Churches considering RenewalWorks often wonder how the initiative gets integrated into the larger church community upon completion of the formal process. This week Craig Hillemeier, Senior Warden at All Saint's Episcopal Church in Hershey, PA, reflects on how his church has begun implementing RenewalWorks into the broader parish community. All Saint's participated in the Winter 2025 RenewalWorks cohort. Craig's thoughts are below:
I would say RenewalWorks was a very positive experience, certainly for the people who made up the team and the facilitators. With the exception of one person, the comments were all very positive with many noting it was the most spiritually enriching experience they have had. From my own perspective I am somewhat concerned how the positive nature of the experience can be translated it into a similarly positive impact on the rest of the congregation. I would imagine many have wondered how to transmit that feeling which the RenewalWorks workshop team experienced into something accessible to the entire congregation. Obviously there was the 10 - 15 hours of teamwork that brings about a sense of investment and when attached to a spiritual component, the RenewalWorks experience becomes pretty powerful.
In addition to the interim and final reports to the congregation we have had many table discussions during the fellowship time after the church service downstairs in the parish hall. One thing that our Rector, Mother Anjel Scarborough, has instituted that I have found very successful is having members of the RenewalWorks team spend 2 - 3 minutes addressing the congregation after her homily. During the stewardship drive for the last several years people have given testimonials regarding why they attend All Saints. This year she has steered it to a focus on the RenewalWorks program.
One these last Sunday blew me away. A parishioner talked about their lifelong pursuit (struggle) with perfectionism. Her spirituality would clash with that need for perfectionism as life events (death, health, disappointment) would cause her assessment of her spirituality to wax and wane, falling short of her perceived goals. The RenewalWorks process helped her understand that 3/4 of the parish was in the first two groups and that falling short is, if anything, part of the human condition. Perfectionism in spirituality is simply not possible. The opportunity to plot a way forward was very uplifting.
As we go forward I think our plan will be for three of the RenewalWorks team members who have some sense of ownership for implementation will probably try to get the entire team together every three to four months to assess how we are doing. At least from my own perspective, small steps with a consistent reassessment and calibration are the best path forward.
Psalm 84:1-6
1 How dear to me is your dwelling, O Lord of hosts! My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.
2 The sparrow has found her a house and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young; by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.
3 Happy are they who dwell in your house! they will always be praising you.
4 Happy are the people whose strength is in you! whose hearts are set on the pilgrims' way.
5 Those who go through the desolate valley will find it a place of springs, for the early rains have covered it with pools of water.
6 They will climb from height to height, and the God of gods will reveal himself in Zion.
(This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. Please note that these days in the church, there are two tracks of readings in the lectionary, offering a choice of psalms. Your church may or may not have read the psalm included in this email.)
Some years ago, the former Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey visited a parish in the states, and noted that it was “rooted and restless and ready to grow.” That assessment can apply to individuals and congregations and denominations. We’re a wonderful, sometimes even contradictory mix, we human beings. Perhaps the question the Archbishop’s description prompts: Is it a 50/50 split? Many congregations I’ve witnessed are really good on the rooted part. They may not be so restless and ready to grow, because that involves change. I don’t think I’ve ever run across a cleric who has not heard the dreaded words: We’ve never done it that way!
That idea of restlessness was famously articulated by Augustine in his Confessions. Early on in the book he confesses to the Holy One: “Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”Augustine knew about restlessness. It finally brought him to conversion after living the high life as a young man, when he prayed “Give me chastity but not yet.” In his simple nod to restlessness, he identified something true of all of us, going all the way back to Father Abraham in the book of Genesis.
Abraham was apparently well rooted, living a comfortable life until God interrupted with a call to journey to a new land, to a new home. In a marvelous picture of the spiritual life, scripture says that Abraham launched out, not knowing where he was going. You go, Abraham! He must have known some kind of restlessness.
In the gospels, the disciples meet Jesus. He simply says to them: Follow me. For all the disciples’ foibles (and they are numerous), it’s impressive that they set out with Jesus. No letter of agreement. No 5 year plan. No itinerary. They just follow. They must have been ready to embrace their restlessness. Perhaps they were anticipating Thomas Merton’s famous prayer which begins: Lord, I have no idea where I’m going.
