At 64 years old,
I’m still figuring out the living words of our liturgy and scripture.
It speaks something different to me at 64 than it did at 32.Last Saturday, the diocese hosted Spirituality Day in Newaygo, and I had the opportunity to go deeper into my own understanding of the resurrection as I listened to Marilee Roth’s presentation on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. She asked us to ponder the meaning of the Memorial Acclamation “Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.” She asked, “Why do we say Christ will come again?”
The new insight that I found was that Christ comes in the bread and wine, and in the community gathered, again and again. Whenever we gather as Christian community we are the Body of Christ. As the Body of Christ we are part of that Memorial Acclamation.
People are often afraid
to ask questions about resurrection. They shouldn’t be. I believe the
most important question is how do we see resurrection in our own lives,
in what ways have we suffered, in what ways have we died, and in what
ways have we been raised to new life?
As a priest, I’ve had the sacred privilege of being with dying people who see their relatives. My own grandmother said to me on her deathbed, “There’s Grandpap by the window.” My grandfather – her husband – had been dead for years.
I stupidly said to her, “Where?” And she looked at me like are you nuts, he’s right there! She said, “There he is by the window.”
John Shea, one of my favorite theologians, says death is the way that we join those who have gone before us and resurrection is the ability to be present everywhere at all times.
I love the resurrection because it means Jesus is present everywhere, for all people, at all times.
I say often that the only thing we have to preach is death and resurrection, and God’s redeeming power. We all experience resurrection when we’re able to connect our story with THE STORY, and we’re able to see God’s redemption at work in our own lives. We begin to understand that God has turned something disastrous into something that provides new life. That is THE STORY of the gospels and OUR STORY as well.
Understanding the ways in which OUR STORY can be overlaid on THE STORY and how THE STORY can be overlaid on OUR STORY, we are able to become gospel witnesses. We can then talk about how we use our experiences, and our knowledge of what God has done for us in our darkest hours, to bring hope to others who have yet to know God’s redeeming power.
At Spirituality Day last Saturday, we talked a lot about connecting OUR STORY to THE STORY.
When you’re older, you think more about your life because you’re closer to your death. When I look back on my life, I see how I was prepared for just about everything. I recalled my own experience at the Spirituality Retreat when I told the students that being the oldest and only boy in my family, with five years distance between me and my oldest sister, actually prepared me for the task of being a single dad to girls, even though I remembered my mother telling me “a man can’t raise children.”
Things happen in life, and later we can see how life prepared us, however uncomfortably.
I have also known people who bleed their whole lives, unable to accept the gifts of healing and new life, perhaps because no one has witnessed to them that new life follows suffering and death – perhaps no one has taken the time to help them connect their story to THE STORY.
In Holy Week, we get to see the courage and the serenity of Jesus, as an example for our Christian life. When we exhibit courage and serenity, it’s infectious.
Again, I ask how do you see resurrection in your own life, in what ways have you suffered, in what ways have you died, and in what ways have you been resurrected to new life?
When we connect OUR STORY with THE STORY, our faith is strengthened. And it’s so much easier to move on in life, after experiencing difficulty and despair, knowing that new life awaits and will unfold for us.
On the Sunday of the Resurrection we celebrate that Jesus joined those who had gone before, – that Jesus is risen and present to all at all times and in all places, - and that Jesus will be present with you as you gather with Christian community. We celebrate all this with the hope that it is the same for you and me. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. And to that we add a joyful, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Below are some comments from students at the Bishop’s Spirituality Day:
“I was impacted by the discussion as well as the comfort of being around fellow Episcopalian people. Since I am being received, I was able to be surrounded with my new spiritual family and to participate in conversation with them. I felt blessed to be there with them. In addition, I was impacted by the Stations of the Cross activity as well as the new knowledge of resources for daily prayer. I think one of the most lovely experiences for me, however, was the Lighting Ceremony. It was very peaceful and full of meaning. It was wonderful to watch others light their candles and to light my own candle as well. What a wonderful day!” Angie Leuchtmann
“I have been Episcopalian from birth - baptized and confirmed - and am now a candidate for reaffirmation. If I had to pick one thing I came away with, it is the information given to us about Daily Office. We learned many different ways to access Daily Office, as well as how to navigate it. The reason this is significant to me is because the tradition in which worship is accessible everyday now. Devotions and contemplative prayer are now the supplements as opposed to the daily prayer for me.” – Scott Leuchtmann
Recommended Reading:
The Dishonest Church by Jack Good
A very happy Easter to you from the Bishop’s staff at the Episcopal Center!
