Early on Tuesday morning last week, I enjoyed a lovely trail run in preparation for the Peachtree Road Race, held on Thursday, July 4th. Tuesday morning was deliciously cool and breezy, in contrast to what would be a hilly, humid, and hot Fourth of July in Atlanta. I enjoyed the solitude, and some much needed time to immerse myself in the Southern Appalachian woods. Wildflowers and wildlife were plentiful, and I was reminded of John Muir’s invocation:
Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean. ~ John Muir
In contrast, on Thursday morning I ran from Buckhead down to Piedmont Park with 55,000 of my fellow sojourners. Two days, and two very different experiences, yet both involved running, and both provided opportunities to be fully present to the moment at hand; as Mary Oliver has said so well:
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.
And so I am doing just that now, with each of you. As I ran past the Shepherd Center on Thursday, a facility devoted to brain and spinal cord injury, I paused to greet the patients lining Peachtree Road. Most were in wheelchairs or on stretchers. Like many, I’ve had family, friends, and patients who were treated there. The patients come out to cheer on the runners—imagine that—and give us “high fives” as we pass by. We should be cheering them on in fact, and I try to connect with some as I walk up the hill.
The British psychiatrist Donald Winnicott once wrote “O God, may I be alive when I die.” As I ran by the incredible Shepherd Center, and the heroes who were lining Peachtree there, a woman in a wheelchair looked at me, smiled, and said, “Be in this moment.”
Exactly, and as Wendell Berry wrote so very well:
The question before me, now that I
am old, is not how to be dead,
which I know from enough practice,
but how to be alive, as these worn
hills still tell, and some paintings
of Paul Cezanne, and this mere
singing wren, who thinks he’s alive
forever, this instant, and may be.
~ Sabbaths, VIII
And the Norwegian explorer Erling Kagge once wrote:
“The best things in life have no lasting forms. When you move on, don’t think too much. Look around you and up, into the sky–towards the sun, the moon, the stars–and listen to the surroundings: the rain falling, your foot rising from the wet moss and the silence. Ask yourself: where am I right now? Thanks. I am here.”
~ Erling Kagge, Philosophy for Polar Explorers.
At the Cathedral I greeted my friend and colleague Juan Sandoval, Hispanic missioner for the Diocese with whom I served our Cathedral Hispanic congregation for many years. Like my experience on the trails Tuesday morning, it’s a moment of being fully present, of “I am here.” I have no idea who took the photo, which was posted to the Cathedral website.
One might say these two days—one in the mountains and one on Peachtree—while different, had much in common. I think the most important theme on both days was being in “relationship” to me—my own experience of being “fully alive,” and to others. Likewise, there are many “trails” at Holy Family, both literally and metaphorically. And these trails offer opportunities for learning, growth, and being in relationship to oneself, to others, and to God.
We are so very fortunate at Holy Family for opportunities to serve, learn, and grow. One can join the choir, or the parish life committee, or the intrepid grounds crew…or one can make the decision to attend one of the exciting Adult Education opportunities available both now, and upcoming this fall! Here’s more about those options, with more to come:
Adult Education: Join us June 30 at 9:15 AM at the Sunday morning Adult Education group for week 5 of an 8-week study of First Isaiah. We will use materials created by Yale Bible Study (yalebiblestudy.org). Each session will consist of a brief video presented by Dr. John J. Collins (Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation at Yale Divinity School) and Dr. Joel S. Baden (Professor of the Hebrew Bible at Yale Divinity School and Director of the Center for Continuing Education at Yale) followed by group discussion. This study addresses “the prophet and his prophecies, the text and its time”. Isaiah “embodies the notion of speaking truth to power”. In Session 1 we will address the “Historical Context”. Later sessions will include Isaiah’s call, Immanuel, Messianic Prophecy, Demand for Justice as well as other topics. All course materials are available at no charge at www.yalebiblestudy.org. You may download the study guide from the website.
If you’ve never attended Adult Education before, now is the time to join us. If you’re a regular, we look forward to seeing you again. Questions? Contact Kathleen Allen-Leonard.
And, from Tammy Kirk, this could be the study for you if you are interested in a long-term Bible study which:
- encourages personal transformation through biblically-based study
- is focused on living faithfully within the Christian community
- develops meaningful relationships through sharing in group discussion
Disciple is a time-tested program (with study manual) which consists of daily Bible readings done at home and weekly meetings (roughly 2 hours for 30-34 weeks). The group meeting includes a short video presentation given by leading Bible scholars, followed by guided discussion and prayer. Days and times will be agreed upon once the group has been established. For more information or to sign up, contact Tammy Kirk at jtmlkirk@aol.com.
Education for Ministry (EfM): A total of 12 members of Holy Family participated in the Education for Ministry program for the 2023-2024 academic year, which was just completed. Next year, we can accommodate four new participants in the program, sponsored by The School of Theology at the University of the South. Sessions will begin in early September and run for 36 weeks. The group consists of 6 to 12 participants, plus the mentors. Usually, the participants meet face-to-face for about 2.5 hours a week. The group utilized Zoom for over a year due to the Coronavirus pandemic and still uses it when someone needs to be absent for a session.
Every baptized person is called to ministry. The EfM program provides people from all walks of life with the education “to be” Christians and to carry out their ministries. All Christians need a Christian education which supports their faith and which prepares them to express that faith in day-to-day activities. EfM is a worldwide program developed by the School of Theology at Sewanee. It holds before us that the foundation from bringing Christ to the world lies in a church empowered by an active, theologically articulate laity. Thousands of persons have completed the four-year program. Participants enroll one year at a time, can transfer almost anywhere in the U.S.A. and in many foreign countries, and can obtain 18 Continuing Educations Units per year by participating.
You don’t have to be an Episcopalian to take part in the program, either. As a matter of fact, you don’t have to be a Christian. If you have any interest in EfM, just ask any of the current or former participants or Byron Tindall or Jeannine Krenson, the mentors. The current participants include Connie Moore, Gordon Stefaniuk, Jim Reid, Martha Power, Rosemary Lovelace, Susan Stefaniuk, Loran Davis, and Bill Zercher. You can also check the Sewanee website. The cost is $325 per year, and there is some scholarship help available. Each participant has to furnish her or his own text books.
Contact Byron via email Byron Tindall at bctindall@hotmail.com or 678-493-6609 or Jeannine via email at jeanninekrenson@gmail.com or 706-299-7949. Currently, the sessions are held Monday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 or noon. Each of these opportunities at Holy Family offers chances to “pay attention,” and to be present…to say “I am here.” And these are invitations to relationships that allow for growth, transformation, and deepening our theological awareness. They are guideposts on the trails of your choosing, available to all, and limited only by our imagination. Join us, won’t you, and find a trail on which you feel more fully alive, as I believe God intended. Just look for the signposts, and tell us about it!
I’ll catch you later on down the trail, and see you in church!
Blessings, Bill+