Walking in the Light

Today is Advent 1, the beginning of the season of Advent and the starting point of the new ecclesiastical year. What makes today different from the secular New Year’s Day is that there is little of the typical "out with the old, in with the new."

If anything, our Christian Advent is a promise of more of the same. We plan to read the same lessons and to say the same prayers in this new year that we did in the year past, and for almost two thousand years before that. Even our New Year’s resolutions, found in this morning’s excerpt from St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, are the same old resolutions that Christians have made every year since that glorious year so long ago when our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.

So are we in a rut? The secular world (which means literally, "the world of this age") would say we lack imagination and our religious observances are boring because we have no plans to change what we believe and what we hope for from year to year.

Advent promises us otherwise. The Latin Adventus means simply a coming, but the Church uses it to refer to two comings of the same Divine Person: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. On Advent Sunday we look back to the pinnacle of history, as far as the purposes leading to the conception and birth of the Son of God, made man by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary. When Jesus Christ shed his Blood on the Cross and offered his life before his Father’s throne, all sins were redeemed - completely bought and paid for. The victory of God in Christ over the world, the flesh, and the devil was accomplished once and for all, and all anybody had to do, then, now, or a thousand years from now to share in that victory, is to confess his sins and to submit to Jesus Christ his Son.

That was the First Coming of Jesus Christ. We lived under God’s judgment, and the terms of the salvation of mankind were made as clear as they could possibly be. All the history that has followed that First Coming, however great or small, ties up all the loose ends like the end of a novel.

The Second Coming represents no change in plans on the part of God, no surprise ending, no new thing at all, with the exception that Jesus Christ will announce the end of human struggles and the beginning of eternal blessedness for the resurrected and redeemed. This is the true "world without end." This is the eternal reality; a changeless God whose rule cannot be overturned.

In our prayer book, words like “day-spring” are used to describe Advent. Day-spring means the dawn, and the first coming of Jesus Christ was the dawn of salvation upon the world. The Second Coming isn’t the sunset part of the story, but the second dawn that puts an end to the darkness of sin and of Satan’s legions.

Today in church, as we lit the candle of hope, we were assured of the same sunrise, the Light of Christ in the manger, and the Light of the world when he comes again. Our calendar reminds us every year of the reality and trustworthiness of the promise of light in Advent. The Light has come. The Light will come again. And when that light comes, we must belong to it or endure an eternal darkness. With our new Church year, we begin again the lessons, prayers, and discipline that will prepare us for light eternal.

Be walking in the light,

Bishop Ian

Thanksgiving Blessings

I have heard it over and over again. “I have nothing to be thankful for. I hate my job. My children are disrespectful. My family is constantly at each other’s throats and spending time with them seems more like a recipe for disaster than a joyous event to be celebrated. While others around me seem to be so happy, I am miserable.”

As clergy, we hear it all the time, and if this sounds like you…well, you are not alone. Yes, we live in a fallen world with a fallen economy. The bottom line? Life is tough and it’s not hard to find the negatives in our lives. Robin and I just had a fantastic visit with Casey, John, and the triplets. Yes, triplet babies. I am so impressed with John and Casey’s thankfulness for the gift they have been given in these babies. Difficult? You bet. Are they worn out each day? Sure who wouldn’t be; yet despite the difficulties of having three babies and only two hands they are working it out. Let’s face it no one escapes difficulties, we are all struggling with something. Despite what we are dealing with we need to remember to,

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

The media bombards us with images of what the good life should look like - dictating what our homes should look like, (just look at the home style magazines), what we should wear, what car to drive - a BMW or a Mercedes if you are successful. We pay huge sums to enroll our kids in all types of extracurricular activities and run ourselves ragged driving them here and there.

Wouldn’t you love to spend Thanksgiving Day at Martha Stewart’s farm with her recipe for the perfectly cooked turkey and trimmings; then sit at a beautifully decorated table with people who love, respect, and appreciate one another?

If we buy into this marketing hype we believe that we don’t measure up, we are not successful enough, or are not blessed enough. The truth is we have become so addicted to the comfortable life, it has become nearly impossible to even recognize the blessings in our lives, those which are much more prevalent than we often realize. We miss these blessings because we focus on trying to gain and acquire more of the stuff we think we want. Do we even really know what we want?

