A Shepherd In The Field

He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’  Luke 5:3-5 Our meditations this week are based on Jesus’ instruction to Peter that he “put out to the deep” and our need to live fearless in Christ. Yesterday, we reflected on fear. How the unknown can inspire anxiety. How the crushing weight of our fears can overcome us when we are vulnerable, and cannot control events impacting our lives. It is essential to name our fears and place them in the compassionate, holy and wounded hands of our Savior. We place our fears, deepest hopes, and dreams into the hands of Jesus through prayer. When we pray, we connect mystically to...

“When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’” Luke 5:4 When? When is the vaccine coming? When is it going to end? When I am going to see my family and friends? When can we come together? When will things be like they used to be? When? When? When? The unknown always produces anxiety and fear.  At our last convention, a time when we were all together, I asked that 2020 be the year of "Living fearlessly in Christ." I used Luke 5:1-11 to emphasize this need in our diocesan life. It seems that 2020 is much different than we envisioned and now takes on a deeper meaning.  Luke describes Peter on the shore. He had been out all night in the boat, searching for fish.  Tired and frustrated, Peter returns with empty nets. Jesus wasn't invited; he gets into the boat. It is described as "The invasion of grace."  Jesus calls him to leave the comfort of the shore, and" put...

Sharing the Peace Saturday - Music “My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music.” Psalm 57:7 “as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ..”  Ephesians 5:19 Good and blessed Saturday. Each Saturday, we will use different artistic representations to “Share the Peace.”  Today our artistic representation is music.  I ask that you select one “uplifting” song.  It can be from any genre.  And share it on this page, your page, or forward in an email to someone and bring them blessings today.  We all know that music can bring blessings and brighten a day.  Music can take you a place and bring peace.  Let us share the peace through music today.   We have thousands of songs that we can share, let’s find something that will bring a ...

Good and blessed Friday. As you may remember, each Friday and Saturday, we are “Sharing the Peace with our Blessings.” On these days, we will where we share with one another those things that give our life beauty and meaning. I ask that you post them on your social media site or forward them by email to people that you know to bring them blessings today. In the same way, we share the peace during Holy Eucharist, let us share the peace of the Lord in this way. Today is sharing the written word. The theme for today is poetry. What are those poems that mean something to you? I have chosen 5 poems by three different poets.   The first two poems are by William Blake. They are two out of the three pastoral poems in Songs of Innocence, the other being Spring. I love the imagery of a shepherd, and they remind me of the Good Shepherd and the love the shepherd has for the flock. The Shepherd How sweet is the Shepherds sweet lot, From the morn to the evening he s...

“Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body.” 1 Cor 12:13-15 During this time of physical distancing, one of the signs of God’s holy presence is the realization of how much we depend on one another, how much we need one another, and cannot truly live without one another. Over time, culture has ingrained in our psyche that we must “go at it alone” embody the “tough American individualism” or “every person for themselves.”  Yet, it is a false illusion.  In times like these, if we live that individualistic creed, we often find ourselves clinging to the sides of a small boat, tossed about in the dark during a raging storm. Perhaps that is why our statement of faith found in the Nicene Creed begins and is filled with “We believe” rather than “I believe.” We. Believe. Our belief in the strength of the Body of Christ. Ma...

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, And he came to Mary and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’* But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’* The angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born* will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the six...

In those days when there was again a great crowd without anything to eat, he called his disciples and said to them, I have compassion for the crowd, because they have been with me now for three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way—and some of them have come from a great distance.’ Mark 8:1-10 Today is a special day in that it has been 40 years since the murder of one of my heroes. I still remember that day I heard the news. I was 15 1/2 and returning from school. Gloom and sadness enveloped me like a wet and suffocating shroud.  My dream was to be with those Bishop’s and Priests walking with the poor in body, spirit, and mind. To be with all the faithful during their times of sadness and joy. To have the blessed opportunity to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ and live the life of holy compassion. On that day, hate and a bullet seemingly ripped those dreams from my hands.   That evening I walked to c...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, Hebrews 6:18-20 This past weekend at home, I was sitting at my desk looking outside the window. In the background, I could hear the television reports of the latest COVID-19 spread. A steady stream of emails arriving in my inbox and accompanied by the sounds our technology make to announce a triumphant presence. Even now, an extraordinary amount of junk mail. A text message reporting the latest changes to the contain the spread in our region and inviting me to the latest briefing. I refresh the computer screen to learn of the minute by minute breaking news. ...

Hope! We have hope because we have Jesus Christ. Let us share that hope with the rest of the world. Good and blessed day, my dear family. All will be well as God is here, and Jesus Christ is journeying with each one of us through this journey. There is also the joy that we journey together through this pilgrimage of faith. We are in this together, and our love will only be strengthened. Please know that I am blessed to walk with you, and I hold each of your names in prayer and uplift each of your comments.   As I mentioned yesterday, I will share mediations throughout the week. On Friday and Saturday, we will break open and share the peace with one another. Yesterday, I asked that we share prayers, quotes, and scriptural passages. Start collecting for next Friday. Today, let us share pictures that are sustaining us, those pictures that give us hope and peace. Photos that are essential to our faith. Be creative, and don't worry about the quality. If you are so moved, say somethi...

Each Monday through Thursday, I am writing a daily reflection and sharing throughout the diocese. In the depths of my soul, I sense that prayer indeed infuses every part of our being and moves throughout time and creation, as it is like a mist that gently covers our face and refreshes our lives. As Bishop, I genuinely believe that a “shepherd should smell like the sheep.” I want to hear your voices, see your faces, and hold what is on your heart. I also believe that your fellow pilgrims need the same connection. Our journey together will take on a different form on Friday and Saturday.  I invite the faithful to share the goodness and love in your own hearts so that we may uplift and enliven one another. Each moment and each day, you are vessels of God’s love. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are each called to proclaim the Good News of our Savior.  Thus, each Friday and Saturday will be a time of breaking open and sharing the peace.  Since at this time, we ...

To find God in the now.  Today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph. Through Joseph, we learn to be present in the sacred moment, and through the silence, hear the voice of God guiding us forward. For Joseph, life was not as he planned, but the life God has prepared for him. Please take a moment to imagine the plans Joseph made for his life. He is starting a life with Mary. Each day thoughts fill his head with what the future holds. The excitement of the upcoming wedding and all the guests they will invite. He is probably working on a table and thinking of the number of children they will raise together. What will we call them? Abraham, Rebecca, Sarah, even David. “Yes, I will be called the father of David.” Each day he is busily preparing their home and his carpentry business; “oh, the things I will build.” All these beautiful plans. Then one day, it all changed. He notices that Mary has something on her mind. Then, Mary, his beloved Mary, approaches him and says: “I ...