St Thomas Online Coffee Hour

Do Your Own Work!: Sermon by the Rev. Steve Best

2012-01-29T18:05:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Steve Best on the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany, January 29, 2011

Anglican Perspectives on the Bible – Part 3: Forum by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2012-01-25T18:17:00.001-08:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on January 22, 2011, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge, Rector at St. Thomas

Time to Grow Up: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2012-01-25T16:42:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Third Sunday after the Epiphany, January 22, 2011

Download the sermon text here

Anglican Perspectives on the Bible – Part 2: Forum

2012-01-16T12:59:00.001-08:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on January 15, 2011, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge, Rector at St. Thomas

Here I Am, Send Me: Sermon by the Rev. Karen Haig

2012-01-15T14:43:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Karen Haig on the Second Sunday after the Epiphany, January 15, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

A New Beginning: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2012-01-11T15:32:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the First Sunday after the Epiphany, January 8, 2011.

Download the text for this sermon here

Anglican Perspectives on the Bible: Forum by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2012-01-10T15:56:00.001-08:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on January 8, 2011, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge, Rector at St. Thomas

Glee: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2012-01-04T17:50:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

The Power of Jesus’ Name: Sermon by the Rev. Steve Best

2012-01-01T14:14:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Steve Best on the Holy Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, January 1, 2012.

Download the text of this sermon here.

A Dwelling for God: Sermon by the Rev. Kathryn Ballinger

2011-12-18T21:04:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Rev. Kathryn Ballinger on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 18, 2011

The Birth Stories of Jesus: Forum by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2011-12-14T16:36:00.001-08:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on December 11, 2011, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge, Rector at St. Thomas

Shaped by Waiting: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2011-12-14T14:02:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Third Sunday of Advent, December 11, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

Themes of Advent: Forum by the Rev. Steve Best

2011-12-08T11:51:00.001-08:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on December 4, 2011, by the Rev. Steve Best, Associate for Couples and Family Life at St. Thomas

Discussion questions from this forum can be found here

Preparing: Sermon by the Rev. Karen Haig

2011-12-04T20:31:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Karen Haig on the Second Sunday of Advent, December 4, 2011

The text from this sermon can be found here
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Watchful Hope: Sermon by the Rev Steve Best

2011-11-27T15:30:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Steve Best on the First Sunday of Advent, November 27, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

Hopelink – Nourishing Networks: Forum by Linda Benson

2011-11-20T21:45:00.001-08:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on November 20, 2011, by the Linda Benson, Vice President of Community Initiatives at Hopelink

Click here to visit Hopelink's Nourishing Networks page.

The Face of Jesus: Sermon by the Lex Breckinridge

2011-11-20T16:24:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Last Sunday after Pentecost, November 20, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

The Apostle Paul: Sinner, Saint, Mystic – Conclusion

2011-11-17T11:41:00.001-08:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on November 13, 2011, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge, Rector at St. Thomas

Feasting on Gratitude

2011-11-14T13:36:00.000-08:00

2011 Stewardship Letter from Patrick and Sunni Bannon

Dear St. Thomas family:
Hanging on our refrigerator, tucked between John’s tee-ball photo and Clara’s preschool calendar is a bright green index card with the hand-written reminder, “Everything we have is a gift.”

Three years ago our financial lives changed dramatically when Sunni resigned from her paid full-time work to be a full-time at-home parent. Living on a tight budget with two young children we felt exhausted and overwhelmed. We supported St. Thomas with a modest annual pledge, but we fulfilled our commitment with no more thought than we gave to paying our utility bill. At the end of each month, we were relieved to find a few dollars left in the checking account. Or more often, we dipped into our savings account to make ends meet.

Last fall, we were thrilled to hear the plans for the new Life Center at St. Thomas – what a wonderful facility for our children, their friends and the generations to follow! At the campaign banquet we stared at the pledge card and listened as Lex asked us to move beyond what we could give with comfort to a level of sacrifice. We realized we didn’t know what the figure would be at either of those levels. With our faith as the lens, we re-focused and looked closely at our lives, our blessings and our money. It was obvious we had enough. Not enough for a new car with a third row seat or for a golf round every month. But enough to pay our bills, cover basic needs and provide for a small indulgence now and then. We found room in the budget to increase our annual St. Thomas pledge plus make an equal pledge for the Life Center.

