Friday Reflections April 24, 2020

24. April 2020 · Comments Off on Friday Reflections April 24, 2020 · Categories: Bishop, Friday Reflections · Tags: , , , , ,
The Friday Reflection
April 24, 2020
Cathy Kline

Fear not; I have called you by name…
We are in the wonderful season of Easter and we can once again ring out the cry of, “Christ is Risen, The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia” We can sing the Easter Hymns like the one used by our Cathedral’s worship on Sunday, “The strife is o’er, the battle is done”. Although it may not feel like the season with our limitations to our worshiping together in public and we may be feeling the battle isn’t over with the fear hanging over us of a worldwide pandemic but, I am comforted by these words knowing that every day is Easter. As Christians, this is the hope, the promise and the joy we are to live by.
As Christian leaders we are to take it a step farther and make it the story we are to tell and the assurance we are to lead by. I remember very clearly the moment God called me into ministry. I was not quite sure I heard it right. I really wanted to be like, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah when he heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” However, I think I was a bit more reluctant and fearful. It took much discernment and a great deal of prayer to finally answer that call but here I am.
So how is it exactly that we stand out in the crowd when there is no crowd to stand out in? How do we share the story and lead with the assurance of that promise when there are such difficulties surrounding us. I am reminded of Moses’ struggles with the Israelites and the fear they all had as well as the lack of trust this fear produced. It took great faith and leadership to stand up to people who were in fear for their lives as the army of Pharaoh was breathing down their backs. He boldly told these people “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”
We too need not be afraid. It is hard in the midst of so much pain fear and troubles. Many families have loved ones who are very ill; many have lost some to this illness. There are many who have lost their jobs and have no idea what tomorrow will bring. We as Christian leaders need to be there for each and every one of these people. We need to listen and pray with them, we need to help support and feed them. We need to be there to pick up the pieces and help them get back up and keep on going. We also however sometimes need to stand still and be reassured of the salvation of the Lord, for as God said to Isaiah, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand”. Also we need to join together in celebration of Easter, being assured that the strife is over, the battle done, the victory of life is won; the song of triumph has begun Alleluia!

Bishop David Rice
Wednesday was a significant day in the life of EDSJ, The Episcopal Church and, the world in which we live. Firstly, we were one of the few dioceses to observe and celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day with the Diocesan Service.   And secondly, it was my pleasure to participate in a three person panel discussion through our Washington National Cathedral’s social platform,  Honest to God, regarding Earth Day and all things creation care.
I wish to extend my deepest gratitude and congratulations to Deacon Terrance Goodpasture, our Diocesan Creation Care Coordinator, Dean Ryan Newman, our Cathedral Dean, and Deacon Nelson Povedo, our Diocesan Latino Missioner and all other contributors for what was an extraordinary diocesan  observance and celebration of Earth Day.   If you didn’t have the opportunity to experience that service, you can find it on our Diocesan Webpage.
Equally, for those of you who were unable to tune in to Honest to God through Washington National Cathedral, that discussion is also available through the aforementioned link.
I want to offer my opening statement as a participant on the panel:
“There may be some out there participating in this social platform who are curious regarding why we are giving attention to Earth Day during these pandemic times in which we find ourselves. We have heard now for a considerable amount of time the importance of flattening the curve of COVID-19 through social distancing, sheltering in place, wearing masks and gloves and the like.  We are, without a doubt in a crisis.  There is another crisis albeit perhaps traveling at a somewhat slower pace and that is the climate crisis. Global change is generally slower and somewhat more multifaceted than this pandemic but it is equally unstoppable unless we make changes. We must flatten the curve regarding our consumption of resources.”
Interestingly, and I hope, not surprisingly enough, we spent the first few moments in our panel discussion talking about the similarities and intersections between the crisis of COVID-19 and the crisis of climate.   And I think I recount accurately when I suggest that central to that part of our discussion was an acknowledgment of how our actions impact the entire world around us.   Thus, in the case of the pandemic, we observe the recommended precautions because we know that is the very best way of taking care of those around us. And in the case of creation, we know that there’s a direct correlation between how we treat our world as a gift, thereby offering it care rather than consuming it, and how we take care of others who share this gift.
And so, I would suggest the most profound similarity and intersection between the crises before us involves the undeniable manner in which we are connected to one another and how our actions so demonstratively impact the other.
I believe this global connectedness about which I write was beautifully reflected in and highlighted by the multi lingual Lord’s Prayer during our Diocesan Service this week.   In other words, as we pray these words in the languages of our hearts, we are profoundly reminded of how connected we are to one another and how responsible we are for one another.
Enjoy…
Easter Blessings
+David

