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Words for Epiphany from Evelyn Francis Capel

Man’s history since the coming of Christ appears as the long road of salvation stretching away into the distant future and ourselves as pilgrims upon it. Our present life is part of a long pilgrimage which we make in company with every other human soul in whom shines the true purpose of being human. Every day in each lifetime is a step forward, a standing still, or a step astray from the straight path. The way is long and full of effort. The end is in the distance and at times hard to see distinctly. The temptation is always near to sit down and pause by the roadside, to become an onlooker at the march of life. The road of salvation is trod with courage and a clear sense of purpose. Over it shines the star of Christ, pointing the way, sending the grace of warmth and enlightenment into human hearts. Strength and courage flow into us when we look up to see the star, calling us, as it once called the three wise men, to follow its guiding light… Read more

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Upcoming Retreat in Pennsylvania

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

February 8 – 10, 2013
Tenemos Retreat Center, 1564 Telegraph Road (Rt. 162) West Chester, Pennsylvania 19382

And Jesus said unto them: I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger and he who trusts in me shall never thirst… John 6:35 One of the basic, daily tasks we all face is finding and taking in nourishment. Eating and drinking belong to the core rhythms of our day. Yet sometimes, we reach the end of our day and find that, despite being well-fed, we are living with a much deeper hunger that has not been fulfilled. This awakens in us, the question: What is the daily bread of which the “Our Father” speaks? All over the world, many are awakening to the question: What is it that truly nourishes us? The question will live at the center of our retreat community for this year.

Helping to facilitate our work together at the Retreat will be:  Rev. Marcus Knausenberger, Rev. Nora Minassian, Rev. Peter Skaller and Gillian Schoemaker, Eurythmy

The cost for the weekend is $240 (including meals). For a single room, the cost is $270.00. The deadline for registration is February 4th. Those who register before January 18th will receive a discounted rate of $230.

For registration information and the schedule click on this flyer link:  [download id=”75″]

For information about the retreat center, visit, http://www.temenosretreat.org/

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Perspectives Journal

Perspectives is the journal of The Christian Community in English. Published quarterly in the UK, Perspectives contains articles on religious and theological themes as well as news about Christian Community events. The first issue of the year in December also contains a listing of the Gospel readings for the coming year.

Recent issues have included articles on Crisis and Transformation,The Re-enlivening of the Dying Earth and The Mysteries of the Heart.

The theme of the current issue (Dec. 2012) is “Heavenly Hierarchies”. This issue includes an article written by Cynthia Hindes, priest in Los Angelas, entitled, “Guardian Angels”.  Read Rev. Hindes article here in our blog.

To subscribe (and living in the USA), send a check for $26, payable to The Christian Community San Francisco, to c/0 The Christian Community, 906 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94115.

If a resident of Canada, send a check for $28 made out to Dean Rachel to c/o Dean Rachel, 5279 Oak Place, Delta BC V4K 1L8, Canada

If residing outside the USA or Canada, see [download id=”77″]

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Guardian Angels

Angel photo 1In artistic renderings of angels, three characteristics are frequently pictured. The first is of course that angels have wings. When we think of the earthly creatures that have wings, the birds, we realize that they inhabit a sphere above the earth, the airy regions. They live in a world of light and uplift not limited by earthly gravity. Picturing angels as having wings is an artistic way of saying that angels, too, are not bound to the earthly. They are limitless; they live in expanses. They live with the world of eternity at their backs.

Another characteristic is described in Ezekiel 10:12. It is a mighty description of great angelic beings covered in eyes. Therefore angels’ wings are sometimes artistically rendered as having eyes on them, often by portraying their wings covered in peacock feathers. Eyes convey consciousness. Angels take things in, into a awareness that is broader, brighter, clearer, purer and more transparent than human consciousness. Eyes also shine forth: the gaze of an angel radiates love and recognition. Read more

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Kings Offer Their Gifts to a Child

The Adoration of The Magi, Albrecht-Durer, 1504

The three Kings have recognized that something extraordinary and significant will come into existence. This insight gives them the courage to go on a long and dangerous journey. And when they finally find what they were seeking for, in a little child it makes sense to them as well – despite their age, wisdom and regal dignity – to kneel down, to worship and to offer precious gifts.

Within us also lives a divine child, which is to come, though not yet mature will develop in the future. The worldly “King in us”, who has already in his earthly existence acquired external power, knowledge and maybe even wisdom, and on whom we rely in our everyday decisions, is probably not very much inclined to bow down before a force in our soul which has the voice of a child and has not yet come to perfection.

The image of the three Kings, who bring their gifts, inspires us to see our possibilities to nourish this potential of the divine within ourselves and all human beings.

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Between Heaven and Earth

Sunset from spaceAt sunset, the sun is midway between heaven and earth. Its light hits us in the middle and is warm and full of color. The sun is not too high as to burn our eyes with its light, and not too low as to be swallowed up by the earth. At sunset, the sun is the balance point between heaven and earth.

