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The Episcopal Church
of the Resurrection
1433 NW R.D. Mize Road, Blue Springs, MO
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Weekly e-mail
Saturday, May 28, 2022
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Seventh Sunday of Easter
Sunday, May 29, 2022
Holy Eucharist Rite I at 8:00 am
Holy Eucharist Rite II at 10:30 am
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REMEMBERING MEMORIAL DAY
As we celebrate this coming Memorial Day weekend and holiday, I invite you to submit to me via email or phone text or church phone answering machine names of loved who served in the armed forces and especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.
Following is an excellent article from Pastor Sam Rainer written in 2017, but forever appropriate.
When a World War II veteran wants to open up, I listen. There are too few of them left. The ones still with us don’t often speak of their experiences. And as a Millennial, I’m far removed from their generation and know little about the world that shaped them. So, I listen to learn. I listen to their memories.
A memorial is established to remind people of something. The Bible has several such memorials. In the Old Testament, the Passover was established as a memorial of God’s deliverance. In the New Testament, the Lord’s Supper was established as a way to remember Christ’s sacrifice. The remembrance serves as a reminder of how to act appropriately today. We look back in remembrance to better understand our actions today.
You can find a lot about thinking forward, creating a future vision, and leading a church into tomorrow—good and necessary thoughts. However, I believe many churches can do better at remembering, not for the sake of wooden traditionalism, but rather for proper alignment of perspective.
Memorial Day is a time to remember. Obviously, a biblical mandate does not exist for Memorial Day like it does for the Lord’s Supper. Christian Americans should not mix God and country in a way that creates a noxious form of religious nationalism. Our soldiers died for everyone’s religious liberty. While some churches are guilty of conflating patriotism and Christianity, it’s just as disturbing when a church skips past Memorial Day without a mention. When Christians and churches reflect on the sacrifices of those who died serving our country, it’s an opportunity to pull from the best of our culture and demonstrate much needed biblical values for today.
Sacrifice. Many churches will make the connection between a soldier’s sacrifice and Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on Memorial Day weekend. It’s almost cliché, but there is truth in it. While churches could be a little more creative in making this connection, the core teaching is important. In our entitlement-driven culture, we give lip-service to sacrifice. In our preference-driven churches, sacrifice means parking in the back lot. Memorial Day reminds us of true sacrifice—a willingness to lay down one’s life.
Honor. Biblically, the concept of honor means to esteem or show great respect. We’re to honor our parents, church leaders, people in authority, and, of course, God. Unfortunately, our culture tends to place honor mainly on those with wealth, celebrity, or political clout. Memorial Day is a time to honor those who deserve it. This day of remembrance is a chance for us to give the next generation a picture of true honor.
Liberty. Christ frees us from sin, and our country gives us the liberty to express this freedom to others. My grandfather, Samuel Solomon Rainer, Sr., served in World War II. He flew D-Day. His plane was called the Hoo Jive. My great uncle was a spy for the OSS. Another great uncle, Charles Spurgeon Keller, Jr., died in battle one week before World War II ended. He was in his late teens or early twenties. I know these stories because my father told them to me. Part of remembering is sharing history with the next generation. Take time today to tell your children or grandchildren about why we remember on Memorial Day. We live in a country where religious liberty exists. Our soldiers need to know our churches are behind them. The next generation needs to know religious liberty is worth our lives. The next generation needs to know freedom comes with a cost.
War is always complex. Views on wars change as decades and centuries pass. Christians should ask, Is war just? It’s not an easy answer, and a conclusion about any specific war is not the purpose of this post. My point is simple: We must be careful what we memorialize. The memories we highlight influence our actions today. Memorial Day is worth remembering, for the causes of sacrifice, honor, and liberty.
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Pastoral Letter from Bishop Bruce |
ON THE RECENT SHOOTINGS AT ROBB ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN UVALDE, TEXAS
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Ascension Day
Dear sisters, brothers, siblings in Christ,
How long must we wait for an end to senseless gun violence against another beloved child of God?
How long must we wait for an end to the slaughtering of innocents?
Just a few days ago, I opened my iPad and was shocked and outraged to learn that 19 children and 2 adults were killed in a shooting at an Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. This horrific act of violence occurred just 10 days after 10 Black shoppers and workers were gunned down at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and 1 Chinese churchgoer was shot and killed, and others were injured in Laguna Woods, CA. My heart is aching over all these senseless deaths.
How long, Lord, how long?
Once again, a great tragedy has befallen innocents in this country. The rise of gun violence cannot be swept under the rug or shrugged off. To use a gun with the intention of deliberately harming or killing another human being – especially a child – is the greatest of sins. I am not talking here about hunting wildlife or target shooting. I am talking about the deliberate use of a firearm – especially assault weapons – to take a human life, any human life. It cannot, it shall not be tolerated, and we must act together to eradicate this scourge on humanity.
How long, Lord, how long?
On this Ascension Day, I am asking everyone in this diocese to begin a Novena (the ancient practice of nine days of prayer) from now until the Feast of Pentecost I ask you to pray. There are suggestions for prayer at the end of this letter – please use these or any prayers that you would like. Pray. Pray for those who have died by gun violence. Pray for their families and friends. Pray, especially for the children, whose young lives were cut short so horrifically. Pray for the emergency personnel, doctors, nurses, and medical technicians who had to care for and witness this complete disregard for human life. Pray for our siblings in Christ who were driven to carry out these tragic acts. Pray. Please pray.
