Lent 2021 Renew Our Hearts - Practices for a spiritual reawakening - Church of the Good Shepherd
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Lent 2021 Renew Our Hearts Practices for a spiritual reawakening
Table of
Contents
03 CREATE IN US A NEW HEART
Fr. Robert reflects on the prayer asking for
new hearts this Lent. Are you in need of one
too?
05 RENEW OUR HEARTS
This Lent, we invite you to join us we seek to
renew our hearts after a difficult year.
06 RENEWED ANEW BY MORNING
PRAYER
Kathleen Crevasse shares how the pracitce
of online morning prayer renews her heart.
07 EASTER FLOWERS
The Flower Guild is making plans for this year’s
Easter Flower memorials. Nicole Seiferth
shares the details.
08 ASTRONOMY IS LOOKING UP!
Matt Harbison shares how astronomy
connects his heart to God.
10 WISDOM FOR LENT
Mtr. Michele shares some of the wisdom
highlighted by Presiding Bishop Curry and
derived from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
11 LENTEN DONATION DRIVES
Deacon Janice Robbins walks us through the
practice of giving and shares the focus of this
Lent’s donation drives.
12 GOOD SHEPHERD SCHOOL FALL
REGISTRATION
On the cover & above: A Lenten rose in
early bloom. Photo courtesy of
The Rev. Robert Childers
Sandy Skorput takes us through the fall
registration process, happening in February.
2
“Create and make in us new and contrite hearts.”
Liturgy for Ash Wednesday, Book of Common Prayer
Robert Childers, Rector
Often, we approach Lent with scrunched up do? Probably the first step is to acknowledge
faces, weighed down with dread and worry, that the heart we have just doesn’t work
contemplating our mortality. And yes, that that well. Our hearts are, in fact, broken.
is one way to view Lent. But to be perfectly Speaking this truth and offering our broken
honest, and using very sound and quite hearts to God, is the beginning of the journey
orthodox theology, I would like us to enter to wholeness, our becoming who God has
into Lent this year with a different mindset. created us to be. We are making room for
The opening collect for Ash Wednesday asks the new heart that God longs for us to have.
that God would “…Create and make in us
new and contrite hearts” (Book of Common If the new heart that we long for belongs to
Prayer, p.264). God, surely, we want to journey back to our
creator. Prayer, study of scripture, worship
This collect acknowledges two holy and are all practices and disciplines which help
significant truths. First, something in our hearts us to establish and maintain a relationship
does not work as it should. Second, and most with God. Often, however, when we hear
importantly, we, as children of God, believe references to these spiritual disciplines, we
that whatever is not as it should be in our feel guilty or ashamed because we don’t
hearts, the creator of the universe has both observe them or believe we aren’t “good
the power and the desire to correct. Wow! enough” when we do engage in these
That is good news indeed; possibly the best practices. Yet, we should always remember
news I have heard in a long, long time. If that God’s deepest desire is that we—like the
God can right what is wrong with us, should Prodigal Son—would begin the journey back
that fill us with dread and fear? home. Once we do turn back home, the
promise is that God will always be watching
In March of 2020, just before the third Sunday and waiting for us.
of Lent, we stopped in-person services due
to Covid-19. Since that time, everything has When something is wrong with us physically,
changed. Nothing is as it once was. How we what do we do? More often than not,
live our lives, how the world operates, how initially, we ignore the problem, expecting
we “do” church—everything has changed. or hoping it will go away. Should it persist
For me, the thought of entering into Ash and even get worse, we likely will consult a
Wednesday and Lent in a dour, somber doctor. We tell the physician our problem,
mood is unacceptable. Quite honestly, I am describing our ailment. Tests may be
ready to be through with the sadness and ordered, medicine prescribed, or we might
darkness that has consumed so many of us be advised to alter or make some changes in
for nearly a year. I am ready for something our lifestyle. While we may not want to follow
new. I am ready for a new heart. And, I through with the doctor’s orders, when we
suspect, so are you. are in enough pain or distress, we usually do.
How do we begin this process of getting a These last 11 months have been filled with
new heart? What do we have or need to a great deal of pain, sorrow, anguish and
3
anxiety. None of us have been spared. Our suffering has been physical, emotional, mental,
and spiritual. For me, Lent is just what the Doctor ordered. It is a time for a new heart which
I most desperately need. This Lent may we be filled with light, joy, wonder, and keen
expectation, as we turn towards home to claim what is ours. A new heart is waiting.
Blessings, grace and peace,
Robert+
4
Renew Our Hearts
This season of Lent we seek to renew our hearts, readying ourselves for the new life of Easter
by exploring spiritual micro-practices. We will have the opportunity to learn a little bit about a
lot of different ways of drawing closer to God. We hope you’ll find one or more that appeal
to you in the Lenten Micropcractices booklet we include with this issue of The Staff or on the
Lent Resources page on our website.
Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are the traditional pillars of Lenten practices, and there are
plenty of opportunities within those activities for renewal. You’ve probably engaged in
Lenten morning prayer in the past. We’ll continue to offer Morning Prayer on our Facebook
page during Lent, Mondays through Fridays at 8:30 am. If you haven’t joined us for this
service, why not give it a try during Lent? Perhaps, particularly if you were once Roman
Catholic, you’ve prayed the rosary. Anglicans - the branch of Christianity we Episcopalians
belong to - have prayer beads and prayers of our own we can use. (Go to https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglican_prayer_beads to learn more). Or maybe you’ve committed
to doing centering prayer each day.
This year you’ll get to sample even more ways of drawing closer to God through the
micropractices we share (like the image you see on the facing page). Perhaps you’ve
fasted from alcohol or a favorite food in the past; maybe this year you can “micro-sample”
fasting from social media, gossip, or negative self-talk. If putting coins or bills in a United
Thank Offering box has been a past practice, this year there are all new ways of putting
aside a bit for others, as a practice in gratitude, in which you can engage.
The psalmist in Psalm 51 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right
spirit within me.” How will YOU get ready to renew- to transform! – your heart this Lenten
season? We invite you to step out of your comfort zone (all the best stuff really does happen
outside that cozy little place). Perhaps you’ll try the spiritual examen prayer included in the
Lenten Micropractices booklet (you can also learn more about it by going to https://www.
loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/ignatian-spirituality/examen-and-ignatian-prayer/how-
can-i-pray-try-the-daily-examen/). Maybe you’ll see where writing, reading or memorizing
poetry takes you. Our Bishop Brian posts a poem to Facebook every day as part of his own
micropractice. You can also receive a poem a day by visiting https://poets.org/academy-
american-poets/programs/poem-day.
What new practice do you want to try this Lent? Whatever you try, know that the journey to
renew your heart and draw closer to God is worth it.
5
Renewed Anew by Morning Prayer
Kathleen Crevasse, Director of Christian Formation
It’s hard for me to pick just one particular spiritual practice to share when so many have nourished my
soul over the years.
For a long time, centering prayer was a mainstay of my spiritual life, but after my brother died, I couldn’t
sit still for centering prayer. I may have been just a little mad at God (who, by the way, assures me that
God’s own self can handle that), and that distracted me from my prayer sits. So, unable to sit, I started
walking - and walking. I logged many miles, mostly in the woods in the months following Brian’s death.
I realized at some point that in my head I was talking to God. I still do that a lot. Around that time, I
also became interested in labyrinths and when a labyrinth was available to me I did a lot of labyrinth
walking. (I even made one with our former youth minister Elizabeth Farr for us to use here at the church.)
Walking with God will always be one of my go-to practices, but there’s been a new addition.
Almost a year ago, two weeks into Lent, the pandemic changed life as we knew it. We closed our offices
and we all went to work at home. We had only had a few of our Lenten Morning Prayer gatherings
in the chapel. I decided to continue them from home, live-streaming on Facebook. Normally, we do
morning prayer only in Advent and Lent (and we do it in the Chapel, not online), but when Lent ended,
nobody in our newly formed community was ready to let go of what had become a sustaining and
heartening practice for all of us.
So here is what my practice looks like. Every morning I load my Spotify Taizé list, pull up Morning Prayer
on my computer, set my mini altar tableau - icons, votives stacked on a spice shelf, singing bowl. I light
the center candle, try to settle my dogs (who have been my companions now for close to 250 sessions
of morning prayer - and they are well known to the morning prayer community as they frequently
speak up, most often starting to bark when I announce the moment of silence for contemplation),
set up the camera, pull up Facebook and start streaming. Sound the bowl. Say the prayers. Read the
day’s readings. Light candles for the prayers people put in the comments at the time designated for
intercessions.
Holy. Holy. Holy.
In less than half an hour’s time I am immersed in song, scripture, prayer, and most surprisingly, community.
I believe I am not the only one among those who regularly gather who feel deeply connected to the
rest of the participants, despite the virtual nature of our gathering. When we ask for prayers at the
candle lighting, we share our struggles and concerns - personal, national and global; we share our
gratitude for beautiful sunrises, bird song, return of health for loved ones, securing of jobs.
Through the seasons I have shared from my dining room, my back deck, my front porch, in front of the
fireplace on cold winter mornings. I try to imagine where the community is tuning in from - cars, out
walking, kitchen counters with a cup of coffee, the beach while on vacation ...
