IT'S TIME! The Annual Parish Festival will be held TODAY, September 8th. It's going to be a gorgeous late summer day, and we hope that you'll join us on our beautiful campus! Newcomers, long-time parishioners, been-away folk, young, mature, very mature, 8:00'ers, 10:30'ers… come one, come all to enjoy the fellowship, food and games on the lawn, and help us celebrate life at Christ Church! The 8:00 service will be held in New Brick, as usual. The 10:30 service will be held outdoors, under the trees between the parish hall and New Brick. Following the 10:30 service, the festival will begin with food, cotton candy, music, inflatables for the young-at-heart, and displays of the many gatherings and events that are happening this fall at Christ Episcopal Church. See you there!

College football season is underway. Alex and Elizabeth are pumped up for Florida. Sara is rooting for Alabama. Sonni, I believe, is hoping that Oklahoma will make a great showing this year. Shannon and Pam may be wondering about Auburn. How about Maryland? I have no idea!! I didn’t catch college football fever until I drove to Cambridge with a bunch of rowdy students from Yale. We went there to watch "The Game" - as they call it - between Harvard and Yale. I couldn't believe the many busloads of students who traveled from New Haven to The Game that Saturday morning. When I arrived at Cambridge with my friends, we found parking and walked to lots that were dedicated solely for tailgating. This was my first experience at a tailgate. There were so many people, so much food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, music, cars... you name it. I was totally blown away. We had so much fun. Some time in the afternoon, we walked to the designated Yale area of the stadium. There were lots and lots of alumni from both Harvard and Yale with their families, students, and many community folk who came to the game wearing all kinds of school-related gear. The stadium was packed, and you could tell people were simply having a great time. That was the last (and only) time that I have ever been to a tailgate. What is it that draws people of many different persuasions and tribes to rally around a particular team? For many of those who came to watch the game, it was possibly a one-off event and, for a short time, they create memories with others through their shared experience that day. But it is something else to follow any sports team with the same group of people who look out for each other week in and week out, and experience a camaraderie without which their lives are all the more empty. Shared experiences, if you will, deepen human connections. Whether it is thousands of people or only a few hundred who follow a particular team, it appears that there’s a deep spiritual bond between a team and its supporters. No matter how disappointed we are with our team, the ties that bind us to them are often so strong that we refuse to walk away, even when our hearts are ripped apart by their performance. Our shared experiences of a team - our history, if you will - connect us in so many intangible ways. We hold out a kind of hope that assures us that we are not alone, and that the following season can be much better than the past season, or this present one. Our shared experience with a team is one of enduring the ups and downs with other supporters with whom we are yoked. Christian tradition is also deeply rooted in shared experience. The Old Testament, for example, is littered with stories where the shared experience of a people who simply gathered together and were inspired - often in dramatic ways - to find a much richer meaning to life, one more enriching than their present circumstances. In the New Testament, it is through gathering, sharing, and offering mutual support from one to another that churches grow, and people are inspired to embrace the task of redefining human history from the lens of a shared experience rooted in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. Through fellowship, or neighborliness - being warm with others - we create avenues where we can gather, and be inspired or uplifted to create new and enduring stories that give meaning to our lives. Among the many avenues for fellowship at Christ Church is the upcoming Parish Festival. A wonderful celebration that is fun, welcoming, and pleasurable. For me, each annual picnic is a reminder of my first celebration with you as your new Rector - that is also our shared experience. Football season is underway. Parish Festival is also here with us. It may not be just like a tailgate party at Cambridge or anywhere else, but we will have lots to offer and to share at our special picnic on this Sunday, September 8th. Remember, celebrations like these are some of the precious moments where we can create new and enduring narratives for ourselves and our parish community. ~Manny

It's almost time! The Christ Church Annual Flea Market and Bake Sale is hosted by the Women of Christ Church, and will be held on Saturday, September 14th. It runs from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and takes place on the parish grounds. You can have your own space in the market, so reserve yours now! Alternatively, if you’re cleaning out closets or garages, the Spiritual Life Commission will be sponsoring the White Elephant tables, & welcomes your unwanted treasures. The rain date is the following Saturday, September 21st. In the past, proceeds from Christ Church Flea Markets have gone towards a variety of parish ministries, property improvements, Outreach projects and Youth Group programs. Those of you interested in selling your own items can rent your own space in the Flea Market by filling out one of the forms available on the information table located in the Narthex. There is also a link to a printable form on our website's main page under the "Upcoming Christ Church Gatherings" section. If you’re interested in having your own space, please fill one of the forms out soon, as availability is limited and we do tend to run out. The turnout for our Annual Flea Market is always significant, so whether you’re someone who wishes to sell their wares or are simply looking for that unique item to take home, we hope that you can come and join us! If you have any questions, contact us.

