This Fall

Dear People of Christ Church,
Vestry met on Monday, and it was so good to be back together scheming about all the things we'll do together this year.  One new thing I'll invite us toward on September 1 when we return to the 10:00 service is a blessing over all of our backpacks as we head back to work and school for the new year. Even though I haven't started a new school year for 10 years, I always get a sense of promise and newness in turning toward fall, so briefcases and other work bags will also be welcome (we'll also have our first Sunday of the month children's sermon on that day as well, along with our special diaper collection).

This year we're also trying out a new start time for Children's Education, starting the classes at 9:45 instead of 10.  The structure of our Godly Play program is dependent on being able to start all together, so we're hoping that having more time will enable a smoother transition and opportunity for deeper reflection. The key question for Godly Play is "I wonder," and it's hard to "wonder" freely if you're panicked about whether your kids are going to get upstairs in time for communion.

Yet ANOTHER new thing is an experiment with our coffee hour configuration. As we sang in my Montessori class at age 4, "Make new friends, but keep the old...one is silver and the other's gold."  By making a switch to round tables with food in the middle (separate from the coffee), we hope that we'll be more nimble in being able to talk with different people, but also have sitting room for more in depth conversation. Please offer your feedback to the vestry.

This fall, we also have some great educational opportunities to look forward to. Last spring, we were part of a Hartford Seminary study of growing congregations and many people participated in focus groups and filled out surveys about what's working well and where we need to focus our energy.  As part of our learning, we'll send a team of 4-6 people to a series of consultations (4 Saturdays, at different locations) for leadership training and coaching in our area of growth.  If you'd be interested in being part of that group, please let me know.  For five or six weeks over September/ October, we look forward to a series on looking for that elusive life balance of work and play, time and money, based on the work of Mark and Lisa Scandrette in their book, Free: Spending Your Time and Money on What Matters Most.  Come September, I'm looking forward to trying a "sermon talk back" conversation one Sunday a month to hear more about where you are hearing the word of God both reflected in preaching (where I kind of get to monopolize the floor) as well as in your life in the world.  

I'm also looking forward to the diocesan resource day on peace (see below), our yard sale (coming up in just a few weeks), and all the ministries we engage in that bring us closer to God and one another. Don't forget to talk with Anna Jones (annapeacebaby@gmail.com) about whether you might be able to bring a meal to the Community Day Center; we're now on the third Thursday of the month, and hope to get a schedule down for the whole year.

Peace!
Sara+

Emergence

Dear People of Christ Church,
I'm glad to be back writing to you after my recent whirlwind tour of our country. My family put just over 10,000 miles on our car driving to San Francisco and home, via the Wild Goose Festival in North Carolina.  Mostly camping, mostly national parks, mostly 3 year old Adah and 6 year old Isaiah coexisting peacefully in the back seat.

I'd never been to Wild Goose before--a four day annual gathering of "a community gathered at the intersection of justice, spirituality, music and art." When I was planning the trip, I told the Christ Church vestry it was a conference.   Noah and I told the tow truck driver who helped us get out of the woods that it was a revival.  Both were right.

We heard speakers from across the spectrum of Christian expression, from Lutheran pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber (tweeting @sarcasticluther) to veteran civil rights activist and historian Vincent Harding, to post-evangelical, post-modern, post-everything minister Brian McLaren, to Momastery blogger Glennon Melton... several of the sessions were interviews with NPR's Krista Tippett, and will air on her show, On Being, over the next month or two.

As someone who grew up in a liturgical tradition, I didn't quite fit along with the primarily evangelical (or formerly evangelical) crowd, but we were all asking similar questions. How does the church respond to a world that doesn't settle for the same old answers (if, in fact, it ever did, which is a whole other issue)? How do we make our churches vital, compassionate communities across all kinds of difference? How do we invite Jesus into the way we parent, spend our money, relate to our bodies, advocate for justice?  Theologically, of course Jesus is already there-but day to day, it's easy to forget that. We have to do that work in and through each moment, not just intellectually answer the question in the abstract and be done with it.

