Lent 5 - Sermon - in process

Lent 5 - Sermon - in process - here's how it looks so far, courtesy of wordle.net . . .

I guess I'm preaching about Jesus, this is good!

Lent - Your love...

Psalm 89: 1-18

1 Your love, O LORD, for ever will I sing; *
from age to age my mouth will proclaim your faithfulness.
2 For I am persuaded that your love is established for ever; *
you have set your faithfulness firmly in the heavens.
3 "I have made a covenant with my chosen one; *
I have sworn an oath to David my servant:
4 'I will establish your line for ever, *
and preserve your throne for all generations.'"
5 The heavens bear witness to your wonders, O LORD, *
and to your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones;
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? *
who is like the LORD among the gods?
7 God is much to be feared in the council of the holy ones, *
great and terrible to all those round about him.
8 Who is like you, LORD God of hosts? *
O mighty LORD, your faithfulness is all around you.
9 You rule the raging of the sea *
and still the surging of its waves.
10 You have crushed Rahab of the deep with a deadly wound; *
you have scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
11 Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours; *
you laid the foundations of the world and all that is in it.
12 You have made the north and the south; *
Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your Name.
13 You have a mighty arm; *
strong is your hand and high is your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne; *
love and truth go before your face.
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout! *
they walk, O LORD, in the light of your presence.
16 They rejoice daily in your Name; *
they are jubilant in your righteousness.
17 For you are the glory of their strength, *
and by your favor our might is exalted.
18 Truly, the LORD is our ruler; *
The Holy One of Israel is our King.

+


What do you love? Who do you love? We use the word love so often that its depth and breadth have been stripped. However, God's love has not been stripped away, even if our imaginations cannot begin to conceive of the fullness of God, and God's love for us.

What do you love? What do you truly love? There may be glimpses of God's love for us in the midst of the love we have for one another. Reflecting on the people we love, and on the activities we love is helpful as we strive to more fully sense and feel God's everpresent love, faithfulness, and loving-kindness for us. We only have to turn aside and see the many many burning bushes that God gives us to remind us of God's love. We only have to turn around and see that God is running to greet us with open arms after our time away as the Prodigal Child. God's love is ever with us. May we have the eyes and ears and hearts to know it.

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Lent - The return of the prodigal son

Rembrandt van Rijn The return of the prodigal son c. 1662 Oil on canvas 262 x 206 cm The Hermitage, St. Petersburg

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So Jesus told them this parable:

"There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."' So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate.

"Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!' Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'"

Lent - show hospitality to strangers

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, 

for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.

~Hebrews 13:2

Lent 3C Sermon - "Beyond the wilderness" ~ The Rev. Peter Carey

Lent 3C Sermon

7 March 2010

The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Greenwood, VA

Exodus 3: 1-15; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9

Hindsight is 20/20 they say.  Looking back at history can sometimes make us think that quite remarkable events were not so remarkable.  Looking back at history demands a sense of clearing the decks before entering into the world that came before.  To enter the world of Lewis and Clark, for instance, would demand that we look carefully at the assumptions that they held, the experiences that they had, and the abilities and temperament that they had as they began their journey to the West.  As Lewis and Clark headed West, they probably had no real sense about just how treacherous the journey would be.  They probably had no real sense about how just how high and forbidding the Rocky Mountains would be.  Having climbed the Blue Ridge Mountains and having learned the skills they needed for the wilderness put them in a good position as they headed into the wilderness.  However, their Voyage of Discovery would land them not just in the wilderness, but beyond it. 

Going into the wilderness, into uncharted territory, demands courage, stamina, and a kind of fearlessness that we may not really think we possess.  But, we each have entered wilderness from time to time in our lives. 

The wilderness of loneliness. 

The wilderness of joblessness. 

The wilderness of the necessary losses that come with living. 

The wilderness of experiencing the death of loved ones. 

The wilderness of unrealized dreams. 

The wilderness of facing our own mortality. 

