Support for the People of Haines, Alaska

Dec 3, 2020

Most of you have heard about the devastation in the Haines community, due to some heavy rain/wind storms this week...

Please continue to keep everyone there in your prayers...

Below are 2 options to offer financial support to the community, at this time...

Two options for relief efforts in Haines: Tlingit & Haida has an emergency fund, and The Salvation Army Haines (http://haines.salvationarmy.org/) is also accepting donations.

Feeling Change: November

Nov 27

This was in today’s Sitka Sentinel….

Climate Connection: 

Feeling Change: November 

By John Lewis

Last column we looked at recovering our capacity to be moved. This month, let us take one step further and look at one way in which we can be moved: caring.

Caring seems to carry a heaviness these days. Sometimes it can provoke guilt or shame as in “you should care more.” Like something is wrong with us for how we feel. Or it is used as some kind of magical invocation. That if only we cared more we would not have the problems that we do.

But caring may be more simple and more difficult. To care is to attend to with head and heart. It is paying attention with our thoughts and our feelings. We are investing our awareness. And like any investment, it takes time. 

Though difficult, caring is a basic way of being. We come into this world vulnerable and helpless. Being cared for is how we survive. It is how we have our needs met and learn to relate. This relating allows us to step outside of our own narrow focus and gain a bigger perspective. Our focus gets us out of our own head. And we let something other than us enter our awareness. 

The paradox is that, by reaching out to the other, we better know ourselves. In fact we can only get to know ourselves by getting out of our own heads, not by being stuck inside of them. We can direct that compassionate, tender and understanding attention towards our own self. This is the heart of self-care. Not a critical voice in our head beating us up for not doing enough. Or one that stays quiet while we go through motions that may be harming us.

Taking care of ourselves does not mean satisfying our own needs at the expense of others. It means respecting our needs and recognizing that they are often connected to the other. And this may result in some kind of change. But caring is not trying to change or save what we care about so we can feel better. Instead, it is a respect for otherness. A paying attention to the voice and choice of the other.

And that can be one of the most difficult things right now. There is so much trying to capture our attention. And we face many challenges which seem far from our control. But one thing we can control is what we chose to attend to. Whether it’s a straggly spruce on our walk or a lonely friend. Or allowing ourselves to consciously feel a need we have ignored for too long.  

When we care, the object of our concern becomes more alive, more real. That which we don’t care about is lifeless, flat and one-dimensional. It does not matter, nor does it have to matter for us. 

To care is not so much about what we should or should not do. But rather what kind of world we want to inhabit. One that is flat and lifeless, where we only see things from our own narrow views. Or one that is full of life and wonder. Where what we care for is alive and can surprise us. And maybe there is something magical about that after all.

–––––––––

John Lewis is a behavioral health professional and a member of the Sitka Citizens Climate Lobby.

Notice what the love of Jesus can do, through us, in the interest of others...

Last Pentecost/Christ the King Sunday/Year A/Nov 22, 2020

Ephesians 1:15-23; Psalm 100; Matthew 25: 31-46

 

The thoughts  I would like to share with you this morning are a continuation of the message I shared with you last week…and they will include words of invitation to carry with you in the days ahead as we come to the end of a season according to our church calendar, the long season after the day of Pentecost, and the end and last day of our liturgical year, Christ the King Sunday….As with any endings, there will be a new beginning…. And next week, we will turn our hearts towards a new season, and a new year, full of hope and possibilities that we can envision together….and work together to bring to fruition, when we choose to invest in the way of love, with God and one another …and as we strive to be united in Christ, in the interest of others…

This was the theme of the diocesan convention this past fall, I’ve mentioned it and shared it often, since then…United in Christ in the Interest of others…inspired by a scripture verse from Philippians 2:4…“Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.”

