About 20 years ago I was stunned by the question, “Are you a 'born again’ Christian?” (I had made, for me, a rare semi-public affirmation, at a meeting of colleagues, of my faith in Jesus and spoke out strongly for what I considered to be Christian morality. Not long afterward, I was asked the question by one of those colleagues - “Are you a ‘born again’ Christian?” I had expressed my ignorance, not only reflecting my uncertainty about an answer, but also because of the popular distaste of “born again" Christians. I put the question, which was difficult to dismiss, in the back of my mind.) For about 15 years, I thought about that question, especially when reading or hearing the gospel of John, chapter 3, recording Jesus' conversation with Nicodemus. He was a Jewish leader who approached Jesus, under cover of darkness, asking about Jesus’ religious status. Jesus answered Nicodemus’ underlying question--how could people see the Kingdom of God. Jesus answered, only if a person is “born again.” After five more years of trying to decide what “born again” means, I am ready to give my answer. I am also ready to answer the question (mentioned earlier), am I a born-again Christian? First, what does “born again” mean? I believe that: a. Being “born again” means that that our nature is not only human, as were the Old Testament people, such as Jacob (cheated his brother Esau) and David (adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband Uriah). But, as in the New Testament, that our nature is also divine, as adopted children and heirs of God and as brothers of Christ. b. Being “born again” also means that we live under a different law. The Old Testament law included over 600 specific laws (many about rituals and diets). Some laws were made by God (the Ten Commandments), but many were made by man (see Leviticus and other books of the Torah, the first 5 books). All were strictly applied according to the "letter of the law.” The New Testament law for Christians is restated in the two Great Commandments of Jesus (set forth in all three “synoptic” gospels)—love God and love your neighbor. Both those commandments have been broadly applied according to the “spirit of the law.” c. Too, being “born again” means a difference in what love requires. In both Old and New Testaments, we must love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and and with all our mind. In the New Testament, however, it is clear that love is self-sacrificing, even to martyrdom. Too, love of neighbors in the New Testament is not just our geographical neighbors (family, tribe, or nation), as in the Old Testament. But love is even of our enemies (“turn the other cheek,” in the Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5, and in the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:25, both in the New Testament). So, that is LOVE RE-EXAMINED! d. Being “born again” also means a different kind of life. God is the creator of life in both the Old and New Testaments. But the New Testament sees a more abundant life on earth with Christ--“to see Him more clearly, love Him more dearly, and follow Him more nearly,” the Prayer of Richard of Chichester, set to music “Day by Day” in our hymnal #654 and in the film “Godspell", too, while the Old Testament generally sees death as the end of life, the New Testament sees death as the beginning of eternal life. All this suggests that, not only love must be re-examined, but so must human nature be re-examined. So must law. And so must life. So, now I must answer the question, am I a “born again” Christian? I hope so. I want to be. May God forgive my failings.

"Know one another, and you will love one another" That is the by-line of the International House Program at Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama. My daughter & I are both alumnae of the program that began in 1946 with four students from France. It was a chance for respite from post-World War II Europe. Since 1964, each year there are 40 members of the program - 20 American students and 20 internationals. Each international student is from a different country and is roomed with an American student. The emphasis is now placed on the overall aspects of cultural understanding. When I was in the House, we had an 18-year-old, his first time away from his family in Tehran, Iran. It was the fall of 1979. We had been together since late August and everyone was enjoying the camaraderie, campus activities, and at least some classes. We woke up that November morning to find graffiti scrawled across our front porch and other students outside with placards reading "foreigners go home." Ahmed was distraught, he couldn't reach his family by phone. Other House members were alarmed, would they be targeted just because they looked different? We were all disappointed that on this vibrant and usually inclusive campus there were people who could act like that. They likely didn't even know that there was anyone from Iran in the House, but were lashing out in fear. So how did things turn out? We all assured Ahmed that we didn't blame him for what was happening thousands of miles away. House staff helped him get in touch with a relative in the U.S., and eventually, with his parents back home. For at least a few days, we made sure no international had to walk to class or go anywhere in town alone. Facilities sand blasted the porch pavers, and the picketers quickly lost interest. Things went back to normal, but none of us would ever be the same. We had a shared experience that made us closer, and stronger together. Fast-forward to 2016. The House was celebrating 70 years of bringing people together! And a few of us managed to re-kindle some old friendships. Then, in 2018 the unthinkable happened. A tornado hit the campus during Spring Break just weeks before finals. It tore the roof off of the House women's hall. Other dorms & buildings also sustained heavy damage. But within in days, alternate accommodations for all of the House residents was found and those who could showed up even before that to help begin the clean-up. Alumni joined students, providing material assistance and emotional support. Across the years and across the miles, the bonds of love forged there are still strong.

