By St. John's Lynchburg
The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.
This week we prayed the collect for Proper 29 (Christ the King) and discussed sabbath. Ben tries not to ask any rhetorical questions, and we try and understand why God rests as well as how we are called to rest.
Notes:
1. The collect this week was Collect for Proper 29, from Book of Common Prayer (BCP), p. 236.
2. What is Sabbath? The Hebrew word Sabbath means rest. It is particularly good to explore around Thanksgiving week, when this comes out, as it is a time that many (not all) folks get a chance to take a break!
3. Genesis 2:1-3 - “The original Sabbath,” or God resting on the seventh day.
4. Does a sabbath practice necessitate resting with God, or just resting? Perhaps we always rest in God, no matter what ways we choose to rest.
5. Exodus 20:8-10 - The commandment to remember the Sabbath (and keep it holy)!
6. Is the Sabbath the same as the Lord’s Day? Why do we worship on Sundays, why do others worship on Saturdays?
7. Is it possible for everyone to have the same Sabbath? Ben does not think so, not with the need for first responders and those who provide others with food. However, hopefully everyone can take a sabbath, if not “the sabbath”— and it is a moral imperative to make that possible for all people.
8. Should we set aside our social media on the Sabbath? We have a good conversation about if social media is or can be restful.
9. When should we take a sabbath? What would it look like for YOU to take a Sabbath?
Make sure you share this podcast with a friend!
https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/podcast
We’ll be back in mid-December after Thanksgiving; Join us next time as we discuss creating a Rule of Life, integrating spiritual disciplines into our lives, and conclude our season on the spiritual disciplines!
This week we prayed the collect for Proper 28 and discuss the Eucharist. We discuss how the Eucharist is a Sacrament, the Biblical roots and meanings of the Eucharist, and more! Join us as how we discuss how we can make a spiritual discipline out of receiving the Eucharist.
Notes:
1. The collect this week was Collect for Proper 28, from Book of Common Prayer (BCP), p. 236.
2. Our catechism is a great introduction to the Eucharist. See page 859 of the BCP for the section on this sacrament!
3. The Eucharist, as the principal act of worship in the Episcopal church (BCP 13), is what most Episcopalians experience week to week at church. So it is important for us to study it and understand what it is, so we don’t approach it as a matter of routine, but as something sacred.
4. Fr. Chris referred to 1 Corinthians 11:27 - “Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord.”
5. The Road to Emmaus story is another powerful scriptural story about the presence of Christ in the Eucharist in Luke 24. See also Acts 2:42.
6. We talk about the Israelites receiving the manna from heaven as another way to look at the Eucharist— a topic we’ve recently covered in Bible studies at St. John’s!
7. We also talk about what it might mean to come to church and not receive, for various reasons!
8. We celebrate the Eucharist at St. John’s at 8:000 & 10:30 on Sundays and 12:10 on Wednesdays! All are welcome!
Join us next week as we discuss Sabbath, and in two weeks as we tie off the season with a discussion of how to make a rule of life!
This week we prayed the collect for All Saints' Day and were joined by special guest, the Rev. Hillary Raining to discuss confession and reconciliation. We discuss guilt and shame, what sin is, and how reconciliation and forgiveness helps us to navigate these issues. Join us as we learn how confession works, and what a difference this spiritual discipline can make in our lives!
Notes:
1. The collect this week was Collect for All Saints’ Day, from Book of Common Prayer (BCP), p. 245.
2. Our guest today is the Rev. Hillary Raining the rector of St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. She is the founder of The Hive an online spirituality and wellness website.
3. The Reconciliation of a Penitent is available starting on p. 446 of the BCP.
4. Shame and guilt are different. Guilt = “I’ve done something wrong.” Shame = “I am something wrong.” Shame is really difficult to overcome.
5. Brene Brown is an expert on shame who we quoted, find out more here: Brené Brown
6. According to the catechism, sin is “the seeking of our own will instead of the will of God, thus distorting our relationship with God, with other people, and with all creation.” BCP 848. We also talk about how sin is a trauma that happens to our souls.
7. We talked about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book Life Together; it is a Christian classic!
8. We talk about forgiveness vs. condoning. Condoning is about accepting what has happened and forgetting it. Forgiveness is about naming what happened, but being free to name the wrong and change; because God still loves me and reigns supreme. We are not looking to condone sin, but to embrace love.
