Uncategorized

July 7, 2022

Our Weekly Meditation

Are we listening?

An article from Aeon (magazine) by M.M. Owen, called the “The Art of Listening”, caught my eye.

“To listen well is not only a kindness to others but also, as the psychologist Carl Rogers made clear, a gift to ourselves.”

Writing in Esquire Magazine in 1935, Ernest Hemingway offered this advice to young writers; ‘When people talk, listen completely… Most people never listen.’

We recently returned from a trip out west with our granddaughter. Showing her part of the vast west which she had never seen. We were sitting looking out at the La Sal mountains in Moab, Utah. Just sitting soaking in the beauty and silence, and wondering at how God made so many beautiful mountains and listening to our granddaughter’s hopes and concerns for the future.

Were we listening completely? I hope so.

I hope we all learn to be better listeners to God during our quiet, reflective time, and to be more present in our time with each other.

If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one.   Mathew 18:15

Thankfully,

Palmer Marrin

To my dear brothers and sisters in faith:

Today our hearts are so heavy.  Little sneakers, tiny desks, classroom walls spilling colors and finger-paints and the artsy creations of wee fingers and boundless imaginations.

Unspeakable horror.  Heartbreak that will roil and roll through the lives of too, too many.  Forever.  Gunshot holes blown right through whole families, emanating  trauma, despair, anxiety, depression, and fear for a long, long time.

Unrequited love…parent and child… forever.

                                                +

Our God in Christ walked with us and shared our human lives—in our joys, in our loving, in our healing, and in our growing—and in our suffering, our despair, our very tears.  

Our God is not absent.  Our God is with them, and us, in each and every moment of our lives, inviting us to pray, to reach out, to love, to help, to serve.

To move.  To grow.

Our job, I think, is to recognize what part of this has to do with us, and which we must leave up to God.

Which are our Sins of co-mission, and Sins of o-mission?

Shall we continue to bear the sins of o-mission by our inaction?  At what point can we say, in our chosen method of self-governance, that we are actually co-mmitting these actions?

                                                +

Prayer always helps, and in its mysterious way, always works somehow, even in ways we may never see.  Or recognize.

It is in our prayer life that we discover where God hopes we will be, every one of us.

There may be action, but there always must be prayer.

                                                +

So let us pray these three things:

May almighty God grant us forgiveness of all our sins and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Lord God, in the beginning of creation you called forth light to dispel the darkness that lay upon the face of the deep:  Deliver your servants from the power of evil and illumine us with the light of your presence, that with open eyes and glad hearts we may worship you and serve you, now and for ever.  Amen.

And give us strength, and courage, and resolve, O Lord we pray, to make things right, and to bring about peace.  If we tend to fold under stress and fear, O God, stir in us the image of Jesus, who stumbled and fell under the weight of his cross, but who rose to carry it to his appointment with you.  Give us courage to stand up and be counted; to stand for those who cannot stand for themselves; and to stand for ourselves when it is needed for us to do so. 

Amen.

And may the blessing of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you, now and for ever.  

Amen.

In the Name of Christ Jesus, we pray.

Father Chip+

As I chatted with friends and family at Easter I learned that many chose not to “give anything up for Lent.” “We’ve already given up so much!” a friend told me.  Another said, “I gave up, giving up!”  That seems very positive!  I chose to give some things up, but also, to dig into the Living Compass Lent Meditations: Living Well Through Lent; Letting Go with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind.

Through the 5 weeks of Lent, each week’s meditations carried a theme; Letting Go of Control, Letting Go of Hurt and Disappointment, Letting Go to Enhance Our Health and Well-Being, Letting Go in Love, Letting Go of Shoulds and for Holy Week the theme was, Letting Go of Expectation. Each day a meditation guided the reader to discern God’s presence in the world, with special emphasis on God’s will being done in the world in ways beyond human understanding. 

If God holds me, why am I holding on? If ten-fingers grasp, ten fingers can relax and let go forever / wanting and getting, having and losing, worrying and denying, judging and fearing, winning and losing.  Today I hold on to nothing, Because God holds on to me. [Amen.] – Hugh Prather

Know that whether it is Lent or not, it is ALWAYS a good time to grow more deeply in God’s love, observing and recognizing the many ways God is present in our everyday lives and faithfully present in the Most Holy Eucharist.  Also!  Easter isn’t just a day, it’s a season!  Jesus came to Earth to conquer sin and teach us the way of LOVE forever! Hallelujah!   If you find yourself on a journey, take the opportunity, get yourself a map and open your heart to all the ways that God walks with you!  Amen.