“Everything we have is a gift.” The words blend into the kitchen scenery surrounded by magnets, photos and crayon art. They gently nudge us to slow down and practice gratitude. God is good. God will provide. It was only last year that we recognized and responded with faith to the intrinsic question – a query found in Psalm 116, “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” Making and keeping our pledge to St. Thomas has not made our lives stress free. Parenting is a rollercoaster, and we worry about many of the same things that concerned us before. But giving to St. Thomas no longer feels obligatory or optional. We are glad to return to the Lord from the richness we receive.

Just like all of you, our stewardship is a journey. This fall we’ll increase our annual pledge percentage as we move toward the goal of tithing. We’re inspired by the work, love and abundant hospitality at St. Thomas. We’re amazed and humbled by the examples of stewardship surrounding us. Please join us on November 20th for Ingathering Sunday. We, along with John and Clara and each of you, will bring our pledge cards to the altar as we come together to share the Eucharist and to celebrate the bounty and blessings of our church family. What a wonderful feast!
Joyfully yours,
Patrick & Sunni Bannon

Generosity or Fear: Sermon by the Lex Breckinridge

2011-11-13T20:47:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost, November 13, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

Isabel's Stewardship Talk

2011-11-08T11:08:00.000-08:00

Isabel shared this talk with the St. Thomas congregation
on November 6, 2011.

My name is Isabel Williams. I’ve been coming to St. Thomas with my parents and brother Connor since I was in the second grade. Now I’m in the sixth grade.

A few weeks ago I found a joke that I think is pretty relevant to what I’m here to talk about: A family goes to church one Sunday morning. When they come out, the father complains, “The sermon was horrible!” The mother cries, “The choir was terrible!” And the little girl says, “But you have to admit—it was a pretty good show for just a dollar.”

But seriously… When Father Lex asked me if I would talk about how our family practices stewardship at St. Thomas, my first thoughts were something along the lines of, “Um… what does ‘stewardship’ mean?” According to Dictionary.com, stewardship is “the responsible overseeing and protection of something considered worth caring for and preserving.” As soon as I heard that, I knew it was the perfect definition. Our family definitely thinks that St. Thomas – and all the gifts God gives us in this world – is something worth caring for and preserving.

After all this you must be wondering: How does my family practice stewardship at St. Thomas? What do we do? For starters, we put a check in the offering plate each week. Mom and Dad have been putting money in the offering plate for years, and Connor and I give a third of our allowance each week as well. There are other things you can do for stewardship besides just giving money – you can also give time to church. I help with church services as an acolyte, lector, and Chorister. Mom and Dad are active Sunday School teachers, and Mom is also a Eucharistic Minister and is on the Vestry. And there’s another way you can give time – you can give it to outreach. Connor is in Kids Club and I am in Youth Group, and we participate in service projects with those groups. Our family as a whole also helps with Thanksgiving meals, the Giving Tree, and Congregations for the Homeless.

Now that you know what we do, it’s probably best if you know why we do it, so you might like to do it, too. First, it’s a way we “care for and preserve” the St. Thomas community that means so much to us. After we left our old church, for weeks we searched for a new one that would be special to us and would keep us coming back each Sunday. As soon as we came here, we knew that St. Thomas was the church we were looking for. St. Thomas is what we make it – so we all need to do our part to support it. Second, stewardship is a way to show our thanks and give back for all the wonderful gifts God gives to us. I don’t like to hear sad stories about all of the horrible things that happen in our world, but I’ve heard enough to know that we are so, so lucky. Mom and Dad both have jobs; our family is healthy; we have a nice house, warm clothes, and plenty of food; and we haven’t suffered any major natural disasters. We want to show our thanks for that by giving back. And finally, it’s a way to follow the lessons that Jesus teaches about caring for our neighbors. What’s the point of coming to church every week and listening to the lessons from the Bible if we’re not going to learn something and follow those lessons?

That’s just a little bit about what St. Thomas and stewardship means to our family. I hope you will think about what it means to you and your family and make a pledge on the ingathering Sunday in a few weeks.

