How about some levity in this week’s newsletter? I say that because I am currently overwhelmed by all the information and disparate voices advising us to do different things especially as a church who wants to meet again soon. So, in order to have more info and make wise decisions, I decided to call the Dallas County Health and Human Services department. I spoke with Dr. Joann Schulte who is the Deputy Health Authority for the County.
Dr. Schulte gave me some guidance that was helpful and clear. Some highlights are that when we do re-gather we should abide by social distancing, provide hand sanitizer at multiple points in the building, and wear face coverings. These precautions are all in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Given that we live in a dense and populous city, we will follow Dallas County's lead as we make decisions about re-gathering.
That being said, I want to hear how you feel and what you think about re-gathering. So, we created a brief survey. Please take a few seconds to fill it out - this will be very helpful to the leadership of St. Bart’s!
Also, I’m excited to say Deacon Kurtley will be preaching to us this week! Be sure to participate in Sunday’s service to hear what the Lord will say to us through Deacon Kurtley.
And finally on a sad note, we said goodbye on Monday morning to Joe Proctor, Debbie Popielarczyk’s father. You may recall Joe as the very tall gentleman who would sit in his wheelchair in the aisle at St. Bart’s, or as a recent reader in our online services. He lived a full 95 years, and is now resting in Christ’s peace. You can read Joe’s obituary here.
In Christ,
Jay+
Learning to Trust the Way
In this season of Easter, we have been talking about what it means to live in the aftermath of Christ’s resurrection. Our gospel lesson this week, however, takes us back before the cross and resurrection. John’s gospel records these intimate and urgent words that Jesus speaks to his disciples before the ordeal of his passion. Though he speaks them before the resurrection, these are words that can only make sense in light of the resurrection. Only in the aftermath of Christ’s resurrection can the disciples begin to reckon with these words. And so it is true for us.
In these verses Jesus says two things that we must hear together. First, he says, I go to prepare a place for you. Second, he says, I am the Way.
Reflecting on why these two things must go together, Lesslie Newbigin remarked, “The death and resurrection of Jesus from the dead will inaugurate a new possibility—namely, that while we are still on the way, we will have “a place” where we can already taste the joy of the journey’s end, the joy of lover’s meeting, the joy of being with the Lord.”
Why can we trust that there is a place for us to go? Because Jesus is himself the way, and he has promised that he will take us to where he is. As I said in last week’s sermon, Jesus goes before us in all things. He is our older brother, the first fruits of the new creation, the first born from the dead, and in these ways, and so many others, he is the Way, the path by which we get from where we are now to where he is. As Newbigin puts it, “We do not know the destination. We have no map of what lies beyond the curtain…We do not know the destination; but we do know the way.”
Only faith in the Resurrected one, the one who has passed through death and come out the other side, can assure us that this way is the Way, the way by which we go to the Father, to the one who sent the Son, to the one who draws us to himself. That is the place where the Way leads us.
We have new hard copies of our prayer booklets. Please let us know if you would like one. You can fill out this form HERE, and we will either deliver or mail a copy of the prayer booklet to you.
I miss you all, and I can’t wait to see you soon!! Stay home, stay safe, stay prayerful and connected to our living God!
Chris+
St. Bart's COVID-19 Update
Last weekend the Office of the Governor and Attorney General issued joint guidance declaring that houses of worship like St. Bart’s offer “essential services.” I couldn't agree more. We desperately need to feast together at the Lord's table and be together as God's people. In addition, the governor’s recent executive order (GA-18) announced that churches may begin meeting again as of Friday, May 1; and yet, the next day Dallas County had its deadliest day of this crisis on April 28. So we continue to navigate with prayer and wisdom this unusual time.
Along with many other East Dallas churches I stay in close contact with, St. Bart’s will not be meeting in person this week. We will continue to post services online, but we are preparing for a resumption of services as soon as it is safely possible. And when we do meet again, we will have some very specific protocols in place to protect each other and stay safe. Pray for our Clergy, Staff, and Vestry as we plan ahead to make these necessary adjustments.