We get pictures of restlessness in many of the psalms, including the one you may have heard in church yesterday (reprinted in this email): My soul has a desire and longing for the courts of the Lord. (Psalm 84:1) That is the aim of that restlessness. It is to find oneself in the dwelling place of God. It is to find oneself at home. Seems to me that our spiritual journey is that process of heading for that place.
The psalm describes wanting to take up residence in the house of the Lord, presumably the temple in Jerusalem. But centuries later, we need not take that to mean travel to the Holy Land. As wonderful as that is, and much to be encouraged as a spiritual practice, we can aim for our own Jerusalem, that place which we imagine to be our holy home.
That process is captured in the verse that always stops me in today’s psalm: Happy are those who travel the pilgrims’ way (Psalm 84:4). It’s one of the few places in the Bible where the word pilgrim is used. So think with me about the difference between pilgrim and tourist. My guess is that a pilgrim is looking for a home. Again, biblical precedent might be the children of Israel meandering through the wilderness until they reach the land promised by God. It may be those same folks, centuries later, longing for a way out of exile to their homeland. (By the waters of Babylon, we sat down and wept when we remembered you, O Zion. Psalm 137:1ff) Maybe it’s the voice of St. Paul who confesses to the Corinthians that his real desire is to be a home with the Lord (II Corinthians 5: Yes, we do have confidence, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.)
All of which is to lead into these questions this Monday morning. Do you see yourself as both rooted and restless in your own spiritual journey? What will you do with that restless part? Do you see yourself as on a pilgrimage in your life? What is the goal? What would you regard as home? What will you do this week to take steps towards that place?
A closing insight from Psalm 42:1,2: As the deer longs for the water-brooks, so longs my soul for you, O God. My soul is athirst for God; athirst for the living God. When shall I come to appear before the presence of God?
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come?
2 My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved and he who watches over you will not fall asleep.
4 Behold, he who keeps watch over Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep;
5 The Lord himself watches over you; the Lord is your shade at your right hand,
6 So that the sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord shall preserve you from all evil; it is he who shall keep you safe.
8 The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time forth for evermore.
(This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. Please note that these days in the church, there are two tracks of readings in the lectionary, offering a choice of psalms. Your church may or may not have read the psalm included in this email.)
Anne Lamott has reminded us that we need only three words to pray: thanks, help and wow.
The psalm reprinted in this email, one you may have heard in church yesterday, zooms in on that second word: help. If you’ve spent any time with toddlers, you may recognize that refrain: I’ll do it myself. Independence and self-sufficiency have their place. In fact, they are celebrated in our culture. But the psalmist gives us an alternative, which is to recognize that we are dependent on God’s help.
You may have run across my favorite paraphrase of the first beatitude: Blessed are the poor in spirit. I’m not entirely sure what it means to be poor in spirit, let alone why that is a blessed thing. The rendering that has been helpful to me goes like this: Blessed are those who know their need of God. Seems to me, that’s the first step in offering a prayer for help. It is a matter of recognizing that there is a need.
In the research of RenewalWorks, we found that about 25% of churches surveyed reflected an archetype labeled complacent. It’s echoed in the voice of the woman who said that she didn’t think there was any need for transformation in her life. She didn’t expect that from church. One complacent congregation, with tongue in cheek, revised the tagline for their church. In light of their diagnosis of spiritual complacency, here’s what they had to say about themselves: We’re spiritually shallow and fine with that.
If we turn to the gospels, we see that it’s people at the end of their ropes who seem to connect most closely with Jesus. A parent whose child is dying or dead. A leper pushed to the margins. A demon-possessed man with no control of his life. A tax collector who chose a career that made him a pariah. Those marginalized in society because they are sinners. We can see it in the lives of the fishermen/disciples. One never reads about them catching any fish without Jesus’ help. Not exactly successful in their professional pursuits. In one way or another, they all know their need of God. They know they need help. And they come to Jesus. It’s why in our conversations with folks about their spiritual journey, when people are asked to name a time when they have grown spiritually, it is most often a time when they encountered crisis or loss.