Personally as well as politically-Jesus is there.  He has gone to Emmaus, to the picket line, to the hospital bed, to the boardroom.  The hope and energy of Wild Goose was a good way to end a drive across the country-day to day, even in this cradle of early America, I don't think a lot about where this country came from-all the promise and freedom as well as the suffering.  Driving through Indian reservation after reservation, I couldn't ignore that question anymore--hearing from my friend Rob, a priest serving the Episcopal Church on the Standing Rock Reservation, who talked about how divided the white community there was from Native Americans even now. I couldn't ignore hearing about how sacred the Black Hills were to the Lakota, and how treaties were broken again and again. Seeing the wide-open spaces of the West, I could also imagine how early settlers saw that space and wanted to find their own success there.  

In one of his talks, Vincent Harding talked about the call for each of us to "make it our concern" to bring real democracy to birth in this country. Despite all our history, we are still emerging as a democracy, he said-there is more to do to bring about the circumstances for flourishing and equal participation for every person.  For every person-including those who are on the opposite side from us.    The discipline, Harding said in a forum on non-violence, is to constantly try to look at others with compassion-even those who might deny your own humanity, to remember that they are still a sister or brother. That's how Jesus saw others-it's not an easy invitation, but it's the one we're given. We may or may not be successful, but that's the work. Rev. William Barber talked about the prophetic call-God told Ezekiel to preach to the people: "Your job is to speak to them. Whether they listen to you is not your concern. Just because they don't listen doesn't give you the authority to quit."

So that's what I come back mulling over-what kind of church are we, will we be, in this new day? What kind of priest am I called to be?  What kind of city do we want to inhabit?  As we begin our ninth year of ministry together this fall, I look forward to what we will discover! 

Blessings,
Sara+

Sabbath

Dear People of Christ Church,
This Sunday, we head into our summer schedule of having just one service at 9:30 in place of our usual 8:30 and 10, kicked off with our annual Church in the Garden. This year we're blessed with a unique portable organ, lent to us by Bill Weber, to support our singing even better. Bring a chair or blanket (there will also be some folding chairs from the parish hall set up) and stay for our outdoor coffee-less hour, too. We meet on the lawn in the shade, so don't worry about getting too hot.

Last week, I wrote about celebration-this week, as I see pictures of my family already on vacation posted on facebook, I'm thinking about rest (I leave on Monday to join them, so it's also my own longing at work!). Rest isn't slacking, or laziness, but part of our calling as spiritual beings. The New Zealand prayer book translates Psalm 127 like this: "It is but lost labor that we haste to rise up early, and so late take rest, and eat the bread of anxiety. For those beloved of God are given gifts even while they sleep." 

Gifts from God, even as you sleep! 
In our busy lives, though, it's hard to remember the importance of Sabbath. We are so intent in our culture on being productive, on having something to show for ourselves. "Empty hands are the devil's playground," our grandmothers taught us. But it's only with empty hands that we can accept what God has to give us. 

We "eat the bread of anxiety;" the psalm cites it as an intentional act. We get caught up and forget that we choose the way we live our lives. Even in our "time off," we go shopping, we consume things we don't need. We want, at the end of the day, to say that we did something. But what would it be like if you just didn't do anything? If you put aside all the things that people expect of you, that you expect from yourself, all those needs and random wants? What if you came before God with empty hands and a silent mind and just prayed for them to be filled with God's quiet and love? 

