A Pond in the Sand

"The spiritual life is one of opening ourselves so the waters of God's grace can fill us."

Trips to the Jersey Shore with my friends Dan and Rick were a summer highlight when I was a child. Between bouts of body surfing, we would often spend hours constructing elaborate sand castles just inside the high tide line. Our castles had towers, walls, moats, and ponds.

Spreading our hands in the wet sand we would make a hole that would fill with water and make a little pond until the tide would return and engulf it.

This image captivates me. The spiritual life is one of opening ourselves so the waters of God’s grace can fill us. The water of grace is all around us all the time, but in our usual closed off state it does not fill us. Through prayer, worship, study, service, and fellowship we collaborate with Jesus who carved out the open space we now are able to share.

Imagine in our life of prayer that we are gently pushing back the sand to let the water flow into our souls, refreshing and filling us.

The tide of our culture always wants to return and close us off again. The heavy cynicism, the hatefulness, the distractions, the vices and general challenges of life want to erase our open place and return us to the conformity of this world.

Here is the good news, however: in Jesus, the sand of our soul remains ever pliable and the water of grace is always at hand, waiting for even the slightest opening to gush in and slake our thirst.

Blessings,

The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel

Rector

Theology and Hymnody

Editor's Note: The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel is away this month on his vacation. While he is away our Associate Rector, the Rev. Anne Thatcher, will be writing for the Rector's Note.

Young Choir Campers in the chancel at St. Martin's, are led by co-teacher Rae Ann Anderson. The nave of the church is in the background with two girls singing from open folders in the main ground, and other seated campers in the foreground.

Both the parish house and the sanctuary have been filled this week with music, children’s voices, joy, and laughter. Choir Camp is in full swing. St. Martin’s, under the leadership of our Director of Music, Erik Meyer, is focused on giving the gift of choir music to our young people.

The other week I preached on the power of committing scripture to memory and how we often don’t realize that we already know a verse or even a Psalm by heart. Both words and music form us unconsciously. Hymnody is full of theology that we absorb each time we sing a particular hymn or worship tune. Poetry, theology, and scripture are the bedrock of the ancient and modern hymns of the church.

It is easier to see when you can read the verses without the musical notes lining the entire text…

“Of the Father’s love begotten 

‘Er the worlds began to be 

He is Alpha and Omega 

He the Source the Ending he 

Of the things that are, that have been, 

And that future years shall see 

Evermore and evermore.”

I realized after high school that I had Psalm 23 memorized, along with the hymn I just quoted above, because we sang them set to music in the North Salem High School concert choir. We often learn more quickly when the words or lessons are set to music or rhythms. I still remember chanting my times tables for my mother when I was seven. I can still remember three of the first choir songs I learned in fourth grade with my elementary school choir. All three, while secular, had messages of unity, inclusion, and love.

Giving the gift of music to children is incredibly important for their artistic development and music in the Christian tradition is tremendous for their spiritual development. The theology in our music enfolds and permeates the soul. They are learning that God is love in a multitude of musical settings, surrounded by the voices of friends and peers. The seeds are planted and who knows how and when they will grow?

Sometimes on visits to St. Martin’s members in the hospital I have looked up their favorite hymns on YouTube and played them in the room on my phone. We have sung together the old favorites that people remember from their childhood and youth. These hymns provide comfort in the midst of affliction and anxiety. The ability to connect with a loved one continues through music even when speaking is no longer possible. Some people are still able to sing and respond to music. Music embedded with theology is a balm for the soul.

Next time you pick up a hymnal, take a few minutes to ponder the theological foundation of the verses that you are singing. Do you have a favorite hymn or verse? Why is it so important to you and why do you carry it close to your heart? May you raise your Ebenezer, mourn by the waters of Babylon, claim the almighty fortress of God, and find comfort in the music of the Messiah.

Blessings,
The Rev. Anne Thatcher
Associate Rector

Wonder, Love, and Curiosity

Editor's Note: The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel is away this month on his vacation. While he is away our Associate Rector, the Rev. Anne Thatcher, will be writing for the Rector's Note.

