Red Door Record

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Lent 2010 Red Door Record Page 1

RED DOOR RECORDLENT2010

St. Lukes Episcopal Church

921 Pleasant St. Worcester, MA

508-756-1990

I invite you, therefore, in the name of theChurch, to the observance of a holy Lent, by

self-examination and repentance; byprayer, fasting, and self-denial; and byreading and meditating on Gods holy

Word. And, to make a right beginning ofrepentance, and as a mark of our mortalnature, let us now kneel before the Lord,

our maker and redeemer.

Almighty God, you have created us out ofthe dust of the earth; Grant that these ashes

may be to us a sign of our mortality and

penitence, that we may remember that itis only by your gracious gift that

we are given everlasting life;through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.


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Page 2 Red Door Record Lent 2010

Nourished by Gods Word and Sacraments,

we strive to be a community of faith

where people come to know, love, and follow Jesus Christ.

Saint Lukes Episcopal Church

921 Pleasant Street

Worcester, MA 01602

(508) 756-1990

www.stlukesworcester.org

Staff

The Rev. Warren E. Hicks, RectorThe Rev. S. Jane Griesbach, DeaconLisa Antaya, Parish Administrator

Beth Letourneau, Sexton

OfficersSenior Warden, Dan ArnoldJunior Warden, John Ferriss

Clerk, Alice ValentineTreasurer, Rick Kimball

Asst. Treasurer, Debra HolmesAsst. Treasurer, Janet McClure

Vestry

Susan BlackLouise BerendesChris Wychorski

Sharon StrzalkowskiScott Roseen

Kristin Hartness Law

Convention Delegates

Don GrovesDonna HartnessRobin Van Liew

Dale Burton, Alternate

TheRed Door Recordis publishedmonthly by St. Lukes Episcopal Churchin both print form and on-line at our web-

site www.stlukesworcester.org

Editor: Mary Hicks

Send news items to:

[email protected]

St. Lukes Episcopal Church921 Pleasant Street

Worcester, MA 01602

The deadline for submissions is the

third Monday at Midnight of each month.


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MMMINISTRYINISTRYINISTRY NNNEWSEWSEWSThe Deacons Bench

Another calling of a deacon is to stay faithful in prayer.Know that I pray for St. Lukes parish every morn-ing. I also work my way through the parish directoryto pray for individuals by name. My morning devotionsinclude prayers for the world and in this day Haiti is soin need of all of our continued prayers. My column is therefore dedi-

cated to Haiti.

Hearts for Haiti The Episcopal Church has designated the last Sunday of

Epiphany as World Mission Sunday. It also happens to fall on Valentines Daythis year. The earthquake in Haiti will be a little more than one month out onFeb. 14. The media will have moved on to new stories. Understandably, ourthoughts and prayers may have also turned to other things. But the need in Haitiwill still be enormous. So, to celebrate World Mission Sunday, our diocese issponsoring Hearts for Haiti on Feb. 14. There will be several ways for our

parish to participate. Come and see!

The Episcopal Church began its work in Haiti in 1861, with the arrival ofthe African-American priest, James Theodore Holly and his company of 100emigrants from New Haven, CT. They were seeking a country where people ofcolor were not only legally but truly free. The bible was translated into Creole,

the language of the people.

The Episcopal Church of Haiti is the largest diocese of the U.S. EpiscopalChurch (one of the 12 overseas dioceses.) It has more than 100,000 baptizedmembers in 109 congregations with only 40 ordained priests.

