The Dwelling Place of God

A few weeks ago, we read the Old Testament account of King Solomon dedicating the Temple in the city of Jerusalem. The people brought the Ark of the Covenant – the box that held the Ten Commandments – up to Jerusalem and placed it in the center of Temple. Then the glory of the Lord – the very presence of the Lord – filled the place. This was the house of the Lord. Now, the people knew that their building could not restrain or contain God. Solomon acknowledges this.

The House of the Lord

“I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1

This verse is one of my earliest memories. As a child, I remember hearing it recited as we began Morning Prayer. The house of the Lord is a holy place and a place of joy. I’m sure that most of you could share important memories from your life that have taken place in a house of the Lord. In recent years, we have come to recognize that the Church is not the building and we can worship the Lord anywhere, but places of worship do take on meaning and become holy because of the prayers that are offered and the praises that are sung within their walls.

Bishop Henderson’s Catawba Residency

Once a year, Bishop Henderson goes to each Convocation of the Diocese for a three day visit or residency. Our Bishop will be with us in the Catawba Convocation on June 24th – 26th. During that time, he will be available for meetings with anyone who would like to see him. He will be available at St. Paul’s on the morning of June 25th. If you would like to meet with him call his secretary, Jane Goldsmith, at the Diocesan offices – (803) 771-7800. That night at 7:00PM, there will be a convocation-wide Confirmation service at Our Saviour in Rock Hill. Everyone is invited.

The Journey to Easter: Holy Week

Since Ash Wednesday, we have been traveling the journey of Lent. Now we approach Holy Week, the most holy time of the Church year. It begins with Palm Sunday as we stand with the disciples and cheer Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. We wave our palms with the rest of the crowd. But this triumphant entry leads to the cross because before the service is over we have also heard the passion gospel, a preview of the week ahead.

Lent: a season for change

In the Jewish tradition, the feast of Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of the Jewish New Year. It is a joyful celebration. But then just nine days later they observe Yom Kipper, the most solemn observance in the Jewish faith, a day confession and of atonement for sin. This close association of celebration and confession has puzzled me in the past. But a few years ago, I was invited to preach in a Baptist Church pastored by a friend of mine. They were having their annual revival. But just before the revival, they had celebrated their homecoming. Again, I saw a sequence of events where celebration led into an occasion for re-evaluating life and making a commitment to change. I have come to realize the value of this flow. When we recognize the blessing of God in our lives, we are filled with joy and thanksgiving. But then when we really appreciate the magnitude of the gift, we recognize the need to live lives that are a response to the gift given. Sometimes we realize that the way we have been living is not the way we want to live in the future. In these times we are called to make a change in life, to turn around and go in a different direction. This is literally what it means to repent.

Stewardship

Stewardship? This may seem like the wrong time of the year to talk about stewardship. Often we think of stewardship as something that we do once a year, usually in the fall when we complete our pledge cards. But stewardship is more. Stewardship is about the whole of our lives, how we use the gifts that God has given us: our time, talents, and treasure. Each Sunday at the 8:00AM Eucharist, I quote a verse from I Chronicles 29:14 at the offertory, “All things come of thee O Lord and of thine own have we given thee.” If we believe this, it is important to stop and take time to think about how we will use the gifts that God has given.

Cursillo

“Cursillo” is a Spanish word meaning “short course”. A Christian Cursillo is a short course in Christianity. On a Cursillo weekend, participants explore the meaning of their faith. They hear others speak about their own faith and practical steps to grow in their practice and understanding of faith. Through a community of small groups, participants discuss these new insights and explore ways to implement them into life. Cursillo is also just fun. You have the opportunity to get to know others from all over the upstate of South Carolina. As you worship together, share together, and sing together (contemporary Christian music), a beautiful Christian community is formed.

Blessed; to be a Blessing.

We are blessed in many ways. We are blessed by the skills and talents we have. We are blessed by our family and friends. We are blessed by the economic resources that have been left in our charge. We are blessed by the political freedoms that we sometimes take for granted. We are blessed by our relationship with God revealed to us in Jesus, his son. We have received much from God. We are blessed.

Cursillo

“Cursillo” is a Spanish word meaning “short course”. A Christian Cursillo is a short course in Christianity. On a Cursillo weekend, participants explore the meaning of their faith. They hear others speak about their own faith and practical steps to grow in their practice and understanding of faith. Through a community of small groups, participants discuss these new insights and explore ways to implement them into life. Cursillo is also just fun.

Pentecost

On May 11th, we not only celebrate Mother’s Day, we will celebrate the birthday of the
Church – the feast of Pentecost. On Pentecost, Jesus sent his special gift for his Church – the Holy Spirit. On that first Pentecost morning, the disciples were gathered together. Jesus had returned to heaven.