Holy Innocents Episcopal Church

Ash Wednesday Reading

The Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing you have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Old Testament

Joel 2:1-2,12-17

Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, it is near-- a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness! Like blackness spread upon the mountains a great and powerful army comes; their like has never been from of old, nor will be again after them in ages to come. Yet even now, says the LORD, return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God? Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation; assemble the aged; gather the children, even infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her canopy. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD, and do not make your heritage a mockery, a byword among the nations. Why should it be said among the peoples, `Where is their God?'"

or

Isaiah 58:1-12

Thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet! Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins. Yet day after day they seek me and delight to know my ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness and did not forsake the ordinance of their God; they ask of me righteous judgments, they delight to draw near to God. "Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?" Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight and to strike with a wicked fist. Such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly; your vindicator shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.

The Psalm

Psalm 103 or 103:8-14 Page 733, BCP
Benedic, anima mea

1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, * and all that is within me, bless his holy Name.

2
Bless the LORD, O my soul, *
and forget not all his benefits.

3
He forgives all your sins *
and heals all your infirmities;

4
He redeems your life from the grave *
and crowns you with mercy and loving-kindness;

5
He satisfies you with good things, *
and your youth is renewed like an eagle's.

6
The LORD executes righteousness *
and judgment for all who are oppressed.

7
He made his ways known to Moses *
and his works to the children of Israel.

8
The LORD is full of compassion and mercy, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.

9
He will not always accuse us, *
nor will he keep his anger for ever.

10
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, *
nor rewarded us according to our wickedness.

11
For as the heavens are high above the earth, *
so is his mercy great upon those who fear him.

12
As far as the east is from the west, *
so far has he removed our sins from us.

13
As a father cares for his children, *
so does the LORD care for those who fear him.

14
For he himself knows whereof we are made; *
he remembers that we are but dust.

15
Our days are like the grass; *
we flourish like a flower of the field;

16
When the wind goes over it, it is gone, *
and its place shall know it no more.

17
But the merciful goodness of the LORD endures for ever on those who fear him, *
and his righteousness on children's children;

18
On those who keep his covenant *
and remember his commandments and do them.

19
The LORD has set his throne in heaven, *
and his kingship has dominion over all.

20
Bless the LORD, you angels of his,
you mighty ones who do his bidding, *
and hearken to the voice of his word.

21
Bless the LORD, all you his hosts, *
you ministers of his who do his will.

22
Bless the LORD, all you works of his,
in all places of his dominion; *
bless the LORD, O my soul.

The Epistle

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10

We entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

As we work together with him, we urge you also not to accept the grace of God in vain. For he says,

"At an acceptable time I have listened to you,
and on a day of salvation I have helped you."

See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! We are putting no obstacle in anyone's way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we have commended ourselves in every way: through great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, holiness of spirit, genuine love, truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; in honor and dishonor, in ill repute and good repute. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet are well known; as dying, and see-- we are alive; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

The Gospel

Matthew 6:1-6,16-21

Jesus said, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Sermon for Transfiguration

This moment of transfiguration is a profound and dramatic event in Jesus’ life and ministry. Before coming to this day, he has made it clear to his followers that he will experience great suffering and be put to death.

And then going back down the mountain after this remarkable experience, he will freely choose to walk the way of suffering and death. His decision to freely walk this way is not about meeting the demands of an angry God who demands blood sacrifice.

His decision is about love – his profound love for God and for all of humanity and all of creation. The consequences of loving so profoundly will be his death.

And still this love compels him to go before us through the gates of death,ng to us the gates of larger life.

It is this love which will forever transform humanity’s experience of God.

Readings for First Sunday in Lent

Sunday's Readings From The Lectionary Page

The Collect

Almighty God, whose blessed Son was led by the Spirit to be tempted by Satan: Come quickly to help us who are assaulted by many temptations; and, as you know the weaknesses of each of us, let each one find you mighty to save; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Old Testament

Genesis 9:8-17 God said to Noah and to his sons with him, "As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth."

The Psalm

Psalm 25 or 25:3-9 Page 614, BCP Ad te, Domine, levavi 1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you; * let me not be humiliated, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

2
Let none who look to you be put to shame; *
let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.

3
Show me your ways, O LORD, *
and teach me your paths.

4
Lead me in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.

5
Remember, O LORD, your compassion and love, *
for they are from everlasting.

6
Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O LORD.

