Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
"Marketing Reality" - The Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard, September 25, 2011
May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. Amen.
This week, a television commercial, that if I remember correctly was first seen at a Superbowl, is being rebroadcast. It begins with a child costumed as Darth Vader walking around his house attempting to get gadgets to work, and toys to move, using the force. In the background, John Williams’ theme music for Darth Vader plays as gadget after gadget does nothing.
It continues with the child’s father pulling up in his car, a Volkswagon Passat, parking it, and walking inside. At the same time, the Darth Vader clad kid goes outside, stands in front of the car, and does the force move. From inside the house, the dad presses the power button and the car turns on, remotely. The child is stunned, thinking that he has made this happen.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
"Peace and Forgiveness" - The Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard, September 11, 2011
Listen to the Audio File
“The greatest memorial to those who died ten years ago will be a world more inclined toward peace.” Katherine Jefferts Schiori, 26th Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
This day marks the 10th anniversary of September 11, 2001, a day that will be emblazoned on the hearts, souls, and memories of everyone who witnessed or heard of the events taking place in the air, in New York City and in Arlington, VA. I was thousands of miles away from the epicenters of the tragic events of that most hallowed day, but I can still remember responding, as an ordained person of faith, to events that should change the way we live.
On that day, I was the chaplain of St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. The news of a plane crashing into one of the World Trade Center buildings was first heard just minutes before the opening bell of that school day. The details and the significance were not yet known. I turned on the television in an empty classroom to attempt to pick up a signal (no cable and no antenna). The picture was snowy, and Dan Rather’s voice shaky as he described events as they happened. It became clear that the country, we thought so safe and secure, was under attack. CNN’s internet server couldn’t keep up with the onslaught of queries, so our knowledge of events unfolding were sketchy, at best. The picture on the screen was no clearer, but the picture of what was happening to us and to the world we knew was becoming clearer every moment. Many people were losing their lives as gigantic and iconic buildings fell to the ground as we watched. Only later, would we learn of the events at the Pentagon, just a few miles from St. Patrick’s, and I’m sure much more traumatically evident to those of you living in this area, at that time. As more information became known, we heard the stories of heroes on the plane that ended its flight in the fields of Shanksville, PA.
What I remember was wondering what to do as chaplain of a school charged with the spiritual lives of hundreds of children. My colleagues and I decided to share what little we knew with our Middle School students. It was not an announcement made over a loud speaker or even by shuffling between classrooms. We gathered, as we did everyday, in the chapel. The buzz was palpable as we described what we knew and then prayed. Prayer for the many lives lost, for the safety of others, and that fearful events would end. The uncertain future in that moment was palpable. Teachers and students alike had never experienced such historic tragedy. What was next was clouded by what had already taken place.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
This Week at St. Patrick's - September 8, 2011
Here is our very informative weekly email about everything going on this week at St. Patrick's. On Sunday we have a special cookout following the 10am service--join us!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
"What is Church?" - The Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard, September 4, 2011
Listen to the Audio File
Matthew 18.15-20
Matthew 18.15-20
Dear God, thank you for creating us in your image and not
the other way around. Amen.
 |
| Church is not about excommunication. It is about honest relationship! |
I called my mom to ask her to help me with this sermon. I
knew that she would recall what happened in my childhood, because she was
there. What I wanted to remember specifically was a time when she and my dad
required me to apologize to someone I had wronged. I knew this had happened,
many times. I could still feel the pang in my stomach and the feeling of utter
aloneness when I approached the person I had wronged. It is, no doubt, a
feeling you have experienced and it is certainly not limited to childhood. And
yet, I can’t remember whom I approached or what the wrong was. So, I called my
mom. I knew she would remember because she assigned me the task that caused the
feeling in the first place.
On the phone, I explained what I was trying to remember. My
mom remembered that it happened but she, like me, couldn’t remember a specific
example. She did remember when another child in my pool of friends was required
to apologize to her. But that just wasn’t going to work as an example for this
sermon. It did prove something. It is not so important what I did, but how I
responded to it.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
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