The Sisters of St. Margaret are an Episcopal Religious Order of women calledto glorify God and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ through their worship

Continued on Page 4


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MMMINISTRYINISTRYINISTRY NNNEWSEWSEWS(Continued from Page 3)

and work, prayer and common life. Yes, there are orders of religious in theEpiscopal Church! Their commitment to God and to one another is expressedthrough vows of poverty, celibate chastity and obedience. St. Margarets has aconvent in the Roxbury section of Boston, a presence in New York City anduntil the earthquake, a convent in Port au Prince, Haiti. There are presentlytwenty-seven Sisters, two dogs and five cats in the community. The ages rangefrom thirty to ninety-four! Members come from all walks of life. Among themare former schoolteachers, nurses, musicians, and administrators. The commu-nity is also multi-cultural. Five sisters are from Haiti, two are from Canada, andone is from Tortola. Two sisters are ordained priests in the Episcopal Church,

and one is currently in the ordination process in the Diocese of Massachusetts.

The Sisters of St. Margaret established their convent in Port-au-Prince in 1927,and have worked tirelessly for the people of Haiti ever since.

Before the earthquake, the Sisters directed a scholarship program for childrenwho otherwise would be left out of school for lack of ability to pay even mini-mal fees. They did this from their Convent in Port-au-Prince which has beendestroyed. The Sisters directed the making of hand-embroidered church linens.They also directed Foyer Notre Dame, a home for elderly, indigent persons thatincludes terminal care and burial. This work has been in continuous servicesince 1962, and is supported entirely by donations. The Foyer is partially de-stroyed.

The Sisters interact and collaborate with local clergy and parishes throughoutthe Diocese of Haiti. The diocese lost their beautiful cathedral with many mu-rals and original art work. The home of the bishop and his wife was destroyedand they are now among the homeless. Many Episcopal churches were de-stroyed. The Sisters and diocesan staff are all safe. After three days withouthearing directly from the Sisters we heard they were safely camped out on asoccer field with several hundred other Haitians. Once security can be insured,

(Continued on Page 7)


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MMMEETEETEET YYYOUROUROUR NNNEWEWEW VVVESTRYESTRYESTRY

Senior Warden, Dan Arnold

First I'd like to thanks Barbara Groves for her service as Senior Warden this

past year, 2009. I hope I can fill her shoes even a little.

Hello, my name is Dan Arnold and I'm lookingforward to my next year on the Vestry as SeniorWarden. For those who don't know me let metell you a bit about myself. My family and Ihave been at St. Luke's since Easter 2006. I'm38 years old. I'm married to Brooke Arnold(6/23/02 -Christ Episcopal Church - Roch-

dale). We have 3 children - Olivia, 6, Daniel, 4,and Eleanor, 19 months. I was born in Ware,MA but grew up in Monson, MA. I graduatedMonson Jr.-Sr. High School 1989 andthen UMass Amherst in 1993. I currently workas the Business Manager for the Mass Dept. ofChildren and Families (DCF) Worcester WestArea Office - you might know it as DSS. In the

past I've been a Social Worker for children in an intensive foster care programin Springfield. I like camping and hiking, reading and crossword puzzles, aswell as home improvement and landscape projects. Baseball is my favorite

sport and of course I'm a Red Sox fan.

In my life at St. Luke's I'm involved with the Hope for Housing ministry. I'malso looking forward to seeing what the Partnership for Missional ChurchPMC) process will yield. I don't know what the future holds for the St. Luke'scommunity but I do know that it is a community that I will enjoy traveling withdown God's pathway. What is God calling us to do? Let's listen and find out

together.


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John Ferris, Junior WardenHello,

I'm Dr. John Ferriss, the new junior warden. Ijoined St. Luke's 9 years ago, after movingback to New England from Hershey, PA.

I previously served on the Vestry from 2005-2008. I work as an arthritis specialist atWing Hospital in Palmer. I'm married to Dr.

Mary Maloney, with 3 children (youngest is 22). We enjoy going to our sum-

mer cottage in VT, biking, and traveling.

I'm a military history and train buff. My handyman skills are limited, so I willneed God's help and the help of many of you, as I serve St. Luke's in this newrole.

