A Positively Poetic Priest

11/22/17 "Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen." - Thanksgiving Day, BCP 246 As we prepare for tomorrow's Thanksgiving feasts, either mentally or physically, let us also remember those who we are interdependent on for all the aspects of our Thanksgiving. None of us are alone in this community, we are dependent on others and we pray for their work and their needs. Especially as we turn from Thanksgiving into Black Friday and the shopping season in preparation of Christmas, let us be mindful of those who do not have the ability to serve a feast or buy presents. For the farmers and rancher...

11/17/17 "Bless, O Lord, this food to our use and us to thy service. Keep us ever mindful of the needs of others, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen." Growing up as a child, this was the grace I learned to say before every meal. At first, each of us, my brothers and I, would rotate as to who was sitting in the 'grace chair' and had to say grace before the meal. It was always interesting to see how each of us said the same thing slightly differently. One of my brothers was a speed demon and said the words so fast we couldn't always understand what he was saying. Because of this, our family started a tradition of being mindful of the knees of others, not necessarily their needs... though as my Dad, a man with reoccurring knee problems, likes to say, everyone's knees do need the prayers and help. As we near the Thanksgiving holiday and think about all the things we are thankful for in this world, we have to give thanks for the food we eat on a daily b...

Three certainly is the magic number. Last week we had three kinds of saints. There are three aspects of God. There are three sides of a triangle. This week there are three kinds of apocalypse. This is going to be important. Not only for this week's Gospel story, but also for the whole season of Advent, just a couple of weeks away. They say this story about the Ten Bridesmaids is an apocalyptic story. However, when most of us think of apocalypse, we tend to think of it in two ways. Either in the sense of natural disasters ending the world, the first type of apocalypse, or in the sense of man-made destruction ending the world, the second type of apocalypse. You know the movies, 2012, Deep Impact, 28 Days Later, Armageddon... Hollywood loves making these movies. We have a unparalleled fascination with the end of the world. Yet, The story of the Ten Bridesmaids is about neither kind of apocalypse. There isn't a natural disaster or a man-m...

This year for Diocesan Convention the theme is Courage and Collaboration in Christian Community. The theme highlights the focus of the program for Convention, which starts today, on the possibility of collaboration with the Diocese of Western New York. No one would disagree that both dioceses are part of the larger Christian community of the world, and no one would disagree that as Christians we are called upon to have courage and to work together with others for the cause of Jesus Christ. The question which this Convention seeks to answer is how we can go about the work of collaboration together in faith and courage in our specific context as neighboring dioceses. St. John's has sent three delegates to Diocesan Convention: Kaycee Reib, Kelly Bruckart, and Jeanne Reib, along with Deacon Dave and myself as its clergy. We are here at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie to represent St. John's in the business of the Diocese and to add to the conversation about how collab...

What is the plan for reaching that vision? The plan for reaching our vision is to engage people in weekly worship, classes and small groups, and fellowship so that people can learn and grow in their relationship with God. How do I work towards tithing from where I am now? The best way is to start by increasing your giving percentage a little bit. Some people look at where they are now and plan to increase by a percent every year until they are able to tithe. Perhaps you want to step it up faster, try increasing by two percent each year. How do I re-order my priorities to give more? The best way to look at your priorities is to sit down with your budget. Figure out how much of your income is required for basic necessities; food, shelter, water. Then look at how much of what remains is required for any debts you might have. Once you’ve figured out how much spending money you have, decide how much you want to be able to give to the church, whether it is a set amount each w...

Almighty God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. - Book of Common Prayer, All Saints Day, p. 245 On November 1st every year, this past Wednesday, we celebrated All Saints' Day in the church. (We will also celebrate All Saints' Day on Sunday.) All Saints' Day is the feast of the church which celebrates the bond between those who have gone before us in the faith and those who are still living. It celebrates all the saints, recognized and unrecognized, who have changed the world through their belief in God. While many people focus their energy on the celebration of Halloween each year, the celebr...