9. Hillary’s books are Joy in Confession and her upcoming book is called Faith with a Twist. And her website is https://www.thehiveapiary.com
10. Email us with your questions and feedback! Ben @ stjohnslynchburg.org, chris @ stjohnslynchburg.org, or sarah @ stjohnslynchburg.org
Join us next time as we discuss the Eucharist, and how to build a Spiritual Discipline about taking part in this sacrament!
This week we prayed the collect for Proper 26 and discussed contemplative prayer. Contemplative prayer, also known as Christian meditation, centering prayer, the Jesus Prayer, and apophatic prayer. Join us as we discuss some of these methods, our own practices of them, and where one might begin!
Notes:
1. The collect this week was Collect for Proper 26 from Book of Common Prayer, p. 235.
2. Contemplative Prayer is a practice and discipline, but not one with predictable results. It is important to separate the practice from our emotional results— the goal is to get closer to God, not to achieve some sort of spiritual high. Spiritual growth is not something that has easily visible results.
3. Thomas Merton quote: “Do not judge the value of meditation by how we feel.” From Contemplative Prayer
4. We talk about practicing through a time of struggle, both in meditation and other things such as going to therapy. If we quit when it gets difficult, we don’t get anywhere?
5. We recommend starting small; five or ten minutes to start, praying attention to the breath or repeating a prayer such as “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” If you are a visual person, light a candle, or if you can’t focus with your eyes open like Ben, close your eyes!
6. The quote Ben read is from Into the Silent Land: A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation By Martin Laird, pg.15
7. Ben gives some more practical advice about getting started around 25:00
8. Ending quotes: “Pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. St. Augustine: “May I know you, may I know myself.”
Join us next week for a conversation about the spiritual discipline of confession, and the rite of reconciliation in the Book of Common Prayer! We’ll be having a special guest on our upcoming episode so tune in!
This week we prayed the collect for Proper 25 and discussed fellowship and service. Fellowship is being together with Christ, in community. It's not just about being social, and it's an integral part of being Christian. Listen to hear more about how pursuing fellowship can be an intentional discipline!
Notes:
1. The collect this week was Collect for Proper 25 from Book of Common Prayer (BCP), p. 235.
2. We talked about the differences between in fellowship online, verses in-person. Can we have fellowship online? Yes, but it is harder than it used to be to have fellowship— so we have to be more intentional about it.
3. Our Baptismal covenant can be found on page 304 of the BCP - “Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers ?
I will, with God’s help.”
This is a quote from Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Fellowship is one of the core activities when we come to church.
4. 1 Corinthians 12:12- We are one body, with many members!
5. The Lord’s Prayer - found in Matthew 6:9-14, Luke 11:2-4
6. Mark 6:7 - Jesus sends out the disciples two by two.
7. Who are the ministers of the church? “The ministers of the Church are lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.” BCP 855. You are all ministers of the church!
8. “The duty of all Christians is to follow Christ; to come together week by week for corporate worship; and to work, pray, and give for the spread of the kingdom of God.” Catechism, BCP 856
Thanks for listening! Next week we’ll be talking about contemplative prayer!
This week we prayed the collect for Proper 24 and discussed almsgiving! Find out what the Bible says about almsgiving, tithing, and giving to the poor. We discuss how giving fits into our spiritual life, and how we are asked by God to give to others.
Note: about 10 minutes in there was a siren on the recording from a passing ambulance!
Show Notes:
1. Matthew 6:1-4 Jesus talks about almsgiving.
2. The Lord’s Prayer is Matthew 6:9-14
3. Praying in private: Matthew 6:6; for more examples of Jesus’ prayer, consider the transfiguration from last episode— Jesus goes away with three other people to pray!
4. Tithe— Hebrew is ʿāśar, meaning a tenth.
5. Genesis 14— Abram gives the first tithe to Melchizedek as a thanksgiving offering. Our reading from Sunday about Melchizedek was Hebrews 5:1-10
6. Genesis 28:18-22 - Jacob promises ten percent if God will be with him.
7. Deuteronomy 12:6-7 tithing is taking the first fruits of the harvest for one’s own feast. In 12:11, you should bring your tithe to the Lord’s dwelling place. Deuteronomy 14:22 reinforces this commandment.
8. Tithing ten percent of your income is not perfect. Some are called to give less than that, if they are of few means; while others with many resources may be called to give more!
9. Leviticus 19:9-10— This passage commands the people of Israel to leave their corners and edges for the poor and alien to eat… Isaiah 5:8 criticizes those who join houses and field together, leaving “room for on one but you.” That is a reference to the failure to follow levitical commandment to leave the edges of fields for the poor.
