Lent Madness 2013

What is Lent Madness?

Lent Madness began in 2010 as the brainchild of the Rev. Tim Schenck. In seeking a fun, engaging way for people to learn about the men and women comprising the Church’s Calendar of Saints, Tim came up with this unique Lenten devotion. Combining his love of sports with his passion for the lives of the saints, Lent Madness was born on his blog “Clergy Family Confidential.”

The format is straightforward: 32 saints are placed into a tournament-like single elimination bracket. Each pairing remains open for a set period of time and people vote for their favorite saint. 16 saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the coveted Golden Halo. The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as we offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch.

As Lent Madness continues to grow and evolve, what won’t change is the essence of Lent Madness: allowing people to get to know some amazing people who have come before us in the faith and reminding one another that there’s no reason for a dreary Lenten discipline. If this helps people connect with the risen Christ during this season of penitence and renewal, and have a bit of fun in the process, then it continues to be worthwhile.

We hope you’ll participate fully this Lent and vote with reckless abandon! (Once — this isn’t Chicago).

To learn more, visit the website:  http://www.lentmadness.org/

To see this year's bracket: http://www.lentmadness.org/bracket-2013/

Join in the fun and learn about the saints this Lent!

Bible Challenge 2013: Chronological New Testament

In the New Testament, among the things we learn by reading it in chronological order is, in a sense, the obvious: mainly that there were vibrant Christian communities. I call them ‘Christ communities’ since there was not a separate religion called ‘Christianity’ in the first century. There were vibrant Christ communities spread out around the Mediterranean world before any of the documents were written, so the documents give us glimpses, or windows, into what those Christ communities were like. And they make clear that the New Testament as a whole, including the gospels, are the product of those communities, written to those communities, and in many cases written within those communities. So, we learn that it’s not that the gospels created early Christianity but early Christianity produces the gospels as well as the other documents. ~ Marcus Borg

New Testament chronological order according to Marcus Borg:

1 Thessalonians
Galatians
1 Corinthians
Philemon
Philippians
2 Corinthians
Romans
Mark
James
Colossians
Matthew
Hebrews
John
Ephesians
Revelation
Jude
1 John, 2 John, 3 John
Luke
Acts
2 Thessalonians
1 Peter
1 Timothy
2 Timothy
Titus
2 Peter

from Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written
by Marcus Borg, HarperOne , 2012

Marcus Borg is canon theologian at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Portland, Ore., and Hundere Distinguished Professor of Religion and Culture, emeritus, at Oregon State University.

Bible Challenge 2013: The Psalter

A Monthly Schedule for Reading the Psalms

Archbishop Thomas Cranmer instituted a 30 day cycle of reciting the Psalms, first printed in the 1549 Book of Common Prayer and is still printed today in the Psalter of our Book of Common Prayer, with indications of Psalms appointed for Morning or Evening Prayer.  You can read through all 150 Psalms on a monthly basis, thus repeating them twelve times a year.

# = Day
    Top is Morning
    Bottom is Evening
1
    1 - 5
    6 - 8
2
    9 - 11
    12 - 14
3
    15 - 17
    18
4
    19 - 21
    22 - 23
5
    24 - 26
    27 - 29
6
    30 - 31
    32 - 34
7
    35 - 36
    37
8
    38 - 40
    41 - 43
9
    44 - 46
    47 - 49
10
    50 - 52
    53 - 55
11
    56 - 58
    59 - 61
12
    62 - 64
    65 - 67
13
    68
    69 - 70
14
    71 - 72
    73 - 74
15
    75 - 77
    78
16
    79 - 81
    82 - 85
17
    86 - 88
    89
18
    90 - 92
    93 - 94
19
    95 - 97
    98 - 101
20
    102 - 103
    104
21
    105
    106
22
    107
    108 - 109
23
    110 - 113
    114 - 115
24
    116 - 118
    119:1 - 32
25
    119: 33 - 72
    119:73 - 104
26
    119:105 - 144
    119:145 - 176
27
    120 - 125
    126 - 131
28
    132 - 135
    136 - 138
29
    139 - 140
    141 - 143
30
    144 - 146
    147 - 150

