Priestly Ponderings…
      The Season of Pentecost is in full swing and continues through November 20. This Season is known to many as “Ordinary Time” and yet, life at Holy Cross continues to be far from ordinary. It’s interesting to note that the Book of Common Prayer wisely maintains that this is the Season of Pentecost rather than describing it as ordinary time, and for good reason.

     “Ordinary Time” is understood in terms of living our Christian faith and the meaning of Christ’s resurrection in our ordinary, daily lives. This, in itself, offers a myriad of opportunities for personal reflection and growth. But, when we think of our ordinary lives within the context of Pentecost then the ordinary suddenly becomes extraordinary. “Pentecost”emphasizes that, as the united body of Christ, the Church is given life by the Holy Spirit in order to fulfill the Church’s mission. Both terms suggest commitment to faith and witness as individuals and as a community, but the living of our daily lives is enriched that much more when we understand that the Pentecost power of the Holy Spirit is among us and at work in us. This Season of Pentecost reflects the extraordinary abundance of God that permeates our otherwise ordinary lives. Truly, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. 

      It is with this sense of the Holy Spirit’s presence permeating our daily life in the resurrected Christ that we continue to move forward in mission as a community of faith and as individual Christians. In a recent sermon, I reflected on the uncanny number of parishioners and friends throughout our community who seem to be facing difficult times and circumstances.  We encourage people to ask themselves, “Where is God in this situation?” or “What is God saying to me?” and this is wise council because God is, indeed, present in every aspect of our daily lives. But, there is another question that begs to be asked here: What might God be saying to us as a community of faith? We might takes this a step further and ask, How can this Season of Pentecost, our ‘ordinary’ time, draw us to a deeper place of nurture and support to people in need? These are the questions that our Vestry, Steering Committee, and a host of parishioners and friends are praying about right now.

      Regardless of the answer(s) we may discern– and there may be many answers – we need to remember this important point: We are people of the resurrection; empowered by the Holy Spirit; and, in the midst of ordinary daily life, we encounter the extraordinary life-changing presence of God in the hearts and minds of God’s people. The difficult part for us is recognizing, hearing, and listening to and for that presence. 
 
      As summer vacations loom and we find opportunities for relaxation and recreation, I invite you to explore both as individuals and as part of the Holy Cross community, how we might live into the extraordinary ordinariness of this Pentecost Season.   
 
                                                                                                                Yours in service to the Gospel, 
                                                                                                                            Allan+

Priestly Ponderings…
      Our Epistle readings these past few weeks have challenged us to live more fully into “The Way” – the Christian Life –that very much mirrors our baptismal covenant vows. Specifically, our readings from The Acts of the Apostles have laid out for us clear direction on how the Church is to prepare for on-going mission: a mission that at one time changed the world. It can transform our communities once more. 

      Acts 2:42 tells us that following the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, members of the early Church devoted themselves “to the Apostles teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” And what happened? “Awe came upon everyone … all who believed were together and had all things in common … and day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:43-47). Clearly, committing ourselves to worshipping, learning and fellowshipping together builds our faith and increases our sense of community and purpose. So much so that, with this foundation laid, we are prepared to look beyond ourselves and venture into the mission that God desires for us in our communities. The Book of Acts teaches us that while we might intend to envision new mission and activities, we cannot do so without a solid foundation upon which to build: a foundation of who we are in Christ. 

      Building a foundation is what I like to think we have been doing here these past two years. From cleaning our facilities in order to create a more inviting and healthier appearance, to teaching the basics of our Christian faith and Anglican tradition to both adults and children alike, to seeking ways that inspire participation in our liturgies and deeper commitment to Christ, all of this has prepared us to move into a new phase of life together. It is an exciting time for us at Holy Cross as each month, new families join our gatherings and our people feel a more urgent “nudging” of the Holy Spirit to dream and envision ways to include the greater community around us. 

      We tend to think about ministry to those outside the parish walls as outreach, but I’d like to suggest another perspective. Holy Cross is located at the heart of the community of West Memphis. In many ways, this City is already a part of our community just as we are a part of the City’s community. So, perhaps seeking ways of outreach might better be described as a form of in-reach: a reaching inward to the community of which we are, or should be, a vital part. Perhaps we might see the citizens of West Memphis as members of Holy Cross – family members who just haven’t come home in a long time. As we gather each week for prayer, fellowship, teaching and communion, let us remember our neighbors and seek ways to invite them to return home to Holy Cross. The exit of the ASU-ABC program offers us a myriad of opportunities for increasing our vital presence in the life of this community. I invite your prayers of discernment as we seek the Holy Spirit’s direction on how we might reach into our community and help, as our mission statement so boldly proclaims “restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ” (BCP p 855). 