We each have entered the wilderness.  And we each have also gone beyond the wilderness.  When we enter the wilderness of our lives, we may find the urge to return by the same way.  We may look to follow the bread crumbs that we left as we entered the dark cave.  However, for most of us, the only way out is the way through and beyond.  The path “back” takes us through and beyond.  Like the Magi after they visited the infant Jesus, we often “go home by a different way.”  To go into the wilderness demands courage, stamina, and a kind of fearlessness that we may not really think we possess.  And yet, somehow, we do. 

Some things happen to us when we move into, and beyond the wilderness.  In the midst of it, we may feel that we cannot see how we can even go on into the way ahead.  At times, in the midst of it, we may not really feel God’s grace blessing us and supporting us and empowering us.  But God is there, whether or not we turn aside and are able to sense God’s presence makes no difference.  God is there, embracing us, supporting us, enfolding us always, even as we make our way through and beyond the wilderness.

Going beyond the wilderness is sometimes, in retrospect, where we see that God’s hand was upon us.  I know in my own life.  When I look now to at a time when I found myself far from home, feeling alone after a significant relationship ended, I see that God was working to open me up to experience more of the Spirit, to experience greater things than my paltry imagination could dream up on its best day.  When I look now to that time of mourning for the life that I thought I would have, I see that in the midst of that sadness, depression, and loneliness, God was bringing me beyond the wilderness.  Though excruciatingly difficult, it was a soulful time.  The modern writer, Thomas Moore (not “a man for all seasons”) has written several books on the soul.  In “Care of the Soul,” he writes of the surprising gifts that can be given to us even in these difficult times, and the ways that the life of the soul may be deepened as we move beyond the wilderness.  Of course, it helps to have the 20/20 vision of hindsight.  If I were now talking to myself then , my then self would tell my now self to get lost, in far more colorful language. 

This movement to a holy place beyond the wilderness is the movement that Moses was making while he herded his father-in-law’s flock. 

“He led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed.  Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight. . . God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses.’ . . ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’”

So, we hear the story of God calling Moses to be the catalyst for the next great chapter in the history of God’s people.  There, beyond the wilderness, God appears to Moses.  The life story of Moses to this point included being rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, and then as an adult, Moses killed one of the Egyptians who was beating a Hebrew slave and Moses was on the run.  He had made a life for himself, joining the family of his wife, Zipporah, having a child and working for his father-in-law.  We know the rest of the story, so we forget that Moses had already pretty much settled down.  We know the rest of the story, so we forget that Moses was adamant that he was not gifted in speech, and argued with God about whether he should lead his people.  We know the rest of the story, so we forget just how terrifying it must have been for Moses to return to Pharaoh. 

Hindsight being 20/20, we look at Moses as a prophet, liberator, and gigantic figure, leading his people to freedom and then leading them in the wilderness for 40 years.  However, in today’s story, Moses encountered God beyond the wilderness, and was being called out of the vision and plan that he had for his life.  Out there, beyond the wilderness, Moses’ imagination was broadened, and he encountered the living God, who assured Moses that “I will be with you.”  Out there beyond the wilderness, Moses found a new chapter in his life that he would not have ever imagined.  Out there beyond the wilderness, there may be a new chapter for us as well.  Hindsight being 20/20, we may be able to see that our own times in the wilderness caused us to go beyond the wilderness, to a place that was, “holy ground.”  And so, we continue our journey through life, knowing that there will be times in the wilderness, they come whether we long for them or not.  We continue on our journey through life and we can have some comfort in the fact that not only is God there with us in the wilderness, “thy rod and thy staff they protect me,” and that we are enfolded in God’s loving embrace.  We can also have comfort that as we move beyond the wilderness, there is holy ground for us, there is a place where God has made a home for us, where we will turn aside, remove our sandals, and be empowered and given strength for the journey ahead.

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going.

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death.

I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

- Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"

 HERE.

Lent - Haiku by Sam Candler

A bit late, but here is an Ash Wednesday haiku by the Very Rev. Sam Candler, Dean of the Episcopal Cathedral in Atlanta, posted on his great blog, "Good Faith and the Common Good."

