Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Michael Curry joins other church leaders April 6, 2022, for an online discussion of the friendship between the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Registration is free for Brothers in the Beloved Community, with an option to donate.
Hosted by Washington National Cathedral, Brothers in the Beloved Community starts at 4 pm Pacific Time on Zoom. The basis of this discussion is on a book of the same name by Bishop Marc Andrus of the Episcopal Diocese of California. The discussion explores the relationship between the two men and their efforts to resist harmful forces still at work today.
In addition to Curry and Andrus, speakers at Brothers in the Beloved Community include the following:
Bishop Mariann Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, D.C.
The Rev. Paul Smith, a civil rights veteran, minister, educator, and author.
Cathedral Dean Randy Hollerith moderates the discussion.
Several years before King’s death in 1968, Hanh wrote King an open letter. It was part of an effort to raise awareness and bring peace in Vietnam. As a result, the men met and—despite coming from different religions and cultures, as well as warring countries—developed a deep friendship as they worked together for peace.
In 1967 King nominated Hanh for the Nobel Peace Prize. He wrote, “Thich Nhat Hanh is a holy man, for he is humble and devout. He is a scholar of immense intellectual capacity. His ideas for peace, if applied, would build a monument to ecumenism, to world brotherhood, to humanity.”
Registrants will be sent information with a Zoom link on April 6.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
Being a Christian is not essentially about joining a church or being a nice person, but about following in the footsteps of Jesus, taking his teachings seriously, letting his Spirit take the lead in our lives, and in so doing helping to change the world from our nightmare into God’s dream.
―Michael Curry, Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.
Presiding Bishop Curry was installed as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He was elected to a nine-year term and confirmed at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 2015.
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
This is the weekly bulletin insert from the Episcopal Church, the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year C).
Introduction: Life Transformed–The Way of Love in Lent
The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption. Throughout Lent, come along with us as we explore Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent, produced by Hillary Raining and Jenifer Gamber. You can find resources mentioned below at iam.ec/lifetransformed.
Week 4
Sunday, March 20
Today’s Practice: Watch the Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining’s video at iam.ec/lifetransformed for Week 4. The topic is based on the practice “Bless” and is titled, “A New Heart and a New Spirit”.
Today’s Prompt: How do others experience the love of Christ through you?
Read: “By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” –Gal. 5:22-23
Wednesday, March 30
Today’s Prompt: What can you say “no” to so you can say “yes” to prayer, rest and joy?
Read: “Six days shall work be done; but the seventh day is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation; you shall do no work: it is a sabbath to the Lord throughout your settlements.” –Lev. 23:3
Thursday, March 31
Today’s Prompt: What challenges are you facing today?
Read: “And you will have confidence, because there is hope; you will be protected and take your rest in safety.” –Job 11:18
Friday, April 1
Today’s Prompt: Create a prayer representing how you seek to serve God and follow Jesus.
Read: “No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.” –Matt. 5:15
Saturday, April 2
Today’s Prompt: Where do you find joy and passion?
Read: “They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’” –Luke 24:32
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
We mourn the loss of Madeleine Albright, committed Episcopalian and trailblazing ambassador. I am particularly thankful for her guiding belief that religious leaders have an essential role to play in foreign policy, and for her Anglican sensibility in navigating difference and diversity, which she expressed so well in her book, “Madame Secretary”:
Instead of seeking yet more data to defend what we already think, we need to learn what others think, and why they think it. Instead of conspiring with the like-minded, we need to spend more time learning from those we consider wrongheaded. Even while we challenge the premises of those with whom we disagree, we should take the time to re-examine the logic of our own thinking.
Being a Christian is not essentially about joining a church or being a nice person, but about following in the footsteps of Jesus, taking his teachings seriously, letting his Spirit take the lead in our lives, and in so doing helping to change the world from our nightmare into God’s dream.
―Michael Curry, Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.
Presiding Bishop Curry was installed as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He was elected to a nine-year term and confirmed at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 2015.
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Biden Administration announced on March 24, 2022, that the U.S. will admit 100,000 Ukrainians and others fleeing Russia. In response, Episcopal Migration Ministries said it will help welcome and assist those refugees and others.