You’re a Saint: Sermon by the Rev. Karen Haig

2011-11-06T15:21:00.001-08:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Karen Haig on All Saints’ Day (Transferred), November 6, 2011

Text from this sermon can be found here

The Apostle Paul: Sinner, Saint, Mystic – Part 6 of 6

2011-11-02T15:22:00.001-07:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on October 30, 2011, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge, Rector at St. Thomas

Icons of Greatness: Sermon by the Rev. Steve Best

2011-10-30T17:52:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Steve Best on the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost, October 30, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

The Apostle Paul: Sinner, Saint, Mystic – Part 5 of 6

2011-10-26T17:21:00.001-07:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on October 23, 2011, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge, Rector at St. Thomas

Transformed by Love: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2011-10-23T22:59:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost, October 23, 2011

Download the text of this sermon here.

The Apostle Paul: Sinner, Saint, Mystic – Part 4 of 6

2011-10-20T17:16:00.001-07:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on October 16, 2011, by the Rev. Steve Best, Associate for Couples and Family Life at St. Thomas

The Things That Are God’s: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2011-10-19T15:23:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, October 16, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

The Apostle Paul: Sinner, Saint, Mystic – Part 3 of 6

2011-10-12T17:42:00.001-07:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on October 9, 2011, by the Rev. Karen Haig, Priest Associate at St Thomas

God’s Joyful Fools: Sermon by the Rev. Steve Best

2011-10-12T15:59:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Steve Best on the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, October 9, 2011.

Sermon text can be downloaded here

Tending the Vineyard: Sermon by the Rev. Karen Haig

2011-10-05T17:14:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Karen Haig on the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost, October 2, 2011.

The sermon text can be downloaded here

Life Center Update

2011-10-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

Although dubbed the “quiet phase” of our campaign for the Center at St. Thomas while we engage with donors from the community, our Center efforts during this phase have been very productive. We will provide you with updates as we make progress toward our vision. Over the summer the Center project:

Completed hazardous materials and property surveys necessary for any building;
Decided that the cost of holding the “portables” was outweighed by returning them now, and bringing them back for future construction;
Continued in dialogue with non-profits including the Bellevue Boys and Girls Club to identify partnerships to expand our community impact and service;
Submitted our grant application to a foundation and executed on our Friends of St. Thomas strategy for community support of the Life Center;
Successfully obtained eligibility for matching gifts with Microsoft and Bank of America.

We continue to identify other matching gift opportunities.
Thank you for your support of the Center at Saint Thomas!

The Apostle Paul: Sinner, Saint, Mystic – Part 2 of 6

2011-09-28T17:19:00.001-07:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on September 25, 2011, by the Rev. Karen Haig, Priest Associate at St Thomas.

Saying or Doing: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2011-09-28T10:41:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 25, 2011.

The text for this sermon can be found here.

Update from Josh Hosler

2011-09-23T13:12:00.000-07:00

September 23, 2011
Dear friends at St. Thomas, and other friends and family as well:

A few days ago I received in the mail a copy of the St. Thomas Skagit Valley pilgrims’ stockholder report. I’ve been bursting with pride ever since; I’ve carried the report around with me to show to all my seminary friends, especially those who have been youth group leaders in the past. Not only was the booklet beautiful, but the words the pilgrims wrote leave me feeling great about Brian’s ministry among y’all at St. Thomas. (I’m in the South now, so I’m allowed to say “y’all.” Actually, that term comes in very handy when I’m trying to conjugate verbs in Hebrew.)

It seems like ages since we embarked on our 11-day road trip from Seattle. Most of the story is chronicled on my blog, http://episcopop.blogspot.com/, and I hope most of you will continue to follow the Hoslers’ adventures there.

Even before we left Seattle, I had begun to meet some of my classmates through Facebook. And my overall impression of them is that I am humbled by their accomplishments. From the young, dedicated political campaign worker, the evangelical missionary to Mongolia, the D.C. medical examiner, the Iraq War vet and army hospice chaplain, the outspoken priest from Liberia, and many others, I continue to hear stories that remind me that my own accomplishments, while not meager, are part of a much larger tapestry of Christian witness and sacrifice.

