Thank God for Ear Worms

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Some people sing in the shower. I confess that I sing in the car.

When I sing along with the car radio, my son Tim likes to ask me, “Who sings this song?”

“Bob Dylan,” I answer.

“Let’s keep it that way,” responds Tim.

I laugh and, much to his chagrin, I keep on singing.

Even worse for my children is when my wife and I both sing along to songs we love from the 70s. We know every word of every AM radio hit of that decadent decade. Queen, Frampton, Bee Gees, the Spinners, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, and Springsteen; we know every word, chord change, tempo change, and grunt. Never did we study or even glance at the lyrics. Yet we know every word.

This is the power of music. It is the same reason that School House Rock engraved the Preamble of the Constitution in my memory forever. Music is the greatest teaching device ever gifted to us by God. At church, our hymns serve to praise God and they also serve to form us, imprint in us the story of God’s love and grace. Hymns are marvelous delivery devices for knowledge of God, that, if we are lucky, stick with us through every stage of life.

Church attendance for my children was non-negotiable for just this reason. My wife and I wanted them to stew in the rich broth of hymnody and prayer so it would be there when they need it. More about God was communicated to them by hymn singing and choir anthems than any argument or testimony we had at home.

Our work with our children is to expose them to what we know is good food so they develop a taste for it that outlasts their love of mac and cheese. Baptism is the first step in the pickling process, where the new life of grace infuses their lives, and ours, transforming us from cucumber to pickle across a lifetime of growth. Be sure to immerse yourself and your family in regular baths of great hymnody and prayer so we will all be able to sing along with the angels and archangels when the time comes.

Blessings,

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Rector

Check out these opportunities this Advent season to immerse yourself and your family in song. Don't forget to share them with your friends, too!

Carol Sing - 9:15 a.m. Sunday, December 16

Messiah Sing Along - 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 19

Read Erik Meyer's blog about Advent Hymns here

Christmas Worship - visit StMartinEC.org/christmas for the full schedule

So, my child is an atheist…Now what?

Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

So, your child has declared that they are an atheist. What do you do? Before you begin, remember the first words of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, “Don’t panic!” Why not panic? For many reasons including; 1. The happy news that your child is thinking about such matters in the first place, 2. The fact that you are not the first or only parent to experience this challenge, and, 3. The opportunity to engage your child in an ongoing conversation.

What I most often say in these conversations is simple, “I don’t believe in that god either.” The god our children reject is often a god worth rejecting. Like garbage in a sandbox, our kids pick up notions of god that have nothing to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Secular culture and the culturally dominant strands of Christianity communicate a dominating, controlling, puppeteer God who is cruel, judgmental, and capricious.

The first step is to ask for their objections, take those objections seriously, and share how you respond to such challenges in your faith. In my household we allowed for atheism as long as it was not ignorant atheism. My kids were required to put in the effort and engage the subject. I would always say, “I will respect your position when you can keep up with me in a discussion.”

For example, I will ask my children: “Where did you get that idea about God?” “Does God have to be that way?” Then I will share that I have struggled with these objections too and here is where I came out. My child would ask, “Why does God allow suffering?” Excellent question is the immediate answer. Then you might say, “How might you design a different world? What would that be like?” The most important follow up question is this, “Are any of those forms of suffering more powerful than love?” And then, “What if God wants that world you designed too?”

We believe in a God who took the place of the victims of this world, the position of the most powerless, and felt the suffering of oppression, rejection, torture, and execution. Our God does not stand aloof from suffering but tries to remedy it from the inside through always faithful, never failing, unbreakable love. Our God cries out against the unjust suffering and pain of human self-destruction because our God feels it too. Our God does not impose this suffering. God gave us a good creation that a long history of abuse has made toxic and harmful to human flourishing. Our God has even experienced death and turned it into a pathway for renewed life. Everything we experience as an enemy of life our God has redeemed.