“Another brutal conflict has caused much suffering in Ukraine and an exodus of families seeking safety in neighboring countries,” said Demetrio Alvero, operations director for Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM). “With this welcome announcement today that the United States government will assist in the resettlement of 100,000 Ukrainians, EMM will do its part, as it has for various persecuted refugees from across the world, to welcome them with the assistance of our partners, congregations, and community groups.”
In addition to helping Ukrainians and Russians through a range of legal pathways, including the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, the U.S. will provide more than $1 billion toward humanitarian assistance to support people within Ukraine and assist those affected by the impact of Russia’s war.
Work of Episcopal Migration Ministries in Ukraine
Episcopal Migration Ministries has welcomed and resettled more than 100,000 refugees through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program since the 1980s. In 2021, EMM welcomed individuals from 24 countries to 12 communities across the U.S.
Since 2014, EMM has assisted 420 Ukrainians under the Lautenberg Program as refugees to the U.S. The Lautenberg Program, which initially began in 1990 to resettle Jews from the former Soviet Union, is a family reunification program. It allows certain individuals to bring their family members to the U.S. through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
“Episcopal Migration Ministries continues to offer a ministry of welcome through refugee resettlement and the Neighbor to Neighbor program,” said the Rev. Chuck Robertson, canon to the presiding bishop for Ministry Beyond The Episcopal Church. “Since the 1930s, The Episcopal Church has responded faithfully to God’s call to offer compassion and support to the most vulnerable among us. It is our shared faith and ministry, and the support of volunteers and donors, that will allow us to continue resettling vulnerable populations, assist arriving Afghans, and respond to the crisis in Ukraine.”
Episcopal Migration Ministries is a ministry of The Episcopal Church. It is one of nine national agencies responsible for resettling refugees in the U.S. in partnership with the government. EMM has 11 affiliate offices in nine states. In addition to its longstanding work in refugee resettlement, EMM is The Episcopal Church’s convening place for collaboration, education, and information-sharing on migration.
To directly support EMM in its work with Ukrainian refugees, visit episcopalmigrationministries.org/give. Or you can text “EMM” to 41444 (standard messaging and data may rates apply). Make a note for your donation to support Ukrainian refugees.
To donate by mail, send checks to DFMS-Protestant Episcopal Church US, P.O. Box 958983, St. Louis, MO 63195-8983. Include Episcopal Migration Ministries – Ukraine in the memo line.
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
In its first in-person assembly since September of 2019, The Episcopal Church House of Bishops gathered March 15-21, 2022, at Camp Allen in Navasota, Texas, for its traditional spring retreat. In addition to their primary activities of fellowship, study, prayer, and Sabbath, the 133 bishops and bishops-elect present held a business meeting the morning of March 19 that included the passage of pastoral statements/resolutions on the war in Ukraine and anti-trans legislation in various states.
Statement by the bishops on the war against Ukraine
The Rt. Rev. Marc Andrus, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, introduced the statement on Ukraine on behalf of the Rt. Rev. Mark Edington, bishop in charge of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, whose arrival at the gathering was delayed due to supporting churches in the region serving an influx of Ukrainian refugees.
The statement follows an Executive Council resolution from January 2022 expressing grave concern about escalating tensions between Ukraine and Russia and speaks to the current moment, identifying “a direct link between our baptismal covenant to respect the dignity of all people in Christ and the demand to respect the will of nations to determine their own destiny—the rule of jus cogens, in international law—when expressed freely in the ballot box.”
The bishops denounced Russian attacks on civilians, including “civilian residences, medical facilities, even agreed corridors for the humanitarian withdrawal of civilians in areas of combat,” and described these actions as a flagrant breach of international norms.
Anti-transgender response of the bishops
Turning to other recent events, the bishops acknowledged, in a pastoral statement/resolution, the context of meeting in Texas three weeks after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called upon citizens to report parents pursuing gender-affirming medical care for their transgender children. The Rt. Rev. Kai Ryan, bishop suffragan of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, introduced the statement, and the bishops debated at some length whether to name specific states proposing anti-trans legislation or to cast broadly in anticipation of likely future bills.
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Doyle, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, urged the group to consider the importance of naming specific instances of bigotry and mentioned the support he personally felt in recent weeks knowing The Episcopal Church stands up for the protection and inclusion of transgender people.
The bishops unanimously affirmed this perspective in their resolution, which further states:
[We] voice love and continued support for all persons who identify as transgender or non-binary and their families. We decry legislative initiatives and governmental actions targeting trans children and their families. We urge all in our church to create safe spaces and shield all people from harassment based on gender identity.
