The Episcopal Church on the northside of Valdosta GA
February 16, 2024
The Spring Cleaning of Our Hearts
The season of Lent is upon us. And while we are technically still in Winter, we know that spring is coming. And often times that means we will be rummaging through our closets and drawers and getting rid of those things that we no longer can wear or no longer want to wear. We might even wonder, “Did I ever wear this?”
This is a great metaphor for the same sort of cleaning that we ought to be doing during Lent. This is a season to do a self-examination of our hearts, and ask ourselves some tough questions: do I love myself? And if I don’t love myself, how can I possibly love my neighbor? And if I am not loving myself or my neighbor, can I honestly say that I am loving God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength?
The good news is that God has already determined a long time ago that no matter how far we may fall off the wagon, God is never going to give up on us. God, with dogged determination and endless patience, always is ready to show mercy and forgiveness. Once we clean out some of the clutter from our heart that keeps us from giving and receiving love, God will be there with joy, happy to help us rearrange the furniture of our souls and live in harmony with us.
Few books of the Bible are as fast paced and action-packed as the Gospel of Mark. And St. Barnabas Episcopal Church aims to bring this story of Jesus’s mission and ministry to life in the way it was originally intended: as an oral interpretation of the story of God’s saving work through Jesus. Done as a staged reading, the performance will be Saturday, February 10 at 3pm.
“Most people will only hear snippets of scripture on Sunday mornings,” says the Rev. Susan Gage, priest-in-charge at St. Barnabas. “But Mark is a whole, tightly knit drama, and depicts a Jesus who has come into a chaotic and dangerous world with an intent to bring light and unselfish love into the world. To fully grasp this, a person needs to hear it completely, not just a few choice stories or verses here and there.”
The Gospel of Mark is thought to have been written sometime between 66 and 70 CE, putting it close to the time of when the Roman Empire destroyed the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem for a second time. It was a period in history when there was growing unrest in the region. The original Markan community suffered from the persecution of the Romans and the growing tensions within Judaism as more Gentiles became drawn into the emerging Jesus community. Mark’s Gospel reflects that dynamic and ends at a point of acknowledging what was the reality on the ground for the Jesus followers: people believed the Messiah had come but were afraid.
Fourteen church members from both St. Barnabas and Christ the King Episcopal Churches will participate in the reading. Each person has one or several parts and will give voice to the persons in the Gospel. Rehearsals have been about learning what was happening at the time and the ways Mark constructed his Gospel in addition to developing character.
“I think this will be interesting even to those who are not ‘church people,’” says Rev. Gage. “It’s a chance to hear the whole story without interruption and to maybe discover a very relatable Jesus who was ministering at a difficult time. We might learn something for our time from listening closely to this narrative again.”
It’s beginning to look a lot like COOKIEmas! Moody AFB was seeking some holiday cheer for the service members in need of sweetness during this season. St. Barnabas stepped up to deliver. Peanut butter, sugar, oatmeal, chocolate chip: mmmm…cookies!
Everyone had a blast. Thank you to all the bakers who took time out on a Saturday morning to mix, mold, bake, and box up these delicious treats.
What can I say: anyone and everyone that is a church attendee is a lay minister. We all have our talents and we all contribute in some form to our home church. And so, we are all lay ministers. This weekend was illuminating and inspiring as well as uplifting. Dr. Scott Bader-Saye was an excellent speaker talking about the post-Christendom church and what adventures await us going forward. There are many reasons why the church has changed and it is up to us to move forward through these times fraught with fear and hope for the future of the church. There were times during the weekend where we came together to pray: Evening Prayer, Compline, Morning Prayer, and Holy Eucharist. We were in communion with each other and nature. We sang acapella and in harmony with each other. Truly a beautiful time.
To summarize the entire weekend, I would have to quote Ephesians 4:1-16, 25-32:
“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. …The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love….”
This was the final bible passage that Dr. Scott Bader-Saye had us contemplate. We welcome everyone to our church no matter his or her race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or religion. We are Beloved Community.—Susan Borchert, Sr. Warden.
The Most Rev. Hosam Naoum addressing those gathered at Virginia Theological Seminary over a livestream.
At this time of war and destruction occuring in the Holy Land, the leaders of the Christian churches in Jerusalem are calling for the hostilities to cease, for the leaders in Israel and Gaza to lay down their weapons, and for the safety of all the people in the region, especially those who have been taken hostage by Hamas.
Christians the world over have been called upon to mark today as a day of fasting and prayer for the Holy Land.
The following Litany for the Holy Land is offered by the Rev. Leyla Kamalick King, a Palestinian-American priest in Texas:
God of Love, you created all people as one family and called us to live together in justice, harmony, and peace.
Surround us with your love as we pray for the Holy Land. Lord, in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER God of Righteousness, who demands that our worldly governors take up their responsibility to protect those in their charge and uphold the dignity of all human beings, pour your wisdom into the leaders of this world [especially Benjamin Netanyahu, the leaders of Hamas, and Joe Biden].