Within each one of our hearts there is also a sun, an inner sun.
But from time to time, it gets too high, too far away from the earth and its light, our ideals—can burn us, burn others around us with its harshness and judgment…

Read more

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Preparing to Embody Christmas: A Journey through the Threefold Act of Consecration of Man and the Holy Nights

Duccio_di_Buoninsegna_BirthWe come to the Act of Consecration of Man because it holds within it a richness and depth we can work with and be nourished by our whole lives. It is a gift which in itself is full and complete. But then, imagine a gift so precious and great that it cannot be fully given in one Act of Consecration of Man… in the festival of Christmas, something wants to be given to the human being from the spiritual world, a gift that can give us strength for the coming year: the renewed birth of the Child in our hearts.

Beginning Christmas night, we are given the living reenactment of the descent of Christ out of the heavens into our earthly human sphere—for Christ descends anew into our hearts, asking to be born there and thereby born anew on earth. We know it is a poor shed into which we receive Him, but we kindle a light there with our attention and our hope, and He comes!

Read more

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Words for the Newtown Tragedy

For so long humanity has used the sun to guide its way on long journeys. And as striving Christians we too are on a long journey. And on this journey, we are called to put our faith in the sun of what is truly human, to guide our way.

But as everyone knows, the sun sets. Its light goes dark. The tragic events at the elementary school in Connecticut are a picture of the sunlight of our humanity growing dark.

And what can one say in the face of such darkness; such a tragedy? Political debates and discussions about independence and freedom seem out of place and opportunistic. Psychological analysis feels lacking. Even philosophizing about God and the problem of evil seems to take us away from bearing the pain, simply feeling the sadness of the tragedy. Sometimes things happen where silent prayer is the only response.

And even still…. it is true that we are in a battle. Our battle, however, is not with human beings but with spiritual beings and forces that do not believe in the human being. Forces and spiritual beings that work in us, that work in the world that want the sun of our humanity to grow dark.

And so we must fight. But not with aggression and outer weapons, our weapons must be weapons of the active human spirit. We fight with our capacity to endure: courageously enduring together the darkness when it comes. We fight with the weapon of trust; deep trust and understanding that the sun of our humanity is still there even at night, even when the lights go out. And if we have the eyes to see, there were also powerful deeds of sacrifice and love at Sandy Hook. The sun was still there even in the dark.

In this way, we join the ranks of those spiritual beings that do believe in what is human; those spiritual beings that would seek with HIS strength and HIS love to lead us more and more to what we can become.

Rev. Jonah Evans

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Light on the Path to the Center

Thoughts on the words from the Act of Consecration of Man, “Christ‘s light in our daylight”

As far as we know there has always been the perception of light. Since ancient times, light has always been connected with the Divine. The perception of light, of the Divine, is like a golden thread weaving through the unfolding story, the history of humanity’s development. And like the plant and its roots, this golden thread has spread out, becoming finer and finer. It is no longer so much a question of humanity’s relationship to the light but of each and every individual. Perhaps what was once seen and worshiped for instance in ancient Egypt as the sun god Horus is not simply something humanity has outgrown, put aside like child’s play. Perhaps it can be seen, understood as a point on the path of light from the periphery to the center, from the outer to the inner.

I received a card recently which had been signed “your brother Jürgen”. Inside the card was a separate clipping of a little story of wisdom: Read more

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Winter Conferences

Columbia and Her Country

Working with the Spirit of the United States of America: A Conference for Young Adults

January 2-5, 2013, Spring Valley, New York  

In today’s political climate, some are inflamed with political fervor, and others have completely turned away. Is it possible to move beyond political debate to have a conversation that encompasses both the roots and the destiny of the United States?

This January we will engage these questions by exploring the spirit that is at the heart of the founding principles of our nation — liberty, justice, and peace. Before “Lady Liberty” there was “Columbia,” the inspiring Spirit that bound the Founders together and gave their individual struggles and ordeals a common purpose. Is she working still?

Come and join us in taking on this mission! Young adults (18-35), priests Richard Dancey, Nora Minassian, and Jonah Evans, and invited guest Rick Spaulding (American historian and prolific scholar), will gather to work with these themes through presentations, discussion groups and artistic activities.

The Conference will be held in the Spring Valley Congregation at 15 Margetts Rd., Spring Valley, NY.

Click here to register online.  Fee: $100.

Information: Contact Rev. Jonah Evans at 845-573-9080.

Impossible?!  The unlimited potential and power of the human spirit

Winter Youth Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. Service Weekend 

January 18 – 21, 2013, Washington, D.C.

Teenagers from Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, New York and Chicago are coming to the D.C. area for our annual Winter Youth Conference over the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend. In addition to getting to know each other and taking up our theme in conversation and presentations there will be games, music and singing, service work, improvisational city actions and participation in this year’s presidential inauguration.

Priests Patrick Kennedy, Carol Kelly, Liza Marcato and Ann Burfeind will lead the weekend’s activities.

For more information contact Rev. Patrick Kennedy at cckennedy2006@gmail.com.

Click here to register online. Registration deadline is January 11th.

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