Today, that scripture, comes together in my mind and heart, illuminating the good news proclaimed by Jesus in the hearing of today’s gospel reading…. Throughout this past week, what kept rising to the surface for me, being held right in front of my eyes, and in my face, where I could not possibly miss it – was the invitation to Notice… to simply begin again today,  by noticing the other…look at their faces, look into their eyes…look more deeply, into their hearts, through the eyes and love of Jesus….strive to see Jesus, in them…and in doing so, get a glimpse of this kingdom that Jesus is inviting us to envision and be a part of…a kingdom whose foundation is built upon loving God and one another, a kingdom where we are united in Christ, in the interest of others…for the purpose of healing and being reconciled to God and one another, for the joy of all God’s beloved children, and to free us from the hatred and division that is tearing us all down in the process, and has been shattering the relationships between God’s beloved people, more and more with each passing day.

Jesus wants us to notice what love can do… Notice what the love of Jesus can do, through us, in the interest of others.

Jesus said, Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’

Jesus is inviting us to NOTICE….

Notice what the love of Jesus can do, through us, in the interest of others.

Notice the hungry and the thirsty in our communities…notice the strangers, the ones who are often overlooked…notice those who are sick and suffering and imprisoned by the effects of isolation and loneliness….notice those whom we disagree with,  notice the ones who are angry and fearful right now, notice the ones whose voices have been silenced for too long…..notice the children of God…in the diverse faces of God’s children, everywhere…

Notice them…and learn to love them, and reach out to them, with kindness, and compassion, and mercy; Notice them, and learn from them, by listening to them, and walking with them; look for the face of Jesus in them, and serve Jesus, love Jesus,  by serving them, loving them, with the same dignity and respect and love that has been shown to us, through Jesus and others, throughout our privileged lives.

That is where our hearts and our love for one another, begins to merge together, uniting us in  Christ, when we notice Jesus and God’s everlasting love, in one another….and it is this love that compels us and invites us to respond with our whole selves, by investing in the way of love, in the interest and well-being of others….for all of God’s beloved children.

Jesus wants us to notice what love can do… Notice what the love of Jesus can do, through us, in the interest of others.

Children, of all ages…but especially young children and older children, are growing up in such an unsteady world right now…they are paying attention…they are paying close attention to the adults in this world, especially now, when everyone’s lives have been disrupted in this time of the pandemic…They are noticing what we are saying, and not saying; what we are doing, and not doing; and they are always noticing how we are treating one another and loving one another …They are looking to us, and depending on us, the adults…to show them what the love of Jesus can do, through us, in the interest of others…

At the end of this day, at the end of this season, at the end of this liturgical year….let us ask ourselves, what we want for our children, our grand-children, our nieces, our nephews, for all children…what do we want them to notice in us, and carry forward with them, in the coming days, and in the coming years….

I, for one….want my grandchildren, and all children to notice what the love of Jesus can do, through the love and actions of all of us working together, united in Christ, in the interest of others…

I want them to know that I am praying for them….praying that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the God of all glory, may give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation as they come to know Jesus, so that, with the eyes of their hearts enlightened, they may know what is the hope to which God has called them….(Ephesians 1:15-23)

I want them to be able to raise their outstretched arms and hands high to the heavens, rejoicing and give thanks at the end of a day, knowing and believing that indeed, there is a God who notices them, and call them, Beloved…

I want them to know and believe what the love of Jesus can do, working through them, in the interest of others….

I want them to be able to look around at us, and in their communities now, and see how it is that together, with God, and one another, we can build a more just and loving world….when we invest in the way of love, united in Christ, in the interest of others….

Today….and throughout the coming days….notice what the love of Jesus can do, through us, in the interest of others……and accept the invitation to invest your whole selves in the way of love.