Compare that to the really religious folks of Jesus’ day. I sometimes get nervous that they correspond to today’s clergy (i.e., yours truly). Along with the people in political power, they see little need in their lives. They recognize Jesus only as disrupter. Things were comfortable with them and while they knew Jesus came to comfort the afflicted, they weren’t wild about the fact that Jesus came to afflict the comfortable.
After getting in touch with a reality of a need for help, need of a higher power, then where do we look for help? We find in our culture, people often look for help in all the wrong places. Maybe folks believe that help comes in simply working harder, in getting a better job, getting a raise. Maybe folks believe that help comes in finding the perfect relationship. Maybe the answer will come with finding some substance that eases pain. The wisdom of the desert father come to mind: Do not give your heart to that which will not satisfy your heart.
Which leads to the need to remember, with the help of the psalm, where our help comes from. Our help comes from God, the maker of heaven and earth. That’s where faith comes in, that spirit of absolute dependence cited by Paul Tillich as definition of faith. I suspect some readers find themselves in need of help this Monday morning, facing challenges beyond their own ability to resolve. May the words of this psalm with it’s call to lift our eyes to the hills, offer a way to find the help we need.
And once we experience that help, we’re led to Anne Lamott’s other two words that sum up all our prayers: thanks and wow.
-Jay Sidebotham
Psalm 111
1 Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the deeds of the Lord! they are studied by all who delight in them.
3 His work is full of majesty and splendor, and his righteousness endures for ever.
4 He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
5 He gives food to those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works in giving them the lands of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; all his commandments are sure.
8 They stand fast for ever and ever, because they are done in truth and equity.
9 He sent redemption to his people; he commanded his covenant for ever; holy and awesome is his Name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures for ever.
God is ever mindful of his covenant
In the midst of some recent challenges, a kind friend sent an encouraging note and a copy of the hymn, "Great is thy faithfulness." You won't find the hymn in the 1982 Hymnal, but I grew up with it in my church. At various stages of life, I have found it sustaining. The main theme of the text comes from the Hebrew scriptures (Lamentations 3). I've been particularly helped in uncertain times by the phrase: "All I have needed thy hand has provided." I have found it to be true, a testament to God's faithfulness.
That faithfulness is a reflection of God's covenant with all of us. Covenant is a word that recurs in the psalm reprinted in this email. While there is a specific legal meaning for the word in the secular world, in the biblical context, covenant suggests not contractual agreement but commitment to another person. Seen from that perspective, it reminds us that our faith is really about relationship. Theology and doctrine and creed have their places, but at the heart of our tradition is the call to be in right and loving relationship with God and each other.
There are any number of covenants identified in scripture. The rainbow signals a covenant with Noah, God’s promise never to cover the earth by flood again. Moses goes on the mountaintop to receive ten commandments, which prescribe God’s relationship with humanity, and our relationship with each other. The Book of Deuteronomy suggests a kind of conditional covenant in which God will bless as long as the people obey holy commands. But most of the covenants carry an unconditional, gracious quality on God’s part, reflecting God's faithfulness. David receives a covenant that his kingdom will last forever, something Christians see fulfilled in Jesus. Jeremiah spoke of the gift of a new covenant, written not in stone but on our hearts. I’m told that his language of a new covenant gives us the language for the Bible itself. Covenant = testament: an Old Testament (a.k.a., covenant), and a new one.
Jesus on the night before he died, gave his disciples a covenant which we still celebrate each week: "We pray gracious God to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant." Each of these covenants, in its own way, describes a relationship we may have with the Holy One, and by implication, the relationship we have with each other.
The word "covenant" pops up elsewhere in our liturgy. At baptism, we recite the baptismal covenant, making promises about how we will deepen our relationship with God (e.g., Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of the bread and the prayers) and with each other (e.g., Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving neighbor as self.) The marriage service turns to the language of covenant, for me captured in the exchange of rings as the couple says to each other: With all that I am and all that I have, I honor you. That marriage covenant represents a commitment to another person, not to a contract. We live into this covenant as we honor each other.