7
Gracious and upright is the LORD; *
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.

8
He guides the humble in doing right *
and teaches his way to the lowly.

9
All the paths of the LORD are love and faithfulness *
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

10
For your Name's sake, O LORD, *
forgive my sin, for it is great.

11
Who are they who fear the LORD? *
he will teach them the way that they should choose.

12
They shall dwell in prosperity, *
and their offspring shall inherit the land.

13
The LORD is a friend to those who fear him *
and will show them his covenant.

14
My eyes are ever looking to the LORD, *
for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

15
Turn to me and have pity on me, *
for I am left alone and in misery.

16
The sorrows of my heart have increased; *
bring me out of my troubles.

17
Look upon my adversity and misery *
and forgive me all my sin.

18
Look upon my enemies, for they are many, *
and they bear a violent hatred against me.

19
Protect my life and deliver me; *
let me not be put to shame, for I have trusted in you.

20
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, *
for my hope has been in you.

21
Deliver Israel, O God, *
out of all his troubles.

The Epistle

1 Peter 3:18-22

Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you-- not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

The Gospel

Mark 1:9-13

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Technorati Tags: Lectionary|Lent

Readings for Sunday February 26

Sunday's Readings From The Lectionary Page

The Collect

O God, who before the passion of your only-begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Old Testament

1 Kings 19:9-18

At Horeb, the mount of God, Elijah came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."

He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He answered, "I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." Then the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him."

The Psalm

Dominus illuminatio

1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? * the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom then shall I be afraid?

2
When evildoers came upon me to eat up my flesh, *
it was they, my foes and my adversaries, who
stumbled and fell.

3
Though an army should encamp against me, *
yet my heart shall not be afraid;

4
And though war should rise up against me, *
yet will I put my trust in him.

5
One thing have I asked of the LORD;
one thing I seek; *
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days
of my life;

6
To behold the fair beauty of the LORD *
and to seek him in his temple.

7
For in the day of trouble he shall keep me safe
in his shelter; *
he shall hide me in the secrecy of his dwelling
and set me high upon a rock.

8
Even now he lifts up my head *
above my enemies round about me.

9
Therefore I will offer in his dwelling an oblation
with sounds of great gladness; *
I will sing and make music to the LORD.

10
Hearken to my voice, O LORD, when I call; *
have mercy on me and answer me.

11
You speak in my heart and say, "Seek my face." *
Your face, LORD, will I seek.

12
Hide not your face from me, *
nor turn away your servant in displeasure.

13
You have been my helper;
cast me not away; *
do not forsake me, O God of my salvation.

14
Though my father and my mother forsake me, *
the LORD will sustain me.

15
Show me your way, O LORD; *
lead me on a level path, because of my enemies.

16
Deliver me not into the hand of my adversaries, *
for false witnesses have risen up against me,
and also those who speak malice.

17
What if I had not believed
that I should see the goodness of the LORD *
in the land of the living!

18
O tarry and await the LORD'S pleasure;
be strong, and he shall comfort your heart; *
wait patiently for the LORD.

The Epistle

2 Peter 1:)

For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.

So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. [First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.]

The Gospel

Mark 9:2-9 Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Bonnie Perry Nominated for Bishop of California

ebar.com | The Bay Area Reporter Online

Any gay man and lesbian woman are among the five candidates vying to become California's eighth Episcopal bishop. The church announced the list of potential candidates on Monday, February 20.

Both Chicago's Bonnie Perry and Seattle's Robert V. Taylor are talented financial administrators with strong experience in congregational renewal and mission outreach. They preside over vibrant, growing churches and both earned their Masters of Divinity Degrees from New York's progressive Union Theological Seminary. Each is in a long-term partnership.

Congratulations, Bonnie! Like the Oscars, it's an honor to be nominated.

If elected, it will be California's gain and Chicago's loss, because Bonnie is a dynamic priest who's done a lot of work for congregational development (somnething with which Holy Innocents is very much concerned).

Best of luck to Bonnie and to all the other nominees. Our prayers will be with you all.

Bishop's Committee Tonight: Let Your Life Speak

Amazon.com: Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation: Books: Parker J. Palmer

Bishop's Committee meets tonight at Holy Innocents at 7pm. In the course of the last few months, we have been reading Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak, as we worked toward changing the way we thought about "church at Holy Innocents" and "church in general." Those of us on the committee had been content until soon after Fr. Ted's arrival to simply discuss the financial challenges we face - that was more than enough for us! But under Ted's leadership, we've all done a lot of thinking and making attempts at personal growth. We all had to come to terms with the fact that we are leaders, not simply sheep in the flock.