Important, too, is how your Sabbath impacts those around you. The meaning of Sabbath is rigorously outlined in the Old Testament for the Jews to follow-Sabbath is part of the law. But the implications of Sabbath aren't just for the Jews. They are commanded not to work, not just for themselves but so that their slaves and their animals also don't work. Sabbath extends outward from one person through to the community. "Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your donkey may have relief, and your homeborn slave and the resident alien may be refreshed." (Exodus 23: 12) Of course, we are reading now in Galatians about how Christ came to take us out from under the law. How readily does God receive our rest when it's given freely, rather than commanded? Take a moment and give God the gift of your rest, and see how your receive God's grace in return. 

Peace,
Sara+

This Week with the Supremes

Dear People of Christ Church,

When Bishop Gayle Harris visited us last May, she spent some time with vestry after our service talking about how things are going at Christ Church. We talked about our usual struggles, with people's so-full lives trying to create time apart for prayer and for life together at church. We talked about our successes, about our growth in our community and our very good problem of needing more leaders for children's ministries.  We were stumped, though, when she asked us this question: "How do you party?"

How do we party, indeed? Well, um, ah, there's...coffee hour. And the Christmas Pageant is a little like a party, now that it comes with dinner afterwards. Softball last week was a party, kind of. We used to have a parish picnic (why did we stop doing that?). The fact is, though, that celebration just for its own sake actually isn't a huge part of our life together in an intentional way. The Ladies' Evening Group does have their fun, so special credit goes to Jeanne Hewitt for organizing the last tea, even in such a serious crowd...

I was thinking about this yesterday, in the wide smile I had over seeing the Supreme Court rulings over Proposition 8 (which banned same sex marriage in California, now thrown out) and the repeal of the "Defense of Marriage Act" (a misnomer if ever there were one-thankfully, declared unconstitutional). So, yay! But then I started thinking about all the states where equal marriage may not be a reality for some time to come. And then I thought about the decision yesterday repealing part of the Voting Rights Act, even as racism is so endemic and many people still have difficulty enacting this basic right of American democracy.   And then...and before long I forgot I was celebrating.  Win some, lose some, right? Wrong.

Why is this important?

I think it speaks to a certain tension in the Christian life that we all face, both in our lives individually and in our life together as a parish. There. is. so. much. to. do.  I don't have to tell you that. It can feel a little tricky to step back and look around and just celebrate so much that is good. Shouldn't we use that time to work harder? Shouldn't we be the kind of people who find working to be celebrating?

Maybe, but then there's this:

"The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, "Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!" Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.' (Matthew11:19)

In this exchange, Jesus is naming the tension-John the Baptist didn't eat or drink, and you said he had a demon. Now I'm here, and you say I'm a drunk.  What gives? In his life, Jesus gave us an example of how to live-how to celebrate and be joyful, how to spend time away in prayer, how to be with those who have nothing, how to love those we disagree with.

So here's my hope. My hope is to find, not some halfway-between middle ground between delight and sorrow where we're too calm and cool to be joyful. My hope is to exult, deeply, with those whose marriages are now recognized by the federal government (in just 13 states, for now).  My hope is also for 37 other states to recognize all marriages, and for Congress to permanently enshrine protection for all voters into the law.  As I hope for those things, I also want to remember to look toward an even deeper joy, a deeper hope, for the reconciliation of all people and all creation with our Creator, with Jesus God's beloved, where we can meet each other freely.   As we heard from Galatians on Sunday, in Christ there is no slave or free, no Jew or Greek, no male or female...no black or white, no straight or gay, not even any conservative or liberal.  And on our way there, I'll pray for wisdom to vindicate both my joy and my sorrow.  Now who's going to be the chair of the party committee?

Blessings,

Sara+

Our Building

Dear People of Christ Church,

This week, I'm passing on a building update from senior warden Jonathan Duce...many thanks for all the hard work, Jonathan!

As you've probably noticed, our tower is looking significantly shinier, and the lift is gone! Our engineers from Simpson Gumpertz & Heger have submitted six field reports since April 15th.. Each report documents the progress of our tower repairs. The most recent report states that the cross is securely in place at the top of the spire and repointing at the spire is complete. A lot of attention has been paid to detail such as the ochre color of sand to match the ochre color of the original mortar in the as closely as possible. The final mix is made up of: 5 parts East Hartford yellow sand, 1 part East Hartford Red sand, 1 part Iron Clad gray ("buff") cement, 1 part lime.

