Our Blog
Weekly reflections, updates, and news about our St. Stephen’s Community.
Prophets Say Words We Don’t Want to Hear
See, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. Isaiah 40:11
There are so many words and concepts that we use in church or Scripture study that we don’t use in other contexts: “redemption,” “salvation,” “hope,” “repentance.” These words pack a powerful punch theologically, but their tangible import may elude us in our day to day lives.
It is Advent. One of the concepts that we really don’t want to hear about or apply is “recompense.” This is a term we roll out in this season as we quote the prophet Isaiah who talks about the coming of the Lord. In Sunday’s lesson we hear that God will come with might and that God’s recompense comes before him. Huh?
According to Miriam Webster, “recompense” means to give something to by way of compensation (as for a service rendered or damage incurred), to pay for, or as a noun: an equivalent or a return for something done, suffered, or given. The prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel who are refugees in Babylon. They long for their homeland, political freedom and a restoration of their religious identity and dignity. Oh, and they also want to have the fruit of their labor.
Sound like any people we know today?
Of course, the Babylonians do not want to hear about the recompense that God will demand. Neither do we.
This Advent we sit waiting, living with uncomfortable words, knowing that recompense is coming.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector
This is the Way the World Ends
When I was a young evangelical Christian, I was terrified by prospects of the end of the world. From my Bible reading I heard about Jesus coming like a thief in the night, as a consuming fire. When the Yom Kippur war broke out in Israel in 1973, I was sure Armageddon was right around the corner. The end of the world was a time of judgment, fear, and condemnation—a dreadful and dreaded reckoning to my mind.
The Gospel of Mattew paints a different picture:
Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’
Matthew 25:34-40
The ones engaged in these simple, yet costly, acts of feeding the hungry, providing water to the thirsty, giving clothing, tending to the sick, visiting prisoners, are the inheritors of the kingdom. Those who failed to take such actions are not in the line of inheritance. These standards, according to Jesus, are not about belief, but about action. Not intention, but practice, matters.
T S Eliot notes:
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang, but a whimper.
“The Hollow Men”
The end of the world may come not from bombs or cataclysm, but from our failure to do acts of basic compassion, addressing fundamental human need. The whimper we will hear is not the hiss of the lake of fire, but a child’s cry for bread and water.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector
Sobriety As a Practice of Thanksgiving
But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. (I Thessalonians 5:5-9)
This week many of us will be gathered with our families of birth or our families of choice to observe Thanksgiving. It is a holiday that brings us together to feast with those who are not like us and with whom we may have profound differences. After all, we don’t get to choose our relations. For some of us we may be filled with anticipation, for others of us, we may feel dread.
How to cope with either feeling? It is tempting in moments of celebration and at times of anxiety to numb the feelings by taking a substance. We may drink too much alcohol, consume too many recreational drugs, load up on sugar. We lose our sobriety. In those states we may say or do things that we will later regret.
In Sunday’s Epistle, Paul writes to the congregation in Thessalonica, this is the first letter. He addresses many topics, but one that particularly concerns this church is the second coming of Jesus and what has happened to those who have died before Jesus has come again. What should they expect when the end of the world is at hand? What should they do?
Paul invites them to be sober and awake. They should ground their actions and responses to others in faith, love and hope.
As those in recovery know, sobriety is more than abstinence from consuming harmful substances or engaging in destructive behavior like gambling or lust. Sobriety means turning toward a higher power and practicing service to others. Faith, love and hope are the fertilizer of sobriety.
When we sit down with our Thanksgiving company, focus on your sobriety. You may be awake to new dimensions of yourself and your companions.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector
A House for All Sinners and Saints
While a House for All Sinners and Saints was the name of the parish served by Nadia Bolz-Weber (a public pastor and theologian), it could also serve as the name for every Christian congregation. Churches are not composed of only one type of person. Each and everyone of us is a sinner or saint depending on the time of day.
On Sunday we will be marking All Saint’s Sunday. This feast is a time for baptism and for remembering the saints who were also sinners who have gone before us. We will bring tokens or photographs of our beloveds to remember them on our parish ofrenda in Pecore Hall. We will also be invited at the Eucharist at 9:30 (remember one service and day light savings time!) to light a candle in their honor. We recall their light in their day and the continuation of their glory in the communion of saints.