Parker Palmer's book has added a pleasant dimension to the meetings - we start with a reading, discuss it amongs ourselves, have some reflection time, and then move on to business matters.

I'm not sure many of us have passed this along to friends and family in the Holy Innocents community, but the meetings have helped us to shape our thoughts about what we're about here at Holy Innocents.

Tonight, we finish with the book. It deals a lot with facing fears and recognizing the strength we all carry within ourselves. Here is an excerpt from what we'll be discussing tonight:

"We have places of fear inside of us, be we have other places as well -- places with names like trust and hope and faith. We can choose to lead from one of those places, to stand on ground that is not riddled w/ the fault lines of fear, to move toward others from a place of promise instead of anxiety. As we stand in one of those places, fear may remain close at hand and our spirits may still tremble. But now we stand on ground that will support us, ground from which we can lead others toward a more trustworthy, more faithful way of being in the world." From Letting Your Life Speak by Parker Palmer.

Also, since we moved the meeting times to the evening hour, we've been in the habit of reciting the Night Prayer from the New Zealand Prayer Book. I have come to love this prayer - it is very different from anything in the US BCP, but it's very moving.

Lord, it is night. The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God. It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be. The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you. The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all dear to us, and all who have no peace. The night heralds the dawn. Let us look expectantly to a new day, new joys, new possibilities. In your name, we pray. Amen.

Lenten Schedule 2006

Ash Wednesday, 6:00 PM March 1 - Holy Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes. Followed by an Agape Meal and Reflection on the Observance of a Holy Lent. Please signup to bring items for the meal during Coffee Hour.

Sunday Morning Adult Forum - Groundwork, Digging Deeper for Change and Growth. Materials supplied by the National Episcopal Church that will be incorporated into the Ministry of the Word at the Holy Eucharist and further explored at the Adult Forum. From the study guide:

"Groundwork is a resource for individuals, congregations and their leaders to assist them in engaging Holy Scripture and the mission of God’s Church... It asks congregational members and leaders to dig deeply into the soil of their mission so that they may do serious and joyful learning about the Gospel and their community of faith."

Children and youth will focus on Lenten themes during the Sunday Morning Christian Education hour and will also be working with Kristopher Ables preparing to sing at the Easter Vigil.

Wednesday, March 8, 6:30 PM - Lenten Soup/Supper at St. Bede’s Bensenville.

Saturday, March 11, 8:00 AM - Diocesan Leadership and Ministry Fair at Nazareth Academy, LaGrange Park. Please see Bulletin Board for details. Registration required.

Thursday, March 23, 6:30 PM - Lenten Soup/Supper at Incarnation Bloomingdale.

Saturday, March 25, 9:30 AM - 2:30 PM - Parish Lenten Retreat led by Fr. Ted and the Bishop’s Committee. Please mark you calendars now and make every effort to attend this opportunity for growth, reflection and renewed excitement about where God is calling us and our church.

Come one, come all and bring a friend!

Extraordinary Healing - Sermon for Sunday, February 19

Today, Mark continues to report on the many healing encounters that Jesus had with persons confronting all sorts of needs.
Last week we heard the story of Jesus healing the leper. Jesus reached out and touched the leper, risking his own contamination, and, in so doing, not only made the man clean, but restored his dignity and his rightful place in the human family.

Today Jesus is confronted by the loving, persistent, faithful friends of a paralyzed man. When they cannot get through the crowd at the door of the house, they literally carry their paralyzed friend up on the roof of the house, dig a hole through the roof and then lower their friend down through the hole, placing him right in front of Jesus. And what does Jesus do before the man or his friends can say or do anything?

He immediately says to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.†Now why would this be the first thing that Jesus says to the man? One commentator on today’s text suggests an interesting insight. He writes,

“It is helpful for our understanding of just what is going on in his story of the healing of the paralytic not only to remember the fine line between sin and illness in Jesus' day, but also the deep sense of the word for sin used here: "missing the mark," "error," and "defectiveness." Then there is the word used for forgiveness here, which has the sense of "sent away" or "released." In the Greek of Jesus' day the word was most often used as a legal term, meaning the release of omeone from a legal obligation.

