On Saturday I took part in the Celebration of New Ministry between the people of St. Mark’s, Waterville, and the Rev. John Balicki, Rector. Both St. Mark’s, and John’s former congregation, St. Alban’s, Cape Elizabeth, were well represented. The two choirs joined to create a wonderful sound, and many folks from St. Alban’s arrived together on a bus from Cape Elizabeth. More than 200 people attended the service.

The Rev. John Van Siclen was the preacher and recalled us to the “primitive ministries” of the church: telling the story of the good news, reaching out to one another, and serving our neighbors. These are the responsibilities of every Christian, not just the clergy or the parish church.

The service was rich with gifts for ministry, including a new church banner created by the Sunday School and a check for $5,000 given to the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter. Gretchen and I were touched to receive prayer shawls in support of our ministries.

The day concluded with lovely reception and lingering conversation – and a new St. Mark’s baseball cap for John. It was a powerful and hope-filled celebration of the life we’re offered in Christian community.

Sunday was my regular visitation to St. Luke’s, Wilton. Although it snowed a bit on Saturday, the roads were clear and open to Wilton. But it was cold!!! 15 below zero early Sunday morning.

St. Luke’s is small but mighty, with many community-based ministries, two of which stand out in my mind. The first is an Advent program that allows poor children to shop for Christmas presents for their parents, a truly wonderful way to support young people from the area. And this week, St. Luke’s is joining with a local Methodist congregation to support a “Monday School” at the end of the school day. St. Luke’s is hoping to connect with young people in the community beyond the membership of either sponsoring church. It will be very interesting to see if the program makes connection with a different group of people.

Long time Rector, Tim Walmer, is also beginning something new. He is beginning a part-time gig as a paid chaplain at the local hospital. Tim was already visiting in the hospital a number of hours a week. His new position allows him to expand and formalize that work and to make deeper connections with the community. It provides additional financial support for Tim’s work, but will not take him far from the parish.

Despite the cold morning, it was warm and lively at St. Luke’s. I had great conversation with the Vestry over breakfast, and then an extended chat with the parish over brunch. We talked about ministry, about change, and about our need to keep our hope in God’s promises as we face the fearful challenges (the economy, global warming…) of the 21st century.

I feel very encouraged by the energy and excitement generated in two of our churches by doing something new.

Bishop Steve will be reading Phyllis Tickle’s book, The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, in January.  He invites members of the diocese to read along with him, follow (and weigh-in your impressions on) his blog posts, and then sign up for one of two one-hour webinar discussions on the book.  The first will be Wednesday, February 8, at 7:30 p.m. and the second will be on Wednesday, February 15, at 7:30 p.m.  

Because participation will be limited to 23 people for each evening, registration is required.

Phyllis Tickle will be one of the keynote speakers at the Downeast Spiritual Life Conference in Ellsworth on August 24 – 26, 2012.  The conference which will also feature, Fr. Richard Rohr and Andrew Harvey. For more on the conference visit www.stfrancisbluehill.org

The Great Emergence is available for purchase for $12.23 on Amazon.com here.

It is the universal human trait to hope for more, to seek a greater wholeness, a greater fulfillment, a greater love. Don’t ever let that go. Don’t ever surrender that hope.

Read it all here.

In one of my favorite Advent books, theologian Wendy Wright talks about Advent as the season of yearning for fulfillment. It’s the time when we allow ourselves to experience the contrast between the world as it is and the world we hope for. It’s the time when we hear again God’s promise of fulfillment, of unity with God and one another, and we allow ourselves to believe it.

In a world that is so out of joint in so many ways, it’s easy for us to tell a story of sadness and loss. It’s easy to think of our time as one of fading glory and promises unkept.

Yet, for all the difficulties of our day, there’s another story we might tell: a story about something good just over the horizon. The human heart yearns for fulfillment, for wholeness. Whether it’s a primordial memory or a spiritual hunger, we cannot let go of the possibility that a world better than one we see awaits us. And it doesn’t take much to get our hearts pounding with hope. It doesn’t take much for us to shed tears of joy.

Our Christmas celebration doesn’t actually offer very much. Just a child in a stable. But that infant, that helpless human being, is not only the sign of God’s presence with us, but is the reality of that presence. The world is full of many sad things. But that’s not the whole story. The world is also full of promise, of glimmers and glimpses of God’s better world.

