Tony's Trekkers

Last Saturday, I went on my first hike with "Tony's Trekkers", the hiking group that is based out of St. Antony's. There were fourteen of us including me and my son, Guy (second from left in the photo above).

We hiked 4.7 miles up the Lower Quilcene River trail to Jolly Camp, where we had lunch. My legs were aching by the time we finished the hike! But it was a good ache. It was a beautiful sunny day and I'm glad we had the shade of the huge old-growth trees to keep us cool.

Tony's Trekkers has been in existence for a number of years, and it attracts a good number of people, some of whom aren't members of St. Antony's. It's just nice to have someone to hike with!
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Welcome

The door to an Episcopal Church

In the Gospel lesson for Sunday, Jesus talks about welcoming. He says, "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me."

This comes at the end of a long section of teaching to the disciples, in which Jesus sent them out to do his work of teaching and healing. Now at the end of this teaching, he talks about the welcome they'll receive and the welcome others give them.

Perhaps Matthew included this teaching because the sending and welcoming of missionaries was such an important part of the early community of Christians. It may be that sometimes emissaries from a Christian community weren't welcomed in another community. Jesus's words about welcoming were therefore important.

Welcoming is part of the DNA of the church. From the earliest times, welcoming the stranger or the visitor was part of what it mean to be a follower of Jesus. Our churches should be welcoming places.

At st. Antony's, we welcome our newcomers, our visitors, and all who show up at our doors. We are a welcoming church.
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Who wants to be a prophet?

In the Old Testament lesson for next Sunday, we hear the prophet Jeremiah's scathing rebuke of the happy talk coming from Hananiah. Hananiah has been prophesying peace and good times for the people of Judah. Of course, this is what everybody wants to hear: the prosperity gospel. Things are only going to get better from here on.

But Jeremiah knows better. He knows that the people have not changed their evil ways and their sins still demand payment. Sarcastically, he says to Hananiah, "May the LORD fulfill the words that you have prophesied, and bring back to this place from Babylon the vessels of the house of the LORD, and all the exiles."

Then he reminds him what a prophet is: "The prophets who preceded you and me from ancient times prophesied war, famine, and pestilence against many countries and great kingdoms. As for the prophet who prophesies peace, when the word of that prophet comes true, then it will be known that the LORD has truly sent the prophet."

It's not easy being a prophet. Jeremiah suffered for his unrelenting message of repentance he preached. No one wanted to hear his message. But someone has to be the one to speak the truth, and Jeremiah was unable to stop himself from telling the bad news.

We all want to hear the good news, but sometimes we've got to hear the bad news before we can hear the good news. Who are our prophets today?
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A funeral and a baptism

One of the things I like about ministry is that I get to participate in the major life events of my parishioners. Last weekend was a perfect example: I officiated at the memorial service for Don on Saturday, and I baptised Andrew and his daughter Erin the next morning.

The memorial service for Don was dignified and yet personalized. Dick Scott gave a warm and personal remembrance of Don and others added their memories. Afterwards the church provided a reception (more like a banquet) in the parish hall. Don's friends and family came from far and near to remember him.

The baptism on Sunday was full of joy and light. I preached on baptism, and then I asked Andrew and his wife Lorien to come up with their daughter Erin, along with their sponsors. The font was right in front of the pews and very visible to all. The children of the church also gathered around as we joyfully baptised Andrew and Erin. After the service there was another big reception and gathering. What a wonderful day!

The church is the place where our major life events are observed. Birth, marriage, and death are marked with the sacraments, and week by week we are fed with the precious Body and Blood of our Lord. Is it any wonder I love the Church, even with all her flaws?
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Baptism this Sunday

This Sunday at the 10:00 Eucharist we'll baptize Andrew and his infant daughter Erin. Baptism is always the occasion for great joy (as in the photo above of a baptism I did a few years ago).

⁴It just so happens that in the Epistle reading for Sunday, Paul talks about baptism. He writes, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life."

Baptism is a sign of the new life we have in Christ. When we are baptized, we enter into a new way of life that is open to the Spirit of God. This doesn't mean we suddenly stop sinning and become perfect beings, but it does mean that we open ourselves to the working of the Spirit.

I look at it this way. If we want to become a better person, we start associating with better people and we start new habits that will lead to better attitudes and behaviors. That's essentially what we're doing in baptism: we're associating ourselves with Jesus and the community of the Church, and in doing so we believe that we'll become a better person.

Andrew and his daughter Erin will be joined with Christ in baptism this Sunday and they become members of the believing family of St. Antony's. Welcome!
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Lunch with the Bishop of Olympia

Yesterday I traveled to Seattle and had lunch with Greg Rickel, our bishop. It was the first chance we've had to meet each other, and I'm grateful he fit me into his busy schedule. We dined at the Eastlake Bar and Grill with a lovely view of the Lake Union waterfront. It was a good opportunity for us to get to know each other and share a little about our ministries.

Greg (as he prefers to be called) is obviously very aware of what's happening in the congregations of the diocese and he asked specific questions about me and St. Antony's. It's good to know that he cares about us as a congregation.

Our bishop has a passion for congregational development, and he wants to see the congregations of the diocese focused on our mission. Telling the good news about Jesus, baptizing seekers, and living into our baptismal vows is what we're about.

I'm glad we've got a bishop with energy, focus, and a vision for the future.

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USS Turner Joy

Yesterday my sons and I toured the USS Turner Joy, a historic Navy ship berthed in the Bremerton waterfront. We gaped at the big deck guns and we wandered through the engine rooms, the mess, the officers' quarters, and the bridge. It was quite an eye-opener.

We did this because I want to get a feel for the Navy. I need to know what it's like to be on a ship enmeshed in the gritty daily life of a sailor. The narrow passageways, the tidy cabins, the carefully laid out engine room all attest to a carefully circumscribed life on board a ship. I especially liked the smell of diesel oil in the engine room and the aroma of cigars in the cabins. I could just imagine the salty chief petty officer growling at the young seamen.

On board a ship, everyone has their place and their duty to perform. There's a clear ladder of authority and the whole ship depends on everyone to do their job. It must be bracing to part of such a well-defined, highly organized network of command and performance. I can see why Navy people feel such pride.

The Turner Joy is a historic ship, of course. It was commissioned in 1959 and served in the VietNam conflict, among other tours of duty. Modern Navy ships are much more sophisticated technologically, with computerized systems of propulsion, firepower, and communications. But still I would guess the pattern of daily life on board ship is much the same.

I imagine that being in the modern Navy is much the same as being in a large corporation. There's a high level of complexity and an intense demand on one's level of expertise and personal performance.

We have a good number of active and retired Navy people in our congregation. They're committed and involved and they bring much of their Navy background to our parish: a sense of order, purpose, and leadership that benefits our parish greatly. We're lucky to have them.
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