Check out his blog,

May we all strive to continue to keep a holy Lent,

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

____________________________

To church for ashes
Today, signs of earth, dust, signs
We are down to earth.



(May God bless us today
In a down to earth way)
Sam Candler

Lent - Wilderness, where the streets have no name

Lent has me exploring the theological aspects of wilderness.  As I begin a busy day today, I began to think about U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name"....in the wilderness, beyond the wilderness...hmmmm...

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Lent - The Jerusalem Mile Project

A group of pilgrims from the Diocese of Virginia (including our bishop, the Rt. Rev. Shannon Johnston) are in Jerusalem and are also blogging at "The Jerusalem Mile."  I encourage you to follow along with their pilgrimage, and I have to say that I am envious.

You can also follow along with another pilgrimage, my friend from seminary, Fran, who is blogging at White Mountain Musings or at http://whitemountainmusings.blogspot.com/

I pray I will one day also make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Check them out HERE at http://jerusalemmile.wordpress.com/ and White Mountain Musings or at http://whitemountainmusings.blogspot.com/

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Psalm 137:1-6 Super flumina

1	By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, * when we remembered you, O Zion.
2	As for our harps, we hung them up * on the trees in the midst of that land.
3	For those who led us away captive asked us for a song, and our oppressors called for mirth: * "Sing us one of the songs of Zion."
4	How shall we sing the LORD'S song * upon an alien soil?
5	If I forget you, O Jerusalem, * let my right hand forget its skill.
6	Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, * if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy

Lent - "Hold this space" blogs the 40 words of Lent

Check out "Hold this space" blog and their posts for the 40 words of Lent!

Here's a sample:

40 words of Lent

it begins again
but i need no god to make my wilderness
i find it of my own volition
as discipline this year
i give up nothing
but guilt
the road to crucifixion,
after all,
is paved with failed intentions

Lent - walking the way of Jesus

Image from the "Big Picture Blog" hosted by the Boston Globe Online that got me thinking about Jesus walking in the desert during those 40 days.:

Lent - Bp of Haiti offers Lenten reflection

The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, the Rt. Rev. Jean Zaché Duracin, offers the following Lenten reflection, commenting on the situation in Haiti and the need for faith, prayer and renewal in the midst of devastation:



From Episcopal News Service



January 12 was a terrible day for the Haitian people. The earthquake left not a soul untouched. There is not a single family that did not lose a close friend or member: Mothers, fathers, siblings, in some cases entire families disappeared.

As for resources, we have next to nothing. The wreckage is beyond imagination.


However, this situation delivers us into faith. I look at this as a baptism. We who are still alive have had the blessing of survival, but in many ways we have died to the ways of the past. We have the opportunity to rise up and start anew. In this moment of grief and mourning, life must continue.
During this Lenten season, it is important for us in Haiti to turn inward and rediscover all that is just within us. It is imperative that we be reborn in this moment. We will live without the physical trappings of the church because we still have the same spiritual guidance, the confessions, the conversations, the reflections.


We need faith. We must go forward with confidence and hope. The Haitian people are fighters. We will not give up. We must see within this situation the possibilities that exist. Jealousy, anger, hatred – this is not the time for these. We turn to Jesus Christ, who did not fall into temptation; though he was in hard situations, he overcame death in victory.


Read the rest HERE

Lent - Polycarp on Forgiveness (from Scott Gunn)

Scott Gunn reminds us of the beautiful words of Polycarp on forgiveness.

Scott writes in his blog, "Seven Whole Days" and quotes Polycarp.

Thank you Scott, just beautiful!

~Peter+
____________________________________________

Today the Church commemorates Polycarp, bishop and martyr. He lived from the mid-first century to the mid-second century. His only surviving work is a letter, “Polycarp to the Philippians“. I’m fascinated by those from the earliest decades of the church, who embraced a glorious life not a glorious institution.

Here are Polycarp’s words on forgiveness. They’re very fitting for Lent.