I suspect many of you are feeling a bit battered this Advent. I know I am. But then there’s that baby. May God grant you glimmers and glimpses of the world God promises. And may you embrace it with every fiber of your being. May hope bloom in your heart, and may you be a sign of hope to others.

Merry Christmas.

The world is not full of people waiting for our help. The world is full of people waiting for God’s justice and for friends who will work with them to achieve it. Another way to say this is that mission is not done by patrons on behalf of those who are incapable of helping themselves. God’s mission is done by brothers and sisters in partnership, who work together for the benefit of all.

Download it as a pdf here.

Read it online here.

From Bishop Lane’s Convention address:

Our grief is real, but so is our hope.

All of this is a reminder that we have work to do of far greater importance than preserving what is comfortable and comforting. Our job is to bring Christ’s love to all the poor and suffering persons in our communities and to claim that love for ourselves in our own poverty and suffering. It is to work with our neighbors because they are God’s children and our brothers and sisters, without regard to their denomination or affiliation. We are to be places of welcome and refuge where every person will know that he or she is loved and safe – just as they are. Just as we are…

I do not believe for a moment that God is finished with us yet. I do not believe that body of Christ is dying, except, of course, to be born anew. The institution we dearly love is struggling mightily and will probably continue to do so for some time. But the ministry of reconciliation goes forward unabated. Our task is to claim our part of that ministry, to discern God’s call, to travel light, to look for new forms and new opportunities, to be flexible, and, above all, to trust that God is with us. God’s mercy never fails. It is new every morning.

Download it as a pdf here.
Read it online here.
Audio (mp3) version link to follow.

So perhaps the meaning here is not about being destroyed for our failures. Perhaps the meaning here is that God’s grace demands a response. God gives us what we don’t deserve, gives to both the good and bad among us. God invites us over and over again. God reaches out to us whoever we are. But when we are reached, when we accept the invitation, then God expects us to live into it. God expects us to change, to put on new clothes, as it were; to live a new life.

Read his sermon here.

Our lessons this morning, in the ineffable way of the lectionary, are all about mutual vulnerability and about the ways we are called to live together with that vulnerability. In the world God has created, no one is isolated, no one is independent. It is a given that we are different and that we do impact and influence one another. “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;” wrote Anglican poet and theologian John Donne. We may wish to be invulnerable, we may dream of perfect security, but such longings are only that.

Read his entire sermon here.

In the time since, we Americans have made a number of extraordinary changes in the way we live our lives. Often, it seems, we’ve let our fears drive us. Airline travel has become difficult even on a good day. Our nation has undertaken two protracted wars, in Afghanistan and Iraq, that have strained our military forces and our federal budget to capacity. We have reorganized our federal government, adding a huge new department. Each day we walk the fine line of security and risk in a way unimaginable ten years ago.

Yet, there have also been occasions when the events of 9/11 have caused us as people of faith  to reflect on who we are and what we value. We’ve been passionate about not surrendering or corrupting our freedoms in the name of security. We’ve tried to distinguish traditions of religious belief from the twisted theologies of the terrorists and not to make sweeping generalizations about people different from ourselves. We’ve come to a deeper appreciation of those who serve our country and sometimes lose their lives while wrestling themselves with the ambiguities of the conflicts. We’ve learned that the American dream is not the only dream at large in the world.

As a Christian, I believe God weeps over all of this: the hatred, the loss of life, the ongoing combat, the inability to find common ground or even a common vision for life together. Each morning, when we awake, we’re all still here on the planet, all God’s children, and all still struggling for security and for a share of the resources that make health and happiness possible.

In our tradition, God has a vision for how we are to live together, and Jesus had instructions about how we might move closer to that life. As you mark the 10th Anniversary of those terrible attacks, I invite you not only to remember and to mourn. I invite you also to reflect on what you’ve learned and on what God might be calling you to do in response. How might you help heal this broken world? How might you welcome returning soldiers or reach out to refugees? How might you address racism and xenophobia in your communities? How might you create a vision where all may live peaceably together?

Where two or three are gathered in my name, Jesus said, I am there among them. (Mt. 18:20) As we gather on 9/11, let us remember that Christ is among us and let us with confidence and hope look not only look back to that day but forward to the place Christ is leading us.

