The Shepherd Journal | Summer 2020 by Shepherd of the Hills Presbyterian Church

the

SHEPHERD JOURNAL SUMMER 2020

the SHEPHERD JOURNAL SUMMER 2020

SUMMER ISSUE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Simply by our proximity to Jesus, we can bring hope and life to people and places trapped in discouragement and despair.â&#x20AC;? - Louie Giglio

REV. DR. LEON BLODER LEAD PASTOR

A MESSAGE FROM PASTOR LEON

race and Peace!

together in our sanctuary. And we are working hard each week to make our online experience even better and more accessible.

Welcome to the very first online only edition of The Shepherd Journal. It’s strange to think about, but when we published our last Journal, none of us had any clue what awaited us.

This summer we’ll be focusing on the essence of the Christian faith during the months of June and July, and also on what it means to be created to create throughout the month of August.

In fact, when the last Journal was published prior to Lent, we were imagining an entirely different kind of spring—replete with amazing programs, events, worship services and mission projects all set to launch.

In times like these, it’s important to reconnect with what it means to know Jesus, and then to show Jesus to the world around us. We also need to be reminded that our creative God has created us with unique purpose.

Little did we realize that there would still be amazing programs, events, worship services and mission projects, but that they would look completely different than ever before.

Once again, there will be a variety of voices filling the pulpit over the summer. Pastor Britta and I will be preaching, and we’ll also hear from our Senior Director of Worship Arts, Beth Mueller, our Senior Director of Family Ministries, Chris Gordon, and our Pastoral Intern and Mission Coordinator, Kelly Bratkowski.

Our church has accomplished some amazing things over the past three months that we have been quarantined, socially distant and essentially working from or isolated at home. There have been online classes, gatherings, youth events, Bible studies, social events and so much more. We have daily live broadcasts with the Daily Devo Live that I’ve been hosting each week, and we also have a weekly live guided meditation and movement, facilitated by our own Jess Goulding.

Stay engaged this summer. Use this journal as a guide to do your own study in preparation for the sermons, or as a response. Take the time to read through the fine articles that have been written exclusively for the Journal. And we hope to see you online each week for worship.

Our worship services continue to be vibrant and engaging even though we are limited to broadcasting into people’s homes, instead of gathering

Counting it all Joy, Pastor Leon 5

SUMMER 2020

CHURCH OFFICE

CONTRIBUTORS

ADDRESS 5226 W. William Cannon Dr.

Editor

PHONE

EMAIL HOURS

Austin, TX 78749 512-892-3580 church@shpc.org Mon. - Thur. 9am - 4pm Fri. 9am - Noon

Steven Carr

Writers Rev. Dr. Leon Bloder Kelly Bratkowski Rev. Britta Dukes Chris Gordon Beth Mueller Rev. Rob Mueller Ellen Perkey Lindsay Lawley Rerecich Kimbol Soques

SOCIAL MEDIA SHPCAustin

@shpcaustin

Copy Editors Rev. Britta Dukes Chris Gordon

@SHPCAustin

SHPCAustin

SHEPHERD STAFF Rev. Dr. Leon Bloder Lead Pastor Rev. Britta Dukes Associate Pastor Chris Gordon Senior Director of Family Ministries Beth Mueller Senior Director of Worship Arts

Neil McKown Director of Student Ministries

Steven Carr Communications Coordinator

Pattie Lawrence Preschool Director

Kelly Bratkowski Missions Coordinator Pastoral Intern

Debbie Ficzeri Director of Connections Holly Spink Financial Coordinator Cathy Williams Administrative Coordinator 6

Caralee Sadler Young Adult Community Builder

TABLE OF CONTENTS

10 14 16

SEEING THE SACRED THE MASK PRESENCE IN UNCERTAINTY LESSONS FROM A TRAPPIST MONASTERY

20 22

IN THE MIDDLE

WHAT IS THE CHURCH TO DO?

WHAT WILL WE CARRY AWAY?

IS THERE LIFE FOR THE CHURCH AFTER CORONA?

28 30

BEYOND GRIEF

A PENTECOST INVITATION

ARISE / 20180628

SONNETS & SPEECHES SHAKESPEARE IN QUARANTINE

DISCUSSION GUIDE & SERMON NOTES 7

SUMMER 2020

LOVE IS NOT SHUT DOWN 8

SUMMER 2020

UPCOMING

SERMON SERIES

JUNE 7 - JULY 26

We can’t see Jesus with our eyes, but we can grow in our faith when we focus on who Jesus is and what He’s done. When we take a closer look, we learn to trust in what we CAN’T see because of what we CAN see. The first month of Focus will be all about getting to know who Jesus is to us, and the second month will be all about showing Jesus to others.