This allows us several interesting alternative translations for Jesus' words in Mark 2:5.

Try, "Son, you are released from your defect," or "Your defects are removed." Or better yet, "Son, your defects mean nothing to me." The point here is that one standard interpretation of this story - that Jesus perceived that the paralytic was in need of forgiveness before he could be healed - misses the point altogether.

Jesus perceived that the man was both socially and physically bound. Where others saw defect, he saw the need for freedom. So did the man's friends who went to extraordinary measures to bring him to Jesus.â€

(“Perceiving with Compassion.†Reflecting on the readings for Epiphany 7 (February 19, 2006), by Michael Hopkins in the Witness Magazine online [posted 2/16/06])

The good news that Jesus powerfully demonstrates here is that God sees and accepts us just as we are. God looks at you and at me, and God’s first thought is not one of judgment or condemnation, but one of love and compassion. Sometimes, as with the leper, we have the courage to bring ourselves into God’s healing presence. At other times we need someone to bring us there, as the man who was paralyzed did, and at still other times it may be you or me who needs to pick up our friend or family member and carry them into God’s healing presence. No matter how we get there, God compassionately sees all those places in our lives where we are bound and says to us, “My son, my daughter, I do not judge or condemn you for these things, stand up and be free of them!†The reality of this good news was powerfully demonstrated for me this week when I read the following e-mail containing three messages.

The first read:

Dear Colleagues in Christ,

I am writing to share with you the following letters received this morning from the Diocese of New Hampshire. Please keep our brother +Gene [Robinson] in your prayers for a powerful anointing of God's healing grace as we continue to give thanks for his ministry as a bishop in the Church of God and for his exemplary witness of courageous and faithful honesty.

Signed: Susan Russell
President, Integrity USA

The following are letters first from the Bishop Robinson and second from the Standing Committee of the Diocese of New Hampshire:

February 13, 2006

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am writing to you from an alcohol treatment center where on February 1, with the encouragement and support of my partner, daughters and colleagues, I checked myself in to deal with my increasing dependence on alcohol. Over the 28 days I will be here, I will be dealing with the disease of alcoholism - which, for years, I have thought of as a failure of will or discipline on my part, rather than a disease over which my particular body simply has no control, except to stop drinking altogether.

During my first week here, I have learned so much. The extraordinary experience of community here will inform my ministry for years to come. I eagerly look forward to continuing my recovery in your midst. Once again, God is proving His desire and ability to bring an Easter out of Good Friday. Please keep me in your prayers and know that you are in mine.

Your Brother in Christ,
+Gene

February 13, 2006

Dear Colleagues in Ministry,

The Standing Committee of the Diocese of New Hampshire joins its bishop in writing to you about his decision to seek professional treatment for his dealings with alcohol. The Episcopal Church, through its General Convention, has long recognized alcoholism as a treatable human disease, not a failure of character or will.

The members of the Standing Committee fully support and stand with our bishop and his family as he confronts the effects of alcohol in his life, and we commend him for his courageous example to us all, as we pray daily for him and for his ministry among us.

Randolph K. Dales,
President, Standing Committee of New Hampshire

No matter how we get there, God sees all those places in our lives where we are bound and says to us, “My son, my daughter, I do not judge or condemn you for these things, stand up and be free of them!â€

Readings for Sunday, February 19

Sunday's Readings From The Lectionary Page

Isaiah 43:18-25
2 Corinthians 1:18-22
Mark 2:1-12
Psalm 32 or 32:1-8

The Collect

O Lord, you have taught us that without love whatever we do is worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts your greatest gift, which is love, the true bond of peace and of all virtue, without which whoever lives is accounted dead before you. Grant this for the sake of your only Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Old Testament

Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild animals will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise. Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel! You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. I, I am He who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.

The Psalm

Beati quorum

1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, * and whose sin is put away!

2
Happy are they to whom the LORD imputes no guilt, *
and in whose spirit there is no guile!

3
While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *
because of my groaning all day long.

4
For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.

5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
and did not conceal my guilt.

6
I said," I will confess my transgressions to the LORD." *
Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.

7
Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; *
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.

8
You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me from trouble; *
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

9
"I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; *
I will guide you with my eye.

10
Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *
who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or else they will not stay near you."

11
Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
but mercy embraces those who trust in the LORD.

12
Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the LORD; *
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.

