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Rector’s Reflections
September 2006 “Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13, 14). Saint Paul is beginning to close his first letter to the Corinthians with these words. I like the way that Paul here makes clear that love is a sign of courage, a sign of strength. Paul then closes this letter with greetings from the churches of Asia and greetings from individuals like Aquila and Prisca – the married couple who hosted a congregation in their house. Paul says to the Corinthians that all of these people, “Greet you warmly in the Lord” (v. 19) And Paul adds, “All the brothers and sisters send greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss” (v. 20). So simply greeting one another is a form, a sign of love. Let’s keep that in mind on Sunday mornings when we come together for worship at the Eucharist. Let’s, of course, greet each other warmly, as we so often do. And may each one of us also make a special effort to reach out with warm greetings to all newcomers. As Saint Benedict said, “Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, ‘I came as a guest, and you received Me’ (Matt. 25:35). And to all let due honor be shown.” In the peace of Christ, The Rev. John Paul+
August 2006 Brothers and sisters, isn’t it wonderful that we have the Good News? And not just any Good News, but the best news there is! Yes the Father sent Jesus to live and die for us! And they have sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts! We are thus saved from our sins; we are saved from hopelessness and fear! It doesn’t mean we never sin. It doesn’t mean we never feel fear or struggle to be hopeful. But the Good News is that God and God’s goodness is stronger than sin and any evil. When we look at the world, or even when we look at our own lives, our own families and friends, our own church –we can see that none of us, and none of our organizations are perfect. God’s kingdom has not come in its fullness to earth. But, God’s kingdom is here! God’s kingdom is within and among us –and whenever we let God inspire us to pray or do good, we and others can experience the joy and hope of God’s kingdom! Sin and hopelessness and fear are thereby diminished –and God’s kingdom spreads. So let’s keep our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith. Let’s not be overcome by evil; rather, let’s overcome evil with good!
In the peace of Christ, The Rev. John Paul+
July 2006 Brothers and sisters, I’m grateful for the love I’ve seen among us at Christ the Redeemer. Let’s continue to pray for the grace to grow in love. “Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.” 1 John 2:9-11. God gives us a free will. But if we want to follow Jesus, we must love one another. If we don’t love our brothers and sisters in Christ (each other), how are we going to love our enemies (another of Jesus’ commands)? In fact, if we don’t love each other, then, “[we] do not know where [we] are going, because the darkness has blinded [us].” Thus the only way we are going to see straight or go anywhere is through love. So let’s continue to love one another. And when we miss the mark, let us quickly turn back to God and each other in love. In the peace of Christ, The Rev. John Paul+
June 1, 2006 Brothers and sisters, five of us have just returned from our trip to New Orleans in which we did hurricane Katrina relief work with the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and volunteers from other churches. We worked hard “mucking,” that is, gutting and cleaning out flooded homes in New Orleans. When the homeowner was there we were able to listen to and speak with this person as well. Though the work was hard and the weather was hot, I think we all received more than we gave as we experienced the courage and faith of the homeowners and the camaraderie among the local volunteers, many of whom were young people. God inspired and sustained us, and we were supported by the prayers of the parishioners of Christ the Redeemer. Also, we were blessed by the wonderful hospitality of Felix Delahoussaye and his friend Jackie in New Orleans. Thank you to Felix and Jackie, and thanks be to God who provides for all our needs! In the peace of Christ, The Rev. John Paul+
May 5, 2006My Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) PrayerGod, thank you for the gift of memory, painful as that gift can be. It is painful but necessary to remember the genocide of the Holocaust. We are grateful for the freedom to remember that exists in these United States. We pray that peoples, governments and militaries may always remember the Holocaust and how it happened, so that this will never again happen to the Jewish people. Sadly other genocides have occurred and continue to occur since the Holocaust. We pray that all peoples will work to end and prevent genocide around the world, including places like Darfur, Sudan. O God it is hard to understand the depths of suffering that happens on earth, often perpetrated by human beings. Help us also to see the good that you give us, and work together to overcome suffering in your good name. (This is a slightly edited version of the prayer I prayed April 26 at the State Capitol for the official state of Alabama Holocaust Day of Remembrance. This is a reminder that we need to continue to pray for God’s Kingdom to come in it’s fullness). In the peace of Christ, The Rev. John Paul+
March 8, 2006 “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1). Sisters and brothers, God loves us and chooses us first, before we can love or choose God. Let us open our hearts to the Father’s love in Jesus and in the power of the Spirit! We need to know how much God loves us, because it is with this love of God that we love others. And loving each other is the primary way we spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God! So let us open ourselves to the love of God in prayer and in the prayerful reading of Scripture! We are then transformed from glory to glory! And we continue to grow in our ability to love. What could be better? In the peace of Christ, The Rev. John Paul+
February 6, 2006 Knowledge is important; love more so. Such was Paul’s message in last Sunday’s reading (1 Cor 8:1b-13). This theme is continued by Paul for several chapters of 1st Corinthians, including our next Sunday reading (1 Cor 9:16-23) where Paul out of faithful love for God and the salvation of others, “becomes all things to all people.” Paul bends over backwards to accommodate the needs of others in reaching them with the Gospel. Yet he does so without compromising the Gospel. Great wisdom is required. It is a wisdom that puts the empowering love of God first! In the peace of Christ, The Rev. John Paul+
January 12, 2006 We just celebrated the 25th anniversary of Christ the Redeemer Episcopal Church. Bishop Parsley and many guests joined us and it was a glorious celebration! The dinner and reception were times of joyful fellowship, and the worship was anointed. It was a time of healing and continued transformation in Christ. It fills me with great excitement about the future God has planned for us at Christ the Redeemer. In order to continue our transformation in Christ, I recommend that we each meditate on this profound, inspired prayer from the letter to the Ephesians. It is filled with the transforming power of the Spirit: “I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him was able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:14-21 In the peace of Christ, The Rev. John Paul+
December 5, 2005 Last night after our potluck supper there was a lot going on at CTR! People were out front selling Christmas trees to help support our parish Outreach programs, our talented music ministers were practicing, and our brief but prayerful and powerful Bible study was going on. That’s a lot going on in our small parish at one time! God is working through us in various ways to build his kingdom! Let’s remember two things: that everything we do ought to be for the glory of God, and that without God, we can do nothing. As an encouragement to all of us to continue in the worship, prayer, and ministry that we are already engaged in (whether in the church or in the world), let’s keep in mind, these succinct admonitions from St. Paul: “See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5: 15-18). None of us can do these things always—but don’t be discouraged. These words can help us keep focused on what’s most important, and we will grow in holiness, and draw others to Christ -- with the joy of the Lord as our strength! In the peace of Christ, The Rev. John Paul
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