AUGUST 2 - 30

Right from the start we see God’s indescribable creativity. Everything around us gives us a glimpse of God’s creative impulses. As image-bearers of God, we are given the opportunity to live into our God-given creativity to embody God’s kingdom to the world around us. 9

SEEING THE SACRED BY REV. BRITTA DUKES ASSOCIATE PASTOR

SUMMER 2020

Needless to say, I made a visit to the eye doctor as soon as we returned home and was sporting a new pair of glasses soon after! The first time I put them on, I couldn’t believe how in focus everything was... the blurry world around me became defined in ways I hadn’t imagined, sometimes compelling me to walk around scrutinizing things with and without spectacles. I’d remove my glasses and note the fogginess of my surroundings, then quickly put them back on and be wowed by the sharpness and brilliance that materialized! The lenses allowed me to see the world around me in new and surprising ways, encouraging me to pay attention to my surroundings in ways I previously hadn’t.

y need for eyeglasses was revealed at a random Dairy Queen in Southern Illinois on a hot summer day in 1976. We were driving home from a visit to my great grandmother, and Mom thought stopping for a Dilly Bar might make the sweltering road trip a bit more bearable. While enjoying our ice cream treats in the shade of a patio umbrella, I asked my mom why there was a man “just sitting on the fence” between the patio and the parking lot. I pointed out that he had been seated there for quite a while, to the point that his stillness was unnerving. Turns out… there was no person perched anywhere along the fence line, only a road sign in the distance that I had mistaken for human form (no wonder “he” wasn’t moving)! 11

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of green swaying overhead. By night, it’s about the waxing and waning moon that looms large amidst celestial fire all a-twinkle.

I believe the recent resurfacing of this memory has a lot to do with how sheltering-in-place and wearing “quarantine spectacles” has provided new lenses for looking at the world. And although this is true on both a macro and micro level, it’s the latter of which I’m speaking here.

It’s about savoring other sensory delights with new clarity, too: the racket of mischievous squirrels launching from limb to limb as they bark tauntingly, teasing and tormenting our dog who can’t keep up with either their pace or heights; a pair of cardinals playfully wooing each other; a lime green gecko shimmying along the windowsill; a mama bird busily making a nest for her young; bees buzzing purposefully to and fro as the smell of honeysuckle permeates the air; the sound of water cascading nearby; a cacophony of frogs and cicadas raising their voices in the dark; and fireflies making Morse code-like messages as they light up the night with their glowing pulses.

This is about the ways this experience magnifies the beauty of the mundane, revealing the sacred in the seemingly simple. This is about recognizing the creative efforts of our Creator on the canvas of splendor all around us… the kaleidoscope of color and pattern that surrounds us, inviting us to pause and take notice. By day, it’s about: flowering lantana in pinks, purples, yellows and oranges; butterflies flitting from flower to flower; sunshiny marigold heads standing tall; climbing tomato vines reaching upward and creeping honeysuckle reaching outward; prickly palm fronds blowing in the breeze; and an oak canopy in several shades

In addition to focusing on creation in new and wonder-full ways that encourage connection to the Divine, this unique experience has also connected me on a deeper level emotionally to words and imagery in Scripture. I first noticed the personal nature of this impact during the season of Lent. Wilderness imagery captured 12

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my imagination like never before as I compared Christ’s experience of isolation, both with my own and with what I heard shared from others. Imagining Christ alone in the fierce unknown of the desert landscape, separated from His community for an extended period of time, all while enduring a testing of his faithfulness provided poignant parallels for reflecting on how this story relates to our own circumstances and personal faith journeys during such defining and confining moments.

event; and the high of living into the Risen Lord’s promise of peace and a Paraclete to accompany us, empowering us to live out our Love of God and Everybody in the world around us. Embracing the highs and lows of so many emotions honors the power of lamenting, while simultaneously honoring the power of hope, resurrection and new life offered through Christ! In essence, this time of quarantine has altered how I look at the world-things that previously went unnoticed now garner my time and attention, encouraging me to pause and ponder and praise. Focusing on the beauty that each observation brings allows me to be wowed by the wonder and brilliance of our glorious God-given surroundings, as well as wooed by the One through whom it all came to be.

