The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew has become an official faith partner of Habitat NYC.What  this means is that we commit ourselves to prayer, volunteering of our time,  advocacy, and fundraising.
Our first volunteer build will be at a Habitat project on Ralph Avenue in Brooklyn on Saturday April 27th from 9:15 to to 4:30 PM.  Volunteers must be 16 or older, and no previous experience is required.  Work is limited to the interior and finish work, leaving the exterior, wiring, plumbing to the professionals.  Volunteer coordinators will be on site to supervise all work and to help direct as needed.
There will be other opportunities to help with advocacy and education where children can be involved as well.   Habitat NYC will help with rebuilding home damaged by Hurricane Sandy in Staten Island in May, and it will be a great way for those who helped with Occupy Sandy relief see their work come full circle by help place these people back in their homes.
This is a great opportunity to get to know other members of our congregation, member of other faith organizations in the city pledge to help Habitat NYC, and to work along side the future owners who will be  on site as the build “sweat equity” in their future homes.
There will be a sign up sheet at coffee hour and more information to come in the bulletin or see me.  Thanks!
*******************
Seale “Brother” Ballenger
SHB6964@aol.com
201-360-7333

We’ve been thinking about the parable of the fig tree here at SLM…

Luke 13:6-9

Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Have you ever felt fruitless? Maybe you are feeling that way right now. Often when life feels fruitless we shut down emotionally and spiritual…maybe even physically. The parable of the Fig Tree offers another way…when you are feeling fruitless, spread some manure around and see what happens! Fertilize the parts of yourself that are often neglected. What sort of manure are you called to spread around in this season of repentance? May Lent be a fruitful season that leads you to abundant life now and tomorrow!

I have read numerous announcements about “Ashes-to-go” being offered throughout the Church this Ash Wednesday. I love worship in the streets! Some of my most memorable experiences preaching and worshiping with the people of God have been outdoors in public places. Faithful people often come together in public to pray, work and act together for the common good – to remember their mortality and their responsibility to care for one another and creation. This is the definition of liturgy, the work of the people. Dispensing ashes on street corners (even when accompanied by an explanatory handout with prayers, etc) lacks the intentionality and commitment of time necessary to experience the liturgy of Ash Wednesday in a significant way. I suppose “ashes-to-go” makes the church feel relevant, accessible and good about itself. It seems evangelistic and people-oriented in its performance, but I am afraid it has precisely the opposite effect. Ashes-to-go feeds into an anonymous consumerist approach to reality that says there is always an easier, faster, less costly, more convenient offer waiting in the wings. Ash Wednesday is an opportunity to take time out of our busy lives to commit to repentance and faithful living in community. The church should encourage the people of God to spend more time in prayer and contemplation, not a moment here or there on the subway platform. It is simply not enough. There is nothing convenient about Ash Wednesday- we are asked to do something out of the ordinary. Stop. Kneel. Pray. Remember that you are dust.

Just before Christmas Eve, The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew was set on fire by an arsonist. Damage to the building was extensive, but thanks be to God no one was hurt. We are in the process of rebuilding and the community has never been stronger in its resolve to reach out in love and service to those around us. Our mortality is looking us right in the face. The frailty of our institutions and our sacred spaces in as clear as day. This year we will be offering Ashes-to-stay, because we’re in no rush to move along as if what we are doing is more important than stopping to remember that we are dust. We will share in the liturgy for Ash Wednesday at 7am, noon and 7pm. The rest of the day the church will be open for meditation and reflection. The smell of smoke is still in the air. The ashes of the church fire will be mixed with the burnt palms from last Palm Sunday. We are all dust. To dust we shall return. Take a moment to smell the charred remnant of our common past before we rise together like a Phoenix to greet the Easter dawn. New life is ever before us. Today we smell smoke. Tomorrow, lilies!

Thanks to PBS for this important look into income inequality in our city, our nation and the global economy.

Watch Park Avenue: Money, Power & the American Dream on PBS. See more from Why Poverty?.

Lent, 2013
Dear Friends,

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I write to ask you to join me in supporting the life and ministry of The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew for the coming year.