A helpful thought from the Rev. Tobias Haller:

[Following this pattern of reading the Psalms] produces some odd dissonances from time to time, but the overall effect is powerful. One is somewhat down at the sea in ships, being cast high or low, then in a quiet eddy, sometimes a bit queasy, then by turns thrilled, occasionally becalmed then narrowly escaping the maelstrom of anger and the funnel of hatred, only to sail into a safe harbor of Hallelujah's as the cycle comes to a close. ~Tobias Stanislas Haller BSG

A Powerful Video

Watch this!  And talk with your youth/young adults...

A Thought on Prayer

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, 'Abba! Father!' it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. (Rom. 8:12-17)

In The Word is Very Near You, Martin Smith says,

"Even quite experienced Christians who are hard-working and caring people balk at prayer as yet another demand on top of everything else. Here is another quota to fulfill, this time from a supernatural boss, or another person to satisfy, a super-parent.

What if God does not demand prayer as much as gives prayer? What if God wants prayer in order to satisfy us? What if prayer is a means of God nourishing, restoring, healing, converting us? Suppose prayer is primarily allowing ourselves to be loved, addressed and claimed by God.

It is one thing to say that prayer is a conversation with God. It is another to say that God begins the conversation. But it is yet something else to say that God is a conversation. In God love ever flows between the Father and the Son in the Spirit....Our prayer is not making conversation with God. It is joining a conversation that is already going on in God. It is being invited to participate in the relationships of intimacy between Father, Son and Holy Spirit. There is an eternal dance already in full swing, and we are caught up in it."

Thanks to the Center for Biblical Studies for the quote.

Fall Bible Study: American Saints Weeks Three - Six

Week Three of American Saints - Martyrs

PETER the ALEUT (1815) – Russian Orthodox
SISTER CONSTANCE AND HER COMPANIONS - "The Martyrs of Memphis" (1878) – Episcopalian
CLARA LOUISE MAASS (1876 – 1901) - Lutheran
JOSEPH and MICHAEL HOFER (1918) – Hutterian Brethern

JONATHAN MYRICK DANIELS (1939 - 1965) – Episcopalian

Week Four of American Saints – In Service to Others

HERMAN of ALASKA (1756 - 1837) – Russian Orthodox
THOMAS GALLAUDET (1822 - 1902) – Episcopalian
GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER (1864 – 1943) - Methodist
BERNARD FRANCIS ”SOLANUS” CASEY (1870 - 1957) – Roman Catholic

Week Five - ADVOCATES FOR CIVIL RIGHTS

John Woolman (1720 - 1772) - Quaker who led fight against the slave trade among American Quakers.
Absalom Jones (1746-1818) - 1st black Episcopal priest, born as a slave, founder of St. Thomas in Phil.
John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848) - Congregational president of the US and civil rights advocate.
Mary McCIoud Bethune (1875 - 1955) -Methodist teacher and first black woman to head a federal agency.

Week Six - ADVOCATES FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS

Lucretia Coffin Mott (1793 - 1880) - Quaker minister who led fight for women's rights and abolition.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815 - 1902) - An Episcopalian who worked for women's suffrage.
Georgia Harkness (1891 - 1974) - Methodist who became first woman professor.
Fannie Lou Hamer (1917-1977) - Voting and civil rights activist; Baptist.
Barbara Andrews (1935 - 1978) - First woman ordained in the American Lutheran Church.

You are the ethicist!

This article from the ethicist is good and I agree to a point but as Christians we expect flawed people to do good things and we accept that. I think of St. Paul who was Saul before his conversion. So how would you answer this question about Lance Armstrong & Livestrong?

It was recently demonstrated by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency that Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs during the seven years when he won the Tour de France. During the same period, Armstrong started Livestrong, a cancer-support organization known for its ubiquitous yellow bracelets. Is the unethical nature of Lance’s doping offset by the fact that his Livestrong organization has touched many lives in a positive way? Is it even right to consider Livestrong in our ethical analysis of Armstrong’s doping?

Here is how the ethicist answered.
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