Rick Kimball, Treasurer

Richard Kimball, a 25 year member of St.Luke's, having held every possible post inVestry, so enjoyed his last stint as Treasurerthat he was delighted to take up the position

again in 2010.

Rick, a professor of psychology at WorcesterState College is also a docentat Tower Hill Botanical Gardens, a long-time member of Worcester Chorus aswell as its librarian and occasional narrator, an active faculty member of theWISE program, and a legendary expert on Hostas. He has been an initiatingparticipant in DOCC, and a past leader of evening Bible studies.

St. Luke's is very lucky that Rick was willing to take up the tough and thanklesstask of Treasurer.


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Susan Black, Vestry Class of 2012

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~The Deacons Bench, Continued from Page 4

they will go to stay at the home of one of their Associates. They wish to stay in

country to help wherever they are able.

Living close to the people they love, the Sisters share the undying belief of theHaitian people that God is good, Bon-Die-Bon, and that the words of the 46thPsalm are for them: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in

trouble... It is he who makes war to cease in all the world.

Our own Sharon Strzalowski is an Associate of St. Margarets. I visit the Bos-ton Convent for my annual retreat. So St. Lukes is connected to the Sisters.Visit their web site at www.ssmbos.com to learn more about the Society ofSaint Margaret.

Deacon Jane


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P.M.C. UP.M.C. UP.M.C. UPDATEPDATEPDATE

"The mystery of Pentecost is that the gift of discernment is breathed into theworld, enabling us to see the presence of the divine in the midst of the human --

not as an aside or an afterthought, but as the main event of our lives" Jay Ro-

chelle, in *Christian Century*, 22 May 1985, p. 535

All Vestry PMC Retreat

Saturday, February 20, 2010Hosted at Church of the Good Shepherd in Clinton, MA

Facilitator: Father Will Bergmann

The vestry will review the reports presented at the Corporate Spiritual Discern-ment event in November as well as the results of that session. Our task is tothen discern through Dwelling in theWord, prayer and guided facilitationone Missional challenge to undertakethis year. Where is God already atwork here in Worcester, in ourneighborhood, in our parish, amongstthe parishioners? How do we tap intowhat God is doing and follow God'slead at this time?

This Missional Challenge will be sharedwith the congregation and a Missional Engagement Team will be assembled to"do the work that we have been given to do".

Chris Wychorski

PMC Team Member


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P.O.W.E.R.P.O.W.E.R.P.O.W.E.R.

I wrote Grace for the Earth 9 years ago, in the middle of a snowstorm,when Anna was a baby and we were living on top of a beautiful hill in

western Massachusetts. Our recent snow reminded me to share it:

Grace for the Earth

What plants did you eat for lunch today? I ask an eager group of girl scoutscircled around me at the wildlife sanctuary where I teach nature programs tourban young people.

They look at each other and then me, quizzically. None! they shout. We

dont eat plants.

How about animals? What animals did you eat for lunch today? I continue.Now they think Im playing a game. They giggle and answer me like Im asilly two-year-old. Yuck! We dont eat animals for lunch.

When I ask who ate a hamburger today, several hands go up. Did you knowthat hamburger meat comes from a cow? That a hamburger bun is made fromwheat, a plant that grows on farms? And that ketchup is made from tomatoes?

Now the young girls are taken aback. They consider this information. I askagain who has eaten plants for lunch and this time all hands go up. They havemade the connection.

I love working with these young people because Im able to teach lessons that Iam still learning. I, too, was an urban child and I didnt understand that thefood I ate, the clothes I wore, the water I drank, the toys I enjoyed came fromthe earth. In my childs mind, things belonged to the human world, and na-ture, somewhere way out West, belonged to the earth. In short, I did not under-stand that I lived upon the earth and that everything, absolutely everything Iused, came from the earth.



