Bishop White Announces New Diocesan Communications Director

Ash Wednesday 2012 Homily

Priest and author Barbara Brown Taylor says that Ash Wednesday "is the day when Christians get to attend their own funerals."

What she may mean is that some of what takes place at funerals offered for loved ones - recounting lives of service, devotion, and love - family and friends ask God to look on the departed with mercy as they stand before the great judgment seat of Christ.

To a point Brown Taylor is correct. This is indeed a day of reckoning; a day of judgment. On Ash Wednesday we place ourselves before the great judgment seat of Christ. We lay our lives open before God, and beseech the Lord's boundless mercy.  

Matthew writes, "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them."

There's a degree to which we perform our piety so that it can be celebrated by others, because we fear that same piety is insufficient to be celebrated by God. That's because we know our inadequacies. (jonmrichardson.com) We mask much of the evidence of our sinfulness by applying to our lives ample portions of civility, piety, good works, and even righteous indignation. Again, we hope to fool ourselves and others. Two out of three ain't bad.

And for a while all the sugar pills work. But then comes this annual observance, which we still try to mask the night before with pancakes or jambalaya!

Yet this particular Wednesday always dawns, and God be praised and thanked, we do not shirk from coming here for solace and strength, for pardon and renewal. Abundant Grace and Unconditional Love is lavishly showered upon us, giving us the courage and strength to engage in true repentance, truly turning our hearts, by emptying ourselves so that forgiveness can fill us and motivate us.

But the greatest truth of this day is not the depth of our wretchedness - but the amazing grace of God, who forgives and loves us completely even before we ask.  Lent is all about Grace.

Perhaps no prayer of Archbishop Cranmer is more essentially Anglican than the Collect for Purity: Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid....

By grace, we come here tonight not to confess to God something God does not already know. We come to confess our sins to ourselves, to one another, and to the whole communion of saints in heaven and on earth. But, especially, to ourselves.

Let us lay bare our hearts confident that our gracious God already knows what we have done and left undone.

• Let us place before the Lord all that weighs us down from loving God more completely, all that clouds our vision of the City of God , and all that dims our passion for justice and  peace.  
• Let us name plainly and be forgiven for all we have not done to love our neighbors with all our being, and resolve to right these wrongs as a sign of thanksgiving for absolution.
• May we know the deep, deep gratitude for chains of sin broken, and darkness dispelled forever through the Cross of Christ.
• As we are re-freshed, may our dry and dusty bones, and the bones of the Church, be brought to life by the very Spirit of God for the purpose of restoring all people to unity withGod and one another.

Then, having tasted heaven's sweetness in the Eucharistic Feast, let us wash our faces and anoint our heads, not dourly displaying sin's old power, but shining forth with the greater divine promise of new hope and eternal life.

Ash Wednesday is a lot like our own funeral. To a point.  However there is a pretty big difference:  life can be different the day after Ash Wednesday.

Let this Lenten journey be a gift to us, to this cathedral congregation and, indeed to this diocese. Before us is forty days of preparation for the Paschal Feast. Yet, this journey must begin with honesty, turning and re-turning to God with a rendered heart. Let us take this mighty first step, that the joy of Easter may be rich and sweet.

"I invite you therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy
Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self denial; and
by reading and meditating on God's holy Word..."

Create in me a clean heart, O God, *
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence *
and take not your holy Spirit from me.
Give me the joy of your saving help again *
and sustain me with your bountiful Spirit. 

(Psalm 51:11-13)

Many of us are observing this Lenten season by giving up a type of food, observing a schedule of prayer, or maybe even giving up a social media outlet that seems to consume our lives. Everyone has their own way of showing repentance and self-examination this time of the year. 

With a new season beginning and so many stories throughout the diocese, I invite everyone to visit this new blog and share how they are observing Lent. Read, laugh, and realize that you are not the only one craving that chocolate bar in the cabinet.

Click here to find out what I and others are giving up and tell us about yourself.   

The clergy of the Diocese of Kentucky will be gathering during the Fifth Week of Lent at tow locations for the annual Consecration of Chrism, the Renewal of Ordination Vows, and Holy Eucharist. The liturgies will be held Tuesday, March 27 at 11 am CDT at St. Mary's Church, Madisonville, and Thursday, March 29 at 12noon at Christ Church Cathedral, Louisville. Bishop White will be the celebrant and preacher at both liturgies.  The Oil of Chrism is olive oil infused with perfume which is used at Baptism to anoint the newly baptized with the sign of the cross and to emphasize the call of each baptized person to carry out Christ's ministry of prophet, priest and king. In the Anglican tradition, the consecration of chrism is reserved for a bishop. 

The season of Lent is also a traditional time when deacons, priests, and bishops renew their ordination vows and commitment to one another within the community of the diocese. Episcopalians throughout the diocese are invited to attend these special liturgies, and join in prayer for the mission of all the baptized people of God as the Church moves toward the solemn observances of Holy Week and Easter Day.   

This winter has truly been a time of great joy for the diocese as they welcomed two new rectors into our ministry.

The Rev. Ellen Morell began her new ministry as Priest-in-Charge of Christ Church, Elizabethtown, in late January. Ellen had been celebrant and preacher for Christ Church's midweek eucharist throughout the fall and early winter, and now has move to Elizabethtown for this extended tenure.

The Rev. Richard Martindale is now Rector of St. Paul's, Henderson, effective February 15.  He and his wife Jenny are living in temporary quarters in Henderson, and have celebrated his first and second Sunday with the parish.

Please join us in welcoming Mother Ellen and Father Rich into their new ministries. May they, and we, truly and decoutly serve our Lord together.

