Swine flu and the Eucharist

Bishop Rickel sent some information today about the swine flu outbreak that is making the news. He included a report from the Diocese of Toronto in the Anglican Church of Canada that makes a few good points about the Eucharist:

• Sharing wine in a common cup is an element of our tradition that is central to our liturgy
• We can't eliminate risk in any public setting
• Ministers at the altar should sanitize their hands before administration of the sacrament
  
• Care can be exercised by the Eucharistic Minister by wiping the outside of the cup after every communicant and changing purificators
  
• Some people may choose to receive the bread but not the chalice
• Intinction (dipping the bread into the wine) should be avoided

I'm sure we'll all do our part to make sure we're following best practices.

TV Eucharist

The St. Antony's Eucharistic team outside KING TV studios

Today I celebrated the Eucharist on TV! Well, actually a small group of us from St. Antony's went to KING-TV studios in Seattle and we taped two Eucharists for viewing Sunday, May 10, and Sunday, May 17.

The TV Eucharists are a program that the Diocese of Olympia has sponsored since 1973. The Eucharists are shown at 5:00 every Sunday morning on KONG TV, and the show has around 4,000 viewers. This is the biggest congregation I've ever preached to!

Taping a Eucharist felt a bit strange at first. The studio is a cavernous room studded with lights and cameras. The setting is an altar, a lectern, and a light-blue half-round background with a cross. Luckily I had a team to help me do this Eucharist: Ruth Lindstrum, Priscilla Lineker, and Guy Fulton. Deacon Ray Sheldon from Kingston also helped.

We celebrated the Eucharist to an empty room, which felt strange, but as it went on I tried to envision the typical viewer, who might be an elderly woman who is home-bound, and then I felt more at ease. The whole service was over in 30 minutes, with an 8-minute sermon. After a short break, we did a second Eucharist which felt more comfortable to me.

It was a good learning experience, and I hope that those who see the broadcast in May will be lifted up.
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Youth group car wash

Yesterday our Youth Group held a car wash at the church to earn money for their summer's activities. They turned out in force and worked hard. Good job! My car is as clean as it's ever been.
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Clergy conference 2

Clergy conference was held at the Alderbrook Resort on Hood Canal, a beautiful facility with awe-inspiring views. I made a sketch of the buildings that were located under towering fir trees.

Clergy Conference 1

The last two days I've been at clergy conference at Alderbrook Resort on Hood Canal. We've been listening to Paul Fromberg and Sara Miles from St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco.

St. Gregory of Nyssa is a very unusual church. It was founded about 25 years ago with the explicit purpose to develop new and creative liturgies. They responded with a building in the round, so that when you enter, you see the altar in the middle of the rotunda.

The congregation has developed unusual chants and they sing nearly every word of the service, including the scripture readings. The vestments are colorful flowing garments of wild tie-die colors and other fabrics. The altar, a simple table, is draped in exquisitely rich fabrics.

The congregation dances their way to the table when it comes time for communion. They've developed a three-steps-forward-one-step-back dance where everyone has their hand on the shoulder of the person ahead of them.

Paul and Sara emphasize that the basis of their worship is welcoming the stranger. "We need the stranger because the stranger opens God's presence to us," they say. It's a radical welcome.

Tomorrow is the last day of the conference. Quite an eye-opener.

An old friend

This week is Easter week, and the change of the liturgical season brings fresh words to our lips. In Morning Prayer, we're allowed to use the "Christ our Passover" canticle. Hearing it again in my daily prayers is like seeing an old friend again. The phrases are so lovely, and they evoke such beautiful resurrection images.

Repeating the phrases from memory reminds me of other times I've said this canticle, other Easter seasons. Images of spring flowers and sunny spring days come to mind. And my inner ear hears the canticle being chanted in parts at seminary. What a lovely and rich harvest for Easter season. No more Lenten drabness!

Here's the Canticle, from page 84 in the Book of Common Prayer:

Alleluia.
Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us; *
therefore let us keep the feast,
Not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, *
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. Alleluia.

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; *
death no longer has dominion over him.
The death that he died, he died to sin, once for all; *
but the life he lives, he lives to God.
So also consider yourselves dead to sin, *
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord. Alleluia.

Christ has been raised from the dead, *
the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by a man came death, *
by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
For as in Adam all die, *
so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Alleluia.

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The vicar goes missing

The week after Easter is a week of collapse for most clergy. After the rush of Holy Week and the services on Easter Day, many clergy are completely used up.