We are rarely taught to be thankful. We are a spoiled, ungrateful nation. Few of us are immune. I sometimes fall prey to this attitude myself. But it is at these times that I must remind myself of what God told Paul;

“My grace is sufficient.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

If more Christians would believe that, take it to heart and truly live it, their lives would be blessed beyond measure. They already are; they just don’t realize or accept it. What greater gift is there than the sacrifice of Christ dying on the cross for us insuring our eternal life? If we would simply accept this fact, our lives would look different. We would live more peacefully and we would have grateful hearts giving thanks for the simplest of things and enjoying the sometimes mundane activities of everyday life.

“And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:17)

The recipe for happiness such as a big house, an expensive car, extravagant vacations, a dream job, and the money to support it all, suddenly does not seem nearly as important. Our focus begins to shift from the noise of the world as we begin to find joy in the basics of life. For me, it was seeing the babies smile for the first time and holding them after a feeding and feeling them fall asleep on my shoulder. I got to do a bike ride from Old Town Alexandria to Mount Vernon with my son-in law, John. I was in awe as the heavy clouds periodically gave way to allow the sun to peak through the trees as I rode along the Potomac River. It was a reason for celebration. If we stop to look at these things we begin to recognize and acknowledge the blessings that God bestows upon us every day.

“…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6).

It’s human nature to fear losing what you have worked so hard for. Perhaps you measure yourself by society’s standards of success, yet deep down you know that it would take very little for the world as you know it to topple. Our lives are always at risk of destruction. We are not exempt from life threatening illnesses. Even Christians lose jobs and homes. The bigger problem is that we think we have control over such things, and we are prone to try and overcome every obstacle by ourselves. That merely adds to our frustration and desperation and in the end we become part of the, ‘I am miserable club.’

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Giving thanks is a daily exercise in faithfulness. The point of Thanksgiving Day in our prayer book is to give thanks to God for his blessings on our land and its fruits. It is also a reminder that we need to thank God for the things we have to be grateful for...not just for the obvious things like food, but for the thousands of fortunate moments, and the multitude of blessings that we receive each year. Make thankfulness an everyday habit. It's a skill that will benefit you throughout the year.

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

This Thanksgiving I pray you will accept the greatest gift of all.

Be Thankful,

Bishop Ian

Advent - The Forgotten Season

As any good Protestant Episcopalian knows, Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas. Those of us who cut our teeth on the 1928 Prayer Book could tell you that Advent is supposed to be a "little Lent." However, if you ask most Protestants what Advent is, the answer may be something like, “isn’t that something the Roman Catholics do?” Advent is fast becoming the forgotten season in just about all Protestant Calendars. It’s the same old story, Halloween is over, and in an instant the stores are transformed with festive Christmas decorations. We hear the sound of jingle bells and Muzac versions of carols; even the scent of spices and pine fill the air of every mall and shop. We are inundated with commercials and print ads about the gigantic sales that await us on “Black Friday.” It’s like Thanksgiving has become the holiday where we carb up the night before for the marathon shopping safari that awaits us in the retail jungle. The twelve days of Christmas have become the last chance to get the gift shopping done rather than the days from Christmas to Epiphany.

Let’s face it; none of this has anything to do with preparing our hearts, looking forward to Bethlehem or our Savior’s return. Advent calls us to consider who we are as Christians and to prepare ourselves to celebrate our savior’s birth and to prepare our hearts and minds for His coming again.
Our Prayer Book lectionary provides us in Advent with a huge selection of scriptures from the prophet par excellence, Isaiah. Beginning with Advent 1 and daily through Advent 4, I encourage you to read and contemplate these scriptures as part of your Advent keeping.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that we must be in right relationship with God, particularly in times of distress.

“Lord, you are our Father; we the clay, you the power, we are all the work of your hands.” (Isaiah 64:7)

Isaiah was speaking at a time when the people were not following the ways of the Covenant. His words are also relevant to today: the coming of the Messiah will be a time, not simply for salvation, but also for judgment. What do we have to show as a church, and is there need for repentance? Can we stand before our risen Lord when He comes in glory and say that we have been good and faithful servants?

For Christians it is Christ who “brings good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to those in prison.” (Isaiah 61:1-2.)