We are getting settled. Sarah is in first grade now, and she enjoys spending time with the children of some of my classmates, especially 8-year-old Neeley, 7-year-old Brynn, and 5-year-old twins Robert and Jacob, whom she calls “the boys.” VTS works very hard to support families, and we families work hard to support each other. Those of us in the Braddock Lee Apartments make up the critical mass, along with a bunch of couples without children. We’re a mere 16-minute walk from campus, which makes for good morning and afternoon exercise.

In addition to my classes, I am working on campus ten hours per week on a Lilly-funded project for the seminary: an extensive study that follows clergy from a number of denominations in their first few years out of seminary, especially tracking whether they took part in a transition-into-ministry program of some sort and trying to assess how successful these programs are. So far most of my efforts have gone into forcing spreadsheets to submit to my will, something I enjoy doing very much. I may also become part of the process of coding some of the qualitative data we collect.

While Christy has enjoyed her several months of unemployment, she’s ready to get back to work too. Christy will begin a job at the Cokesbury book store on campus this Monday. She believes (and I concur) that it will help her become more enmeshed in the seminary community on her own terms, rather than as my appendage. Plus, we’ll get to eat lunch together sometimes!

I love the rhythm of my day and of my week. Now that school has started for Sarah, we get her up at 6:00 a.m. so she can eat and catch the bus on time. Most of her seminary friends wait at the same bus stop. After she gets on the bus, I walk to campus and spend twenty minutes in prayer in a small oratory in the academic building. Depending on my day, I may attend Morning Prayer after that, or I may work or study and attend Noon Eucharist instead. I am taking Hebrew, Church History, and Introduction to the Theology and Practice of Ministry, and I am also in the seminary choir. So far, this is enough; I fended off several people’s invitations to run for elected student office.

We have visited a different church nearly every week since June, but for two weeks in a row we attended Eucharist at Church of the Holy Cross in Dunn Loring, home parish of the Hoskins family, formerly of St. Thomas! Christy and Sarah may decide to settle there; they have a children’s choir and Godly Play, both great attractions. As for me, I am scouting out potential field education sites, so this Sunday I plan to take the Metro to some church or other. We sold our second car when we moved here, but I imagine we’ll have to get another one somehow when I do Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) next summer and begin field education in the fall.

For my Theology and Practice of Ministry class (TPM), I am doing some volunteer work with a hospice called Capital Caring. Visiting people in the final stages of life is a really is a new field for me. It requires a real “ministry of presence”: not worrying about what to say or what to do, but simply to be there. It’s teaching me that there is real value in listening more and speaking less. I’m also learning a lot about the fact that “being brought up short” is the way we learn just about everything in life.

We miss you all so much. How I wish we could have been in attendance at the Skagit pilgrimage dinner! But we are where we need to be right now, “being brought up short,” learning, and growing.

In Christ,

Josh Hosler

The Apostle Paul: Sinner, Saint, Mystic – Part 1 of 6

2011-09-21T16:44:00.001-07:00

Sunday forum presented at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, WA, on September 18, 2011, by the Rev. Steve Best, Associate for Couples and Family Life at St Thomas.

Follow the complete 6-part series during the coming weeks.

The “Me” Game: Sermon by the Rev. Steve Best

2011-09-21T16:07:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Steve Best on the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 18, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here

The Cost of Forgiveness: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2011-09-12T15:46:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, September 11, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here

Lessons in Communal Living: Sermon by the Rev. Karen Haig

2011-09-07T15:58:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Karen Haig on the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, September 4, 2011

Sermon text can be downloaded here.

Evensong

2011-09-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

by Cynthia Zarin
Originally published in the New York Times, September 4, 2011

Cynthia Zarin is the author, most recently, of “The Ada Poems.” This essay is excerpted from her forthcoming book “An Enlarged Heart.” She teaches poetry at Yale and is artist-in-residence at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York City.