We need your books for the Flea Market Book Table. Now’s your chance to clear out those books you’ve read that are taking up space in your bookshelves and side tables, and support a worthy cause.   The Women Of Christ Church group is looking for donations of books for our book tables.   Please drop off your books in the parish hall, lower level (follow the signs).   We will be accepting book donations beginning Sunday, September 8th, and all through that week, during office hours. You will be able to find great new reads at awesome prices at the Flea Market, on Saturday, September 14th.    If you have any questions about the book sale and donations, you can email us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org See you at the Flea Market!

This is the Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost. Readings for today: Jeremiah 2:4-13 Psalm 81:1, 10-16 Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 Luke 14:1, 7-14 The Collect of the Day: Lord of all power and might, the author and giver of all good things: Graft in our hearts the love of your Name; increase in us true religion; nourish us with all goodness; and bring forth in us the fruit of good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen. Father Manny's Sermon for the day is available to read here.

One of many personal stories that I often share is my experience with hospice in Philadelphia. It is one ministry that I will forever be grateful. This ministry opened my eyes to the other side of life, if you will. It is the side that is often swept under the carpet because it pushes us to think about our mortality - yes, the reality that we won’t be around here forever. This stark reality did hit me a couple of weeks ago when a family called to let me know that a one-time parishioner was near death and would appreciate a visit. I went by the next day to visit with this parishioner, but as I made my way to the lobby of the assisted living facility where she had been on hospice, the family - whom I didn’t know - simply asked if I was Fr. Manny. When I responded in the affirmative, they told me that their loved one passed on a few minutes ago. I asked if I could still visit and say a prayer for her. They said I could, and together we all walked into her room. There she was, lying on her bed and at peace. "Her death came a little too fast," one said. "We thought she would be around for a little longer," said another. I am glad I was there to see her and to say a prayer for her - a gesture for which she would’ve appreciated if she knew I came by to see her, to touch her, and to bless her with a prayer to the God who fashions all of our lives. There’s a book by Dr. Kathryn Mannix, a palliative care specialist, called With the End in Mind. In this book, Dr. Mannix relies on multiple case studies to describe the possibility of meeting death gently, with forethought and preparation, and she shows the unexpected beauty, dignity, and humanity of a life coming to an end. Her belief is that we approach death not with fear but with clarity, openness, and understanding. And, to a greater extent, that is what hospice is about - an opportunity to embrace the end with grace and dignity. There’s a parishioner who always reminds me of this with these words: "We begin to die the moment we are born." Yes, our life story begins with our birth. We’re not consulted about our parentage, our ethnicity, the circumstances into which we are born, our gender, our sexuality, or anything else. And all too soon, life is snatched from us just as we were starting to enjoy it; or we’re left to dwindle too long and we get sick of it. Either way, we have no say about the time, place, and manner of our demise. All in all, it seems like a pretty bad deal and disheartening at best. But that is not the whole story. We learn that life is a gift of grace, and that through the exercise of our free will we can – within the boundaries of whatever life throws at us – shape its disposition. We learn which battles to fight, the things we can change and want to change, and the things we cannot change or would be better off not trying to change. Does that remind you of the Serenity Prayer by Richard Niebuhr? God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace; taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen. Pray this prayer as often as you possibly can. Let it sit in you and fill your heart, mind, and will. Truth is, as we shape the disposition of our lives we are also shaping the disposition of our deaths. Leonardo da Vinci thought about this when he wrote ‘While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.’ Each morning sun awakens us to the reality of an ever-approaching end to a storied life. Each sunrise greets us with the gift of another day to make the necessary changes. The point still remains... if we live well, accepting freely and peacefully the things that we cannot change, our lives and our deaths will both be manifestations of the freedom that God has given to us. With that freedom in mind, learn to enjoy every single moment of your life. Be happy now. Don’t wait for something outside of you or your experience to make you happy. Ponder on the preciousness of the time you have to spend with your family, loved ones, friends and colleagues. With that freedom in mind, enjoy and savor every minute of your precious life with the knowledge that life is a journey with problems to solve, lessons to learn and, above all, experiences to enjoy. With that freedom in mind, do not take life for granted. Live it to its fullest glory. ~Manny

This is the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost. Readings for today: Jeremiah 1:4-10 Psalm 71:1-6 Hebrews 12:18-29 Luke 13:10-17 The Collect of the Day: Grant, O merciful God, that your Church, being gathered together in unity by your Holy Spirit, may show forth your power among all peoples, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Father Manny's Sermon for today is available to read here.