Several bishops spoke as parents and grandparents of trans and non-binary children in affirming their support for the statement.
80th General Convention of the Episcopal Church
Heading into The Episcopal Church’s 80th General Convention in July 2022, the House of Bishops will include 39 new voting members since the 79th General Convention in 2018, and the bishops were introduced to a legislation-tracking spreadsheet tool to assist in their committee processes.
The Rt. Rev. John Taylor, bishop of Los Angeles, introduced a pastoral letter in response to B003—a 2018 resolution on Jerusalem—that focuses on the hope of the holy city as well as possible new coalitions and partnerships in the region with whom the church may continue to work for peace and reconciliation.
Other actions by the bishops
The House of Bishops Committee on Resignations also presented and passed a proposal to re-admit the Rt. Rev. Whayne Hougland, former bishop of the dioceses of Eastern and Western Michigan, as a non-voting member of the house. The Rt. Rev. Todd Ousley, bishop for pastoral development, praised this moment of reconciliation as an example of “living into the highest ideals of our Title IV process.”
On Sunday, March 20, the House of Bishops changed gears from originally planned programming when guest speaker Pádraig Ó Tuama was unable to attend due to a personal emergency. Five bishops from the dioceses of Olympia, Maryland, Northwestern Pennsylvania and Western New York, Colombia, and South Carolina offered a variety of stories from their dioceses of the difficult, painful—but essential—work of truth and reconciliation.
Lambeth Conference, a once-a-decade gathering of bishops from across the Anglican Communion, will be held July 26 to August 8, 2022, in Canterbury, England. The Episcopal bishops discussed their anticipated involvement Monday, March 21, with particular attention to logistics and some discussion of objectives.
House of Bishops
The second house, along with the House of Deputies, of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. The House of Bishops is composed of all bishops, active and retired, of the church. It meets concurrently with the House of Deputies during General Convention. The House of Bishops also holds yearly meetings between conventions.
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
“Give me Jesus!” is Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s sermon for the House of Bishops on March 15, 2022.
The following is a transcript of the sermon of Presiding Bishop Michael Curry at the House of Bishops of The Episcopal Church, meeting in retreat at Camp Allen, Navasota, Texas, through March 21, 2022. These remarks have been lightly edited for clarity. A transcript in Spanish is available at the same link.
In the name of our loving, liberating and life-giving God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Some of y’all remember the TV show “Welcome Back, Kotter”? Welcome back, Kotter. Welcome, bishops. Welcome back, in person. It feels like a modified exile. And in one sense, I suppose it has been. COVID, racial reckoning, an attempted overthrow of the government of the United States. And now a world that hasn’t been this close to self-destruction since the Cuban missile crisis. But welcome back anyway.
So when I saw the lessons that had been appointed—because I love lectionaries. You can love in a dialectical sort of way. When I saw the lessons that were appointed for today, I said, “Those are good lessons.” But I think I heard the Spirit, maybe. I won’t blame it on the Spirit. Something said, “I got another text for you.” And this is a welcome back text. Words of Jesus found in the 11th chapter of Matthew:
“Come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy.” It’ll fit, because my burden is light.
Come unto me, all ye who were bishops before this pandemic, and all ye, [inaudible] bishops who were consecrated during the pandemic. Come unto me, all ye who have been consecrated since then and all who soon will be. Come unto me, Episcopal Church. Come unto me, people who follow in my way and claim the name Christian. Come unto me whosoever will, who are weary, tired, beaten down, worn out, COVID crazy, right? Come unto me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke. Instead of the yoke that’s imposed on you from this world, take my yoke and learn from me. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is not slavery. It’s freedom.
An old spiritual said it this way, “In the morning when I rise, in the morning when I rise, in the morning when I rise, give me Jesus. When it’s time for me to die, when it’s time for me to die, when it’s time for me to die, just give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. Give me Jesus. You can have all this world. Just give me Jesus” (paraphrased). Come unto me, he said. Or as he would’ve said in south of Judah, y’all come. Come.
That spiritual, you can have all the world, give me Jesus, I’ve known it all my life. It’s kind of like the Lord’s prayer. I don’t remember when I didn’t know it. And I think I know it because it tended to get sung at family funerals, at least at the Baptist side of my family. Not at the Episcopal side. Those funerals were so short, they’re not memorable, but anyway, oops.
