Embracing and Expanding in Worship

Beloveds,

Happy Epiphany! There is much we can learn from the wise people who went bearing gifts to Jesus and his family. Something I learn from these wise people is that we need guiding lights! God helps lights to settle on the horizon to guide us in our journey toward Christ.

A light that is shining and guiding St. Columba’s this season is the Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church. This four part lectionary series is the work of the Rev. Dr. Wilda Gafney, Biblical Scholar, Womanist,* and professor at Brite Divinity School. The first book of this project is called “Year W” and is a stand alone lectionary that could be used any year. For this, “Year W” has become a sort of short hand for the larger work and for our engagement with it.

In the Season after Epiphany, beginning January 14, St. Columba’s will use the readings compiled and translated in Dr. Gafney’s Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church: Year B. These readings and Dr. Gafney’s translation allows us to hear stories of God and God’s people that often go untold, are forgotten, or even intentionally suppressed. Additionally, our worship will contain expansive language for God including feminine and mothering language. Expansive language allows us to experience the many facets of God including those that may feel unnatural or unpracticed for us. This is an experiment, not a permanent change. It is an opportunity to notice and wonder.

We engage this season with great intention and care. New stories and new names for God can surprise us. They might awaken and empower us. They may make us uncomfortable. They may allow us to connect in new unexpected ways. I pray that they might help us to understand ourselves, our communities, and our God more clearly, expansively, and lovingly. In this season, I invite you to notice what enlivens you and surprises you, notice what supports you and confuses you, and notice what startles you and what expands you.

This Sunday, January 14, we will have a forum to discuss Women’s Lectionary, the work of the Rev. Dr. Wil Gafney, and how St. Columba’s will explore Year W. On January 21, we will welcome the Rev. Glenna Huber of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany. We will conclude the season on February 11 with a poetry reflection led by the Rev. Mitchell Felton. Join us as we experiment, explore, and expand.

Peace to you,

Adelyn Tyler-Williams

* Womanism is the movement of Black women for gender and racial equity; the term was coined by Alice Walker. It is an intersectional response to the feminist movement which can often be silent on race.