Prayers of the People for use in Lent for immigration reform:
Risen Lord as we rejoice in your rising let us be mindful of those who have little to rejoice about. Let us pray for those who have little joy in their lives, those persecuted and alone.

Fend Off “Energy Vampires.”
Make sure to turn off and unplug items when they’re not in use. The socket draws electricity even when items are “turned off.” Some items that are often plugged-in when not in use are blow-dryers, phone chargers, electric kettles, and coffee pots. Other items that are often left in the “on” position when not in use are televisions, computers, and video game consoles. Using the battery-saving function on smart phones and computers helps them last longer, as well as saves energy. Perhaps you have a spare refrigerator you only need to run when you’re preparing to entertain guests. Look around your house and find what can be unplugged. You might be surprised by your energy savings!

 Friday Reflection
All articles and special news can be submitted to the Diocesan Office at: [email protected]
All submissions are due MONDAY for the following Friday Reflection.
Submission requirements:
pictures -JPEG format
articles- word document
document to link- PDF
Please edit pictures for best brightness, contrast, and lighting before sending.

Events Warranting Your
Participation and Prayers

   Diocesan Events
Diocesan Council & Standing Committee
April 25 | 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
ZOOM
Deacon’s Fresh Start
April 27 | 6:30 pm
ZOOM
Clergy COVID Conference
April 30 | 12:30 pm
ZOOM
Spanish Immersion Week
July 12-19
ECCO
Learn More HERE

Upcoming Event Information

Spanish Immersion at ECCO
Come join us for a week of Spanish learning!
Join us for a week of learning to speak Spanish! You will have time to learn, bring home materials to keep learning, and enjoy many activities among colleagues and friends.
Prices include take home materials, week long materials, lodging, all meals, and activities!
Registration is due by June 10th. We need 25 people minimum to join us! Register blow.
If the program is canceled due to lack of participant registrations, all costs will be refunded.
However, if a participant cancels after the registration cut off date, costs cannot be refunded.
Registrations are due – June 10th
Register HERE

Online Series: Women Doctors of the Church
Join Jan Stegner at 11 AM on Tuesday’s, April 21-May 12 to learn and share about four remarkable women of the Church. The meetings will be offered via Zoom. Please register for each session at sandomino.org and you be sent the link to log-in for your mini-retreat experience.
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, 4147 E Dakota AVE, Fresno, CA 93726
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Friday Reflections April 17, 2020

17. April 2020 · Comments Off on Friday Reflections April 17, 2020 · Categories: Diocese Of San Joaquin, Friday Reflections · Tags: , , , , ,

April 15, 2020
At the time of writing this correspondence, there have been over 2,000,000 cases of COVID-19 reported worldwide and over 130,000 deaths.  In the US, there have been well over 600,000 cases reported and over 26,000 deaths.  These are staggering, shocking and sobering numbers.  I know you are aware of these same numbers as we are perpetually confronted by them through our 24 hour news cycles.  Due to the fact that we are aware of these mounting numbers, each day, each moment, it is perhaps far too easy not to look beyond the numbers into the deeper reality they represent.  Family members, loved ones, mothers, fathers, grandparents, young and old alike, are no longer with us due to this insidious pandemic.  And the numbers of those struggling with the virus and who will struggle, is incomprehensible.  Again, in our worldwide human community, these are our family members and our loved ones about whom I write and for whom we continue to pray…
As a result of our experience over the last month and our continued responsibility for one another, again, after consultation with diocesan leaders, we will further our suspension of public worship and public gatherings until May 24.
The Friday Reflection
April 17, 2020
Rev. Peter Ackerman

