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September 11, 2022

SAFETY

     Recently I was listening to a Forward Day by Day podcast and the speaker read an excerpt from psalm 31 and suddenly, I became aware of just how long I’ve been looking for my “crag”….the safe place amongst the rocks.  As I was listening, I fondly remembered my Mother instructing my best friend Victoria and I to look for the crags, the places to shelter for safety if we were in danger. She explained, when we were old enough and able to venture beyond our street filled with familiar faces, we may need to find a safe spot from severe elements like hail, rabid animals and people who may want to harm us.  She said, sometimes, we would be afraid but not to let the fear overcome us. If we didn’t know what we needed, or where to go, to take a deep breath and simply let God know what we were feeling, go within, and God would let us know what to do.  My prayer then and now in some variation, Please God, I’m afraid, I don’t know what to do, I need your help.

     Was my mother’s instruction helpful? Absolutely!  As a child and adult, I found refuge in entryways of businesses, police stations, fire stations and even asked adults if I could stand by them until danger passed.

     Psalm 31 reminds me as I struggle to find safety with limited resource and mobility that my “crag”, that place of safety and comfort where I can relax and breathe, can be found whenever I surrender and allow God to lead. Contemplating my mother’s wisdom and the psalm, I realize crags, are not always physical. When I say no to something that is harmful to me or someone else, and yes to addressing a need, with God’s grace, I’m creating a spiritual “crag”.  An opportunity, to walk a more enlightened path whose ripple in time and space is unknown and my “crag” becomes the comfort of knowing, it was the right thing to do.

Beloved God;

Psalm 31: Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe, for you are my crag and stronghold; for the sake of your Name, lead me and guide me.

Always In Faith, Andrea Bolling

Our Weekly Meditation

Father Chip has spoken about community. Community of church, faith, friends and God. So many people are searching for a community: refugees, old people, young people… Many go from church to church seeking, seeking what? Comfort, community, or God. Perhaps all three.

You can’t find a community until you dive in and get involved.

I love coming to our beautiful peaceful church to do flowers or just look at the stained-glass windows and spend some quiet time with God. I love seeing the old faces and the new, hearing little voices who are in search of Christ but perhaps don’t know it yet.

While ushering this week, I noticed a small helper at my side, so I slipped my hand in hers and together we ushered people to God’s table for Communion. Having small helpers to take the offering to the Altar, that is community. That is what I hope will engage the young to keep coming back, because they like to feel they belong and are involved.

Breakfast-in-between is fellowship and community.

I love my community of St. Andrew’s.

I pray that others will seek out our community because it has so many treasures that God provides.

Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass.

Psalm 37:5

Gratefully,

Palmer Marrin

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