     The Thursday before, I received a telephone call from the children’s school. There was a new family coming to the school. Their elder child, a boy, would be in my children’s grade. That year they were 9. They were in fourth grade. The school they went to then was on the grounds of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, a few blocks south from where we lived, in Morningside Heights.
    To get to school we cut through the north yard of the cathedral. At that time the back lot was a mess. Weeds grew helter-skelter through the broken asphalt. The blacktop was littered with stone carvings of angels and griffins; a stonecutter’s workshop opened onto the back lot. It was managed by a man called Simon, who wore his hair in gray corkscrew curls. He was continually covered with marble dust and had a fine face that verged on beauty and looked like an angel who had fallen to earth.
    Every morning we walked by the stone yard, then cut through the cathedral by the north transept door. Our neighbor also took her child to school. She had a little dog, and the dog crossed the apse with us. Later, that door was locked, and dogs were no longer allowed inside at 8 a.m., but then we had the freedom of the place. There were peacocks on the grounds and at that hour they were often screaming.
    That was the first year that the children sang in the cathedral choir. Three afternoons a week they practiced in a room with casement windows in the south wing of the cathedral, which had once been an orphan asylum. On Sundays they sang at 11 o’clock Mass. Sometimes they also sang at Evensong. They wore crimson robes and white collars, which were starched. Later, they would hate everything about choir — the long rehearsals, the too-hot robes — and they wrote us long letters arguing their position, which they read aloud to us at the kitchen table. But that was later.
    Then, it was the tail end of summer. The leaves on the trees were dry, and when even a slight breeze blew they rattled, as if a snake was moving through the branches. The sprinklers were always on in the pocket park across the street from our apartment. Water sizzled when it hit the blacktop. When I took the children to play in the sprinklers, it was too hot to go without shoes. The ice cream truck jangled on the corner. It was the summer that we discovered that the owner of the truck was selling crack out of the back.
As we did every summer, we had spent August in a small town toward the end of Cape Cod. As usual, when we returned to our building, with its cool black-and-white tiled lobby and our apartment with its long hall and its view of the sprinklers and the ice cream truck, it was for the children as if we had been away for only a day.
    On that Thursday we had been back four days. The telephone rang just as we were walking in the door, and when I picked up the phone I was admonishing the children. I did not want water in the hall. I had left a fan on in the kitchen and the mail had blown down onto the floor, and the children were stepping on it with their feet wet from the sprinklers. The voice on the other end of the telephone was known to me: it was the receptionist at the school, who was already at her desk. She told me about the new family between pauses while I tried to get the children to pick up the mail, and to get the wet jellies off the baby, who was 2. She gave me their telephone number, and said, “Promise you’ll call.” I promised. The idea was that before school opened those children would have met my children, and the mother, who the receptionist said seemed shy and whose husband worked long hours, would have met me.
    It was Thursday afternoon. On Friday my mother called and suggested that the older children visit her on Long Island. It was hot, she pointed out, and they could swim in the pool. We drove them out that evening through the weekend traffic and then drove back with the baby strapped into her car seat, and had drinks in the kitchen with a lot of ice. Then we put all the fans in the apartment in one room and the three of us slept fitfully.
    The next day we decided to go to Sandy Hook, N.J., where we had never been, and we piled the baby back in the car with juice and towels and sandwiches. I missed the beach. Whenever we returned I pined for weeks. That Saturday, the drive south into New Jersey took two hours, and the parking lots were almost full. The baby ran into the waves and we pulled her back. I didn’t think of the phone call I was meant to make, or even of the other children, who were with my mother and, I assumed, adequately taken care of. In the heat, the water was as warm as glass and after a while we piled back into the car and drove back into the city, which by now was so overheated it looked as though it was wreathed in smoke.
    When we got home we ordered Chinese food and the baby ate fried rice, and in the morning my husband drove out to fetch the children before the traffic got really bad. The next morning it was Monday, the last day of summer break, and I thought: I will just meet her at school, because I still hadn’t called the new family. The children tried on their old uniforms and, of course, they did not fit, but would have to do. Both they and I saw this as further proof, as if any were needed, of my inability to acquit myself as a bona fide mother, a mother who could make timely phone calls, who never broke promises, who would have ordered new uniforms in June.
    The next morning was school. We set the alarm and the children struggled into their too-small uniforms. Because it was the first day, the sitter, who took care of the baby, came early, so that I could walk the children to school and pay full attention to their new classrooms, where their names were written on construction paper, cut to look like bubbles and taped to the glass doors. The new boy was in Jack’s class. His uniform fit. He was shy, but friendly. On the way to school I had managed to remember his name, and to ask Jack to be especially nice to him. Think what it would be like to come to a new school, I said, and not know anyone.
    When the children were settled, I walked out of the school and toward Amsterdam Avenue, down the long path that had been embellished with late lilies, orange, with black throats. It was 9:05 in the morning. At that time I had an office in the triforium of the cathedral where I could sit by myself and write. It had been given to me by the dean, whom I loved.
    I crossed over to the wide flat steps of the cathedral, where a group of Chinese tourists stood fanning themselves, and as I walked past them my way was blocked by a woman whom I knew was crazy. She was dressed in a white djellaba and a gold turban and she wore no shoes. She often spoke in tongues, and I assumed that she was speaking in tongues now, although it did occur to me in those seconds that she had never touched me before, as she did now, holding on to my arm with clenched fingers. She let go only when I walked into the cathedral’s cavernous cool, its smell of mold and incense, and something else my children called “bat wing,” and there was Christopher, moving the chairs. The cathedral is huge and there are a lot of chairs, and it is his job to move them. He stopped and looked at me and said, “Oh, Miss,” and I said, “What’s happened?” And then I knew.
    In the days and weeks that followed in New York the heat did not let up. Because no one could bear to be apart, we had picnics with the children in the park, to which some people did not come because they thought the ash would cover us, and then as it got colder we sat in one another’s apartments and cooked elaborate meals, and fed the children pasta, and decided whether we would stay in the city or whether we would leave.
    For weeks there were memorial services at the cathedral or downtown almost every day, and along with their book bags and baseball mitts and science projects, the children carried their crimson robes and starched white collars to school, where they were excused from classes to sing. Though I tried to invite the little boy who was new to the school to come and play, he would not come because he would not leave his mother. We did not meet his father, who that morning had disappeared like so many others into — nothing. Because she refused to believe he was dead, the funeral was not held for some weeks, and then she insisted on an open empty coffin.
    That weekend in September we had gone to Sandy Hook because I was dissatisfied with my life, and angry at having to live it, and to have summer end. We drove down through the long cattails, and I was unhappy because the beach that I love doesn’t have cattails. I didn’t like the boardwalk, or that the water was warm. The baby didn’t care. She was thrilled to see the tiny crabs burrowing in the sand. She drank her red juice, and it made a red mark around her mouth, and I remember being tired of juice and juice boxes and the heat. The baby tracked sand over the towels with her wet feet, and I looked across the water to where we could see New York City gray with dust rising up in its stone caldron and I said, “The last thing I want to see when I go to the beach is the twin towers.” That is what I said.