      Have blessed and safe summer season. If we do not forget our commitment to teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers, we will, indeed, be amazed at all that God will do in our midst. 
                                                                                                              Yours in service to the Gospel,
                                                                                                                           Allan+

Priestly Ponderings…     
     My prayer in this Eastertide is that the good work of God begun in us and nourished through our observance of Lent, through Holy Week, and the glorious celebration of the resurrection of our Lord at Easter, will continue to speak to our hearts and minds in new and refreshing ways.

    As I write this column for The Spirit we are still in the midst of Holy Week and yet, I know in my heart that our Easter celebration will be looked upon as one of our most uplifting worship experiences at Holy Cross. I thank all who labored through this holy time and especially, those who offered their gifts of hospitality to all who entered our doors. The radical and gracious hospitality of the people of Holy Cross is one of our greatest gifts. It is a gift that continues to amaze me and warm my heart. Thank you.

      Spring is a season of change. We see new growth all around us: budding trees and shrubs; flowers popping up in glorious splendor (maybe even a few weeds!); all of these things remind us that life is never static: God’s creative power continues to move forward. 

      This month of May presents a number of changes for us as well. We bid Nathan Trahan farewell on Easter followed by welcoming our new organist, Dennis Wujcik, on May 1st. Just as we celebrated the life and ministry of Polly Brown as she moves to Benton, we welcome several new members to Holy Cross who are moving their letters to our Parish this month. Even our garden is showing signs of change and, weather permitting, we will see much activity there as it is expanded and recreated into a place of respite and prayer. (See the separate article about the garden in this issue.) Your Vestry continues to pray and discern ways in which we might, as a congregation, better live into our mission to serve Christ in this community. Change is around us: life is never static.

      May our gracious God continue to create in us clean hearts, open minds, and willing hands and feet to journey where the Spirit leads us in this glorious Eastertide and beyond. Thank you for being a part of this family.                                                                    
                                                                                                                                         Yours in service to the Gospel,
                                                                                                                                          Allan +  

Priestly Ponderings…

     At our diocesan convention a few weeks ago, Bishop Benfield urged the people of every parish and mission in Arkansas to see Christ in every one we meet. “We will see Jesus” became the watchword of this year’s convention and I, for one, have embraced this challenge

     St. Benedict urged his followers to receive every person, every visitor, the stranger or even the people we know, as if Christ’s own self was standing before us. It is this type of vision that led to the radical hospitality practiced by the Benedictines and I believe this radical hospitality is very evident within our own midst. Throughout these past several months, we have been blessed with many visitors the majority of whom have commented on the generous welcome they have received from parishioners. It is that type of welcome that will continue to build this parish and enliven our ministries. I thank God for all of you.

     As you have journeyed through this Season of Lent, I wonder how we have seen Jesus at work around us and within us, and how that has changed (or might change) how we represent Christ to the world: to friend and stranger. St. Patrick of Ireland was convinced that Christ has to become the very fabric of our being. In the 4th century, Patrick penned the following acknowledgement of his total immersion into Christ seeing Jesus not only in every person but, even more importantly, in every aspect of his life:
                    Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
                    Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
                    Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
                    Christ when I lie down, 

                    Christ when I sit down,
                    Christ when I arise,
                    Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
                    Christ in the mouth of every one who speaks of me,
                    Christ in the eye of every one who sees me,
                    Christ in every ear that hears me.

     This year’s Lenten observance has been enriched through our expanded gatherings and services on Wednesday evenings, our use of different authorized Eucharistic liturgies at the 10:15 am Sunday service, and in our gathering for our Adult Christian Education series. Each offering has encouraged us to see Jesus in all things, to explore who Jesus is, how Jesus works in and us and through us, and challenges us seek him in every person, every place, and everything we encounter. In many ways, these gatherings have mirrored Patrick’s prayer helping to shape our relationship with God, each other, and our community.

      I recently attended The Episcopal Preaching Foundation’s preaching excellence program at the Kanuga Conference Center in North Carolina. It was a wonderful time of renewal and challenge. I came away with a deeper sense of the privilege of preaching the good news of God in Christ each week here at Holy Cross. I also came away with a deeper understanding of the importance of taking regular time for silent reflection and quiet study. This is at the heart of the Lenten practice and enables us to see Jesus more clearly. Somehow in the midst of our busy lives (perhaps hectic is a more appropriate descriptor), each of us must find time to quiet our hearts and minds so that we can bask in God’s presence. For it is in taking such time that our very souls are renewed and our vision made clear.

