October at the ESC!

Much has been going on in the life of the ESC this month, yet very little has been blogged.

(ESC students Megan Talley, Christine Brunson, Lizz Haddad, Melissa Hollis, Eliza Fackler, and Laura Case, at Koffee Kupp in Hico, TX!)

We took a day trip for Baylor's Fall Break to Hico, TX and Dublin, TX, where we had lunch, delicious pies, visited small shops, and went to the Old Doc's Soda Shop!

(Bishop Andy Doyle with ESC students Christine Brunson, Lizz Haddad, Laura Case, and ESC campus chaplain Erin Jean Warde.)

On Wednesday, October 24th the Bishop of the Diocese of Texas, Andy Doyle, came to visit St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and the pictured students were present to listen to the Bishop's words regarding stewardship.
 
On October 30, along with our regularly scheduled ESC activities of dinner and Eucharist, we had a Halloween party, which included students (and the priest) dressed up in costume for all the festivities!

This has been, in essence, October of the ESC!  We continue with our programs of dinner, fellowship, and Compline on Sundays, dinner and Eucharist on Tuesdays, and our book study on Thursdays.  All events begin at 7 at the ESC house!

What does our offering look like? Talking stewardship in a college ministry community

Last night, at our Eucharistic service during the sermon time we talked about some ideas I have for what we, as an ESC, can do during stewardship season, but there weren't many people so I want to talk about it here. 

We are entering a season in my church, and in many churches of mainline denominations—Stewardship season.  The church is full of talks about giving a tithe, to capital campaigns, to stewardship speakers and dinners… And that is all right and good for the parish life.  A parish builds their budget off of these pledges, so monetary stewardship is very important to the parish in that it defines how the parish will be able to serve the church community and the surrounding community in the coming year.  There are certain necessary structures in place in churches that make stewardship campaigns incredibly important, spiritually fulfilling, and right and good.

But amidst all this talk as a college chaplain I have to ask—where does that leave the student ministry?  The student ministry does NOT run off of pledges.  Not to mention, when I was in college, there was no money in my bank account.  If I HAD paychecks, I was living between them, and those paychecks were work study, which meant I probably could have sued my university for unfair labor laws or something.  That’s why, of course, I don’t show up to the ESC bearing pledge cards.  So, deep breaths—I’m not hitting you up for money.

When I talk about this, I almost want to say: pressure’s off, I’m not hitting you up for money.  But, that’s not accurate.  The pressure isn’t off, the pressure’s different.  We are still called by God to make an offering.  But, since we don’t do pledge cards, and we don’t do capital campaigns, the question for this ministry that we need to keep asking ourselves is: 

What does our offering look like? 

I do think that sometimes, it looks like money.  And I honor that—and that won’t be turned down here.  Money in that offering plate is money that will be invested in serving the people of Waco.  That said, I was in college once and I feel like I know the state of finances for the majority of college students, so stewardship will not be boiled down to money.

I also think it looks like time.  Right now I’m anxiously awaiting news back from the Ramps & Rails group in Waco, so that maybe we can help serve a family who needs work done on their house.  In addition, I think we give of our time to volunteer in other endeavors, and that that is accepted as an offering to God and transformed into holy time.

Also?  You’re probably actually already giving an offering in some way, shape, or form—you just may or may not recognize it as such.  So, maybe our task there is identifying what our offering already is.

By being a people who are called to be like Jesus, we are called to a sacrificial life.  Christ was placed on the cross and I challenge you to place yourself on the altar.  Every time we meet here, we share the gifts of bread and wine.  In my church—St. Paul’s— offering plates with checks and cash and change are brought forward with the bread and wine and, taking them, the other priest and I turn to the altar, hold these gifts up, and say—“All things come of thee O Lord, and of thine own have we given thee.”

In other words: All things are given to us by you, O Lord—and of our own lives, and of our own time, and of our own hearts have we given these gifts back to you, out of love and adoration.  We believe that you will transform this simple bread and simple wine into the body and blood of Christ, and we believe that you will transform this simple prayer into a life of worship, this canned good into a life of service, and this dollar bill into a healthy church.

So, starting last night, when we have the offertory sentence, gifts will be brought up.  I don’t care if the offering plate comes up looking empty—I expect it to look that way sometimes—but I expect it to be full with our lives and our cares and our desires.