That is a long answer and not totally appropriate for kids. However, it is very important that parents and grandparents show the example of educating their faith if they wish to guide their children. Which leads to a crucial point; you are the adult and you are smarter than your child. You have more life experience. You can absorb their rejection of things you hold dear if you remember that you are helping this child mature and they have a long way to go.

It only feels like rejection of you because it is. Our kids need to reject us and betray us to get the separation necessary for individuation. Trust that they will come back and lay the seeds of that return by engaging them in a gentle, open spirit now. Faith is a gift from God. We cannot control its transmission, but we can give our children the formation they need to know the true God - and avoid the false gods - when the time is right.

Blessings,
The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
Rector

Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

For the beauty of the earth, for the beauty of the skies, 

for the love which from our birth over and around us lies,

Christ our God, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

We know that not everything about Thanksgiving, or everything about this moment in your life may feel like something to be grateful for. Yet, in everything there is something to find thanks for. The sun in the morning. A functioning heating system. The multicolored leaves. God's promises to be with us through whatever our trials. The freedom Jesus offers us in letting go of who we think we should be, in order to simply be Christ's followers, God's children. A community of faith to support us and remind us of who we are in Christ.

As you approach whatever Thanksgiving plans you have - be it dinner with family, friends, or heading to the Thanksgiving feast at this month's SUPPER at Christ Church and St. Michael's on Saturday at 3 p.m. - here are some prayer resources for your day:

A General Thanksgiving
(Book of Common prayer, page 836 - or online at BCPonline.org)

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have

done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole

creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life,

and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for

the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best

efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy

and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures

that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the

truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast

obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying,

through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life

again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know him and

make him known; and through him, at all times and in all

places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

A Litany of Thanksgiving
(Book of Common prayer, pages 836-837, or online at BCPonline.org)

Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so

freely bestowed upon us.

For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and

sky and sea.

We thank you, Lord.

For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women,

revealing the image of Christ,

We thank you, Lord.

For our daily food and drink, our homes and families, and

our friends,

We thank you, Lord.

For minds to think, and hearts to love, and hands to serve,

We thank you, Lord.

For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,

We thank you, Lord.

For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering

and faithful in adversity,

We thank you, Lord.

For all valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,

We thank you, Lord.

For the communion of saints, in all times and places,

We thank you, Lord.

Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and

promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;

To him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the

Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

Additional resources

While these two resources are taken from websites geared toward those who have children in their lives, they are good resources even if you are celebrating among only adults.

42 Bible Verses About Thankfulness

Gratitude Journal Prompts for the Whole Year

For each perfect gift of thine to the world so freely given,

faith and hope and love divine, peace on earth and joy in heaven,

Christ our God, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

The pastoral staff at St. Martin's is here for you in both times of gratitude and times of challenge. Please call 215.247.7466 to make an appointment.

God's blessings be with you this Thanksgiving!

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Rector

Building Community

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

I want to tell you about a terrific new committee here at St. Martin’s called the Community Building Committee. On election day this group provided hospitality to voters when they came to vote in our parish hall. Coffee, tea, and donuts created an atmosphere of good cheer in our foyer as an unprecedented number of voters came in to do their civic duty. Anne Thatcher and I mingled with the voters, greeting them warmly and thanking them for voting. I even met someone who wants to get her three-month-old daughter baptized!

While this committee is doing a great job, we all agree that building community is a ministry we share in common as the Body of Christ. The efforts we make to greet each other, build relationships, and welcome newcomers build the muscles and sinews that make us nimble and strong as a community that represents Christ in the world.

“Deep relationships, bold ministry” is the theme we are working on this year at St. Martin’s. That theme challenges us to see our presence and our activity at church as crucial to the character and virtue of our community of faith. When we take the time to relate and to invest in relationship, we learn to be there for each other in times of joy and sorrow. When we take the time to relate and to invest in relationships we find our life enriched, and even our direction in life altered. Want to find someone to join a ministry you love here at St. Martin’s? Be busy getting to know new people!

It’s easy to want the church to be here. It’s another matter entirely to choose to be the church when you are here and when you are away.