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P.O.W.E.R.P.O.W.E.R.P.O.W.E.R.(Continued from Page 9)

My absolute dependence upon the earth is enough to give me pause, but as aChristian, my dependence upon the earth points to an even deeper dependence.The first chapter of Genesis describes the hard work God did to create the earth.In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen1: 1, RSV).When I use some thing, it is not only a gift from the earth, it is a gift fromGod. Everything in my world is part of the sacred creation of God.

Since the birth of my daughter five months ago, Ive begun to imagine the earthas Gods womb, which nourishes us, grows us, and sustains us. God is, ofcourse, greater than the earth, but we live within this beautiful earth which liveswithin God. The earth is the Lords and the fullness thereof, the world andthose who dwell therein (Ps24: 1, RSV). Nothing belongs to us. Everythingwe have belongs first to the earth and finally to the God who created the earth.

This truth that everything we have comes from the earth which comes fromGod is so basic, and yet our behavior, my behavior, suggests that it is a truthwe do not understand and do not live. The word consume comes from aLatin root meaning, to take. When we consume things, and almost all of us inAmerica consume more than we need, we literally waste the earth. Why wouldwe want to squander the living creation of God? When we manufacture thethings we consume, we leave behind garbage and pollution. Why would wewant to destroy the sacred creation that sustains us? When we take more thanwe need, we literally steal from God who intended the creation for all who

dwell there.

Sometimes, I feel frustrated that there is so little in Christian ritual and practiceto remind us of our connection to Gods earth, but usually, if I look hardenough, I find something right there under my nose. In this case, I discoveredthe answer sitting across the table from me. Before each meal, my husbandthanks God for the food he is about to eat and enjoy. Following his example,Ive found it helpful to extend the ancient practice of table grace to everything I



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P.O.W.E.R.P.O.W.E.R.P.O.W.E.R.(Continued from Page 10)

use. I say a short prayer each time I consume. When I flick on a light, I thankthe coal buried deep in the earth, which powers the electrical currents in myhouse. When I turn on the computer, I thank the petroleum, millions of years

in the making, which became the plasticof my machine. When I use a piece ofpaper, I thank the tree, which gave itslife for me to write upon it. Especially,when I drink water or take a shower, Ithank the aquifer under the ground,which supplies me with this essentialliquid. Each prayer establishes the con-nection, sometimes obvious, sometimeshidden, between my consumption andthe earth and between the earth andGod the creator.

When I follow this practice faithfully, Ifind myself saying a quick prayer with

each step. Every moment I consume, every moment I give thanks. My con-tinuous words of gratitude serve as a constant reminder that everything comesfrom the earth, which comes from God. With these thoughts constantly in ourminds and hearts, how can we do anything but consume less, consume morewisely, and share more of what we use?

Kristin Steinmetz

For P.O.W.E.R.

(Parishioners Optimistically

Working toward Environmental

Responsibility)


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SSSTTT. L. L. LUKEUKEUKESSS TTTURNSURNSURNS 100!100!100!We are looking forward to a fun year as we celebrate our 100

th

!!

Just some of the things coming this year:

Visits from former Rectors and Clergy They can tell us how they fit into

the history of the St. Lukes community and what they took with them.

A Weekend Event celebrating the mid point of our 100 year history by

Celebrating the Sixties DJ, dinner, dancing and fun!!

A community quilting project creating a Altar Frontal and more.

A All Parish Outreach event.

A Big Reunion Celebration in November

Inviting Current Past and Future parishioners to a reunion.


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OOOURURUR RRREFLECTIONSEFLECTIONSEFLECTIONSNotes on Haitis Earthquake

Since Kobes Hanshin earthquake of 1995 forced me and my family to prema-turely end teaching in Japan, I came back to St. Lukes more than a little inter-ested in the theology of earthquakes. The issue of God and natural disasters---God and suffering in the worldor the issue oftheodicy still has an immediacyfor me; events recently in Haiti only rekindled those interests. Below are someof the answers to my fundamental question, how does one reconcile God andhuman suffering? The first item merely restates the issue in its most recent for-mulationthere follows David Humes classically brief statement of the prob-lem, and then responses---all of them inadequate, it seems to me, although Istill admire Reverend Baldwins direct answer to me in a letter written at the

time.

