May may be my favorite month – well, apart from December and the month that contains Easter.  Among the various events marked in May is our wedding anniversary.  Robbie and I were “married in a fever” on May 25, 1972 with the full expectation that I would leave for Guam within twenty-four hours.  Because my departure was delayed by about six weeks, we did have a very brief honeymoon and were able to spend a few delightful days as husband and wife.  The memory of those early days of marriage continues to refresh us after forty-one years.  We spent nine months of that first year separated by war, and every day since united by the love of Christ. When I returned from Vietnam, we were privileged to celebrate the eve of our first wedding anniversary at a gala dinner at the White House (with 1800 other people, including Bob Hope, Irving Berlin, and others).

May also marks our daughter Mary’s ordination as a deacon in the Episcopal Church and the birth of her second son seven years later.  Mothers’ Day is the second Sunday of the month, and all the mothers I have known are brought to mind with gratitude.  Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday as this nation pauses to remember those who have given their lives to keep us and the world safe from tyranny.  And many of my extended family members celebrate special days in their own lives, days of joy we are able to share with them.

This year, May also contains Ascension Day when the Lord gave us the Great Commission. And ten days later, we celebrate Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the energizing for mission of the earliest disciples on the fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Our Lord.  The story recounted in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles tells of the Holy Spirit descending upon them “like tongues of flame” and causing the Gospel to burn in their hearts and on their tongues.  It tells of the sudden ability of the Apostles to speak in all the known languages of the people gathered there that day, a gift which enabled them to proclaim the good news of Christ around the Mediterranean and beyond in the languages of the lands and in ways in which the Gospel could be heard and received.

May it happen this May that Christian people, gathered within the walls of God’s house, be blessed with the kind of burning Spirit that we will find it impossible to be mute when we leave the seclusion of the nave and enter into the cacophony of the world.  It may happen that the Holy Spirit will give us the ability to speak in the language of the people around us, to speak words that can be understood, to speak the truth of God’s love for the world as made known to us through the resurrection of his Son our Lord Jesus Christ.

It may happen that we will find it impossible not to issue an invitation to join us in worship and fellowship to someone of our acquaintance each week.  It may happen that the Lord will bring more and more people into his family as they accept our invitations to join us. May it happen that you will go into the world to made disciples of Jesus Christ Our Lord.

A season of freedom

April and May are months of freedom … Jews are in the days after the Passover and freedom from slavery.  Christians are in the season of Easter and freedom from sin and death.  Vietnam POWs were all home from Hanoi in April 1973 and experiencing freedom for the first time in many years.  And all of us are approaching Memorial Day and remembering those of our nation who gave their lives for the freedom of this country, our allies, and the world.

As much as we yearn, even pray, for peace in the world, the cold reality is that the forces of evil and darkness are always at work to steal it away.  Veterans know the importance of this troubling truth better than those who have never worn the uniform.  As members of the MOAA, we have the responsibility and the privilege of telling our stories, of supporting and welcoming new veterans of recent conflicts, and of mentoring young people in ROTC.  The constant flow of warrior patriots of the USA has and will serve as the safety fence around our beloved home.

As we remember and celebrate these days of freedom, let us hold those who have gone before in our prayers:

O Judge of the nations, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy.  Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines.  This we ask in Your Most Holy Name. Amen.

Easter Day

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

As Jesus goes to the cross, He takes all of our anger, all of our sin, all of our wickedness, all of grudges, all of our mocking and denial and betrayal, and He turns it into nothing.  In the next thirty-six hours, he destroys it all. He breaks it in half; He makes it useless and garbage.

On Easter Day, He is risen, on Easter Day our Lord has broken the bonds of death. On Easter Day, He has bridged the gulf between all of us and the Father. On Easter Day, the true son of the true Father takes our worst and returns to us His best. Just imagine how much more he would give us if we gave our best, how much more He would give us if we gave Him our all. On this Easter Day, give Jesus what you have, give Jesus what you are – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the indifferent. Give Him your joys and your pains, your disappointments and your relief. If you are ashamed of it, give it to Jesus. If you are proud of it, give it to Jesus.