But in the Baptist side of my family, the Pentecostal Holiness side of my family, that was always sung. You can have all this world, give me Jesus. I suspect that’s where I heard it, but I remember at one particular funeral—this would’ve been the summer of 1969, I believe. The funeral had been at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, where my Aunt Callie taught Sunday school. And she had gone on the glory, and so the whole family trucked to Birmingham for a funeral. And then we buried her out in the country and came back to Birmingham for the family repast after the funeral.
I don’t know if y’all’s families are like this. I don’t know if this is an ethnic thing or not. I have no idea. But usually the repast is the time folk tell stories, and that’s what people do at funerals anyway. They tell stories and lies, and usually critique the preacher. Because sometimes the preachers will preach folk into heaven and say, “Oh, so and so, oh, he was a saint. He was a…” And we say, “You know, we loved uncle so and so, but we knew him. He wasn’t no saint now.”
But anyway, folk would come back. And then in my family, on my father’s side, folk, they would debate politics, and sports, and the Bible. On this one occasion, this was 1968, the summer of ‘68, Dr. King had been assassinated. Bobby Kennedy had been assassinated. Medgar Evers. Viola Liuzzo. John Kennedy, a president. And one of my cousins got in a debate, a polite debate, because in those day you didn’t talk back to the elders. A polite debate with one of my uncles who was a preacher, Baptist preacher. And he said, “You know, I’m tired of hearing folks sing that song, ‘You can have all this world, just give me Jesus.’” And he said, “That’s exactly what our folk got. We’ve been singing that song. You can have all this world, and somebody else got the world and all we got was Jesus.”
And I don’t remember how the debate ended, but needless to say, my uncle was not pleased. But it was like what Desmond Tutu said about Southern Africa, he said, “When the missionaries came, they had the Bible and we had the land. Next thing we knew, we had the Bible, and they had the land.” Something was wrong with that deal. We love the Bible, but how about Bible and land?
My cousin had a point, that religion sometimes can be an opiate of the people. It can be twisted and distorted and misused to a narcotic, to keep people from rising up and claiming their God-given rights and human dignity. Although it has been used before, but I believe that old song has a deeper wisdom. “You can have all this world, just give me Jesus.” See, don’t underestimate the power of that which is authentically spiritual. Because if it is authentically of the spirit, it is of God. Don’t underestimate that. It may take its time. As the old preachers say, “It may not be on your time.” It may not happen on my time, but when God’s will is done on earth, as it is in heaven, it is always on time.
Don’t underestimate the power of hope. Dante warned us, “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here,” over the gates of hell. Don’t underestimate the power of faith. Don’t underestimate the power of love. Don’t underestimate the spiritual. People who believe. People got God. They will make it against all the odds. If you don’t believe me, ask the folk of Ukraine. Help me, somebody. Mary Glasspool gave this to me right before the Eucharist. It is a candle, adorned. She got it from a Ukrainian shop in New York. Don’t, Putin, oh, I’m going to get in trouble. I know I’m going to get in trouble with what I’m about to say. Putin may overrun the country, but he will not defeat the people of Ukraine. He will not. Spirit will always win over flesh. It may not be in the forecast time, but it’s real.
In 1853, Theodore Parker, an abolitionist, when it looked like slavery would never end in this country, said, and I quote, “I do not pretend to understand the moral universe. The arc seems to be a long one, but from what I can see it bends toward justice.” Dr. King shortened it and said, “The moral arc of the universe is long, but it is bent toward justice.” Not because of some metaphysical magic, but because there is a God. And if there is a God, then there is hope. If there is a God, then there can be faith. And if there is a God, as my Bible says, who is love, then in the end, no matter what we have to go through now, in the end, love is going to win. If there’s a God, love is going to win.
Pray for Ukraine. Don’t give up on them. Do other things, send money to the refugees—Episcopal Relief & Development is working with other Christian groups in Hungary and in Eastern Europe. So get folk to send money. This is a commercial. Am I on TV somewhere here? Get the money to Episcopal Relief & Development. And there may be other things we can do, but do not abandon them without prayer. Pray. Pray for Ukraine. Pray for Russia. Pray for Putin, that unlike Pharaoh his hardened heart may be turned.