In 2012, our church has seen increases in Sunday worship attendance, the number of programs offered, participation in weekday services, and significant outreach done by the church. However, the most import increase in 2012 was enthusiasm. Our doors are open in new and exciting ways. Our commitment to being a place of peace, comfort and action in this rapidly changing world is strong!

We want to accomplish even more for the cause of Christ in the coming year and we need your help.

For many years, financial giving to the church remained flat as costs associated with our building and ministries continued to increase. Our beautiful and inspiring church building is now in need of many repairs in addition to regular maintenance. Our neighborhood is in need of quality programs to engage the next generation of churchgoers. Your support is vital in order to maintain our landmark building and expand our ministries.

Will you pledge with me to support our church by giving some of your God-given time, talent and money to the Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew in 2013? A pledge card is included with this mailing which you can offer to God during services in February or you may mail the pledge cards to the church if you are unable to attend services.

Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” The common life of our church and community is built upon the commitment of our time, talent and money – each generously given by people like you. This year’s pledge card offers the opportunity to pledge faithful attendance, participation in various ministries as well as financial giving. Please pray about what you might offer to God and the Church this year as you fill out your card.

As our Lord said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Please give generously and may God bless you richly.

Grace and Peace,

The Rev. Michael Sniffen
Rector

The parable of the mustard seed illustrates the dynamism of faith. It begins small and gets big. That happens within us, between us and beyond us. Jesus was always trying to express to people that the Kingdom of God comes into being in concrete and tangible ways. It begins with a spark and grows into a fire. Justice is contagious. Good begets good and we find that what began as a small seed has become a large enough to provide shelter for us, our neighbors and even our enemies. The Kingdom of God…it starts out small and gets bigger a bigger until all God’s creatures find their place within it. small…BIG! far…NEAR! In this clip, Grover teaches us the difference between near and far. Jesus taught a similar lesson about small and big and found him self just as exasperated as Grover gets by the end of the lesson!Near…Far…

The Rev. Michael Sniffen

The Concord Baptist Church of Christ – Holy Monday 2012

Mark 6:13-29 , 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:6

Thank you to Pastor Simpson for the generous invitation to preach in this church during the holiest of weeks. Thank you to all who prepared this service and thank you to all in attendance for your commitment to the cause of Christ in your daily life and work – for your witness in this neighborhood and in this city, and for your sacrificial love for God’s broken world.

In Paul’s second letter to the corinthians he says: Thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”

We – you and me – and all people of faith and goodwill are the aroma of God. We are the fragrance of life to those who wish to be saved and the fragrance of death to those who are perishing. There’s power in that image.

The fragrance of God is wafting out of us at all times – and to some our scent is irresistible and to others it is repugnant. When we come around – some people smell Chanel #5 and some smell rotting trash. When we show up, some smell blooming lilacs and others smell stinkweed. When we arrive, some smell freshly grilled sweet corn and others smell last weeks moldy left-overs.

You see, the power and the grace and the peace of God is in us (God’s very essence) oozing our of our every pore – We are the body of Christ – and because of that, some are drawn to us – and some can’t stand to be around us…we smell like life, we smell like death. We smell like teen spirit, we smell like BO.

This is the angelic reality of being a person of faith. We smell good to each other and yet we stink!

We don’t set out to be messengers of death, but some things in this world need to die so that God’s people can fully live. There is no resurrection without the cross. As we gather together this week to observe the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord, we must acknowledge that a significant part of the Christian message smells like death to a lot of people, because a big part of our message is that God is going to cast down the mighty from their seats – and they’re not quite ready to vacate.

Jesus’s teachings on love, compassion, justice and peace were so threatening in his time that when the powers-that-be heard about him – the smell of death filled their nostrils and they were terrified. The religions leaders of his time did everything they could to marginalize him…and when they couldn’t do that, they got in bed with the government and arranged to have him gruesomely disposed of on the cross – a much feared instrument of state torture and death.

I’ll tell you this. Times have not changed. When we insist on love, compassion, justice and peace in our neighborhoods, in our city, in our state, in our country and in the world, the powers that be take a wiff, they smell their own death and they seek to snuff us out.

Just look at the mounting protests in our country seeking to organize people to demand justice and peace. Members of these movements are met with police brutality, with arrests, with eviction notices. They are derided in the press. Christian leaders engaged in active protest are painted as instigators or condescendingly cast as naive about the ways the world works. Precisely the opposite is true. Unfortunately, progressive christians are few and far between these days, so we have a lot of work to do.