Prayerfully Submitted,

Laura Noonan

At Lent’s beginning, I found myself drawn to silence, hoping to find peace and meaning in this, our holiest of seasons. Now, however, as Lent comes to a close, I find myself inexorably (and appropriately) drawn to the cross – more precisely, the crucifixion.

It’s not a pretty picture, of course. The extraordinary claim of our faith is that our Lord became human, lived among us, preached peace, taught love — and was promptly put to death for such “offenses.” What a strange and disturbing story, made all the more unsettling by the fact that, at one point on Golgotha, God seemed to doubt God (“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”).

I look with hope and anticipation to Easter Sunday, our joyful day of resurrection; I can already feel the warmth of its promise of new beginnings. But for now, however, Gethsemane, Golgotha, and the crucifixion seem not only sufficient, but absolutely necessary.

Pax christi,
Pete Taft

Dear faithful friends,

Happy Memorial Day weekend and the (officially) unofficial start of summer on the island!

I used to say (half-jokingly) to folks, when summer came around, that “summer vacationers don’t come to the island to go to church.”

Well, why the heck NOT?

OK, OK, I get that ‘there’s only so much precious time’ we have to do all the fun and wild and crazy things we want to do on our vacations.

But what if one of those hours had to do with actually MAKING YOUR TIME ON THE ISLAND SHINE LIKE THE SUN—INSIDE YOU?

Indeed, wouldn’t that experience and time with God—and with the rest of us humble and hopeful sinners—ACTUALLY MAKE YOUR TIME HERE BETTER?  DEEPER? RICHER?  Help you to see the miracles going on in all aspects of your vacations?

To wit (who says that?):  Maybe God will even help you make some stellar, cosmic connections with new friends (people who actually think like you on the deepest level, on just about just about everything imaginable), when you take the plunge and get yourself in here at either 8 am or 10 am on Sunday.

Who knows?

One other thing: we’re the VINEYARD, for God’s sake—when Moses came into close contact with God (you remember that ‘burning bush’ story), God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground.

I might not recommend leaving your shoes at the door (although you could), but feel free to come to our little humble and lovable church ‘as you are,’ in flip flops, shorts, or blazers and Vineyard Vines ties, or summery dresses and broad-brimmed hats.

Because it’s YOU who make  all our lives better!

Happy summer!

Yours in faith,

Padre Chip+

April 1, 2022

A Meditation from the Rector:  Who Needs My Love Today?

Dear brothers and sisters in faith,

This morning I opened the church doors early, settled into my office, began to make out my list of tasks for the day, and had a thought I hadn’t had before: 

Who needs my love today?

God gives us our lives to share with others.  And we experience life more fully—and joyfully—giving our love to others in our time on this earth.   Every step we take in real acts of love—the first one often being the hardest—can mean a world of difference for those we love and care for.

Considering the possibilities for acts of love on behalf of others can seem rather endless, it’s helpful to take some direction from others in our community who are already taking real steps in Walking the Way of Love, and consider joining with them in prayer and action.

Here are two important ways we can offer ourselves in ministry today—with some concrete ways we can do that:

1. We are being called to love and care for our brothers and sisters suffering in Ukraine.   

Beginning this Sunday, April 3, we will commence, and continue each week, to pray for peace in our worship—and on this Sunday, we will take up a collection for the Episcopal Relief & Development Ukraine Crisis Response Fund.  (If you can’t join us this Sunday, please take a moment and click on the following link to make your contribution: https://help.rescue.org/donate/ukraine-acq?ms=gs_ppc_fy22_ukraine_mmus_feb&initialms=gs_ppc_fy22_ukraine_mmus_feb&gclid=CjwKCAjwopWSBhB6EiwAjxmqDRYIs_XAKUEOrm3_rmABNE_GRzJQpZTrXzQPWJwWxGkLfAqnwMZsBBoCW4cQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds.  Your contribution will help provide cash, blankets, and other necessities to help real people with real suffering.  Your prayers will bring about change.

In addition, we will be having an Open Conversation about ways (financially and otherwise) St Andrew’s Church can care for those suffering from the war in Ukraine this Tuesday, April 5 at 5:00 pm in the Parish Hall AND via Zoom.  Email Father Chip if you are interested fatherchip@standrewsmv.org  .

Our Laboratory of Love group, which is leading this effort, already has some incredible ideas and we’d love to have as much input from everyone interested to continue on this walk, offering real love to real people who need it.  (And for those of you who might not be available to be with us this coming Tuesday, please feel free to reply to this email with your own ideas and thoughts!)

• We are being called to love and care for our earth and all of God’s creation and creatures.  (Now.)

