Easter 2023 services at Christ Episcopal, Saint Joseph and Presiding Bishop Curry's Easter Message

 Reminders:

Good Friday service with Deacon Bette at 5pm today (April7)

Easter service with Rev. Ed Lovelady at 10am Easter Sunday. Please bring fresh cut flowers for 'flowering of the cross'.

Here is a link to Presiding Bishop Curry's Easter Message:

Presiding Bishop Michael Curry: Easter 2023 Message – The Episcopal Church

Here is the text from Bishop Curry's message from EpiscopalChurch.org:

“We are here in a world struggling to find its soul, but the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not, cannot, and will not overcome it,” Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop and Primate Michael B. Curry said in his Easter 2023 message. “Jesus lives. He has been raised from the dead. That is the message of Easter, and that is the good news of great tidings.”

The festive day of Easter is Sunday, April 9.

The following is the full text of the presiding bishop’s Easter 2023 message, lightly edited for clarity:

This is a different Easter message. I’ve shared Easter messages from Jerusalem some years ago, and I have shared Easter and Christmas messages from a variety of locations. Last year for Christmas, we were in San Diego. Today I’m in Paris, part of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe. We just finished a revival—over 50 young people and some 300-400 people from all over Europe who came for this revival service. It was a remarkable thing to behold and be part of.

The Convocation here in Europe is engaged in incredible ministries, with some joining together with Episcopal Relief & Development to make it possible for resettlement of those who are refugees from war and famine, particularly those who are refugees from Ukraine.

Thinking about it—I realize not only with this view—but with the reality of Easter looming on our horizon, John’s Gospel opens: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Then there is a point in which it says, of Christ coming into the world, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it.”

On that early Easter morning, John says in his 20th chapter, that early in the morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene and some of the other women went to the tomb. They went to the tomb after the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. They went to the tomb of their world having fallen apart. They went to the tomb of all their hopes and dreams having collapsed.

But they got up and they went anyway. They went to perform the rites of burial, to do for a loved one what you would want to do for them. They went, following the liturgies of their religion and their tradition, and, lo and behold, when they went, they discovered that, even in the darkness, the light of God’s love, the light of Jesus Christ—the light of Christ, as we say in the Great Vigil—in fact, was shining in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Jesus had been raised from the dead. He was alive, and darkness and evil and selfishness could not stop him. Love—as the old song says—love lifted him up.

We are here in Paris, this wonderful city. While there are protests going on in the city—garbage has not been collected, and it’s all over the city—we are here in Paris, in Europe, with refugees streaming into this continent from all over the world, impacted by changes in weather pattern, impacted by war and famine. We are here in a world struggling to find its soul, but the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not, cannot, and will not overcome it. Jesus lives. He has been raised from the dead. That is the message of Easter, and that is the good news of great tidings. From Paris, I’m Michael Curry. God love you. God bless you, and the light shines in the darkness, wherever there is darkness. This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. Amen.

The Rev. Deacon Bette Kauffman's homily from Palm Sunday 2023 and info

Each Sunday we pray for our church, the Shepherd Center and Saint Augustine's Episcopal Church in Homer, Alaska.  Many of us know the connection between Christ Episcopal and Saint Augustine's; but you may not have looked up Saint Augustine's to see what The Rev. Bob Cooper and Sallie connected with in Homer.  Here is the link to Saint Augustine's website:

 Saint Augustine's Episcopal Church - Homer, Alaska (saintaugustineshomer.org)

Here is a portion from their 'history' page:

"In 2004, Fr. Bob Cooper and his wife Sallie started coming to Alaska in the summers to serve the congregation through July, August, and early September. They drove round trip each year from Louisiana hauling their travel trailer behind their diesel truck. In addition to leading services in the summer, Fr. Bob made himself available year round as a mentor and counselor for the lay leaders. He also provided sermons to the congregation through many of the fall, winter, and spring months, that is, any time we asked for them, he sent them. It was due to his guidance and unfailing faith in God and us that we were able to begin erecting the church building in 2007. Ben Park, with Fr. Bob’s assistance, wrote a $93,000 grant request that was submitted to United Thank Offering for consideration. UTO was not able to grant the full $93,000, but they did supply $68,000 which was the largest cash grant they had ever awarded to a single entity up to that time. Fr. Bob also brought us contributions from his family and friends, and from the congregations that he served in Louisiana. Volunteer groups arrived in 2007 from Ohio and Alabama to erect the church building, in 2008 from Tennessee to finish the siding on the church, and in 2009 from Omaha, Nebraska to build the garden boxes, layout the labyrinth and line it with beach and river rocks, create a children’s garden, and make benches where people could sit to admire it all.