To ‘commemorate’ comes from the Latin for ‘mindful.’ At this season we are mindful of the fullness of time—eternity—and our place in it. We recollect those who have gone before us, those who are with us now, and those who will come after us. We are sinners and saints together. The Church stands as a witness to the glory of God across time and our saints are those who bear the light in every generation.
You are being called to join that number who go marching in and through time. With your foibles and brokenness, God is being borne in you now. You are part of the communion.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector
What Happens When the Language of Peace Gets Censored?
As violence in Israel and Gaza escalates, including the bombing of a hospital which killed hundreds of Palestinians this week, U. S. State Department officials are censoring how their employees describe what is happening. According to a report in the Huffington Post on October 13, high-level officials are discouraging the use of the words ‘de-escalation,’ ‘cease-fire,’ ‘end to violence/bloodshed,’ and ‘restoring calm’ in press releases.
After the vicious attack on the US on 9/11, Americans were swift to react with vengeance. We invaded Iraq and created black box sites to torture suspected terrorists, jailing many who remain in Guantánamo to this day. We spent trillions of dollars on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and hundreds of thousands of lives were lost over the course of 20 years. Most of the dead were civilians. At that time to speak of peace, of the dignity of Muslims, of freedom from surveillance was unthinkable.
Both the people of Israel and the people of Palestine are suffering. Collective suffering has been imposed by Hamas and the Israeli government. As Christians we are compelled by our Lord to respect the dignity of every human being, to seek peace and pursue it.
Anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim rhetoric and behavior is against our baptismal covenant. In this country, our words and our behavior matter. Our practice impacts our families and neighborhoods. Our witness must be one which eschews vengeance and seeks justice and peace. We are able in this democracy to insist that our leaders do the same.
One of the chants in the Black Lives Matter protests was, “Say his/her name.” It was a call to humanize the people who were killed at the hands of the police. Saying the words, ‘de-escalation,” ‘cease-fire,’ ‘end to violence/bloodshed,’ ‘restoring calm,’ speaks into reality the world we want to see. Say its name. Peace.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector
Civic Engagement Is An Act of Peacemaking
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9
This week I have been overwhelmed by the news coming out of Israel and Gaza. The sheer magnitude of the cruelty and death from Hamas and the retaliatory blockade of Gaza by Israel leave me feeling waves of sadness and impotence. How can human beings be so heartless? What can I do?
There was a saying in the late sixties and early seventies which has had a profound impact on me: “Think globally, act locally.” This slogan has taken on greater salience for me as the internet and the 24 hour news cycle has connected us with people across the earth. While I may be aware now, more than ever, of what is happening in the world, I can only act here, now.
I cannot bring peace to the Middle East, as much as I would want to, but I can shape the kind of city Houston is and becomes, so can you. Participating in the process of civic engagement through voting, talking with our neighbors about what is honorable, just, pure, commendable; cleaning up our neighborhoods; listening to the concerns of our friends; communicating with our leaders make peace. Peace in our tradition is not the mere absence of war, it is wholeness, wellbeing for everyone.
For the next month our parish will be reaching within and beyond us to make peace. By encouraging each other to make a plan to vote, to think and pray about how civic engagement is an act of Christian faith, to learning about the candidates and issues that affect our common life—from new public hospital facilities, to retired teacher raises, to representation on regional planning boards– by driving our neighbors to the polls, by casting our own ballots, we will be making peace.
We have received the gift of democracy and many of us have fought and sought for its preservation. In the face of such global and national challenges, it is time for us to keep doing the things we have learned and received, and the peace of God will be with us.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector
You Are Richer Than You Think
The notion of currency was much in the news this week—the fraud trial of former President Trump; the criminal trial of Sam Bankman Fried, the founder of FMX the crypto currency exchange; and the brinksmanship of Congress around funding the government which led to the ouster of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. One of the commonalities of these events is that they centered on the nature of money.
Over the course of the next month, as part of our It is Good to Be Here stewardship campaign, we will be looking at the nature of currency, not just of money. Our adult formation time on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m.will be focusing on the variety of currencies we possess. Money is surely one, but relationships, truth, gracious leadership, time and place, and wellness are also critical for human flourishing.
One of the essential aspects of life together is how we govern ourselves. Exercising the currencies of truth, time and space, and relationships coalesce in our ability to vote. St. Stephen’s Justice and Advocacy team is hard at work building partnerships to enable us to take this responsibility seriously. White nationalists throughout the country and especially in Texas are cloaking themselves as Christians to radically alter our values as a state. Voting is a critical act of faith.