When little things irk me, and I grow Impatient with my dear one, make me know How in a moment joy can take its flight And happiness be quenched in endless night. Keep this thought with me all the livelong day That I may guard the harsh words I might say When I would fret and grumble, fiery hot At trifles that tomorrow are forgot -- Let me remember, Lord, how it would be If these, my loved ones, were not here with me.

It is an amazing story to hear that this fragile body with which we walk around - which is often beaten down with weariness, sickness and years, and which holds together my contradictions and yours - is a holy temple within which God takes residence. I remember the story about David asking to build a temple to honor God. But God would have none of that. God rather chose Solomon to build a temple. That temple was so beautiful that many, many people traveled from far and near to simply behold its beauty and to worship the creator God in it. All through human history, many are the temples that have been built to honor and worship the divine. Think about the Aztec temples in Mexico. Think about the ancient Incan temples in Peru. Think about the ancient Egyptian temples, where rituals were performed for different gods. Many are the shrines in some traditional societies are devoted to the divine. There’s a story of St. Paul on one of his missionary trips to Athens; upon coming across shrines scattered all over the city, and some which were devoted to unknown gods, Paul was able to convince some of the residents that the gods whom they did not know, and to which they had built those shrines, was the God he proclaimed. As beautiful as these temples may have been, Paul helps us to reinterpret the place of the human body. Genesis assures us that in the image of God we were created, but it was Paul who fleshed out the idea of our divine image and went as far as to construct the notion that the human body is the temple of God. This new idea was a clear departure from what our perception of the human body has been. The human body is sacred. I reflect on the idea of the temple, and look no further than my own heart - the seat of the temple within me, God’s holy temple. If a person doesn’t know which direction to face when praying, or if that person has exhausted all the six different directions to which he or she can face - namely, up, down, left, right, forward or backward - let that person look inward toward the heart, the sacred space within each of us. During this season of Lent, and most especially this past week, I have reflected on the life of three people who committed suicide - two students from Florida who died as a result of survivor guilt, and a parent who lost a child during the Sandy Hook shooting. I can never put myself in their shoes to think for a moment what it means to deal with what they were dealing with, nor can I ever imagine what it means when you believe you have exhausted all your options. I pray for the repose of their souls, and as I turn to look inward, I ask myself the question, "Have I exhausted all my options?" And I ask you, my beloved friend, "Have you exhausted all your options?" Humans have been religious since the day we became aware of ourselves. Religion is one of the experiences which makes us truly human. I embrace Paul’s conception of you and I as being God’s holy temple with absolute conviction that even when I exhaust all my options, I can look within me, my heart, the seat of God’s presence, the sacred space within myself and my inner temple. A place where I can vouch for God’s redeeming presence. The point is, I look inward not because of self-sufficiency, but because that is the only place that at every moment and time I acknowledge my dependence and over-reliance on God. That is the moment when I need God the most. That is the moment when I kneel before my heart, as big an ocean as the size of my heart may be, and I try to find myself in its hidden depths, and then reach out to God to come in and save me - even from myself. St. Augustine once wrote that, “The house of my soul is too small for you to enter, O God; make it more spacious by your coming.” God comes to us, and dwells within us. There’s a place in our being in which only God can dwell, and where we dwell in God. It is the place where we meet God, and dissolve into God’s being as God’s walking holy temples. I know You (God) are standing at the door. I hear You (God) knocking at the door, the door to my heart, the temple where your glory dwells. May You come in and dwell with me, just so I may not feel that I have exhausted all my options. Manny.