That’s a long way of saying that all of this has to do with right relationship. So I invite you this Monday morning to a bit of inventory, to take a check on those relationships in your own life.
We begin with our relationship with the Holy One, and a reminder of the commitment that God has made to us, powerfully expressed by St. Paul in his letter to the Romans, where he says nothing can separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus. Given that, we consider our side of that relationship. The psalm du jour invites us to an attitude of gratitude, a life marked by a healthy fear of the Lord leading to wisdom, as in our lives we do our best to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. How can you deepen that relationship this week?
And part of that covenant necessarily involves our relationship with those around us as we hear Jesus’ call to love neighbor as self. Pushing the envelope a bit, we take into consideration the challenge from the New Testament letter of John: "Those who say, “I love God,” and hate a brother or sister are liars, for those who do not love a brother or sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen." (I John 4:20) How can you deepen these relationships this week? How can we widen our hearts?
Consider the covenants in your life: your relationship with God, revealed to us in Jesus; your relationship with those around you. How might you practice honor in those relationships? As you reflect on covenant, have a look at that old hymn, "Great is the faithfulness." Think on the text of that hymn this week, remembering that God is ever mindful of the covenant made with you and me.
-Jay Sidebotham
Psalm 37:1-10
1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; do not be jealous of those who do wrong.
2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, and like the green grass fade away.
3 Put your trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and feed on its riches.
4 Take delight in the Lord, and he shall give you your heart's desire.
5 Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, and he will bring it to pass.
6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light and your just dealing as the noonday.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, the one who succeeds in evil schemes.
9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.
10 For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.
(This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. Please note that these days in the church, there are two tracks of readings in the lectionary, offering a choice of psalms. Your church may or may not have read the psalm included in this email.)
In times when I’m inclined to fretfulness, especially because of insane things going on in the world, Psalm 37 has steadied me, bringing me back to center. In times when I’m focused on how well other people are doing and how resentful I feel, Psalm 37 has offered a healing perspective that helps me let all that go. In times when I forget abundant blessings that have come my way, Psalm 37 reminds me of how God has fulfilled the desires of my heart. You may have heard a portion of this psalm in church yesterday. (It’s reprinted in this email for easy referral. ) As I heard it again yesterday, I was struck with what God asks of us. Here’s what we’re called to do: Be still before the Lord.
The call to be still does not only appear in Psalm 37. It also shows up in Psalm 46, spoken into a context where the earth was moved, mountains toppled, waters raged. Have you ever felt like you were in that kind of situation? When I served in New York City in 2001, over the course of that mournful autumn, we did many memorial services for the victims of the attack on 9/11. It was a time when things we counted on (the economic and military centers, dare I say idols of our nation) were toppled. In each of those memorial liturgies, we included Psalm 46, with its call to be still and know that God is God.
The call to be still appears in the story of the Exodus. Picture this. The Israelites are at a dead end, no way out. Red Sea in front of them. Egyptian army behind. (For movie buffs, it’s like that moment when Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are trapped on that cliff. They can’t go forward. There’s no retreat.) The Israelites freak. They blame Moses. They blame God. And then they hear a word from the Lord through Moses: Be still and I will fight for you (Exodus 14:14). Deliverance and liberation follow, and their story strengthens generations to come. Have you ever been in one of those moments that seem to provide no way forward? What would it take to be still in that dead-end moment? Can you believe the dead end could become a threshold?
The call to be still came to Elisha who was being mentored by Elijah (kind of a biblical Batman/Robin thing). Then came the word that Elijah would be taken away. Elisha may have tried to hold on, to avoid the grief of losing someone close (II Kings 2:3,5). Have you ever been in that kind of situation, losing someone you love? In response, the word of the Lord came to Elisha: Be still. In our contention with loss, that word comes to us as well.
The call to be still appears in the gospels when the disciples are out on the sea and a squall stirs up. They panic, fearing for their lives, and they ask Jesus to do something. Actually, they ask why Jesus is not more panicked. He says to them and to Mother Nature: Be still (Mark 4:39) With that, the turbulence ends. Have you ever been in a storm? Maybe you’re there right now. What would it take to be still?