Letting Go: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2011-08-31T16:39:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, August 28, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

Who Do YOU Say That I Am?: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2011-08-25T13:36:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 21, 2011

The text from this sermon can be found here.

Waiting Patiently For God: Sermon by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge

2011-08-16T14:08:00.001-07:00

Sermon preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, WA, by the Rev. Lex Breckinridge on the Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, August 14, 2011.

Download the text of this sermon here.

Skagit Pilgrimage - Final Wrap Up

2011-08-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

The Skagit Pilgrims are home! We arrived back in Medina on Friday afternoon, after a long, hard, and busy week in the Skagit Valley. Our Pilgrimage was a wonderful time of service, learning, building friendships, and growing as people of God. The last two days of the Pilgrimage, Wednesday and Thursday, were very busy and meaningful. We continued Bible Camp in the afternoons and it was one of the most memorable parts of our trip. What all of the Pilgrims will remember are the kids running to our cars to greet us as soon as we pulled into the parking lot at the end of the week. Remember, on Monday, the kids and parents scattered as soon as we appeared – unsure of who we were and why we were at their homes. Relationships were built very quickly and the love and hospitality of God was made known through our time with the kids. It was hard to leave for the last time on Thursday and to tell the kids that we would not be returning the next day. We took that opportunity to tell them about the friendship that Jesus offers – he is a friend who is always present and will never leave. Our final craft with them was making friendship bracelets as a reminder of our friendship, the friendship of la Iglesia de la Resurreccion, and the friendship and love of God in Jesus Christ.

