I don’t want to speak for anyone but myself (though maybe some of  you are feeling the same), but I am in a liminal time with regard to St. Mark’s:  my time and energy here are still here, but trailing off, and while things are starting to happen for me at Trinity, they are only suggestions of what’s to come.  So here I am, hanging out in liminal time.

As much as I am  uncomfortable right now,  I know that it’s best if I don’t try to rush through it.  There are times when I’ve wanted to run away to avoid the ending, and times when I wanted to jump into the community at Trinity.  I want it to be done already, thankyouverymuch!  But I believe that I am here for a reason, in the midst of the pain and the sorrow and the fear, and God is here with me (with us, but I’m trying to speak only for myself).  I have spiritual work here in this time and space that requires my attention and can’t be rushed.  Maybe you do too.  I will keep you in my prayers; please keep each other in your prayers during this liminal time.

I pray that I will see you at Trinity, but if not, may God lead you to a faith community to love you, to support you, and to challenge you.

PS – This will (probably) be the last post to the St. Mark’s blog.  I will keep the blog up until after we close.

Copyright 2008 by marceline (http://www.flickr.com/people/marcelyne/). Used under CCL.

According to the article, most of the initial Episcopal Community members belong/belonged to the organization Daughters of the King.  The new organization is based on a desire for an organization that was more clearly connected to the Episcopal Church and with greater accountability for members as they live out their vows.  The ultimate goal is to help members become God’s hands and heart and voice in the world.

According to the community’s web site, every Episcopal woman who becomes a member of the community is committed to God and one another by taking a vow to observe the community’s rule of life, which is based on the baptismal covenant and focuses on four areas:  to grow in one’s relationship with God; to connect with others and nourish relationships; to support the community and fellow members; and to serve others and the whole of creation.  The beauty of this rule is that it is general enough to allow each member to create her own rule of life that allows her to honor her life situation and how God is calling her to be at that time.  Each member will revisit her individual rule annually to see if God is inviting her to make changes.

~ ~ ~

At the end of June, I submitted my letter of intent to study for membership in the community. While I was attracted to the focus of the community on the baptismal covenant, its flexibility in members’ rules of life, and that sexual orientation is no barrier to membership, I took the issue to prayer and talked about my desire for membership with people that I trust.  Discernment doesn’t end with my letter of intent.  I will start a six-month study using the book Benedict’s Toolbox: The Nuts and Bolts of Everyday Benedictine Living by the Rev. Jane Tomaine, an Episcopal priest from the Diocese of Newark.  Halfway through my study period, the community and I will make a decision together:  do I become a member or not?  If so, I’ll finish the final three months of study and take my vows as a member of the community.  Please pray for me as I start my study period.

If you are interested in learning more, see the community’s web site.

~ ~ ~

Prayer of The Episcopal Community

Almighty God, you have called us into covenant through the promises made at baptism and strengthened us for service through your Holy Spirit. Renew within us the power of that Spirit, and lead us, that in our journey into the fullness of your peace, we may bear witness in the world to your redeeming love. Give us each an inquiring mind and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works. Support us with your presence, O Lord, throughout our ministry. We pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Praying in color is a great way to stretch ourselves and get out of our analytical left-brains. The best part: anyone can do it; no talent or previous experience required.

What are some things you appreciate about the season of Lent? Perhaps you would share 5 of them with us. And for your bonus question feel free to share one thing you could do without.

The church of my childhood didn’t do much with Lent, so I don’t have much baggage about it (on the other hand, I don’t have any fond memories of it either).  As an adult in the Episcopal Church, I love Lent a lot. Here’s what I appreciate about Lent:

1. It’s a time for reflection and re-focusing on the Real.
2. We’re doing it together, with Christians all over the world, even though for each of us what this reflection and re-focusing looks like will be different.
3. Observing Lent makes Easter all the more meaningful (especially participating in all of the services of Holy Week, including Easter Vigil).
4. It’s rich with liturgy and symbolism,  more so than other seasons of the church year.
5. It’s an opportunity to try new spiritual disciplines in a time-limited fashion (which can make trying a new discipline less scary for me).

