Jesus said to the twelve, “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’” – Matthew 12:7

This passage is from one of the readings for the celebration of the Feast Day of St. Barnabas coming up on June 11. Barnabas isn’t one of the better-known apostles. If you recall, he only became one of the twelve after Judas was no longer around. Barnabas always catches my attention, though, because the church where I went growing up in rural Georgia was named after him.

I love thunder. I love the slow low rumble. Every year as summer begins, I enjoy sitting on the covered front porch and listening to a storm roll in. Our first Sunday back kind of reminded me of how wonderful thunder is because it had been quite some time since I had heard (and felt) the music from the organ. I was aware of many things that I had missed over the last year, music in church being one of them, but the joy of experiencing the organ itself with all the vibrations it produces was a surprise. I had a similar experience when opening a door into the church this morning. The smell of a church is unique and yet strangely universal among the Episcopal churches I have inhabited.

It’s starting to feel a lot like summer…This morning I took the kids to the pool for the first time and watched them splash around. It's hard to believe anyone can smile for as long as they did. I also stepped outside this week and for the first time this year felt the wave of heat and humidity engulf me. In the same moment, a friend reflected a concern that the beginning of summer would feel like the start of the pandemic with the kids home and the pace slowed on just about everything. I believe it will be a bit of time before we don’t have moments when we have to remind ourselves that we have come out on the other side of this pandemic, even in the future when it will finally be well behind us.

I have some good news, some mildly unfortunate news, and some great news for you.

First, we have installed the cameras in the church and they are not only fairly unnoticeable, but also have really great resolution! As we gain experience with using them, we will be able to reach most liturgical places in the church from at least a couple of angles. Having heard a touch of concern from a few people, I also want to clarify that, at most, the congregation may be peripherally on camera. Please don’t worry that you will be filmed at church unless you are serving as a reader, acolyte, member of the choir, etc. For this very exciting first bit of good news, I want to thank the Endowment fund that made purchasing the equipment possible!

“’You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.’ When [Jesus] had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight.” - Acts 1:8-9

In an interesting confluence of events, we celebrated the graduation of our 8th graders from Holy Spirit Episcopal School this week and today my son had his stepping up ceremony as he prepares for middle school in the fall. Today also happens to be Ascension Day on which we observe the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry after the resurrection as described in the verses from Acts above. Transitions almost always come with anticipation as well as with at least a little anxiety.

“The…believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.” – Acts 10:45

This past week, something I had been hearing about for quite some time finally began…The ABC Countdown. It didn’t mean anything to me either when my daughter asked every day for weeks how many days away the beginning of this momentous event was. Finally, as I was presented with a list of 26 letter-themed days, I realized what all the hubbub was about. Every day there is a theme that matches the letter of the alphabet culminating in the final day of school, “Z is for zip-off to a great summer!” There are certainly some anticipated favorites like “G is for games,” “I is for ice cream,” and “S is for silly socks.” Every day brings a new treat and one step closer to the end of school. What fun it is to be a kiddo sometimes!

C.S. Lewis once said that he had been told by Bridge players that there had to be at least a small prize when playing the card game, otherwise nobody would take it seriously. This is often described as having “skin in the game” and implies having put something you value or some part of yourself into an endeavor raising the stakes for whatever “the game” is meant to stand for. More interestingly to me, I found this quote in A Greif Observed, the published portion of Lewis’ personal journal that he kept after losing his wife to cancer. Loss of loved ones is inherently heightened because of how much we have ourselves invested in our relationships.