From Deborah Sontags NYTimes article, January 17, 2010:

In varying versions, this scene repeated itself throughout the Haitian capital onSunday. With many of their churches flattened and their priests and pastorskilled, Haitians desperate for aid and comfort beseeched God to ease their grief.Carrying Bibles, they traversed the dusty, rubble-filled streets searching forsolace at scattered prayer gatherings. The churches, usually filled with passion-ate parishioners on a Sunday morning, stood empty if they stood at all.Not far from the makeshift evangelical church at Champ de Mars, parishionersgathered outside the ruins of the capital citys main cathedral to hear an appeal

for forbearance from a bishop." We have to keep hoping, said Bishop MarieEric Toussaint, although he acknowledged that he had no resources to help themany who were suffering and that he found it hard to state with any confidencewhether the cathedral would ever be rebuilt.

Built in 1750, the cathedral, once an architectural centerpiece of the city, is nowbut a giant pile of twisted metal, shattered stained glass and cracked concrete.Bishop Toussaint said the quake had toppled the residences where priestsstayed, crushing many of them.



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OOOURURUR RRREFLECTIONSEFLECTIONSEFLECTIONS(Continued from Page 13)

The Sacre Coeur cathedral, another grand structure, also lay in ruin, with alarge, perfectly preserved Christ on a cross bearing witness to the destructionbelow and a womans body lying across the street atop a mattress, her headresting on a pillow, sheeting draping over her.It may seem like a strange moment to have faith, said Georges Verrier, 28, anunemployed computer expert, his eyes moving from the body to the church.But you cant blame God. I blame man. God gave us nature, and we Haitians,and our governments, abused the land. You cannot get away without conse-quences. Sounding a similar note, a self-appointed preacher at Champ de Marsstood on a crate during the makeshift service and proclaimed the earthquakepunishment for a long list of sins that he enumerated in a singsong. We haveto kneel down and ask forgiveness from God, he said.

David Humes formulation, fromDialogues Concerning Natural Religion:Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able butnot willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both willing and able? Whence then isevil?

Jesus' answer, from Luke: 13: 4, 5: Or those eighteen who were killedwhen the tower of Siloam fell on them---do you think that they were worse of-fenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? No, I tell you, but unless yourepent, you will all perish just as they did.

From Bart Erhmans Gods Problem: Moreover, if the Christian God is

the one who suffers, then who is the one who created and sustains this world?

Isnt it the same God? By saying that God suffers with his creation, we seem to

have sacrificed the view that God is sovereign over his creation. In other words,

once again, God is not really GOD. And we are still left with the problem of

suffering: why is it here?

Some of the biblical authors believed that suffering was ultimately redemp-

tive; and it is true that there can often be a silver lining in the hardships we

Continued on Page 15)


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encounter. But I just dont see anything redemptive when Ethiopian babies die

of malnutrition, or when thousands of people die today (and yesterday, and the

day before) of malaria, or when your entire family is brutalized by a drug-

crazed gang that breaks into your home in the middle of the night. Or when

300,000 die in a tsunami, or 100,000 perish in a Haitian earthquake.