Here are some ways to be the church on Sunday mornings:

1. Wear your nametag!
2. Greet someone new. As you enter the church, during the passing of the peace, and after church simply introduce yourself to someone you don’t know. Simply say, “My name is ________, and I am not sure if we have met?”
3. Remember that families of all ages are welcome at all services. That joyful noise of children is a sign of life and vitality in our ministry!
4. When circled up with old friends, make room for newcomers by inviting them into your circle.
5. Move across the driveway to community hour in the parish hall after worship. Community hour is a time to meet, greet, and connect. This is a time of important ministry and the more the merrier.
6. If you have an event, activity, class, or ministry to promote, set up a table during community hour. Make it festive. Bring food, balloons, a banner. We would love for community hour to be a bustling hive of activity and opportunity.
7. Encourage your friends to come to community hour, and walk newcomers across the driveway so they know where to go.

St. Martin’s is a dynamic and multifaceted community of faith. To support such an active ministry, we invest in our bonds as a community. Those bonds will help us take risks together in the name of Jesus.

Blessings,
The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
Rector

Shabbat Shalom!

Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

The community of faith that is St. Martin’s causes me to feel heart-bursting pride on a regular basis. That feeling welled up again on Friday evening last week when at least 30 of our members joined Shabbat services at Germantown Jewish Center.

We began by standing along the sidewalk on Ellet Street to express our solidarity and care for our Jewish neighbors. We were warmly welcomed by the congregation as they arrived. The grief caused by the atrocity in Pittsburgh was palpable and worn openly on the faces of our neighbors. Our presence was a response to that pain. Our ministry was to reassure, comfort, and accompany a vulnerable community in fear for their safety and in worry for their future.

At 6 p.m. we filed in to join Shabbat worship lead by Rabbi Adam Zeff. Lovely, heartfelt singing and prayer, even dancing, lit the synagogue up with a radiant spirit! Joy, love, and peace were celebrated as God's wish for us and in resistance to the forces of violence, hate, and misery that threaten our neighbors.

Shabbat Shalom! The peace of the sabbath was richly celebrated as God's restoring and life-giving gift. My spirit was refreshed by such faithful and energized invocation of God's promises.

St. Martin's parishioners at GJC.

As in so many cases, I left feeling entirely blessed by the experience. I had gone to be a help, and I left as the one who was helped. Thanks be to God!

Reflecting on that evening, so much of our ministry was on display. Deep relationships empower us to do bold ministry with our neighbors. Intentionally building those relationships in our neighborhood opens the way for healing and reconciliation, the ministry Christ gives us. Let’s not forget the legacy of antisemitism in Chestnut Hill where Jews were systematically excluded from its earliest days. Or, the long and sordid history of antisemitism in the Episcopal Church and white-anglo-saxon-protestant culture in general. By moving across the divides caused by our history of prejudice, we put a stitch in the ripped fabric of our community and joined God in God's work of mending the world.

Blessings,
The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, rector



Find your fellow parishioners’ reflections on Friday’s shabbat service on this Facebook post - or add your own!




Save the Date for this upcoming series with our neighbors at Germantown Jewish Centre

God's Country? A Jewish-Christian Text Study on "the land" in Scripture
Sundays in February: 3, 10, 17, 24 from 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Germantown Jewish Centre, 400 West Ellet Street, Philadelphia, PA 19119

Rabbi Adam Zeff of Germantown Jewish Centre and the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel of the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields invite members of our faith communities to gather around sacred texts to explore the meaning of the land of Israel in our respective traditions. While in that land conflict rages, lines are drawn, and sides are taken, Rabbi Zeff and Rev. Kerbel intend to create a space of understanding, deep listening and dialogue where peaceful practices of conversation lay the foundation for peaceful outcomes not yet imagined. Rabbi Zeff and Rev. Kerbel have studied scripture together for five years and share a love for textual interpretation and an abiding concern for allowing concerns to be articulated in their full complexity with disagreements noted and respected. Texts will come from the Hebrew Bible, the Greek Testament and the Talmud. We will meet four times, every Sunday in February starting the 3rd from 1-2 p.m.
Registration coming soon!