On Wednesday morning, the Pilgrims were given a tour of Sakuma Bros. Farms – one of the largest berry producers in the Pacific Northwest. The massive scale of this operation was a stark contrast to our time at Viva Farms earlier in the week. While our eyes were opened to the pride and dignity of Salvador at Viva Farms, we saw the struggle of the farm workers who have not been given the opportunity to farm their own land. The people employed as berry pickers at farms across the Skagit Valley are under immense pressure to produce and work at backbreaking speed. Jo also took us to the farm workers’ camp to see the conditions in which the majority of workers live. Each family has a small, approximately 20’ x 20’ room in which they live. There is no insulation, many do not have windows, and a sheet of tin is the only thing to call a roof. The only bathrooms are small, communal bathrooms shared by several hundred workers and their families. It was heartbreaking to realize that so many people live in such circumstances so close to home. The Pilgrims began to talk about and process what other suffering surrounds us that we choose not to see. Our hope is that we would open our eyes to see those in need around us and serve them with the love of Christ.

Our morning on Thursday was spent doing yard work for a supporter of la Iglesia de la Resurreccion. Several months ago, the youth group of Resurreccion held an even to raise money for several of the children from the congregation to attend Camp Huston. The youth group of St. Thomas had donated yard work as part of the auction for the event and we were able to support the youth of Resurreccion by cleaning up the auction winner’s yard.

Thank you for all of your support and prayers for the youth of St. Thomas to make our Pilgrimage a success. Thank you also for your incredibly generous support of la Iglesia de la Resurreccion through donations of diapers and school supplies. Not only did we have a car load of donations when we arrived in Mt. Vernon, but we had another car load delivered when we left on Friday! If you are a stockholder, remember that there will be a special dinner at St. Thomas on September 18 when the Pilgrims will share with you more about our experience. If you haven’t already, mark your calendar and stay tuned for more information in the near future!

The Pilgrims on a tour of the Sakuma Bros. blueberry fields.

Yahir is making great music on the tambourine he made at Bible Camp.

Kira and Israel are enjoying reading a book together.

The Pilgrims end the day with Compline at Larrabee State Park.

Skagit Pilgrimage Update - Day 3

2011-08-09T08:40:00.000-07:00

Another great day for the Skagit Valley Pilgrims! We went back to Viva Farms this morning to continue working Salvador’s vegetable plot – doing a lot of weeding that he and his partner have little time to do. Even though we didn’t feel like we were accomplishing much by pulling weeds around lettuce, bell peppers, and tomatillos, Salvador is very grateful for our help in keeping his plot clear and fruitful. We were also able to spend some time with one of the owners of Viva Farms, learning more about why they do what they do. They hope to restore dignity to farmers who have worked in poor conditions at other farms for little pay, and to help them become self-sufficient farmers. The kingdom of God must look a lot like Viva Farms – people being liberated from injustice, experiencing their worth as human beings, and using their God-given talents to help others. While we are at Viva Farms, we purchased the produce for our meals from the Viva produce stand which allows the Viva farmers to receive a larger percentage of the money for their products – 60% rather than 24%.

Bible Camp today drew a smaller crowd of kids, but it was great nonetheless. The theme for today was “Make a Joyful Noise to the Lord.” Our craft for today was making musical instruments and then making music together – which was certainly joyful! We talked with the kids about how we can give thanks to God through music and hopefully whenever they make music in the future, they will remember that God loves them.

The youth group from la Iglesia de la Resurreccion came over to our campsite this evening to share a meal together. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to discover our commonalities, to spend time in fellowship, and to share our lives over a meal. Again, this was a taste of God’s kingdom – people brought together with shared faith and shared food. We ended our evening with Compline and a reflection time and the Pilgrims certainly have a lot to think about. We are beginning to process our experience and think about how our lives will change when we return home. Our time in the Skagit Valley is the beginning of a journey and we hope to return as changed people who will fight for justice, who will see the kingdom of God around us, and will be willing to share our lives with people who are different than us.

We ask for your continued prayers for our group of Pilgrims– for rest, for energy, for our open to the ways God wants us to grow and change, and for continued bonding and fellowship among our group.

Fresh strawberries - straight from Viva Farms!

Nathan is loving being a farmer!

Israel, concentrating very hard on decorating his rain stick.

Marisol's hands are covered in glitter paint from her rain stick.

Our youngest Pilgrim is also our best Spanish speaker!

Lolo loves Sponge Bob!

William is working very hard to make his rain stick sound perfect.

