Reflecting on our conversation; planning for more
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n January 26, a group of 26 of us got together for a conversation on the subject of depression. An odd thing for a church to do? Well, late last winter, our community was faced with a reality none of us much wants to think about, when one of our very active and very engaged members chose to end his own life. Nearly everyone’s reaction was something like, “Really? I had no idea he was even depressed…” (more…)
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et us call the community to a time of prayer: God our creator, you have called all of us to form your church. This call is a great responsibility for everyone involved. Among us some are called to leadership in various roles may we remember them in our daily prayers and may all Bishops, Priests, Deacons, heads of ministries and all people seek to hear and act upon what you have called them to do, focusing on Christ’s example of service, and compassion for all.
Lord in your mercy…
This message arrived just today, from our saint ben’s stalwart Lola and her husband Roger. As you may well know, Lola and Roger are operating a unique project in Uganda, working to support orphaned teens to complete school. Read on for some information about an upcoming fund-raiser.
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e wanted to send out a special note to update you on our current situation here in Uganda… and how you can be part of this exciting journey! In December I informed you of our funding challenges, and how we fall short every month. We appreciate each and every gift we receive here, and every gift, no matter how small, is useful to us and helps us to meet our needs here in Africa. (more…)
A note from Jamie Howison: I’d like to introduce you to Jim Snyder, whose name you will again see on this site in the coming month or so. We are in the process of putting together a book of material Jim has written for Lent (which will be illustrated by some wonderful lithographs by our own Helen Lyons), so it seemed good to give you a taste of his writing here. Jim is a native of Minneapolis, and an ordained Lutheran pastor, who is also licensed to function as an Episcopal priest. He has served Lutheran, Anglican, and Episcopal parishes in Texas, Halifax/Dartmouth, and Minneopolis, and is currently serving 1st Lutheran Church in Winthrop, MN. He has also worked in the field of youth and family care for a number of years, as a counselor and program director for residential treatment programs. He is a wonderful writer… and I don’t say that simply because he is a fan of John Coltrane… though it helps.
A sermon preached originally preached at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Minneapolis, by the Rev’d James Snyder.
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am old enough—and lucky enough—to have experienced some of the greatest jazz musicians of the 20th century. And among them, as I’ve told you, was John Coltrane. Laura Caviani and Pete Whitman and Darryl Boudreau played some of his music at our joint mass at Minnehaha Falls… and there in the rain I told you about the time I saw Coltrane, first at the Guthrie and then in Chicago when I was an unformed, impressionable adolescent. (more…)
St Benedict and the making of a counter-culture
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community weekend to be held at Camp Cedarwood, a comfortable conference facility with lots of options for indoor and outdoor activity. Time to learn, pray, play, eat, and just relax together… and we promise, the schedule will have lots of time for the playing, eating and relaxing.
The weekend will begin on Friday March 13 at 7:00pm, and will conclude after lunch on Sunday March 15. Meals will be provided on the Saturday and Sunday, with a snack offered on the Friday night. (more…)
A note from Jamie Howison: This past fall, I discovered the novels of Ron Hansen, a writer and Roman Catholic deacon whose fiction stands as a powerful antidote to much of what is written in the name of “Christian fiction.” I asked Michael Boyce, Assistant Professor of English and Film Studies at Booth College, if he would take some time to say a thing or two about Hansen’s work.
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h. Christ! Christ, Come Quickly: Ron Hansen’s Exiles
About suffering they were never wrong,
The Old Masters: how well they understood
Its human position; how it takes place
While someone else is eating or opening a window
or just walking dully along
W.H. Auden, “Musée des Beaux Arts”
I came across a passage about the role of the Catholic writer in Archbishop Rowan Williams’s Grace and Necessity: Reflections on Art and Love that gave me pause. In describing Flannery O’Connor’s opinion on the role of faith and art, Williams writes, “the Catholic writer is precisely someone who cannot rule out any subject matter; belief adds a dimension to what is seen, it does not take anything away” (95). When people learn that I teach English literature they tend to quiz me about my own reading habits and preferred titles; some, if they are readers themselves, take the opportunity to recommend titles to me. In Christian circles, this typically means well meaning individuals asking my opinion about novels from the relatively new world of Christian literature. (more…)
The One Who Threw a Spoke into the Wheel: Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Resistance to Hitler
At a time when no fewer than six Hollywood films have been released dealing with the phenomenon of Nazism and the figure of Adolph Hitler, it is timely to step back and listen to how one of the last century’s most 
influential theologians chose to contend with these matters. “Dietrich Bonhoeffer is one of the theological giants of the 20th century. At the age of 39 he went to death as a martyr, being found guilty of taking part in a conspiracy to assassinate the Führer.”
At the most recent ideaExchange, Dr. Christopher Holmes, Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics at Providence Seminary and an active member of St Margaret’s Anglican Church in Winnipeg, explored what drove Bonhoeffer – a committed pacifist – to partake in the plot to kill Hitler, and to disavow his pacifist convictions.
Some 65 people gathered on a chilly winter evening to listen as Holmes gave us access to the person and work of Bonhoeffer and helped us draw some lessons that can be for today, as we participate in the struggle for justice.
For those who want to explore this material further, you can not only listen to the podcast, but also read a sample of Bonhoeffer’s theologically-informed poetic work.
There are three ways to hear this podcast (runs 1:01:47):
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Why is it that by the time we make our way through all of the activities and obligations of Christmas, most of us are more than a little exhausted? Is there another way to think about all of this? This piece originally appeared in the January 2004 edition of The Christian Current.
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o here it is, mid-January, and with Christmas now a memory, there is finally some breathing space to think about the shape of that season. There will be some with fairly serious regrets; overspent credit cards, disappointed hopes, and a haunting realization that most of our families simply cannot bear the weight of the heavily idealized media version of the season of “good cheer.” For all that people claim to love this holiday, many end up relieved that they have survived more or less intact. (more…)
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e call the community into a time of prayer.
Almighty God, you sent your Son to proclaim your kingdom and to teach with authority. Anoint us with the power of your Spirit, that we, too, may bring good news to the afflicted, bind up the brokenhearted and proclaim liberty to the captive; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Lord in your mercy…
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his is a version of the Epiphany sermon preached by Jamie Howison at saint benedict’s table when we marked the feast together. It is slightly expanded here, by the inclusion of a lengthy citation from the closing section of W. H. Auden’s long poetic cycle, For the Time Being: a Christmas Oratorio.