Anyone interested to hear more about my personal views on how our faith must inform our response to the global climate crisis is invited to click on an interview I recently gave the Martha’s Vineyard Times here:  https://www.mvtimes.com/2022/03/28/faith-climate-change-pastors-weigh/.  I believe our concerted work to love God’s earth, just as all united efforts given in love, can inspire and excite us as we go about our challenging work. 

How might we begin to engage more deeply in this critical work and ministry?

Pray.  Every day.  Pray that God gives us the strength, courage and conviction to direct ourselves and others to make changes in our lives and in the decisions of those who govern our lives.  Don’t stop.

Email Jana Bertkau (janabertkau@gmail.com) and offer to represent St Andrew’s on a small and fun “Climate Action Week Faith and Spirituality Group,” which is preparing for the upcoming Climate Action Week, May 8—14.  Get engaged, get excited, and get the rest of us excited, too!

Ring the Bells at St Andrew’s Church on Sunday, May 8 at Noon (together with the other churches on the island) 40 times, signifying our goal for our island to be fossil-fuel-free by the year 2040.  (Please reply to this email if you’re interested to ring dem bells!)

Bring a friend or two and Make a Flag for St Andrew’s Church on Saturday, April 9 from 10:00 am –Noon at Grace Church, Vineyard Haven, which will join other prayer flags hanging over the Interfaith Tables at the Grange Hall on Saturday, May 14.  Artist Fae-Kontje-Gibbs will lead the flag-making workshop and all materials will be provided.  (Important and FUN!  Email elizibates@gmasil.com to let them know you’re coming!)   

Finally, please come be with us in church, especially this time of year when spring is springing, masks are coming off, Lent is coming to a close, and Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday on April 10.  (Note:  beginning this Sunday, we’ll be offering our Sunday services on Zoom (both live as well as recorded for later viewing), so look out for the Zoom link we’ll be emailing everyone this Saturday!)

And remember:  I always thank God for you.

Yours in Christ,

Father Chip+     

Dear friends in faith,

I’ve been thinking about this thing they’ve been calling “The Great Resignation” recently.  (No, not that…) 

This is the name given to so many folks who’d been in the active (and frequently over-active) workforce who, because of the time spent at home during COVID, have been reflecting on their lives, and have decided to get off the runaway train of being overworked, overtired, overstressed, and plain just spent and worn-out.  So, they’ve resigned their positions, and…well, who knows.  Changed careers, retired, took a long road trip, you name it. 

There’s no doubt about it:  COVID has changed things in a big way.  Changes that will have a lasting impact on many aspects of our (previously-thought) “normal” lives.

And just today, I read something from the Episcopal News Service that indicated that although churches are now pretty much all open again, attendance has not increased much over COVID levels, which is definitely a cause for concern.

I may be wrong, but I think so many of us are not only feeling tired in our work lives, but so many of us are tired in our church lives, too. 

I get it.  (I am, too!)

But here’s the thing.  As with any of these major shifts that force us to reexamine our lives and our growing edges, we have the chance, now, to decide this:  WHAT IS IT THAT GIVES ME TRUE NOURISHMENT AND SATISFACTION, AND WHAT GIVES ME REAL ENERGY AND SPIRIT?

You know what I’m going to say:  Experiencing God.  TRUE COMMUNITY.  REAL RELATIONSHIPS.  A willingness to begin again, in a new way, with a new spirit.  Trust. Hope.  Gratitude. 

Faith.

Indeed, the last two years have been challenging (to say the least!) for our little church with a big heart and GREAT faith.  We have so many church leaders among us who share the heart of a lion.  Our doors have been open every Sunday for almost a year now. 

And in just about one week, the masks will be coming off (I say:  let’s have a MASK BURNING!)

But however we need to move into our future, I know there’s ONE THING we need most in order for all of us to enjoy the great gifts of faith and love God has so richly bestowed upon us here at St Andrew’s Church, for our mutual joy in companionship and grace:

That’d be YOU.  You are loved, you are beloved.

We love you.

And although I know this ‘going back to church’ thing may be an effort for many of us, please know there are so many of us here praying for you, praying to see you, and share our joys with you as we gather at the Lord’s Table.

Please come, please just come.  

And share with us the God that is within you.

Faithfully yours,

Father Chip+

Good News of Note:  The Feast Goes On…

1. Breakfast every Sunday:  “Breakfast-in-Between,” anytime between 9:00 and 9:45 am.
2. Announcing EMMAUS DINNERS:   Small Groups (7-8) sign up to have dinner together.  Fun!  Email back if you’re interested!
3. A New Uncommonly Good Bible Study is forming (meets only twice a month for an hour, beginning May 16.  Fun!  Email back if you’re interested!               

Luke 13:34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!