This Advent, remember the kingdom as we prepare our hearts to hear and proclaim this good news constantly. It is part of our Christian experience to read and mark this liturgical season so that our own hearts can continue to be strengthened and healed. We need truly to hear the voice of truth and to proclaim it always. As Christ heals us, so He also sends us out to complete the mission He gave to His disciples. The child born in Bethlehem enters a world still very much in need of its savior.

Be in preparation,

Bishop Ian

Remember Our Veterans

Veterans Day is among the numerous federal holidays which you find on most calendars, but it is not like the other federal holidays which give us a three day weekend.

This day, we will remember, has its roots when in the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect. Although this was not the official end of World War I, this day marks the official end of hostilities between the warring nations.

In order to honor this day, President Woodrow Wilson declared November 11 to be Armistice Day, a day to honor "the heroism of those who died in the country's service." In 1954 after World War II, Armistice Day was officially changed to Veterans Day, in order to honor all American veterans of all wars. Because of the historical significance of the 11th of November, it was decided to celebrate this day every year regardless of what day of the week it fell on.

Every year on Veterans Day a ceremony is held at Arlington National Cemetery beginning with the laying of a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier followed by a parade and speeches to thank those who served in the armed forces. Communities across the nation hold their own celebrations with parades, the playing of taps at local cemeteries, and Veterans dinners.

Every Vet has a story, and it is important that one take the time to listen. One of them is about a young man who trained the pilots who flew P-51 Mustangs in WW2. Another is of a man in a tin can off the Korean coast standing watch in the freezing cold during the Korean War. Then there is the man who served in Vietnam who still today can barely speak about it. Or how about the old man who works bagging groceries who helped liberate the Nazi death camps, and wishes his wife were still alive to hold him when he is awakened by the nightmares reflecting that time. There is the young army vet fresh home from Afghanistan who is putting on his ribbons and medals for the Veterans Day parade with a prosthetic hand. There is the Iraqi war vet who sits on the corner with a sign begging for work. Then there are those of us who served war efforts right here at home.

Many times the bravery of those serving in our military, past and present, is overlooked. November 11th is a great day to honor the veterans in our community whether by volunteering, listening, or just saying thank you. These brave souls fought for the safety and freedom of the nation and deserve to be thanked for their service to America. Every veteran has a story; take time to listen and to say thanks. I want to say thanks to my father in-law, my dad, and my friend, Dan. And, also to Fr. Stephen DelSignore, who in a special way continues to offer God’s grace to those who served and those who remember. If it were not for the dedication and sacrifices of our veterans, we would not be able to worship as we believe.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, in whose hands are the living and the dead; We give thee thanks for all those thy servants who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. Grant to them thy mercy and the light of thy presence, that the good work which thou hast begun in them may be perfected; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen. (Page 42, The 1928 Book of Common Prayer)

Be proud,

Bishop Ian

Loving Your Neighbor

The Ten Commandments are the rules God gave us as our guide to living in a society. Then, Jesus comes along and leaves his disciples with another commandment that He called “new.”

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13.34)

There are plenty of examples in scripture of Jesus’ love for those who where the social outcasts and great sinners of his day. As a result of their encounter with Him, many knew love for the first time. Yet the word love is probably one of the most misunderstood and misused words in the modern world. I remember a third year seminary project, part of which was to ask teenagers in the churches we were assigned to, this question: What is love? Many of them referred to love as a “feeling.” These kids were Christians but they never referred to any aspect of love from a biblical perspective. As for Jesus’ love, scriptures show that His reaction to sinners often times was to correct the problem and set them free. His love was an action.

The word love is used often in the Bible, particularly in the New Testament. But, let’s face it; love is difficult to accurately define. So, I decided to get technical and look it up in the dictionary. When love used as a noun in an abstract way such as, “baseball was Bob’s first love,” the word goes beyond the senses. When love is used as a verb it’s often describing a relationship to someone and something; “Ian must be madly in love with his wife, Robin, as they are constantly holding hands.”

As people moving through life quickly, we tend to limit the meaning of love to human emotions, but when we view love as an action, we are tested as to the truest definition of what it means to love. As Christians we are called to be more than a people who love; we are called to be a people who love and act. We are called to help with our hands, to forgive with our hearts, and to nurture all who are in need.

“Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrongs.” (Proverbs 10:12)

The apostle Paul brilliantly describes love in 1 Corinthians 13. He defines love as that which, "hopes all things, endures all things and never fails." (My paraphrase). Wait a minute, did he say, “love never fails?” Why would Paul describe love in that way? Let’s look at it this way. In our culture we define love as: affection, approval, attraction, and so on, but without Jesus they will all fail at some point. When Paul says that love never fails he is talking about divine love. The love of God never fails. Let’s face it, the love we have for one another fails to a greater or lesser degree, unless it is tied to Christ.

Jesus issued the commandment to love one another; the roots originating in the Old Testament with the commandment to, “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus issued this commandment because love was a principal that He lived and died for. To love one another as Jesus loves us shows evidence of our new spiritual birth and continued growth. Remember just how pure Christ’s love is; he even prayed for the ones who murdered him as he hung there on the cross.

"We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers.” (1 John 3:14)

Love is inseparably connected with all other aspects of the Christian life. Love is the light that shines through and separates the darkness. It is how we as Christians must be seen in this world. Love always comes before mercy and gives the faint hearted patience to finish the race. Love is the main spring that gives the believer courage and strength to follow God. Even when the sin is so wretched that we struggle to find anything to love, we may find that it is only through the love Christ has shown us in our own lives that can we find strength to love the sinner.

We must love God in response to His love for us, and we are to love each other as a result of our love for God. We love, because He first loved us. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; “for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also.” (1 John 4:19–21 )

Be found loving…

Bishop Ian

Why Should We Obey Our Parents?

"Honor your father and mother so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12).

Why should we obey our parents? Notice at the end of this Commandment it says, "… so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you." (Exodus 20:12)

So not only live long, but it also says, "In the land your God is giving you." He is not only talking about individuals; He is talking about society because when the family unit breaks down, the society breaks down too.

Take a look around you. Respect for parents and family is certainly something we have lost sight of in our culture. I'm going to be incredibly un-PC right now and say that many of the Baby Boomers that became parents created a generation of spoiled children. It’s been my observation that as a result of this spoiling, many of today’s parents spend more time trying to negotiate with their children than establishing who is in charge in the first place.

The best they can come up with after the negotiations fail is more idle threats, ridiculous bribes, or the ever popular, “time out." Heck, just the sound of my dad's footsteps coming down the hallway used to shut us kids right up. I understood as a child that my Dad was in charge, so was my Mom. Let’s face it, in many ways they still are. But, it wasn’t just fear of punishment that kept me on the straight and narrow, I was learning to respect their authority, and that began developing in my earliest years.

The truth of the matter is the breakdown of family values in this country is one of the greatest battles we face as a nation. The sad fact is that five out of every six births are to unwed mothers. We have become a nation of wounded souls giving birth to wounded souls. Is it any wonder that so many kids today can barely read, pass a test, or say no to drugs and alcohol? Did you know that the majority of violent criminals are teenagers?

It has been rightly observed throughout history that the family is the backbone of society. It always has been the first building block to a successful society. Our very existence as a safe and loving community is dependent upon the success of the family.

Nobody cares more for our personal well being, outside of our parents, than God. Healthy families produce healthy people, and a healthy nation. I also want to point out that scriptures say nothing about an “age of maturity,” a time when you suddenly are free from respecting and honoring your parents. Growing from childhood to adulthood is not a time of moving spiritually away from your family. Your family is eternal, and honoring them has eternal as well as earthly consequences.

A healthy family is the place we learn about life. We learn things about living together as a family and as a society. Family life is the path to a great deal of life’s lessons. You want to know about conflict resolution, financial management, love, acceptance, failure, success, communication – you name it – your family should be the place to go.

Sadly, the world today looks at families in a different light. For many, the family just isn’t important and too often God isn’t important either. Yet we are all born with this primal need to know who we are. Our very nature craves being loved by the two people called mom and dad. If we lose that connection, our identities blur and it weakens not only ourselves but our nation – and yes, our connection to God.

Yes, there are some very imperfect parents – abusive, absent, and substance addicted, but the commandment has no “clauses” that excuse our responsibility to honor them. Even though their actions may have brought us pain, they have after all, brought us into this world.

"Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord." (Colossians 3:20).

