Lockdown. It is the tragic and fearful state which we all experienced early on in the pandemic. Everything came to a halt. Sadly, some countries are in the midst of lockdowns again. What struck me as I considered the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples after the resurrection (John 20:19-23) is that they were in lockdown:...
Most of you are probably familiar with the military acronym AWOL, Absent Without Leave. It refers to persons who have left their posts without permission (but who have not permanently deserted.) In the midst of Lent, I want to re-purpose the same acronym. I think many of us are regularly Absent Without Leaving. In other words, we may be physically present (or at least virtually present on a phone call or video chat), but we are emotionally absent, our minds and hearts engaged somewhere else....
Have you ever felt like you are sailing in a fog? I think the pandemic alone, even without the other stresses we are experiencing nationally, makes us all feel disoriented....
I write to call for prayer for our nation and to reflect personally and Biblically on some of what we have seen....
What a traumatic and tragic week we have been through together. I am reeling from the report of the death of a Capitol police officer from the mayhem on Wednesday in Washington. I know many of you, like me, are still having trouble believing that the Capitol could have been under siege with members of Congress literally hiding in the building....
In light of the recent pandemic, you might feel it is better to worship from home, or your local congregation may not be meeting temporarily. If so, we invite you to tune into one of the following churches. These parishes will be live-streaming worship services this Sunday. Please click on the links below to visit their websites for more information. If your congregation...
Keep ReadingDear brothers and sisters,Greetings in our ascended Lord Jesus. One thing I have said continually is that we are in a season of adaptive change. Therefore, I ask that you extend grace to me because the following is a result of my adapting to input and concerns I am hearing from many of you. I am writing this to give each congregation permission to decide when it is best ...
Keep Reading[Nehemiah] said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision." (Nehemiah 2:17) Dear clergy, Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday and today and forever(Hebrews 13:8). In this season of constant change, with ever changing...
Keep Reading[Nehemiah] said to them, "You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision." (Nehemiah 2:17) Dear clergy, Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday and today and forever(Hebrews 13:8). In this season of constant change, with ever changing...
Keep ReadingTo All Clergy Dear brothers and sisters, Let me begin with how I am being encouraged and challenged. I was reading the Jubilate this morning in Morning Prayer and these words came alive: Be assured that the Lord, he is God;it is he that has made us, and not we ourselves;we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.(BCP 2019 version) In the midst of a pandemic that i...
Keep ReadingDear diocesan family, We are in unprecedented and difficult times. But as I reflect on our situation in this midst of this pandemic, I find comfort in the fact that God is our refuge and strength, our help in times of trouble, and therefore we need not, indeed should not, fear (Psalm 46). As I shared with clergy earlier this week, there is a weighing of what seem like c...
Keep ReadingTo the Clergy and Wardens - Steps for Reopening Dear brothers and sisters, Greetings in the Risen Jesus who is Lord over all! We have faced the challenge together of ending public church services for this season. I want to commend you all for the prayerful and creative ways you have continued to share the gospel and pastor your flocks. In many ways, moving churches onl...
Keep ReadingDear Clergy and Wardens, Greetings in our Risen Lord this Easter season! I have been asked whether there can continue to be "drive-by" communion services. The quick answer is that the bishops only envisioned and permitted this drive-by exception for Easter as a major Christian feast, not as an on-going practice. You or your eucharistic ministers may continue to t...
Keep ReadingDear brothers and sisters in the diocese, I received a special call to prayer and fasting on Good Friday from Archbishop Beach as we face the pandemic together It is a unique opportunity to join in prayer with hundreds of thousands of Christians from around North America, including faithful Presbyterians. Please join in heeding this call. Click here for the link. In t...
Keep ReadingDear rectors and wardens, May the Lord Jesus uphold you in your leadership during this season of the pandemic. I know that in several churches the giving last month was down as a result of the crisis we face as a country.Therefore, I wanted you to know that churches qualify for loans from the Small Business Administration to help with payroll. The loans will be forgiven ...
Keep ReadingDear brothers and sisters in the diocese, While we may not all be together this Easter, the Easter declaration will still ring out among us: Alleluia! Christ is risen!The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia! There is no better news in human history than the Resurrection of Jesus, the ultimate validation by God the Father of his Son's saving work on the Cross. There is so ...
Keep ReadingDear diocesan clergy, St. Paul wrote to Timothy, "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel" (2 Timothy 2:8). As we come to Holy Week and Easter Sunday, this is our goal: remembering what the Risen Lord Jesus accomplished for us and for our salvation. Please focus on Jesus in your hearts and minds and be determined to w...
Keep ReadingTo rectors and clergy,Greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ. I know that this season of coronavirus exile is very hard. I am reminded of Psalm 137, the song of the exiles:"By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered ZionHow shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?" Many of you have asked when will we be able to worship together again as ...
Keep ReadingDear Diocesan Family, As we are living in this time of a truly global pandemic, let me begin with the transforming words Jesus shared with his disciples. They were about to face his crucifixion, the greatest tragedy and most redemptive act in human history, when all of human sin crushed our Savior (Isaiah 53). After predicting that the disciples would abandon him, Jesus c...
Keep ReadingDear Rectors and clergy in the Gulf Atlantic Diocese, Greetings in Christ. Many of us are under local and state declarations of emergency, and all of us are now under a national state of emergency. As you know, the school systems in many of our areas have just announced closures, the trigger decision point that I shared with the diocese this morning. Therefore let me st...
Keep ReadingDear brother and sister clergy, Many of you are aware of the quote from the Talmud, adapted in the film Schindler's List, "He who saves the life of one man saves the entire world." A longer version is "Whoever destroys a single life is considered by Scripture to have destroyed the whole world, and whoever saves a single life is considered by Scripture to have saved the w...
Keep ReadingDear Gulf Atlantic Diocese, I do not need to tell you that we face a pandemic. No one yet knows everything this will mean for our country, churches included. I believe that as difficult as this may be, the Lord has purposes for us and our neighbors if we seek him. Let me share three things briefly: The Lord is in charge, and loves us as his own. We need not fear even ...
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