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October | 2006
The Church of Relevant Faith
The search for relevance. Sounds like a PBS show narrated by Leonard Nimoy. Yet it is one of those basic life questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What’s for dinner? I’ve been trying for two weeks now to come up with something WOW! And WILD! And WONDERFUL! to engage and impress you in this article. But I can’t. So I’ll stop trying and give it to you straight. Relevance is found in the gospel story we heard a few weeks ago. The same story Fr. Michael is teaching about on Sunday mornings. It centers around a question. A short question. A question Jesus asked his disciples.
Who do you say that I am?
Who do you say Jesus is?
Sorry. I wish it were more complicated. I wish it was fancier. I wish it wasn’t quite so Jesus-y. But there you have it. It is what it is. That is the central question of our existence. Everything hinges upon how we answer it. Now, I can only imagine what you might be thinking. “There he goes again, acting all Baptist on us.” Or maybe, “I know who Jesus is, I’ve known for years.” Perhaps, “I know he’s not talking to me.” Like I said, I can only imagine. Because I don’t know how you answer that question. You may not even know. But I do know how you can find out. Look at your life. Just stop for a moment, be still, be calm and examine your life. Don’t ask yourself if you’re happy. Don’t ask yourself if your life is what you want it to be. Instead, ask yourself, gently, cautiously, if your life is all it could be. Ask yourself if your life is all God wants you to be, calls you to be, created you to be. If you tell me it is, I’ll leave you alone. I may not believe you, but I’ll leave you alone. If you tell me it’s not. Well, then, you’re giving God something with which to work. God’s work in your life is called “TRANSFORMATION”. It looks like this.
Non-Christian
Minister-Missionary-Leader-Servant
The good news is God does all the work. Okay, maybe not all, but He starts, continues and finishes His work in you. And it’s free. Okay, it’s a different kind of freedom, a freedom which costs you everything and gives you even more in return. And it’s relevant. For all people, for all time. This is how we love God with our whole heart, body, soul and mind. This is how we love our neighbors. This is how we love ourselves. This is how we are transformed through the renewing of our minds. This is how we live out our faith. This is how we become… RELEVANT. ~Father Jay
Let’s get to work Every week, Amy and I have to clean the house…ok, ok, Amy does most of the work, but I help out. With two big dogs, sweeping and vacuuming are a must, and we generally clean the bathroom, dust, pick-up all of my stuff that I leave all over the house; you know the regular things you have to do to keep your house from becoming disgusting. But there are those other things that need to be done; those things that are outside of the normal cleaning routine. For example, the outside of our windows were filthy, especially the windows in our garage door. They were so dirty that you could not see through them, and some time before we moved into this house, someone had written “Grayson was here” in the dirt. For the last year and a half, every time I pulled into my garage I saw “Grayson was here,” and thought about how I really needed to clean the windows. Well, I never got around to cleaning the windows until last weekend when my wife handed me the cleaner and said, “get to work” and I responded, “yes ma’am.” (If you drive by my house, make sure you notice how clean the garage door is.) It is one thing to keep up with the everyday cleaning, but occasionally, you have to carve out some time for the little odd jobs around the house. Well, St. Andrew’s could use a little sprucing up. We have a wonderful cleaning service which takes care of the regular everyday cleaning, but there are some odd jobs around the church that need to be done. I am sure that many of you have noticed some of these things yourselves. Our Junior Warden, Fred Jiminez and our assistant Junior Warden, Scott Hahn, are doing a wonderful job and working harder than they should to keep our facilities functioning and in proper order. But the to-do list keeps growing and they have had to concentrate on the really important stuff, and yet there are all sorts of things that need to be done around here. Therefore, I am calling for a St. Andrew’s Work Day, October 15th from 2-4ish, where the congregation will rally together and put in a couple of hours of hard work. Fred will be delegating people to different tasks around the church. We need people of all sorts of abilities and skills. I am positive we can find a job for you. If you are a handyman or handy woman, there are lots of “fix-it” jobs, and you may want to bring your own tools. So, after church on October 15th, go home, eat lunch, put on some work clothes, and meet at the church at 2:00. In Christ, Father Michael
