Bishop Eric Menees
Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly, teaching and admonishing one
another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with
thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians
3:16)
Dear Friends in Christ, I am
pleased to be back in the diocese and back at my desk following my vacation.
Because of my absence we’ve had a break in the Bishop’s Notes for the past two
weeks, so I'll pick up where I left off in our study of the Gifts of the Holy
Spirit. Today’s Note will focus on the gift of teaching.
It is impossible to overstate the
importance of this spiritual gift. St. Paul, in his letter to the Colossians
quoted above, exhorts the church to teach one another. Interestingly, he
doesn’t say, “Once you've gained all wisdom, and passed all sorts of rigorous
exams, and been credentialed, then teach.” He says in Romans: “Having
gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if
prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who
teaches, in his teaching….” (Romans 12:6-7) In other words, exercise
the gifts that you have!
When I graduated seminary and got
into parish life, if asked, I would have told you that I do not have the gift
of teaching. But, the life of a minister requires teaching and so I would spend
hours and hours preparing for bible study or my sermons. I would worry
about every point and everything said. In short, I was very anxious about my
teaching and relied solely upon myself. When I shared my anxiety with my
spiritual director he challenged me a bit asking, “Eric are you worried that
you won’t honor the Lord with your teaching, or are you worried that people
won’t think you are very smart?” Sadly, while I wanted to say that it was the
former, when I was honest with myself I had to admit the truth of the latter.
My anxiety about teaching was that people might not think I’m as smart and
prepared as I want them to think I am! Father Bill gave me great advice:
“Eric relax, prepare with prayer, and trust that the Holy Spirit will inspire
you and teach through you.” Great advice! Once I stopped worrying about looking
foolish I found two things: first, how much I enjoyed teaching and second, how
much the Lord taught me by teaching others.
I want to encourage you, my
brothers and sisters in the Diocese of San Joaquin, to make a point of being
both a student of the faith and of teaching others the faith. Participate in
small group bible studies; attend the classes in your congregation; join groups
in the community. I promise you, if you seek to do both, you will be both a
better student and a better teacher!
I pray you all every blessing this
week!
Catechism Questions 145 -
145. What do you
know about the resurrected bodies of believers?
I know that they will match,
express and serve our redeemed humanity, and be fully renewed in the image of
Christ, being fully glorified in him. (2 Peter 1:4)
146. How does
the promise of bodily resurrection affect the way you live today?
Because my body was created good
by God and is redeemed by him, I should honor it. I should refrain from any
violence, disrespect or sin that would harm, demean or violate either my body
or the bodies of others. (Romans 12)
147. What do you
know about the unending life of believers, following judgment day?
I know that it will be a life of
joyful fellowship with our triune God and with resurrected believers, as we
praise and serve God together in the new heaven and the new earth. (Revelation
21:1-4)
148. How should
you live in light of this promise of unending life?
I should live in joyful
expectation of the fullness of my transformation, soul and body, into the
likeness of Christ, as a part of the renewal of the whole creation. In the
midst of life’s difficulty and suffering, and in the face of hostility and
persecution for my faith, I am sustained by this hope and the knowledge of our
triune God’s eternal love for me.
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