Space for Conversation

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

"We need less religion, less politics, and more culture," said the Rev. Mitri Raheb when I met with him in Bethlehem this summer. For just this reason, the college he founded is devoted to nurturing art, dance, music, theater, poetry, and the culinary arts. His objective is to develop the bonds of civil society in the West Bank so Palestinians can become a unified people without resorting to religious or political extremism.

I heard this idea expressed by a number of Palestinian leaders including a young man in Hebron who had organized a co-ed 5k run. Predictably, the co-ed run had provoked a clash between more traditional Palestinians and more modernizing Palestinians. The young man took this in stride as the cost of progress. His goal was to carve out a secular space for civic activity that could build the health of his people.

Do we need less religion, less politics, and more culture here in the United States? Would a resurgent or newly conceived common culture mitigate the intensity of our political and religious polarization? I will not pretend to have complete answers to these profound questions but I do have some themes I would like to explore.

Over-confidence in religious beliefs is often named as a major contributing factor to disputes that resist resolution. The corrective is said to be a healthy skepticism and doubt of any value or assertion that comes from a religious worldview. Unlike Palestine, the United States has a long history of a secular civic space and we cast the fantasy that religion has nothing to say in this space. The problem is; how does a religious person leave their religion behind when making moral decisions that shape our common life through politics?

Professor Jeff Stout, recently retired Professor of Religious Studies at Princeton University, puts it this way: "The line between church and state does not run through the heart of a believer." I agree with Jeff - one of my intellectual heroes - and would add, "If I call Jesus Lord, how can he be Lord of only one facet of my life? Mustn't I seek to follow him in every place I make decisions that effect my neighbor?"

My answer to those who counsel doubt and skepticism in religious belief is to wonder why religion should be the thing we doubt most of all. When we are honest, we admit that we do not live each day doubting the values and beliefs that make our day functional. We believe our car will run without knowing the first thing about engineering. Really what we need is to simply be upfront about our commitments, wherever they come from, and contribute them as a way of enriching the moral discussions that form our life together.

Some will object that politics is corrupt and selfish and I want religion to be pure and transcendent. My gentle reminder is that we follow a God who took on incarnate life and battled sin hand to hand to the point of a sordid and disgraceful death. Perhaps we need to follow him into the muck and the squalor for the sake of love of neighbor and God?

If you're interested in further discussion around this topic, I highly recommend that you join us on Sunday morning, October 28, for Parish Forum at 9:15 a.m. Chris Satullo will lead us in the first of a two-part series on Conversations Across Differences. See you in the parish hall!

Blessings,
Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Rector
Parish Forum - Sundays at 9:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall
Oct. 28: Conversations Across Differences
The common denominator in all of our communities is they are divided by differences of all kinds. How do you get people to discuss their differences and put their solutions into action? Our guest speaker at Parish Forum this week is Chris Satullo and he's an expert on the subject. Chris is the co-founder of the Penn Project of Civic Engagement and is a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer. He will demonstrate how faith plays as important a part of breaking down barriers as anything else does. Join us for the first of this two-part series this Sunday at 9:15 a.m. in the Parish Hall.

Chris Satullo

Nov. 4: Conversations Across Differences, Part II
This week Chris Satullo continues his discussion on how faith can play a role in slicing through differences we face in our communities in part two of this important series. Today he’ll discuss strategies to start conversations, arrive at solutions, and put those solutions into action. We can save the world one small piece at a time. Your first lesson awaits you at Parish Forum.

Aesthetic, Ethical, or Religious?

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

I apologize in advance that this Rector’s Note is rooted in the writings of Soren Kierkegaard. On sabbatical in the library at Princeton Theological Seminary, I renewed my love for this Danish philosopher and spiritual writer. Kierkegaard observed that the spiritual life moves through three phases; the aesthetic, the ethical, and the religious. 

