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A Prayer for the Remembrance of 9/11

Fri, September 10, 2021 Published by

O God, our hope and refuge,
in our distress we come quickly to you.
Shock and horror of that tragic day have subsided,
replaced now with an emptiness,
a longing for an innocence lost.

We come remembering those who lost their lives
in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania.

We are mindful of the sacrifice of public servants
who demonstrated the greatest love of all
by laying down their lives for friends.
We commit their souls to your eternal care
and celebrate their gifts to a fallen humanity.

We come remembering
and we come in hope,
not in ourselves, but in you.

As foundations we once thought secure have been shaken,
we are reminded of the illusion of security.

In commemorating this tragedy,
we give you thanks for your presence
in our time of need
and we seek to worship you in Spirit and in truth,
our guide and our guardian. Amen.

– Written by The Rev. Jeremy Pridgeon, UMC

From Little Acorns

Mon, August 12, 2019 Published by

Each of us has had at least one individual in our lives who has helped to shape us into the person we are today. Perhaps for you it was a particular teacher, colleague, friend or relation? I consider myself fortunate to have had a variety of such people who have guided me along my way, and recently I have been thinking about one such person, who probably has no idea of his influence upon me.

At eighteen, I left home for my undergraduate studies in Theology at the University of Chester and while there I became a regular worshiper at the cathedral in that same city. The cathedral had six resident priests who, in rotation, would preach and officiate during worship, all of whom I got to know well. One of those six was Fr. Trevor Dennis. Trevor is one of the finest Hebrew Bible scholars I have encountered, with a wonderful gift for poetry and expression which I encountered over the years in his sermons, his published works, and in conversations over cups of tea. He is a member of the select band of preachers whose sermons I can remember for longer than a few days after I have heard them! But importantly for me, at a time when I needed it, and without knowing he was doing so, Trevor challenged me to live deeper into my faith, and helped me to grow in my understanding of how God was at work in my life. I still have books of his poetry and translation on my study shelves, and turn to them regularly. Look at how he begins the introduction to one of those books;

“God is familiar, well known and very close, yet so many these days do not feel the warmth of his embrace… how then to convey that mystery and the familiarity? That is the question and task facing anyone who would dare speak of God”.

With hindsight, it is clear that Trevor became one of those people who I can say has shaped me, and despite not having seen or spoken with Trevor for many years, he continues to challenge me and guide my ministry as I read his words and remember our conversations years later.  

God moves in mysterious ways. Trevor would agree with that, and he would probably agree that God moving through him was one of the most mysterious ways of all.

May we all be open to God working through those around us. May we all be open to God working us. May our eyes and ears be open to those who surprise us and challenge us, and, in turn, may we all grow in faith, understanding and love.

Happy Spring

Sun, April 14, 2019 Published by

The month of April concludes with special activities around Earth Day with the Protect March on Friday, April 26th.  Worship on Sunday, April 28th at 3:00PM in the Life Center will highlight the Beatitudes Campus Choir singing and Chaplain Andrew preaching!  Happy Spring!

The Healing Power of Human Solidarity

Sun, March 24, 2019 Published by

Once again, the world has witnessed another atrocity born out of hatred. The faces of the fifty victims of that murderous shooting, of people gathered together in worship and prayer in Christchurch, New Zealand appear in our newspapers and on our screens, and once again the question is asked; `how did we get here?’ Free societies are an open marketplace of ideas and convictions, however the pluralism and freedoms which we hold dear is indeed fragile. As we have seen in the live-streaming of this latest tragedy, it has become much easier to dole out division and bigotry to an eager and growing audience. Social media sites like Facebook will again come under increased criticism for what they allow to be uploaded and shared, and rightly so. However, our response in the face of such horror needs to be an enduring one, born out of desire to invert the extremism of hate into the radicalism of love. As Professor Mona Siddiqui wrote last week, “Laws can curb the excesses of human behavior, but ultimately it’s our individual moral commitment to human fellowship and friendship which changes relationships and communities.” When we resolve to live out of love rather than submit to hatred, to live as peace-builders rather than turning away from others who are different from ourselves, then we can begin to have the difficult conversations about how we got here and how we can live into the model of humanity attributed to Saint Francis; ‘where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. And where there is sadness, joy’. To love requires much more of us than to hate, and yet, even in the shadow of these days following this massacre, we are witnessing the healing power of human solidarity. May this solidarity and opposition of hatred continue to grow, and may we all commit ourselves in our own way – by prayer, words and deeds – to its flourishing.