Skagit Pilgrimage Update - Day 2

2011-08-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

After a restful night’s sleep, the second day of our Pilgrimage began bright and early at 7:30 am. After a quick breakfast of French Toast, lovingly prepared by several of the youth, we left for la Iglesia de la Resurreccion to meet the vicar, Jo Beecher. Jo is a wonderful lady who works very hard with the Hispanic laborers of the Skagit Valley. She took us on a tour this morning of the farm land, pointing out crops and telling us what it is like to be a farm laborer. Many of the people she works with consistently work 16 hours a day during the summer months. They can only count on work from about May-November, and then are either unemployed for the winter, or if they are lucky, pick up one of the scarce farm jobs to prepare the fields for the next spring. The weather this spring took a huge toll on the crops, particularly berries, and the farmlaborers, who are paid by the pound of the crops they pick, have been hit very hard by the lack of work.

After our tour of the fields, we made our way to Viva Farms. Viva Farms rents plots of lands to farmers, who are then able to tend their own crops, not rely on competitive jobs from other farmers. Today we worked with Salvador, who has been a part of la Iglesia de la Resurreccion for over 10 years. He has recently completed some extension courses through Washington State University in agriculture, business, and marketing. Salvador has had a plot at Viva Farms for 2 years now and grows a variety of organic vegetables. One of his restaurant customers is Agua Verde, a great Mexican seafood restaurant in the University District of Seattle. Salvador put us to work this morning weeding his land. We will be going back to Viva Farms tomorrow to work with one of Salvador’s partners.

After a short break for lunch, the Pilgrims left for Bible Camp at the farmworkers housing. Although this housing project is new and the people living there have adequate shelter and heat, it lacks adequate facilities for children and families. Jo decided to take us to this housing project because most of the workers who live there have children, and there are no areas for children to play and they miss out on many of the recreation activities that other children enjoy during the summer. When we arrived, there were many children playing on the sidewalk outside of the buildings. As we approached, the children scattered and went back into their homes, unsure of what a groupof white people were coming for. The tension was broken when we brought out our snacks, t-shirts for the children to design and color, and dozens of children’s books to read to them. Their apprehension about our presence wassoon broken and over 20 children came to spend time with us. A great time was had by all and we look forward to going back tomorrow to continue building relationships, sharing the love of God with them, and receiving Jesus from them.

Our evening ended with a wonderful Compline service and reflection time about our day. The group of Pilgrims has already experienced a lot, even in one short day, and this will certainly be a life-changing experience for all.

Salvador tells us about his vegetable plot.

Kyra, hard at work in the dirt.

The kids at Bible Camp are having a great time making t-shirts!

Skagit Pilgrimage Update

2011-08-08T16:57:00.000-07:00

Our group of Pilgrims from St. Thomas has made it up to the Skagit Valley and we are settled at our campground. Thank God for safe travels! We left immediately following Mass on the Grass and arrived in Mt. Vernon around 3pm. After pitching our tents and organizing our supplies, we left for la Iglesia de la Resurreccion for Misa (Eucharist) and a dinner with the congregation. The Holy Eucharist service is the same as what we celebrate at St. Thomas – except it was celebrated entirely in Spanish. This was a great experience for the Pilgrims because we are able to see that there are no barriers to God – not language, not culture, not geography. Our dinner with the people of Resurreccion was a lot of fun! We were able to play with some of the kids from the congregation and we look forward to spending more time with these kids throughout the week during Bible Camp.

On the schedule for tomorrow is a tour of the farm country in the Skagit Valley, visiting several migrant camps and farm working housing projects, working in the fields with some of the people from Resurreccion, and putting on a Bible Camp for the kids of the farm workers.

The response from the St. Thomas community to our request for diapers and school supplies for Resurreccion was overwhelming! We brought with us somewhere in the neighborhood of 1000 diapers, several hundred baby wipes, and six backpacks all stuffed with school supplies. Thank your for your support, not only of the Pilgrims, but the people we are serving this week! We also brought about 100 kids books to leave with the kids we meet during Bible Camp – we hope they will treasure these books as their own, long after we leave.

We ask for your continued prayers – for health, for unity in our group, for the Holy Spirit’s leading in our interactions and activities, and for the love of God to be made known to and through us.

Keep checking back throughout the week for more updates on our Pilgrimage!

The pilgrims liked the books we brought for Bible Camp - here they are looking at "Where's Waldo?"

The sun was out when we arrived to set up our campsite!