The rollercoaster of emotions experienced each week, every day, even hourly… made it easier to empathize with the rollercoaster of emotions that I imagine took place before and after the crucifixion: the low of hearing a beloved teacher, leader and Lord prepare you for His impending death; the high of a celebratory parade with palm-waving and shouted Hosannas; the low of watching the slow and excruciatingly painful public death of your beloved; the high of finding an empty tomb and realizing the Resurrection promise is being fulfilled; the low of trembling in fear and feeling paralyzed by anxiety in the after-math of such an unprecedented 13

THE MASK BY REV. ROB MUELLER LEAD PASTOR, DIVINE REDEEMER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

SUMMER 2020

This is not the first mask you have worn (and it’s surely not the last!) Of course there was the pretty plastic princess Worn to Trick or Treat Or perhaps the monster meant to frighten This mask you loathe must clothe your face Each day -a way to keep you safeProtecting you from me But also guarding So your poison will not kill Yet still you chafe to cover up your countenance Blinded to the truth this cloth reveals: There’s never been a day When you won’t put or peel a mask (perhaps invisible but just as real) To keep you safe, restrain the poison of the soul Or elsewise make you “whole” -or seem to be for othersThe task this new corona mask reveals Is how to strip the others And be real.

PRESENCE IN UNCERTAINTY LESSONS FROM A TRAPPIST MONASTERY

BY KELLY BRATKOWSKI MISSIONS COORDINATOR/PASTORAL INTERN

SUMMER 2020

predicted the climate of uncertainty that surrounded this trip. I left Austin at the start of Spring Break, when Covid-19 was just beginning to hit Texas. Back when the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;shelterin-placeâ&#x20AC;? had no significance, and we were still hopeful that classes might resume as normal the following week. When I arrived at the monastery, I turned my phone off, ensuring that, for five days, I would have no access to email, text, social media, or news sources. I was fully unplugged and disconnected.

n March 15th, 2020, I left my apartment in Austin, Texas and began the 15-hour drive to rural Kentucky to spend five days on a silent retreat at the Abbey of our Lady of Gethsemani, a Trappist monastery. Gethsemani was founded in 1848 and is most well-known for being the home of Trappist monk Thomas Merton, a notable mid-twentieth century social activist and author. The monastery is still active, housing about 40 monks who have dedicated their lives to faithful prayer and work, following the Rule of Saint Benedict. Part of this Rule centers around hospitality, mandating that all guests are to be welcomed as Christ. To maintain this focus on hospitality, Gethsemani has a retreat house where visitors can stay and be immersed in some of this rich monastic tradition.

When I checked in, I was told that my retreat group would be the last group they allow at the monastery, due to Covid-19 concerns. In fact, they let me know that the monastery would be completely closed off to outside visitors, except for this group, and even the visitor center would be shut down. We would be a completely self-contained unit.

When I made my reservation just two months earlier, I could have never

The next day I awoke to signs and caution tape surrounding the church, letting visitors know of the restriction. This caution tape served as my only reminder that things outside of the abbey grounds were chaotic. People were fearful and anxious, but at the abbey, we sang and prayed and ate. The routine and rhythm of the world had been disrupted, but at Gethsemani, there was no hiccup in the routine, only some yellow caution tape.

bring – the order of things was already decided, and the monks just needed to follow and obey. The clarity that results is known as “nepsis,” which Henry Nouwen describes as a mental sobriety, making it possible to direct spiritual attention towards God, creating free space for prayer. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to experience some of this clarity and space within myself, after just a day or two of this established routine. I suddenly realized how much I was able to be present in the moment when my mind did not have to wander to basic worries of what I would eat or what would come next. Even the moments of free time seemed to lack my typical anxiety and urge to plan. Since I had no access to the internet, I had no way of knowing what the weather would be, so I had to wait until the moment came to determine if conditions would be good for hiking, or if it would be better to stay indoors. I simply waited for the moment to come and did what I felt was best at that time.

I immersed myself, as much I could, in the routine of the monks. The day began at 3:15am with Vespers, the first of seven prayer services scattered throughout the day until we retired at 8pm. In between these prayer services and meals, the monks worked, and I had an hour or two of free time, which I spent reading, writing, or hiking. The life of a monk is intended to be very structured, with little variance from week to week. The result of this routine is that one’s mind is cleared of worries about what the day would 18

etc. The strange thing was that even the monks were in a state of anxiety at our departure – uncertain when they would again open their doors to visitors.

Now this may seem like a small thing for some, but as a chronic worrier and planner, this was a totally liberating feeling. Every experience felt more vibrant, as I was able to give it every ounce of my attention. When I wrote, my thoughts were clearer, deeper, and more focused, without the disadvantage of a wandering mind. Even though we were all silent strangers, I felt more connected with those around me, paying closer attention to the subtleties of body language and facial expressions – a simple smile seemed to carry with it a story of meaning, appreciation, and understanding.