For I am confident that you are well versed in the Scriptures, and from you nothing is hid; but to me this is not granted. Only, as it is said in these Scriptures, “Be ye angry and sin not,” and “Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” Blessed is the man who remembers this, and I believe that it is so with you. Now may God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the “eternal Priest” himself, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, build you up in faith and truth, and in all gentleness, and without wrath, and in patience, and in longsuffering, and endurance, and purity, and may he give you lot and part with his saints, and to us with you, and to all under heaven who shall believe in our Lord and God Jesus Christ and in his “Father who raised him from the dead.” “Pray for all the saints. Pray also for the Emperors,” and for potentates, and princes, and for “those who persecute you and hate you,” and for “the enemies of the Cross” that “your fruit may be manifest among all men, that you may be perfected” in him.

Good advice nineteen centuries ago, and good advice today.

Lent - To keep you in all your ways

"...he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways."
~Psalm 91: 11

Lent - "Lent. What is it for?"

My article last year (2009) in the "Daily Episcopalian" at "EpiscopalCafe.com"....

May your Lent be full of blessings,


~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Lent. What is it for?

By Peter M. Carey
Entering Lent each year I tend to hear people at church (including myself) say that we should “give something up,” or (more recently) “take something on”. Giving up chocolate, or alcohol, or negativity are some choices that I have heard about. Taking on such things as praying daily, reading the Bible, or tending to one’s spiritual life can be wonderful disciplines. Often, however, I get focused on the obstacles. I get focused on (and obsessed with?) the thing I’ve tried to “give up,” or I find myself focusing on the thing that I’ve “taken on.” This is the wrong focus, perhaps like a hurdler focusing on the hurdles so much that she hits every hurdle and crashes. Obviously, the hurdles are not the focus of the race. Focusing on the obstacles can obscure the goal. I imagine this may be true of others as well.

This year, I have tried to really consider the question of the reason that we observe Lent at all. What is the reason to “give up” or “take on.” There are probably tons of reasons, but, for me, as someone with a busy house of three children under 6, and a busy ministry of serving as a chaplain to a large and complex school, the main reason to observe Lent at all has been to give some time to remember God. I have attempted to focus on God, rather than the things I’ve given up (Facebook), and rather than the things I’ve taken on (reading the Bible and theology daily with greater focus).

As simple as it sounds, the practice of giving time back to God, so that I might remember the ever present reality of God, can become difficult.

Read the rest at "Episcopal Cafe"....

Lent - Jesus in the desert

I find this to be a powerful depiction of Jesus' time in the desert. We will read Luke's version of the story of Jesus' 40 days in the desert this Sunday, the 40 days of fasting and temptation by the devil which follow Jesus' baptism. Take a look.

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Lent - at SSJE

SSJE - St. John the Evangelist Society
The St. John the Evangelist Society, the Anglican monastic community in Cambridge, Massachussetts will be offering a variety of Lenten resources this Lent.  There will be a daily reading from their rule of life, as well as weekly reflections by various of the brothers.  I highly recommend checking out their site (and paying them a visit, if you have a chance.)

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

You can access the "SSJE" Lenten site HERE

Lent is the season in which Christians prepare for the Resurrection of the Lord. It is a time to renew our commitment as disciples of Jesus by adopting practices that deepen our relationship to God. 

We invite you to join us, either in person or virtually, for our Lenten preaching series, Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Living. Each Tuesday in March, the 5.15 Eucharist at the Monastery Chapel will feature a sermon reflecting on a specific practice from the SSJE Rule of Life. After the service there will be a soup supper and further conversation with the evening's preacher. March 3—Br. Kevin Hackett, on Silence March 10—Br. Bruce Neal, on The Graces of Friendship March 24—Br. David Vryhof, on Prayer and Life March 31—Br. Geoffrey Tristram, on The Witness and Challenges of Community Life If you cannot join us in person, check back here for a weekly update, featuring an audio recording of the sermon and suggestions for further reading.

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Lent 1 - sermon preview

The draft of my sermon for this Sunday, Lent 1...

Courtesy of Wordle.net...

