A Lenten Message from Father Bill

Third Sunday of the Lenten Season,
March 7, 2010

Most of us are familiar with the biblical story in Exodus chapter 3: Moses and the Burning Bush. “1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law…There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."

The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people. I have heard them crying out. and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them and to bring them up into a land flowing with milk and honey.”

This Sunday our Lenten worship raises the questions: “What does the burning bush event mean for me?”Does God care about my anguish? What would my land of milk and honey be? Has God spoken to me in a “burning bush” moment? Would I recognize it if God did set a bush ablaze just for me?

Second Sunday of the Lenten Season,
February 28, 2010

We see in this Sunday’s Gospel passage (Luke 13:22-35) that Jesus has his own schedule, his own agenda, his own mission to fulfill. But Jesus also asserts he will give up. He will give himself up. He will travel to Jerusalem and meet head on the traumatic tradition of “Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it” (v.34). Jesus will give up everything, his very life, in order to fulfill his eternal mission of salvation. “Giving up” is a dirty word in American culture. The only time “giving up” is embraced is during the forty days of Lent. And even then, we carefully choose what exactly it is we will give up. When you discuss politics or religion (or maybe sports) with someone, are you in it to win the debate or do you seek to increase your understanding of the issue? Do you ever give up on having to win an argument? When is it appropriate to “give up” an earnestly held belief, understanding or position? We can “give up” chocolate or movies or parties But do we ever, like Jesus, really “give up” ultimate control over our own lives? Do we ever “give up” the conviction that we should and we do chart our own destinies? Where is the balance between healthy perseverance and knowing when to throw in the towel and take a different course? How long is it healthy to stay in a job or a relationship that is killing you? And perhaps most importantly, when is it healthy to give up thinking that the life you are living right now is the only life you will ever know … and to step out in faith into unchartered water? Join us this Sunday at Holy Cross Episcopal Church as our worship helps us deal with challenging issues like these.

First Sunday of the Lenten Season,
February 21, 2010

Lent is a season of soul-searching and This repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days. All churches that have a continuous history extending before AD 1500 observe Lent. The ancient church that wrote, collected, canonized, and propagated the New Testament also observed Lent, believing it to be a commandment from the apostles. Because Sunday is the day of the Resurrection, we skip over Sundays when we calculate the length of Lent. Therefore, in the Western Church, Lent always begins on Ash Wednesday, the seventh Wednesday before Easter, which we celebrated earlier this week with the distribution of ashes. Join us at Holy Cross for this period of special closeness to our brother and savior, Jesus the Christ.