I'll confess to being worn out myself. After helping to replace the parish floor the first part of last week, I was pretty tired physically, and then after four days of Holy Week services, I'm tired. Yesterday I tried to get some work done on our new house, but my mind was too frazzled to concentrate on anything. Today I attended Son-Shine Fellowship for our weekly 6:30 AM breakfast, and I feel fit and ready to go.

I'm taking this week away from the office so that I can get our new house ready for us to occupy. We have a number of things we need to accomplish before we move our belongings. Among other things, I need to build a wall to create an office for Katy, build shelves in the basement, and lay a new kitchen floor. Also, the insurance company wants us to clean the moss off the roof!

So it will be a busy week. Tomorrow in this blog I'll reflect a little on our Holy week and Easter morning worship.
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Alleluia! Christ is risen!

The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Today we celebrated the resurrection of Jesus and we had a glorious morning. We had a good crowd at both the 8 AM and the 10 AM Eucharist, the choir provided music at both services, and there was an excellent spirit present. What a beautiful conclusion to Holy Week and a celebration of the Risen Lord.

We had a number of visitors and guests, including young families with children. We even had two tiny infants in carriers. One couple was a young Navy family with two small children.

The flowers and lilies at the altar were gorgeous in their Easter splendor. In the entry, we erected a cross that was adorned with flowers as people came in. It changed from a bare wooden cross to a lovely cross of daffodils, azaleas, tulips, roses, and other flowers. What a beautiful symbol of resurrection.

In my sermon, I wanted to connect with our newcomers, so I told the story of how I first came to an Episcopal Church and heard the beautiful words of the Prayer Book liturgy. I hope our visitors heard it as an encouragement and as a welcome.

It was a rainy morning, but nothing dampened our spirits. After coffee hour, I took Communion to a parishioner recuperating at home from surgery and to another parishioner in the hospital. Both visits were very rewarding.

Then I went home and took a nap. At last!
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The emotions of Holy Week

Every clergyperson I know is emotionally exhausted after Holy Week and Easter. I used to think it was because of the extra work involved in planning and leading extra services: Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter morning and perhaps a Vigil. Undoubtedly the extra services wear a person out.

But as I experience Holy Week over and over I've come to realize that there's an emotional toll that comes from spending time with Jesus in his final days. Our liturgies ask us to identify with Jesus' suffering and death, and as we throw ourselves into these observances, we engage our own emotions.

We experience the stress of the Last Supper; we pour out our souls in the Garden of Gethsemane; we stand before Pilate; we carry the cross to Golgotha and we feel the nails of the cross. It's traumatizing.

I've wondered at times whether this is healthy. Is it good for us to engage in this kind of lurid imagination? Maybe we should ditch the agony and the suffering.

But I'm sure that identifying with Jesus in his last hours is key to understanding the Christian mystery of death and resurrection. Exactly how that works, I can't say. But if there is any depth to be gained, we gain it by walking with Jesus in his passion.

I don't understand it yet. But every year I learn a little more.
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Remembering Jesus in Eucharist

Tonight we had our Maundy Thursday Service. We used the Gospel text from Luke which focuses on the institution of the Eucharist by Jesus at the Last Supper.

I reminded our gathering that Jesus didn't leave us anything tangible. He didn't write a book, and he didn't leave any mementos or keepsakes. All he left us was the command for the community of believers to observe a meal in his memory.

Down through the centuries the church has kept this command by celebrating Holy Communion, and today communities of believers everywhere keep their faith alive and receive spiritual strength through Holy Communion.

Holy Communion is a part of the spiritual practice of most Episcopalians. It's simply part of who we are. Most of us love the liturgy and find it deeply meaningful. I'm thankful our Lord left it for us as a memorial.
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On my knees in Holy Week

I've spent a good part of Holy Week on my knees...but not in prayer! Our Bishop's Committee set a goal of repairing the kitchen floor in the parish hall before Easter, so we started into the repairs on Sunday. We ripped out the old carpets and vinyl floor covering.

Unfortunately, we got a surprise. The section of flooring near the windows was rotted through. We had to cut out all the rotten wood and replace the decking and floor joists. We also raised the roof beam and put new material under the corner post, so it has solid support now.

Then we began putting the laminate floor covering on the floor. So far we've got the east side of the room done, and we're closing in on the kitchen area. John Stockwell is the lead man on this repair, but I've been there along with him for the last three nights. makes for a long Holy Week.