The final work to be done on the outside was to repair the roof stone slabs at the tower stairs. Interior tower work starts next. Our mortar and cross stabilization was paid for by our CPA (Community Preservation Act) grant for historic preservation from the city of Waltham, which will also cover the majority of the interior roof work. Our own capital campaign funds have gone to the project oversight from SGH, to be sure everything is done to spec.

Another capital campaign project is to improve handicap accessibility.  This spring, the vestry voted to engage Perry Brothers Construction to rebuild the sacristy bathroom (and resulting sacristy re-design). The paperwork is now slowly making its way through the city permitting process. Once the permits are in place work will begin. We have been told that it will be a 4-5 week construction timeline once the crew gets started.    

The generosity and faith on the part of everyone at Christ Church in contributing to the capital campaign has been an inspiration; if you haven't yet made a pledge, please see the full write up about the work to be done  here. Our final tally was $311,220 in commitments, from 45 individuals and families.  Our average pledge was close to $7,000 divided over five years...you are amazing givers!   Since we met our first campaign goal, 85% of funds now stay at Christ Church with 15% going to wider mission

Thank you for your gifts, and for your patience!

Blessings, 

Sara+ 

Listening for signs and wonders

Dear People of Christ Church,
This morning, I've been organizing for our conversation tonight with Rob and Christine about preparing for death; we have a booklet, A Christian Prepares for Death, which will be available tonight and online, and there are some terrific new resources on the medical side from the Massachusetts Medical Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment website-it's based around a newly available form for medical guidance for those who are terminally ill, but it also has some other great Q and A around the different choices we face at the end of our lives. Still, I hope to see you tonight at 7pm, in the clergy office (come through any of the doors, with the exception of the front door of the church itself). If you can't come, I'll upload the document to our online library, or I can send you a hard copy if you want.

I'm also still feeling "wow"ed by our Bible Study conversation on the Acts of the Apostles on Sunday; about nine of us gathered for a phenomenal conversation. One new member talked about receiving more generous help than he ever could have imagined, quite out of the blue, and how it took him years to accept that he just happened to have met an angel in the cornfields of Iowa, and to stop trying to pay back the one who helped him. It's hard to be vulnerable, to give voice to our need and to share our suffering-even harder to accept help where it comes and just receive it gracefully. Erin Jensen started out our conversation with her own questions about the way the biblical writers talk about "signs and wonders"-at Christ Church we've never baptized 3,000 in a day, and we don't cast out too many evil spirits or cure diseases, either. There are smaller miracles everywhere, but in the midst of working or parenting or just trying to keep up with contemporary life, it can be hard to be alert to them. When I'm paying attention, the absolute trust and love of my daughter reaching up her hand into mind is a mind-blowing miracle, but only if I can see her. The fact is, the biblical world was different; God meets us in different ways, but meets us, all the same.

I'm also looking forward to our reflection and action discussion after church on June 23, a week from this Sunday. We'll meet in small groups (each facilitated by a vestry member) to talk about what's going well and what new things we'd like to see happen at Christ Church. This was planned separately from the Hartford Seminary Survey (see below if you haven't done yours yet!)-so if it seems like we're doing an awful lot of reflecting about what we do and how, you're right. And for now, that's just what we need to do. Our world is changing so rapidly, and while the mission of God is the same, the way we implement that mission as God's people is not eternally the same. The "Waltham Churchman" is no longer delivered to your mailbox every week-instead, most of you are reading this on your computer, smart phone, or iPad screen. Rev. Ekwall and I are working toward to serve the same mission of education, reflection, and communication, but using the tools that are in front of us. We, individually and as a church, can always be transformed more and more into the likeness of the God who created us. But-looking for those "signs and wonders" as the apostles did-we have to pay attention in a new way.  Finally, please mark your calendar for the "Listening Group" at Redeemer Lexington to reflect on what our diocese hopes for in our next bishop, June 27 at 7pm.

