The Right Thing to Do

Last night I resigned my position as Rector of the parish. In my letter to the Senior Warden I wrote:

The past three years we have been on a journey of discovery. The Vestry has matured as a leadership body. A number of parish leaders have responded to a clear, unambiguous call to faith in Christ Jesus. This is reflected in their commitment to be faithful in worship, to the mutual support of one another in Shepherd Groups, and to honoring the Tithe as the standard of faithful giving.

Frankly, my decision came down to simple arithmetic. Despite the faithfulness of some, to attempt to cover the cost of my salary and to pay the parish debt would require that the Vestry deny financial resources to the 9:00 AM service, the 10:45 AM service, and the Youth Ministry. My value as Rector does not justify the loss of the value of these programs.

Those unfamiliar with the financial cost of ministry may want to review the series of articles published last year on the theme.

I have yielded my position so the Vestry can deploy leadership it can afford. Given the strength of our parish leadership, I am confident that a competent priest with good judgment and a faithful heart – though perhaps lacking some experience – will serve the needs of the parish well.

The Vestry will need to protect the new priest. Some will have unrealistic expectations of what that priest should do. Some may persist on holding up a failed model of the church. The Vestry will need to be vigilant to resist the parish from falling into a becoming a priest-centered institution that exists to indulge the sentimental.

I asked the Vestry last night to receive my resignation as an expression of my confidence in the leadership of this parish. Before I resigned a number of parish leaders gave reports on the forward movements of their ministries.

• The Communication Team is performing well.
• The Welcoming Team has begun to execute on its ministry plan.
• The Family Ministry continues to flourish.
• The Shepherd Group Ministry is finding clearer focus under very motivated leadership.
• The Festival Committee continues to plan festival days as an opportunity to enrich our community and reach out to others.

Other ministries of the parish were not represented last night. The music leadership at 9:00 AM continues to thrive. Despite challenges associated with their search for new leadership, the 10:45 AM Choir continues to demonstrate commitment to worship leadership. The Youth Ministry Team continues to develop and grow. The Preschool continues to thrive.

The church is not a building. It is certainly not a priest, or rector, or bishop. It is not – GOD FORBID – a certain liturgical style, religious form, or sentimental feeling. The church is a faithful covenant community built on the quality of commitment Jesus demonstrated on the cross upon which he died. Any church that would deny, or undermine, or hold up any other standard of commitment dishonors our Lord.

You who respond to the invitation to commit to one another in covenant with God – and make that commitment real through your weekly participation in worship, your mutual support of one another in a Shepherd Group, and your honoring of the Tithe – you are being built up into a spiritual house. You are God’s Temple. When you allow yourselves to be formed into a faithful covenant community, the Holy Spirit dwells in the midst of you.

The apostle Peter put it this way in his letter to the church:

Come to him that living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God. So also, you are living stones, being built up into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. . . . You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own people, that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; you were once not a people, but you are now the people of God.

The darkness out of which you are called is the darkness of isolation, alienation and loneliness. His marvelous light is that which is generated by the strength of your commitment to one another.

My resignation expresses the depth of my commitment to this parish. I have resigned for the simple reason that given the economic constraints of the parish, it is the right thing to do.

Thank you for the opportunity to have served you as your Rector. You bless me.

America's Greatness: Something to Celebrate

I see America’s greatness not so much in its electoral process, but in its post-electoral process. It reveals the depths of our people’s rootedness in the faithfulness of previous generations. It began with George Washington’s refusal to remain in office after his second term as President. It faltered just once, following the election of Abraham Lincoln.

Last night, President Bush telephoned Barack Obama.

“Mr. President-elect,” he said, “congratulations to you. What an awesome night for you, your family and your supporters. I promise to make this a smooth transition.”

Smooth transitions in our nation’s government express the hope of America’s future better than any other moment in our national experience. John McCain embodied that hope in his concession speech.

“In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his (President-elect Obama’s) success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.”

Presidential campaigns express fierce conversations. Conflicting visions of the social good compete for support. Such fierce conversations test the tolerance of neighbors. But they are necessary if we are to discern the Truth of our Moment.

John McCain and the Republican Party gave expression to the Root Value of Autonomy. Their emphasis on cutting taxes, national security, and a health care solution anchored in the free market all point to the importance of the individual and the maintenance of clear, inviolable personal boundaries.

Barack Obama and the Democratic Party gave expression to the Root Value of Commitment. Their emphasis on a more conciliatory foreign policy, on domestic policy and a persistent call for reforming the health care system all point to the importance of the cooperation and the contributions of all people to address our common challenge.