Just after my return from the retreat, a friend suggested that my experience at Gethsemani may have helped me to prepare for what was to come with Covid-19, and now, nearly two months later, I see that she was right. In our current world, everything is uncertain, making it seem impossible to plan ahead. We have all been forced into a situation where we have to take things as they come. It seems that when everything is pre-determined or when everything is uncertain, both circumstances require us to surrender to the moment. So, while the times right now are difficult, I am challenging myself to try to be present in each moment without succumbing to the worries about the next moment, because my worry will do me no good.

And I felt more connected with God, as I was able to bring my whole heart and mind to every prayer service. It was beautiful. On my last morning at the monastery, I went to Mass hoping to soak in every moment, knowing this would be the last time I would have the opportunity to worship in-community for an indefinite period of time, but while my body was still at the abbey, my mind had already left. My head became filled with questions of when I would have to turn on my phone, how long I could wait before I had to check my emails, wondering if restaurants and hotels would even be open, what I would choose to eat,

Thomas Merton summarized this beautifully, saying, “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” It is my hope that during these crazy times, I can hold close to what I learned at the monastery, learning to be more present to myself, those around me, and above all, more present with God. 19

IN THE MIDDLE BY ELLEN PERKEY MEMBER

SUMMER 2020

t the time I’m writing we’re still in the middle. In the middle of purposeful separation from those we love, of overwhelming change, of financial uncertainty, of feeling lonely and disconnected. It happened so suddenly. Even though I remember hearing about the lockdown in Wuhan and the fear and death in other countries I felt that it wouldn’t come here. Sometimes I think my mind doesn’t want to contemplate that worst case scenario that would shake apart the film of normal that covers my life.

tration and desperation during the rounds of trying to get pregnant. I remember a Bible passage that I came across at just the right time or lyrics to a song at church that touched my heart during worship.

It’s happened to me before. In the time my husband Jason was fighting cancer, in the long struggle with infertility, in recovery from injury and surgery. When I’m in the middle I’m always struggling to keep above despair, some days I do better than others. Some days I feel like things have always been this way and will always be this way. I go to sleep at night wondering if I can face another day like this.

I can hold on to the little moments of peace I get each day and remember them when I feel overwhelmed by chaos.

In this middle I can look up at our beautiful Texas sky and remember the feeling of freedom. I can take a virtual yoga class and remember that feeling of peace at the center of myself. I can talk with a friend for a few minutes and remember the feeling of being connected to those I love.

I’ve survived the middle before, and I know logically it has an end. I never come out the same on the other side, but I get to choose how I come out. I can choose to reach back out to God as God reaches out to me, to spread the little bit of joy I can share when I’m not feeling down. The greatest strength of humankind is the God-given free will to decide how we are changed by our circumstances. In every middle we can remember that we are surrounded and supported by a God whose love is unchanging.

Yet in the middle of these times of darkness is when I have the clearest memories of God reaching out to me. I remember a morning I saw a rainbow in a grey sky as I was crying on my commute to work feeling overwhelmed by managing cancer treatments. I remember a friend who listened to me blurt out my frus21

WHAT WILL WE CARRY AWAY? BY CHRIS GORDON SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FAMILY MINISTRIES

EXODUS The world would never be the same. Told to pack up people and belongings; to leave everything they had ever known. Told to defy a tyrannical leader; to follow dispatches from I AM. How could this be? The signs had arrived...first, the blood, then the frogs. What followed next was all pestilence and pain. On and on, until the 10th took Egyptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1st. Finally, they fled into the night. Delivered unto the desert. A mass of bodies and baggage, anxiety and anticipation. Nothing left to do but follow the flames; to step inside the walls of water. To Freedom. To Milk & Honey. Someday. Along the way, I wonderâ&#x20AC;Ś ...might one child have considered it all a great, big adventure? An extended trip with breakfasts found on the ground and water from a stone. Take only what you need: no more. Consider the whole: all must be fed. A wilderness quest with days of rest after a lifetime of labor. God knows when ENOUGH is ENOUGH. A long overnight with stories told by elders around the fire. Listen here to how you came to be...blessed to be a blessing...beloved, you are chosen. Hardship all around, and yet. And yet. God delivers. Resilience from struggle. Grit from determination. Imagination from experience. Hope from a remnant. What will we carry away?

WHAT IS THE CHURCH TO DO? IS THERE LIFE FOR THE CHURCH AFTER CORONA?