And if it doesn’t turn, pray for the leaders of the nations, that they will have moral courage, spiritual wisdom to do what is right, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God. Don’t abandon prayer now. Pray for the children of Ukraine. I love, I got to tell this, I have fallen in love with the people of Ukraine. First of all, they cuss better than anybody else I have … I mean, they have invented some cussing that wasn’t there. They are incredible. I can’t say some of the words that they … There was a group of little old ladies who looked like a prayer group on CNN, and they asked them, “What do you think of Putin?” And I think it was “glossolalia,” some unknown tongue, because they got to cussing and saying all sorts of stuff.
But these are remarkable people. Their spirit, they just want to free. They just want to be free. And the truth of the matter is, Thomas Jefferson, he had his issues like the lesson that we just had from Matthew 23, where Jesus said, “Do what the scribes and pharisees say, don’t do what they do.” When it comes to Thomas Jefferson, don’t do what he did, but he was right: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men”—all people—”are created equal.” Thomas Jefferson said the God who gave us life, gave us liberty at the same time. And that is true for everybody. The people of Ukraine just want to be free.
I’m not going to talk long this morning, but I ain’t seen y’all in person in a long time. You don’t know. You have no idea how glad I am to see you all. You have no idea. Oh, dear Lord. I remember this would’ve been, well, probably 1960, and I went to the movie with my daddy. And we went to see “Exodus.” It was based on Leon Uris’ book, “Exodus.” And now we understand that’s a complex story, more complex than we understood in 1960. I understand all of that, so don’t go political on me right now. But it is the story of people seeking freedom.
At the end of the movie, we went out and daddy just blurted out—it was really fascinating now that I think about it—he just said, “The Lord didn’t make anybody to be under anybody’s boot. He made us all to be free.” All of us. He was right. He made the people of Ukraine to be free. Not free for licentiousness, but free to be all that God intends for us to be. But freedom, stay with me, freedom is a spiritual reality. You see where I’m going now? Don’t underestimate the power for freedom, said St. Paul. “Christ has set us free. Stand fast and do not accept the yoke of slavery again.” That’s St. Paul. That’s in the Bible. And it ain’t just talking about personal sin. It’s talking about that, but it’s talking about for freedom, Christ has set us free.
Those slaves used to sing a spiritual. It said, “Oh, freedom. Oh, freedom. Oh, freedom over me. And before I’ll be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free.”
Did you catch that? Somebody who is legally chattel property, somebody who by every political socioeconomic reality of this world—stay with me—is a slave, declaring, “I’m not a slave. Before I’ll be a slave, I’ll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free.” Oh, this spiritual thing, this business we are, this is powerful stuff. It can set the captive free, even when the world would enslave. Jesus says, “Come unto me. Come unto me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden.”
I don’t know if it’s just because I’m 69, but I’m not lying. I’m tired. But I’m feeling good this morning because I see you all. Yeah, we’re all kind of tired. And folk in church, I call it COVID crazy. Everybody’s a little bit on edge and folk acting out in ways that… Have you noticed a pattern? Yeah, I don’t know if it’s just Christian COVID crazy or if it’s human COVID crazy. And I got to go to the meeting with the primates of the Anglican communion right after this meeting . . . I don’t know what to expect in that, but I’m looking forward to a great, getting-up morning. But nonetheless, I mean the truth is everybody, there is a weariness, and you have been frontline folk even on Zoom. And our clergy have been frontline folk. And they’re tired. And the world is giving us no rest.
Jesus says, come unto me all who are weary, heaven laden and beaten down by the realities of this world. Take my yoke. Take my way of life and love. Take what I’m trying to teach you. Take my yoke upon you. Learn from me. Don’t you know? Oh, Cynthia Bourgeault is coming. You all got to know Jesus is Sophia’s child. “Learn from me for my yoke is easy.” That Greek, where it doesn’t mean it’s easy. What was that? “Ease on down, ease on down the road” (singing). This is not that. No. Easy means it fits. It was made for you. My yoke is easy. It was made to make human life human as God dreamed and intended. It fits. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. And you will find rest. Did you catch this? Rest. God’s eternal Sabbath rest for your soul.