St. Thomas has a new parish website to aid them in doing the church's work. Over a year ago the parish vestry decided that they needed to update in order to meet three basic yet important parish needs: internal and external communication, sharing their message, and handling administrative tasks. 

stthomaslouky.org is a colorful, user friendly website where visitors can find out information about St. Thomas ranging from the simple yet vital contact information and times of service to the more complex message of what they stand for in the community. "The telephone is no longer the primary form of communication for many of us" stated their website committee. The new site is now able to handle complex schedules, newsletters, and other resource information all in one convenient space.

The new site also allows them to share their church's beliefs with the community. St. Thomas "stands for action in the name of Jesus." Their postings of weekly sermons, showing how they respond to the gospel through youth mission trips and Habitat for Humanity work, and stating their beliefs on the website allows them to do their part in answering that call.

For members of St. Thomas there is an added benefit with a password protected log in feature that provides them access to vestry minutes, financials, a member database, and much more. This feature also provides the church with a more efficient way of renting out their Fellowship Hall and Ball Field.

Three web design firms submitted proposals and Xstreme Media was chosen for their combination of pricing, creativity, and ability to provide special features. 

With Holy Week approaching many of us remember out baptismal vows and some even prepare to make those vows for the first time. For those wanting to more deeply reflect on baptism the collaborative effort of Bloy House - the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont, the Episcopal Church Center, and the Evangelical Education Society have created a six hour video course with extensive interviews with four of the original authors of the 1979 BCP and baptismal rite to help those in their reflection.

"Claiming the Vision: Baptismal Identity in the Episcopal Church" discusses the impact of the rite and its place in the life of the Church today. Designed to help lay persons, seminarians, and clergy develop a deeper appreciation for the history and theology of the baptismal rite.

The video was designed to allow individuals and congregations to enter and leave the material easily allowing the ability to digest in small portions and allow for discussion in greater detail.

For more information, view the Claiming the Vision flyer here.

"Claiming the Vision" is available free online by going to the Bloy House website and clicking on claiming the vision.

With All Saints summer camp approaching, the All Saitns Camp staff is requesting a few items still needed to help around the facilities.

Requested items include:

AED with pediatric paddles

upright freezers

gently used or new twin bedding (flat sheets, fitted sheets, and pillow cases)

gently used or new blankets

genlty used or new bath towels, hand towels, and wash cloths

scissor lift

backhoe with bucket attachment

new computer

If you or your congregation would like to donate said items, please contact Paula Probus.

Seamen's Church Institute announces no Easter on the River

Seamen's Church Institute would like to announce that they are not going to be holding an Easter on the River collection this spring. The SCI chaplains will instead be focusing on Easter's liturgical and spiritual aspects with the vessel crews they serve.

With the success of last year's Christmas on the River, the Seamen's Institute does still hope churches and individuals will mark their calendars and lend their support for this next year's Christmas on the River.

Schedule is as follows:

 - COR gift item collection, card-making - mid-October until November 20, 2012

 - COR box packing and delivery - November 28 until December 12, 2012

 The wider church 

Episcopal churches to take Ash Wednesday services into the streets  

By Episcopal News Service

Jim Naughton | February 16, 2012

More than 40 Episcopal parishes in 11 states will take to the streets on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, marking the beginning of the holy season of Lent by giving "Ashes to Go."

In Chicago, St. Louis, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Baltimore, Newark, Erie, Austin and other cities and suburbs around the country, priests and lay people will visit train stations, subway stops, coffee shops, and street corners to mark the forehead of interested passers-by with the sign of the cross, and invite them to repent of their past wrongdoing and seek forgiveness and renewal.

"Ashes to Go is about bringing spirit, belief, and belonging out from behind church doors, and into the places where we go every day," said the Rev. Emily Mellott, rector of Calvary Episcopal Church, Lombard, Illinois, who is organizing the initiative in the Diocese of Chicago, where more than 20 churches are expected to participate. "It's a simple event with deep meaning, drawing on centuries of tradition and worship to provide a contemporary moment of grace."

Mellott learned about Ashes to Go from the Rev. Teresa K. M. Danieley, of St. John's Episcopal Church, St. Louis, Missouri, who began conducting a street corner service with the distribution of ashes in 2007.

"On the street corner, we encounter people who have been hurt by previous experiences with organized religion and who, through Ashes to Go, take a tentative step back towards attending church," Danieley says.

Diocese of Chicago Bishop Jeff Lee is an enthusiastic supporter of marking Ash Wednesday in the streets. "My most memorable experience last year was with a woman who told me that she had left the church years ago," he says. "She received the ashes and our prayers gratefully and then she looked up and with tears in her eyes, she said to me, 'I just can't believe you would bring the church out here to us.'"

Episcopal Church launches new iPad app, 'Wayfarer' 

By Episcopal News Service

Episcopal Church Office of Pubic Affairs | February 15, 2012

The Episcopal Church Office of Communication has launched its first iPad app, Wayfarer.

Available as a free, quarterly iPad app downloadable at iTunes, all the content can also be viewed in an Internet browser here.

"Wayfarer features compelling stories told through video, photographs and words," said Lynette Wilson, Wayfarer producer.

Wilson, who is also an editor/reporter for Episcopal News Service, addressed the appropriateness of the name. "We chose to name the app Wayfarer because we intend to tell a wide spectrum of stories about people, possibilities and action across a broad landscape," she said.

"This is an exciting moment - it represents our entry into mobile content, appealing both to Episcopal and broader audiences," noted Anne Rudig, Director of Episcopal Church Office of Communication. "As the title suggests, each issue of Wayfarer has been shot in a different far-flung location."

Click here to read the original article and read the first issue feature story of Kivalina, Alaska.