How long, Lord, how long?
I ask you also to mark your calendars. On June 21 at 6:30 p.m. we are organizing an Interfaith Prayer Vigil at the Cathedral here in Kansas City. We will never receive an answer to our prayer How long, Lord, how long? until we come together and work together as a community to address the causes of this plague on innocents. I ask you to join me on that evening either in person or virtually as it will be live-streamed.
How long, Lord, how long?
Please know I am holding you all in prayer, as I am at the same time holding all who have died. We need to pray and work together to enable us to move beyond How long, Lord, how long? to It is over. It is done.
+Diane
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Here are the names of those who were killed on Tuesday for your prayers.
Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, Alithia Ramirez, Amerie Jo Garza, Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, Eliahana Cruz Torres, Eliana “Ellie” Garcia, Eva Mireles, Irma Garcia, Jackie Cazares, Jailah Nicole Silguero, Jayce Luevanos, Jose Flores, Layla Salazar, Makenna Lee Elrod, Maite Rodriguez, Miranda Mathis, Nevaeh Bravo, Rojelio Torres, Tess Marie Mata, Uziyah Garcia, Xavier Lopez.
Prayer For a Child Who Dies by Violence
Loving God, Jesus gathered your little ones in his arms and blessed them. Have pity on those who mourn for N., an innocent slaughtered by the violence of our fallen world. Be with us as we struggle with the mysteries of life and death; in our pain, bring your comfort, and in our sorrow, bring your hope and your promise of new life, in the name of Jesus our Savior. Amen.
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From Fr. Jay Sidebotham + |
WHERE IS YOUR TREASURE?
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. -Matthew 6: 19-21
We hear this passage each year on Ash Wednesday, as it launches the season of Lent, a time for self-examination. The punchline to the gospel reading about the connection of treasure and heart hits me hard every time. It swirls around in my head, often in an unsettling way.
Jesus really knows how to get to us. With his statement about treasure and heart, we are called to take the following questions through the season of Lent, and beyond. We’re called to ask: Where is our heart? What do we really treasure?
Our treasure may be stuff: Fine collectibles. Savings, investments and assets. Highly valued toys. Our treasure may be less tangible. Our reputation, relationships or resume. Our pride at accomplishment. Our distasteful sense of being better than somebody, anybody.
Jesus’ challenging words make me think about related counsel from a desert father, Abba Poemem. To his students, he offered this timeless challenge: Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart. Which leads back to the question: Where are we giving our hearts?
I found myself wondering if what Jesus was really saying was that we do not always own our treasures. We may think we do, but often, they own us. They shape us. They make us behave in ways we would not otherwise behave.
Case in point: The history of slavery in our nation. Clearly, many people over those centuries knew it was horrific, that what they were doing was out of line with God’s intention for all people. But slavery was key to the economic health of the nation at the time. That sense of treasure made people behave in ways they would not have otherwise behaved. It made people make excuses, twist logic and deny fact to hold on to wealth. Change was not in the cards. I’m wondering in what ways do we do the same things these days. Any thoughts?
Above, find the story of Jesus’ encounter with a rich young man. It says Jesus loved this guy. That is not said of every person Jesus encountered. Not that he didn’t love them all, but there was special affinity here. As the young man asks what was required of him, he shared the ways he’d done all the right things, checked all the boxes. Jesus says there’s just one thing more. If he wanted to follow Jesus he needed to shift his treasure, surrendering his material possessions. He needed a change of heart that meant thinking in new ways about his treasure.
The young man can’t make the shift. He goes away sad. Jesus is sad. The whole thing is sad, as sad as the many ways that we give our hearts (our souls, our minds, our strength) to that which will not satisfy our hearts, to things that will not remain, to things that are not good for us.
While there’s plenty of challenge here, there’s also opportunity. It begins with gaining clarity about where our treasure lies. There are a number of measures we can consider. Start with a look at credit card statements. Look at calendars. They may not tell the whole story, but they offer insight into where we’re giving time, talent and treasure.
When it comes to where we locate our treasure, a lot of us diversify. We are pulled in many directions. That may be a good investment strategy, but when we take it to the level of what we worship and who we follow, we may uncover competing vocations calling to us. We can be about everything and about nothing. How can we gain more focus in what we treasure?
Later in this sermon, Jesus will say seek first the kingdom of God, with the promise that all the rest will fall in place (my paraphrase). I’m feeling like the answer to all this is to think each day about how we can with gladness and singleness of heart give our heart to the kingdom, the rule, the reign of God. How can we give our heart to the way of love articulated by Jesus, that which will satisfy our heart? Jesus promises that when we do that, everything else we need will be added. Dare we believe it?
Let me close with two brief parables to chew on today: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and reburied; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:44, 45)
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BIBLE STUDY WEDNESDAYS AT 1:00 PM
Every Wednesday in the undercroft at Church.
COLLECT BEST CHOICE AND CLEARLY BRAND LABELS
Be sure you are clipping the “Best Choice” UPC codes and placing them in the container in the narthex. You can now save "Clearly" brand labels too. Resurrection earns $.03 for every label, with a minimum redemption of 1000 labels!
PLEASE PROVIDE US YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT INFO
Use the sheet in the narthex to list a contact phone number and e-mail in case of an emergency.
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