Growing Pains Vol. 4.3 October 2018

Everybody's got a plan on how to grow the church.  If we just change this, or if we just change that. If the priest were more dynamic.  If the music was a different style...  If we had more children, then their parents would come.  If we have program for the parents, then they'll bring their children.  If we use the prayer book; if we print the entire bulletin.  If we weren't so formal...

If...if...if...if...if...

It's ironic to me that the very thing that we love about our tradition seems to be the thing that folks think we need to change in order to reach new people.  The Episcopal Church and St. Peter's specifically has a beauty to offer Brenham and Washington County.  We have a great church.  People laugh, are friendly, care and pray for other members and for non-members.  You know! Church-y things.

Pause and think.  You are already here at St. Peter's.  Something about St. Peter's or the Prayer Book  or our music, or friendships...whatever it is, makes you love this community, even if it's not perfect.  There are other people out in the county that think and feel the same way as you.  The very thing that makes you love St. Peter's...is what they haven't experienced yet.

If any thing at all needs to change it's this:  Our attitude. Our attitude needs to change about our self.  St. Peter's (and the Episcopal Church for that matter) has a great tradition that brings value to the Christian Body and is God's gift to a particular type of people.  We are not mega-church, and that is just fine.  We may be the Frozen Chosen, and that is just fine too.  Why? Because even the Frozen Chosen are still Chosen.

When it comes to church, let's do what we do.  Let's just do it better.  Let's love St. Peter's like we love Jesus Christ and are thankful for his gift to us.

What does God say about growth?  If only we could figure out the new gimmick to trick people into coming to church?  No!! It is to plant seeds of joy, forgiveness, kindness.  And it is to say as St. Andrew said to St. Peter, "Come and see..."

My godly counsel to you about growing the church: make peace with what we are.  Be excited about who we are as Christians.  Love Jesus and St. Peter's more than you love your favorite sports team, the golf course, or your politics.  And when you do...then you'll see growth.

On Praying Vol 4.2 October 2018

Article 2 (2 of 2)
"But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking."  Matthew 6.7 KJV

Matthew's gospel tells us Jesus' response to his disciples when they ask him, "Teach us to pray as John taught his disciples."  Jesus will go on to offer the familiar words, "Our Father who art in heaven..."

Having grown up in a Christian world view we take for granted that we know how to pray.  We see our grandmothers or mothers do it.  If we are lucky we might see our father modeling prayer.  Of course on Sundays we see the priest standing on behalf the people praying.

Growing up, my prayer life was modeled/muddled with an uncertainty of how to speak to God.  And it generally boiled down to requests for health when I was sick, or a plea to not get caught if I had done something wrong.

As a child during worship services I remember hearing the lay reader rattle off a never ending chain of names.  If it seemed to take an eternity to read through the list of names, then it was because it took forever.  Who were these faceless people that we prayed for?

It struck me recently that having read the bible I've never come across a passage of scripture that mandates, or even suggests, that the church or individuals have a "prayer list."  In the ancient church a piece of paper would be considered a luxury.  Who could afford paper?  Who could read; who could write?  Your prayers were offered for  the names of the people that you remember.  A written list of names of faceless people is peculiar to our age.

That thought reminded me of a church I attended in high school.  The prayer list seemed to go on and on.  At some point a new priest came and began to clean things up a bit.  He asked intrusive questions such as, "Who is this person on the prayer list?"  The church had been praying the name of a sick woman for many years.  With a little bit of sleuthing he discovered she had died two years earlier.
No one bothered to take her off the list.  No one bothered to take her off the list...(sic)

Jesus' admonition that we not pray vein and repetitious prayers is a call to mindfulness in our prayers.  We don't pray simply to hear our own voices or to offer up many words because we think God will hear us.  We pray to be mindful of God in the lives of people that we name.

Don't take for granted that the way we do things is always the "right" way.  Sometimes, it's just "the-way-we've-always-done-it."  "The-way-we've-always-done-it" is not a good enough reason for the status quo.  Jesus teaches us to make prayers and supplications with mindful intention, not mindless, meaningless liturgy or lists.  When you pray, pray thoughtfully.

Blessings,
Fr. Stephen+

On Prayer Vol. 4.1 October 2018

Updating our prayer list.

This is the first of two articles I'm providing on the topic of prayer.  Article 1 deals mainly with procedures for the Church Prayer List while Article 2 address the rationale.

Article 1 On Prayer (1 of 2)

Prayer lists can be very complicated things to maintain.  It's not just about adding names and taking them off again.  Having a prayer list involves confidentiality, privacy, and mindful praying.

Recently, I sat down with Nancy Leaton and Cherry Daugbjerg to discuss our process of submitting names for the parish prayer list.  We factored in several concerns such as 1) providing information to deliver prayer shawls, 2) prayer for specific health concerns, 3) keeping the privacy of those for whom we pray, and 4) communicating the list to the congregation on a weekly basis.  I think we have found a faithful and simple solution to address all of these concerns.

Some of these items are already in place while others are simply additional.

The Church Prayer List.

1) The Church Prayer List is reset quarterly in January, April, July, and October.  Every three months we will re-add names to the list.  This is to ensure that we are mindful of the people we are praying for and not simply leaving names on the list.

2) If you would like to add a person to this list, then a) gain his or her permission b) call the church office and speak with Amy, and c)the person's name will be added to the list during the current quarter.

3) When we are able to produce prayer shawls we strive to bless the folks on this list with the gift.

4) This prayer list will be published weekly in the service bulletin so that you can prayer for one another during the week.

Sunday Prayer List

The Sunday Prayer List will include the Church Prayer List printed on the large print Prayers of the People sheet in the narthex.  The sheet is on the left hand side of the narthex on the table.  On this sheet you can write in names for prayers during Sunday worship only.  The prayers on this sheet will be offered up on the altar during the Eucharist and by Father Stephen during his morning devotional.

Thank you for helping us keep an orderly stewardship of our prayer life.  If you have any questions please contact me.

Blessings,

Fr. Stephen+