With a nod to all of those biblical witnesses, what does it mean for us to be still? It probably involves a physical process, the intention of slowing down, calming the monkey mind. It may begin as a scheduling issue, just setting aside quiet time. I will confess that stillness is not my strong suit. In moments I try to grab silence, monkey mind kicks in and I start thinking about my to-do list, or what I’m going to have for lunch, or all the ways I’ve been offended, or maybe the ways I’ve let people down.
The Jesus Prayer helps. Breathe in: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God.” Hold breath. Breathe out: “Have mercy on me, a sinner.”
At its heart, the call to be still is not withdrawal or resignation or passivity. It’s an expression of trust. Perhaps one of the greatest expressions of trust. Mountains may topple. Storms may rage. Enemies may thrive. Loved ones may leave or be taken away. In any and all of those situations, the call to faithful people, folks with ears to hear, is to trust in the faithfulness of the God we worship. Newsflash: That’s not always easy to do. It’s why we have community. It’s why we have the psalms. It’s why we have teachers like Richard Rohr and Thomas Merton who remind us that in quiet, in contemplation, in meditation we find strength to act in the world.
Wherever you find yourself this morning, may the call to be still bring you back to center and help you find a way to move forward this week.
-Jay Sidebotham
Ways to incorporate bible reflection into your weekly practices
Today's post continues discussions around adding a new weekly spiritual practice this fall. The below draws on a blog post from earlier this year on ways to study the coming Sunday's church readings.
Based on RenewalWorks data collected from over 390 Episcopal churches, embedding the bible into the life of the church is one of five best practices in spiritually vital churches. It is also an area Episcopal respondent’s express an interest in learning more about.
Previous RenewalWorks participant churches report deeper spiritual engagement when parishioners can spend time digesting the coming Sunday’s readings. This is both a way to develop daily spiritual practices, to use scripture as a reflection tool, and to communicate with God.
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105
Below are two examples of churches who created resources for parishioners to examine and contemplate the coming Sunday readings.
Rev Peter Walsh, Rector of St Mark’s Episcopal Church in New Canaan, CT, began recording a weekly podcast called "Rev'd Up for Sunday" (available on Tuesdays) which provides a clergy discussion around one Sunday reading. Since its introduction, its popularity and production has grown beyond the parish of St. Mark’s. Listeners get an intimate view of how the St. Mark’s priests, Fr. Peter, Rev. Elizabeth Garnsey, and Fr. John Kennedy gear up for Sunday through a sometimes irreverent, often witty 30-minute-long conversation that is always filled with love for our Lord.
Fr. Peter had this to say on the growth of Rev’d Up for Sunday as a spiritual practice,
“…coming out of the pandemic we were asking the question of what did our people need? Jesus and the bible, the quick answer. Instantly, the pod idea. We started the next day with no idea how to do it. Now it is a central piece of our life together. It has radically changed the preaching, as now we all spend a lot of time studying the bible and the life of Christ…More and more people in the parish are engaged with it, and it so fun for us to hear from people around the U.S. and from out of the country.”
The pod has definitely impacted the sermons at St. Mark’s. We invite you to go back the following week and view their sermon (available on the website) which provides further interpretation of the passage previewed the prior week. This is substantive way to dig deep into a study of a scripture reading.
After completing RenewalWorks, Rev. Jane Schmoetzer at All Saint’s Episcopal Church in Richland WA began providing a weekly email with a reflection on one of the coming Sunday readings. Fast forward a few years and parishioners have now stepped forward to take responsibility for delivering the reflection. It is titled, the "Wednesday Word".
On the growth of the Wednesday Word at All Saint’s, Rev Jane remarks,
“I never fail to be drawn in by these brief meditations. It feels like spending a few moments in conversation with a faithful friend. Every time, the writer asks a question or offers an insight that stirs my own contemplation. Often, they see something I may have missed or offer inspiration in a way I do not expect.
It’s also a reminder of the importance not only of reading scripture but doing so in community. Reading the Bible on our own is an important practice; however, sharing the “variety of gifts” that God places in our hearts and minds is absolutely key to a fuller understanding of the Holy Spirit’s presence and leading.”
