spiritual formation

Spiritual Formation Easter to Advent 2016

Saint Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Tucson

Sunday Mornings

During Easter season, the Rev. Stewart McDonald introduced us to “Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations”, practices that we as a congregation (and as its members) engage in that bring life to our community. This fall starting in October, Pastor Stewart will lead a series on prayer, entitled “Teach Us to Pray”, introducing various practices of prayer, communal and individual, that enhance our continuing spiritual life as people of prayer and praise. Complementing these two series, in September we will have several Sundays to explore our exterior life as people of God. We will be hearing from presenters on three missions of outreach to our Tucson community, especially focused on people with limited means. All those offerings come during the Sunday morning 9 o’clock “Spirituality Hour” between services.

Wednesday Evenings

On Wednesday evenings in the fall we have envisioned beginning a standard format for midweek gathering: a service of worship followed by a meal and then a variety of programs, from classes to committee meetings. Offerings and opportunities may vary from week to week, Contemplative prayer, book groups, Scripture reading, all can happen at this time. Services beginning with All Souls November 2nd will have the overall theme Holy Women, Holy Men.  

Reaching Out

Reaching out to the neighborhood and the city is important to us as a congregation. Our own “outreach” programs include supporting Neighbors Feeding Neighbors and hosting such programs and organizations as Passion Community Cafe, BorderLinks, and the Armory Park Neighborhood Association. And we hope to host the interfaith Thanksgiving service this year.

Reaching out to our neighbors includes our spiritual neighbors. Celebrating our areas of intersection and building bridges of understanding between faith groups is especially important in these times. And it affords us opportunities to enrich each others’ lives and faith journeys. Our Senior warden, Jane Stroup, is venturing a series of such opportunities, to give us a chance to meet in conversation with representatives of some of the great diversity of faith groups in our town. 

This fall promises many rich opportunities for faith development. Stay tuned for news of more adventures in faith together.

Fr. John

Judas has left the building

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Judas has left the building - just before Jesus turns to his disciples and says these words. 

It is the evening of the last supper. It is the night before he is betrayed. 

He washes their feet; says, do this. He breaks bread and pours out wine; says, do this.

And now he says, as I have loved you love one another.

I have been glorified, he says, and I will be glorified again. It has begun: the train of events that led from their last meal together to his words on the cross, "It is finished," as at last it is his body broken and his blood outpoured that are given. At last those precious gifts are shared and how he loves us is truly known. 

And now he says, now at this moment in our gospels, as I have loved you love one another. 

Wash the feet, break the bread, share the wine. Give over your lives. Stand fast when your companions, all those around you, flee for the hills. 

This is not a love as the world knows love. This is not how people conduct themselves. Look around you, at a small group or a large. Is the faculty bickering, fighting over who is really in charge? Is a leader putting himself forward as persecuted, grudging, inviting you to grudge, to persecute, to get your own?

They will look at you, you will look at each other, differently. 

And how is this even possible? In Christ - in the context of the Holy Spirit that he will send you. As we seek to be transformed into his likeness. 

Conversion is taking responsibility for an area of our own growth and development.

What does it means when we do this individually and together? How do we take responsibility for our own growth and development?

Everything is done differently in the light of Christ's love. Our giving becomes giving in joy, giving of the gifts he has shared with us. 

Our stewardship of the earth is caring for what we have received in Christ.

Our kindness to the stranger is welcoming her as we welcome Christ.

Our worship is in his presence. As we pass the bread and share the cup we remember: he is showing his love for us in these gifts, and as we share them and take them in, we remember his words:

This is my body. This is my blood. 

We become his people, his body in the world, and he becomes, even more, our God.

• Acts 11:1-18
• Revelation 21:1-6
• John 13:31-35
• Psalm 148