Today is the Sixth Sunday after Pentecost. Readings for today: Isaiah 55:10-13 Psalm 65: (1-8), 9-14 Romans 8:1-11 Matthew 13:1-9,18-23 Collect of the Day: O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Last week I shared with you my excitement and thoughts about the new Spiritual Life Commission theme: BE God’s Light That Shines In The Darkness. With this particular theme, the SLC has extended an open invitation or call to each and everyone of us to BE who we truly are - children of light who are called to shine with the brightness of our Father in heaven. I shared the theme that our SLC settled on for our parish with a friend, and the rationale for picking such an inviting and motivating theme. In response, he shared with me a video which told the story of a lady who, when she was in her early teens, used to clean homes. According to the story, the young girl was in the company of older ladies who were also cleaners at a bus stop where all of them picked a bus to work. One of the older ladies, upon learning that the young girl was also a cleaner, sought to share her experience with her. She admonished her to "Always take care of the light." She went on: "There’s always a light in most homes that stays unclean, especially the chandeliers that hung high up. It takes more than a little effort to clean those lights. Take your solution and climb up, clean each crystal, clean each bulb. Make sure you take care of the light. If you take care of the light, everything shines.” The young girl did what the older lady told her, and when the owners of the house saw the light shine ever so brightly, they were so impressed with her work that they gave her a tip for taking care of the light. "If you take care of the light, everything shines." When I was in Philadelphia, a very popular parishioner passed away. He was young, in his mid-fifties. I had never met this parishioner, nor did I know about him, but he was one person that was popular around Chestnut Hill, in the Philadelphia social circles, and along the beaches of South Jersey. If I am not lying, there were about one thousand people at his memorial at St. Paul’s Church, Chestnut Hill. The sheer size of that crowd was unbelievable. It was at his memorial that one of his two daughters told a story about him. According to her, when they were little girls their dad always made sure, even when he is out of town, that he will sing to them the popular children gospel song “This little light of mine” which was written by Harry Dixon Loes. This Little Light Of Mine, I'm gonna let it shine, This Little Light Of Mine, I'm gonna let it shine, This Little Light Of Mine, Yes, I'm gonna let it shine, Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine The daughter who told this wonderful story about her dad did not share the reason why her father always made sure he sung this gospel song to them before they retired to bed. However, one thing that stuck with her was that she always had to let her light shine, she had to take care of her little light. That light was her hope - even as a little girl - and that hope has been with her and will continue to be with her. I believe that a child without hope is like a dark blue sky that's without stars, and as children - yes, you and I are children, children of God and joint heirs with Christ - it is our responsibility to take care of our little light, and to make our little light shine ever so brightly. For if you take care of the light, everything shines. As children of the light, there’s a light in each of us; that light needs to be loved, needs to be nurtured, needs to be mentored, needs to be cared for, needs to shine brightly, and that light needs to hear music of welcome embrace and affirmation. That light within us needs to hear songs of thanksgiving, redemption, and praise. That light needs to hear echoes of reconciliation and human solidarity in the face of tragedy, loss and upheavals. That light needs to feed on the constant source of God’s wisdom. The light that's in each one of us needs to shine ever brightly. Remember Jesus' words "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." That light can and will always shine ever brightly when you take care of it. Always take care of the light. As the older lady said, "...for if you take care of the light, everything shines." What is it about your light that others want to see shine? What is it about your light that hasn’t been shining lately because it is covered by dust and cobwebs? I have no doubt in my mind that others want to see your light shine, for when you do, you empower others to let their light shine as well. Take care of the light. However little that light may be, take care of it, for it is only by taking care of it that it can shine. May you shine like the light that is in you. ~Manny

Today is the Fifth Sunday of Easter. The leaflet for today's service is here. Readings for today: Acts 7:55-60 1 Peter 2:2-10 John 14:1-14 Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 Collect of the Day: Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Sermon for Today: Father Manny's Sermon is available for reading here.