Episcopalians famously flock to the first and the second phase. The aesthetic phase is all about our enjoyment of beauty. Music, art, liturgy, poetry and literature all contribute to our immediate aesthetic experience of pleasure. Kierkegaard states - and I agree - that all of these experiences are good except when they are treated as ultimate goods in their own right. Pleasure in beauty serves its full function when it leads us to transcend ourselves toward God in praise and thanksgiving.

The ethical phase concerns ordering and shaping our lives toward right action. Many mainline Christians would identify with this phase. We want to live a good life and make good decisions and contribute to the common good. The odd problem with the ethical phase is that often we merely import our existing commitments and sprinkle the holy water of the church on them, rather than derive them from the teachings of Jesus. Liberal Christianity - which is practiced by the whole range of political stripes - goes even further and says that doubt prevents us from making any ethical claims based on our faith. More on this in my next note!

Finally, we have the religious phase. This is the phase where we orient our whole life toward relationship and ultimately union with God. Our preoccupation with self goes on the back burner and we seek God as our ultimate end. All else becomes secondary to the unmatched importance of our dependence on God. Through prayer, worship, sacrament, service, study, conversation, and contemplation we strive to accept God’s invitation to participate in God’s life. 

In my experience, this last phase is most difficult because we resist dependence and we resist submission. The gateway to God is trust and devotion to the God we know in Jesus through the Gospels. For many modern people this feels foolish and embarrassing. While I know those feelings, my life has only grown healthier and more honest, the more I put myself under the teachings of Jesus. When we embrace the religious path, we receive the aesthetic and the ethical again in a new way, with freedom, love, hope, and endurance to fuel our enjoyment and our ethical striving.

Blessings,
The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel
Rector

Boiler Update: Mid-work

As we reported on September 13, the boiler that failed on us last December is currently undergoing replacement. This project continues on schedule. Here is what has happened over the last month: 

The Trefz Mechanical crew removed the defunct boiler in mid-September. In order to get the pieces out, they had to build a custom dolly, narrow enough to fit through the basement door. Incredibly, each section was removed by two men! 

Dumpster at St. Martin's

Custom cart made to haul the boiler components out of the basement

Old boiler components (800 lb. cast iron!) in dumpster, pending recycling

As mentioned in the previous message, the one boiler will be replaced with two compact and energy efficient boilers. A new concrete pad was set, and the new boilers have been installed.

Two new boilers on their concrete pad. Ever seen the inside of a boiler before?

Back/control side of new boilers.

New exhaust ducts are being installed to connect to the existing chimney. You can see the U-hangers in the photos above.

New piping set for installation.

Jake and Kevin are assembling the new piping on site.

Important improvements included in the work are the introduction of more thermostats and valves, so that heating can be better-controlled to provide heat when and where it is needed in the Parish House - rather than the all-on-in-every-space as we have had in the past. The new boilers are 83% energy efficient (vs. 60-70% estimated efficiency of the old boilers), which will result in operating cost savings and support St. Martin's commitment to sustainability.

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel explains the new control valves for zoned heating.

  

New thermostats have popped up around the building.

This work is estimated to be completed, with the church and parish house heated by the two new boilers, by mid-November. In the meantime, the remaining older boiler is being started up this week.

All will agree that this work is necessary and of obvious value to the parish, as it permits our buildings to be used. Yet, it should be noted, the work is difficult, and the components are expensive. The entire project will cost about $200,000, per the following cost breakdown:

Labor – $34,000

Material – $27,200

Electrical – $5,200

Insulation – $7,800

Control – $15,500

Major Equipment – $54,000 (The heat-exchanger is about $2,500. The rest is the two boilers and boiler control.)

Commissioning – $3,600 

Permitting (allowance) – $3,000

Contingency (allowance for unforeseen scope)* – $30,000

Engineering Fees – $24,800

Total: $205,100  

*note that it is hoped that $10,000 to $15,000 of the contingency will not need to be spent

Thank you for your patience during this time. We'll continue to keep you updated on our progress.