God is in Our Adapting
The imagery offered through the Creation Story reminds us that God breathed out, and from that exhale the world, and all that is in it, came into being. The breath of creativity continues to bless us who remain faithfully in the flow of the Spirit. In His resurrection Jesus reminds us that God’s realm created an eternal continuation of that which used to conclude. All things are possible for us, in and through God.
John composes the Epistle used in our Daily Office this Sunday. Like any author, John has his own style. He lays out his thoughts differently than Paul, and does so without adding flowery introductions. This week he gets right to the point in his epistle by writing “we walk in the light when we have fellowship with one another.” God did not create us as solo acts, to live and serve as members of a larger body; the church. We are “church” when we gather in the light together, search together, praise and pray together, and yes, worship together.
This reminder may come at an awkward time; the idea of fellowship as how we have defined it; in church gatherings coffee hours, in person meetings, and more, are temporarily removed from us. This may lead some people astray, away from worship, prayer life, and community. This is what the Apostle might define as darkness. It is important for us to remember that we are never the sole owners and creators of our spiritual lives.
Orson Wellesonce commented about the work ethic ofthe artist Pablo Picasso. Welles mentioned that though someone might buy Picasso’s painting and hang it on his wall, in his private home, the artist still had the creative license to walk right into that dwelling and continue to work on it, perfect it, even alter it. We are in darkness if we leave out the creative breath offered to us each and every day, and in every situation, from God who enters into our realm always.
Magnificent is the work that our Diocese, Cathedral and individual parishes, along with their clergy and lay leaders are doing in these Covid-19 days to create, in this space of separation in which we temporarily reside. From streaming services, virtual meetings, digitally hosted coffee hours, and by using telephones again as means of two-way communication, we are entering into a time of adaptation for holy purposes. When creation, adaptation, and holiness come together, there is God.
John reminds us to walk in the light in fellowship with one another. May we continue to do so this season, and embrace the opportunities before us, the “alleluias,” and the fellowship anew. God is here, life is altered for a moment, and we still bask in the light. Yes, my friends, “alleluia,” and happy Easter to all who live into the flow of God’s creation Spirit!

Earth Day Service
Earth Day is next Wednesday, April 22nd! Please join us for a special liturgy at 1 pm. This Diocesan wide liturgy features special prayers of the people, readings, and a homily that calls us to better serve our precious Earth.
Pleae join us via YouTube or Facebook at 1 pm.

Wednesday, April 22, 2020 | 5:00pm
The Reverend Canon Stephanie Spellers, Canon to the Presiding Bishop for Evangelism, Reconciliation and Creation, hosts a panel discussion on healing the earth in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day. Reverend Traci Blackmon, Reverend Margaret Bullitt-Jonas and Bishop David Rice join Canon Spellers to remind us of the urgency of collective, inspired, and loving action to end the climate crisis.
Find out more HERE!

Prayers of the People for use in Lent for immigration reform:
Risen Lord as we rejoice in your rising let us be mindful of those who have little to rejoice about. Let us pray for those who have little joy in their lives, those persecuted and alone.

OBSERVE EARTH DAY ON APRIL 22
Earth Day 2020 will be celebrated on Wednesday, April 22! This year, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of this day. On Earth Day, enjoy the lovely scent of fresh air, clean up some litter, plant a tree, or simply enjoy companionship with nature! Walk through the woods in search of emerging wildflowers and green moss.

 Friday Reflection
All articles and special news can be submitted to the Diocesan Office at: [email protected]
All submissions are due MONDAY for the following Friday Reflection.
Submission requirements:
pictures -JPEG format
articles- word document
document to link- PDF
Please edit pictures for best brightness, contrast, and lighting before sending.