The Epistle

As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been "Yes and No." For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not "Yes and No"; but in him it is always "Yes." For in him every one of God's promises is a "Yes." For this reason it is through him that we say the "Amen," to the glory of God. But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment.

The Gospel

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, "Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, `Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, `Stand up and take your mat and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" -- he said to the paralytic-- "I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home." And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Technorati Tags: Lectionary

Readings for September 10

Sunday's Readings From The Lectionary Page

The Collect

Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Reading

Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold
The rich and the poor have this in common:
the LORD is the maker of them all.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of anger will fail.
Those who are generous are blessed,
for they share their bread with the poor.

Do not rob the poor because they are poor,
or crush the afflicted at the gate;
for the LORD pleads their cause
and despoils of life those who despoil them.

The Psalm

Psalm 146 Page 803, BCP

Lauda, anima mea

1 Hallelujah! Praise the LORD, O my soul! * I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, * for there is no help in them.

3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, * and in that day their thoughts perish.

4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help!* whose hope is in the LORD their God;

5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; * who keeps his promise for ever;

6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, * and food to those who hunger.

7 The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD the eyes of the blind; * the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;

8 The LORD loves the righteous; the LORD cares for the stranger; * he sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked.

9 The LORD shall reign for ever, * your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Hallelujah!

The Epistle

James 2:1-10, [11-13], 14-1

My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, "Have a seat here, please," while to the one who is poor you say, "Stand there," or, "Sit at my feet," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. [For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For the one who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.]

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

The Gospel

Mark 7:24-37 Jesus set out and went away to the region of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know he was there. Yet he could not escape notice, but a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately heard about him, and she came and bowed down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, of Syrophoenician origin. She begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. He said to her, "Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs." But she answered him, "Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." Then he said to her, "For saying that, you may go-- the demon has left your daughter."

So she went home, found the child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went by way of Sidon towards the Sea of Galilee, in the region of the Decapolis. They brought to him a deaf man who had an impediment in his speech; and they begged him to lay his hand on him. He took him aside in private, away from the crowd, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue. Then looking up to heaven, he sighed and said to him, "Ephphatha," that is, "Bed." And immediately his ears wered, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. Then Jesus ordered them to tell no one; but the more he ordered them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. They were astounded beyond measure, saying, "He has done everything well; he even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak."

Readings

Sunday's Readings From The Lectionary Page

The Collect

Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Old Testament

2 Chronicles 36:14-23 All the leading priests and the people also were exceedingly unfaithful, following all the abominations of the nations; and they polluted the house of the LORD that he had consecrated in Jerusalem. The LORD, the God of their ancestors, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place; but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words, and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD against his people became so great that there was no remedy. Therefore he brought up against them the king of the Chaldeans, who killed their youths with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion on young man or young woman, the aged or the feeble; he gave them all into his hand. All the vessels of the house of God, large and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king and of his officials, all these he brought to Babylon. They burned the house of God, broke down the wall of Jerusalem, burned all its palaces with fire, and destroyed all its precious vessels. He took into exile in Babylon those who had escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and to his sons until the establishment of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had made up for its sabbaths. All the days that it lay desolate it kept sabbath, to fulfill seventy years. In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah, the LORD stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he sent a herald throughout all his kingdom and also declared in a written edict: "Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among you of all his people, may the LORD his God be with him! Let him go up."

The Psalm

Psalm 122 Page 779, BCP Laetatus Sum

1 I was glad when they said to me, * "Let us go to the house of the LORD." 2 Now our feet are standing * within your gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is built as a city * that is at unity with itself; 4 To which the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, * the assembly of Israel, to praise the Name of the LORD. 5 For there are the thrones of judgment, * the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: * "May they prosper who love you. 7 Peace be within your walls * and quietness within your towers. 8 For my brethren and companions' sake, * I pray for your prosperity. 9 Because of the house of the LORD our God, * I will seek to do you good."

The Epistle

Ephesians 2:4-10 God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-- by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God-- not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

The Gospel

John 6:4-15 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Six months' wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little." One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, "Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost." So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, "This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world." When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

Sermon: Miracles of Healing

Here's Father Ted's sermon from Sunday, February 12, 2006:

A leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean."

The man living with leprosy was quite bold,
first to come up to Jesus
and secondly to boldly say to him,
"If you choose,
you can make me clean."
Yes,
his statement is bold,
but his coming up to Jesus in the first place
is even more bold,
given that any person with leprosy
was forbidden to come that close
to another person who was not infected.
Leprosy was a horrible, disfiguring, degenerative disease
for which there was no cure,
and people were very, very afraid
of contracting the disease.