We have two parties in this country because people prioritize the Root Values differently. Like Republicans, Democrats value Autonomy. This is most clearly represented by their “Pro-Choice” camp. Likewise, Republicans value Commitment. This is most clearly represented by their “Pro-Life” camp.

Republican and Democratic men and women share common ground, even if their rhetoric and ideology cannot.

If presidential campaigns are about fierce conversations that emphasize where candidates differ, the post-electoral process is about finding common ground.

John McCain spoke out of the American post-electoral tradition in his concession speech when he said,

“Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.”

Democracy is a Greek word meaning, “the rule of the people.” Republic is a Latin word meaning, “the public thing.”

What makes America great is our Democracy – messy, mean-spirited, and petty as it can sometimes be. It awakens the self-interested and even fearful passions of the individual. This is most clearly expressed in our electoral process.

What makes America even greater is our Republic – “the public thing” we all share. It awakens our capacity to set aside our personal interest for the common good. This is more clearly expressed in our post-electoral process.

Thank God for Senator John McCain and for President-elect Barack Obama. In this post-electoral moment, they represent us all.

Swift and Varied Changes of the World

We learned from the worldwide economic crisis of the 1920s that an economic crisis can result in an incredible threat for all of society. The consequences of that depression was Adolf Hitler and, indirectly, World War II and Auschwitz.

Wolfgang Schaeuble,
Interior Minister, Germany

The world changes whether we like it or not, whether we are ready for it or not. Catastrophic change in the economy signal changes in other sectors of society as well. Living through change of this magnitude is a harrowing experience. You can’t know exactly how things are going to turn out.

The news today (Monday) reports lack of market confidence all around the world. Each region of the world has its own reason for alarm. In the United States foolish mortgage debt is the primary cause aided and abetted by out of control consumer debt and the low savings rate of the average American.

The falling price of oil (crude futures are trading below $90.00/barrel) undermines the vitality of the pampered-yet-oil-dependent economies of the Gulf States, Russia and Venezuela. The political stability of these nations depends on the flow of cash generated by an oil-thirsty world. But tightening credit leads to a shrinking economy. Industrial demand for energy sinks as consumers scale back on family budgets. Strapped family budgets mean people drive less, keep their thermostats below 68 degrees in order to consume less heating oil.

Cash-rich China and other engines of industrial growth in Asia rely on exports to drive their economic engines. As consumer demand dries up in Europe and North America, still fledging Asian factories may have to shutter their windows, or at the very least cut way, way back on production.

History shows time and time again that in such times as these, social anxiety goes up. Apprehension provides opportunity for demagogues and tyrants who scapegoat and promise quick fixes.

Hitler rose in Germany amidst the chaos and confusion of an economy in melt-down. In 1935 Sinclair Lewis published, It Can’t Happen Here. The novel portrayed the rise of a far-right political movement that successfully undermined the Constitution and established a Fascist state in America, complete with intimidation of the press, concentration camps, and secret police who come knocking on the door at night.

I have sufficient confidence in the depth of our society that I believe it is unlikely to happen here. But sometimes I wonder. We are a society that has strayed from disciplines of democratic freedom. This is not the right to vote. The vote is a privilege we earn every day.

The discipline of democratic freedom involves civic responsibility. Self-government requires governing ones’ self. Government of the people, by the people, and for the people, (to use Lincoln’s expression of constitutional freedom) does not begin in Washington DC. Governing of the people, by the people, for the people takes places wherever the people are: at work, at school, at home. The disciplines of freedom begin at our front door.

Nor does the crisis in the Financial and Credit Market begin in New York City. The failure of Wall Street is our failure. We must take responsibility for it. If we try to push responsibility for our general failure of stewardship on the greed of Wall Street, we are no better than the Nazi’s who pushed responsibility for Germany’s struggles in the 1920-30s on the rapaciousness of the Jews.

The challenge of the faithful steward is to anchor one’s heart in a perspective, a principle and a person that rises above the chaos and the confusion of chaotic and confusing times. At times like this I find praying the collect for the 5th Sunday of Lent particularly helpful.

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Stewadship: Partnership with God

Stewardship is partnership with God. The Tithe (returning giving 10% of one's income to God through support of one covenant community) is the biblical standard of faithfulness. In the Season of Stewardship we challenge one another to rise to this challenge not as an obligation but as an expression of love.