I read [Walter] Brueggemann’s book, “Sabbath as Resistance,” or at least most of the part I could understand. Rob Wright turned me on to Brueggemann. He understands it. Lot of times I just go, that’s deep. I don’t know what he was talking about, but it’s deep. But at one point, the one part I did understand was when Brueggemann said, “When God rested on the Sabbath, the seventh day, it is rest in one sense. But, it also means that everything,” stay with me, I’m coming at something, “is in its right relationship and proportion. It is as God intended it to be.” That’s when everything is at rest and God saw after the Sabbath was made, everything that God had made, including Sabbath rest. And God said, “Oh, that is showing off good.” Or as George Jefferson used to say, you all remember “The Jeffersons”? When George did something right, he used to pat himself on the back and say, “Good one, George.”
God kind of said, “This is a good one.” When the world is the way I intended it to be. When all things are consistent with the created order. When love is the law of the creation. When the creation is cared for. When there’s room for all of God’s children. And God rested and said, “It is good.” Oh, you can have all this world. You all see this? Is this making some sense? Just give me Jesus. Well, I’m really going to bring this home. I really am now.
As many of you know, this past January, Dr. Charles Willie, who served at one time as the vice president of the House of Deputies in the 1970s, and who was, oh yeah, you know him well, yeah. I mean, Jennifer (Baskerville-Burrows) would know him from Syracuse, from Grace Church. But Dr. Charles Willie, who was a lifelong Episcopalian from Dallas, Texas, he died and entered life eternal in January. And that has been the case with many who have gone on to glory during the COVID pandemic; funerals are delayed. And so I got a note, an email from Byron Rushing, our current vice president of the House of Deputies, just Sunday, saying that the family’s having a memorial service for him this coming Saturday, in light of the fact that the omicron spread was happening in January.
When I got that note from Byron, I thought about Dr. Willie, and remembered that he was an African American child born and reared here in Texas a long time ago. His mama was a teacher, but not allowed to teach in the public schools because of Jim Crow. Daddy was a Pullman car porter. My granddaddy was a Pullman porter. Went with A. Philip Randolph to the march on Washington in the ‘40s. I wish I had asked him when I was a little kid, what was all that like? Dr. Willie was, Arthur Williams would know Dr. Willie, was a great person, committed Episcopalian, lifelong. He was somebody who devised these segregation plans that were used in a number of cities in this country that actually worked. He was a sociologist who challenged the prevailing notions about the inadequacies of the Black family. And he statistically verified that frankly, that the survival of the Black family was a miracle. A miracle. He was a remarkable guy, not only in his career as an academician, but in his churchmanship and his commitment to Jesus Christ and his church.
He became the vice president of the House of Deputies. And Byron Rushing, in an article, said this, “Black Episcopalians were both proud of Chuck being elected first African American to the Executive Council and vice president of the House of Deputies.” They were so proud because you cannot imagine and cannot overemphasize how racially segregated The Episcopal Church was before the 1970s. It was a stunning reality. Dr. Willie believed that God made all people equal. He believed that the “imago Dei,” the image of God that is conferred upon every human being, is a conferral of infinite value and worth of every human child of God. And that imago Dei is equally distributed upon everybody. Nobody’s got a little bit more of imago Dei than anybody else. Nobody got no more superiority of that imago Dei than anybody else. This is God’s image. This is God’s likeness. This is the God who is love, conferring his dignity and words on every human child of God. And Dr. Willie came to believe that if this was true for his African American community, this must be true for everybody.
And in 1974, he preached at the ordination of the Philadelphia 11. And when the House of Bishops spoke against him, I know I’m getting in trouble, but I’m 69 now. When the House spoke—and we respect people’s opinions, don’t misunderstand me, please—the voices and the chorus against him, and the tide turned against him. And he found himself receiving criticism from Blacks and whites alike. Black folk were upset because he could have been the first Black president of the House of Deputies. And others had their reasons.
But he believed in it, in the God who is love and who is an equal opportunity lover. And so he resigned as vice president of the House of Deputies. And this is what he said to explain this decision, and I quote, “An officer is a servant of the people who attend to the collective life and the rules and regulations developed by that community or association for its life. Either I had to enforce sexist laws, or I had to get the church to change them, or I had to resign as vice president of the House of Deputies. It was the only path of integrity.” And then listen to this: “I could not act like Pilate and do what I knew was wrong. I could not segregate, alienate, and discriminate against women simply because it was legal to do this and yet somehow claim to be acting in love. When that which is legal and that which is loving are in contention, legality must give way to love. I decided not to be Pontius Pilate.”