One thing that I could do without:

1. All of the fish sandwich specials that every fast food chain run (forget bulbs coming up as a sure sign of spring – all those advertisements seem to be  the sign of spring)

Your turn:

What do you appreciate about Lent?  What could you do without?  Leave your responses in the comments.

I know that Bishop Katharine is an amazing woman:  scientist, teacher, pastor, writer, and more.  I look forward to her seasonal letters to the church, and read articles and blog posts dealing with international Anglican issues (even though I find them very uncomfortable) because her words remind me of what’s important:  our relationships with one another, God’s call to us to work together to further God’s Kingdom by caring for the less fortunate, caring for the environment, etc.   Friday at Convocation, the townhall question-and-answer format, I was reminded again of how thankful I am that God called her up to be our Presiding Bishop.   A few highlights for me:

• When we referred to the “national church” or “ECUSA”,  she  reminded us that the Episcopal Church is not a national church, not the American church.  We are a multi-national church, with dioceses throughout the world.
• What question would she ask the Archbishop of Canterbury:  ”What do you love about the Episcopal Church?”
• Sharing her experiences in Haiti, the importance of Holy Trinity Cathedral Complex in Port-au-Prince, and what the Episcopal Church in Haiti needs from us right now

If you were at Convocation, what were your highlights of our time with Bishop Katharine?

~  ~  ~

If you want to learn more about Bishop Katharine, including seeing more pictures, reading some of her writings, and listening to some of her sermons, see her section of the Episcopal Church web site.  You may also want to read her books.

• The Three-Legged Stool
• Don’t Eat Alone
• Inch at a Time: Reflections on the Journey

If you have any favorite blogs that have lenten posts, share them in the comments!

I have to admit that when I started attending St. Mark’s, I thought it was odd that there were no Bibles in the pews.  (My previous church experience was Presbyterian – the church had Bibles in the pews, but I can’t remember ever opening them.)

What’s your relationship with scripture in worship?  Do you read the assigned readings for the day before service? Do you read along silently while the lector is reading?  Do you just listen?  Do you make notes or circle phrases in the order of worship?  Do you re-read them later in the week?  What about scripture as it shows up in the sermon, in liturgy and in our hymns?  What if you approached scripture in worship differently?

On a related note:  You may be interested also in this post on the Friends of Jake blog summarizing Brian McLaren’s talk, “On the Importance of Being Episcopalian.”

Have a blessed Lent!

Some links to get you in the Lenten mood:

• Shrove Tuesday: Pancake Fest
• Ash Wednesday by T. S. Eliot
• Lenten Reduction from Milton Brasher-Cunningham.  He originally wrote it in 2007, but it’s one of my favorites!  Check out his blog, Don’t Eat Alone; I suspect and hope that he will be keeping his Lenten Journal again.

Preparing for Lent

Preparing for Lent -  from Creighton University Online Ministries

The Lenten Spirit – from Bread on the Waters, from the Passionist Missionaries of Union City

Keeping a Holy Lent – from King of Peace Episcopal Church-Kingsland, GA

Lent: A Season of Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving – from the Armenian Church

A Handbook for the Discipline of Lent – by The Rev. Thomas L. Weitzel, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Information on the Great Lent and Holy Pascha – from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Reflections

Sorting It Out: a Lenten toolbox for adjusting your focus and supporting your soul – from explorefaith.org

Episcopal Relief and Development – subscribe to daily email reflections

Lenten Devotions – from Lutheran Hour; 2010 devotions have not been made available yet

Lenten Meditations – from St. Andrei Rublev Icon Studio

Pray-as-you-go – podcasts from from Jesuit Media Initiatives

Practices

Choosing Lent – Acting Lent – from Creighton University Online Ministries

Practices for Lent: Incorporating ancient disciplines into our lives today – from explorefaith.org

Stations of the Cross

Online Stations of the Cross -  from Creighton University Online Ministries

Stations of the Cross – links to Stations as well as information about them

Resources for Families

Heart Prayer During Lent – from the Passionist Missionaries of Union City

Lenten Resources and Activities – from Domestic Church Communications

Lent and Easter in the Domestic Church – also from Domestic Church Communications

General Resources

Praying Lent – lots of resources from Creighton University Online Ministries

Seasonal Resources for Lent – from the Episcopal Church

The Season of Lent:  explorefaith travel aids for your Lenten journey