Morning Prayer finishes with the prayer of St John Chrysostom:
Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common
supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three
are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and
petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to
come life everlasting. Amen.
6
Kathleen’s Morning Prayer altar
At least “two or three” (and usually many more) are always gathered. And God is in the
midst of us. (You can join us any morning, Monday through Friday, on the Good Shepherd
Facebook page at 8:30 am).
We wish each other peace and move into our mornings transformed by our time together,
with God.
I share the livestream to our Facebook page, blow out the candles, load the scripture
readings for the next day (checking for strange places or names that might require looking
up pronunciations), I do little research if the next day is a saint’s feast day, look for some
poetry or images to share that are pertinent to what’s happening in our lives, and when
the candles cool, put away my mini altar.
And it is well with my soul.
Easter Flowers
Nicole Seiferth, Parish Administrator
The Flower Guild will have a general memorial fund for donations to remember
and honor special people and groups with flowers on Easter Sunday. You may
email or call Nicole in the church office (nicole@gslookout.com or 423-821-1583)
to make a gift or with any questions. Envelopes for Easter flower offerings can
also be found in the pews throughout Lent.
7Astronomy is looking up!
Matt Harbison, Director of Youth Ministries
While I thought about telling you of my quiet time in the mornings, prayer time in the afternoon, or even
my reflections and prayer after Youth each Wednesday night, I felt compelled to share something
unique. I understand that micropractices in the context of church generally mean something more
spiritually identified than simply gazing into the sky, but I also know that the purpose of a micropractice
is to center or unify one’s soul, mind, and body.
For this reason, I’m sharing my love of sky-watching. Astronomy, birding, and even cloud watching.
These things give me such a sense of awe and wonder that I sometimes forget where I am. I often
describe my astronomy practices as a window into the backyard of God. My mind wanders as I
contemplate the mystery of the universe... photons, electrons, atoms, molecules, Christ has died, Christ
is risen, Christ will come again. Seemingly cyclical, both in the heavens and spirituality. My mind
wanders from the ideas of our bodies being a collection of atoms formed billions of years ago in the
stars you see above you to the idea of the same atoms being a part of God from the beginning...
and ultimately back again. “Fascinating,” to quote my favorite Star Trek character. What may seem
entirely distant to some brings me back to center.
For the last five years, I’ve spent clear nights on my telescope photographing the entire constellation
of ORION, taking over 12,000 individual images to illuminate the constellation. I’ve been told it’s the
highest resolution image of the constellation created by man. If you get a chance one of these clear
cold winter nights, step outside and have a look. Orion is nice and high outside in the night sky now
(February). Go outside, face south and look up about 45 degrees; take a look, and then head over to
my website to look at my project. Of interest is the familiar asterism of the two giant stars and the three
belt stars in a pleasing symmetry (see the top image on the next page).
Then, if you look at my illuminated image from my telescope (see the bottom image on the next page),
notice the very center where a bright red nebula can be seen. Inside it is a nebula with the shape of a
horse’s head. That’s the Horsehead Nebula. IC-434 is its official designation. Can you see why called
it the horsehead nebula? On my website, if you zoom in on my giant 200 panel mosaic, you’ll see a
8faint star at the back of the horse’s mane. From that star, to the tip of the horse’s nose (mane to nose)
is roughly the same distance from our star, the Sun, to our closest star, Alpha Centauri. In other words,
we are incredibly small and yet so amazingly crafted, designed, created, and placed.
If your intellect has been sparked, or maybe your soul awakened by looking up, I can recommend
Carl Sagan’s Pale Blue Dot and The End of Night by Paul Bogard. Neither book is spiritual in nature, but
both books frame the unparalleled mystery and delicate balance that is our universe. In reading them,
bring your heart and spiritual regimens to see where they collide.
Clear Skies!
To view my 200 panel mosaic, go to https://orion2020v5b.spaceforeverybody.com/
Use your scroll wheel to zoom and press “Q” on your keyboard to bring up the astrometric plate solve.
Click the small link at the bottom right of the image to read about the process from the beginning.
9Wisdom for Lent from a Bishop and a King
Michele Simmons, Associate Priest
Welcome to Lent, a season of turning and returning! To repent is to turn away from the things (behaviors,
habits, choices, attitudes, actions and inactions) that harm us and distort our relationships with God,
with other people, and with all creation. Lent invites us to pause in our busyness, take time for self-
examination, and recommit to living fully in the light and life and love of Christ. If, like me, your hasty
New Year’s resolutions have long since fallen by the wayside, Lent offers the time and space to discern
and live into deeper, Spirit-led changes. It is a time to nurture our authentic selves and to become the
gift and blessing that God is calling each of us to be in our community at this time.
