The Rev.
Andrea L. Wight
The Rev. Andrea
L. Wight graduated from one of the Episcopal
Church’s eleven seminaries, the Church
Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley CA, in
May of 2003, and her position at St. Mary’s
marks the beginning of her active, ordained
ministry.
She is a
lifelong Episcopalian, being born and raised in
New Jersey. As a teenager her family moved to
Wyoming where she continued her life in the
Church. She graduated from the University of
Wyoming in Laramie with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Pharmacy. Shortly after graduation she
moved to Las Vegas NV where she lived and worked
as a hospital pharmacist for close to 28 years.
She was
ordained to the Transitional Diaconate in
February of 2003, and was ordained to the
Priesthood on October 25, 2003.
She is very
active in the American Association of University
Women, and she enjoys running and yoga. She has
two grown children, and two younger sisters.
Ten Essential Steps
for a Godly Life
- Confess often, get rid of
your sins: use the formal BCP confession,
prayers from the prayer book or make up
your own. Don’t feel you always have
to be right.
- Get in the habit of using
the name of Jesus often: think in his
name and use it in prayer.
- Don’t blame others when
you are sinning: when you know you are
sinning stop it as quickly as possible.
- If you are unhappy more than
you are happy, find out why and change
your life-it is inside you. We are
responsible for our own peace, our own
happiness. No one else can make us happy
and we can’t make others happy.
- Spend more time in prayer:
the more you pray, the easier things
come. Talk to yourself-Jesus is in you.
- Don’t hold a grudge;
you will be the one who ends up sick:
give it up. Let God given music flow
through you instead of the grudge.
- Use your God-given gifts,
the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Use your
power to heal. Everyone has the power to
heal because everyone has the power to
hurt. Use your power to bless and give up
your power to curse: bless all
things-yourself, family, friends. Use
your power to praise and give up your
power to criticize. Do not criticize or
allow anyone to criticize the church at
large. Be flexible.
- Do not agree with criticism:
this is the pivotal point in our
spiritual growth. When someone is
criticizing, especially the church, bow
your head and silently pray for the
person.
- Stay loyal to worship. When
you stay away from church you stop
praying and you are open to Satan: it is
not possible to be lukewarm.
- Don’t complain because
things end-let’s rejoice because
they happened.
From an article by The Rev. Lewis
O. Tanno,
St. Clement Episcopal Church, Tampa, FL
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During
Advent
prepare to experience joy
As most know
Advent is the beginning of the new year for the
church. Quite a different picture than what
we do for the official beginning of the big New
Year, which is celebrated with much fanfare.
Perhaps that
is because the beginning of the new year in the
church asks much different things of us. For
us in the church the new year comes with a
warning to keep awake, to slow down, to wait with
anticipation and wonder. It tells us to
prepare, but not in the way everyone else
prepares. We are preparing for the utter
mystery of the incarnation of God with us, an
event that will come and keeps coming whether we
are ready or not.
In this part
of the world, as Advent comes we experience the
darkest days of the year, and, perhaps, at this
time, more than any other time, darkness swallows
up life. Barrenness sets in. God feels absent.
Yet, even in the darkness we can prepare and make
room by clearing the tiniest space in our hearts
and in our lives. And in that tiny space we begin
by listening and heeding the advice to open our
eyes and notice all the ways, ordinary ways that
God comes into our lives. Our Advent calls
us to remember the stories of generations past
and present. And every time we remember and
retell the stories, more comes to light, and the
light grows till it fills up even the deepest,
darkest recesses.
One of the
most ordinary yet profound things I remember from
Advents past happened at my old home church.
It was one of the last times the three oldest
members of our congregation were together. Three
women sitting side-by-side, right up front in the
first pew. One was almost blind, another
was unsteady because of a stroke, and the third,
considering her age, was rather well and often
served as chauffeur for the others. This one
particular Sunday, it was like the scales fell
out of my eyes. I noticed how tenderly these
women greeted each other at the peace and then
for communion helped each other up to the
communion rail, all waiting patiently to be done
before helping each other back to their pew. It
might not sound like much, but their interaction
with each other reminded me that for Advent I
needed to practice that kind of patient waiting
and care.
At the end
of a season that begins in darkness and asks us
to keep awake and watch with patience, joy and
celebration awaits. Borne out of our
waiting is hope in the guise of a newborn child.
God has come again swelling our hearts with joy
and the promise of another year to come.
So rejoice!
Rejoice!
Pastor Andrea
This
page prepared by St. Anskar's,
Rockford
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