Because you have read the story, you know the outcome. Whatever any of the characters in this story said or thought, it was returned to them in a different form, it was returned to them in the form of forgiveness, reconciliation and new life. Believe the story. Trust the outcome. On this Easter Day, receive what Jesus has for you. Receive forgiveness, receive His reconciliation, and receive new life, the gifts of God for the people of God. On this Easter Day, share those gifts, share them with those around you; and as freely you have received so freely give. The Lord is Risen. He is risen indeed.

Easter Day

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory. Colossians 3:1-4

As Jesus goes to the cross, He takes all of our anger, all of our sin, all of our wickedness, all of grudges, all of our mocking and denial and betrayal, and He turns it into nothing.  In the next thirty-six hours, he destroys it all. He breaks it in half; He makes it useless and garbage.

On Easter Day, He is risen, on Easter Day our Lord has broken the bonds of death. On Easter Day, He has bridged the gulf between all of us and the Father. On Easter Day, the true son of the true Father takes our worst and returns to us His best. Just imagine how much more he would give us if we gave our best, how much more He would give us if we gave Him our all. On this Easter Day, give Jesus what you have, give Jesus what you are – the good, the bad, the ugly, and the indifferent. Give Him your joys and your pains, your disappointments and your relief. If you are ashamed of it, give it to Jesus. If you are proud of it, give it to Jesus.

Because you have read the story, you know the outcome. Whatever any of the characters in this story said or thought, it was returned to them in a different form, it was returned to them in the form of forgiveness, reconciliation and new life. Believe the story. Trust the outcome. On this Easter Day, receive what Jesus has for you. Receive forgiveness, receive His reconciliation, and receive new life, the gifts of God for the people of God. On this Easter Day, share those gifts, share them with those around you; and as freely you have received so freely give. The Lord is Risen. He is risen indeed.

The Rev. Dr. Robert G. Certain

When is Easter?

Today is the Vernal (Spring) Equinox, one of two days in the year when day and night are of equal length, and the first day of spring.  In Western Christianity, it is also a day for calculating the date for Easter … the first Sunday following the first full moon following the Vernal Equinox.  The next full moon will be a week from today, setting Easter on the 31st.  The earliest possible date for Easter (in Western Christianity) is March 22. In recent history, Easter was March 23, 2008 and won’t be that early again until sometime after 2089.

In Orthodox Christianity, Easter 2013 is in May (they use the Julian calendar).  For Jews, Passover begins on the 26th.  During the next two weeks, Christians, Jews, Baha’i, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and Hindus will be observing and celebrating holy days.  While each of us have different liturgies, rituals, and traditions, we all live in a country where it is possible to have our celebrations without fear.

Chaplains are charged with insuring the First Amendment rights of all sorts of religious people, providing time and space for military members and their families to hold onto their faith and to worship as they choose.  At times, we have personal concerns about other faiths.  At time, we may even have personal concerns about our own faith community.  Even so, we must continue to work for the opportunity of all citizens to enjoy freedom of religion – or none of us will have that freedom.

Personally, I thank God that men and women are called to exercise their ministry in the Armed Forces and the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Working with those who have and who continue to defend the Constitution of the United States is a high privilege.

However you plan to observe the Holy Days ahead, may you find blessing for yourself and those you love, and may you be a blessing to those you serve.

Forgiveness and Reconciliation

As a boy growing up in Savannah, Georgia, I knew St. Patrick’s Day as a major event. The city went all out for a day of great celebration … parades, center lines of the route painted green, the Savannah River dyed a deep green, concerts, festivals, and worship services in all manner of churches. And watch out if you did not have on a green item of clothing! Never mind that the day almost always falls in the season of Lent, my home town was a party town.