I'm very grateful for John's leadership and initiative in this project. He's a very talented and energetic guy, and with his leadership we'll soon have a new floor we can all be proud of.
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Renewal of Ordination Vows

Today I journeyed to St. Mark's Cathedral in Seattle to participate in the annual Renewal of Ordination Vows.

A large number of clergy were there, maybe 150, including some Lutheran clergy. The Lutheran bishop of this area, Wm. Chris Boerger, officiated at the renewal, and our bishop Nedi preached the sermon. Afterward we sat down to a delicious soup lunch in Bloedel Hall.

It was good to see clergy friends and make some new acquaintances. As a always, it's good to sit whle someone else preaches and celebrates the Eucharist, and to receive the bread and wine. The liturgy and music of the cathedral is a blessing.

During the Eucharist, the bishops blessed olive oil to be given to parish churches for baptisms. The oil was carried to the table in huge glass cruets - over a gallon each - and a dark balsamic scented oil was poured into the olive oil. It made beautiful currents boil up in the golden oil. In the prayer of blessing, Bishop Boerger recalled the movement of the Spirit at the creation, and when our bishop blessed the oil, he bent down and blew into each of the containers. Sweet!

A good way to connet with the clergy of our diocese and our Lutheran clergy friends.

Parish hall floor surprise

On Sunday afternoon, a small crew of St. Antony’s men attacked the floor of the parish hall, stripping off the old vinyl flooring and the plywood layer beneath it. What we found was a surprise…the corner of the kitchen next to the windows was totally rotted through! This required completely removing all the rotted wood and opening up a large hole in the floor, and set back our efforts to start laying the new laminate flooring. Mama said house remodeling would have days like this.

Palm Sunday procession

Today was Palm Sunday, and the weather was warm and sunny. A beautiful day for a Palm Sunday procession! We gathered outside the church and said the liturgy of the Palms, then we processed inside singing, "Make way for the King of Kings!"

For the Gospel reading, we read the passion of Jesus as a dramatic reading, and I preached my sermon from the point of view of my favorite character in the story -- the donkey. The choir did a magnificent job with the anthem. All in all, a very satisfactory day.

Work Day Photos

Today we had a big turnout for the work party to clean the church and the grounds. The weather was clear and warm, and we got a lot done cleaning out the flower beds, trimming the bushes, clearing blackberries, cleaning out the church basement and the Sunday School rooms, mowing the lawn, weeding the parking lot, and lots more. Many thanks to Heidi for her leadership and to all who participated!

Communion without baptism?

Yesterday in the Vicar's Bible Study we discussed whether it's necessary for a person to be baptized before receiving Communion. Every Sunday I issue the invitation for Communion saying, All baptized people are welcome to receive Communion at St. Antony's." But should I drop the baptism requirement so that we appear more welcoming and inclusive?

The Canons of the Episcopal Church are clear on this:
"No unbaptized person shall be eligible to receive Holy Communion in this Church."

Despite this, there is a trend in the Episcopal Church to allow Communion without baptism. Several arguments are put forward to justify giving Communion without requiring the person to be baptized:

• One of the most remarkable things about Jesus was his open table fellowship. He was very open about eating with tax collectors and prostitutes. Why should we be more exclusive than Jesus?

• There’s no logical priority of one sacrament over the other. Receiving Communion may even be the way that some people are brought to Christ.

• In today’s inclusive society, the Church is perceived as narrow and exclusive if we bar some people from participation.
  

In defense of a requirement of baptism are several arguments:

• Baptism is the primary sacrament of membership and Eucharist is the sacrament of spiritual nourishment.
• The practice of the early church was always to baptize a person before allowing them to receive Communion.
• Giving Communion without asking for a commitment of faith is a cheapening of the sacrament. Good boundaries are important.
  

We discussed these arguments in our Bible Study. Most people felt that we should continue to require baptism before Communion, but not in a way that was rigid or off-putting.
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Wednesday Book Discussion Group

Today as every Wednesday the St. Antony's book discussion group met in the parish hall outside my office. This small group has met for many years and they're very dedicated to each other.

They select books with a spiritual interest and read them together and discuss them. Recently they read a book on St. Benedict's rule and now they're reading The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle.

I enjoy listening to the low murmur of voices outside my office door. I can't hear what they're saying, but it's nice having them in the building!

A small group like this is one of the joys of a small church. Close relationships with long-term commitments make for rich and rewarding ministry together. I'm thankful for this special small group.