Good News in the Garden State 5/11/2024
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As we move toward the end of 2023, there is much to share. We are beginning a new season as a diocese, and we have new staff arriving, search processes under way, and a departure to note. It seems appropriate that as we prepare for 2024, we are getting ready to welcome some new people and to expand our support for congregations, clergy, and lay leaders.
It was a great joy to be with you, as you gave thanks for the ministry of Bishop Chip Stokes. At that time, I fully expected to be with you for the ordination and consecration of the Rev. Dr. Sally French to serve as the 13th Bishop of New Jersey. Little did I know then that for reasons of health I would be unable to be present with you on this joyful occasion. But I am deeply thankful that Bishop Mary Gray-Reeves, the Vice President of the House of Bishops and the Managing Director of the College for Bishops, will be with you as Chief Consecrator.
Juneteenth invites all Americans to acknowledge and tell the truth about our history, a history which is too often “white-washed,” sanitized and mythologized. Juneteenth should stir us to work diligently for an America that fulfills its highest ideals for all its citizens and people, not just some. This faith-filled work is at the heart of the Golden Rule.
For many people, June is a favorite month. It’s the beginning of vacation season and the end of the school year. For those of us who follow the church’s calendar, it marks the transition from Easter to Pentecost and the green and growing weeks that follow. Our Sunday readings for the weeks after Pentecost focus on living into our faith, learning about Jesus, and responding to God’s call.
“We’re into that season where the world pauses, for just a moment, to breathe, to wonder, and to worship.”
Some asked on that day twenty years ago, and some continue to ask, “Where was God?” My response is always, right there; right there in the selfless sacrifice of all those people who did not think of their own safety, but acted for the sake of others at great risk, and in far too many instances, at the highest cost. Greater love hath no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends, Scripture says (John 15:13). On September 11, 2001, that greater love was shown over and over and over again and that’s where God was. That’s where God always is. That is my conviction. That is our conviction as believers in Jesus Christ.
I love this story. It’s one of my favorites in the New Testament. It invites rich reflection. To begin with, I think it portrays an “aha” moment for Jesus, a moment when he grew in wisdom and understanding. This makes some people uncomfortable. But consider.
As Episcopalians, it’s our teaching and conviction that Jesus is both “fully human” and “fully divine.” There are times in our reading of the Gospels when the full “divinity” of Jesus is on clear display, as when he casts out the legion of demons from that suffering Gerasene man (Mk. 5:1 ff.), or when he feeds 5,000 (Mk 6:30 ff.), or when he walks on water (Mk 6:45 ff.). So, too, there are times when we catch clear glimpses of Jesus being fully human. Consider his aching cry in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Mk. 14:36).
We’re human – fractured, fallen, sinful, finite human beings in need of God’s redemption and God’s love, which, thankfully, God offers us, abundantly, all the time. It’s this that allows us to stand on our feet, invites us to keep at it. Practice what you preach.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have something worth preaching and practicing. We are a people called to offer some good to the world and society in which we live. We have what James refers to in our appointed reading for today as “the perfect law of liberty” (1:25).
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“Be still and know that I am God!" (Psalm 46:10) Our world is complex and it can be overwhelming and our thoughts can sometimes be scattered. Where is God in
Dear Clergy Spouse Care Group or CSCG, The first meeting of the ‘Every Other Wednesday CSCG’ (Clergy Spouse Care Group) is tonight at 7 p.m. Join us tonight for the
Standing Commission on Clerical Compensation Meeting Join Zoom Meeting
Bishop’s Forum for Clergy is a chance for casual conversation, less structured and information-packed than the monthly Town Halls. Held the third Thursday of the month via Zoom.
Topic: Deans’ Meeting Time: Every month on the Third Thursday 11:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Confirmation is an important rite of passage for those seeking full membership in the Episcopal Church. It's important that we're able to gather as a Diocese to celebrate the commitment
Open to all who are graduating 8th grade and above. Evening Prayer with awarding of scholarships and awards from diocesan groups. Reception to follow.
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