Other than that, I knew little about the Patron Saint of Ireland. Over the years, I’ve learned a bit more about him and why he seems to have captured the imagination of so many people around the world. Born in the late fourth century on the northwest coast of Britain, at sixteen he was captured and sold into slavery by Irish slave-traders. Five years later he escaped, returned to Britain, was educated as a Christian, and took holy orders. In his early forties he returned to Ireland, this time as a missionary bishop, laboring for thirty years to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity.

Patrick serves as a symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation for all of us. Like King David, he was called from being a shepherd (Patrick’s duty as a slave) to being a leader of a nation. Like Joseph, he went from slavery to leadership, caring for those who enslaved him and those who had sold him alike.

Whatever else you do on St. Patrick’s Day this year, spend some of your time forgiving those who have wronged you and seeking reconciliation with those with whom you are estranged.

St. Patrick – forgiveness and reconciliation

As a boy growing up in Savannah, Georgia, I knew St. Patrick’s Day as a major event. The city went all out for a day of great celebration … parades, center lines of the route painted green, the Savannah River dyed a deep green, concerts, festivals, and worship services in all manner of churches. And watch out if you did not have on a green item of clothing! Never mind that the day almost always falls in the season of Lent, my home town was a party town.

Other than that, I knew little about the Patron Saint of Ireland. Over the years, I’ve learned a bit more about him and why he seems to have captured the imagination of so many people around the world. Born in the late fourth century on the northwest coast of Britain, at sixteen he was captured and sold into slavery by Irish slave-traders. Five years later he escaped, returned to Britain, was educated as a Christian, and took holy orders. In his early forties he returned to Ireland, this time as a missionary bishop, laboring for thirty years to convert the pagan Irish to Christianity.

Patrick serves as a symbol of forgiveness and reconciliation for all of us. Like King David, he was called from being a shepherd (his duty as a slave) to being a leader of a nation. Like Joseph, he went from slavery to national leadership, caring for those who enslaved him and those who had sold him alike.

Whatever else you do on St. Patrick’s Day this year, spend some of your time forgiving those who have wronged you and seeking reconciliation with those with whom you are estranged.

Lenten Discipline

Lent 2013 began on Ash Wednesday, February 13. Each year, the Episcopal Church’s Book of Common Prayer invites its users “to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” As Jesus puts it, we are to deny ourselves, take up our crosses, and follow him.

As Christians ponder what you will “deny yourself” this Lent, or what “cross” you will take up, don’t make it just another rehash of your already broken New Year’s resolutions. I would love to deny myself about 20-30 pounds – and might even consider it a “cross” to take up the diet and exercise program that would make that happen. Alas, such an exercise would be all about ME, and not about discipleship. Several other options ran through my mind, but all with the same conclusion … a good Lenten discipline really needs to be about Christian discipleship, not about self-improvement.

So, I then thought about putting my self-denial and cross-bearing in the context of the Baptismal promises, the Great Commandments and the Great Commission, and lo and behold, came up with some possibilities that might actually make this Lent holy:

• Deny myself the pleasure that comes from reading great novels, biographies, and histories … and take up the cross of reading an equally great spiritual and/or theological book
• Deny myself the uncommon comfort of a regular time of prayer and reflection … and take up the cross of going on a Lenten retreat
• Deny myself the “pleasure” of thinking about the splinter in someone else’s eye … and take up the cross of a rigorous self-examination
• Deny myself some grudge or grievance … and take up the cross of reconciliation
• Deny myself a few private hours during the season … and take up the cross of spending time with someone who is lonely or lost
• Deny myself the comfort of believing that a neighbor or social friend is free to stay home on Sunday morning if they want … and take up the cross of inviting that person to know Christ and his Church

I will also spend some days fasting, not so much to lose weight, but to make myself more aware of the millions in our world who hunger physically as well as spiritually. I will also send some money to Christian causes, but not because I am uncomfortable with my own tithe, but because there is so much need in the world and I have been blessed with so much that simply begs to be shared.