Events Warranting Your
Participation and Prayers

   Diocesan Events
Commission on Ministry
April 18 | 10 am
ZOOM
SJRAISE
April 21 | 6:30 pm
ZOOM
Earth Day Diocesan Service
April 22 | 1:00 pm
ZOOM
National Cathedral Discussion Panel
April 22 | 5:00 pm
Clergy COVID Conference
April 23 | 12:30 pm
ZOOM
Diocesan Council
April 25 | 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
ZOOM
Standing Committee
April 25 | 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm
ZOOM
Deacon’s Fresh Start
April 27 | 6:30 pm
ZOOM
Clergy COVID Conference
April 30 | 12:30 pm
ZOOM
Spanish Immersion Week
July 12-19
ECCO
Learn More HERE

Upcoming Event Information

Spanish Immersion at ECCO
Come join us for a week of Spanish learning!
Join us for a week of learning to speak Spanish! You will have time to learn, bring home materials to keep learning, and enjoy many activities among colleagues and friends.
Prices include take home materials, week long materials, lodging, all meals, and activities!
Registration is due by June 10th. We need 25 people minimum to join us! Register blow.
If the program is canceled due to lack of participant registrations, all costs will be refunded.
However, if a participant cancels after the registration cut off date, costs cannot be refunded.
Registrations are due – June 10th
Register HERE
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, 4147 E Dakota AVE, Fresno, CA 93726
Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with
Constant Contact
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Friday Reflections April 3, 2020

03. April 2020 · Comments Off on Friday Reflections April 3, 2020 · Categories: Friday Reflections · Tags: , , , , , , , ,

The Friday Reflection
April 3, 2020
Rev. Michael Backlund

He called it sauntering. He hated the word, “hiking.” He didn’t march. He didn’t powerwalk. He didn’t run. He sauntered.
When we consider great leaders, a sauntering one doesn’t usually come to mind, but we’d be wrong about that. He was a great leader.
Tireless in his efforts to educate the public and convince politicians to conserve some remnant of our national wilderness, he caught the imagination of a president. In 1903, Teddy Roosevelt joined him for a three-day camping trip to Yosemite. Their first night together was spent beneath the Grizzly Giant in the Mariposa Grove, about which Roosevelt would later write, “The majestic trunks, beautiful in color and in symmetry, rose round us like the pillars of a mightier cathedral than ever was conceived even by the fervor of the Middle Ages.”
Two nights later sitting around a crackling campfire in the meadow by Bridalveil Fall, they talked, and talked some more. And in the end, a president became a follower, and convinced of its rightness, arranged the legislation needed to end California’s control of Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove and bring them under the care of Yosemite National Park in 1906 to be preserved and protected in perpetuity.
All of this – and more – by one who merely sauntered.
But saying “merely” isn’t right, is it? For you see, sauntering is not aimless walking around, but a holy undertaking. Sauntering harkens back to the name given to pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, the “sainte-terre-ers.” And for him, sauntering in the Range of Light was a divine vocation, a pilgrimage into the very heart of things: “When we contemplate the whole globe as one great dewdrop, striped and dotted with continents and islands, flying through space with other stars all singing and shining together as one, the whole universe appears as an infinite storm of beauty.”
We Episcopalians, like this giant of a leader, are called and committed to Creation Care. A holy vocation. We stand on holy ground, if we but have eyes to see. God invites us to collaborate in the divine work of preserving and caring for our earthly paradise. Blessed are we beyond all telling to live so close to nature’s cathedrals within our own diocesan borders. In all our great and small ways, may we each commit to becoming a leader in caring for the divine magnificence we call, “The Creation.”
Dear God, help us to follow your holy one, John Muir, who said, “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.” Show us, God, how to become saunterers. And as Annie Dillard advised, fashion us into those pilgrims of life who with each step of our left foot, shout, “Glory!” and with each step of our right foot, proclaim, “Amen!”

Holy Week Lineup

Sunday’s live-stream of the Diocesan Palm Sunday

The service bulletin will be available here by Saturday evening.

