Monthly Archives: January 2015

How Love Works

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The Second Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B, January 18, 2015; The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

1 Samuel 3:1-20 Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.
1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God and that you are not your own?
John 1:43-51 I saw you.

O God of our wildest dreams, may we have the wisdom, the strength, and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth – come when it may and cost what it will.

This morning we heard the stirring reading of the call of Samuel with the fantastic introduction that back then (“then” being about 1100 BCE), in the olden days, the word of the Lord was rare, and the ability to see clearly was not widespread! Eli the priest and his sons were responsible for guarding the Ark of the Covenant and its holy oracle, which, in those days, was more like a war trophy than a piece of liturgical furniture. Eli’s sons did not behave well at all and Eli wasn’t able to get them to change their violent ways. This is a story of the transfer of authority from Eli to Samuel that highlights Eli’s wisdom and integrity, and Samuel’s responsiveness and bravery. For me, this story has always been a powerful lesson about how the Word of the Holy One can come through the voices of humans, in this case, a beloved teacher. Have you ever heard your name called by a beloved teacher and known that you were being invited to grow in leadership and authority? That’s how God works sometimes. Continue reading →

Miracles

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I witnessed a miracle of life last week at Emmanuel Church. While speaking to marginally-housed women at Common Art, I saw a married couple walk in with a 15-day-old baby. The women and I stopped what we were doing and went over to see the adorable newborn. Where before the women’s faces were downcast and desolate, the sight of this young creature completely transformed them. They smiled, their eyes lit up, they laughed, and they cooed at the baby boy. I was almost as excited to see the baby as I was to see the miraculous change in the Common Art attendees. Who knew that one baby could be the source of calm, peace, and happiness for so many people? It was miraculous to me.

A similar transformation takes place on Thursday afternoons at Emmanuel Church, where I teach ballroom dance lessons to the LGBT members of Café Emmanuel. I think that something magical happens when we move our bodies to the beat of a song. I watch as nervousness morphs into timid fun, which then becomes giddy laughter and joie de vivre. It doesn’t matter if someone makes a mistake or does not understand the foot patterns right away. The point is that we are all connecting with our bodies in a joyful way while unloading the burdens from our stressful week. It is a time where we can all let loose without fear of being judged by others.

The women at the prison often make a similar comment; they are so very grateful to have just one moment out of the week (at the Arts and Spirituality group) where they can relax and enjoy the simplicity of card making. During that weekly session, they do not have to worry about all of the complicated aspects of their lives. I believe that we humans have a tremendous amount to worry about on a daily basis, so it is miraculous that we are able to set things aside and enjoy anything in the present. Moments are fleeting, but perhaps we have more miracles in our lives than we previously thought.

-Evey, 9 February 2014

Continue reading →

Called In

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Yesterday while riding my bicycle from my home to my co-intern’s house to ride together to the prison for Art and Spirituality, I got into a minor accident on the ice that invisibly coated the side of the road I was traveling on. It was not until my rear wheel began slipping that I noticed the sunlight reflecting off of the patch of ice that was directly under me. As my bike slid out from under me and I slammed onto the pavement, I had a brief moment of uncertainty about how bad the accident actually was. In the moments that mark the climax of a crisis it seems as if my rational thinking goes out the window along with my normal sensory experiencing. Then, as quickly as it happened, the wave of feelings and fear come flooding back in like a tidal wave. Yesterday, I didn’t know if I was going to look down and see blood as I stood up and grabbed the frame of my bicycle. Luckily, I suffered no major injuries other than a potentially sprained wrist, and I was able to get back on my trusty steed and ride away fairly unscathed. Continue reading →

New Beginnings

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The First Sunday after the Epiphany, Year B, January 11, 2015; The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

Genesis 1:1-5 Beginning…
Acts 19:1-7 We have not even heard that there is a holy spirit.
Mark 1:4-11 He will baptize you with the[sic] holy spirit.

O God of beginning again, may we have the wisdom, the strength, and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth – come when it may and cost what it will.

Today is a special day in the Church – a Feast Day called, “The Baptism of our Lord.” It’s a perfect day to celebrate Patrick Cheng’s ordination to priesthood in the Episcopal Church. (However, I will tell you that, any day would be a perfect day to celebrate Patrick Cheng’s ordination to priesthood in the Episcopal Church, which took place yesterday. Congratulations Patrick!) As most of you know, Patrick lives in New York City now and is working for the Church Pension Fund. He’s been commuting to Boston to serve Emmanuel for the last four months. It’s a long way to come to volunteer to help out at a church! On behalf of all of us, thank you for that, Patrick, and thank you for choosing Emmanuel, Boston as the place for your first Eucharist as Episcopal priest! This is nearly, but not quite goodbye, because Patrick will be back in two weeks to preach and preside while I am away at the end of the month. Patrick, we hope you’ll be back with us whenever your schedule permits. Continue reading →

Give me Jesus!

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Second Sunday After Christmas B, January 4, 2015; The Rev. Pamela L. Werntz

Jeremiah 31:7-14 Their life shall become like a watered garden.
Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.
Luke 2:41-52 I must be in that belonging to my Father.

O God with us, grant us the strength, the wisdom and the courage to seek always and everywhere after truth, come when it may, and cost what it will.

The Gospel of Luke contains the only story of the boyhood of Jesus in the Bible – and I’ll tell you, it baffles Biblical scholars. We know that ancient biographies commonly told stories of heroes in their youth to demonstrate that there were signs of greatness early on. There are some fantastic stories about Jesus’ magical powers as a youth that didn’t make the cut when the scriptural canon was being set. But none of the other three Gospels that did make it into the Bible have any stories from Jesus’ youth, and Luke’s intention is not clear. Is Luke demonstrating that Jesus was like other heroes, fulfilling a divine promise clear in his youth? Or was Luke demonstrating that Jesus was NOT like the others because he didn’t start out knowing everything? Was he a child prodigy, teaching the teachers in the temple? Or was the young Jesus an ordinary adolescent, not telling his parents where he was, doing something quite dangerous getting separated from his family, worrying them sick for the better part of a week? The answer to all these questions seems to be yes. Continue reading →