That, my friends, is a profile in courage. That, my friends, is someone who chose Jesus and not the way of the world. And don’t misunderstand me. Courage comes in conservative stripes as well as liberal ones. Courage comes in all colors. Courage comes in all kinds. Courage comes in all shapes.
For all who have been baptized into Christ and put on Christ, and there is no more slave or free. There is no more male or female. There is no more Jew or Greek, for all are one in Christ. And those who are in Christ, they shall wait upon the Lord. They shall mount up on wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and they will not faint. Come unto me, all ye who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(singing)
You can have all this world, Give me Jesus!
In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise, In the morning when I rise,
Give me Jesus! Give me Jesus! Give me Jesus! You can have all this world, Give me Jesus!
Welcome back.
Amen.
Presiding Bishop Michael Curry
Being a Christian is not essentially about joining a church or being a nice person, but about following in the footsteps of Jesus, taking his teachings seriously, letting his Spirit take the lead in our lives, and in so doing helping to change the world from our nightmare into God’s dream.
―Michael Curry, Crazy Christians: A Call to Follow Jesus
The Most Rev. Michael Bruce Curry is Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. He is the Chief Pastor and serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and as Chair of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.
Presiding Bishop Curry was installed as the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church on November 1, 2015. He was elected to a nine-year term and confirmed at the 78th General Convention of The Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 27, 2015.
This second house, along with the House of Deputies, of the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. This house is composed of all bishops, active and retired, of the church. It meets concurrently with the House of Deputies during General Convention. The House of Bishops also holds yearly meetings between conventions.
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
This is the weekly bulletin insert from the Episcopal Church, the 3rd Sunday in Lent (Year C).
Introduction: Life Transformed–The Way of Love in Lent
The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death; then, we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, communities are invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Together, we will reflect anew on the loving actions of God as recounted in the Easter Vigil readings. Together, we will walk through the depths of salvation history into the fullness of redemption. Throughout Lent, come along with us as we explore Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent, produced by Hillary Raining and Jenifer Gamber. You can find resources mentioned below at iam.ec/lifetransformed.
Week 3
Sunday, March 20
Today’s Practice: Watch the Rev. Dr. Hillary Raining’s video at iam.ec/lifetransformed for Week 3. The topic is based on the practice “Learn” and is titled, “Learn Wisdom and Live.”
Today’s Prompt: Where can you seek and serve Christ in someone unlike you?
Read: “And you shall be my people, and I will be your God. Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall take your tambourines, and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant, and shall enjoy the fruit.” –Jer. 30:22, 31:4-5
Wednesday, March 23
Today’s Prompt: How can you incorporate rest from technology today?
Read: “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” –Matt. 11:28
Thursday, March 24
Today’s Prompt: Try praying with Anglican prayer beads.
Read: “Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” –Luke 18:1
Friday, March 25
Today’s Prompt: In your prayers today, what new words or thoughts touch you?
Read: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” –Phil. 4:6
Saturday, March 26
Today’s Prompt: How might you share what brings you great joy with others?
Read: “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.” –Rom. 12:6-8
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
In this fifth episode of season 4 of Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community, we speak with Episcopalians committed to the Beloved Community about the texts for the Easter Vigil. The texts covered in this episode are Exodus 14:10-31, 15:20-21, and Luke 24:1-12. Our guests this week are:
The energetic Nick Gordon, the United Thank Offering‘s Julia Chester Emery intern working with the Reconciliation, Justice, and Creation Care team. He is a college student attending New York University and is a Vestry and altar guild member at St. John’s in the Village Church in New York City. He is also a current member of the Diocese of New York’s Committee to Elect a Bishop and Antiracism Committee.
The Rev. Lydia Simmons, from Lead, South Dakota, missioner for Camp and Young Adult Ministries for the Diocese of South Dakota and rector of Christ Church Episcopal in Lead. Her labradoodle puppy, Luna, loves to contribute to all aspects of her ministry, including in the background of most conversations!
Prophetic Voices is hosted by the Rev. Isaiah “Shaneequa” Brokenleg, The Episcopal Church’s staff officer for Racial Reconciliation. For more information visit Becoming Beloved Community.
Find the episode online or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community
Across our church and our society, we are having profound dialogues about race, truth, justice, and healing. Coming this Advent, Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community explores where that dialogue intersects with our faith. Join us and our invited guests as we share prophetic voices and explore the readings for each week of Advent and Christmas Day through the lens of social justice.