It was during the time between 2005 and 2007 that we solidified our thoughts and feelings about what our church mission should be. You can now read it every week on our worship bulletin. The mission of St. Augustine’s Episcopal Church is to be a house of worship and prayer, welcoming all with love and acceptance. It has a broad scope and is a constant challenge for us to live up to.

Towards the end of 2008 Rev. Judith Lethin led a number of services for us. 2009 was Fr. Bob and Sallie’s last summer of mission in Homer. Lay worship leaders continued to be the mainstay for Sunday worship services. Elisabeth Aprill passed away in March 2008, followed by Julie Cesarini in October. Lay leaders for 2008 and 2009 were Ben Park, Betsy Lennon, and Judy Mullikin. Rev. Judith came more and more often to lead services for us. Rev. Katherine Hunt and Rev. Gail Loken came to train more lay leaders."

Deacon Bette's homily from Palm Sunday. Portions of Deacon B's homilies are also published in The Tensas Gazette.

"Please Save"

 The Rev. Deacon Bette Kauffman

Christ Episcopal Church, St. Joseph

Year A, Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:4-9a; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 26:14–27:66

It has never been clear to me why a homily is required on Palm Sunday. What can a preacher—or anyone else, for that matter—say after reading the Passion Gospel? Would that we all sit quietly and let the pain.. and the anguish.. and the despair.. of having been forsaken by God wash over us.

So, I don’t have much to say, but a little that matters, at least to me.

I always thought the word “Hosanna!” shouted by the people who waved palms and marched into Jerusalem was a joyous, triumphant “yay, God,” “long live King Jesus” kind of statement.

A few years ago, doing some research for teaching religion in the Grace Middle School, I discovered to my surprise that that’s not at all what it means. Far from being a shout of triumph, it is a plea. “Hosanna” comes from the Hebrew hoshia-nah, which means “please save now.”

In other words, the people who escorted Jesus into Jerusalem with a celebratory parade were not shouting praise, adoration or victory. They were begging to be saved already!

Perhaps then, it is no wonder that just a few days hence, after Jesus had stood silently before the chief priests and elders and refused to defend himself before Pontius Pilate, those same people called for his execution.

He had let them down. Here was a man who refused to save himself, refused to even defend himself. How could he possibly save anyone else? Jesus was a disappointment. He betrayed their hope and longing for a Messiah who would actually solve problems! Fix things! Get the Romans off their back! And so they quickly turned against him.

And are we not like that today? Do we not lay down our palm branches and pick up our weapons rather quickly when our often unrealistic expectations are not met by… whomever or whatever: a political party; a friend; a spouse; our church; a priest, bishop or deacon.

We want what we want and we want it on our terms. Even when we all really want the same thing, we disagree on the way to get there and have trouble even having civil discussions to seek some common ground.

We are very quick to drop our palm branches and pick up our weapons.

Jesus before the elders and before Pilate must have looked like a loser. The people wanted to hitch their wagon to a winner. And don’t we?

And don’t we want God yet today to “please save us now”! Don’t we, too, have unrealistic expectations of God’s role in human life? Why does God allow.. bad things to happen to good people? we ask. Why does God allow poverty? Why does God allow evil in the world? Why, God…? we ask, as if God were in the business of handing out political favors for those who vote for Him.

The people who waved palms that first palm Sunday were unprepared for the answer to their suffering to be Love, simply Love—humble, obedient, self-sacrificing Love that overcomes evil not by fighting back, but by embracing.

I’m not sure we’re any better prepared or accepting today of Love as the answer, Love as that which will save us, than were the people 2000 years ago. We sure don’t act like it! We’d rather dig in our heels and go for the win, regardless of the collateral damage the fight might do.

As we walk through this holy week, let us examine our own expectations of

God, each other, and perhaps most of all, ourselves. Can we accept humble, patient, unconditional Love as the thing that will save us? And if we say “yes” to that, how must it change us?

 

  In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. AMEN.