a stranger, or someone who wants to lead us to a new doctrine. We know Jesus’ voice because His word is clear. He always call us to do good, to pray, to celebrate His presence and His grace. The stranger the narcissistic, the morally perverse are easy to identify. They tell us to look out for number one.
All Together Now | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
Today is the last day in Volunteer Appreciation Week. In recognition of the many, many people who give their time and their talents to Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, we hosted a lunch for our volunteers this past Monday. It was a lovely event. The food was excellent. There were goody bags and t-shirts for everyone, and speeches of gratitude from Michael, Steve, Jay and me. To the delight of everyone in attendance, there was even a picture projected onto the video screen of Steve’s baby son. He was smiling and wearing a onesie that said “Future HASK Volunteer.”
Joyous Eastertide | The Rev Susan E. Hill, Associate Rector
Perhaps it is the effect of the (very) warm weather we are experiencing, but the first week of Eastertide – the period between Easter Sunday and Ascension Day – is feeling particularly festive to me this year. I hope the same is true for you as well.
As you know, during our Lenten preparation for Easter, we often focus particularly on spiritual practices such as fasting, praying, and meditating on scripture. With the arrival of the Paschal Feast, we may have been particularly eager to give up any fasting practice we took on! And we may have quickly let go of any other Lenten disciplines we practiced as well. And this is as it should be – the cycle of fasting and feasting is integral to the practice of our faith. The disciplines we take on during times of preparation set us up to enjoy periods of feasting that much more!…
Palm Sunday Remembered | The Rev. Robert A. Jacobs, Deacon
This coming Sunday, Passion/Palm Sunday, we will remember and celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This day is bittersweet for us because even as we read of the celebration we know that Friday is coming. The cross is coming. We know that many in the crowd that greeted him with within a few short days exchange words of praise to words of death….
Heartfelt Time | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
On Tuesday of this past week, the New York Times published an article titled Heartbeat May Shape Our Perception of Time, Study Shows. Time, as we know from our own experience (if not our reading/viewing of science fiction!) is a relative concept. Sometimes it seems to race past us, and we don’t know how we got to where we are so quickly (i.e. the advance of the holidays in the fall when we are an adult). Other times, not so much (i.e. the same time period when we are children, waiting for Christmas)….
Patrick, Bishop and Missionary of Ireland | The Rev. Susan E. Hill, Associate Rector
We are getting to that point in Lent when you might be flagging in your chosen discipline. Whether you’ve given something up or taken on a particular spiritual practice you may be having trouble sustaining it these days. Or perhaps you’ve forgotten altogether and are getting a guilty jolt just now from reading this! No matter what your personal situation is, you may enjoy this twist on the old legend about St. Patrick, whom we celebrate today….
Lent and Love | The Rev. Dr. Anna S. Pearson, Rector
Six years ago, director Martin Scorsese released a film called Silence. Based on a novel by Shusaku Endo, the film was a fictional story about 17th century Portuguese Jesuits who travel to Japan in search of a missionary member of their order who has renounced his Christian faith. The film was a passion project for Scorsese. It was not widely distributed or widely seen, despite its universal theme of keeping faith in hostile situations and dangerous places….
Born Again | The Rev. Robert A. Jacobs, Deacon
Lent is a time of renewal in spirit in our life and of service to God. A time of repentance.
The work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life is not something we can necessarily see, but it is no less real. So, the Holy Spirit moves in us to draw us to God, to cause us to become a new creation. The call to be born of the Spirit is the same for us as it was for Nicodemus. We must be born of the Spirit. We can’t see the Holy Spirit, but we can recognize its work….
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