In addition, we’ll be distributing the next quarter of Daily Prayer booklets soon - please SIGN UP on this newsletter to receive one delivered to your home!
I miss you all, and I can’t wait to see you soon!! Stay home, stay safe, stay prayerful and connected to our living God!
What is Normal?
These days we’re all looking for something to be ‘normal,’ or ‘as usual.’ Nothing, it seems, is normal anymore. I often wax eloquent with my neighbors about ‘when things get back to normal, I look forward to…..’ But frankly, and perhaps frighteningly, we don’t know when ‘normal’ will return and what that new normal will be. It may take several months if not years for life to be like it was before 2020. And even then, there will be inevitable changes none of us would have expected.
Jesus’ disciples find themselves in a predicament somewhat similar to our day in Luke 24. The story is told of Cleopas and a traveling companion as they leave Jerusalem and head towards the village of Emmaus. They happen upon a stranger who turns out to be the risen Lord Jesus, but they don’t know it yet nor will they until he breaks the bread in their midst. The stranger draws out of them the sad news of the last few days - how their rabbi and friend Jesus of Nazareth was condemned to death and crucified. They had hoped that this Jesus was the Messiah, the one who would redeem Israel thus casting off the heavy yoke of Roman rule and inaugurating a time and place where Israel could live and worship in freedom. But it wasn’t to be. In fact, as of that morning, they didn’t even know where his body was (wait for it, wait for it).
But instead of pulling the veil back from their eyes and saying, “It’s me! I’m risen!” In a swell of joy and triumph, the stranger, Jesus, scolds and teaches these men what the Scriptures - that is the Law, Prophets, and Psalms, our “Old Testament" - had to say about the Messiah. A new normal had dawned upon Israel, indeed upon the whole of creation, but Jesus took the time to re-orient these disciples’ perspective so they would know how to frame all of history. He did this because life would never be the same as it was before his resurrection. (I’ll get into the rest of the story Sunday.)
Similarly, in our day we would do well to prepare for life not to return to as it was before this coronavirus crisis. To be sure, we’ll get to worship together again, go to concerts, and sporting events, shake hands and hug and the like. But we’ll never quite be the same. But what will not have changed? The reality of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who suffered and died and rose on the third day will still be the fixed point around which the universe turns. And he will still be the reality to which all of Scripture points and the one invites our attentive contemplation.
I know these days are hard, but I pray you’re able to behold Jesus in the Scriptures. He may seem like a stranger now, but sure enough he will make himself known to us especially in these strange days that seem anything but normal.
Jay+
Living Lord, Living Hope
Alleluia! Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! Alleluia!
On Easter Sunday we closed our worship service with these ancient and triumphant words. Jay and I both encouraged you to take these words with you throughout the great fifty days of the Easter season. These words remind us of the hope that we have in Christ and of the good news that we have to share with the world.
In thinking about these words and about the moment we find ourselves in, I have been thinking about hope, what it is and why it matters.
In his first epistle, Peter tells that us that through Christ's resurrection we have been born to a living hope. Living hope is a hope not primarily in something that will happen, but in something that has already happened, Christ's resurrection from the dead. More than that, living hope is hope in the resurrected one himself who promises that those who trust in him will live too, that they will have life in his name.
This Sunday we will hear Peter preach the first truly Christian sermon in the book of Acts. He will proclaim that Jesus, the one crucified, dead, and buried, is truly alive, risen from the dead, and that in his life is our life. What Peter preaches is the reality of living hope, hope not in a concept or an idea or a preferred outcome, but hope in a living Lord, hope in a person.
Hope too is a virtue, what the Church calls a theological virtue, which means that, among other things, hope never happens by accident; it must be practiced. And if the proper object of our hope is a person, then we practice hope by knowing better and better the one in whom we hope.
My prayer for you all is that despite the circumstances we find ourselves in you will come to know more and more the living Lord, the one in whom we hope.