Does your church offers another way to prepare for Sunday or for prereading the weekly Sunday readings? We love the opportunity to share good ideas and resources among our churches. Please share any ideas or examples you use here.
Psalm 146
1 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, for there is no help in them.
3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, and in that day their thoughts perish.
4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! whose hope is in the Lord their God;
5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; who keeps his promise for ever;
6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger.
7 The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
8 The Lord loves the righteous; the Lord cares for the stranger; he sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked.
9 The Lord shall reign for ever, your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!
(This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. Please note that these days in the church, there are two tracks of readings in the lectionary, offering a choice of psalms. Your church may or may not have read the psalm included in this email.)
From the place of my own smugness (a rather large, comfortable, well-tended place, thank you very much), I can easily identify those Christians out there on the current political scene who might have kept Gandhi from becoming a Christian. At the same time, I wonder what he would say about my life, and the ways I am so unlike the Christ. What would he say about your life? I find myself returning to the Litany of Penitence which we hear on Ash Wednesday. It asks forgiveness for our blindness to human need and suffering, and our indifference to injustice and cruelty.
These thoughts on how we live faithfully in society, how we live with each other, were prompted by the psalm reprinted in this email, a psalm you may have heard in church yesterday. The psalm reflects a message found throughout scripture as it describes God’s character. God not only made heaven and earth, but gives justice to those who are oppressed, food to those who hunger, release for prisoners, sight to the blind, lifting up those who are bowed down, caring for the stranger, sustaining orphan and widow. In other words, caring for those the world disregards or marginalizes. We hear that message repeatedly in the psalms.
Jesus is one who began his ministry with a Spirit-filled, life giving, loving and liberating sermon about his call to bring sight to the blind, release of prisoners (see Luke 4). He used a parable in Matthew 25 to say that when his followers fed the hungry, visited the prisoner, clothed the naked, they were doing so to him.
Which presents us with a challenge in the current political climate. We can have differing ideas about the best way to care for each other. But there is nowhere in scripture any permission to disregard those in need. In light of recent news, why not close with a quote from Stephen Colbert: “If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it.”
One of the spiritual practices promoted by RenewalWorks research is referred to as pastoring the community. It means being present for neighbors and caring for neighbors, near and far. It means attending to those in greatest need in those communities. There’s plenty of opportunity to do that, right in our neighborhoods, in our nation, around the world. It comes as we use our time, talent, treasure, our voice and vote. How might you use such holy opportunity this week?
-Jay Sidebotham
Some additional thoughts:
May we banish from our hearts and souls all that does not reflect Jesus. -Brother Lawrence
Those who cannot see Christ in the poor are atheists indeed. - Dorothy Day
As Christians, we must be guided not by political vagaries, but by the sure and certain knowledge that the kingdom of God is revealed to us in the struggles of those on the margins.
-The Most Rev. Sean Rowe, Presiding Bishop
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret. It leads only to evil. -Psalm 37:8
Psalm 113
1 Hallelujah! Give praise, you servants of the Lord; praise the Name of the Lord.
2 Let the Name of the Lord be blessed, from this time forth for evermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to its going down let the Name of the Lord be praised.
4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth?
6 He takes up the weak out of the dust and lifts up the poor from the ashes.
7 He sets them with the princes, with the princes of his people.
8 He makes the woman of a childless house to be a joyful mother of children.
(This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. Please note that these days in the church, there are two tracks of readings in the lectionary, offering a choice of psalms. Your church may or may not have read the psalm included in this email.)
Kid on the New York City corner asks a pedestrian: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Snarky New Yorker answers: Practice, practice, practice. There’s lots of talk in church circles about spiritual practice. I see two dimensions to the word. First, it’s about making life in the spirit practical, putting it to work in the world. Second, it’s about the fact that as we practice, we get better. We go deeper. In both senses of the word, the spiritual life calls for practice.
I noted an important spiritual practice in the psalm you may have heard in church yesterday (reprinted in this email). It includes this line: From the rising of the sun to its setting down, let the name of the Lord be praised. The psalm suggests a practice of letting praise of God suffuse all of life.