Today is the Sixth Sunday of Easter. The leaflet for today's service is here. Readings for today: Acts 17:22-31 1 Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21 Psalm 66:7-18 Collect of the Day: O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Sermon for Today: Father Manny's Sermon is available for reading here.

Today is the Seventh Sunday of Easter. The leaflet for today's service is here. Readings for today: Acts 1:6-14 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 John 17:1-11 Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36 Collect of the Day: O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. The Sermon for Today: Father Manny's Sermon is available for reading here.

Today is Pentecost Sunday. At Christ Church, it is also Youth Sunday. Our youth help deliver the liturgy and lessons of the day, and we invite you to watch the service below. The service leaflet for today is here. Readings for today: Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:25-35, 37 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 John 20:19-23 Collect of the Day: Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Sermon for Today: The Sermon for today was given by our Christ Church youth. You can watch them in the video above, and their text is available for reading here.

Today is Trinity Sunday. The service leaflet for today is here. Readings for today: Genesis 1:1-2:4a Canticle 13 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 Matthew 28:16-20 Collect of the Day: Almighty and everlasting God, you have given to us your servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of your divine Majesty to worship the Unity: Keep us steadfast in this faith and worship, and bring us at last to see you in your one and eternal glory, O Father; who with the Son and the Holy Spirit live and reign, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. The Sermon for Today: The Sermon text is available for reading here.

Today is the Second Sunday of Pentecost. The service leaflet for today is here. Readings for today: Exodus 19:2-8a Psalm 100 Romans 5:1-8 Matthew 9:35-10:8(9-23) Collect of the Day: Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Today is the Third Sunday of Pentecost. The service leaflet for today is here. Readings for today: Jeremiah 20:7-13 Psalm 69: 8-11, (12-17), 18-20 Romans 6:1b-11 Matthew 10:24-39 Collect of the Day: OLord, make us have perpetual love and reverence for your holy Name, for you never fail to help and govern those whom you have set upon the sure foundation of your loving­kindness; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Pentecost. The service leaflet for today is here. Readings for today: Jeremiah 28:5-9 Psalm 89:1-4,15-18 Romans 6:12-23 Matthew 10:40-42 Collect of the Day: Almighty God, you have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple acceptable to you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