What makes a heart to heart connection between strangers? I was reminiscing about a past experience in Thailand in 1985. At that time, I was in a van travelling along the Gulf of Siam with my Thai lab technicians headed toward the city of Trad to check on the progress of a malaria prophylaxis clinical trial in Kampuchean Gem Miners, when we veered off the road for a special lunch destination. Our driver knew of a delicious crab noodle shop in town and wanted to share this special cuisine with us. Now I considered myself a connoisseur of noodle shops, so I was especially interested in this new destination. First, let me describe a typical noodle shop. Often, they are located in an alley or on a roadside, many without a roof overhead. The critical fixture is a large cauldron of boiling broth over a charcoal fire, alongside a shelf containing herbs, dried peppers, piles of generous sized bowls, a large selection of uncooked noodles in 3 varieties, with chicken, fish balls, beef, pork or, in this case, crab on ice. Behind the seated cook was the dishwashing tub with soapy water. There are 4-6 stools for the customers to sit on and a couple small round tables on which to place your meal. Typically, there is only one chef cooking, serving the noodle bowl and cleaning up between patrons. In the vast majority of cases, the proprietor was a male covered by an apron over his T-shirt and shorts and perspiring profusely due to the high humidity, temperature in the high 80’s-90’s and exposure to the open fire. Hopefully, the outdoor establishment was located in the shade. These noodle shops were in very humble settings and really appreciated the business. So, this crab noodle shop was significantly different. A Chinese woman wearing a wooden crucifix on a cord around her neck ran this roadside restaurant. It made a real impression due to its rarity. Thailand is a very Buddhist country, with 5% Moslems, only 0.5% Catholics and a total of 1.2% Christians in this Asian nation. The Chinese are also an unappreciated minority in this country, especially in the countryside away for the major cities. The owner of the shop was friendly and welcoming. I felt a special bond that even in our distant worlds of class and culture, we had the same Savior and Lord and were linked heart to heart as Children of a loving God. For some reason, I felt at peace and at home receiving her gifts to us. I felt that she was an outpost of Christianity and I was grateful.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25 "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2 "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:4-5 "Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:2-5 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." Philippians 2:3-4 "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:12-15 "How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head... It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life forevermore." Psalm 133 "But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." 1 Corinthians 12:24b-27

I accepted a voluntary demotion in my job several months ago. I had been unhappy at work for many months and had more than one dispute with my new bosses about how to fix problems so I shouldn’t have been surprised when they asked me to transfer. But I was surprised, and I was upset. My ego was bruised. I felt that I was abandoning co-workers. I was angry and had several weeks of troubled sleep. Fortunately, my frustration was replaced eventually with a calm recognition of how much better my life is without the stresses of the old job. I truly feel blessed that I am valued by the new team of colleagues and clients and that I have time to dedicate myself to each case instead of the triage method of defense work you’re forced to do in the city. My hours are better. For nearly 5 years I worked 10+ hours each day at the office (with many at home too) and started most days with a flurry of texts to fix problems. I loved the exciting pace and enjoyed solving problems all day. But when my work shifted to the point where I felt I wasn’t able to solve many of the problems, my love for the work changed. I felt burdened and frustrated most days. Now I get to have a cup of tea and spend time with our dogs in the morning before work. Right now, they’re learning how to “leave it” when I put their treat in front of them. Last week they stayed for 10 minutes waiting for me to release them to have their treat! I’m not sure when the shift occurred that I moved from being upset to when I became satisfied and happy in my new position. It came over several months and happened because of several things: My husband, Tom, patiently and lovingly helped me through it. He helped us figure out the financial changes we’d have to make and helped me feel valued in everything I do. My friends and other family were very supportive and didn’t let me dwell in the “outraged” stage very long. Several spoke with me every day for a while to be sure I was okay. They took me out to eat or just hung out with me and let me vent for a while and then made me see the good things that were happening. Father Manny prayed with me several times and prayed for me. It was very “freeing” to give my problems over to him and to God. Having a loving Priest in my life is such an anchor. And then I think my own praying has helped. I didn’t even feel like praying at first but when I finally asked God to help me stop being angry, I was actually feeling less angry. The other thing that has helped me tremendously is having music in my life and having friends to do music with. We pray together and just have fun while we do our music making so it’s like group therapy! We help each other through our tough times or we just forget that we have tough times for a while. As I read over what I’ve written, I feel embarrassed that I act like this job change was so devastating. There are certainly worse things that happen to people than this and, at least I have a job for heaven’s sake. I guess that I can add that to my long list of good things; it could have been much worse. Thank You, God. You help me to dwell in the beauty of the moments and not linger in the sad ones. ~by Jan