Blessings,

Dave Harrower, properties committee chair

Come Together

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

I hope all of you will join me at our Parish Party on October 20! On that evening,  people of all ages in the congregation will COME TOGETHER for food, fun, music, and fellowship. I don’t know about you, but a good party with people I love restores my heart and soul.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, “The sabbath is a temple in time.” In other words, when we observe the day of rest called sabbath, we enter into a sacred space of time set apart. There, our humanity can be restored to our original goodness.  

I heard this quote at a synagogue in Jerusalem this summer just before joining their joyful and beautiful sabbath worship. With all the competing demands in life it is certainly a good thing to set aside time to let the world-as-it-is fall away. Then we can let the world with God at the center reorder our sense of peace and well-being, and our priorities as well.

Let our Come Together Party be a sabbath of fun, relaxation, and community for you and your family.

Blessings,

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, rector

RSVP here!

Interim Rector's Note: The Blessing of the Pets

Editor's Note: Since this is Rev. Kerbel’s first week back, Rev. Taylor was gracious enough to leave us one more post from her for us to use this week. Today is St. Francis' Day and by our tradition, we'll be offering pet blessings on Sunday, October 7. We have two times and locations for you: here at St. Martin’s at 12:30 p.m., and at Pastorius Park at 1:30 p.m.

The Rev. Phyllis Taylor

When I was a child we had a dog named Trigger. He wasn’t much to look at and he wasn’t terribly clever, but we loved him. He was our dog.

He was willing to play with us, and he would take on just about any role we assigned him. He would wear a baby bonnet and lie on his back in a doll stroller while my friends and I walked him around the block. He would allow my brother to strap a holster and six-shooter around his middle and he would mosey out with “the boys” to clear the neighborhood of outlaws. He was a good sport.
He was a great support. He would walk alongside me while I delivered the newspapers on my paper route. In the winter, it was dark and cold and often snowing (it was Canada, after all) but Trigger still kept me company, block after block. He was a faithful friend.

He was a good listener and dear comforter. He always knew when we needed a cuddle. Many a time his fur was soaked with tears as we poured out our childhood troubles to him. He accepted everything we had to tell him without judgment.

Our dog taught me a lot about God.

Years after Trigger had gone to Doggie Heaven, I took my first confirmation class on a retreat to the convent the Sisters of Saint Margaret had in Germantown. Some of the children were shy. Some were a bit leery about staying overnight in a convent with nuns. Some were less than enthusiastic about a “retreat” with all that religious stuff.

When we rang the doorbell, however, it was answered by a nun and a dog. A big, soft, smiley, retriever sort of dog. He wagged his tail in greeting. He followed the children around, joined them for a movie, mooched a few snacks during their discussion. When it was time for each of the chapel services, the dog came too. He flopped down near the altar and listened to the prayers and the readings and the singing. It seemed perfectly appropriate.

That convent dog taught the children a lot about God.

I’m glad that this Sunday the people of St. Martin’s are bringing their beloved pets to be blessed. Their animals bless them every day. It’s time to stand together, human and animal, and thank God for all the blessings we are to one another.

In the words of St. Francis, “All creatures of our God and King, lift up your voices, let us sing: Alleluia, alleluia!”

Blessings,
The Rev. Phyllis Taylor
Interim Rector

Interim Rector’s Note: Goodbye and God bless

Rev. Phyllis Taylor

This Sunday, September 30, will be my last Sunday with you. We’ve been together less than three months, but how I’ll miss you!

My soul will miss the worship. I’ll miss participating in the lay-led services of Morning Prayer on early weekday mornings in the Mary chapel, then sitting there in silence in God’s presence with the meditation group. I’ll miss coming into the church first thing Sunday mornings and being awed each time by the holiness of the space and the care with which it has been prepared: flowers beautifully chosen and arranged, trays set out for each service with home-baked bread and snowy fresh linen, and bulletins and Field Notes arranged in baskets. I’ll miss sharing the leadership of worship with so many people so reverently prepared – acolytes, lectors, intercessors, Eucharistic ministers, ushers, and preachers. How stimulating it has been to hear the gospel preached in different voices; how much my soul has needed to hear what each had to say. And, oh, the heavenly music! Singers, instrumentalists, that gorgeous organ, and now the famous choir. The music here has warmed the cockles of my soul.

