Fifth Sunday in Lent
The following letter was written and shared with the Des Moines Register.
An Open Love Letter from a fellow believer
Dear Sisters, Brothers and Siblings of the LGBTQ Community,
As I read the Vatican’s pronouncement about same gender marriage, I thought how Popes, and especially their advisors, have been wrong before. Pope Francis is an exceptional spiritual leader for our time, and sometimes I wonder if he could bring us all together as one spiritual family. It seems that we still have a ways to go. I thank him for stirring up in me the need to offer a public thanks to every person in the LGBTQ community who continues to deepen our sense of the human race.
I thank you for the redemption of my own marriage as a heterosexual person by your embracing the gift of marriage for yourselves. If your marriage is sin, then so is mine; and if mine is blessed then so is yours. Your witness has deepened The Episcopal Church’s understanding of marriage. It is a mutual self-giving, reflecting Christ’s gift of Himself to the world. It makes life never “just about me”. Marriage is a sign of the love of God to a broken world. You are promising to be in a relationship so that when you hurt each other, you learn to forgive and be restored. You are becoming to each other “counselors in perplexity, comforters in sorrow and companions in joy”, as the prayer of blessing in the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer expresses it. And yes, God blesses you in this as part of God’s creation of a Beloved Community, or what Jesus proclaimed as the Kingdom of God.
I once asked a bunch of Anglican bishops who were haggling over the emerging of partnered gay leaders among them, “where do you think ‘they’ came from? If, as Jesus says – ‘no one comes to me unless the Father draws them’ (John 6:44), why are gay and lesbian Christians turning up and in loving mutually committed relationships, asking for the Church’s pastoral gifts? If God drew them, is God not inviting the Church to recognize God’s own and offer blessing?” I want to be one of many, who thank you for recovering the gift of marriage as a holy estate blessed by God and honored by the presence of Christ as He once did in a wedding at Cana, where He turned water into wine, “keeping the best to the last” (John 2: 10).
Bishop Alan Scarfe, Episcopal Diocese of Iowa
16 March 2021
Diocesan Online Worship
Join us this Sunday, March 21 at 10:00am to worship with St. John’s, Mason City.
Chrism Mass: March 29 at 11:00am
Iowa Episcopalians are called together each year for the celebration of the Chrism Mass on the Monday of Holy Week, but as it is during a weekday, most lay people cannot usually attend—this year, as we did last year, we hope lots of people will be able to experience it virtually! During the service the holy oils are blessed for use by the churches. The Chrism Mass also serves as an opportunity for the priests and deacons who serve with their bishop to renew their commitment to join in the ministry of the Gospel through the exercise of the ordained ministry. The bishop renews his episcopal vows and the laity's ministry is reaffirmed by renewal of the Baptismal Covenant.
Lenten Offerings
Journey with us during Lent as we explore and practice kindness as a spiritual discipline.
The season of Lent is a time for penitence and reconciliation, an invitation to take steps toward a right relationship with ourselves, each other, creation, and God. What might it look like to turn toward relationship this Lent using kindness intentionally, during this time of pandemic and seemingly increasing division and conflict? What small steps might we take, both alone and together?
Living Kindness
Wednesdays from 7-8:00pm
March 24
Join us Wednesday evenings for an intergenerational conversation where we'll practice and learn more about nurturing kindness as a spiritual discipline. You're welcome to join for as many conversations as you're able, but you must register to receive the Zoom information. We also invite you to follow along with a daily Lenten Kindness Calendar.
Lenten Kindness Calendar
A daily Lenten Kindness Calendar is available now on the Youth Ministry page of the diocesan website. Each day offers a simple prompt towards an act of kindness for someone in your life (or someone you don't know), each tied to the Gospel reading from the Sunday before. You will be able to follow along from the webpage, Facebook, and Instagram.
COVID Vaccine Information
Resources:
Iowa COVID-19 Vaccine Spotter: A tool to help you track down COVID-19 vaccine appointment openings at Iowa pharmacies. Updated every minute - keep refreshing the page or clicking "Check for New Appointments"
Vaccine Hunter: Now tracking 400+ locations around Iowa. Find a location close to you that has appointments available, then click the 'Book an Appointment' link.
on Twitter, follow @IAVaccineAlerts
Figure above from https://vaccinate.iowa.gov/eligibility/
Projected date "Remaining Priority Groups and All Iowans Ages 16+" will be eligible: April 5th
From Many One: Conversations Across Difference
The How and Why of Conversations Across Difference
Thursday, March 25 and April 8 at 1:00 PM CDT
Maybe you like the idea, but it’s tough taking the next step. How can you issue an invitation to conversations across difference? How do you have the conversation without having a fight? What are the principles of active listening and authentic sharing? Why do we bother? Episcopal Church leaders who partnered to design “From Many, One” will help you to take on the spiritual practice of love in action for yourself.
