Palm Sunday
With so many of you, I have wondered how to respond to the numerous disturbing events which have been happening around us this past week or so. There certainly are a lot of people and events to fill our prayers. We all have needed to discern if a more public response is demanded of us—whether it is about the renewed surge of children on our borders, or the tragic cycle of debate and inaction around gun safety after the mass shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, or the call to expand our mindfulness on race relations to Asian Americans. These are just our national domestic issues. Add the constant watchfulness required at navigating legislation at the state level, as well as the preexisting condition of the pandemic, and the global inequities of vaccine distribution, along with the caution of more than a third of our own nation to getting vaccinated while some resist taking the actions that help mitigate the virus among us. Further, we may try and absorb the magnitude of suffering in Yemen, or Syria or of millions of displaced peoples sitting in the camps outside the borders of SE Europe, or in Bangladesh. The sad truth is that I could go on and on, and you could add your own noticing and pain.
If we ask where is God in all of this, we may come to the same answer as Paul offered in relation to God’s presence as Christ hung on the Cross, “God is in Christ reconciling the world to Himself.” Isn’t that always where God is to be found in the midst of the suffering of the innocents? For as I survey this litany, it strikes me that most of crushing weight of the situations I have described above is born by the innocents, including in the subjects of those troubling local laws.
This coming week, we enter Holy Week. We will be tempted simply to lose ourselves in the ritual of our special liturgies, and in the excitement of being able to worship in person once more. All that is good. Jesus honored the woman who soaked his feet with expensive perfume, even at the practical opposition of Judas about the expense, and the need of the poor. Yet the liturgies of Holy Week address our times, and include the poor, just as they have addressed myriads of similar periods of history. If we allow ourselves to look deeply through the worship, we will see God reconciling the world to God’s self. And we may see how God wants us to be instruments of reconciliation in the Name of Christ.
I want to suggest how such agency manifests itself. I shared recently with the new and transitioning priest group within the diocese how the ministry canons of the Church outline the duties of a priest. Essentially, they divide our duties in two parts. The first segment focuses on teaching the Scriptures and the outline of the faith, as well as guiding and directing worship. Within this category, there is reference to preparing for baptism and confirmation and other rites of initiation. The second segment speaks of stewardship, especially the offering of our time and talent to the work and mission of the Church at different levels, as well as the importance of tithing and of providing some financial legacy to the Church. In underscoring these duties with the new clergy, I was trying to address the balance of our ministry—between the immediate demands brought on us by engagement with the very things I have referred to above—and the steady rhythm and intentionality of scheduling formation of disciples through Scripture and the teaching of the faith. In fact, the latter is the foundation of the former, even as both fall within our understanding of duty.
This is how we learn to see Christ in all things, and hope to see Christ reconciling the world to Himself—even through us—and especially in those deep fissures that cause us heartache, and which make us feel helpless and hopeless. It is through this prayer that I am addressing Holy Week. In all its agony, I invite you to see with me the way to God in glory. May we address the pain of humanity because in it we find the beauty of humanity and it makes the embracing of the pain an act of grace. That is what brought Jesus to the Cross. Perceiving the heaven and earth intersection of the Cross and our humanity—where so much that is dire, our sin and its consequence, is met with hope and forgiveness—draws us closer to that heavenly country, and maybe even one day a bit closer in our own day, where there is no more senseless pain.
In the peace and love of Christ,
+Alan
The Rt. Rev. Alan Scarfe, Bishop of Iowa
Diocesan Online Worship
Join St. Paul's Cathedral, Des Moines for Diocesan Holy Week Services.
Palm Sunday – March 28
10:00 am Holy Eucharist
Bulletin
Maundy Thursday – April 1
7:00 pm Holy Eucharist and Stripping of Altar
Good Friday – April 2
7:00 pm Liturgy with sung Passion
The Great Vigil of Easter – Saturday, April 3
8:00 pm
Easter Sunday – April 4
10:00 am Festival Eucharist
Additional service links and bulletins will be available on Wednesday, March 31.