My heart will miss the people. The innocent faces of the little children at the worship.together services, and the creativity and energy of the school-age children at VBS. I’ll miss the kind and friendly faces greeting me and one another at the door after the service. I’ll miss the faithful shut-ins for whom St. Martin’s will always be their spiritual home. I’ll miss the workers of the parish who sit through long meetings deliberating on the nuts and bolts of parish life with grace and humor.

My mind will miss the stimulation of being with people with a passion for learning about their faith. So many are in the Biblical Study groups, the EFM group, the reading group! It’s like being back in seminary. I learn something every day.

My strength will miss the energy with which the congregation cares for one another and for the wider community. I’ll miss the hugs and prayers for one another during the liturgy. I’ll miss the announcements about training for Stephen Ministers and voter engagement, retreats on climate change, plans for Becoming Beloved Community. I’ll miss the astonishing energy of the choppers and cooks and servers at the Wednesday SUPPER at St. Martin’s. I’ll miss meeting with the staff to brain-storm how to get done what needs to be done to support the ministries that make up St. Martin’s mission. Their creativity and enthusiasm inspire me.

Thanks for the opportunity to be part of your community. I have been truly blessed by my time with you.

Blessings,
Rev. Phyllis Taylor


Editor’s Note: We will all miss your spirit here as well, Phyllis! Thank you for your time with us. Next week, our Rector, Rev. Jarrett Kerbel will return from his sabbatical. Please pray for him, the staff, and all of you, the parish of St. Martin’s, as we are reunited after this time apart. We are so grateful that, with your help, we are already in the midst of a vibrant start to our fall season.

Associate Rector's Note: Sustained Advocacy Training

On Saturday October 13^th, we are sponsoring a Sustained Advocacy Training day here at St. Martin’s. Spearheaded by the Climate Action Team in partnership with Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light, this is an opportunity to learn how to become active in advocating for social justice issues. While this session is dedicated to climate change, the tips and teachings can be utilized for any issue that you feel strongly about but aren’t sure how to become involved in making a difference.

When we care about something deeply but feel unable to act, we can become despondent or depressed. Many people find that even small actions help them engage with the world in a more positive manner because they are acting rather than sitting by silently (or not so silently).

The last few weeks, our lectionary reading cycle has taken us on a journey through the book of James. As I reread the book, this verse stood out to me, “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works,” (2:22). James is referencing the story of Abraham obeying God’s command to take his son Isaac up the mountain and sacrifice him.

What is the relationship between faith and works that James is referencing? The apostle Paul also addressed faith and works, but he did so in the context of obeying Jewish law. James is focusing on everyday interactions rather than the legal requirements of religious tradition.

If we go back to the verse above, I begin to wonder, does this mean that faith can only be complete when works happen? The integration of our faith with our actions is an essential step in our journey of faith. In the education world we would call this praxis. No matter how much time we spend talking, writing, thinking, about our faith, praxis is the key to truly learning. There is a Chinese proverb that I used to reference when I was working the in the experiential education field: “I hear, and I forget/I see, and I remember/I do, and I understand.” Maybe James would modify it to be, “I hear and I forget, I see, and I remember, I do and my faith is complete.”

The question I ask is: what does it take for us to act on our faith? What is the catalyst? For each and every one of us, it will be different. Perhaps it is day-to-day interactions that are the focal point, or perhaps there is a Chinook wind that sweeps in one day, pushing us forward into a new way of being. Regardless of what the catalyst may be James is teaching us that we must be intentional about living out our faith through our actions.

God calls us to create God’s kingdom here on this earth, in the here and the now. In what way do you see yourself advocating for this kingdom? Perhaps it is climate change or refugee resettlement or food access or education. 

This advocacy training is a wonderful opportunity to learn the tools to put your faith in action. I’ll be there on October 13^th. Join me!

Blessings,
The Rev. Anne Thatcher