O God, whose glory it is always to have mercy: Be gracious to all who have gone astray from your ways, and bring us with penitent hearts and steadfast faith to embrace and hold fast the unchangeable truth ~ of your Word Jesus Christ your Son, whose New Commandment is that we love one another as he has loved us. ( You may be seated) Quittez, Pasteurs!  Now quit your care and anxious fear and worry. For schemes are vain, and fretting brings no gain To bow the head in sackcloth and ashes, or  rend the soul, such grief is not Lent’s goal. Lent calls to prayer, to trust and dedication. God brings new beauty nigh. Reply, reply, Reply with love to Love Most High. ++++++++++ When the Reverend John Claypool was overcome with grief, and struggling with near-suicidal despair at the death of his daughter,  a pastor friend told him,  John, “For every Loss there is a Gain”  you have to be willing to find it, to see it.  And although John was enraged that s...

Good morning again, and welcome to the second session of Confirmation Lite, an  overview of the Episcopal Branch of the Jesus Movement, as our Presiding Bishop calls us! Last week I said, and think to stick with it, that today we'll talk about the sacraments.  When I was growing up in the Episcopal Church we learned the Offices of Instruction in the old Book of Common Prayer by reading and rehearsing them aloud with the rector. The Offices of Instruction were essentially a repetition of the Catechism, also printed in the BCP. We could, but do not, do the same thing today with the Catechism, an outline of the faith in question and answer format, the series about the sacraments: The Sacraments Q. What are the sacraments? A. The sacraments are outward and visible signs of inward  and spiritual grace, given by Christ as sure and certain  means by which we receive that grace. Q. What is grace? A. Grace is God's favor toward us, unearned and  undeserved; by gr...

Changing course is normal in life, and we are changing course for 2021 Confirmation Class, one reason being, no one signed up with Madge, it’s just us! So this year I'll not prepare an Episcopal-101 confirmation booklet or formal presentations. Instead, we will have Confirmation Lite, both just in case anyone decides they want to be confirmed after all and so maybe reads these notes before the bishop comes, and also as our fun annual refresher for ourselves. However, instead of the first half of Sunday School class during Lent, it just will be the first few minutes. And as today, I may have handouts As usual, everything is live streamed on the Holy Nativity Facebook page.  And as always, everyone is invited and welcome to raise questions for discussion. If discussion takes us more than a few minutes, no problem; no class was ever more “loose” than what we do here on Sunday mornings. My original intent was to open with discussion of church organization and governance:...

  Okay, the mind is wandering off reminiscent this morning, and I'm 21 and 22, and after nearly a year of qualifying Navy schools, first in Rhode Island and then in Georgia, I've had my first tour of sea duty, the destroyer that so loved me and that I loved so much that it unexpectedly turned me Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me from USNR to USN for the next two decades. Now I'm 23 and on my first regular tour of shore duty, at U S Naval Station, Mayport, Florida as an assistant department head. And about the Time I turn 24, my superior officer Commander Martin and his family go on leave for two or three weeks, leaving me in charge.  In the office the phone rings and the secretary puts me on, and the voice on the other end of the line is the Commanding Officer's secretary, who politely tells me, "Captain Farkas would like to see you". It's about a mile across the station, so I drive over to station headquarters, the official looking building next to...