Monday, November 7, 2011

The vine the Lord has planted is spreading.

One of the appointed Psalms for today is Psalm 80, and the Psalmist prays:

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove out the nations and planted it. …
You cleared the ground for it;
it took deep root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered with its shade,
the mighty cedars with its branches;
it sent out its branches to the sea,
and its shoots to the River.
Turn again, O God of hosts;
look down from heaven, and see;
have regard for this vine,
the stock that your right hand planted.
They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down;
may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made strong for yourself.
Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.


All around continental Europe and England, the Church is certainly not what it was in years past. Many churches are near empty. People are turning away from their Christian faith in high numbers. In fact, the BBC had a documentary on that very topic yesterday.

So yesterday I wanted to go to a regular neighborhood parish. I worshipped at Christ Church in Spitalfields, London. It was built from 1714 to 1729 when the Church of England had a “build 50 churches program” for London because there was a concern that those living on the fringes of London would be un-churched. The parish is in a mixed neighborhood including Bengali immigrants and steps away from the financial district. The parish describes itself as follows: “Christ Church Spitalfields is a diverse, growing Anglican Church, full of passionate disciples, discovering the difference that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ can make in our lives, as we reach out to the local community around our beautiful church.” It’s true! There were young and old, and people from different cultural backgrounds. It is a parish dedicated to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and implementing the Gospel in their lives. People were welcoming. The worship service was contemporary; the music was a mix of old and new. Children were about the place. The preaching was authentic and moving. The parish is reaching out to the community around it. It is the living Church!

In many ways, it is like our own St. Augustine in Galveston, a community of faith where people from different backgrounds and walks of life have a common life of faith being transformed by the love of God through Jesus’ death and resurrection, living in the Holy Spirit and working to build the Kingdom of God where we live. In recent weeks we have invited those on the Island to our 3rd Annual Art Show, the Community Garden project continues to build, we have prepared snack packages for the clients of St. Vincent's House, and Carol Freeman is taking high school students to a leadership conference at Texas A&M. We continue to celebrate God's work in our lives through our Eucharistic Services with our contemporary music and traditional jazz services.

So despite the empty pews in some churches, and the drastic news from the BBC, the vine the Lord has planted remains and it is spreading its branches. Preaching the Gospel of Christ and living out our relationship with Christ in the world around us is life giving. We shout: "Give ear o Shepherd of Israel and lead your people. Water the vine which you have planted."

Let us pray: Almighty and everliving God, ruler of all things in heaven and earth, hear our prayers for this parish family. Strengthen the faithful, arouse the careless, and restore the penitent. Grant us all things necessary for our common life, and bring us all to be of one heart and mind within your holy Church; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO MADE SATURDAY A GREAT SUCCESS! With your wonderful work, we are able to help the victims of the wildfires in Texas, the Community Garden and our major maintenance fund for the church structure.

You can always check out the Daily Reflections at http://staugustineofhippogalveston.blogspot.com/


“Who can describe the bond of God's love? Who is able to explain the majesty of its beauty? The height to which love leads is indescribable. … In love the master received us, Jesus Christ our Lord, in accordance with God's will gave his blood for us, and his flesh for our flesh, and his life for our lives.”—St. Clement of Rome (c. 96)

Your servant in Christ,

The Rev. Chester J. Makowski+
St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church
Galveston, Texas 77550

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