History has always been a favorite subject of mine. When I was in high school, if I wasn’t talking about English Literature, I would be talking about history. My fascination with history is more than simply recounting the stories of old, but rather reflecting on how we could live into a glorious future devoid of the mistakes of the past. From my view, without the guidance of history, without our ability to remember the stories of old, guess what? History has an interesting way of repeating itself. Over the past several years and more recently, we have all been witnesses to the racial tensions and demonstrations going on throughout the country. Some of these demonstrations have been violent and some have been peaceful, but that is the nature of demonstrations. One notable escalation since the demonstrations started a few weeks ago has been the toppling of statues of some historical figures who had some questionable characteristics and who, some believe, are not deserving of a statue in a public square. For many people, the idea of the statues is so repugnant that it is of firm belief that having these statues in the public square is akin to either glorifying these individuals and/or their core beliefs. It is true that the world has moved on from the atrocities that these individuals perpetuated. But we tend to forget, quite tragically, that the world is not far removed from the views of those people whose statues we are so eager to pull down. Yes, the intended purpose of the statues was to glorify those individuals for what some in their time, and even presently, refer to as heroic acts. But whether heroic or not, our time-tested values have an opinion on that, and as far as I am concerned those aren't heroic acts. The enduring question is, if statues are only meant for holy and righteous people, how do we represent the worst of humans? Are we suggesting that we look up to only the good, and not reflect on what the dark side of human can be? Any attempt at sanitizing history robs both present and future generations of the ability to learn from the lessons of history. A sanitized history suggests that human depravity isn't even an issue worth thinking about. I haven’t been to the Holocaust Memorial in Auschwitz, and so I cannot tell if there are statutes there or not. Maybe those of you who have done so will tell me more about it, or if in the future I happen to go there myself, I will see what they have built that represents a dark part of human history. The point of the memorial - which Jews advocated for its building so to serve as a reminder that never, never again should human beings be baked in the furnaces of hatred, bigotry, arrogance, and false superiority - is a memorial, but it serves as a reminder as well. There’s a story in scripture where the prophet Nathan goes to King David, and narrates a rather despicable story about a rich man. According to the prophet, there was a rich man who had many sheep, cattle, and goats. In the same town was another man who had one sheep. The man with the one sheep adored his sheep so much so that he would cuddle the sheep to sleep. One day, the rich man had a guest, and in his desire to serve the guest he asked that the sheep of that one man be slaughtered for the guest. When King David heard the story, he was beside himself with rage, and promised that the rich man must be punished. The prophet looked at King David tear his garments, and in response said to him, “You are the man.” As Israel’s king you had available to you many, many women, but you obviously forgot your own history, decided to take the wife of another man, and not only that but engineered his killing. Read 2 Samuel 12 The point is that good living breeds forgetfulness; we are so eager to forget our challenging stories when life begins to look upward. That is primarily why God charged the people of Israel to always REMEMBER. I am the Lord who brought you out of Egypt - ‘REMEMBER.’ I am the Lord who brought you to the land of milk and honey - ‘REMEMBER.’ If you are to recall the genesis of how the Israelites were turned into slaves in Egypt, you will come to find out that it was primarily because there was a Pharaoh who did not know about Joseph. The story of how Joseph saved the people of Egypt had been long forgotten because people have moved on. People move on, and when they do, they tend to forget the stories of old that give meaning to their lives. Do I want to see Confederate flags fly around? No, I don't. Not at all. But seeing those flags reminds me of the extent of human depravity. Do I want to see the Nazi flag fly around? Of course not. But whenever I see the flag, I am reminded of the extent of human depravity. Do I want to see statues of Robert Lee, or of any of the leaders of the Confederacy fall down? No. Not at all. Seeing those statues also reminds me of the extent of human depravity. Do I want to see the cross of Christ wherever I go? Yes, I do. For that also reminds me both of human depravity, and of the power of God to rescue us from even ourselves. Not every single one of us might sit in a classroom and study the history of our forbearers. Not everyone may visit a museum to learn about our collective history. And so when we begin to act as arbiters of history and pull down statues, then where do we start, and with which statue? Do we erase the entire history of the Founding Fathers since almost all of them owned slaves? I am as confused as you might be. There’s this sense of comfort or satisfaction in those who pull down statues, that the act in and of itself satisfies the grievances of the past, or even attempt to do so. I beg to differ. They don’t solve the systemic racism that many people of color do face. It may be a gesture, a momentary satisfaction. But the real work of solving our problems lies somewhere else, and not with the statues or the evil they may represent. From my point of view, whether a statue is in a public square or museum, it is important that it is recognized as a part of the human story that always has to be told, always has to be remembered, and always as to be retold - just as it is, for we should not sanitize history. I am sure you remember America’s favorite hymn, Amazing Grace. The author was a slave trader who later chanced upon a deeper meaning of God’s grace. The fact that the author was a slave trader doesn’t mean that we should stop signing that hymn. At the barest minimum, what we’re saying when we sing with all enthusiasm and vigor, even at the most solemn of occasions, is that we embrace the God of whose grace the former slave trader sings about. To me, true freedom is living in community with God and with others, and that means looking at the statue of that one man who represents, to you, the very worst of human character. A sanitized history, in my view, rejects human depravity. Each of us has a dark side, as I've learned. And mainly because of our dark side, we dare not sanitize our history. We can yet look at the Confederate soldier and sing Amazing Grace because he needs as much grace as we do. ~Manny