 

Come Away and Rest a While

Sun, July 22, 2018 Published by

The writings of the New Testament remind us, in several places, of how as well as traveling and teaching, healing and preaching, Jesus set aside a time and a space for rest and rejuvenation.

We read how Jesus ‘would withdraw to deserted places for prayer,’ and the frequency of these periods of rest speak to their importance both for Jesus, and for us.

As Jesus put it to his disciples, ‘Come apart to a deserted place by yourself and rest a while.’ We may not always be able to literally wander out to some deserted place, but we can make a decision to purposely disconnect our minds and lives of distraction and worry while we make our retreat away from the worries of the world. Maya Angelou puts it like this; “Every person needs to take one day away.  A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future.  Jobs, family, employers and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence.  Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.  Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”

It is for those reasons, as well as wanting to provide a time of worship and learning, that the Spiritual Life Department has scheduled a day of retreat on Saturday, September 15, 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. in the Life Center. To help us in our reflection we will be using some of the time to look at the works of Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, collectively known as some of the greatest Christian mystics.

Materials for study and lunch are included. Space is limited, and so reservations are required. To reserve your space, please RSVP to Kimberly Bravo x18465 by September 1.*

Sabbath Rest

Mon, June 4, 2018 Published by

As you are reading this, I will be on vacation enjoying some time with my husband and daughter before she goes off to college.  I will be doing my best to “disconnect” from the usual busyness of work and other responsibilities and I am looking forward to the Sabbath time. Scripture tells us to “Remember the Sabbath.” Remember that everything we have is a blessing.  Remember to stop and offer thanks for the wonder of life.  The assumption being that we will forget and given enough time we do.  In his book, Sabbath: Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest, author Wayne Muller says: “Long ago, the tradition of Sabbath created an oasis of sacred time within a life of unceasing labor.  This consecrated time is available to all of us, regardless of our spiritual tradition.  We need not even schedule an entire day each week.  Sabbath time can be a Sabbath afternoon, a Sabbath hour, a Sabbath walk.  Sabbath time is time off the wheel, time when we take our hand from the plow and allow the essential goodness of creation to nourish our souls.”  In many ways, we have lost the rhythm between work and rest.  Our society often reinforces that action and accomplishment are better than rest; that doing something is better than doing nothing.

I know that I am not good at doing nothing.  I easily become impatient when I am forced to do nothing such as when I need rest when I am sick.  Remember the Sabbath.  The body needs rest to heal from illness and from exhaustion.  Muller says, “Sabbath honors the necessary wisdom of dormancy.  If certain plant species, for example, do not lie dormant for winter, they will not bear fruit in the spring.  If this continues for more than a season, the plant begins to die.  A period of rest—in which nutrition and fertility most readily coalesce—is not simply a human psychological convenience; it is a spiritual and biological necessity.  A lack of dormancy produces confusion and erosion in the life force.  When we act from a place of deep rest, we are more capable of cultivating what the Buddhists would call right understanding, right action, and right effort.”

As the summer months begin, residents have shared with me that they are leaving for cooler climates or they are looking forward to family reunions or travel for rest and relaxation.  Some have shared that even though they will not be going anywhere to escape the heat, they will find moments of Sabbath on their morning walk, in prayer or worship or in moments of silence.  In some way, my friends, may you remember the Sabbath this summer and find restoration and renewal for your soul.*

Moveable Feast

Mon, February 1, 2016 Published by

Not so long ago back in Britain, I was rushing along the road when I passed a food truck which made me chuckle—it was called ‘A Moveable Feast’. Its marketing worked, and I pulled off the road and enjoyed an unexpectedly delicious meal of Fish-&-Chips and a cup of tea. Perhaps, I began to ponder as I sat there enjoying my typically British roadside snack, the owners were especially well versed in the terminology of religious calendars, where certain festivals such as celebrations of Passover and Easter are ‘moveable’, and that is how this van got its clever liturgically based name. It was at that point I realized I was being quite ridiculous, but it was nice to daydream for a moment.