Remember that one theory you tried very hard to understand in middle school or high school, but for whatever reason never did? There are four or five theories that I couldn’t fathom in middle or high school. One such theory was the Magnetic Principle - like poles repel each other, whereas unlike poles attract each other. I always wondered why. It seemed to me that the contrary should be the case. Why would unlike poles attract each other? I would beat myself up trying to understand why like poles would repel but unlike poles attract. It simply didn't make any sense to me. Why like poles and unlike poles? This past Sunday before the 10:30 service, one of our parishioners shared with me a story he had read in the Washington Post that morning, a story about a man named Mr. Basco in El Paso, Texas. This parishioner was so moved by the raw humanity in the story. The overflow of affection that covered city blocks with people, the many flowers that were donated... I mean, who wouldn't want to celebrate the beauty of humanity, if you were to witness this show of support? The story is about a widower whose wife was a victim of the recent shootings in El Paso. This husband and wife are the only two in a family, with no children or any blood relation in El Paso - just the two of them. Just like the like and the unlike pole, they were attracted to each other and had found comfort and strength in one another - unlike poles who had met at a bar years before. They had lived their life together with the hope - maybe - many years ago, that they would have children of their own to mourn them. But alas, it did not happen. I am not sure that scenario deterred them from living fulfilling lives, nor should it have. But here he was, dealing with a shattered reality, one involving this person whom he knew and had loved for God knows how long. The one person who, at a chance meeting at a bar, swept him off his feet. You also may have a similar memory of someone who swept you off your feet. For him, this was the person who became his best friend and life partner. The one person with whom he said his prayers before nightfall, and again before the in-breaking of the morning sun, was now dead from an assassin’s bullet. The one person to whom he was attracted - unlike poles and like poles. What was he to do now? With whom would he mourn the cruel death of a wife who had been, for him, more than a sustaining breath and presence? Well, with the most powerful tool he had, he invited everyone to the send-off party for the one person he loved. And, guess what? Many people joined him. Hundreds, in fact. People he didn’t know and never previously met showed up to mourn with him and comfort him with a kind word and a prayer. Yes, like poles do also attract, for we are all attracted to the beauty we see in each other. It is my understanding that many flowers were sent to the funeral home by people who couldn’t be there themselves, yet felt a deep sense of obligation to send what they could. In the end, the widower who wondered about mourning by himself realized that he wasn’t alone, but instead had a legion of family who defied the principle of magnetism in the quest to represent the best of humanity. At its best, humanity is beautiful, and beauty is attractive. Yes, unlike poles may attract whereas like poles may repel each other. But this principle becomes operational only when we begin to see poles as being representative of south and north - like a magnet. For I think the best of humanity isn’t about poles; the best of humanity is about a circle. One that is like God’s love, which has no beginning and no end. More to the point, the circle possesses the ability to touch and draw in everyone - whether of like poles, or of unlike poles. I don’t know what moved the many hundreds of people who responded to the poor widower’s invitation to mourn with him. But I surely do know that, in this particular case, as in many other similar cases where the best of humanity is lived out, like poles do not repel, because grief knows no poles - either north or south. Unlike poles do attract because the caring of people and the demonstration of compassion knows no poles - neither south, nor north. I believe that within each sinew of our makeup lies the best of us. It is that part of us that always awaits a moment to shine. Mr. Basco couldn’t believe that he was not alone in his grief. There were many others who, for the sake of that one thing which attracts us to each other, reject the north-and-south-pole, the repel-and-attract dichotomy, and believe that we can all be family because we can all share in one another's grief and joy. Hatred does repel, but love attracts. And be it the like pole or unlike pole, be it north or south, there’s an attractive gift that is more powerful and life-giving, and it is within each of our own's ability to offer that to anyone - as many had to Mr. Basco. ~Manny

This is the Tenth Sunday after Pentecost. Readings for today: Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:1-2, 8-18 Hebrews 11:29-12:2 Luke 12:49-56 The Collect of the Day: Almighty God, you have given your only Son to be for us a sacrifice for sin, and also an example of godly life: Give us grace to receive thankfully the fruits of his redeeming work, and to follow daily in the blessed steps of his most holy life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. You can read Father Manny's Sermon by clicking here.

