June 8th Rector’s Blog

Dear Parish family:

What's up with infant swaddling, anxiety vests for dogs and other calming accessories for God's creatures great and small?

I learned quickly that both of our grandbabies have "sleep sacks" and for very good reasons:
"Sleep sacks" were first developed by Bill Schmid under the Halo brand. He was looking for a safe sleeping alternative to loose blankets in the crib after his daughter, Haley, died of SIDS, in 1991. He felt it was his mission to do anything he could to help reduce the number of SIDS deaths. Around this time, the "Back to Sleep" campaign began, which educated parents that putting babies to sleep on their backs was the safest way for them to sleep. This is why you'll see Halo sleep sacks printed with the words, "Back is Best."

Similarly, Anxiety wraps are vest-like garments designed to calm anxious dogs. The vests work under the theory that pressure applied to the dog's torso causes a calming effect similar to swaddling a crying infant or hugging a distressed person.

Finally, look at the incredible amount of offerings in our culture from the mattress/pillow/sheet industry. Gracious! Dial me in on a good night's sleep PLEASE!

Have you ever attributed the "best sleep I ever had" to the presence of our living God?

"For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life." (2 Corinthians 5:4)

The clothing St. Paul is referring to is the garment of righteousness given to us by grace through our Lord Jesus Christ.
An important verse to note is 2 Cor 5:21, "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (ESV), which has traditionally been interpreted to mean that the Christian has, in some way, become righteous (by impartation or imputation), in exchange for Jesus' sinlessness. Hmmm, so Jesus gives us his righteousness and we give him our worst? Yes!

By dying to self - we turn in our garment of sinfulness - like dirty rags, and we give them to Jesus who, through his perfect sacrifical death on the cross, takes that old self of ours with him to the tomb - dead and buried. By his resurrection, he has prepared for us a new garment to wear. It is to be worn daily, in fact day and night. It fits like new skin because it is custom tailored by the One who made us in the first place.

How can we be so sure? Because the label in this garment has the maker's mark with instructions of Return to Sender: "He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee." (2 Cor. 5:5)

It's about time to take the plunge into cool, soothing waters of baptism. Baptized in the Holy Spirit in other words. It is time to reaffirm our faith. It's time to send out our graduates in prayer this Sunday. We'll have this opportunity again when we celebrate Confirmation and Reception with Bishop Mark Lawrence on June 20th.

And I couldn't say it any better than St. Paul when he says "swallowed up by life". Jonah probably didn't know what had swallowed him, but eventually he knew God's grace and calling would never let go of his life. Yes, while we are still in this tent (our earthly bodies), we groan with the burdens of aging and the stress of this world. But being further clothed in the eternal garment of righteousness given by Jesus, we can be assured of our heavenly dwelling that awaits us, guaranteed by his ever present Spirit who is with us and dwells in us.

Let the calming grace of God wrap himself around you right now, and give you perfect rest from all your labors this day!
In His love always,
Rags+