This year our ‘movable feasts’ of Ash Wednesday, Lent, Holy Week, Passover and Easter occur earlier than usual in our calendar. Ash Wednesday is on February 10th and marks the beginning of the season of Lent. For centuries, Ash Wednesday has been a day for Christians to have our foreheads marked with ashes as an acknowledgement of our mortality, and to reflect in penitence on our mistakes. Residents and staff are welcome to receive the ashes and spend some time in prayer and contemplation in the Life Center, 9:00AM-1:00PM, or at the regular Rosary gathering held at 10:00AM in the Plaza View Lounge. The forty days (excluding Sundays) which follow Ash Wednesday are known as the season of Lent. During this time many people make a conscious effort to focus on turning their hearts and minds back towards God. Sometimes people do this by practicing a little self-denial, perhaps by giving up a favorite food or treat (something I’m not very good at!) as a reminder to focus instead on our spiritual nourishment. Rather than giving something up for Lent you might like to undertake something new and will join us for our next Bible Study, looking at the ‘I am’ statements of Jesus found in John’s Gospel, beginning on Wednesday February 17, 1:00PM in the Boardrooms, led by Chaplain Peggy and myself.

Also during Lent we will be holding our next Taizé Service on Saturday, February 20th, at 5:00PM. This style of worship offers an opportunity for reflective prayer and contemplation set amongst beautiful music, and so please join us as we gather together at that time amidst the beauty of holiness. It has been wonderful to see how the Jewish Prayer Service here on Campus has grown into such a wonderful gathering of faith and fellowship, and all are welcome to join that group as they continue to gather on the Second Monday of each month at 11:00AM in the West Boardroom.

Keep a look out for more information in the coming weeks as we tell you about our exciting plans for this year’s Passover Seder meal, Holy Week and Easter celebrations.
During these months of ‘movable feasts’ there are many opportunities here at the Campus to find some spiritual nourishment. All we have to do is remind ourselves of the need to sometimes pull off the roads that we rush along to pause for a moment and be fed. *

The Lenten Journey

Mon, February 16, 2015 Published by

On Wednesday, the season of Lent begins, and we are invited again on a journey to refocus our spiritual selves for inner renewal and reconciliation with God and others. The Lenten journey is a time of self-examination when we are encouraged to slow down, take a deep breath, and take stock of things. In the words of Pope Francis, “The purpose of Lent is to adjust your life.” We often associate Lent with giving up something, however, why not do something positive, too, instead of just removing the negative? Maybe this year resolve to spend more time volunteering, take time with your family, or write a letter to a dear friend.

lent wordThe 40 days begins this Ash Wednesday as you are invited to come and receive the imposition of ashes upon your forehead—a sign of humility that we all are in need of God’s grace. There are two opportunities to receive the ashes: Rosary and Communion in the Plaza View Lounge at 10:00AM, or anytime between 10:00AM—3:00PM, the Life Center will be available as a space for prayer and reflection with your Campus Chaplains offering the opportunity to be marked with ashes. Throughout the Sundays in Lent, worship opportunities are Catholic Mass at 10AM and the campus Vespers services at 3 and 4PM when the Chaplains will be preaching on the theme of “Characters of the Cross.”

There was Peter who denied Jesus three times, Judas who betrayed him, Pontius Pilate, the judge at Jesus’ trial, Barabbus, whom the crowd chose to be released instead of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene, who experienced the power of forgiveness. Or perhaps you might hear a reflection on one of the soldiers who mocked Jesus and took his clothes, or the two thieves who hung on the cross beside Jesus at the crucifixion. Then we come to Holy Week which will be marked by special services on Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday. On Good Friday, the Life Center will be beautifully set up with the Stations of the Cross. And the culmination of it all, of course, is Easter Sunday, which celebrates the promise of the empty tomb as we meet our Risen Lord once again! Our Sunrise Service is at 7:00AM on the west walkway outside the Plaza Bistro, followed by a continental breakfast Catholic Mass is at 10:00AM, and there is a service led by the Chaplains at 3:00PM in Plaza View. Join us in this journey of Lent as we take time to be holy!