I recently picked up a small book (my favorite kind) by Brother Lawrence, a 17th century Carmelite friar. The book is entitled The Practice of the Presence of God. The good friar asks us to think about what it means to live life, all of life in the presence of God. He writes: “If I were a preacher, I would preach nothing but practicing the presence of God. If I were to be responsible for guiding souls in the right direction, I would urge everyone to be aware of God’s constant presence, if for no other reason than because His presence is a delight to our souls and spirits.”
Recently I’d been thinking about that constant presence, prompted by the confession that comes up in the service of Morning Prayer. The confession begins with the words “Merciful God.” One morning, those two words struck me as a profound and transformative frame of mind. It signaled to me that my whole day, my whole life unfolds in the presence of God, thankfully a merciful God. That presence is not limited to time spent in quiet devotion. It's not limited to an hour on a Sunday spent in church. All of life presents opportunity to live in God’s holy presence. As Howard Thurman noted: "If God is the creator of life in its totality, then all things are in candidacy for the achievement of the high and holy end."
It has made me recognize that I spend a good amount of my life as a functional atheist, imagining that I navigate life based solely on my own resources and resilience, my own wit and wisdom. My current spiritual growth edge is to see how I might become more aware that all of my life unfolds in the presence of God, and to practice the faith in that presence.
I imagine that’s what St. Paul was getting at when he said: “Pray without ceasing.” I’ve run across a few folks who seem called to a cloistered life of prayer, devoting all of their waking day to prayer. I’m thankful for them. For the rest of us, not called to that specific vocation, the call to pray without ceasing looks different.
What does that look like for you? Maybe it’s praying for the person who cut you off in traffic. Maybe it’s praying for the person in the back of the ambulance that speeds by you, and for those offering healing ministries to that person. Maybe it’s keeping a list of folks who deal with sickness or with grief and setting aside time each day to pray for them. Maybe it’s praying for our nation, our leaders, instead of fulminating at newscast or social media. And returning to that psalm with a call to let our days be filled with praise, maybe it’s uttering a hearty “wow” when you see the sun rise or set. Maybe it’s remembering to offer thanks and praise for food, shelter, health, friends. You get the idea. There are no limits to the practice of the presence of God.
Let me send you off this morning with a favorite story about practice. Pablo Casals was in his time the greatest cellist on the globe. A documentary about him was produced when he was in his mid-90’s. The interviewer asked: Mr. Casals, in light of your greatness, why is it that you still practice several hours a day? Mr. Casals responded: Because I get better.
The practice of the presence of God involves no finish line. There is no limit to how we might offer praise. How will you sense that presence today?
-Jay Sidebotham
RenewalWorks talks a lot about the importance of spiritual practices. Outside of Sunday worship, what do you do during the week to encourage a deeper love of God and neighbor? How are you listening for and seeing God in your daily life?
Since the pandemic, RenewalWorks data shows that the practice of using time in solitude as a spiritual practice has risen. (Not surprising that all those months alone encouraged us to get used to time alone!) Findings also show that having a dedicated daily spiritual practice can be transformative in deepening relationships with others and with God. As we return to church this fall, why not challenge yourself to try a new practice and go a little deeper in your faith?
Based on recent church conversations, below are some ideas.
Some of the spring 2025 RenewalWorks cohort explored Bishop Rob Wright’s weekly podcast, For People which they found thought-provoking. These episodes routinely draw on the coming Sunday's lectionary readings to discuss how faith interacts with today's contemporary issues.
We continue to hear that churches enjoy wrapping conversation prompts into church meetings and fellowship opportunities as a way to encourage deeper spiritual sharing and conversations. There are many examples of this type of resource. Jodi Belcher’s recent Building Faith newsletter on Priya Parker’s version called Magical Questions profiled using conversation prompts as a spiritual practice.
Last week RenewalWorks visited Christ Church in Cody, WY to discuss their congregational profile and how it relates to their rector search process. We spent an inspiring morning with a devoted group of parishioners learning about the church's strong prayer culture and deep spiritual connections. We also discussed the need to hold each other up and to model spiritual leadership during the transition. One idea discussed included using the wind (a defining feature of the local Cody climate which experiences frequent warm dry winds that descend from the mountains) as a reminder of the presence of the Holy Spirit or even as a call to prayer.