Blessings,
Sara+

Preparing for Gentle Death

Dear People of Christ Church,

As you may have heard on Sunday, this week we'll gather at 7pm to hear from our own Rob Atwood and Christine August on end of life care. Rob is a hospice social worker and Christine is an ICU nurse-both come to us with a great wealth of knowledge of how we die.  It happens to everyone, and even God in Jesus Christ went there with us, but it's still a topic we fear.  The fact is, though, talking with the people we love about what we want near the end of our own lives, or what they want at the end of theirs, is one of the greatest gifts we can give.  But it's hard. We don't want to be ghoulish, or make anyone uncomfortable, or we can't countenance the idea of not having those we love with us every day.  We'd just rather talk about it...another day.  

In a Christian context, though, we're given a new freedom, a different context to consider the death of our bodies. We can stand neither "for" nor "against" death, but beside, as a known part of our human existence that will happen to us all.  Francis of Assisi put it this way in the hymn we know as "All Creatures of our God and King:"

And thou most kind and gentle Death,

Waiting to hush our latest breath,

O praise Him! Alleluia!

Thou leadest home the child of God,

And Christ our Lord the way hath trod.

O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Kind and gentle death, leading us home to God.  Wow.

Life is a tremendous gift, and we are stewards-caretakers-of these bodies and souls that are given us. They are a blessing. Our life is a blessing. Modern medicine and technology are a blessing. There are many of you whose lives I treasure who have survived illnesses that just twenty years ago would have been a death sentence.   As much as we are grateful for all the many treatments that are now possible to prevent death, we also know that there's more to the story than just our bodies' eventual end. 

We have a responsibility to preserve life, but we can also be realistic about what treatments are likely to be effective and which are not.  If nothing can separate us from God and the love of those we love, then we don't have to approach death as the enemy.  Choices about care can be made from the standpoint of compassion for the whole person, not just the scientific alleviation of a particular symptom or illness. If someone near death is unable to swallow or loses interest in food, for example, is it compassionate to give a feeding tube? It's a hard question.  It may prolong the life of their body, but that may come at another cost.

In our Church's teaching about the end of life, we differentiate between "passive" and "active" ways in which death may be hastened. The passive withholding of treatment is an ethical choice; if there is no prognosis for recovery, the question becomes whether the patient's dying process is being prolonged, as opposed to whether their actual life is being extended.  At the same time, when the physician assisted suicide referendum came around at election time, I voted "no;" to take an action specifically with the desired outcome being death is not, in my view, an ethical choice. As Episcopalians, also, we respect each others' freedom of conscience. These issues are complicated, and we don't condemn those who believe otherwise.  There are times when the lines are blurry and that's why it's so important that we talk to those we love about the choices they want us to make.  Fill out the legal paperwork for who will be your health care proxy if you can't make decisions for yourself.   Put down, in writing if necessary, the kind of treatment you do and do not want and tell that person.

As part of our conversation next week, I'll also make available a booklet we put together several years ago called "A Christian Prepares for Death," which leads you through many of the choices to be made in preparing for the kind of burial you want. We might think, "I won't exactly be present, so I'll let the people who survive me make the choices." But let me tell you from the experience of going through this with a lot of people-the most comforting thing for the surviving person is to know what you would have wanted!  This goes for whether you want to be cremated or have "Go Tell it on the Mountain" sung as much as for whether you would want to be removed from a ventilator.  Small decisions loom awfully large in a time of grief.  Communication about death is not morbid--it's one of the most loving things you can do. 

I'll leave you with this piece of Scripture:

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

Thanks be to God!

Blessings,
Sara+