Make no mistake. Some aspects of Christian life are acceptable to the man. Prayer breakfasts, tea parties, soup kitchens, choir concerts – these sorts of things smell like a summer’s day to those who benefit from the status quo, but when God’s people get to work transforming the corrupt power structures of this world, those who hold the keys to our cells smell trouble and it makes them scared as hell.

Those who benefit from systems that enable a very few to command the vast majority of power, wealth, and resources would prefer that we not be who we are called to be. They would prefer that we stand down. They would prefer that we spend our time making ourselves comfortable and telling others that everything is alright. They would prefer that we not remind each other and our neighbors that we continue to be en-prisoned  by the sins of economic injustice, excessive incarceration, the unlawful mass seizure of homes, unequal access to health care and a growing chasm between rich and poor. They would prefer that we shut up about the fact that we continue to be en-prisoned by racism, sexism, bigotry, homophobia and violence. We are not supposed to say that. It does not smell right to those who who walk the halls of power. We are seen as dangerous and indeed we stink when we follow Christ in triumphal procession to the cross. True humility, devotion and commitment frighten those in authority. That is, in part, why the crucifixion had to happen. The powers-that-be would rather we all go home, watch american Idol, spray febreeze on the problems of the world and wear them for a while longer.

But we cannot do that, can we? We cannot wear injustice any longer. We cannot wear intolerance for another season. We cannot wear denial any longer, as though it will somehow protect us and our children from reality.

No, my brothers and sisters, in this dim world God is calling upon us once more to wear the mantles of prophets and not to be afraid when the powers-that-be declare that we reek to high heaven. For it is our task to look the evil systems of this world in the eye, pronounce them dead, bury them and celebrate our resurrection.

There will be consequences, of course. You remember what Herod did to John the Baptist…a story that has been on repeat over and over again like an old episode of Law and Order.  “It’s all just a little bit of history repeating…”

John the Baptist was sacrificed on the altar of propriety for speaking the truth. Today, the heads of the poor are offered up on silver platters, for whose sake? And it is rationalized as fairness under the law. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Remember, Herod started out saying that he didn’t want to harm John. In fact, he respected him. He knew him to be a righteous and holy man, but that didn’t stop him from chopping his head off in order to preserve his reputation with his dinner guests.  The poor and marginalized today suffer the same consequences. We love the poor. We respect them. And then we decapitate them with policies and laws that make it impossible for them to survive with any dignity.

If the beheadings are to cease, the revolution of love begins with us in Holy Week.

In Holy Week, we proclaim together that the crucifixion, as awful and gruesome as it was -was once for all.  Jesus willingly suffered shame and death in order to expose the unjust systems of this world once and for all so that his people might be liberated from oppression forever.  But the powers-that-be prefer propriety to compassion. They value rules over relationships. When we step out of line, they prefer our heads on a platter.

They will not prevail. For we know how the story ends. Good Fridays come and go. Herod is not the hero… and joy comes in the morning. It’s only Monday, but can you smell the Easter lilies? The cherry blossoms? The fragrance from life to life?

Soon, my friends. Soon. Soon Christ bursts forth from his three day prison smelling fresh as a daisy. Riding on the wings of the morning…seeping out of the pores of his followers as we share fellowship and active resistance to the powers-that-be together. Christ bursts forth in us declaring a new day in which all God’s people are free to grow and flourish like a freshly planted garden. It shall be so.

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”  John 20:1-2

Dear Friends in Christ,

Lent offers us the opportunity to reflect on the challenges and joys of life and to renew ourselves in body, mind and spirit, as we prepare for our primary celebration as Christians, Easter.

At this difficult time in global history, we may feel tempted to skip Christ’s crucifixion and death and go straight on to the resurrection!

Crucifixion and death seem to be all around us. The realities of lost jobs and difficult financial times make it hard to see much light in the world. Natural disasters, war and civil unrest continue to tear apart the lives of many of God’s children. Daily struggles with illness and addiction are still very real. With bad news on TV day after day, it is easy to give up hope for a better tomorrow.How do we, as people of faith, make sense out of all the beauty and wonder and pain and suffering that exist at the same time in our lives?

