I have really appreciated reading the prophet Jeremiah over the last several weeks, as selections from that book have been set in the Daily Office Lectionary. Jeremiah was active for around 40 years, from about 627 BC until sometime after 587 BC. That means he witnessed a lot of what happened just prior to, during, and after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians; he covers a lot of ground.

A column featuring parishioner questions on a wide variety of subjects. This month’s column addresses how to pray for others, differences in Episcopal terms like vicar, rector, pastor and cannon, and why God allows suffering.

A few times, in the past, especially when things didn’t seem to be “going my way”, and Ash Wednesday was approaching—with its implication that I should be giving something up—I decided to give up Lent for Lent. I mean, I was already depleted/deprived by life in general, why pile on yet another “hardship”. Some of those years, I did flip the “Lenten Obligation” to the classic “take something on”, like reading Augustine’s Confessions (a really good book by the way!). But, in both cases, something seemed awry—like I wasn’t really “doing it right.”

At the Annual Meeting, I presented, on behalf of the Transition/Visioning Team, a pie chart that represented “A Vision of Good Shepherd.” The chart is a product of the months of listening, talking, praying, and imagining what Good Shepherd might “be” in the years to come. And, of course, what it “might be” is heavily dependent on what it has been. We believe the chart reflects all of that, both looking back and looking ahead.

A new feature of the Sheepskin will be a section where parishioners have the opportunity to ask Fr. Gary a question. It could be theological (“Why did God make mosquitos?”). It could be liturgical (“Why is green the color for all those weeks between Pentecost and Advent?”). It could be biblical (“What’s the ‘order of Melchizedek’?”) Almost anything would be fair game.

A few weeks ago, while meeting with my spiritual director (a Jesuit), the conversation turned towards the issue of “hope.” We were both musing about the effects of COVID on communities, as well as the upcoming (at that time) election. And he pointed me to the introduction of a fellow Jesuit’s book, Images of Hope: Imagination as Healer of the Hopeless (by William F Lynch; University of Notre Dame Press, 1974). That “Introduction” begins: . . .

The season of Advent is all about hope and expectation. And “Hope” seems to be a very appropriate focus for December 2020! So this year, we are coupling an Advent Devotional Practice with a weekly opportunity to share insights and questions, all on the theme “Practicing Hope with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind.”

This Advent, Fr. Gary and his wife, Susan Bailey, will record The Christmas Mystery for the Good Shepherd flock. The book is a literary Advent Calendar, with one chapter for each day from December 1 to December 24. Each chapter will be ready by the appropriate day, . . .