      And so, in the last few weeks of Lent, let me encourage you to complete your Lenten observance by dedicating some time for quiet reflection. Perhaps, is doing so, you, too, will see Jesus at work not only in friend and stranger, but also, in you.

                                                                                               Yours in service to the Gospel,  
                                                                                                              Allan+

Priestly Ponderings…

     March 2011 brings to a close the Season of the Epiphany and ushers in the Season of Lent. Beginning, with Ash Wednesday (March 9) the Church enters a time of introspection on how we (or how we don’t) nurture our resurrected and changed life in Christ through personal prayer, devotion, and corporate worship, and how we live that life before our families and neighbors in our daily career or vocation.

     Lent is traditionally a somber season of repentance because the truth is we often fall far short of the Christian ideal of total union with God and each other. Certainly, the Church itself assumes a more contemplative appearance throughout this season most notably by the absence of flowers while purple, symbolizing repentance, becomes the predominant color of our vestments and hangings. The shiny brass candlesticks are replaced by wrought iron as a reminder of the nails that will soon pierce our Lord’s body so that we might live and, towards the end of the season, our crosses are veiled as a stark reminder of how much we need a Savior.  Yet, with this somber appearance, Lent often becomes for us a marvelous season of renewal and rediscovery as we gather to observe the sacraments in fresh ways. The Rev. Dr. Ralph McMichael describes Lent as a renewing sacrament. He writes, “In Lent we prepare for the resurrection by focusing on the basics of Christian life. It is the season for us to receive God’s offer of life in the risen Christ by starting over where we are already … we are formed and renewed by what we already believe.”(Ralph McMichael, The Sacrament of Lent, The Living Church, March 21, 2010)

     It is with this sense of sacramental renewal that I invite everyone to engage more deeply in our various Lenten services and activities so that all may grow in the knowledge and love of God. Our Sunday worship together will incorporate several newer forms of the Holy Eucharist while maintaining the traditional Rite I Liturgy. This is being undertaken so that, together, we hear in fresh and renewing ways the depth of grace we receive in and through the sacraments.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation will also be offered each week at set times as announced and we look forward to journeying together walking the Way of the Cross through our “Stations of the Cross” evening devotion program (day and time to be announced.)

  An old hymn describes the blessing of Lenten reflection with these words, “The glory of these forty days we celebrate with ceaseless praise.” May this Season of Lent be a celebration of Christ’s presence in our hearts and minds. May it truly become for us a holy, renewing sacramental time in the life of our parish and all who are marked as Christ’s own people. May this Lent be a glorious celebration of new life, reflection, contemplation, and renewal in your heart and the hearts of all who come to Holy Cross.

                                                          Yours in service to the Gospel,

Priestly Ponderings…

     The blessings offered at the close of our observance of the Holy Eucharist each week during this season of the Epiphany, remind us of our continuing role as Christ’s light in this world. From prayers that God’s light will lead us, like the wise men, in our pilgrimage to find the Lord; to prayers that, just as Jesus changed water into wine, God will transform our lives and make glad our hearts; to prayers for the Holy Spirit to descend on us like that at Christ’s own baptism, each blessing speaks of the life-changing presence of Christ in us.  One of my favorite Epiphany blessings prays, “May Christ, the Son of God, be manifest in us, so that our lives may be a light to the world.” Manifest is a powerful word meaning noticeable, discernable, observable, and unmistakable. In other words, it is possible for Christ’s presence in our lives to be so evident to those we meet that Christ shines through us and invites them to Christ.  In many ways, this light that enlightens our own hearts and minds, can enlighten those around us and bring them to Christ through the very action of our lives. As St. Francis of Assisi once said about the Christian life, “Preach the Gospel … If necessary, use words.”

     Changing, transforming, guiding, and leading are frequent messages throughout this season and each one speaks to the on-going creative power of God in our lives. Like our faith, our journey together is always changing and evolving drawing us ever more deeply into Christ whose body we are. This sense of renewed changed and growth was heard in the many reports and stories offered at our recent Annual Parish Meeting. Like you, I rejoice at the work and presence of God among us that continues to form and transform, to light and enlighten our paths together.