Some authorssuch as the one who wrote the powerful poetic dialogues ofJobmaintained that suffering is a mystery. I resonate with this view, but I donot think highly of its corollary---that we have no right to ask about the answerto the mystery, since we are, after all, mere peons and God is the ALMIGHTY,

and we have no grounds for calling him to task for what he has done. If Godmade us (assuming the theistic view for a moment), then presumably our senseof right and wrong comes from him. If thats the case there is no other truesense of right and wrong but his. If he does something wrong, then he is culpa-ble by the very standards of judgment that he has given us as sentient humanbeings. And murdering babies, starving masses, and allowingor causinggenocides are wrong

In my opinion, this life is all there is. My students have difficulty believing

me when I tell them that thats a view taught in the Biblebut it is. It is explic-

itly the teaching of Ecclesiastes, and it is a view shared by other great thinkers,

such as the authors of the poetic dialogues of Job. So maybe Im a biblical

thinker after all. In any event, the idea that this life is all there is should not be

an occasion for despair and despondency, but just the contrary. It should be a

source of joy and dreamsjoy of living for the moment and dreams of trying to

make the world a better place, both for ourselves and for others in it.

From Jurgen Moltmanns The Crucified God:

It is necessary to remember the martyrs, so as not to become abstract. Of them



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and of the dumb sacrifices it is true in a real, transferred sense, that God him-self hung on the gallows, as E. Wiesel was able to say. If that is taken seri-ously, it must also be said that, like the cross of Christ, even Auschwitz is inGod himself. Even Auschwitz is taken up into the grief of the Father, the sur-render of the Son and the power of the Spirit. That never means that Auschwitzand other grisly places can be justified, for it is the cross that is the beginning ofthe Trinitarian history of God. As Paul says in I Cor. 15, only with the resurrec-tion of the dead, the murdered and the gassed, only with the healing of those indespair who bear lifelong wounds, only with the abolition of all rule and au-thority, only with the annihilation of death will the Son had over the kingdomto the Father. Then God will turn his sorrow into eternal joy. This will be thesign of the completion of the Trinitarian history of God and the end of worldhistory, the overcoming of the history of mans sorrow and fulfillment of hishistory of hope. God in Auschwitz and Auschwitz in the crucified Godthat isthe basis for real hope which both embraces and overcomes the world, and theground for a love which is stronger than death and can sustain death. It is theground for living with the terror of history and the end of history, and never-theless remaining in love and meeting what comes in openness for Gods fu-ture. It is the ground for living and bearing guilt and sorrow for the future ofman in God.

From a letter by Rev. Lang Baldwin, February, 1995:

A major earthquake brings immense suffering. Non-believers, pagans may tryto help if their contact with the suffering does not cause them too much pain.But because they devote most of their efforts in life to avoid pain, to find com-fort, to achieve power that keep at a distance those who threaten their securityand peaceful happiness, they will, much more quickly than true Christians, turnaway in horror from terrible suffering. For one inspired by the spirit of Christ,

suffering is seen in a different light. When life at its best, as seen in Jesus, con-

sists in the exercise of loving service of others, in self-giving, in serving



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rather than having, then sufferingeither ones own or that of othersceasesto be a threat. Instead, it becomes the occasion and reason for a close relation-ship with God and thus to experience genuine life. Without suffering therewould be no creative and fruit-bearing love in the world. The condition of iso-lation from suffering that is most earnestly desired by pagans is actually a con-dition of utter sterility and death, a condition where love is lacking. So suffer-ing serves Gods purpose, which is to help humans grow in love. I dare to sug-gest this as an answer to the original questionAn earthquake is a creative actof our God who loves his whole creation.

John Zeugner

St. Lukes Lenten Book Study

Join us on Wednesday evenings in March as we read and study Shusaku EndosA Life of Jesus. The book is A simple and powerful retelling of the life ofChrist as seen through the eyes of a Japanese novelist. according to Ama-zon.com. Books are available numerous places online starting at around $10 onAmazon.com. Less expensive copies, both new and used, are availablethrough bookfinder.com. The ISBN for the book is 978-0809123193.

Well meet to talk about Endos rendering of Jesus and discuss how it informsour understanding of Jesus life and ministry. Alice Valentine and Fr. Warren

will provide cultural and theological background for the discussion. The eve-nings will begin with Evening Prayer at 6 followed by a simple soup, bread andsalad supper at about 6:15 with class beginning at 7.

