The Woman With The Alabaster Jar

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The Woman With The Alabaster Jar

And a woman in the city,
who was a sinner,
having learned
that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment.

She stood behind him at his feet,
weeping,
and began to bathe his feet
with her tears
and to dry them
with her hair.
Then she continued kissing his feet
and anointing them with the ointment.

— from the Gospel of Luke
Signs & Wonders

This Week’s News

Can you help prepare some meals?

Kelly Klotz and her son Odin were with us for the first time this past Sunday, and a few days later while at the church, Kelly fell and tore a bunch of ligaments in one of her ankles.

She is in a lot of pain, and is also a single mom. Steve is coordinating some dinners for her and Odin while she (literally) gets back on her feet. If you can help, let him know.

Survey will help us decide Fall worship schedule

With the debut of our Saturday liturgy set for September 18, we will soon have to decide whether to continue our Sunday schedule of worship at 9 and 11 a.m. or bring together those liturgies into a single 10 a.m. worship experience.

This is a big decision and one we won’t make without your input.

We’ll have a survey available at church the next two Sundays, and we’ll add an online survey later in the month to make sure everyone has had a chance to weigh in.

Combining our two existing liturgies into one is a change we would prefer not to make and certainly will not make lightly, as we do not want to disrupt your Sunday routine.

At the same time, if a goodly number of our present Sunday worshippers are likely to become Saturday worshippers, we probably will combine the two Sunday liturgies. That’s because one larger liturgy will make for a much more vibrant experience than two small liturgies.

Before we make a big decision such as this, we want to hear from everyone who will be affected by it. So look for the survey, complete it, and make sure your voice is heard. Thanks!

New Bishop’s Committee members

During the very brief business session we held at last week’s parish potluck — we were having so much fun, leaders decided all the other business could wait — Steve Raftery and Jessica Tamaski were elected to the bishop’s committee. The congregation also ratified the earlier selection of Paul Swanson Jr.

Celebrating fathers

Now that our May celebration of mothers has ended, Manny is inviting us to celebrate fathers during June.

If you’d like, bring a photo of your father — or of anyone who has been like a father to you — and place it on the table set aside for photos.

WHAT A GREAT DAY

Toward the end of this past Sunday’s potluck, I was in the sacristy saying goodbye to Manny Fr. Steve Martzas he prepared to head to Detroit to spend time with his family.

I commented that the spirit and energy of the day had taken my breath away. “Sometimes,” I said, “I become so caught up in the day-to-day activities here that I lose sight of what an incredible place this really is. Then we have a day like today and I just want to pinch myself so I never again forget how amazing this church really is.”

“I know,” said Manny. “I try to describe what St. Nick’s is like to other people, but it is something you have to experience. It’s unlike any other congregation I’ve known. I just really love everyone here.”

The journalist in me wishes I could remember word-for-word what Manny said next. I don’t want to get the quote wrong, so I will just say the gist of it was that St. Nicholas elicits in him some of the same feelings his family does.

Given the depth of his affection for his family, that is high praise for St. Nicholas.

Indeed, it is hard to describe what makes this congregation as special as it is. None of us can exactly put our finger on it. But most of us can feel it. This past Sunday, it was palpable, and it was amazing. Joy seemed to be floating among us.

I share all of this to make sure you know how loved and appreciated you are. And to thank you for being who and what you are.

— Steve

PS — As always I welcome your thoughts.

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What Do Americans Really Believe?

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A religion blogger at Beliefnet muses on some statistics on American religious beliefs, and struggles to relate them to his experience…

Have You Had These Religious Experiences? – O Me of Little Faith.

“Have you had the following religious experience?” That’s the question asked by the 2008 Baylor Religion Survey, authored by Dr. Rodney Stark and others, in an extensive look at the “depth and complexity” of America’s religious landscape. The survey’s findings are revealed in the book What Americans Really Believe, by Rodney Stark.

And to be honest, the statistics really surprise me. But maybe they shouldn’t. The surveyors spoke to 1,648 adults chosen randomly from across the country. When asked the question about having certain religious experiences, this is how many Americans answered YES:

• I heard the voice of God speaking to me: 20%
• I felt called by God to do something: 44%
• I was protected from harm by a guardian angel: 55%
• I witnessed a miraculous, physical healing: 23%
• I received a miraculous, physical healing: 16%
• I spoke or prayed in tongues: 8%

Whoa. This is why, around certain religious people, I feel like a spiritual weakling. Because I can barely identify with these experiences.

As an ordinary layperson in a mainstream, quite liberal Protestant Christian denomination, I myself find it difficult to relate to the above list of “common American religious experiences.” Does this make me a spiritual weakling? Am I of little faith? I don’t think so – because my experience tends to be personal and subtle, it’s not something that I feel comfortable talking about with total strangers (or blogging about, for that matter). I suspect that it’s not that unusual a case in many parishes like St Nicholas, either – we Episcopalians tend to avoid a fuss, or displays of great emotion or mystical transport.

This does not, however, mean that we won’t occasionally have priests dancing or playing the banjo, or people blowing bubbles in church (this actually happened last Sunday).

Jason Boyett goes on to say:

What’s the purpose of my personal commentary on these stats? Is it for me to point out that people who answer yes to these questions about religious experiences are crazy?

No. Not at all. It’s to say that my religious experiences don’t match up. I don’t fit in with these believers. It is hard for me to identify with them. The only religious experience I could honestly have owned up to is the second one about God’s calling — and then only with disclaimers and footnotes.

The problem is semantics and certainty. I just have trouble talking about God that way. I’m not willing to speak of God’s activity in and around my life with such concrete, this-is-how-it-is terms.

But some people don’t share my hang-ups. These are the people who answered YES in this survey. As a Christian, these are supposed to be my people. But I’m not like them.

I live and worship in a world where people hear from God, are protected by angels, and get healed. This doesn’t happen to me. Am I a spiritual weakling?

It’s not necessary to experience all the things on this list in order to consider yourself a religious person, or a strong believer; many people are not comfortable expressing their beliefs in so straightforward a manner.

And of course, many people would never darken the door of a church, because that would mean admitting that they have a spiritual inner life that they want to explore, but don’t know how.

None of us think we fit in anywhere, but sometimes we do find a place that becomes comfortable – and we’re not spiritual weaklings if we’re strong enough to admit that we’re different from the statistical norm of believing Americans. There’s a forum for questioning and rational discourse – even in church.

Such a forum takes place whenever the Book Club meets, for example – which was what we ended up with when the Adult Education forum finished discussing world religions.