BY REV. DR. LEON BLODER LEAD PASTOR

SUMMER 2020

n 1966, Robert Kennedy delivered a speech in Cape Town where he addressed the challenges of his day with these words: Like it or not we live in interesting times. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also more open to the creative energy of men than any other time in history. It’s fascinating to me that even though Kennedy was speaking about the sweeping changes that were a part of his own time, he could have easily been referring to any number of unique moments in history—including the one we find ourselves in at the present. I’ve been asked repeatedly throughout the months of quarantine, social distancing and online church what I

think about the future of the Christian Church. Most of the conversations have centered around technology, and what innovations will take root in the new world that is being created. But I think there’s something deeper at work in the heart of the Church right now—something that has the potential to transform the Church’s role in society, and could be a new source of life and light for congregations and faith communities who embrace it. There have been disruptions in society throughout the history of the Church—events, wars, pandemics, schism, you name it. But the COVID-19 pandemic has brought something new to the table.

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First, this is something that everyone, everywhere has an experience of at least in some capacity. This isn’t isolated to just one region, one culture. We are all in this. Second, none of the previous societal disruptions that the Church has muddled through over the centuries has had the benefit/curse of being covered in real time, 24/7 with news and stories accessible in so many ways to so many people. I’ve been saddened to see that some church leaders and pastors see this moment as one of great potential for numerical growth. They predict that people will flock back to church in droves when this is all over, and all we need is good marketing and the right technology to capture them.

What is this opportunity? Well, to put it quite simply: We have an opportunity to come alongside our neighbors and communities—all of whom have experienced great loss and trauma, and to become a loving, non-anxious presence of Resurrection in their lives. This is what Jesus referred to over and over again with his followers when he urged them to be unified, to be one with one another. Fr. Richard Rohr once wrote: We must all feel and know the immense pain of this global humanity. Then we are no longer isolated, but a true member of the universal Body of Christ.

I don’t see things that way at all. I’m always excited about new technology and engaging messages. But I firmly believe that if church growth is at the heart of why church leaders do what they do during this crisis, they are doomed to fail.

The way that the Church truly becomes the Church is when she embodies Jesus to the world, and there is no better opportunity to do that than right now.

You see, I believe that as followers of Jesus we have been given a unique opportunity to do something that could very well change the way we “do” church forever.

In order to do this, we cannot be so embroiled in our own affairs, so caught up in our own fears and desires that we are blinded by the great need around us. 26

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In closing, I’d love to share the following prayer from Thomas Merton that I believe is so life-giving for us in our current situation. I urge you to pray it as your own prayer today:

I read the poem “If You Knew” by Ellen Bass recently and it spoke to me: When a man pulled his wheeled suitcase too slowly through the airport, when the car in front of me doesn’t signal, when the clerk at the pharmacy won’t say Thank you, I don’t remember they’re going to die.1

O God, give peace to Your world. Give strength to the hearts of men. Raise us up from death in Christ. Give us to eat His immortality and His glory. Give us to drink the wine of His kingdom.

If we can’t look out into our world and see the people around us in their fragile and beautiful humanity, we are not looking through the eyes of Christ. But if we do look through the eyes of Christ, we see them outside of the petty divisions, labels and the like that even we ourselves employ. Perhaps no other act that we do as the Church symbolizes our connectedness to one another in our common humanity than the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. While it’s true that we have been sharing Holy Communion virtually over the last few months, we have still shared it, and the way we have shared it truly brings home its importance. We are separated from one another and our neighbors. We are physically isolated to a certain extent, but we are not unconnected, and the Eucharist shows that.

Excerpted from the The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry 1

BEYOND WHAT WILL WE GRIEF CARRY AWAY? BY BETH MUELLER SENIOR DIRECTOR OF WORSHIP ARTS

BY CHRIS GORDON SENIOR DIRECTOR OF FAMILY MINISTRIES

am a doer. Most of you know this about me. In “regular” times, I am pretty much in constant motion. With the new normal of staying at home, quarantining, and social distancing, my typical way of being has been forcibly shifted. I know this is true for all of us. Our usual ways of being in the world have been halted, crunched, broken and scattered. We are all grieving losses; the cancelled ceremonies and rites of passage, the cancelled trips and adventures, the distance from friends and loved ones, and for some the loss of job, health or life. We are all grieving, and grief must be honored and surrendered to, or it festers. But what is beyond the grief?

You may remember that I began the month of March with a five week sabbatical. Rob and I did a little traveling the first week, then spent time at home and at the coast, intentionally slowing down. I have been working on an Enneagram book for Church Leaders, and we were making space in life to think and write, something I absolutely could not manage in “regular” times. When I came back to church in April, we were in full shut down. It didn’t take long for me to get caught up in the maze of online productivity, and that space that Rob and I had been carefully cultivating disappeared.