Session Leaders:
- The Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation Care
- The Rev. Melanie Mullen, Director of Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care
How We’re Practicing and What We’re Learning – Thursday, March 25, 1-2pm CDT – Register Here
From Many One “Listen-In” – Sharing Our Stories and Growing Our Practice – Thursday, April 8, 5-6pm CDT – Register Here
Explore these pages to find information on how to engage with From Many, One: Conversations Across Difference. You can find explanations for each of the questions, suggestions on going deeper, and additional resources to keep your conversations going.
Don’t forget to sign up for updates on From Many, One. Watch the videos. Invite a partner. Have the conversation. Pray. Join in deeper conversation, learning and action. Help to form God’s beloved community.
Dismantling Racism Training
Grounded in The Episcopal Church's commitment to dismantling racism as essential to our formation as Christians, this ONLINE training is open to all persons who would like to deepen their understanding of racism, prejudice, and privilege.
The training will consist of 2 sessions from 10:00am-12:00pm and 12:30pm-2:30pm, with a break for lunch.
The Next 7 Words: Simpson Youth Academy
We invite you to join us Saturday, April 10th at 6:00pm for a virtual Easter gathering of joy and hope!
SYA youth will offer reflections and blessings based on the words of the resurrected Jesus, ushering our community into the Easter season. This is a free event, and all youth, families, clergy, and lay people are welcome. It will be a great way to support and connect with students, and to nourish your faith during Eastertide.
To register, please email director Eric Rucker at eric.rucker@simpson.edu now!
Center for Social Ministry
Beyond the Book is a Center for Social Ministry program designed to highlight both the important works of social justice literature and those who work to live them out! Each class is two hours in length, with the first hour being a discussion of an important literary work in an area touching on some aspect of social justice, and the second hour being a presentation, and question and answer session, by a Des Moines community member who is actively engaged in the featured social justice work.
Faith & Racial Equity: Exploring Power & Priviledge
Our eight-week program awakens small groups to economic systems, public policies, cultural norms, and hidden biases that empower some and oppress others. The first half of the module introduces a framework for understanding and recognizing racial disparities in power and privilege. Sessions 5-8 take a deeper dive into specific issues related to power and privilege, including affirmative action, the school-to-prison pipeline, the criminal justice system, and powerful biases in media representation. As with all JustFaith programs, participants will explore how their faith should inform their response to their learning, as well as discern action steps for working toward racial equity in their own communities.
Faith & Racial Healing
Do you long for a space to ask hard questions about the history of racism? JustFaith Ministries NEW module, Faith & Racial Healing: Embracing Truth, Justice and Restoration is an eight week module that guides participants in telling the truth about the history of racism in the United States, that we might work toward true reconciliation with God and restoration with one another. This module helps participants tell the truth about our collective history of racism and violence, that we might seek real restoration with God and one another.
Faith & Racial Justice
Do you want to address racism in your faith community, but don't know where to begin? Faith and Racial Justice: Changing Systems and Structures gives participants the tools they need to address racism at a systemic level -- whether they decide to work for criminal justice reform, advocate for fair housing, close the racial wealth gap, or end racism within the church. In this eight-week program, small groups learn about key obstacles to racial justice that are embedded within our institutions, systems, and structures. They are then equipped to mobilize people and resources to dismantle those obstacles. Through a grounding in prayer, spiritual practice, and a study on the Epistle of James, your group will leave the program ready to work for racial justice in your nation, local community, and the churches and institutions of which you are a part.
Sussman Lecture featuring Nikole Hannah-Jones
Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist and Iowa-native Nikole Hannah-Jones will speak to members of the Greater Des Moines community at two virtual events on Thursday, April 8, 2021, including the spring Sussman Lecture offered by The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement at Drake University, as part of a community-wide dialogue about systemic oppression and racial equity. During her virtual visit to Des Moines, Hannah-Jones will also speak with area youth. This series of events has been organized in collaboration with and support from multiple Greater Des Moines organizations, including the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. For more information, or to register to attend this free, virtual lecture, click here!
Transitions
The Rev. Canon Kathleen Milligan has been elected Rector of St. Stephen's, Newton starting on 1 February 2021.
Podcast Corner
Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community
Across our church and our society, we are having profound dialogues about race, truth, justice, and healing. Prophetic Voices: Preaching and Teaching Beloved Community explores where that dialogue intersects with our faith.
You’ll hear ancient texts interpreted in new ways, find fodder for preaching and teaching, and make present day connections to the prophetic voices of the Bible. This podcast will help us rethink how we hear, see, and interact with the lectionary readings.
Newly released season 2 episodes focus on the texts we'll use during Holy Week.
To learn more about podcast host Rev. Isaiah Shaneequa Brokenleg and how this podcast got started, click here.