Do you want to know how to please God? Read his commandments to us. Obey them – not just a few – but all of them. Obeying and honoring your parents pleases the Lord. As I mentioned, even if they aren’t particularly lovable, the commandment has no exception clauses, and no expiration date as to our responsibility to it.

Honoring your father and mother is never more apparent than when you have children of your own. Suddenly you understand what you owe your parents. And then you take all the good they have given to you and pass it on.

Be Honorable,

Bishop Ian

Remembering the Sabbath

Life can get pretty busy at times. As the hours pass, you channel your limited supply of energy into work, relationships, activities, and service. All worthwhile endeavors, but don’t forget to save time and give yourself a rest.

God gave us the example of rest by stopping on the seventh day of creation.

And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. (Genesis 2:2)

Instead of encouraging us to beat our tired bodies into a stressful wreck, God sets the precedent.

Look at commandment #4: “Remember to dedicate the Sabbath day.” (Exodus 20:8)

Isaiah followed with this reminder: “Keep the Sabbath day holy. Don’t pursue your own interests on that day, but enjoy the Sabbath and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.” (Isaiah 58:13)

Enjoy it, but don’t pursue my interests? Think it sounds like a paradox? It is. We should embrace a discipline in our lives that ultimately leads from work to rest. We refocus our hearts, re-energize our spirits, and reorder our lives around God by setting aside time to rest our souls. True Sabbath-keeping is far more than an ancient, outdated rule; it’s also more than a vacation from work. Confused? I thought so.

Sabbath’s Purpose ~

Jesus proclaimed, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)

He shattered the idea of rules for the sake of rules, emphasizing that the Sabbath is not about blind legalism. As we have seen in our Gospel readings for Trinity 16 and 17, Jesus broke many Sabbath rules by healing and meeting needs, He revealed God’s love for people over practice.

In Hebrew, the word for Sabbath, Shabbat, literally means to cease or to stop. Look at it this way… In Sabbath-keeping, we take this day to stop and honor the creator and remember our humanity. Unlike God, we cannot work without stopping. We need rest.

Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. (Deuteronomy 5:12)

Deuteronomy on the other hand, commands us to observe the Sabbath as it was originally a time to observe or celebrate God’s freeing His people from the yoke of slavery. In a similar way, we observe Sabbath because we’re not forced to toil every day as those in captivity. We are free to rest.

When we celebrate Sabbath, we are declaring that we are more than our work. Our lives are not dollar signs nor are they our endeavors, no matter how noble. Work ceases to define us because through spending time with God, He redefines us as His children.

Let’s face it, most of us don’t live the 'prairie home companion' life. Our priorities get out of whack. A day for Sabbath rest also helps us to reorder our lives around God, not ourselves. Sabbath is a day “to the Lord your God,” (Exodus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:14). In observing the Sabbath, we are both giving a gift to God and imitating Him. We recognize that it’s God’s world, and we need to stop our interfering.

In my opinion, that’s what’s missing from a Christian Sabbath - a true cessation from work and the world, a time wholly set apart for worship. I think we have lost that sense of the point of Shabbat, is to reorient our lives toward God.

I think what’s important is to remember that before we keep a Sabbath day, we need a Sabbath heart. To have a Sabbath heart, means we reflect on who God is. Our prayer book worship reminds us of our dependence on Him for salvation and even our every breath. The reason for structure and liturgy in our worship is to keep us focused that our worship is a spiritual observance, not a ritual.

OK, I know what you’re thinking; "this Sabbath stuff sounds great! But seriously Bishop Ian, I have five deadlines, a boss breathing down my neck, a relationship going south, a mortgage payment, kids that don’t do homework, etc. There’s no time to rest."

I get it, but the Sabbath is more than a nice idea. So, start with this simple exercise; learn to stop. Cease doing what you have to do, and do what you need to do for your soul’s health - that is the basic meaning of Shabbat. Enjoy a day without a to-do list. Honor God through a Sabbath. Refrain from housekeeping, worry, and problem-solving. Avoid those things that might distract you from soaking up the presence of God. Try to avoid the topics of work and money in your conversations.

The idea is not to barricade yourself from the world, but it is to center your entire being on experiencing joy in the presence of God. The goal of Sabbath-keeping is to spend time enjoying God so that you may know Him and love Him more. All else is secondary.

Be a Sabbath-keeper,

Bishop Ian