As I sit here behind my desk on this day following the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ trying to finish bulletins, end of the year reports, work on another sermon, and general administrative burdens, I have been reflecting on this the feast day of St. Stephen, Christianity’s first martyr and deacon about all the activities of the past few days. It has been a time for friends and families to gather, some having traveled many miles over many hours often with significant delays and layovers. The Christmas season is a time for families and friends to get together. Martha, Matt and I had the privilege to host a parishioner who lost his wife this past year and did not have the ability to be with family, most of whom live across the country in California and Texas.

All this has gotten me thinking. Stephen, probably a Hellenistic Jew, was one of the “seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3), who were chosen by the apostles to relieve them of the administrative burden of “serving tables and caring for the widows.” By this appointment Stephen became the first to do what the Church traditionally considers to be the work and ministry of a deacon.

It’s apparent that Stephen’s activities involved more than simply “serving tables,” for the Acts of the Apostles speaks of his preaching and performing many miracles. His powerful sermon before the Sanhedrin is recorded in the seventh chapter of Acts. His denunciation of the Sanhedrin so enraged its members that, without a trial, they dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death thus becoming the first martyr of the Church. And, although I would love to have someone like Stephen to serve as my deacon and relieve me of some of these administrative duties, if nothing else Stephen was a friend of Jesus.

In fact Jesus was never short of friends.   Read the rest of this entry » » » »

According to legend, the original “The 12 Days of Christmas” was written several centuries ago in England as a memory aid for young Catholics.

During portions of the 16th -19th centuries, it was illegal to practice the Catholic faith in that country.  Young Catholics could sing the song, which sounds like rhyming nonsense, without fear of imprisonment.

The 12 days of Christmas are the 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany – January 6th.

The “true love” mentioned in the song refers to God.  The “me” who receives the gifts refers to every baptized person.  The “partridge in a pear tree” is Jesus Christ.

The 12 gifts represent:

Partridge in a pear tree – Jesus Christ.

Two turtledoves – The Old and New Testaments.

Three French hens – Faith, Hope and Charity.

Four calling birds – The four Gospels of Christ.

Five golden rings – The first five books of the Old Testament (also known as the Pentateuch), which contain the law condemning people of their sins. (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy)

Six geese a-laying – The six days of creation.

Seven swans a-swimming – The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments of the Catholic faith. (Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord)  (Holy Baptism, Holy Eucharist, Confirmation, Ordination, Holy Matrimony, Reconciliation, and Unction.)

Eight maids a-milking – The eight Beatitudes.

Nine ladies dancing – The nine fruits of the spirit. The  virtues of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility) and self-control

Ten lords a-leaping – The Ten Commandments.

Eleven Pipers piping – The eleven faithful Apostles.

Twelve Drummers drumming – The twelve points of doctrine in the Apostles’ Creed.
(1) I believe in God the Father Almighty Creator of Heaven and earth
(2) And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
(3) Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary,
(4) Suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried;
(5) He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
(6) He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
(7) From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
(8) I believe in the Holy Ghost,
(9) The Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints
(10) The forgiveness of sins,
(11) The resurrection of the body, and
(12) life everlasting.

In my last post I mentioned the various places in the celebration of the Eucharist where two or more elevations occurred in the service. (See: Elevation Is Not Adoration). But, I missed one very important elevation. Yesterday during our Sunday morning service I noticed, for the first time after all my years in the Episcopal Church and in ministry, one additional elevation that has, to my knowledge, been overlooked and therefore ignored by liturgical scholars and church goers alike. So much time and energy has been focused on the actions of the sacred ministers that we have overlooked some of the actions of the worshipers.  Read the rest of this entry » » » »

When the Eucharist is celebrated, many ceremonial actions take place which may or may not be noticed by those gathered together for worship. This is especially true in parishes that use missalettes that are constantly in flux or congregations that vary the Eucharistic Prayers from Sunday to Sunday. In these situations the worshiper’s attention is focused on the bulletin and the various books necessary to follow along in the service rather than on what is occurring at the Altar. Long gone are the days when it was possible for a worshiper to know the Eucharist by heart and never have to use a Book of Common Prayer. Therefore, many of the ceremonial actions carried out by the celebrant are unobserved but each ceremonial action carries with it a specific implication, meaning and emphasis in the hope of drawing the worshiper into a greater and deeper faith journey in and through the sacraments. One of these ceremonial actions is known as the elevation. In Eucharistic services, observed across the spectrum of liturgical practice, there are at least two times when the priest as celebrant elevates something: at the reading of the Gospel and at the consecration of the Bread and Wine.  Read the rest of this entry » » » »

I have attached below a letter written over twelve years ago in response to the issues then facing the Episcopal Church and the extraordinary hostile response of our laity to the embezzling of funds at 815.  At the time I voiced the opinion that the laity’s anger was really a ‘red herring’ and that the real frustration within our Episcopal Church was a reaction by our membership to a lack of theological leadership on behalf of our Bishops. Now, some twelve years later, I return to a task that I have been remiss in personally addressing. I intend to post several articles addressing A Theology of the Body and seek input for discussion, clarification and a better theological understanding of this vital and redemptive issue.

October 30, 1995

The Most Rev Edmond L. Browning
Office of the Presiding Bishop
815 Second Avenue
New York, NY 10017

Dear Bishop Browning,  Read the rest of this entry » » » »

Please, Lord

Grant me the graciousness

To affirm my strengths

And accept my weaknesses;

While simultaneously

Enabling me to affirm

My weaknesses

And with charity

Grant me a tolerance

Of my strengths

In the 1580’s Richard Hooker offered the classical defense of the Anglican middle way in his work Of the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity, holding that the English Church (and the Anglican Communion), being continuous with the apostolic Church, was both Catholic and reformed and rejecting the claims both of Rome and of the increasingly influential Puritans. Hooker offered the English a way of understanding Church authority as based on Scripture, Tradition, and Reason.

The most common example, used by teachers, scholars and clergy alike, to understand this concept has been the image of a three-legged stool. One of the legs of the stool represents Scripture, the second leg represents Tradition and the third leg stands for Reason. Since the publication of Hooker’s classical defense, the Anglican Communion, including the Episcopal Church, has utilized this three-fold understanding of ecclesiastical polity and is the historical basis for expressing its theology.  Read the rest of this entry » » » »