Chris+
The Great Three Days
Today begins some of the most special - holy - days in our church calendar. They mark Jesus’ final supper with his disciples, his betrayal, crucifixion, death and burial. I encourage you to read this article that our own Chris Myers wrote about Maundy Thursday and our inability to celebrate Holy Communion in this season. It feels so strange not to be together on these days, doesn’t it?
But we’ve made provision to meet together as we’re able. We’ll post our Good Friday Service of Meditations on the Stations of the Cross tomorrow at noon here. And we’ll celebrate the Resurrection together virtually via the web Sunday as well.
In addition to these opportunities, I highly encourage you to commit yourself to prayer and reading of scripture as you’re able. Use this lectionary for scriptures to be read in the Morning and Evening. (that you can access here).
But I know the days we are living in, and I realize that any sort of concentrated reading or prayer may be very difficult in this season. So, if you’re able, simply be present to God. Be aware of Jesus’ sufferings and death and of God’s great love for you. Be present to his abiding presence and meditate on his cross.
I miss you all, and I leave you with an anthem for Good Friday found in the Book of Common Prayer:
We glory in your cross, O Lord;
And praise your resurrection;
For by virtue of your cross, O Lord,
joy has come to the whole world.
Amen and Amen.
Jay+
Anything But Normal
This Sunday is Palm Sunday which begins Holy Week, and this year’s Palm Sunday and Holy Week will be anything but normal. In one sense that isn’t all bad. Holy Week is the genesis of liturgical time and the Christian calendar. From early centuries of the church, Christians have made pilgrimage to Jerusalem in order to commemorate the last days of our Lord before his passion, death, and resurrection, for they knew this was no normal suffering and death. And so we too will gather, but not in the customary way. This does not take away from the holy nature of this time but might give us the opportunity to enter into it with more focus, stillness, and expectation. .
Holy Week also marks the apex and final days of our lenten fasting. I’m tired of fasting. In fact, with our new normal the fasting I’ve participated in has been more difficult and made me more prone to swings of emotions: hope and expectation, fear and anger, cynicism and lethargy. I feel like I’ve experienced it all, and I’m ready for Easter, for deliverance and relief. I’m ready for life to break in and for death to be trampled down by death. And, it will be one day completely, but not yet. Look for daily videos in Holy Week where Chris and I will hope to connect with you and walk alongside you in your journey.
I hope you’re enduring with faith, hope, and love. I hope you’re persisting in prayer as you’re able. But most of all, I hope you’ll be present to God and one another as we enter Palm Sunday and Holy Week. I’ll see you on the web this weekend.
I miss you all and look forward to seeing you in the flesh soon!
Jay+
Little Church
In the midst of this ongoing crisis and the uncertainty it brings, Jay+ has been encouraging us to practice “little church” in our homes and I hope that you all have been able to find some solace through prayer, through Scripture, and through worshipping together, even in a virtual way.
While in-person services are suspended indefinitely until we get the all clear that it's safe, I have been so encouraged by all the ways that you all have continued to connect with each other and for the help you have offered, even with the very real constraints of “shelter-in-place.” I know many of you have been meeting up for long walks (6 feet apart!) or online for a chat. Some of our pastorates have even started meeting over Zoom this past week.
In my “little church” at home, we have tried to anchor our day with a short version of Evening Prayer (you can find it here). I have a a six-year old and three-year old, so full blown Evening Prayer is out of the question, but when it does come time to pray, I ask the girls to say one thing they are thankful for and one thing or person they are praying for. Each night we’ve written these things down on sticky notes and put them up on a white board as a simple reminder that God is with us, even though life looks very different right now and even though the future feels uncertain.
I encourage you to share with us and others the things you are doing to practice “little church”, and more candidly the things you are doing to stay sane.
If you do have immediate needs, please contact us at contact@stbartsdallas.org or call the Church Office at 214-506-8718
This coming Sunday a video version of Sunday Morning Prayer will be available at 10:30 HERE, so please visit the website for details. Also, Katie Lemming, our Children’s Ministry Director, will be recording a Worship and Wonder lesson for the kids.
Chris+