The Do-Over I am very lucky in that I get to spend a lot of time around kids. Not just my kids, but other people’s kids too. And I never get tired of watching them and listening to the things they say. And I never stop being surprised at their capacity for love, forgiveness, and wisdom. Sometimes it seems like they are mature beyond their years…other times their innocence and vulnerability are heart wrenching. One of the great pleasures of listening to children—really listening to them—is that when I do, I am instantly reconnected with the 5-year-old, the 12-year-old, the 16-year-old in me. I always tell my children, with each passing year, that having a birthday is like adding a layer. When my daughter turned 7 last month, she felt a little sad at saying goodbye to 6. But I told her that 6 is still there, along with all the other years she’s passed; that 7 just adds another dimension—which also explains why she really will always be my baby. We might be out of touch with our own inner child, but it’s still in there, buried somewhere, and there are glimpses of it every now and then. When I hear a noise at night, for example, there is my reasonable grownup side, stumbling in the dark, checking things out (usually carrying a hammer or a baseball bat); but there is most definitely a childlike imagination bubbling just underneath that, jumping at shadows and imagining every kind of monster lurking around every single corner. The other day at school, I was outside with a group of kids who were playing a game. Someone did something wrong, and they immediately decided on a do-over, whereupon the boy in question had another chance, and then they all went on with their game. The boy understood the inherent value of the do-over, and didn’t repeat his mistake. It was as simple as that. I remembered my own thinking at their age. When I messed up and wanted to start fresh, it was no big deal. I could just say “One, two, three—go!” and know without a doubt that from that split second on, I would start over. And I would do better. Wouldn’t it be good to hold onto that practice as an adult? You messed up on your diet? No feeling guilty. Just start over right… Now. You got a bad evaluation at work; you yelled at your spouse; you were too hard on the kids; you haven’t exercised for years… It’s over. Done with. Gone. The instant you say “One, two, three—go!” it’s in the past and you get a fresh start. A free do-over. A chance to try again. You didn’t earn it. You don’t deserve it. After all, you aren’t a kid anymore. Life isn’t that simple. Mistakes have repercussions. Sin costs…well, even the Bible says the wages of sin are death. (You can imagine a Puritan-esque preacher yelling that from a pulpit, can’t you? The ones who always seemed to stop reading before they got to the good part.) But this is one of those things that all children know. This is one of those things that the part of you that is still a child knows. Deep down inside, you have to know. If you mess up, you can try again. God is the God of second chances…and third chances, and fourth chances…of infinite chances. This is one of the many things I am thankful to the children in my life for: that I have been reminded that I can mess up, I can get up, and I can have another chance, never forgetting that chances are not to be wasted. Grace is free, but in accepting it, I commit myself to doing better the next time. So whatever it is that has been dragging you down…that thing you can’t forgive yourself for; that burden you’ve decided that you alone must carry, white-knuckled, to the grave…listen to that small voice that still speaks with the wisdom of children. Lay it down. God’s mercy is new every morning. And it’s a new day. One, two, three... Go. ~Tracy Aubin, Editor
Shiver me timbers! It’s Stewardship Season! Ahoy pirates of St. Andrew’s! Stewardship shoves off this year with a ship-sinking, plank-walking, cannon-blasting pirate jamboree! Pack up the entire family and set sail for the Seguin Outdoor Learning Center on Sunday, October 8th, from 5-8 p.m. There will be activities for all ages, a free dinner, and a time-talent-treasure hunt! For those of you who have never been to the Seguin Outdoor Learning Center, just head east down Kingsbury Street (US90). (After the Kingsbury/123 Bypass intersection, you’ll have about 3/4 mile to go.) Cross the Geronimo Creek bridge. The entrance to Seguin Outdoor Learning Center is on the right just past the bridge. See you there!
Make a Note: ▪Mentors: there will not be a Mentor’s meeting on October 9th . If you have questions, give Henry Moore a call. ▪St. Andrew's is scheduled for Habitat for Humanity workdays the second Saturday of every month, and we want you to join us! Upcoming dates are October 14th, November 11th and December 9th. We try to start by 8:30 a.m. and finish up between 1 and 2 o’clock, but keep in mind that no one is obligated to stay the whole time. The location of the house we are working on now is in the 700 block of ELLEY STREET off Heideke Street, second block north of Kingsbury Street. Remember that there are always plenty of jobs to do around the worksite that don't require climbing on the roof or knowledge of building. We also need volunteers to fix lunch on those Saturdays--sandwiches, chips or something light and cool. Questions? Ask one of the Board of Directors: Scott Hahn, Warren Wundt, Darrell Huck, Anna Schodowski, or Mickie Teagarden. ▪Pack your bags, women of St. A’s! All of you who signed up for the Women’s Retreat in the hill country, it’s finally almost here! The retreat is October 27th-29th. If you have any last minute questions, look for Jamie George at church or call her at 401-5983. ▪The Diocese is hosting its bi-annual Honored Women Luncheon on October 7th from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Bishop Jones Center in San Antonio. St. Andrew’s will present our own Dr. Elizabeth “Budgie” Hollamon as our Honored Woman. If you made a reservation to attend, be sure to get it on your calendar.
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