The seasons of Lent and Easter help us to remember that suffering and joy are both a part of the life of faith. We recall the passion, death and resurrection of Christ as we come to terms with our own suffering, the suffering of the world, and at the same time – the deep hope and joy we have knowing that resurrection is just around the corner. We recognize the tension and divisions in our world and renew our commitment to living lives of hope in the midst of our trials.

Committing ourselves to renewal during Lent helps us to arrive at the Easter Feast compassionately and fully alive. When Mary Magdalene discovered that the tomb was empty, she felt lost. She ran and told two of the disciples that Jesus body had been taken and she did not know where! Can you relate to feeling lost sometimes, even though you believe that the Lord is Risen? That is how the first Easter felt after the first Good Friday.

Finding the tomb empty still shocks us because it happens when we least expect it – While it is still dark. When things are tough, suddenly we discover that the stone has been rolled away while we were not looking and a new day is dawning. May you wake up this Easter morning to find every tomb in your life open and empty. May you see the Risen Lord calling you to live fully into the reality of His Resurrection. God wishes for you to have new and abundant life, right now…wherever you are on life’s journey.

I invite you to participate in the many Lenten opportunities taking place at The Church of St. Luke and St. Matthew. I look forward to praying with you through Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum and to arriving on Easter Morning with you revived and refreshed, filled anew with the love of God in Jesus Christ.

May God’s blessing be upon you and your family this Lent and throughout the Easter Season!

The Rev. Michael Sniffen, Priest-in-Charge

At the 145th Convention of the Diocese of Long Island, Fr. Michael presented a resolution in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement co-sponsored by fellow clergy and the Bishop. It passed overwhelmingly. The full text of the resolution is below. Click here to listen to one of our youth delegates, Janae Headly, also an acolyte and confirmand speak in support of the resolution on the floor. Nadejah Seon, our other youth delegate was also a co-sponsor.

Concerning Support for Occupy Wall Street

and All Peaceful Movements

for Economic and Social Justice

BE IT RESOLVED that the 145th Convention of the Diocese of Long Island supports the October 23rd resolution of Executive Council stating that “the growing movement of peaceful protests in public spaces in the United States and throughout the world in resistance to the exploitation of people for profit or power bears faithful witness in the tradition of Jesus to the sinful inequities in society” and calling upon “Episcopalians to witness in the tradition of Jesus to inequities in society.”
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this convention recognizes the necessity for economic and social justice, accountability and fairness in the financial systems of our world and the promise of spiritual and democratic renewal for all.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this convention calls upon all elected officials and those in the financial industry to conduct themselves in a manner that upholds the dignity of every human being.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this Convention acknowledges the deep spiritual issues caused by the callousness, greed and exploitation currently plaguing our society. We stand with the Occupy Wall Street Movement and all those who speak out for economic and social justice in our midst.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this convention encourages members of The Diocese of Long Island to use their resources to support movements laboring to create a more just society.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this convention direct the Secretary of Convention to immediately publish this resolution on the Diocesan website, in the Dominion, and to send a press release to all major New York and national news outlets.

EXPLANATION: The Baptismal Covenant in the Book of Common Prayer (1979) compels all baptized persons to “strive for justice and peace among all people” and to “respect the dignity of every human being.” In the United States and throughout the world, people are suffering indignity and distress due to economic and social injustice of staggering proportions. This resolution confirms our resolve as people of faith to do all in our power to support God’s people who hunger for justice and daily bread.
Respectfully Submitted:
The Rev. Brian Blayer
The Rev. Michael T. Sniffen
The Rev. John Merz
The Rev. John E. Denaro
The Rev. Kassinda Ellis
The Rev. Canon Raewynne Whitley
The Very Rev. Christopher Hofer
The Rev. Sheldon Hamblin
The Rev. Margaret A. Peckham Clark
The Rt. Rev. Lawrence C. Provenzano
The Venerable Brenda Overfield
Ms. Nadejah Seon (Youth Delegate)
Ms. Janae Headly (Youth Delegate)
The Rev. Dr. Cecily P. Broderick y Guerra
The Rev. Charles F. McCarron
The Rev. Nell Archer
The Rev. Luke Fodor