Introducing a new member of St. Martin's family: Laszlo,
a beautiful, red-coated, calm-tempered and curious Irish Doodle,
companion to the Rev. Anne Thatcher.

Introducing a new member of the St. Martin’s family, Laszlo…

My mornings now start with rising and immediately taking Laszlo, my new puppy, outside. Quick, quick, quick, before he empties his bladder on the stairs! Then our walk begins, though it is really more of a walk, wait, sit, tug, walk, wait, sit, and tug. I am rediscovering the world through the nose, eyes, and ears of Laszlo. Everything is new. I can tell when he is processing because he freezes and looks intently at an object or person or cocks his head as he listens to a sound. I can almost see the cogs in his tiny brain whirring around as he registers buses, runners, grass, sidewalks, plants, strollers, and on and on.

Upon my return from vacation, relaxed and recharged, I followed through on my plan to pick up my new puppy. I have not trained a puppy in over a decade. When I brought Leo home at fourteen weeks, he was already long-legged and had matured beyond the early chewing stages. Laszlo was both gloriously and terrifyingly tiny at nine weeks and twelve pounds when he came home. I alternate daily between amazement at how such a small puppy can be so well formed and terror at how to train such a vulnerable tiny being. I imagine that those of you who have raised children or pets have experienced that tension we carry within ourselves when we are responsible for the absolute care of another of God’s creation.

Our first walk on leash was short-lived as Laszlo - intrigued by every smell, sound, and sight - kept stopping and sitting down. Overwhelmed by the onrush of senses, he simply refused to move while he processed the experience. I was frustrated and after waiting a bit would try to urge him forward only to be met with renewed resistance as he dug in his heels. However, I have to acknowledge, Germantown Avenue is a busy, noisy place for a small puppy to experience for the first time. I went home and watched a video on puppy leash training and then we went out and tried it again.

This time whenever he froze I gave him a minute to process and then I gave him a gentle quick upward tug on his harness to bring him out of his frozen position. Sure enough, each time I did this, he would begin walking again. Once we got moving, it took us an hour to go around the block as I waited each time for him to process before I prompted him with the leash. Patience!

Being a young puppy, he is constantly trying out his teeth on anything around him including my window cranks, chairs, coffee tables, kitchen cabinets, socks, and towels. At times I find myself redirecting him to his bone every few minutes. Tom Lehrer wrote a song called “The Vatican Rag” and the last line of the chorus is, “genuflect, genuflect, genuflect.” This morning I couldn’t help but sing to myself, “redirect, redirect, redirect.”

What infinite patience God has with us! As I wait for Laszlo, so God waits for us when we wander around the world (or rush around the world), one instant hesitant to step forward, doubting and unsure (over-anxious), and in another instant moving so quickly that we miss the moment because we are over-excited. Our Christian journey is ongoing and as human beings we always have so much more to learn about how God is calling us, where we can find Christ in our lives and how we can find Christ in the lives of others. I am sure God sings softly to Godself, “redirect, redirect, redirect” on a regular basis for me when I go astray!

Puppy training is about encouraging the dog to discover, develop, and explore by its own initiative. For, if we force a puppy, it will dig its heels in and refuse. Sound familiar? We too are inclined to dig our heels in if we are forced into an action or situation not of our own choosing. But if we are open to discovering, if we are open to new possibilities, then we may choose to enter in of our own free will, or perhaps we will accept encouragement and support to step out of our comfort zone. Our faith in knowing that God is always present can be the foundation that provides us the courage to keep trying new experiences; allowing our curiosity to continue to spark our imagination and fuel hope of God’s movement in our world.

I know that God gives us a nudge when we are stuck, just as I do with Laszlo on Germantown Avenue when the bus and Mack trucks roar by. I have felt that nudge myself. Sometimes it is a phone call from a dear friend who names my resistance that I cannot see. Other times it is a song on the radio or an interaction with a neighbor who speaks a truth that I could not hear before.