So what will it be for you this Lent? Will you give up chocolate, movies, or refined sugar? Or will you give up those things that really do keep you from answering the Lord’s call to discipleship? Open your hearts to God’s grace and truth that you may be filled with his holy and life-giving Spirit. Then make good choices about self-denial and cross-bearing in your Lenten discipline that you may follow the One who has called you to new life.

My Favorite Lent

Are you ready for Ash Wednesday and the Christian season of Lent, that 40 day period of self-examination in preparation for Easter Day?  If not, you have less than one week to make your plans!

Perhaps my all-time favorite Lent was 1973. First, I was not sure when it began and initially had to calculate from the phase of the moon when it was likely to begin. Since Easter is the Sunday follow­ing the first full moon following the vernal equinox (March 21), and since Ash Wednesday is 40 days (plus Sundays) before Easter, it takes a little math and astronomical knowl­edge to figure it all out. Since I was living in a prisoner of war camp in Hanoi, North Vietnam at the time, the task was complicated ever so slightly. But it was very important to us young men to be able to estab­lish a “free-world” routine in order to help us resist the enemy; and it was also important to us to know whether we would be home for Eas­ter. We knew we would be released on March 29 and be home by April 1, but when was Easter?!

Since we were never quite sure about the date; and since the full moon is not always visible, we did make a mistake in our calcula­tions. However, I was blessed to be in a cell with another Episcopalian, whose mother sent him a Book of Common Prayer in a package from home. I knew the BCP had a table of Easter Days, so I quickly looked it up. Easter would be on April 22 and Ash Wednesday on March 7. So, we solemnly marked our heads with ashes from coal dust on Ash Wednes­day and selected some very tiny, but enormously important, prison “luxury” to give up for the remainder of our time in captivity. That year, Easter would truly be a celebration of the Resurrection for each of us as we returned to our new lives of freedom and restored relationships back home.

Our captors never understood why we did what we did. We were men of Christ, whose Lord had paid the ultimate price for us – a price spared us. Giving up a cigarette a day or an extra bit of cabbage soup was a small but significant remind­er of the blessing of life and liberty that Christ had won for us so many years earlier.

I hope that your experience of self-examination and repentance; of prayer, fasting, and self-denial; of reading and meditating on God’s holy Word this Lent will bring you the same joy and sense of over­whelming blessing that I experi­enced during my all-time favorite Lent.

Pastoral Ministry Beyond the Battlefield

One of the main goals of the MCA is to “extend pastoral ministry beyond the battlefield.” We, as current and former military and VA chaplains, along with our partners in the CAP, have a tremendous amount of training, experience, and empathy to bring to the table in the care of our warriors.

When we (under the authority of the President) send young men and women into battle, we also incur the responsibility, the moral imperative, to bring them all the way home. Getting their whole or broken bodies back in the States is not enough – we must bring their minds, their souls, and their value back to full incorporation in normative American society.

One way we can leverage our experience and training is to train local congregations where we now live, work and worship to welcome veterans and their families into full membership, to recognize the virtues and stresses of military life, and to offer our counsel in addressing the unique issues that continue to play on their hearts and minds. “Moral and spiritual injury” is almost unavoidable for warriors trained to be kind as children and then trained to kill and destroy as young adults. Clergy, of all the people in the nation, are in the best place to recognize that injury, to assist the combatant in making confession, and, yes, in pronouncing forgiveness and absolution. We cannot erase memories and actions, but we can help our veterans to find God’s presence and meaning within the horrific actions of war, and to dig through the silt and debris to find the gold.

The other non-profit I try to lead, Care For The Troops, has a congregational guide to help you teach your civilian congregations to do their part in bringing our men and women all the way home. There is no cost to using that guide and anyone can download, print, modify, and distribute as you see fit.

May God bless you as richly as you continue to bless our military members, veterans and their families.