At conclusion of sermon: Piano/How Great Thou Art

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, Alaska

photo by Kim Riech, Nov 17, 2020

photo by Kim Riech, Nov 17, 2020

Do one thing: Invest in the way of love

24 Pentecost/Year A

Nov 15, 2020

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11; Psalm 123; Matthew 25: 14-30

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about the Diocesan Convention this fall, just held this past month, and the theme: United in Christ in the Interest of Others. I keep going back to the list/the visual that was put together, to capture the essence of the Bishop’s address this year. I keep it in front of me, as a reminder of the little things I can do, we can do, in a time when it feels like there is so much that we cannot do…In a time, when it feels like so much is being taken away from us …In a time, when we are lamenting the daily losses all around us, and keep wondering when this worldwide pandemic will ever come to an end…

Let me share it with you again…This was a list put together by the Bishop’s Address Committee, of 20 ways to be United in Christ, in the interest of others….things we can do to encourage and build each other up…in the midst of this long season of the pandemic…(shared poster online)

 

1.  make a phone call to someone

2. contribute to local food banks

3. pray for one another

4. Take a walk with a friend

5. write a prayer note to a church or fellow church member

6. March for equality

7. Vote!

8. Drop off a meal for a friend

9. connect with church members

10. Visit outside with an elder

11. Wear a mask

12. wash your hands

13. Write a thank you note to the medical community

14. sharing our harvest

15. Be patient and kind with one another

16. Sing with a friend

17. clean up trash

18. invite a friend to church

19.Reject cruelty and divisiveness

20. Embrace empathy and diversity

For some people….this list may include too many options to think about….it may feel a bit overwhelming…

So, I was also thankful, for the shorter list of three simple ideas, that Episcopal Relief and Development offered to us, this past Friday, in their invitation to us to observe A Day of Love on World Kindness Day… Nov 13…..a day devoted to the positive potential of both large and small acts of love.

Three simple acts of love to help us reach out to encourage one another and build up each other, to remind one another that we are not alone…in this time of the worldwide pandemic…

     1.Check-in with someone you haven’t seen recently.

     2.Thank someone special in your life.

     3.Do something for children.

 

And, if this simple list of 3 acts of love, seemed like too much to act upon …. then let’s narrow it down to just one thing today.

Use 1 of your many gifts given to you by God….and invest it, today, in the way of love.  Be faithful in just one thing today, and see how God is indeed using you to bring healing, reconciliation and joy to this world… Use 1 of your many gifts today, to be a beacon of light and hope in a world that desperately needs to know that we will get through this together…with God, and with one another…

Begin again, every morning…whether it’s with the list of 20, the list of 3, or the list of one. But do something with the gifts God has entrusted to you. Do not hide them. Invest them in the way of love….Put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, put on the hope of salvation…Encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing…proclaim the gospel of God’s love to the ends of the earth…so that all may know the joy of being united in Christ’s love…in this life, and in the world to come…

 Do one thing today. Invest in the way of love.

 

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church, Sitka, Alaska

 

HYMN after the sermon: Lift Every Voice and Sing II - #161 Go Preach My Gospel

 

1          “Go preach my gospel,” saith the Lord,

            “Bid the whole earth my grace receive,

            Explain to them my sacred word,

            Bid them believe, obey, and live.”

           

2          “I’ll make my great commission known,

            And ye shall prove my gospel true

            By all the works that I have done,

            And all the wonders ye shall do.”

           

3          “Go heal the sick, go raise the dead,

            Go cast out devils in my name.

            Nor let my prophets be afraid,

            Though man reproach, and will blaspheme.”

           

4          “While thus ye follow my commands,

            I’m with you till the world shall end.

            All pow’r in trusted in my hands;

            I can destroy, and can defend.”

           

5          He spake and light shone round His head,

            On a bright cloud to heav’n He rode.

            They to the farthest nation spread

            The grace of their ascended God.

 

Invitation to a Day of Love

DayOfLove_FINAL_HiRes-768x429.jpg

23 Pentecost/Year A

Nov 8, 2020

Psalm 78:1-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13

 

I would like to begin this morning by asking for a moment of silence…

In the midst of so much chaos and unrest for so many months, I’m inviting us this morning, to stop for a moment and stand still…

Moment of silence…

 

"Lost" [by David Wagoner] 1999

Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you

Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,

And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,

Must ask permission to know it and be known.