The Rt. Rev. Stephen T. Lane
Bishop of Maine

As I’ve written before, summer chapels are a diverse and interesting lot. They are not churches in the formal sense and not officially members of the Diocese. But they have long histories in Maine. Most were founded by vacationing clergy or summering families. Some were founded and consecrated by bishops. They have unique architecture and differing styles of worship. They are deeply loved by those who worship there, and they contribute generously to the ministry of the Diocese.

St. Ann's, Kennebunkport

I began my summer visits with a visit to St. Ann’s, Kennebunkport. Gretchen and I were there on July 3rd, and many tourists were in town to celebrate the 4th. Both Presidents Bush were in residence and attended the 8 a.m. service. St. Ann’s has an outdoor worship space facing the ocean, and the early service begins with a hymn sing at 7:40 a.m. Some 280 people were present for the singing and the service. The Secret Service was evident, but unobtrusive. There were about 70 in the stone church at 10 a.m. Dean ML Agnew, who has served for many years, has built a strong community and had a wedding scheduled for Sunday afternoon. St. Ann’s is a strong contributor to St. Elizabeth’s Essentials Pantry in Portland and Seeds of Hope Jubilee Center in Biddeford.

St. Peter’s-by-the-Sea, Cape Neddick, is a jewel of a building set in a park-like

Memorial garden at St. Peter's-by-the-Sea, Cape Neddick

landscape on the highest point of land on the cape. Its cross, though now obscured by trees, was once clearly visible to sailors at sea. Sunday worship includes outstanding music led by a talented choir. The community of St. Peter’s has spent several years developing a beautiful woodland memorial garden complete with plantings, benches and a large Celtic cross. It was my privilege to consecrate the garden following the service.

St. Mary's-by-the-Sea, Northeast Harbor

St. Jude’s and St. Mary-by-the-Sea are summer chapels that are part of the year-round parish in Northeast Harbor. (I believe that arrangement is the only one of its kind in the diocese.) Rector Patricia Robertson presides at St. Mary’s, while visiting clergy hold forth at St. Jude’s. St. Mary’s is one

Tiffany window in St. Jude's, Seal Cove

of the largest of the summer chapels, a substantial stone edifice that was recently renovated. St. Jude’s, by contrast, is a small, shingled cottage, very rustic and unfinished inside. But behind the altar is a stunning Tiffany window of sunrise on the water as seen through pine trees – unique and splendid. At St. Jude’s the

service included the confirmation and reception of folks from both St. Jude’s and from neighboring St. Saviours’, Bar Harbor. At the later service at St. Mary’s, we enjoyed the contributions of a substantial choir.

St. Cuthbert's, MacMahan island

A couple of the summer chapels are reached only from the water. The trip to St. Cuthbert’s, MacMahan Island, requires a short boat ride by private vessel from the town dock at Five Islands (down the peninsula from Woolwich, near Bath). It threatened rain as we arrived, but we managed to get to the island before any rain fell. There are no real roads on the island, just two lane tracks. Folks drive golf carts, and our host trundled us and all my stuff from the dock to the church. The church is a simple wood frame structure with a series of beautiful, carved wooden panels flanking the altar. The community was founded by several Episcopal clergy and continues to benefit from the presence of several clergy families. The number of people on MacMahan Island on any given day is fairly small. Still there were more than 50 folks, including a retired bishop, present for the service.

Christ Church, Dark Harbor

Christ Church, Dark Harbor, is a large and lovely wood frame church on the southern end of Isleboro. To get there we took the state ferry from Lincolnsville on Saturday afternoon. The ferry ceases service each day at 4:30 p.m., so getting back and forth from the mainland is something of an adventure for everyone. We were guests in the magnificent rectory of summer rector Lyndon Shakespeare and family. Christ Church’s most striking feature is a reredos, in a three dimensional, fresco style, of Jesus the Good Shepherd. It covers the entire east end of the church. The music was also striking, with a fine choir and instrumental music. A substantial congregation of more than 80 joined in the worship.

These are only snippets of our experience of the chapels – there were also gatherings with chapel committees and others – but I hope they give you a sense of the richness and diversity they represent.