But quarantine has persisted, and indeed looks to be with us awhile. Over these last weeks, inch by inch, we have begun reclaiming that space; that calm space to think and meander and wonder. We have worked on our yard and garden, brewed our own beer, baked bread and desserts, cooked elaborate meals, and spent time sitting and playing games with our kids. We have also sat on our porch for hours, talking or not. We have kept the bird feeders full, and watched the birds gather, getting to know the ones who live in our yard. I have slept better and longer than I have in years. I believe that this “space” is what lies beyond grief, but because so many of us are unfamiliar with its gifts, we have trouble experiencing it as anything but boring, terrifying or annoying. Truth be told, I don’t want my life to go back to the frenzy it was before. I recognize the gifts of the slower pace. I resonate with the groaning of the earth as she struggles to create life in the midst of the toxins of humanity, and I feel her relief at the slowing of the pollution of the

air and water. I feel connected to myself and to God in ways that are only possible with the space to discern it. What unexpected gifts have you experienced in this strange time? Perhaps you are still grieving, and that’s OK. Grief has its own measure of time, and will not be rushed or discarded.

The promises of God hold true in strife, in grief and beyond. But there is a beyond. There is more for us than sadness, fear, and anger. The world has changed, so perhaps God is calling all of us to new ways of being in it. We have all bought into the “rat race” for a long, long time. Are you ready to let it go? I sure am.

SONNETS & SPEECHES SHAKESPEARE IN QUARANTINE BY LINDSAY LAWLEY RERECICH MEMBER

SUMMER 2020

on their heads in multiple ways, some of which people are still uncomfortable with. By 1609, Shakespeare was already a well-known playwright and a successful businessman at the Globe Theater. So how did he come to produce these odd, late sonnets?

ou may be familiar with Shakespeare’s sonnets. Sonnet 116, “Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments,” is sometimes read at weddings, and Sonnet 18, “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day,” even made for a humorous entry in my husband’s favorite science-oriented web comic. These poems are obviously enduring, and they are masterworks in many ways, but within the sonnet tradition and within Shakespeare’s career, they are a bit odd, too.

Part of the answer is something suddenly familiar to us over 400 years later: social distance and disease. During Shakespeare’s career, outbreaks of bubonic plague caused the city of London to forbid large public gatherings and close theaters at least three different times: in 1592, 1603, and 1608. These were not minor outbreaks. These were epidemics that killed thousands in the city and created significant social and economic consequences. The 1592 outbreak closed theaters for nearly two years while those in 1603 and 1608 meant closures of about 10 months each.

Sonnet collections were in vogue in England in the 1580s and 90s, but Shakespeare’s sonnets were published in 1609, making them at least a decade past the peak of the trend. They were also markedly unconventional. Traditional sonnet sequences are written by a man to a woman to convince her to love him, but Shakespeare’s sonnets turn these standards

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During these times, Shakespeare and his entire industry of playwrights, actors, musicians, and artisans lost their livelihoods and their community, and they had to endure this hardship in the midst of the anxiety of the deadly disease itself.

singing, and meeting in general—as soon as possible. But what if our duty is to push norms instead? The New Testament is not exactly full of the status quo. The chronicles of the early church show people constantly breaking, bending, and recreating norms as they deal with something so new Thus at least three times during the and radical that old norms cannot career that would ultimately estabcontain it. One of my favorite stories lish him as the greatest dramatist in like this comes from Acts 17, when the English language, Shakespeare Paul is in Athens. He has been doing could not write dramas. Or at least, what feels normal to him, teaching in he could not write them as a means of synagogues and marketplaces, withincome because no one was allowed out much success. But when other to see them performed. But he did Athenians hear him, they bring him not stop writing altogether. Details of outside of his norms and into to their Shakespeare’s life are relatively thin, public idea space, the Areopagus, and but scholars often link the plague ask to hear more. The impromptu years with his poetic works. When speech that results contains some of there could not be plays, there was my favorite writing about God, saypoetry. When there could not be ing that He formed creation so that scenes, there were sonnets. Perhaps people “would seek him and perhaps there were days—perhaps many, many reach out for him and find him, though he days—when Shakespeare longed for is not far from any one of us.” life to just go back to normal. But when normal was not possible, he This speech is Paul’s sonnet in a way. pushed norms instead. It is not his normal mode or his normal audience, but he adapts to Pushing norms can be uncomfortthe situation at hand and delivers able, and twenty-first-century Chris- something new. He even includes a tians may resist it. Reading the news line of Greek poetry to connect to his during the COVID-19 pandemic, listeners. I am convinced that in our some seem to believe it a sacred present situation, before we rush back duty to return church to normal—by to the theater or keep thundering which they mean their usual forms forth from the marketplace, we need of public worship, communion, more sonnets and Areopagus speech32

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the technology available to us, we stay aware of each other’s experiences, or even if, through much older methods, we read 400-year-old sonnets, we will find that we are not alone.

es. We need works and words that redefine normal.

