A few pics from my pre-ordination retreat at Wapiti

We had a marvelous time; it is a great space!

One year (almost) ago - Ordination to the Diaconate Video

Sermon Preached at my Ordination to the Diaconate by the Rev. Robert L.Tate

Bob Tate sponsored me for ordination out of St. Martin in the Fields, Chestnut Hill, PA and he preached this challenging and incisive sermon at my ordination to the (transitional) diaconate.

~ The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Diocese of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia Cathedral, Saturday, June 9, 2007

A Sermon Preached at the Diaconate Ordination Service

A sermon preached by the Rev. Robert L. Tate, Rector, Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Philadelphia, on Saturday, June 9, 2007 on the occasion of the Diaconate Ordination Service at the Philadelphia Cathedral.

I.

Last week I picked up my teenage son from his AP US History exam. Now any parent can tell you that some of the most important conversations happen in the enclosed environment of the automobile. “So, Andy, how did your exam go?” “Ungh ” “How do you think you did?” “Uh-uh-ungh.” See what I mean? Quality conversation.

I kept pressing. “So what do you think was the most important thing you learned this year in AP US History?” Long silence. Then. “OK Dad. We learned that your generation has completely ruined this country for our generation. Social Security. Health Care. Public Education. The tax system. Our cities. Our reputation in the world. The environment. You want me to go on?”

I didn’t know quite what to say, so I just kept driving. Because I know in my heart he is right.

I have spent the last three days leading the pre-ordination retreat with our seven ordinands at the Diocesan Conference Center at Wapiti. In several of our sessions I heard their comments about the current state of the church. “The parish church model is bankrupt. For 400 years we have basically perpetuated an anachronistic 18th century English agrarian model of living the Christian life that no longer works. Our aging buildings are killing our parishes and stifling ministry. Many, maybe even a majority, of our parishes seem to be expending all their energies and resources simply trying to meet the ever-rising costs of everything and trying to survive. That is not why Jesus Christ lived and died for us. That is not ministry.”

And they did go on. “We haven’t even begun to realize the vision of the ministry of the baptized embodied in the 1979 Book of Common Prayer. Clericalism is still a cancer in the church. And the leadership of the church, not to mention the people in the pews, are clueless about the paradigm shift that is required.”

I didn’t know quite what to say, so I just kept listening. Because I know in my heart that they are right.

Read the rest HERE or HERE.

New York City, Chopping Wood, Carrying Water

Riverside Park,...NYC...just a beautiful place.

We arrived today and my wife began her program at Columbia. I had the great pleasure of walking around with my two boys and also checking out some of the amazing sights and sites of New York City. It is exhausting to be watching two kids under 5, but also exhilarating and a tremendous blessing. As a person who grew up in the woods of Vermont, I still am surprised at the trees and nature that can be found in cities. I give great thanks to the visionaries who set aside these areas, and also great thanks to those who continue to maintain these oases in the midst of concrete and steel.

There is an eastern proverb which I believe is either Taoist or Buddhist in origin that says:

"Before enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water....
after enlightenment, chopping wood, carrying water."

Essentially, even after profound spiritual and mystical experiences our lives remain enmeshed in the everyday. For me, my ordination to the diaconate was a mountaintop experience, and I have had a few of these deeply connecting spiritual experiences. However, I have learned that these experiences are deep, yet do not last forever in their intensity. I know now that I cannot remain on the mountaintop forever, and there is much "chopping wood," and "carrying water" to be done. It seems that a key goal is to find a way to have these seemingly mundane tasks become enlivened and deepened. In the Christian framework, we believe in the Incarnation, that God really became human, as Joan Osborne* asks, "What if God was one of us...?"

Well, that is what we, as Christians, believe, that God became one of us, and is here among us, between us, within us even today. So even our "chopping wood," "carrying water," "changing diapers," "finding snacks," and "playing in the playground," are all enlivened and deepened through the work of the Spirit.


*Shout out to CB for the reminder that it was Joan Osborne and not Alanis Morisette that sang this song!!! (Thanks!!)

First Sunday Serving as a Deacon

 

It was really quite wonderful to serve as a deacon today at Grace Church, Silver Spring, MD, my old field education site from seminary. It was a great service and it was just excellent to proclaim the gospel and serve at the table!