July 14, 2010

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

This past weekend we welcomed the Rev. Elise Feyerherm as the preacher at our Saturday Celtic service and the Rev. Daniel MacDonald as the preacher at our Sunday morning service. Elise, who was ordained a priest on June 19th in Columbus, Ohio, was the founding cantor of our Saturday Celtic Holy Eucharist ten years ago. Daniel, a member of our parish, was ordained a deacon on June 5th at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Boston. To read Elise's sermon, please click here. To read Daniel's sermon, please click here.

This weekend is the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. A preview of the Scripture readings for this weekend is presented below for your reflection and study.

You are invited to a Celtic Mini-Retreat on the Spirit of Lughnasa on Saturday, August 7, from 3:00 to 4:30 pm. The ancient Irish festival of Lughnasa is one of the important "quarter feasts" celebrated among many Celtic peoples since ancient times. Like other pre-Christian holidays, the coming of Christianity seems to have transformed rather than destroyed these ancient festivals. Lughnasa marks the beginning of the harvest in Ireland, and had many beautiful customs and traditions that continued into our own time. The retreat will be led by Harvard Divinity School graduate Kieran Conroy, who will share the history and themes of Lughnasa and its sister-celebrations in Scotland and other places of Celtic influence. To download the flyer, please click here.

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THIS WEEKEND

In the reading from the Book of Amos, the prophet calls the unjust to account: "Hear this, you that trample on the needy, and bring to ruin the poor of the land, saying, 'When will the new moon be over so that we may sell grain; and the sabbath, so that we may offer wheat for sale? We will make the ephah small and the shekel great, and practice deceit with false balances, buying the poor for silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, and selling the sweepings of the wheat.' The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob: Surely I will never forget any of their deeds." (Amos 8:1-12)

Psalm 52 upbraids the unjust: "You tyrant, why do you boast of wickedness against the godly all day long? You plot ruin; your tongue is like a sharpened razor, O worker of deception. You love evil more than good and lying more than speaking the truth. You love all words that hurt, O you deceitful tongue. Oh, that God would demolish you utterly, topple you, and snatch you from your dwelling, and root you out of the land of the living!"

The reading from Colossians expresses Paul's faith in Christ: "Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers — all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:15-28)

In the Gospel of Luke Jesus lifts up the example of Mary who has "chosen the better part" in living the Christian life: "As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying. But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.' But the Lord answered her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.'" (Luke 10:38-42)

Through the centuries, Christians have reflected on Mary and Martha as exemplars of contemplation and action. Tod O.L. Mundo offers this contemporary reflection: "Maybe I'm just lazy, but I've always kind of liked the story of Mary and Martha. I can identify with Mary's desire to sit at the feet of Jesus and learn rather than do actual work. For a brief time in my academic career, I was actually being paid to study. Ever since then I've looked for a job where someone would pay me to do nothing but read or study. I have yet to find it, but I'm still looking! Working is hard, so I'm happy to read that Jesus took Mary's side in this sibling quarrel. I have a feeling, though, that there's more to the story. Under different circumstances, I suspect that Jesus would have sided with Martha. If everybody spent their whole life studying, or going to church, or meditating – however we choose to translate 'sitting at Jesus' feet' into today's culture – the world would quickly go to hell in a handbasket. There is a lot of important work, and it requires people to do it. Although some Christian traditions have argued that the story teaches that sacred vocations are more important that secular vocations, I don't believe it. Everyone is called on to work, whether that work is identifiably 'the work of God' or not. I agree with Brother Lawrence that washing pots and pans can be as much a spiritual activity as praying and singing hymns. Similarly, "secular" jobs can be just as crucial to promoting the kingdom of God as 'sacred' jobs. Why, then, did Jesus praise Mary over Martha? I think it was a question of discernment: Mary understood that at that moment, she needed to listen to the words of Jesus. Martha was doing an important work, but it didn't need to be done right then. Sometimes it's OK to let schedules slip, to let dishes sit in the sink unwashed, to put off a meeting until later, to cancel a business trip. There aren't any rules about when to do so. We just have to be as sensitive to God's leading as we can be and follow our hearts."

Please join us for the Holy Eucharist on Saturday at 5:00 pm and on Sunday at 10:30 am.

Sincerely,

David A. Killian
Rector

Worship Services for

The Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, July 17-18, 2010
Saturday, July 17, at 5:00 pm: Preacher: The Rev. David A. Killian
Sunday, July 18, at 10:30 am: Preacher: The Rev. David A. Killian

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