In the immediate term, normal may be unsafe, and in the longer term, the work we do now can make a future normal better.

Shakespeare’s Sonnet 30 When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought, And with old woes new wail my dear time’s waste. Then can I drown an eye, unused to flow, For precious friends hid in death’s dateless night, And weep afresh love’s long since cancelled woe, And moan th’expense of many a vanished sight. Then can I grieve at grievances foregone, And heavily from woe to woe tell o’er The sad account of fore-bemoaned moan, Which I new pay as if not paid before. But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restored, and sorrows end.

So I ask: in our Athens, what are your speeches? In our plague, what are your sonnets? For some, there are old projects or new pursuits: building, baking, sewing, bike riding, journaling, gardening. For others, there are far more unwelcome challenges: job changes, long hours, unemployment, slow recovery, remembrance, mourning. All of these are the potential poetry of our pandemic moment. The searches for purpose demonstrate creativity and introspection, and the more difficult struggles for survival display adaptability and courage. The former, if we continue them, may lead us toward individual fulfillment or familial balance. The latter, if we pay attention to them, may lead us toward a more just world. I do not pretend that losing and remaking norms is easy. But if, through 33

A PENTECOST INVITATION BY REV. BRITTA DUKES ASSOCIATE PASTOR

SUMMER 2020

In beginning Divine breath hovered over the deep Generating shape and splendor from formless void Calling forth creation Authoring new life Deeming it good In Christ Divine breath walked with humanity Offering unconditional love and unforeseen grace Calling forth followers Ambassadors sharing the story of new life Resurrection gift In this moment Divine Breath inspires us Emboldening action and persevering hearts Calling forth partners Sent forth to establish new life Kingdom flames

ARISE / 20180628 BY KIMBOL SOQUES MEMBER

Make us fully alive, O God / that our lives might shine like the sun. —from the liturgy for June 28, Common Prayer for Ordinary Radicals like the sun, but you are our Sun— we more the windows others look through, hoping to glimpse you striding by or maybe we’re prisms, splitting your brilliant light into shards of blue or cobalt or aquamarine when others walk into our puddled, shattered light perhaps they’ll say Oh, that’s cerulean! I heard about it once, but I’d never felt it for myself.

DISCUSSION GUIDE & SERMON NOTES

FOCUS

JUNE 7 - JULY 26

INDESCRIBABLE AUGUST 2 - 30

FOCUS: KNOWING JESUS

Faith Unseen THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Hebrews 11:1-12:3

THIS WEEK’S THEME You can know Jesus even though you can’t see Jesus.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION The passage in Hebrews talks about faith being like the evidence of things you can’t see or the substance of things you can’t really touch. What do you make of this? In order to “see” God’s presence in the world around us we need to focus on what we can see that lets us know God is near. What are those things in your life? What difference would it make in your life of faith if you could fully trust that God is always with you? How would you handle difficulties differently?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY JUNE 7

FOCUS: KNOWING JESUS

Sight Adjustment THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Acts 9:1-9

THIS WEEK’S THEME Knowing Jesus changes the way you see the world.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION When have you been so sure you were right, that you couldn’t even listen for the voice of God? What gets in the way of your ability to tune into the movement of God’s Spirit around you? What ways are you able to surrender to God’s call on your life, and in what ways do you resist that surrender?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY JUNE 14

FOCUS: KNOWING JESUS

The Only Thing To Fear THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Acts 9:10-31

THIS WEEK’S THEME Knowing Jesus can help you face the unknown.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION How do you think it felt for Ananias to have to go and heal the very person who had been trying to see him arrested and killed? What kind of focus do you think that took? What do you make of God’s ominous prediction that Paul would not only proclaim Jesus to the Gentiles, but that he would also suffer? When Paul is finally healed from his blindness, what do you think is the significance of his reaction?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY JUNE 21

FOCUS: KNOWING JESUS

Across The Threshold THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Acts 10

THIS WEEK’S THEME Knowing Jesus changes the way you see others.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION What do you think the significance of Peter’s vision was in terms of his own beliefs about people who weren’t Jewish? Peter had many decisions to make about how to proceed when he went to Cornelius. What examples from his time with Jesus do you think helped him make the right choice? Can you think of examples of people in your own life who you struggle to feel gracious about? What do you think Peter would say to you about his experience to help you?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY JUNE 28