Starting next week, I challenge you to put something into the plate.  If you want to bring in a canned good, put it in the plate—I’ll make sure it goes to someone who can use it.  If you need to offer a concern or a worry, write it on a sheet of paper and I’ll take it home and pray about it.  If you feel called to give money, then certainly do and I’ll make sure it gets donated to a good cause.  If you garden, bring in some of your harvest.  If you like to write, write a short story and put it in the plate and I’ll read it later and thank God for it.

Whatever it is that God is doing in your life—offer it to God.  As a community, let's offer our gifts.  Let’s thank God for them.  And let’s offer our selves, our souls, and our bodies on the altar.  

This is, of course, the beginning of a conversation.  So let's start giving and talking.

Ramps & Rails at St. Paul's partners with the ESC in Waco for service projects

Friends, I'm excited to say that I have had some conversations with the parishioner at St. Paul's who coordinates Ramps & Rails so that we can participate in a service project with them in Waco!  We have put out a note in a few of the church publications asking for people who need work done on their houses to let us know.  For a while now as a ministry we have talked about how to reach out to the Waco community, and this will be one way!  This is one event, and is not exhaustive of what we can do, so if you know of other organizations and causes that could use our time, talent, and treasure, please let me know so we can discern what we can do to help serve others through the endeavors of the organizations and causes.

Does your church have a service project that the ESC could help with?  If so, please contact me at erinjean@stpaulswaco.org so we can publicize that event and offer some ESC support!

The ESC supports Taize Evening Prayer at St. Paul's

This Sunday our usual evening activities (Compline, dinner, and table talks) will be replaced with the opportunity to experience Taize Evening Prayer.  Taize worship comes from the Taize community, which is an ecumenical monastic community from France.  This is a uniquely beautiful worship style, and one that is not common to the Episcopal Student Center.  We're excited about experiencing this as a college ministry.

After this Taize Evening Prayer service, we will be going to La Fiesta on Franklin for dinner, with ESC picking up the bill.  On the 30th, part of the proceeds from the day will go to help the St. Paul's Episcopal Day School, so we're dining for a good cause. 

I'm really looking forward to worshiping with y'all in a new way! 

Also, special thanks to Megan Talley, Cameron Talley, Lizz Haddad, Laura Case, and any others who are helping put this together!  My apologies to anyone I left off the list.  I'm so excited about this opportunity and thankful for your hard work!

Reminder: Thursday at the ESC!!

Every Thursday night at the ESC we get together on couches and study The Illumined Heart by Frederica Mathewes-Green.  Along with the book, we read scripture suggested by the reader's guide to the text.  Remember that we'll meet again this Thursday at 7 to have snacks and chat about how ancient spirituality can influence how we encounter God today!!

Scripture for The Illumined Heart, by Frederica Mathewes-Green, suggested by A Companion Guide to The Illumined Heart, by Robert B. Gibson with Frederica Mathewes-Green.

Chapter 1

In the following passages, the Scriptures speak to the struggles Christians encounter with their old natures.  Romans 7:14-25, Romans 12:1-3, James 4:4-6, 1 John 2:15-17.

Chapter 2

More than doing good works, Anna’s spirituality emphasizes staying in fellowship with God.  The following Scriptures reflect this theme: Luke 7:36-50, Luke 10:38-42, Luke 18:9-14, Luke 19:1-10, Luke 23:39-43, John 1:35-39.

Chapter 3

One window into the faith of the early church is to examine the prayers they prayed. Here are some prayers from the Old and the New Testaments. Reflect on them as you pray them loud.  Feel free to personalize them.  1 Samuel 2:1-10, 2 Samuel 7:18-29, 1 Kings 3:6-9, John 17:20-26, Ephesians 3:14-21.

Chapter 4

Several New Testament passages refer to the spiritual training and work that is necessary for all Christians.  Here are some of these Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Philippians 3:12-14, 2 Timothy 2:5-7, 4:7-8, Hebrews 12:1.

Chapter 5

It takes self-knowledge to see our old human nature.  The following Scriptures reflect our old natures that are still at work in us: Psalm 39:6, Matthew 6:24-28, Philippians 4:6-7, Colossians 3:2-9, 1 Peter 1:13-14.