It is not necessary to be able to attend all meetings of the class to contribute andbenefit from a different take on Jesus than you may be used to.

If you plan to attend contact Fr. Warren at [email protected] sign up in the narthex. You can also volunteer to provide a part of the eve-ning meal in either place.


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RRRECTORECTORECTORSSS NNNOTESOTESOTES

The text on the front of this issue of the Red Door Record comes di-rectly from the Ash Wednesday Liturgy. The invitation of God and theChurch is to the keeping of a Holy Lent. For me and for a long timeIve had some very particular ideas about what Lent was all about. Wetalked about what we were going to give up for Lent. I still think interms of what sacrifice Ill make for Lent but the fruits of that sacrificehave changed significantly for me over time.

This is no more true than maybe it is this year. Recovering from physi-cal ailments has afforded me what I seldom take enough of and that is

time to reflect and limit my commitments.

In November I attended a seminar on David Allens Getting ThingsDone methodology of getting to be more organized and productive. Ihad no idea what sort of impact those two days would have on myspiritual life. I went to the seminar just two weeks after going away tothe Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE) in Boston for an extendedsilent retreat that was long overdue. I came back from retreat feelinglike I was sufficiently calm and centered to make better choices aboutthe balance between being and doing as a part of living my vocationas priest, father, husband and friend.

Two weeks later, I found myself sitting with a bunch of other clergyand their administrators and admitting that I was as overwhelmed aswhen Id left.

Then our presenter for the day quoted one of David Allens guidingprinciples in Getting Things Done, namely that whatever has yourattention, has your attention. At first it seemed obvious but then I re-alized what terrific wisdom was in that statement.


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RRRECTORECTORECTORSSS NNNOTESOTESOTESIf I am preoccupied with many things, I neglect other things and some ofthose things neglected are not only important, they are critical. Thoughtsof Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42) swept into my mind and the wordsof Jesus convicted me, you are worried and distracted by manythings. (Luke 10:41).

This long introduction leads me to what I hope is the point for me andmay be of some use to you for this Lenten season of reflection, repen-tance and preparation to live anew in the light of the Resurrection. Ineed to get back to the basics of being present to Jesus and what is mostimportant and all the rest will fall into place.

In the Getting Things Done world, we are called to take all that comesinto our minds and take them and put them in a trusted place where wecan return to them and process them based on our values. Isnt it thesame with our lives in Christ?

What has my attention has my attention and some of its not so very im-portant as Id like to think. Maybe Id all do well to find a trusted placeto park my worries until I get some clarity on things and then, and onlythen, return and pick them up again. Im convinced Jesus is that place.If I am willing to do that, I suspect Ill have gained some holy perspec-

tive, be clearer and more centered and find myself saying no to the manythings and engaging more faithfully in the One Thing of most impor-tance, namely my relationship to God and my part in Gods Mission.

Thats my Lenten story, and I pray, by the grace of God Ill be stickingto it. Pay attention to what and who has your attention and live your lifeaccordingly. May we all keep a Holy Lent, in Gods name.

Fr. Warren +


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TheRed Door Recordis published monthly.Editor: Mary Hicks. Send news items to: [email protected]

or St. Lukes Episcopal Church, 921 Pleasant Street, Worcester, MA 01602

Lenten Worship and Prayer OpportunitiesLenten Worship and Prayer OpportunitiesLenten Worship and Prayer OpportunitiesLenten Worship and Prayer Opportunities

During the 40 days of Lent there will be numerous opportunities for en-

tering into corporate prayer. The following is a list of worship servicesthroughout each week.

Monday - Morning Prayer at 9 amTuesday - Morning Prayer at 9 amWednesday - Eucharist at 7 am andWednesday - Evening Prayer at 6 pmThursday - Evening Prayer at 6 pm

I hope that you can make one or more of these ser-vices a part of your Lenten devotion.

Father Warren

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