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 ministry is reaffirmed by renewal of the Baptismal Covenant.
Lenten Kindness Calendar
Thank you to all who were able to join us for our Living Kindness conversations. We appreciate all who joined and shared their about their experiences with the Kindness Calendar and in our breakout conversations. We especially thank the four youth who shared and reflected on each weeks themes: Charles, Cameron, Celia, and Leah.
Although we will not reflect on the upcoming weeks activities as a group, you can continue to follow the along with the Kindness Calendar and share your activites on Facebook or 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
#StopAsianHate
Response to the Rising Hatred & Violence against Asian-Americans
Monday March 29
6:00-7pm
A Conversation with The Rt. Rev. Diana Akiyama, Ph.D., the first Japanese-American woman to be ordained as a priest and bishop in the Episcopal Church. The Rt. Rev. Diana Akiyama is currently the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon.
Anti-Asian Violence in Context
Thursday April 8
2:00-3pm
Asian Americans and persons of Asian descent are often categorized, or mis-categorized, in our society. 'Model minorities.' 'Carriers of the China Virus.' 'Overrepresented in elite educational institutions.' 'American citizens incarcerated during World War II.’
As with any stereotyping, these descriptors fail to capture the breadth and depth of the experiences of Asian-Americans coming from disparate cultures, distinct ethnic communities, and varying socio-economic communities. Yet, these contradictory descriptions, however incomplete or flawed, point to the reality that the Asian-American experience of race in the United States is complicated.
Join this panel of Asian-American leaders in the Episcopal Church as they discuss this complex history in the context of the recent upsurge in anti-Asian violence.
Panelists include:
Diana Akiyama - Bishop, Diocese of Oregon; Portland, Oregon
Katie Nakamura Rengers - Staff Officer for Church Planting , Presiding Bishop’s Office, The Episcopal Church; New York, New York (moderator)
Allen Shin - Suffragan Bishop, Diocese of New York; New York, New York
Manoj Zacharia - Rector, St. Anne’s-in-the-Circle; Annapolis, Maryland
Additional Panelists to be Added
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
Register for online 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 7 Next 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 Offerings
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.
GILEAD Grant Spotlight: Simpson Youth Academy
in partnership with Rev. Eric Rucker
The Simpson College Youth Academy is a year-long, ecumenical program for Iowan high school youth grounded in the conviction that young people have gifts and power that are essential for the healing of the world now. Through college-level intellectual engagement, training in worship and prayer leadership, and reflective service around community issues, they help youth step into mature young adult Christian faith as they discern their particular callings as agents of justice in their churches and the world.
In recognizing two critical needs in our communities – that the Episcopal Church in America is rapidly aging and shrinking and thus urgent, intentional investment in forming young Episcopalians is needed; and that American LGBTQIA youth are faced with consistent marginalization at higher rates than non-LGBTQIA youth by the general public and by religious communities and thus, offering financial assistance to such youth would be a prophetic statement of radical welcome for queer youth in the name of Christ – their "Formation for Youth" GILEAD Grant funds will be used to provide tuition scholarships to four Episcopal and/or LGBTQIA youth for the program’s 2021 summer residency.
Podcast Corner: When Women Preach
The podcast, "When Women Preach..." highlights women preachers from API and Latinx faith communities. In order to create a more equal pulpit, we talk about experiences and resources that prepare women of color to preach effectively. Host: Young Lee Hertig, Sound Producer: Miriam Cho, Music: urmymuse. Hosted by ISAAC (Innovative Space for Asian American Christianity)
The most recent episode, "Ep.12: Am I a Leader?" features Christine Lee, the first Korean American woman ordained in the Episcopal Church. Christine reveals alternate ways of leadership that fit the gifts of women and women of color. She also explores how to lead change in a historical metropolitan church, St. Peter’s Chelsea in NYC.
No e-News during Holy Week.
No issue of the weekly e-News will be sent out in observance of Holy Week. Links for Worship services and bulletins will be available on Wednesday, March 31.