You can view Sunday’s service in two different ways:
YouTube | Many experienced this last week, and found that YouTube was the most reliable for many people.
Facebook | They can also find us on Facebook, but what we have found is that Facebook has been overloaded in a way that it was never meant to be by all the different people and places using it. YouTube does not have these same issue.
Join us either way, but know that both are available to you!
It will be live at 10 am.

Reenvisioning Blessing of the Palms
Traditionally during Palm Sunday, congregations gather outside their worship spaces to begin the service. Following a brief liturgy that includes the blessing of palm fronds and palm crosses, congregations trace Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The beginning of our Holy Week journey continues into our sacred spaces where we, the people of God, retell the story of our Lord’s Passion.
On this Sunday, April 5th, we will gather not at the doors of our physical worship spaces, but we will gather together along the road leading into Jerusalem. We will not only be witnesses to this drama, we will also be participants.
Prior to Sunday morning, we invite you to identify an object in your home that is or could be sacred to you. It can be a palm frond from your yard, but it also could be a cross, a picture, a drawing, a photo, or any other object dear to you. During this Palm Sunday liturgy, Bishop David will bless these items.
These sacred objects will be “our palm crosses” for this day, this Holy Week, and throughout the year. These will be the palms we lay at the feet of Jesus as he triumphantly enters Jerusalem. This week, these blessed items will serve as the liturgical appointments in the sanctuary of our homes. Ultimately, these sacred objects will serve as our substitute “palm crosses” for the year that are intended to remind us daily of Jesus’ sacrifice and unconditional love that is revealed to us once again this Holy Week.
For the traditionalist in the group who have access to palm fronds and want to make your own cross, here are two tutorials on how to make a palm cross; video tutorial and graphic tutorial.
For those who would like to make paper crosses you can find a helpful video tutorial HERE!

Spanish Noonday Reflections, 12:00 pm
Join us each day of Holy Week at 12:00 pm on Facebook for a Spanish reflection with Bishop David and Deacon Nelson!

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday Daily Prayers
Monday, we will be hosting Morning Prayer Live at 7:30 am. It will continue to be available throughout the rest of the week.
Tuesday, we will host Evening Prayer live at 6:00 pm.
Wednesday, Compline will be hosted live at 8:00 pm.

Reaffirmation Service, Tuesday at 12:00 pm
We will be postponing our Chrism Mass and Dcn. Nelson’s Liturgy of Installation as Latino Missioner, but we will be holding a reaffirmation service. This service will include clergy’s reaffirmation of their ordination vows, and the laity will be asked to reaffirm their Baptismal Covenant.

Maundy Thursday Re-imagined, 6:00 pm
While Maundy Thursday has traditionally been a time of foot washing and stripping of the altar, this will look different during this time. We are working on a liturgy that offers video liturgy. We invite you to bring your soup, bread, and drink to our Agape Meal in the middle of the service so we can share together. You will then be invited to strip away your own altar at home.
More information to come on this service.

Overnight Prayer Vigil
End of Maundy Thursday Service until Stations of the Cross
While we won’t physically be in our Faith Communities this year for the overnight vigil following the Maundy Thursday service, we still can keep watch by setting aside one hour for meditation and prayer in the “virtual sanctuary” via ZOOM.
We invite you to choose an hour-long time slot in the overnight vigil. During the vigil, we invite you to quietly read and/or pray for that hour as we keep watch leading up to the Good Friday liturgy. The room will display imagery of a candlelit Cathedral.
The goal is to have at least one person observing the vigil at any given hour throughout the Watch.
To sign up, click on the link bellow. Please fill out the information and select a time(s) you are volunteering to maintain the vigil. More than one person can choose to hold the vigil each hour, but we definitely need at least one person. By Wednesday, April 8th, a follow up email will be sent to everyone who has volunteered to participate in the overnight vigil.
You can sign up here for a time slot.