There’s a popular expression: ‘What goes around, comes around’. It’s slang for ‘You reap what you sow'. In my experience, however, the phrase is invariably used negatively, as a warning, a lesson drawn from a cautionary tale. Thomas à Kempis put it more positively: “Whatsoever is done out of pure love, be it ever so little or contemptible in human sight, is wholly fruitful; for God measures more with how much love you work, than the amount you do.” It is safe to argue that Thomas gave much more weight to a small act that is driven by love, than to one which may be larger but is devoid of any semblance of love. There’s a simple lesson we can draw from this: never underestimate the amount of good that one humble, kind word or deed can do. But there’s a more significant lesson, one that goes even further: that goodness is more infectious than evil. Saint Augustine teaches us that, in the end, what’s wrong with evil is that it won’t finally exist; it may inflict unimaginable pain on us or our loved ones, or it may destroy us and our families, but it is of no lasting purchase or value. Good, on the other hand, is a token or signifier of what will last forever. Good forever triumphs over evil. I am yet to watch a movie or hear a story which didn’t ultimately conclude with a triumph of the best of us - the good. One of the headaches of any parent is the possibility of their child falling into bad company. This worrying stems from the belief that evil is infectious and that by keeping the wrong company, it is likely that a child may end up being one. But the inspiring thing about Thomas a Kempis’ words is this: it’s not evil that’s infectious, it’s good. A good deed or gesture is like a mark in indelible ink: once made, it can never be eradicated. It’s written in the blood of Christ. A good deed is like one of those markers with which a child from Lake Elkhorn Middle School will inscribe his or her name on a paper, a notebook, or a textbook. That is why this particular week has become a moment of pride for me. Over the past year, we have seen a significant increase in the outreach by members of Christ Church to Lake Elkhorn Middle School. Some of us, for example, participate in the mentorship program and help with homework. Christ Church also provides gift cards to incentivize parents, and supplies snacks for parent workshops on a monthly basis. Beginning with this coming school year, we hope to extend our outreach by supporting teacher and staff celebrations, and to honor them on their birthdays. This will be our attempt to extend the depth of our appreciation to those teachers and staff who give their best in this life-transforming work. I remain extremely thankful to all of you for your generosity, support and dedication. It fills me with the deepest joy to know that our parish family will be providing LEMS with one hundred and fifty backpacks stuffed with all the necessary school supplies required by the Howard County Public School System. This is such an incredible feat for our congregation and, as I said in my sermon last Sunday, we are not obligated to undertake this task but rather we are willing and happy to support the children because we believe in God’s future for each child. Similarly, we also affirm this idea that good is infectious, and that the good which goes around comes around. With almost all of our shopping concluded, we will all gather as a community to meticulously stuff seventy-five of the backpacks each on the Sundays of August 18th and 25th, from 9:15-10:15 a.m., filling them with all of the necessary supplies. I have no doubt in my mind that you would want to be a part of this exciting moment in our common life, and hope that you'll join us. Good IS infectious, and the good that goes around, does surely come around. For me, the most important thing is the smile that lights up a child’s face because of the goodness or kindness of an adult. That is what drives me - that a kid can tell that someone - a stranger - cares so much about him or her. Always remember that the good you do is the most viable and visible way in which God uses you to perfect His creation. And that the good, which is infectious, has the ability to light up a child’s world. I've learned that every day may not be good, but there's something good in every day. May you be that something... may you all continue to be infectious. ~Manny