While not all of us is rolling in money, each of us has abundance of other types of currency. It is all to be shared for the building up of the Reign of God.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector
Being of the Same Mind
If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Philippians 2:1
It is a challenge these days to come to consensus about almost anything…from what kind of ice cream to buy to how to fund the federal government, compromise is elusive.
I had the pleasure to experience the exercise of thought and difference in a public artistic realm this week. Our own Shannon Emerick starred in Main Street Theatre’s production of “What the Constitution Means to Me” to well-deserved critical acclaim. The play was provocative and evocative as it invited the audience to consider the founding document of our country with its grandeur and its foibles. I commend it to you.
This play reminded me that we are not born knowing how to make decisions in community using critical thinking. We have to be taught. Teaching children to think critically and to live in community with compassion so that they can be peaceful and productive citizens is the purpose of education. It is also ministry…as parents, teachers, neighbors, congregations we serve in God’s name as we form children for the common good.
This week is Episcopal Schools Week. We will be welcoming Dr. Troy Roddy, the new Head of St. Stephen’s School, to be our preacher this Sunday. An important ministry of St. Stephen’s Church is our day school where we help educate 173 students ages 15 months-8th grade. Educating children in whatever setting is holy work. Together we learn how to live in tension and in love.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector
Stardust as Metaphorical or Literal Resurrection?
How to describe what happens to us after death?
The Gospels bear witness to the experience of Jesus’ earliest followers seeing one they knew as Jesus in bodily form; it is striking that in one account they do not recognize him. This is a movement that theologians refer to as the movement from Jesus to Christ. From these tellings in our tradition, we proclaim in our creeds, prayer and our own lives the encounters with the Risen One.
Many of us want proof of an afterlife. We scour studies conducted of those who have had near death experiences to find evidence of life beyond death. Some people visit mediums to contact the ghosts of our dead loved ones.
Currently astronomers are giving us glimpses of wonder with the James Webb telescope’s pictures. We are seeing stars being born and dying. Indeed, some biologists are claiming we are made of stardust.
Recently I spoke with a young person who was grieving. As she spoke she described her loved one as stardust. The American Heritage Dictionary defines ‘stardust’ as:
- Charm or attractiveness that stems from celebrity and tends to forestall criticism.
- A dreamlike, romantic, or uncritical sense of well-being.
- Dust formed in very hot gasses ejected from stellar atmospheres or in supernova explosions.
I wonder how resurrection and stardust may be related.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector
Caught Between an Angel and a Cloud
So much of our thinking now is saturated with binaries—people are ‘good guys’ or ‘bad guys;’ we are socially conscious or benighted; I am right and you are wrong. This categorical way of thinking is as old as the Manicheans, a religious movement that thrived between the third and seventh centuries of common era holding a cosmology that divided the world between the spiritual world of light and the material world of darkness. Grounded in the teaching of Mani, Manicheanism was intended to combine and surpass the teachings of Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. You see this cosmology in bold display around us from Marvel comics to Sunday talk shows.
The Biblical witness is more subtle than such dualism. Our heritage draws us into the reality of ambiguity and shadow, ours is an obscuring faith. We don’t get neat places of clarity often. In our lesson for this Sunday from Exodus we will hear a recounting of the Israelites’ deliverance from the bondage of slavery in Egypt by God’s parting of the sea. Pharoah has released the Israelites from slavery after the plagues have ravaged his land and his family, but then he reneges, recognizing that he is losing face and economic power. He opts for military intervention.
The people of Israel are divided when they see the Egyptian army pursuing them, some want to return to slavery, others follow Moses whose hand is stretched out, as the sea parts, the angel of the Lord preceding the people. The people have the choice of settling for oppression under the Egyptians or risking freedom withuncertainty. Exodus 14 describes their situation this way: “The angel of God who was going before theIsraelite army moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so, the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.” They were sandwiched by God.
We live in that place between the angel of the Lord and the cloud too. We abide in the tension between God’s justice and mercy; a tenuous and firm perch of loving, awful presence. The cloud was there with the darkness for the children of Israel, just as it is for us. By our faith we stand together. Doubting, skeptical, fearful, courageous, bold and grace filled. All of it. Together.
-The Reverend Lisa Hunt, Rector