You’ll hear ancient texts interpreted in new ways, find fodder for preaching and teaching, and make present day connections to the prophetic voices of the Bible. This podcast will help us rethink how we hear, see, and interact with the lectionary readings, refocusing from the rush of the Christmas season to the voice crying out in the wilderness.
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
Episcopal Relief & Development is supporting Action by Churches Together (ACT Alliance) as it provides critical assistance to support people affected by violence in Ukraine. Working through ACT member Hungarian Interchurch Aid (HIA) and other local organizations, ACT Alliance is providing emergency assistance such as food, shelter, water and basic supplies to refugees and people displaced within Ukraine.
2 million leave Ukraine
The UN Refugee Agency estimates that as of March 8, [2022,] more than two million people have left Ukraine since Russian forces invaded the country, making this the fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. Damage to civilian infrastructure has left thousands without electricity or water. Homes have been damaged and destroyed, displacing hundreds of thousands within the country. People are fleeing to neighboring countries such as Poland, Hungary and Romania and their long-term destination is unclear.
HIA response to those leaving Ukraine
On February 27, [2022,] HIA set up a refugee support point on the Ukrainian side of the border at Beregsurány where volunteers are providing hot tea, sandwiches, refreshments, blankets and basic hygiene items for refugees, who often wait long hours to cross the border into Hungary. These refugees include many children and older adults. HIA is in contact with its network of churches and organizations, as well as local governments in Hungary, to coordinate cash assistance, shelter, food and medicine for people who have been displaced.
Other partners in Ukrainian response
ACT Alliance is setting up similar support points at other border towns to assist people as they leave Ukraine. It is working through local partners to provide aid for refugees in Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Poland.
“Episcopal Relief & Development was founded by The Episcopal Church to help people fleeing violence in World War II,” said Nagulan Nesiah, Senior Program Officer, Disaster Response and Risk Reduction, Episcopal Relief & Development. “We remain committed to supporting our partners on the ground as they meet both immediate and long-term needs created by this crisis.”
Donations to Episcopal Relief & Development’s Ukraine Crisis Response Fund will help the organization and its partners continue to provide assistance to people displaced by the crisis in Ukraine.
Episcopal Relief & Development
For over 80 years, Episcopal Relief & Development has been working together with supporters and partners for lasting change around the world. Each year the organization facilitates healthier, more fulfilling lives for close to 3 million people struggling with hunger, poverty, disaster and disease. Inspired by Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, Episcopal Relief & Development leverages the expertise and resources of Anglican and other partners to deliver measurable and sustainable change in three signature program areas: Women, Children and Climate.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The history of the Good Friday Offering reaches back to 1922. In the aftermath of World War I, The Episcopal Church sought to create new relationships with and among the Christians of the Middle East. These initial efforts focused on a combination of relief work and the improvement of ecumenical and Anglican relations. From this, the Good Friday Offering was created.
Through the years many Episcopalians have found the Good Friday Offering to be an effective way to express their support for the ministries of the three dioceses of the Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. Pastoral care, education and health care continue to be primary ministries through which the reconciling spirit of the Christian faith serves all in need. Participation in this ministry is welcome. The generous donations of Episcopalians help the Christian presence in the Land of the Holy One to be a vital and effective force for peace and understanding among all of God’s children.
This year we are celebrating a century of gifts and rejoicing in 2,000 years of Good News. For 100 years, Episcopalians have generously shared their love, compassion, and financial gifts. This offering supports the ministry of the Anglican Communion Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East. These gifts have made an astounding difference in the lives of many people in the homeland of Jesus and beyond. Check out our history of the Good Friday Offering to learn more about this life-changing ministry week by week.
To make a donation to the Good Friday Offering by mail, please write a check payable to The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, add “Good Friday Offering” in the memo line, and mail it to:
DFMS – Protestant Episcopal Church US P.O. Box 958983 St. Louis, MO 63195-8983
The History of the Good Friday Offering
View the online offerings for the Good Friday Offering’s centennial year. Find stories, photos, artifacts, and history about the offering. See the way societies, the institutional church, borders, liturgical styles, missiology, and so much more have adapted and otherwise changed over 100 years. Each week, join us as we celebrate a century of gifts and rejoice in 2000 years of Good News.
Church of the Redeemer
Welcome to Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6220 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. We are a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