She was among the many who succumbed to the hail of bullets from her brother. It most likely never crossed her mind that she would be shot by her brother. Perhaps neither did he imagine that his sister would be one of his victims. Maybe, just maybe, if he knew his sister was in the crowd, that would have made a difference. We may never know for sure, but what we do know is on that single evening in Dayton, Ohio, a mother and father lost two children through an act of violence perpetrated by one of them. Several other mothers and fathers also lost their children that same night, by the hands of that same man. Across the country in El Paso, Texas, another gunman - raging with hatred and pent-up anger - walked into a Walmart and shot at least twenty-two people to death. Among his victims was a seventy-seven-year-old man who took a bullet for the sake of his wife. As the gunman shot his victims, a soldier was also busily working to shield children from the hatred that spewed from that WASR-10 rifle. For the life of me, I find it difficult to imagine how people reach a point in their lives where another person’s life is of such little to no value that they can perpetrate any act of violence towards them. Families across America are hurting; they wail in the middle of the night in silence, for it appears they have lost their voices. Families lie on their beds, and stare at their ceilings in hopelessness. Many are those who wonder, "What can we do about this recurring menace?" or, "What should our political leaders do about this menace?" I am always reminded of a story about Senator Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio. He is a man I have come to respect. He was against gay marriage, against the adoption of children by gay parents, and voted for a constitutional amendment against gay marriage. However, an incident happened in his life that caused him to change his position. That incident involved his son. His middle child came out as gay and, for that reason, he changed his mind. I believe he came to realize that, because his opposition was no longer theoretical nor about others, but was against his own son, he changed his mind. "Well," you may ask, "what has Senator Portman changing his mind got to do with gun violence?" A lot. The terrible tragedy we all face is the assumption that we are somewhat insulated from any act of gun violence. We might say: we live in a suburb, our homes are secured, our children’s schools are secured with an officer on standby. We convince ourselves with all sorts of platitudes that are meant to comfort us into thinking that no such act would be committed against us. And I agree. But if you think about these issues more deeply, you will come to realize that the El Paso killings were at a Walmart, the Dayton massacre was at a bar, Sandy Hook was at a school, the 2018 Pittsburgh killings were in a Synagogue, and the 2015 Charleston killings were in a church. Sara Kirkpatrick, Christ Church's Junior Warden, recently attended a seminar on how churches and different organizations should respond to the epidemic of gun violence. The reality is that these perpetrators choose easy targets, places where they can inflict the most damage on the most people. I have these questions for your consideration: are you planning on not going to the Columbia Mall during the holidays? Are you planning on not going to Walmart any longer? Are you planning on eating at home for the rest of your life? Are you planning on not ever visiting a theater to see a good movie? Are you planning on no longer worshiping at Christ Church, or any other church? Maybe you can protect yourself, but can you protect your children through all the days of their lives? No, you cannot. Can you protect your loved ones and grandchildren all the same? No, you cannot. At some point, they also would all become vulnerable to these very things we see happen to other people. And, insofar as neither you nor anyone you know can completely insulate themselves from gun violence, you do not need to wait to be a victim before you speak out or change your mind on an issue - as Senator Portman did. You can change your mind, but you don’t have to wait until it comes a little too close to home. There’s a West African story of a man who had so many insurmountable problems at home that he sought the help of a fetish priest in dealing with his many issues. After narrating all his problems to the fetish priest, the priest asked the gentleman to return in two weeks with some samples of dirt from his compound. On the appointed day, the gentleman returned to see the priest with the sample of dirt. After performing his rituals, the priest said to him, "I don't know if you can handle hearing this." The man responded, "Go ahead. I want to hear it." The fetish priest then said to him, "Your two boys are not your sons, your daughter is seeing five different men, and your wife is pregnant from your own brother. The man looked incredulously at the fetish priest, and burst out in laughter. The fetish priest was bemused, and asked him, "Why are you laughing? These are some very serious issues that you are dealing with, so why are you laughing?" The man then said to the priest, "I was running late on my way to see you and I forgot to bring the dirt sample, so I dug out some dirt from your compound." The priest couldn’t believe his ears. We've all heard cries similar to the sister’s cry of agony, but most of us have become like this fetish priest, offering diagnoses about others when those diagnoses are really about us. The problem isn’t solely with the two recent gunmen, or any other perpetrator of gun violence; the real problem is about a society that has to endure these perennial violent acts perpetrated upon its people - defenseless people, if I may add - and a society that appears to tolerate these acts with the offers of thoughts and prayers, and then tragically move on as if nothing ever happened. You know why? Because it isn’t close enough to home, yet. I am not advocating for the abolition of gun rights, for I know many responsible people who own guns. But my burning question is, "Is it at all possible, is it within the framework of human imagination to have sensible gun laws which would, at the barest minimum, ensure that you and I and the people we love can go about shopping, eating, drinking, worshiping, dancing, learning, and living in an environment where they don’t have to wonder about the next gunman? If it is possible, then why don’t we do it? Where is that courage and moral fortitude?" Bear in mind, none of us are truly insulated from any of these tragedies, and we do not have to wait until we become a victim, or a loved one becomes a victim, before we fight for the change that is necessary. By then, it might be a little too late. A sister’s cry echoes through Dayton today, and throughout the country. But it appears lost in the midst of a cacophony of screams we hear at the bar, at Walmart, and in many other places. But we hear it nonetheless. The good thing is we hear the cry. And whenever we hear a cry, as faint or as loud as it may be, we are moved by compassion to act. I hope this cry will move us to act. I hope. ~Manny