A few months ago, we were all grief-stricken with the shooting of Jewish worshipers in a Pittsburgh synagogue. We all wondered how one person could brim with so much hate that he felt it expedient to walk into a synagogue where innocent worshipers had gathered for prayer and solace, and unleash his fury in the form of bullets, cutting short the beautiful lives of people he did not know, but only hated. I often wonder, "What if something similar happens here, at Christ Church?" That sentiment which fueled the killing in Pittsburgh isn’t any different from the one which gave rise to the recent carnage in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is a sentiment built solely on the rejection of the other, hatred of the other, hatred of the self - if you ask me - and hatred of everything decent, ethical, and honorable. I think that sometimes the word "hate" is not even a strong enough a word to describe an act so despicable, one that offends every sense of human decency. What surprises me most is that others not only find great comfort in such atrocities directed at the other, but they look to justify them - just like an Australian Member of Parliament who suggested that the violence was a likely result of the growing emergence of Muslims in Australia and New Zealand. He may be right about the upsurge but the question is, should we even try to explain why someone would be so compelled to walk into a mosque to shoot and kill Muslims? Or should we justify any act of violence perpetrated against the other, simply because there’s some quaint reason for doing so? There are times when some people assume that killing of another - the object of our hate - inevitably solves whatever problem we may have had with them. But it really doesn’t. Think about the story of Cain and Abel, in Genesis 4:1-16. That is the first recorded murder in Scripture. These men were brothers, biological children of Adam and Eve. This is such a somber story of hatred, death, and punishment. Both men offered a sacrifice based on their line of work. God accepted Abel’s offering, but did not accept Cain’s. He was so upset over the rejection of his sacrifice that he rose up and murdered his brother, Abel. But the killing of Abel didn’t solve Cain’s problem, nor would the killing of forty-nine (49) Muslims solve the problem of White supremacists. Some have said that real hatred is only possible because of our desire to see ourselves in the object of our hate. The point is, our own moral failings make it impossible to see ourselves in the people that we hate. We want to be like the people we hate because we find in them something attractive, something meaningful, something powerful - a kind of weapon more potent than a nuclear bomb. We find, in the people we hate, something that we, ourselves, do lack. Here are some thoughts about the Christchurch tragedy: We cannot understand why they have just about nothing, yet they appear to exude incredible joy. We cannot understand why they came from far away, but seem to value what we have more than we do. We cannot understand why they desire to gather for worship when they do not even have a space to worship. We cannot understand why they enjoy the company of each other, when we don’t even know our neighbors. I could go on and on, but I am sure you get my point. The basis of Cain’s murder of Abel was simply because Cain saw in Abel what he was capable of doing, but could not do. Cain saw in Abel the person he desired to be. What are you capable of doing? We are capable of many things, both good and evil. During this season of Lent, I'd like to remind you that one more thing we are capable of doing is not to seek for love, but to seek and find the barriers within ourselves that we have built against love, and work towards dismantling those barriers. Maybe, if the perpetrator of this heinous crime had sought and found within himself vestiges of self-hatred which have become barriers against love, we would be telling a different story. There’s carnage in the streets of Christchurch. The blood of innocent strangers who have become neighbors cry out - not for revenge, but for a wise populace. And if only we would be wise enough to change ourselves, we could wipe the blood on all our streets with the towel of brotherhood and love. Manny.