Thanks for listening! Next week we’ll talk about Fellowship. Please rate, follow and share our podcast wherever you listen to it!
In our first bonus episode, we practice Lectio Divina. Haven’t heard of it? Check out Season 1, Episode 3 to learn all about this spiritual discipline. In this episode, we’ll read and reflect on Mark 9:2-7; the story of the Transfiguration:
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!”
Lectio Divina= Sacred Reading. We go through four steps, or phases on the podcast. Not all of these phases happen each time you pray, so don’t feel like you have to follow these steps perfectly!
a) Lectio — reading the verse or passage, slowly, multiple times
b) Meditatio — Reflection on the text
c) Oratio — Prayer, conversation with God flowing from our reflections on Scripture
d) Contemplatio — Gazing; being with God, resting in God’s presence at the end of our reflection and prayer.
To find the church’s daily office Bible readings, as well as Forward Day by Day devotional, go to https://prayer.fowardmovement.org/home
Give us a shout if you try a spiritual discipline we talk about on the show! Our emails can be found at stjohnslynchburg.org/
Join us next week for our next spiritual discipline!
This week we prayed the collect for Proper 22 and discussed read the Bible! What is the difference between study and a prayerful reading of Scripture? We talk about Lectio Divina, or sacred reading, how to do it, and where in the Bible to start!
Notes:
1. The collect this week was Collect for Proper 22 from Book of Common Prayer, p. 234.
2. More information about our Bible Studies at St. John’s: https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/bible-study
3. St. John’s merchandise: New Logo — https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/new-logo
4. Lectio Divina= Sacred Reading. We go through four steps, or phases on the podcast. Not all of these phases happen each time you pray, so don’t feel like you have to follow these steps perfectly!
a) Lectio — reading the verse or passage, slowly, multiple times
b) Meditatio — Reflection on the text
c) Oratio — Prayer, conversation with God flowing from our reflections on Scripture
d) Contemplatio — Gazing; being with God, resting in God’s presence at the end of our reflection and prayer.
5. Ben bungled the Karl Barth Reference. The “strange new world of the Bible” came from a series of addresses to a village church in Switzerland, not in his commentary on the Romans. Full quote: “What is there within the Bible? What sort of house is it to which the Bible is the door? What sort of country is spread before our eyes when we throw the Bible open?” (Karl Barth, “The Strange New World within the Bible,” The Word of God and the Word of Man[Harper & Brothers Publishers, 1957], p. 28)
6. To find the church’s daily office Bible readings, as well as Forward Day by Day devotional, go to https://prayer.fowardmovement.org/home
7. Give us a shout if you try a spiritual discipline we talk about on the show! Our emails can be found at https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/
Join us next week as we try out Lectio Divina!
This week we prayed the collect for Proper 21 and discussed fasting! Is fasting just giving something up, or is there something more to it? We talk about how fasting shows up in the Bible, in our tradition (including the BCP), and how we might fast today. We talk about consumerism, and how fasting can be a response to so many of our cultural pressures today from consuming to producing! We even invented a new word: Smangry! Give us a listen to find out what it means!
Notes:
1. The collect this week was Collect for Proper 21 from Book of Common Prayer (BCP), p. 234.
2. Leviticus 16:29, 31, talks about the Day of Atonement.
3. The church calendar can be found in the Book of Common Prayer starting on p. 15.
4. Examples of Jesus not fasting: Mark 2:18& following.
5. We talked on the episode about fasting not being for everyone, especially with regards to food and different people’s physical and mental health needs. God does not expect everyone to fast; not does the church encourage fasting from food if it would endanger your own health!
6. Give us a shout if you try a spiritual discipline we talk about on the show! Our emails can be found at https://www.stjohnslynchburg.org/staff
Join us next week as we dive deeper into the spiritual discipline of reading and studying Holy Scripture!
This week we prayed the collect for Proper 20 and asked each other “what is a spiritual discipline?” We talked first about giving things up for Lent, and how that changed our relationship to those things we abstained from. We covered things we take on as well; such as praying Morning Prayer in community during Advent and Lent at St. John’s. Finally, we talk about what makes a discipline spiritual!
Notes:
1. The collect this week was Collect for Proper 20 from Book of Common Prayer, p. 234
2. Ben referenced James 3:13-18 in the discussion of the collect.
3. The collect for this week is based on Colossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
4. There are two primary types of disciplines: Abstinence, or giving something up, and, engagement, taking something on.
Join us next week as we dive deeper into the spiritual discipline of fasting!
The podcast currently has 11 episodes available.