Lately we are deeply inspired by Jay Sidebotham’s Monday Message, a weekly reflection he writes based on the previous Sunday's Psalms reading. One RenewalWorks church distributes the Monday Message church-wide and uses it as an opening reflection and discussion piece for all weekly church meetings.
We hope the above inspire you to explore some new spiritual practices this fall. As always we are interested to know what is resonating with you.
Psalm 51:1-11
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving-kindness; in your great compassion blot out my offenses.
2 Wash me through and through from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you only have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.
5 And so you are justified when you speak and upright in your judgment.
6 Indeed, I have been wicked from my birth, a sinner from my mother's womb.
7 For behold, you look for truth deep within me, and will make me understand wisdom secretly.
8 Purge me from my sin, and I shall be pure; wash me, and I shall be clean indeed.
9 Make me hear of joy and gladness, that the body you have broken may rejoice.
10 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquities.
11 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
I know a rector who has his congregation sing Joy to the World in the middle of August. It’s always startling. But it makes the point that the truth of our story, the truths of the gospel reflected in the liturgical seasons should be on our mind all year long.
Along those lines, we heard a portion of Psalm 51 yesterday in church. (We’ve reprinted it in this email.) It’s a psalm usually associated with Lent, specifically Ash Wednesday. When I noticed that the psalm also appeared in the daily lectionary last Friday, I thought maybe someone was telling me to disregard the season and to reflect on this psalm this morning, months away from Lent.
The psalm conveys some hard truths about ourselves, truths that St. Paul noted in his letter to the Romans when he said that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. A friend who is a rabbi told me that he understood the concept of sin in terms of archery. It was about missing the mark. A cursory scan of the daily newspaper or social media will confirm that individually and collectively we miss the mark.
What strikes me about the psalm, being a good church-going kind of guy, is that the psalm talks not about notorious, egregious sinners out there, those bad people. It talks about us, and the venality of our inner lives. Anne Lamott (a favorite go-to person on matters spiritual) made this confession: I thought such awful thoughts that I cannot even say them out loud because they would make Jesus want to drink gin straight out of the cat dish.
In the teaching of Jesus, we hear more about the inner life. In the Sermon on the Mount, he talks about the ways in which anger or lust or betrayal have root in the heart, and are related to hateful actions. He says elsewhere that it is what comes out of person that causes corruption. When he said that, he was talking to the most religious people of the day.
All of which makes the prayer of Psalm 51 so important. The psalmist prays: Create in me a clean heart and renew a right spirit within me. How do we get that clean heart? How do we get that right spirit?
The first step is admitting that there is in fact a need to have a scrubbing of our hearts. There is no motive that is not mixed (thank you, Bishop Alan Gates, for that insight.) That’s why this opening sentence from Morning Prayer matters: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight. So many, too many meditations of my heart are far from acceptable in God’s sight. Frankly, in anyone’s sight.
The second step is to recognize that we can’t do that internal spiritual house cleaning work on our own. One paraphrase of the first beatitude (Blessed are the poor in spirit) renders it this way: Blessed are those who know their need of God. Whether I’m cussing out another driver who failed to signal change of lanes, or fulminating at our leaders as I watch the news, I often feel a lack of control of my own thoughts. I need help. Or as the prayer book puts it, Lord, have mercy.
The third step is to believe that help is available, that God is in the business of making us new. Again, let’s hear from St. Paul, who noted the following in the Second Letter to the Corinthians: If anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation. (Again, that’s a reading we often hear on Ash Wednesday.)
A suggestion: Whenever you sense that your words and meditations are going to a place you don’t want them to go, whenever you sense that monkey mind is drawing your attention to resentment or covetousness or irritation, try this as a centering prayer. Breathe in: Create in me a clean heart. Maybe hold your breath for a few seconds. Then breathe out: Renew a right spirit within me.
Perhaps the promise of renewal that comes with the season of Lent can be realized all year long.
-Jay Sidebotham