Lent - Reflections by the people of St. Paul's Memorial

Another great blog which is offering daily reflections is hosted by St. Paul's Memorial, Charlottesville, VA.  The daily reflections are offered by different parishioners and staff for each day of the 40 days of Lent.  Check out the blog HERE or at http://stpaulslent.blogspot.com/. The opening post was offered on Ash Wednesday by Anna Askounis and I have reposted it below.

Do check out this blog, and what will prove to be a wonderful selection of reflections.

Prayers for a holy Lent,

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey



Joel 2:12-18, Psalm 51, 2 Corinthians 5:20-62, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

Rend your hearts
return to me
broken and contrite
reconciled
let us journey together
pilgrim
into the
wilderness
keep me, these forty days,
in the
dark
secret
quiet
of your
heart

Anna Askounis

"Blogging Lent" at Santos Woodcarving Popsicles

We are now in the season of Lent.  One of the practices that I am taking on is to blog every day with a post on Lent.  Sometimes reflections, sometimes sharing of a video, sometimes poetry, sometimes a word on scripture, sometimes art, sometimes music.  These "blogging Lent" posts can be found HERE and there will be new ones every day of the 40 days of Lent.  Today (below this post) you will find the Archbishop of Canterbury's reflection on Lent that he posted on YouTube last year (2009), it is quite good and I hope you check it out.

May we all strive to keep a holy Lent,

Pax et Bonum,

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Ash Wednesday at CCBlogs

Services are done, now to watch some snowboarding at the Olympics, but I suggest that you also check out the wonderful reflections, sermons, prayers and such on Ash Wednesday over at "Christian Century Blog Network" - CCBlogs.   Click HERE to see the posts.

And, stay tuned for some daily Lenten posts here at Santos Popsicles for the next 40 days, come back for a virtual smorgasbord of offerings from now until Holy Week,

May you strive to keep a holy Lent!

~The Rev. Peter M. Carey

Ash Wednesday around the network

Wed, 02/17/2010 - 15:19 — Steve Thorngate

It’s Ash Wednesday, and the CCblogs network is filled with thought-provoking posts.

Ashes are dirty, says Debra Dean Murphy, like coal dust. They get under Pamela Fickenscher's fingernails, and they get Roger Lovette thinking of other smudges. They take to some foreheads more readily than others, as Darren Cushman Wood details, and we bring them out on what Maria Evans points out is the one service of the year in which we go to the altar twice. James Schaap explores the ashes’ effect on a fifth-grade classroom.

What are you giving up or taking on for Lent? asks Nancy Fitz. Paul Stroble reminds us to keep it Christ-centered, and Frank Showers talks about what constitutes true treasure. Lent has the potential, says David Henson, to be a time of self-importance; Chris Brundage warns against the perils of public piety. Shawn Wamsley notes that Lent disciplines are rightly personal, though Michael Marsh reminds us that each individual journey takes place within community. Although Lent disciplines are complicated, Martha Hoversonassures us that they are “not intended to ruin your life.”

Bob Cornwall draws from Joan Chittister on the urgency of repentance, while Mark Powell points out that we already know how. Will Willimon talks about preaching on the cross; Ed Sunday-Winters pushes for a less safe Jesus. Warren Hicks asks: what has your attention?

Milton Brasher-Cunningham prays for disquiet; Amy Julia Becker longs for grace that disrupts routine. Lent is about transformation, says Julie Clawson, not denial; Ernesto Tinajero points out that self-control is itself about being transformed. How will Lent change Ryan Dueck?

James Lumsden describes his eucharistic angle on Lent this year and offers a short reading list. As for Weston Williams, he comes from a church “non-tradition” in which it’s a stretch to observe Ash Wednesday at all. Joshua Hearne offers that the reason we prepare for Lent’s journey is that we can’t see Easter yet. One way to prepare, according to Ellen Haroutunian, is—well, was—to party.

Angela Shier-Jones talks to God about being dust, while Dianna Woolley and Rachel Hackenberg offer poems. Janet Edwards, Jan Richardson and Elmer Ewing reflect on the lectionary readings. We are creatures, says Steve Woolley. Still, Allan Bevere doesn’t want to die.