Chapter 6

Trace the theme and reflect on the importance of repentance in the Gospel of Luke: Luke 3:2-9, 5:27-32, 11:29-32, 13:1-9, 15:1-7.

Chapter 7

Though we live in a world that exalts in itself, Scripture is unblinking in condemning the work of and dangers of the flesh. Here are some examples: Genesis 3:6-19, Matthew 4:1-10, Romans 7:18-21, Ephesians 6:10-13, 1 John 2:15-17.

Chapter 8

It is revealing to see how thoughts can either bring us closer to God or separate us from him.  The following passages give examples of both of these cases. Genesis 4:3-9, Genesis 28:10-17, Numbers 13: 26-33, Luke 2:15-19, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.

Chapter 9

Examine the instances that are recorded of Jesus at prayer and consider what happened following his prayer. Here are some examples from Luke: 3:21-22, 5:15-16, 6:12, 9:18-20, 11:1-4, 22:39-46.

Chapter 10

The following Scriptures reflect how God arranges situations in order that we may care for others. Genesis 50:15-21, Matthew 8:5-13, Luke 10:29-37, John 13:2-17, Philippians 2:3-11.

Chapter 11

The teachings of Christ and the New Testament are full of instruction about our need to settle where our true treasures are.  The following are a small example: Matthew 6:19-21, Matthew 19: 16-26, Luke 12:27-34, 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, Colossians 3:12-14.

Chapter 12

The Scriptures are full of encouragement to move on with God in directions that he has chosen. Among them are Proverbs 3:5-12, Isaiah 55:6-7, Matthew 11:28-30, Luke 11:9-13, Jude 24-25.

Entering the Tomb -- 9/25/12 Sermon at ESC, on Mark 9:30-37

Grant us Lord, not to be anxious about earthly things, but to love things heavenly; and even now, while we are placed among things that are passing away, to hold fast to those that shall endure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

This is easy to read and seemingly impossible to do. Oh that I could abandon my anxiety about earthly things long enough to know what it feels like to truly love things heavenly.

Tonight's gospel has Jesus passing through Galilee, when Jesus foretells of his death for the second time in the gospel. He says, "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again."

Throughout the gospel he has equated himself with the term "Son of Man," so this isn't something that the disciples should miss as being a revelation about himself. Yet, they do. And they are afraid to even ask.

Once they're settled at a house in Capernaum, Jesus asks what they had argued about during their travels there. Again, they are silent and do not want to speak up. It seems as if maybe the same fear that kept them from asking about the death and resurrection of the Son of Man is keeping them from revealing that on the way, they argued about who was the greatest.

Think about the two things put beside one another: while one man speaks openly about the death he will endure, others argue about who is the greatest. While Jesus sets his heavy heart on heavenly things, the disciples argue anxiously about earthly things.

In light of their arguments, Jesus calls them together in what is literally a come to Jesus meeting. He takes their arguments as a teaching moment and teaches them that "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all." Then he takes a child and holds the child in front of them and says "Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

A child is the lowest person in society-- the most powerless. The child has no rank, and is not even in the running of a contest about who is the greatest. This person-- without greatness, without power in society-- this is who Jesus calls them to welcome.

This past week I was gone at a conference for pastoral care in crisis situations. I was the only Episcopalian in a room full of chaplains from a variety of backgrounds: hospital chaplains, Red Cross chaplains, military chaplains, you name it. For the most part, the program did stress the need to enter into another person's pain, and I appreciated that. In other words, for the most part they suggested loving the powerless in society by giving up our power in society.

Still, I realized the tendency and temptation for those of us living the Christian life to go into situations as if we are on the "other side" of the journey, ready to drag the hurting person into the resurrection life.

And something gnawed at me. Jesus laid, dead in a tomb, for three days. God did not see fitting that at the very moment of dying that Jesus be restored. God did not see fit that Jesus avoid the tomb entirely. Jesus laid, dead in a tomb, for three days.

When I encounter someone dying - in mind, body, or soul, I am called by God not to drag them into the resurrection.... But to join them in the tomb. I am called to wait with them for the resurrection that is promised by God. If I am to be anything, I'm the reminder of the promised resurrection of God, and the one to lead them toward it. I am to give up my earthly power and anxiety so that my heart is ready to enter the tomb. Because in the tomb, there is no "greatest." There is only death waiting for resurrection.