FOCUS: SHOWING JESUS

The Greatest Gift THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Ephesians 2:8-9

THIS WEEK’S THEME When you show Jesus, you share the gift of grace.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION When’s the last time something happened to you that seemed too good to be true? How did it feel? What is the best gift you ever received? When was it and what was the occasion? Why can it be hard to receive a gift given for no reason, out of the blue, completely random and free? Why is it hard for us to believe that God’s gift of grace through Jesus is free? Can we ever lose God’s grace by messing up?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY JULY 5

FOCUS: SHOWING JESUS

The Unknown God THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Acts 17:16-34

THIS WEEK’S THEME When you show Jesus, others can know Jesus.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION Paul spent a lot of time getting to know the context of the people of Athens before he spoke to them about Jesus. Why is this important for us to know? Paul found truth in the Greek poets that he used to help connect them to the story of Jesus. What are some examples in culture that you have found helpful in the same way? The success rate of this particular moment was not that high for Paul, there were only a few people who wanted to know more. Has success/failure played a role in your own efforts to share your faith?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY JULY 12

FOCUS: SHOWING JESUS

Shipwrecked THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Acts 27-28

THIS WEEK’S THEME When you show Jesus through your problems, people notice.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION Paul went through some serious hardship here—all on his way to Rome where he would be tried and eventually executed. But he still faithfully demonstrated Jesus’ love. What do you make of this? The centurion spared Paul’s life and the lives of the other prisoners because of Paul’s witness. Can you think of an example in your life where you have seen something like this before? The dramatic moment with the snake bite is another example of God’s purpose winning out over circumstances. Where have you seen this in your own life?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY JULY 19

FOCUS: SHOWING JESUS

All Things New THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Revelation 21:3-5

THIS WEEK’S THEME Showing Jesus means telling a story that ends in hope.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION If you could ask one question about heaven, what would it be? What would it be like to live without sadness, pain, grief or anything bad happening to you? What part of heaven do you hope for the most? Is there anything about heaven that makes you nervous? What is it?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY JULY 26

INDESCRIBABLE

No Limits THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Genesis 1

THIS WEEK’S THEME There are no limits to God’s creativity.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION This chapter of Genesis has often been referred to as the “Genesis Poem.” What about this seems poetic? There doesn’t seem to be any inherent reason why God creates in this chapter—no pressing need to fill. Why do you think God created? What does it mean for you that God is creative? Does that help you understand your own creative impulses? Why or why not?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY AUGUST 2

INDESCRIBABLE

Salt And Light THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Matthew 5:13-16

THIS WEEK’S THEME You are created to share God’s story.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION Jesus turns his instructive imagery about the kingdom of God toward his followers here. Why do you think he did that? Salt held a lot of significance in the ancient world. Jesus uses it here to essentially say that we need to bring out the God flavors in the world. What do think of this? Think about what happens when you turn on a light in a darkened room? What do you think that Jesus is saying here about what he wants his followers to do?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY AUGUST 9

INDESCRIBABLE

For Such A Time THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Esther 4:12-16

THIS WEEK’S THEME You are created with divine purpose.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION Esther was put in a terrible situation where there was great risk. Her uncle says to her that she was put there for a reason. Have you ever wondered why you were in a particular situation? Has the situation been difficult? The idea that God would create us with a unique purpose is life-giving. Why do you think so many people struggle to find theirs? In Esther’s case, she had to use wisdom and tact, along with a great deal of humility to fulfill her purpose. How have you seen that play out in your own life?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY AUGUST 16

INDESCRIBABLE

Four Friends THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Mark 2:1-12

THIS WEEK’S THEME You are created to be creative with others.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION What motivated the four to bring the paralyzed man to Jesus? What captured Jesus’ attention about their entrance? Do you think Jesus’ response of saying, “Son, your sins are forgiven” is the one the friends were expecting? Why did this response upset the teachers of the law who were there? What amazes you most about this story?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY AUGUST 23

INDESCRIBABLE

Co-Creators THIS WEEK’S SCRIPTURE Genesis 2:15-19; Ephesians 2:10

THIS WEEK’S THEME You are created to be creative.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION AND REFLECTION In what ways do you resist creativity? What gets in the way of experiencing yourself to be creative? Where is God calling you to invest your own creativity in the world?

SERMON NOTES | SUNDAY AUGUST 30