This message is thousands of years old. People resist it, sometimes out of fear, sometimes out of ignorance, but mostly because they have been acculturated to conform to our contemporary culture that celebrates pursuit of personal wealth at the expense of the common good.

Our current “financial crisis” is a failure of stewardship. It is the inevitable consequence of unfaithfulness to God’s covenant. The prophets of Israel never stopped talking about this.

Woe to those who lie on beds of ivory
and stretch themselves out on their couches,
and eat lambs from the flock
and calves from the midst of the stall,

who sing idle songs to the sound of the harp
and like David invent for themselves instruments of music,
who drink wine in bowls
and anoint themselves with the finest oils,

but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph!


Some people react negatively to the challenge of faithful stewardship. The challenge is to hold firm to the Gospel in the midst of some who will:

1. Question our motives. ("They just want my money.")

2. Question our competence. ("The parish can't manage money."),

3) Malign the messenger. ("The Rector doesn't ____________.").

It has been this way for thousands of years. Some people have difficulty understanding that personal life flourishes when community life flourishes. Most parishioners, however,are genuinely open to hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What is that gospel? Reread Mark 1:14-15.

“The time is fulfilled.” The waiting is over. The power of God is effecting dynamic change and transformation in any human heart open to the opportunity to experience new life.

“The Kingdom of God is at hand.” The Kingdom of God does not mean “heaven” or “eternity.” It is wherever a faithful covenant community walks in partnership with God. It does not say, The Kingdom of Self. An isolated person has no part in The Kingdom except through participating in covenant relationship with others. The Holy Spirit dwells within the individual human heart insofar as that person participates in the midst of a faithful covenant community.

“Repent.” Repentance involves the transformation of our values, our perceptions, our priorities -- our very understanding of the world. Repentance is not sentimental. It does not mean to feel bad. It means to risk change. Wherever a person resists change inspired by God's promise – that person is avoiding repentance.

“Believe the good news.” Believing is an action word. Recitation of the creed for hundreds of years has given many people the notion that “to believe” means to think a certain way. You “believe the good news” when the message of God’s presence in your life gives you the courage to change the fundamental values, perceptions and priorities of your life.

The Stewardship message – that God invites you into partnership with him and that this has a material impact on your life – should startle a person. If someone in the parish does not reject the challenge of faithful stewardship, or if someone is not offended by it, or if it does not frighten someone, than we have failed to express it clearly.

So, the Season of Stewardship is upon us. Regardless of what the economy does, it is time for us to reprioritize our values. Refocus our vision. And embrace the abundant blessing God has prepared for us from before the foundation of the world.

Stewardship: A Lot to Talk About

We are just one week from our Season of Stewardship, which begins in October. I thought this year I would lay out some fundamental principles of faithful Stewardship before we get started.

1. Stewardship is partnership with the Lord.

2. The Lord promises to bless us. The Lord gives us talent, ability, opportunity, and resources to share with others.

3. We partner with God to fulfill his purpose when we use the gifts God give us to fulfill his purpose.

4. There is no faithful stewardship without a call to commitment.

Simple, that is all there is to it.

Our Stewardship Season comes at a time when our government struggles to address an economic crisis in our economy. The crisis is, no doubt, the most sweeping crisis our economy has faced since the Great Depression of the 1930’s. Some say this crisis is even greater.

The cause of this economic crisis is both simple and complex. The complexity comes from the tangled web of financial instruments (Sub-prime Loans, Bundled Mortgages, Credit Default Swaps) that were created as a hedge against greed. But in an era of excessive greed, there is no hedge sufficient to prevent catastrophe.

Now, the government is trying desperately to rescue an economy that teeters on the brink. I am confident government intervention will fail. It will fail, even if it succeeds. As a matter of fact, if the 700 $Billion bailout succeeds it will teach exactly the wrong lesson: Greed has no consequence.

The single most important insight into the nature of complex markets was expressed by Adam Smith in 1776. Individual behavior in the economy (driven by self-interest) manages the relationship of supply and demand better than human intervention. This is the “Invisible Hand” of classical capitalism.

The market “corrects” for unwise economic choices. Businesses that make unwise decisions fail. Today’s crisis is expressive of the Invisible Hand. A “correction” is underway. If the correction is potentially catastrophic and massive in scale it is only because the folly of the economic choices of millions of Americans over the past twenty years or so has been massive in scale.