Whoever wants to be free of anxiety surrounding earthly things must try to put their mind on heavenly things.  

Whoever wants to put their mind on heavenly things must welcome the lowest of the low.

Whoever welcomes the lowest of the low will do so as someone just like them-- as an equal-- as someone who has traded their earthly power for heavenly strength...

 Whoever welcomes the lowest of the low in the name of the Son of Man and the one who sent him will do so not as someone reaching down from above, but as someone holding their hand beside them. 

Whoever wishes to serve will enter the tomb, sit with the dead, and wait patiently for the resurrection that God promises.

Because whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all. Whoever wants to be first must trade their earthly power for heavenly strength.

In the Christian life, there is no death without resurrection. 

Let me join you in the tomb, so we can wait together.

A Reflection on Psalm 125 for 9/11/12

On September 11, 2001, New York City experienced one of the most shocking tragedies in the nation’s history, and the world was changed.

On September 11, 1990, Waco welcomed a new chapel and experienced the wellspring of life that a chapel offers, and the world was changed.

I said this on Facebook and I’ll say it again: It does not surprise me that there’s a link between a day like 9/11, and God offering the world a place that could receive all the fear, pain, and grieving that the world would experience.

Our Psalm today, Psalm 125, says something entirely unshocking to me: “Do good, O Lord, to those who are good; and to those who are upright in their hearts.”

This of course makes sense, because if people are doing good, then it would make sense for God to do good to them.  We won’t yet touch theodicy…

It is the last verse that has caused me so much thought in light of today. 
“But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways, the Lord will lead away with evildoers.  Peace be upon Israel.”

What does God do with those who do evil?  God leads them away.  And you cannot lead someone if you’re apart from them.  You only lead when you’re with them.  

So instead of being distant from those who cause evil, and who rely on their crooked ways, the Lord walks in.  The Lord enters into the violence, and the disturbed lives that have caused us this grief, and loves them from within.  The Lord takes them by the hand and leads them away.  The Lord does this so that we might be safe, but also that they may not be abandoned.  Maybe again—as God is wont to do—God takes on the pain of the world by entering into it, to lead it away.  

It must be that those who turn aside to their own crooked ways were lead away from this place—this chapel and this ministry that was gifted to us.

Because this place is meant to be safe.
This place exists so that you can bring your pain here, not receive pain here.
This place exists so that you may be given courage, not reasons to fear.
This place exists that you may have abundant life, not that you may only touch the surface of God’s riches.

Here, I pray, we wouldn’t give into the temptation of fear
And instead trust that God will deliver us from evil.

“For those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be moved, but abides forever.”

Welcome to the Episcopal Student Center at Baylor!

Welcome to the new website for the Episcopal Student Center (ESC) in Waco, TX.  We have largely been doing our communications via Facebook, but I wanted there to be a space for people without Facebook to learn about our ministry.  If not that, there should be a place people can "stumble upon" to learn our schedule and what, exactly, we do here.  I intend to post reflections on the life of this ministry, sermons, events, and other appropriate material that relates to the ESC in Waco, college ministry, and ministry on the broadest scale.  I hope this will be a place for education, celebration, and humble thought. 

In short, the Episcopal Student Center in Waco, TX offers a community of worship, fellowship, and support to students at Baylor University, McLennan Community College, and Texas State Technical College.  We engage in a variety of spirited fun, ranging from studying a book on Ancient Christianity with corresponding Bible verses to ponder, weekly Eucharist, and events solely designed to make us laugh together.  In the past, the ESC has also participated in numerous mission and outreach programs, and we are currently discerning what we would like to do as a community to serve others in Waco.

The ESC offers something unmistakably Episcopalian, in a place where being Episcopalian is not the norm.  We respect the variety of denominations, and the different theological beliefs that created them over time, while also claiming our own identity as the Episcopal Church.  There are many types of worship and expressions of belief available in Waco for college students, and our worship and expression of belief is rooted in the theology and doctrine of the Episcopal Church.

We, as a community, have started a new year, welcomed me as a new priest in Christ's church, and would like to welcome you to join us on this journey.

The table is set.