As you and I walk through the world each day
there are voices crying out to us and saying,
"If you choose,
you can make me clean."
These voices may be audible,
but more than likely
they are silent voices
only audible in the tone of a voice,
fleeting eye contact with another,
or the downcast head or drooping shoulders
of a friend or stranger.
These silent, haunting voices
may be discerned
in a portion of a news clip on TV
or the internet
or a news paper.

We live in a world
where those who are in need
or vulnerable in any way
are avoided, abandoned or ignored.
They seem to frighten us.
In some way,
it is as if we are afraid
that if we acknowledge them,
we, too,
will have the same thing happen to us.
Children avoid a child
whose parent has died.
Adults avoid persons
who have been fired or lost a job.

Persons diagnosed with cancer, AIDS
or other frightening diseases
report that family and friends
respond with fear and caution,
avoiding them
and leaving them feeling isolated and alone.
Persons with mental illness or developmental disabilities
are often shunned.
Persons who are older
and in need of supportive care
are often abandoned to professional care givers.
Persons who are different in any way
find themselves shunned and isolated.

term paper writer, up to those who.

Jesus restored
not only the health of the person living with leprosy,
but also restored
that person’s dignity and place in the human community.
Yes,
we live in a world full of persons
who experience life in much the same way
as the leper who confronted Jesus this morning.
And like Jesus
a choice is put before us each day.
We and the church of which we are a part
can either perpetuate
the isolation and abandonment of God’s children,
or we can choose, with Jesus,
to be the bearers of God’s healing,
reaching out and touching,
yes, embracing,
those who frighten us the most,
risking contamination
for loves sake.
Loving, compassionate words,
healing, compassionate embraces,
make invisible persons, visible,
restore the health and dignity of persons
who are ill, frightened and isolated.
These are miracles of healing
which only you or I can work.
Will you,
will I,
be known as miracle workers?
Will our congregation be known
as a place where miracles of love and compassion
take place every day?

Text: Mark 1:40-45

Readings for February 12

The Collect

O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Old Testament

2 Kings 5:1-15ab

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, "Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel."

He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy." When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me."

But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, `Wash, and be clean'?" So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel."

The Psalm

Psalm 42 or 42:1-7 Page 643, BCP Quemadmodum

1 As the deer longs for the water-brooks, * so longs my soul for you, O God.

2
My soul is athirst for God, athirst for the living God; *
when shall I come to appear before the presence of God?

3
My tears have been my food day and night, *
while all day long they say to me,
"Where now is your God?"

4
I pour out my soul when I think on these things: *
how I went with the multitude and led them into the house of God,

5
With the voice of praise and thanksgiving, *
among those who keep holy-day.

6
Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? *
and why are you so disquieted within me?

7
Put your trust in God; *
for I will yet give thanks to him,
who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

8
My soul is heavy within me; *
therefore I will remember you from the land of Jordan,
and from the peak of Mizar among the heights of Hermon.

9
One deep calls to another in the noise of your cataracts; *
all your rapids and floods have gone over me.

10
The LORD grants his loving-kindness in the daytime; *
in the night season his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.

11
I will say to the God of my strength,
"Why have you forgotten me? *
and why do I go so heavily while the enemy oppresses me?"

12
While my bones are being broken, *
my enemies mock me to my face;

13
All day long they mock me *
and say to me, "Where now is your God?"

14
Why are you so full of heaviness, O my soul? *
and why are you so disquieted within me?

15
Put your trust in God; *
for I will yet give thanks to him,
who is the help of my countenance, and my God.

The Epistle

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.

The Gospel

Mark 1:40-45

A leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to him, "If you choose, you can make me clean." Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, "I do choose. Be made clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean. After sternly warning him he sent him away at once, saying to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, as a testimony to them." But he went out and began to proclaim it freely, and to spread the word, so that Jesus could no longer go into a towny, but stayed out in the country; and people came to him from every quarter.