As you see Laszlo and I out and about, stop by and say, “hello”. He is learning how to meet people and engage with the world and I too am learning alongside. I am sure that God is looking on with bemusement saying to himself, “my beloved, these lessons are for you as well.”

Blessings,
The Rev. Anne Thatcher
Associate Rector

Liberation Walking Alongside Our Neighbors

Editor's Note: The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel is away this month on his vacation. While he is away our Associate Rector, the Rev. Anne Thatcher, will be writing for the Rector's Note.

“Is it about the liberation of the receiver or the redemption of the giver?” Robert Egger

Many of you have heard the announcements about our One Book, One St. Martin’s selection, Toxic Charity by Robert D. Lupton. We have copies available in the foyer of the Parish House and we had a wonderful turnout for our first discussion in late June. We have another conversation scheduled for Wednesday, August 14^th after SUPPER. All are invited: those who attended the last one, those who have not come to one yet, those who have read the book (part or all), and those who are curious to learn more.

The Monday after Bluegrass Mass, both Jarrett and I received an email from a Sunday visitor who heard my announcement about Toxic Charity. He said he was curious so he went home, ordered an e-copy, and read it right away. He shared that he found the book to be transformational in his understanding of ministry, and that as a member of the Diocesan Council (Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania leadership), he was recommending that the entire council read the book. What a ringing endorsement! I was delighted that he found the book as transformative as I did. 

I discovered this book a few years ago in Washington D.C. when I attended a Faith in Action series with the Consortium for Endowed Episcopal Parishes (CEEP). Our group visited D.C. Central Kitchen (founded by Robert Egger) where I saw a community engagement ministry that truly walks alongside to empower and liberate our neighbors in the communities in which we are situated. They do extraordinary ministry as a nonprofit that hires those who are homeless or released from prison, and trains them in job skills, character building, and community. I encourage you to visit their website and learn more. When I asked about resources to guide me in this different approach to ministry, Toxic Charity was recommended.

Both the trip and the book moved me to deeply reflect on how we approach ministry when we are working with different communities and individuals. Robert Egger asks, “Is it about the redemption of the giver or the liberation of the receiver?” Apparently, it was Robert’s participation on a midnight sandwich run to the homeless with a church in Washington D.C. which was the catalyst for his question to emerge. He noticed that the regular parishioners who participated in this ministry knew the names of the homeless to whom they were giving sandwiches. When he mentioned this observation to one of the volunteers, they said, “Why yes we do,” very proudly. They were proud of the relationship that they had built with the homeless community through this food ministry. But was giving out free sandwiches a liberating act to the homeless? This reflection let Robert (an experienced restaurateur) to found D.C. Central Kitchen as a place to liberate the receiver through employment, job skills training, and a caring community.

This summer Refugee Resettlement Ministry (RRM) is in the process of reflecting on our call to serve immigrants and refugees. What have we learned? Where is God calling us next? And how do we take a new approach to our ministry based on Robert Egger’s question and the learning examples from Toxic Charity? RRM has invited St. Martin’s to read this book and reflect with us on how these lessons apply to our daily lives: whether in church ministry, nonprofit involvement, or volunteer opportunities. Is this all about my resume, my desire to “feel good”, or about “doing good”? Are our acts of ministry purely for our own self-aggrandizement? Or are they truly selfless, seeking to empower and liberate our neighbors? Shining a light on our own intentions illuminates motivations that we don’t always want to admit are there within ourselves. But this illumination is what gives us the gift of self-awareness. Through this journey we can discover how to step out of ourselves and into the shoes of another. Jesus said to God, “Not my will but your will be done”. It is very difficult to remove our own agendas and desires for others and not only let, but actually askGod to step in and lead the way. In handing over the reins, we can discover discomfort at letting go but also relief in following a God who will surprise us and delight us while transforming us. We will learn how to walk alongside our neighbors and liberate them so that we may all be free from injustice and oppression.

Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20)

Blessings,
The Rev. Anne Thatcher

Associate Rector