     We also heard about our need for increased outreach and yet, outreach, in itself, while meeting a specific need, rarely does anything to draw people into the community of faith. In fact, outreach often keeps those same people out of rather than welcoming them into the church. On February 4th and 5th our Vestry will seek to discern how we might reach out to our community in new ways that will see our neighbors as children of God who, like us, seek a welcoming, spiritually and physically nurturing home. Perhaps, in this season of the Epiphany, Christ might be even more manifest in us so that others find their path illumined not only by our witness to the faith, but Christ himself who lights a path to Holy Cross and, as they cross the threshold, they are not asked “Are you visiting?” but rather, are embraced with a hearty, “Welcome home!”

                                                                                                                Yours in service to the Gospel,

                                                                                                                Allan +

Priestly Ponderings

          Was there ever a more glorious or more memorable celebration of Christmas at Holy Cross? My heart-felt thanks go to all who had a part in preparing for and celebrating the Nativity of Our Lord. The singing, the greens and flowers, the Altar, the candles, incense and the superb music brought a depth to our liturgy that simply set our hearts soaring. Thank you one and all.

          I continue to be amazed at the talent, skills, and downright tenacity of our parish family. Whatever the need, whatever the cause, you can be counted on to meet – and often exceed – every expectation. I think that is an indication of our strength as a community, and a strong witness to our faith in God who always exceeds our greatest hopes. Our Stewardship campaign results continue to be tabulated and, combined with our renewed spirit of community evident each time we gather, our sense of purpose and mission as a Parish continues to unfold.

           Christmastide is a 12-day celebration of the presence of Our Lord as a new babe at Bethlehem. And yet, Christmas is also a reminder that Christ is present to us, and in us, every day of our lives. As Kenneth Leach notes, “Christmas Day is to become all days, and the adoration of Emmanuel, God with us, must be a daily and continuous event.”   (Kenneth Leech, True Prayer, p 13) The hard part for us as Christians is to remember that, even though Christmas decorations are often packed away within a few days of this earth-changing event, Christmas is forever in our hearts and lives.

             Perhaps that’s why Epiphany is such an appropriate season to follow Christmas. We recall the arrival of the Magi and the realization that this tiny babe at Bethlehem is none other the Light of World who comes to redeem us and all who will turn to God in Christ. Epiphany reminds us that we begin our enlightened journeys when Christ is born in our hearts at Christmas and that our journeys will continue through death, resurrection, and ultimate union with God. Kenneth Leach is right. Christmas is a daily and continuous event in our lives. It is our beginning and, in many ways our end, indeed. I trust that you and yours will continue to celebrate the birth of Christ in your hearts long after the last tinsel is swept up from the floor and the last ornaments and decorations are put away.

Pan and I are very much looking forward to some time away for recreation, re-creation, and relaxation beginning December 27 through January 3rd. We hope to catch up on some reading (fiction and non-fiction) and perhaps take in a movie or two. Pastoral care will be available to the Parish throughout our absence through the Parish Office.  

           With prayers and best wishes for a Christ-filled and Christ-centered New Year, I remain,

                                                          Yours in service to the Gospel

                                                                   Allan +  

   

These past few days has witnessed a significant drop in our temperatures as things have returned to more seasonal weather. Mind you, we continue to pray for refreshing rains, but it appears our days of scorching heat might soon be a thing of the past. Such is the change that takes place as we move from summer to fall. Before we know it, we’ll be in the midst of the winter chill and longing for those hot summer days of the past.

Change is a natural part of the created world just as it is a part of our lives as a community of faith. We have witnessed a myriad of changes here at Holy Cross enthusiastically embraced by many. And, as with any change, we often need time to adjust to new ways addressing glitches as they arise, while others might need a little more information before embracing something new. This is a natural part of growth and learning together. So, explore it!  

The Church’s observance of the Christian faith must never be a relic to the past, but rather, it must always seek to be a living, vibrant expression of Christ who lives in us today. Christ’s on-going work of shaping us into the people God desires us to be at Holy Cross is most evident in every observance of the Eucharist. For it is at the Eucharist where we share together not a stale bread and rancid wine of the past, but rather, the life-giving, fresh bread and wine of God’s present (and “presence”) that nourishes our bodies and souls.  

It is this desire for nourishment (re-freshment and re-creation) that has spurred our Vestry to seek new ways to be the church. From offering a unique Sunday school curriculum, to Adult Education opportunities, to seeking ways that incorporate our youth into the life of the church, to improving our worship experience together, all of this has been undertaken not for the sake of change, but rather, to be a living and vibrant expression of Christ whom we worship and serve.

So, I invite you to embrace this continuing “season” of change at Holy Cross. To explore and ask questions, to share your ideas just as you might share a concern, and to participate in opportunities for learning and growing so that, together, we begin to set foot on the new ground God is preparing for us.

                                                          Yours in service to the Gospel