For all who bear such responsibility, that they may put the good of the whole over their own greed for power, Lord, in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER.
God of Compassion, who even in the darkest times, shows us your path: we give you thanks for all those who in the face of crisis wrought by evil-doers, work to help the helpless, to hold out hope to the desolate, to speak for the voiceless and to bring understanding and knowledge to a world darkened by ignorance and hate.
For our siblings who risk much to aid others, that their actions may be successful, and their words may be heard, Lord, in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER.
God of Mercy, who binds up the wounds of those who suffer, bless the victims of the consequences of fear and hate in the last week and over the past 75 years of conflict in the Holy Land: those injured and traumatized, those bereaved and grieving, those held as captives and prisoners, those who face deprivation and desperation because of systems of violence and oppression, so that they may move forward in this life standing firm in your truth and avoiding the temptation of vengeance.
For all whose lives are forever marked by suffering, that they may be blessed with the hope of your presence, Lord, in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER.
God of Life, whose faithfulness to us is never-ending, we remember before you those who have died by the violence that has become shockingly routine in your Holy Land; receive them into your heart where they may know the peace and joy of eternal life in you.
For all who have died, that they may rest in that place where pain is no more, Lord, in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER.
God of Justice, who calls us to uphold the dignity of every human being, every child of this earth, beloved of you: empower your Church to help you heal this terrible cycle of violence and revenge; give us courage to rise above our fear that nothing can be done in the face of the conflict and chaos of our own creating; grant us the conviction to advocate for change and to work for the establishment of your peace, your shalom, your salaam, in this broken world.
For your dream of justice and peace on earth, and for us, that we may take up your call to build it, Lord, in your mercy, HEAR OUR PRAYER.
All this we pray in the name of the One who offered his life so that we might live, Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Anna Ellison Butler Alexander was born shortly after the end of the Civil War to parents who had been former slaves on the Butler Plantation near Brunswick, GA. The youngest of eleven children, Anna devoted her life to teaching and became the first and only African-American deaconess in the Episcopal Church in 1907. Despite the racism that existed in society and the church, Anna perservered in her mission to educate the children of Pennick, Georgia through her school at The Church of the Good Shepherd. In 2018, at the urging of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, Anna Alexander was made a saint with her feast day set for September 24th. We will be celebrating her life and legacy on that day with our Eucharist. Come join us and learn more about this remarkable woman.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.—Isaiah 43:2
This week has certainly been a rough one. I have been in touch with many of you. Thankfully, the damage done by the hurricane seems mostly to be to property, and I have not heard that anyone was physically hurt. I was heartened to hear some of you talk about how at the moments when Idalia was kicking up the worst of her winds and rain, you were able to find prayers and scripture to remind you that God is with us always, especially when we are feeling the most scared and vulnerable.
In difficult and stressful times such as these, remembering that God helps us pass through trouble is the balm for the soul. It can also help us to open our hearts a little wider to our neighbors who are in need. That feeling of having been through a difficult time together does tend to help dissolve differences and see strangers as fellow sojourners. And I am hearing some stories of that happening, too. As so many of you said to me, “We’ll get through this.” And we will. With patience, a touch of humor, helping one another and trusting in God, we will be fine.
If anyone is in critical need, please reach out to me or your vestry.
I will see you on Sunday. We’ll do some picking up of the campus and giving thanks to God that we still have each other to help us get through the tough times.—Rev. Susan
What a joy it was to have Bishop Frank and Victoria Logue with us last Sunday. And especially on a occasion where we confirmed six people and received another six into The Episcopal Church.
The Bishop met with the whole congregation after the service and fielded questions on everything from the role of a bishop to the role of the church in times of such polarized and divisive politics. He also touched upon the angst about aging church populations and ways in which St. Barnabas plays an important part as the self-described “Island of Misfit Toys” serving the need in the community of a church with traditional Episcopal worship that makes room at the table for those who are looking for a loving church family home.
He spoke encouragingly about the possibility of all three Episcopal churches in Valdosta finding some common projects to help the greater community.
The bishop will be back again in Advent of 2024 for his regular visit. We look forward to seeing him again.
Last Sunday, our congregation stepped up to collect backpacks, school supplies, and gift cards for The Children’s Place and Old Navy to give to children in need of assistance in the Valdosta area.
Vestry Outreach co-leader Diane Holliman delivered all the goods to the school system’s social workers.
Diane was thrilled to be the point person on this project.
“The school supply and gift card collection and blessing was a blessing for many in our area,” she said. “A foster mother with seven children in her home received backpacks filled with school items for four of her youngest children. Gift cards were delivered to the social workers of Valdosta City Schools for clothing and other needed items for children, and a bounty of school supplies and backpacks were given to school children identified as being homeless. We have made a difference, St. Barnabas!”
