Repairing the World
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Repairing the World

Many people in western North Carolina feel forgotten, even now almost 9 months after the Hurricane devastated their beautiful mountain communities, they are struggling to have clean running water, safe roads to drive on, and to receive compensation for what they lost. They have lost their homes, their businesses, and in some cases loved ones and dear neighbors. And although we did our part over the days we were there, the most important thing we did was listening to stories and building relationships. Knowing people by name, sharing meals together, playing together, and realizing that we were more blessed by the hospitality and kindness of the people we met than we felt like we gave. Our youth saw firsthand the impact of being present with people.

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Welcome Rev. Greg
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Welcome Rev. Greg

We are very excited to welcome the Rev. Greg Williams to St. Barnabas!

Over the last year, Rev. Jane and our vestry have been working to find a new assistant priest. As our congregation grows, having additional clergy to support our community has been a priority and part of our 5 year strategic plan. Greg’s many gifts and his enthusiasm for ministry impressed us and we are eager for him to begin his ministry with us on July 1st.

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Ask the Priest: Making the Sign of the Cross
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Ask the Priest: Making the Sign of the Cross

Someone asked recently: As a new Episcopalian, how do I know when to make the sign of the cross?

Making the sign of the cross is a prayer gesture, a way of praying with your body. In teaching children how to pray, it became important to me, to offer a prayer with both words and gestures. Sometimes, we don’t even have the words to pray, but we can still bow our heads, or bring our hands together, or make the sign of the cross as a way to offer our prayers to God.

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To Build a Swing
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

To Build a Swing

I love these lines from the poet Hafiz, a Persian mystic, who lived 700 years ago and yet still speaks to us today. One of the things I love about our St. Barnabas community is the creativity and generosity that is so evident at every turn. We are a people who love to make things together, whether art or music, cooking up food, building houses, making plans, dreaming big.

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The Way of the Cross
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

The Way of the Cross

I love this cross. I got it in 2018 while on pilgrimage to the Holy Land with some of you. I remember walking the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus himself walked, and how our group stopped at each of the spots to pray together in the busy streets of the Old City.

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Co-Creators with God
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Co-Creators with God

God loves to create and sees all created things as good. The Hebrew word used in this passage is “tov.” Tov means not only good, but something that is beautiful and has within it the possibility to create more of itself. Anything that produces life and contains the potential to create more life.

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Blessing Upon Blessing
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Blessing Upon Blessing

I love this picture. It was taken at our parish picnic this summer. I was asked to pray before we ate, as priests often are! And as I started praying, Maddie ran up to give me a hug. It was a real moment in time that captures how I feel about our life together at St. Barnabas.

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Ash Wednesday at St. Barnabas
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Ash Wednesday at St. Barnabas

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the 40-day season of Lent where we seek to turn our hearts back to God in preparation for Easter.

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May God Bless this House: Epiphany House Blessings
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

May God Bless this House: Epiphany House Blessings

A part of church history is the custom of blessing homes at the New Year or in the Epiphany Season. Christians would hold a short service of prayer to ask God’s blessing on their dwellings and on all who live, work with and visit them.

In this way, we can invite Jesus to be a “guest” in our home, a listener to each conversation, a guide for troubled times, and a blessing in times of thanksgiving.

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Finding a Via Media
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Finding a Via Media

We are constantly bombarded with more information than most of us know how to process. Our political leaders continue to fight, and many people feel scared that rights they once had are being taken away. Certainly, in the wake of the reversal of Roe v. Wade, we find ourselves hearing stories on all sides about what is lost and what is gained in this moment.

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A New Way to Pray
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

A New Way to Pray

Growing up, there was one dinner, that I absolutely hated. Whenever my mom, would make fish for dinner, I have memories of complaining and refusing to eat, and crying at the dinner table about how terrible this meal was and how I couldn’t possibly eat it. It wasn’t until I eventually moved away from Ohio, living on the East Coast and for a short while in France, that I began to even try fish again.

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Seeing the Face of God
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Seeing the Face of God

A group of us traveled to see an art exhibit at Christ Church Cathedral downtown yesterday. The exhibit is called Icons of Transformation by artist Ludmila Pawlowska. She was inspired by Orthodox Christian icons but presents her contemporary icons as a way to see the divine presence, a kind of window that points to a reality beyond the image itself.

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Rising from the Ashes
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Rising from the Ashes

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father.

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Sermon Share: Be the Good News
The Rev. Jane Gerdsen The Rev. Jane Gerdsen

Sermon Share: Be the Good News

There are those moments in life, where it seems like everything goes in slow motion and each and every moment counts. Everyone sits up and holds their breath, before there is an explosion of emotion.

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