The Rt. Rev. Robert R. Gepert, VIII, Western Michigan
The Rev. Canon William J. Spaid
Mary McGuire
Molly Ettwein
Genevieve Callard
Tammy Mazure
Cathy Rhodes
The Rev. Karen McDonald
Karmel Puzzuoli
As a priest, I’ve had the sacred privilege of being with dying people who see their relatives. My own grandmother said to me on her deathbed, “There’s Grandpap by the window.” My grandfather – her husband – had been dead for years.
I stupidly said to her, “Where?” And she looked at me like are you nuts, he’s right there! She said, “There he is by the window.”
John Shea, one of my favorite theologians, says death is the way that we join those who have gone before us and resurrection is the ability to be present everywhere at all times.
I love the resurrection because it means Jesus is present everywhere, for all people, at all times.
I say often that the only thing we have to preach is death and resurrection, and God’s redeeming power. We all experience resurrection when we’re able to connect our story with THE STORY, and we’re able to see God’s redemption at work in our own lives. We begin to understand that God has turned something disastrous into something that provides new life. That is THE STORY of the gospels and OUR STORY as well.
Understanding the ways in which OUR STORY can be overlaid on THE STORY and how THE STORY can be overlaid on OUR STORY, we are able to become gospel witnesses. We can then talk about how we use our experiences, and our knowledge of what God has done for us in our darkest hours, to bring hope to others who have yet to know God’s redeeming power.
At Spirituality Day last Saturday, we talked a lot about connecting OUR STORY to THE STORY.
When you’re older, you think more about your life because you’re closer to your death. When I look back on my life, I see how I was prepared for just about everything. I recalled my own experience at the Spirituality Retreat when I told the students that being the oldest and only boy in my family, with five years distance between me and my oldest sister, actually prepared me for the task of being a single dad to girls, even though I remembered my mother telling me “a man can’t raise children.”
Things happen in life, and later we can see how life prepared us, however uncomfortably.
I have also known people who bleed their whole lives, unable to accept the gifts of healing and new life, perhaps because no one has witnessed to them that new life follows suffering and death – perhaps no one has taken the time to help them connect their story to THE STORY.
In Holy Week, we get to see the courage and the serenity of Jesus, as an example for our Christian life. When we exhibit courage and serenity, it’s infectious.
Again, I ask how do you see resurrection in your own life, in what ways have you suffered, in what ways have you died, and in what ways have you been resurrected to new life?
When we connect OUR STORY with THE STORY, our faith is strengthened. And it’s so much easier to move on in life, after experiencing difficulty and despair, knowing that new life awaits and will unfold for us.
On the Sunday of the Resurrection we celebrate that Jesus joined those who had gone before, – that Jesus is risen and present to all at all times and in all places, - and that Jesus will be present with you as you gather with Christian community. We celebrate all this with the hope that it is the same for you and me. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. And to that we add a joyful, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Below are some comments from students at the Bishop’s Spirituality Day:
“I was impacted by the discussion as well as the comfort of being around fellow Episcopalian people. Since I am being received, I was able to be surrounded with my new spiritual family and to participate in conversation with them. I felt blessed to be there with them. In addition, I was impacted by the Stations of the Cross activity as well as the new knowledge of resources for daily prayer. I think one of the most lovely experiences for me, however, was the Lighting Ceremony. It was very peaceful and full of meaning. It was wonderful to watch others light their candles and to light my own candle as well. What a wonderful day!” Angie Leuchtmann
“I have been Episcopalian from birth - baptized and confirmed - and am now a candidate for reaffirmation. If I had to pick one thing I came away with, it is the information given to us about Daily Office. We learned many different ways to access Daily Office, as well as how to navigate it. The reason this is significant to me is because the tradition in which worship is accessible everyday now. Devotions and contemplative prayer are now the supplements as opposed to the daily prayer for me.” – Scott Leuchtmann
Recommended Reading:
The Dishonest Church by Jack Good
A very happy Easter to you from the Bishop’s staff at the Episcopal Center!
The Rt. Rev. Robert R. Gepert, VIII, Western Michigan
The Rev. Canon William J. Spaid
Mary McGuire
Molly Ettwein
Genevieve Callard
Tammy Mazure
Cathy Rhodes
The Rev. Karen McDonald
Karmel Puzzuoli
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