Last Sunday’s Gospel reading got me thinking about our Island’s own “Hen Lady,” Nancy Luce.  Nancy was a caretaker to her family and their farm, living in destitute conditions, but as the Island opened to tourism after the Civil War, Nancy became a female entrepreneur, selling her books of poetry and letting tourists take pictures of her for a fee at her farm in West Tisbury.  Nancy had a heart for the chickens but to share God’s mercy, that we should also be kind to each other and each animal in our care.   

1866

Be sure to have feelings for the poor harmless 

                                                                dumb creatures,

And not abuse then, and not let them suffer,

And not be cruel them in no way, they can’t help themselves,

Consider how you would feel, if you could not help yourselves,

And folks crueld you,

If you had any of the love of God in your hearts,

You would not cruel the poor harmless dumb creatures…

Be sure and do as you wish to be done by,

In deeds, words and thoughts,

To human and to the poor harmless dumb creatures too,

Be sure and not do nor say anything,

To damage, nor plague any one,

Consider, and stamp all wickedness under foot…

Be sure and choose what is right, in the sight of God,

Be sure and not have any evil thoughts in your hearts,

Be sure and Banish it all clear.

Nancy Luce, Poor Little Hearts, 1867 or 68, self-published

Nancy’s grave in West Tisbury is easy to spot and worth a visit if you have never been there.  Just look for the chickens in the West Tisbury cemetery.  Also on permanent display at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum are two gravestones Nancy had made for her chickens, Ada Queetie, Beauty Linna, Tweedle Dedel and Bebbee Pinky.

Respectfully submitted,

Laura Noonan

February 10, 2022

Love is Patient; love is kind; … It does not insist on its own way.

1 Corinthians 13 4-5

Paul’s words about love in the First Letter to the Corinthians are some of the most inspiring and well-known in the Bible.  From Paul we learn that love is much more than a feeling.  It is, in fact, a decision, an act of our will. – Scott Stoner, written for Living Well Through Advent 2021

It can be really hard to love and to choose patience.  Especially when the decisions of others whom you love and who choose differently than you can really try your patience.

This weekend my daughter (age 8) and I took a drive to Boston and I let her navigate with GPS.  I knew where I was going (pretty much) but when we came to a tricky intersection in the Fenway area, I took her instruction that I should go straight on to Storrow Drive which sent us away from the Museum of Fine Arts (where we were headed). Not a problem, I thought to myself, I still know where I am. I will let her continue to navigate.  When we came to the exit for Watertown/Cambridge she started to tell me we were now 58 minutes away from our destination.   Fearing that we were going to be stuck in traffic for 58 minutes, I told her I really didn’t know the best way to make a U-Turn so I really needed to look at the map but I would “give it back”. After a momentary power struggle she released control and I checked the map.  Turns out she had changed the transportation mode to “walking” and so I switched it back to “driving” and we were on our way and had a great time at the art museum.

Both of us had to relent our desire to have something “our own way” and put working as a team before our personal need to be in control in order to get to our goal.  It is a decision to practice patience when you’re trying to build trust, but it is certainly worth the effort when love is the result. We are blessed when we live in love with each other to bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things with each other because we know God is really the one in charge.

Help us God to always be kind with each other.  We are all trying, in both senses of the word! 

Respectfully submitted,

Laura Noonan

November 14, 2021

Gratitude

We often speak about how much we all need love. We need to give it and we need to receive it, but are we grateful for it? Do we outwardly say, “I love you”? Do we say, “thank you” for even small things?

I am thankful and grateful for all the Veterans in this country who have fought for our country and try to keep it safe. My father was one of them in WWII.

I have read several pieces lately on prisons and the people in them. What many prisonmates have in common is that their past is lacking many things, but the one thing that stuck with me was the simple words they needed to hear growing up, but rarely, if ever did.

I believe in you. You can do this.

I am proud of you. I love you. Thank you.

A mentor that believed in them when they had no family life.

As I think back, I remember the words my father said, “I am so proud of you.”  It wasn’t a gift for doing something or money. Just simple words that made me feel so good! Gave me a sense of self-worth, encouraged me to continue to do better.

I just finished a book called “Ordinary Grace” by William Kent Krueger. In one chapter Frank and his brother had just mowed the lawn for their grandfather. He had never complimented them; he usually said something like, “I pay you well, make sure you do a good job.” But one day he said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you boys how much I appreciate the job you do. I get compliments all the time on how good this property of mine looks.” After that Frank had a new appreciation and affection for his grandfather.  Not because he got paid, but those few simple words of appreciation.

So, as we move about in our daily lives, let’s seek out the small things we appreciate and acknowledge them with gratitude.

With gratitude,

Palmer Marrin