The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,

I have made this place around you.

If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.

No two trees are the same to Raven.

No two branches are the same to Wren.

If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,

You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows

Where you are. You must let it find you.

 

Dr Catherine Meeks…(from the Absalom Jones Episcopal center for Racial healing) shared the poem I just read to you, Lost, by David Wagoner, in a webinar I attended this past week…In her webinar, she spoke to the common thread of people feeling fatigued, and  overwhelmed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and all the other social unrest and divisions being played out in our daily lives.

With so much going on…people are feeling lost…and unable to make any decisions, or to see any way forward in the midst of so much happening all around us…. And wondering, what you and I could possibly do to contribute to the healing of such a divided nation right now…

When she shared this poem…it was a reminder to us…to stop from time to time…to get our bearings….and stand still…

Stand still. Where you are. Let love find you again. Trim your lamps, replenish them with the oil of hope and gladness, and let God’s love and light shine in you once again.

She offered some simple things we could do, right now…

1.     stand still, in this present moment, that is right before you…take notice of all that is around you, all that is in you…take notice of the love of God all around you, and in you …

2.     Pay more attention to Jesus…what does Jesus’ life, death and resurrection have to teach us and show us in this moment of history….

3.     Take one small step at a time, talk to one person at a time, reach out to one person at a time…

 

When the chaos of the world is making our minds run around aimlessly and in never-ending circles or worry and doubt…..stop for  moment…get your bearings…

Stand still. Where you are. Let love find you again. Trim your lamps, replenish them with the oil of hope and gladness, and let God’s love and light shine in you once again.

 

Episcopal Relief and Development, and the  presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry….also have some simple words of hope to help us reach out in love to find a way forward together, to heal our hurting and grieving nation….

ERD shares in the invitation:

World Kindness Day is an international holiday that was created in 1998, to promote kindness throughout the world and is observed annually on November 13. It is celebrated in many countries and presents us with the opportunity to reflect upon some of the most important and unifying human principles: love and kindness.

They also…give us three simple tasks, or acts of love to help us move forward together, for the healing of our nation…

     Check-in with someone you haven’t seen recently.

     Thank someone special in your life.

     Do something for children.

 

FROM ERD: 1000 days of love..

https://www.episcopalrelief.org/1000daysoflove/day-of-love/?fbclid=IwAR3jFrnLVhEh_z_bbaOXIglfThRPpekds7Izz4chtXlj7jbNPzr3HIN401E

 

View Bishop Michael Curry Message:

https://youtu.be/ToX4hKsBa5M

When the chaos of the world is causing you to despair…. stop for a moment...to ground yourself and connect with the love and the hope that unifies us all…

Stand still. Where you are. Let love find you again. Trim your lamps, replenish them with the oil of hope and gladness, and let God’s love and light shine in you once again.

 

And Rejoice - Rejoice! rejoice, believers, and let your lights appear!

 

The Hymnal 1982 - #68 Rejoice! rejoice, believers

1          Rejoice! rejoice, believers,

            and let your lights appear!

            The evening is advancing,

            and darker night is near.

            The Bridegroom is arising,

            and soon he will draw nigh;

            up, watch in expectation!

            at midnight comes the cry.

           

2          See that your lamps are burning,

            replenish them with oil;

            look now for your salvation,

            the end of sin and toil.

            The marriage-feast is waiting,

            the gates wide open stand;

            rise up, ye heirs of glory,

            the Bridegroom is at hand!

           

3          Our hope and expectation,

            O Jesus, now appear;

            arise, thou Sun so longed for,

            above this darkened sphere!

            With hearts and hands uplifted,

            we plead, O Lord, to see

            the day of earth’s redemption,

            and ever be with thee!

 

 

Rev Julie Platson

St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church

Sitka, AK