Dr George Hunsiger: Why The Torture Abuse Scandal Matters

I recently ran across this speech via a link in an Episcopal weblog that I often read:

Of all the scandals that currently beset us, there is one that history is likely to judge most harshly, namely, the official authorization of torture abuse by the Bush administration. As the Abu Ghraib photos have shown with unforgettable horror, serious violations of international law have followed in its train. Let us be clear that torture is not just one issue among others. It is a profound assault on the dignity of the human person as created by God. It is therefore inherently evil. It violates a person's body, and terrorizes his mind, in order to destroy his will. The strongest of presumptions stands against it -- not only legally and morally, but also, from a religious point of view, spiritually. At the same time, authorizing torture poses a direct threat to constitutional government. As Columbia law professor Jeremy Waldron has urged, the issue of torture is "archetypal." It goes to the very heart of our civilization. Whether torture is permitted or prohibited is a question that separates tyranny and barbarism from the rule of law.

--

Nothing less is at stake in the torture crisis than the soul of our nation. What does it profit us if we proclaim high moral values but fail to reject torture and abuse? What does it signify if torture is condemned in word but allowed in deed? A nation that rewards and protects those who promoted torture is approaching spiritual death. -- George Hunsinger's speech to the Eisenhower Foundation

We will remember the victims of torture and abuse and oppression in our prayers, and reflect on what more we might do.

Via Father Jake Stops The World

Crop Walk Planning Meeting Monday February 13

CROP WALK, a community-based fundraising event for Church World Service, is a fun way to connect with people in our community to help fight world hunger.

This is an annual walk each fall that starts out on Schaumburg Road and winds around through the Spring Valley Nature reserve before returning to the starting point. The organizing group in our area is the Greater Woodfield Area Crop Walk, part of the Gateway CWS/CROP region. The walk last year took place on October 16th. 25% of all funds raised for the CROP WALK stay right in our area, benefiting the Prince of Peace Lutheran PADS shelter and the Kenneth Young Center, a community mental health and senior services organization.

The winter planning meeting for CROP WALK is Monday, February 13th at 730pm at Our Saviour's United Methodist Church. At least one person from Holy Innocents will attend the meeting to find out more about this exciting event. More information will be posted here soon.

In the Daily Herald Today

You may have seen this article:

Hoffman Church Jumps On Blog Craze

Barbra Streisand has one. So do writer Dave Barry and the Speaker of the House, not to mention tens of thousands of regular, everyday Americans.

But a church with a blog?

That is indeed the story at Holy Innocents Episcopal Church in Hoffman Estates, where volunteer webmaster Ginny Gibbs has been running a church-focused blog for about a year now.

Yes, this article is about little old Holy Innocents' website and blog! So if you have found your way to this page via the article, welcome. If you're a parishioner, yay us!

Not mentioned in the article is, "why do we have a blog?" It's partly because blogs are a way of tracking events and having a kind of chronological narrative on a website - which meshes well with the way we go through the cycle of the liturgical year.

Mostly, though, it's because it was harder to maintain the website using a well-known commercial web product, and your webmistress was familiar with Movable Type blogging software.

Innocents: A Blog is not the only Episcopal weblog out there (AKMA is a well known example), but it's nice to be noticed.

A printable version of this article is here.

Anglican Church In Britain Reaching Out To Youth

Anglicans target rappers and skateboarders - Yahoo! News

LONDON (Reuters) - Pioneering Anglican priests in Britain are to target rappers and skateboarders in a bid to stem dwindling congregations and connect with the young.

Eager to banish the fusty image of an Establishment church full of ageing worshippers, a new breed of crusading ministers are to spread the word in nightclubs, shopping arcades and skateboarding parks.

That's Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, caught in a familiar pose: listening. He's doing a lot of that lately.

Some of the ideas in the story may sound radical, but there's a practical purpose: people are out at restaurants and clubs and walking their dogs and going down to the shops and skateboarding, rather than sitting in church. And young people don't really find that Sunday church is their cup of tea.

So how to reach them? Go out to them. And maybe, just maybe, take a look at what keeps people away in the first place.

Of course, one thing that may be happening is that people simply
don't make time for Sunday morning worship - there are conflicts like soccer and football practice and other activities that keep many parents and their progeny away. Which is too bad, when you consider that some kids actually enjoy church activities. In some families, it's often the youth reaching out to the church, so churches need to be ready to accept them witharms. We have a small Christian Education program at Holy Innocents and hope to grow it larger in the coming year.

One of our youngest members loves to sit next to one of our oldest members whenever they both happen to be in attendance; this sight always makes me smile. I'd love to get a photo of them, but can't because it would be too intrusive.

But believe me, it's a beautiful picture.