The Fire of Pentecost
And when the days of Pentecost were drawing to a close, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a violent wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as of fire, which settled upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in foreign tongues, even as the Holy Spirit prompted them to speak (Acts 2, 1-4). Pentecost—the infilling of the apostles with the Holy Spirit—the birthday of the church… a day of hope. Christ has bodily ascended into...
Read More“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” BCP p. 265
Lent begins with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday and with a reminder of our mortality. This year we need no reminder of our mortality. Over 465,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and every night when we click on the news, we learn of more deaths, more hospitalizations, and more variants of the coronavirus. Probably everyone has at least one friend or family member who has died from COVID-19 and its complications. Lent is traditionally a time of serious reflection on the life and death of Christ and on our personal spiritual journeys, The social isolation and fears for our safety...
Read MoreLenten Message from Bishop Duncan
The 40 Days of Lent Dear Sisters in Christ, We are about to enter the Season of Lent. We prepare not only for Holy Week and the Easter celebration, but also for deepening our personal spirituality. I have over many years observed this time with prayer, fasting and good works in their many forms and outcomes. In my journey I have found this helpful in the physicality of focusing on not just “good works” but also deepening the areas of where I need to grow. It is not always easy. I am an extrovert. The Pandemic forces all of us to isolate for appropriate reasons. Yet, how I...
Read MoreEpiphany
Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him. Matthew 2:2 The Feast of Epiphany commemorates the journey of a group of wise men from the East who realized that something unusual was happening in the night sky and began a pilgrimage to find where and to whom the star would lead them. What they found was the Christ, and when they did, they worshipped him. The word “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word “epiphaneia” which means “manifestation.” The Feast of Epiphany commemorates the manifestation to the wise men of the...
Read MoreEpiphany 2021
Dear Sisters in Christ, During this Pandemic I “feel” that time is moving very quickly which is odd; I would have thought I would be experiencing time dragging out and painfully slow. It seem to me that even with time on my hands it is moving rapidly. In an interesting way time to just sit and be and think is appealing to me. In short doses of course! (I am an extrovert!)We are all on a journey and like the “Wise Men” we move forward in different ways; sometime by returning from where we began. Just as we are told they returned home, but by another way. How do we see our lives changed by...
Read MoreDarkness Shall Not Prevail
From Nancy Young, National President Advent is a time of waiting and expectation, a time when we look forward to Christmas Day and the celebration of Christ’s birth—a time when we anticipate being with family and celebrating with friends, of gathering in a beautifully decorated church, of enjoying glorious music, and of sharing Eucharist. This year, however, for many of us, the Christmas season has been a dark time, a time of struggle, of loss, of loneliness, and of grief. Daily we hear the names of nurses, doctors, teachers, celebrities, friends who have died from COVID-19 or its...
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