Many of us have recently enjoyed our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry’s book Love is the Way: Holding
on to Hope in Troubled Times. If you’ve not yet read it, consider doing so as a part of your Lenten
practice this year. You will find hope and encouragement for your journey. Bishop Curry insists that
“Love as an action is the only thing that has ever changed the world for the better.” He tells us that we
can ground our behaviors and decisions by using questions like, “Is this just about me, or is it about we?”
and “Do my actions look like love?”
In his book, Bishop Curry quotes the first nine of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Ten Commandments of
Nonviolence.” These would make great Lenten (and life-long) practices. One could spend time
with each commandment during the weeks ahead. Or perhaps the Holy Spirit will call attention to a
particular commandment. Living into all nine practices is a tall order, but well within the capability of
God’s life-transforming grace.
Dr. King asked those who marched with him to sign cards committing themselves to these principles.
Bishop Curry offers them, “as a potential framework for your own daily commitment to love.” The
italicized sentences are Dr. King’s original commandments and the comments in plain text are excerpts
from Bishop Curry’s discussion in the book (pp. 92-94).
1. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus. There is a reason this comes first. Dr. King realized
that to walk the way of love, we need to nurture a relationship with the source of love.
2. Remember always that the nonviolent movement seeks justice and reconciliation – not victory.
Reconciliation, not revenge is the goal. … each day brings opportunities to unite or divide; to
provoke anger or model compassion.
3. Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love. This is a call to be the change you would like
to see.
4. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men might be free.
5. Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men might be free. Recall that the opposite of love isn’t
hate; it’s selfishness.
6. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy. Even on social media.
7. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world.
8. Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
9. Strive to be in good spiritual and bodily health. It’s the call to put your own oxygen mask on first.
10Lenten Donation Drives
Janice Robbins, Deacon
The time from Lent 2020 to Lent 2021 has indeed been a trek through wilderness; indeed, it
seems like we have been cast into an unknown land that every day brings new challenges. In
our Individual lives, we have had to develop whole new mechanisms for coping. In such times,
it is difficult not to dwell on our own issues and concerns. After all, they are OURS; however,
as part of our Lenten micro-practice discipline, it is important for our own health and physical
well-being to take time to focus on people other than ourselves. There are so many places on
which to concentrate: our parish and mountain, our larger community, our nation, our world--
they are all in need.
1. First (and always), prayers are needed and can be genuinely offered to all sorts and
conditions of humans without regard to time or cost.
2. Secondly, we can offer ourselves in tangible ways: contributions of money and gift
cards, donations of needed items, gifts of physical presence and assistance (masked,
socially distanced, or outside).
3. Thirdly, since any outwardly focused project is helpful, individual or family-based
undertakings are critical for both the recipients and the givers.
Obviously during Covid it is difficult to come together to reach out, but “together apart”
we can still make a difference. In addition to our current outreach projects [re-stocking the
Care Closet for East Side; Food Bank contributions] until Easter, we will undertake a special
microproject to make a substantial contribution of baby foods and supplies (formula, food,
gift cards, diapers, wipes, lotion, shampoo, etc.) to La Paz and the Family Domestic Violence
Center at Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, two area non-profits that have
significant baby/toddler clients.
If you would like to be part of a distribution team that takes items to these organizations, email
janice@gslookout.com. Extra hands are always welcome and needed!
We thank you, Lord, for the little children that Jesus loved.
We are called to do likewise.
11211 Franklin Road
Return Service Requested
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee 37350
The Church of the Good Shepherd
Good Shepherd School Fall Registration
Sandy Skorput, Director of Good Shepherd School
Fall Registration 2021-22 for currently enrolled students and
parishioners of Good Shepherd began on Monday, February 8. You
can request an application packet by calling the school office at
(423) 821-0044. You can return them by driving through carpool and
handing it off to any staff member. Carpools run at 7:30, 8:15 and
9 am, 12, 2, 4:30 and 5:45 pm. You can also leave the packet in the
mailbox on Franklin Rd at the end of the circular driveway. Enclosed
in your packet, attached to the Rate Sheet, is a grid to help you
determine your deposit. Along with your paperwork, please enclose
a check for the deposit plus an $85 registration fee made out to
Good Shepherd School. All registration is done on a first-come, first-
served basis.
Open registration for all other potential students begins on Friday,
February 26. This will be held in Talbird Hall from 9:30-11:30 am. You
can get your registration packets ahead of time and simply walk
them through on the 26th. Please be sure to wear a mask and to
remain at a safe, social distance when turning in your applications.
We will have the doors open with fans on to circulate the air well as
people wait to drop off their packets. It should go relatively quickly.
We look forward to seeing you!You can also read