The first Sunday Morning that I walked through the doors of Christ Church New Brick, it was with my newly widowed Mother and her nurse, Adeline. My Dad had died just months earlier from a sudden heart attack. My Mother struggled with deep grief, shock, and a cruelly-progressing vascular dementia. My Mother was a Canadian cradle Anglican and she and my Dad raised me, their only child, in the Episcopal Church in New York City. In my adulthood I had grown into something of a lapsed Episcopalian but after my Dad's death I determined that my Mother needed her church and that landed us in front row, New Brick, for our first Sunday service at Christ Church. Richard Ginnever was Rector. My Mother loved him immediately and my Mother loved her God and throughout all the Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m., for the final three years of her life, she found peace and hope and love at Christ Church. After my Mother's passing I took her home to New York City and Trinity Church Wall Street, which was my Mother and Dad's home church. Father Richard served as celebrant at my Mother's Requiem Eucharist, and I knew it was as all as it was meant to be. I could never have imagined at the time that less than a decade later Father Richard would preside over my husband, Vince's, funeral at Christ Church. I will never be able to begin to adequately express the true depth of my gratefulness for his presence. I have no idea on this earth how my family and I would have survived those days without him. It was Mother's Day weekend at the time of my husband's heart attack and Richard stood by us and with us and prayed for us and with us throughout the toughest decisions of my life. Father Richard was in the middle of a deeply difficult time of his own but he never faltered in his care for us. He didn't leave our side. Love, God's unfailing constant love for is, in us, through us, is His light and always available to us in this world to hold, to share, to give away. When you give someone a place in front of you in the Giant checkout line just because that person looks like they need to be there more than you do; when you step up and take the hand of someone who looks like they need a little steadying; when you rejoice in your children's and your grandchildren's little successes and big successes, and when you are willing to just quietly be there by their side when life's moments aren't so easy for them; stop for a moment and know, most certainly, that you are the messenger. Your caring and your love in those simple moments, and in the most crushingly difficult moments, or in the greatest and most joyful moments, your caring and your love and your stepping-up is, very much, your allowing yourself to be God's messenger in another person's life, if only for that moment in time. "Love One Another As I Have Loved You." A love so unfailing, so pure and so selfless and so total that Christ died an unthinkable, tortured death on a cross for me in my place. It's pretty hard to go through the days of Lent and not re-imagine love! It's impossible to go through the days of lent and not remember and be thankful for the times in our own lives when we have personally experienced God's love, when you have most needed to, through the caring and faith and love of another person. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for being Love in this world! Love, Re-imagined! May we each be willing to be God's hands, God's feet, God's heart, God's eyes, and God's ears in this life. ~D

Christ Church is having our first Food Drive of 2019 tomorrow, March 23rd, from 2:00-6:00 p.m. Our last one was incredibly successful, and we are aiming for even better results this time! We'll be located outside the entrance of the Giant Food Store on Cradlerock Way in Columbia, so please stop by, say "hi", and donate what you can. All food donations and assistance are needed and welcome, and will go to support FISH of Howard County. If you would like to help out, please call the Church Office today. Thank you, and see you there!

God said, “Love one another.” That does not Mean Just giving presents At Christmastime Or on Birthdays But Giving Oneself Anytime It would be So much easier Not to. ~P. Pruitt Oct. 16, 2018