Stations of the Cross and Good Friday, 12:00 pm
Stations will begin at noon and are designed to be done in your home. Stations of the cross will be a bilingual experience with the voices of many people coming together. We are also putting together a children’s stations experience!
The Good Friday liturgy will follow the Stations of the Cross around 1:30 pm and conclude near 3 pm.

Holy Saturday Liturgy, 9:00 am
Holy Saturday will begin with a live liturgy at 9:00 am

Easter Sunday, 10:00 am
Join us for Easter Sunday at 10:00 am! More details to follow.

An excerpt from The Immigrants Creed: “I believe in Jesus Christ, a displaced Galilean, who was born away from his people and his home, who fled his country with his parents when his life was in danger, and returning to his own country suffered the oppression of the tyrant Pontius Pilate, the servant of a foreign power who then was persecuted, beaten, and finally tortured, accused and condemned to death unjustly.”

Spring clean
Donate anything you haven’t worn, used, opened, or looked at in the past year to your local thrift store when they reopen.

 Friday Reflection
All articles and special news can be submitted to the Diocesan Office at: [email protected]
All submissions are due MONDAY for the following Friday Reflection.
Submission requirements:
pictures -JPEG format
articles- word document
document to link- PDF
Please edit pictures for best brightness, contrast, and lighting before sending.

Holy Week Schedule

Palm Sunday
April 5 | 10:00 AM
Morning Prayer
April 6 | 7:30 AM
Reaffirmation Service
April 7 | 12:00 PM
ZOOM & Live
Evening Prayer
April 7 | 6:00 PM
Compline
April 8 | 8:00 PM
Maundy Thursday
April 9 | 6:00 PM
Overnight Vigil
End of Maundy Thursday Service until Stations of the Cross
Sign-up HERE
Stations of the Cross & Good Friday
April 10 | 12:00 PM
Holy Saturday
April 12 | 9:00 AM
Easter Sunday
April 12 | 10:00 AM

Guest Writer

Normal by Rod Geist
“We can’t always know God’s plan.”  “Someday you’ll understand.”  “God has a purpose for everything.”  Trust me, if you know someone who is dealing with any kind of tragedy in their life, don’t give them these answers. They do not help at all.[i]

Continue reading more of Rod’s story and how it might apply to our COVID-19 days.

Face Mask Pattern

The newest CDC guidelines suggest that everyone wear a mask when they are out getting essential items. This helps to prevent any transmission that may be caused by our speech patterns. They do not recommend N95 masks for anyone except healthcare professionals, but homemade ones are effective and easy to make!

A Prayer in Times of a Pandemic
By Dcn. Tom Hampson
Loving God, throughout the Scriptures you call us to “Fear not!”, but these are troubling times for the hardiest souls. Give us courage to face the challenges of this new threat to your human family. Give us prudence, to do the necessary things to protect ourselves and others. Give us the clarity of vision to learn from this disease the lesson we are too prone to forget, that we are all connected, regardless of race or nationality or political persuasion. We pray for those who are struggling with this disease, that their health may be restored. We pray for medical personnel and first responders caring for those in need, that they remain healthy and unflagging in their life-saving work. And we pray for all those economically impacted, that they may find the resources to maintain themselves and their families. We ask all this, trusting in your abiding love, a love that even death cannot defeat. Amen.

Upcoming Event Information

Spanish Immersion at ECCO
Come join us for a week of Spanish learning!
Join us for a week of learning to speak Spanish! You will have time to learn, bring home materials to keep learning, and enjoy many activities among colleagues and friends.
Prices include take home materials, week long materials, lodging, all meals, and activities!
Registration is due by June 10th. We need 25 people minimum to join us! Register blow.
If the program is canceled due to lack of participant registrations, all costs will be refunded.
However, if a participant cancels after the registration cut off date, costs cannot be refunded.
Registrations are due – June 10th
Register HERE
The Episcopal Diocese of San Joaquin, 4147 E Dakota AVE, Fresno, CA 93726
Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with
Constant Contact
Try email marketing for free today!