Unwise choices related to the housing market have been made for years and years – buyers buying more house then they can afford, mortgage brokers colluding with buyers in misrepresentation of income on loan documents, bank managers willingly looking the other way in order to increase their book value, investment bankers buying mortgage paper and hedging their investment against bad debt in a mind boggling shell game to play both sides of the balance sheet until the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

This behavior spread across millions of transactions can only lead to consequences that are catastrophic and massive in scale. And we have not even mentioned credit card debt, a parasitic health care system, and other systemic distortions of value that deny our responsibility to live as faithful stewards of God’s blessing.

I’m looking forward to the Season of Stewardship this year. I think we are going to have a lot to talk about.

(Can you find the clown in the pic above? See Psalm 2.)

What A Party!

We celebrated our Hopeful Future yesterday, Sunday, September 7. What a party.

Maureen Carey-Back and her party crew planned a great event.

The Ashburn Volunteer Fire Department greeted us as we processed out of the church with sirens and horns blaring. I burned our first mortgage in ruins of Belmont Chapel backed up by the Choir. Parishioners opened envelopes filled with butterflies and confetti cannons fired color streamers high into the air.

Brad Rush picked up 15 bushels of Blue crab that came right out of the Chesapeake Bay. Steamed and covered with Old Bay Seasoning. That is a lot of crab. Parishioners piled high discarded claws and shells on tables scattered throughout the church yard.

Our "House Band" played throughout the afternoon. Maureen sweet-talked me into climbing into the Drunk Tank -- I mean the Dunk Tank -- as beautiful cherubic children took careful aim pitching softballs doing their best to show their appreciation and great reverence for the Rector.

Yesterday we saw the launch of our new Sunday morning worship schedule. The Task Force on Traditional
Worship had recommended that we consolidate the two traditional worship services in order to create a more vibrant and alive service at 10:45 AM. Based on the turnout (and energy) on Sunday morning their recommendation seems to be right on target. It was a great worship experience.

As I sat on the bench in the dunk tank and looked out across the the church yard I saw God's children at play. Every age playing in their own way. Confetti and streamers littered the ground -- red, yellow, green and blue -- as colorful, a giant balloon arch gracing the Belmont Chapel Ruins. An inflatable jump house and obstacle course were crawling with preschoolers. Band rockin,' kids of all ages running everywhere. Tables with mounds of cracked crab held the attention of adults doing their best to look like proper Episcopalians, with faces and hands absolutley dripping with juices.

I wish I could preach a sermon as well.

8:00 AM Service Grief

The Task Force on Traditional Worship made a presentation to our 8:00 AM and 10:45 AM congregations yesterday, Sunday August 24. As they made their presentation I was struck by how much I am a grieving the loss of an early morning worshiping opportunity here.

I have always been a morning person. By 8:00 AM I have usually been up for at least three hours. If I wake up at 5:30 I feel like I have overslept.

These early morning hours are important to me. I experience the world waking up. Here in Virginia, the sunrise is often accompanied by dramatic cloud formations that light up with early morning color. It reminds me of how small I am. I realize the world will turn without me. The stillness of the morning reminds me how loud the world sometimes gets with its unending anxiety.

I have always been an early morning worshipper. When away from my Rector responsibilities, I prefer to find an early morning liturgy. My soul responds readily in quiet, subdued environments. Two years ago when the first Task Force recommended music at the 8:00 AM service, I endorsed their recommendation, setting my preferences aside.

In response to the current recommendation I find myself setting aside my own preference once more. The Task Force worked hard in their deliberations. I cannot argue with their conclusions. Our worship space does not support intimate, quiet traditional liturgy with just a handful of people gathered for prayer. We need about 200 people in the room for the space to feel hospitable and warm.

We reach that threshold regularly at the 9:15 AM service. We reach it infrequently at the 10:45 AM liturgy. Combining the 8:00 AM and the 10:45 AM liturgies is the right thing to do.

Although I will miss worship earlier in the morning, my preference in worship time does not take precedence over my support of our covenant community.

I suspect we have two types of worshipers on Sunday morning with us at 8:00 AM.

One type is the person who values early morning worship, and finds this parish a convenient place to practice his or her personal piety. The other type is a the person who is committed to support the people of this parish.

Obviously with the change recommended by the Task Force on Traditional Worship, we will say good-bye to those who find our parish a convenient place to practice their personal piety. I, personally, will be sad to see them go. But I certainly understand their choice. (Autonomy is one of our Root Values after all.)

Those, like me, who prefer an early morning worship service, but are also committed to supporting the people of our parish, will grieve the need to develop a new habit, and will shift their worship practice to either the newly scheduled 9:00 AM or 10:45 AM.

As an early morning worshiper, I appreciate the sacrifice. I really, really do.